Slender: No Mere Meme
1, 2, Slenderman sees you.
(I don't own anything relating to Slender, the Slenderman was created by Victor Surge, the only thing I'm doing is adding my take to the ever growing Mythos about this frightening terror, enjoy.)
On June 8th, 2009, a 'paranormal pictures' photoshop contest was launched on the Something Awful Forums. The contest required participants to turn ordinary photographs into creepy-looking images through digital manipulation and then pass them on as authentic photographs on a number of paranormal forums. Something Awful users soon began sharing their faux-paranormal creations with layered images of ghosts and other anomalies, usually accompanied by a fabricated witness account to make them more convincing. On June 10th, SA user Victor Surge posted two black and white photographs of unnamed children with a short description of "Slender Man" as a mysterious creature who stalked children and killed them along with adults. Afterwards, the world began to flourish with the idea of this unknown and unbelievable thing called the Slenderman.
06.14.09 – The Slenderman concept is re-used by someone else for the first time.
06.20.09 – The first slendervlog, Marble Hornets begins.
07.29.09 – The first slenderblog, Just Another Fool begins.
03.21.10 – everymanHYBRID begins.
03.21.10 – Seeking Truth/The Mystic begins.
05.04.10 – Dreams in Darkness begins.
06.04.10 – TribeTwelve begins.
06.24.10 – The Tutorial begins.
09.04.10 – The Angel's Game begins.
10.30.10 – TheOutsideAgents begins.
11.13.10 – AppleofourEye begins.
11.26.10 – DarkHarvest00 begins.
11.29.10 – compileTRUTH begins.
12.17.10 – MyDarkJournal begins.
01.17.11 – MLAndersen0 (The Andersen Journals) begins.
04.04.11 – TJAProjects begins.
(I don't know their dates, but others include: CaughtNotSleeping, Tulpa Effect, Osiris Chronicles, 5zer02, 004Steps, TheDeadAreWatching, His Collector/APCollection, SAParanormal Hunters, The Undecided Five, OneBadDream, Paranormal Investigation, Sword and Legend, Afraid At Home, Future Refused 2 Change, Coyote Is Awesome, and the loveable PewDiePie.)
Several other vlogs and blogs telling their own stories about the Slenderman surfaced, and since then the Mythos has exploded in size. Growing not only in audience, but in the number of audience members who have begun to participate in the experience by creating stories of their own.
October 27th, 2011, the music video "Equinox" by Skrillex is shown on Beavis and Butt-head. The Slenderman makes a cameo appearance in the music video. It is presumed that the young girl in the video is a Proxy being controlled by Slenderman in order to kill the child molester stalking the young girl. Unknowingly, I saw this, but didn't yet understand what I have witnessed.
July 21st, 2012, Cartoon Network's Adultswim Toonami block airs a review of the game Slender. The game was created by Mark J. Hadley, known on YouTube (and on the Unity forums) as AgentParsec. The original design document for the game, originally called Slender Man The Game was posted on the Unity forums on the 5th of May, and the first beta version on the 26th June. After the game's release, several other games were released that were based on the newly renamed Slender: The Eight Pages, usually based on exploration mechanics with similar AI for the enemy. The most popular games based on Slender: The Eight Pages is Slenderman's Shadow. The game's concept, idea, and gameplay elements are done by Mark J. Hadley. While the programming is by Marc Steene, and the level design by Wray Burgesswhich. The was released in several maps and "Slender-Man" for iOs, which reached number two in worldwide app ratings, being outsold only by Bad Piggies, the Angry Birds people. It was only after seeing the review that my life's path was forever changed.
Upon learning of this viral phenomenon, I scoured the internet for anything and everything I could find. This ranged from the games to information to pictures to video clips. Nothing was beyond my reach. I was mad in my search for knowledge. I was a girl obsessed with learning about this thing. And like history before me, this lead to bad things, as they so very often do. Unintentionally stalking the ultimate stalker will never be a good thing. I give this warning to those who know of this path. Be wise and turn back now, before it is too late. You have little luck in surviving if he notices you. And even lower luck to live through the ordeal that happened to me.
My name is Lynsie. I am a believer in the myth that is the Slenderman. My belief is based on the theory of probable order, as for every creature that over does itself, is always somehow taken back down by an even better creature to maintain balance. The thing goes by many names, Slender Man, Him, The Operator, Der Ritter, Der Großmann, Bundle, The Tall Man, The Thin Man, Der Schlanker Mann, Fear Dubh, Schlankwald, Tree Man, Slendy, Slenderman, Slender, The Pale One, The White King, Master. But all these names have one thing in common, I fear them all. I respect the Slenderman, he is not a being to be taken lightly and trifled with. I fear this being that I've come to admire. I fear that the more I learn, the more I'll think of him, and the more I think of him, the more likely I improve my chances of getting his deadly attention. That is what I feared the most. I feared his attention, and yet I couldn't stop myself from changing my habits. My interest in this meme was far too great and I couldn't resist. I knew it was dangerous. But I couldn't stop myself.
This is my story. My life once I encountered the fabled monster that haunts the web. The all too real Slenderman.
My life is pretty normal, I guess. I have no job or driver's license at the age of 24, and I just moved out of being with the family to be with my platonic boyfriend Rob. I spend my free time watching TV and being online. I'm a grownup that never really grew up, know what I mean. A good day for me is sleeping for ten hours, recording the episodes of my favorite shows, and eating ice cream. Yeah. I'm that kind of person. And today is just like any other in my book.
I'm at McDonald's and using their WiFi to, you guessed it, gather more info. I normally spend at least five hours here. Just looking up stuff and watching YouTube clips to laugh while I work. My fave is the Play Slender vids done by Toby of TobyGames. That guy cracks me up. And his Happy Wheels clips are awesome too.
My search today goes well. I find plenty of things that have been confirmed as canon material and I collect them all to my desktop folder for easy look up. But something feels off. I don't know what. It's like something in the air feels odd. Like I'm being watched. But I am being watched. People can clearly see me, a weird dead looking girl in a black hoodie that's laughing at her laptop. Plus, the in-store cameras are on till closing. I'm always being watched when I come here, but I never felt this before. It's rather unnerving and uncomfortable, even giving me a slight headache for some reason. But I shake it off and keep to myself till I'm ready to return home for the night.
6:13pm, Rob should be getting off work somewhere around now. I'm the one with the house keys. So I pack up my gear and go out to start the twenty-five minute bike ride home. I know. It sounds really lame to travel so far just to use the internet. But can you really blame me?
My ride is always an easy one. So long as traffic isn't crazy this late, all is good. My only qualm is the bike's extremely uncomfortable seat. I have to ride with a small pillow on it just to ease my poor butt. But other than that, I have no complaints. But like at McDonald's, something isn't right.
My headache is getting worse the closer I get home. I feel light headed as well. But I press on. As is in my nature. I'll have all the time to deal with this when I get home and pop a couple of aspirin. But the pain is almost blinding. I'm only forced to stop when I feel something cool on my face. I pull over a mere two minutes from home and sit on the ground to check if everything's alright. I wipe my hand against my face and find the source of the coolness most disturbing. My nose is bleeding. That's never happened before. What could be the cause of such an affliction?
That same feeling as if I'm being watched hits me again, and something alerts me to look around. A stupid thing to do really. As my eyes caught sight of something that has my heart stop dead in its beating. Across the street, tucked in and hidden well with some trees, is a figure that I was hoping was as fake as Godzilla.
I see a tall human-like being in a black or dark grey business suit and white dress shirt, with a red or black tie. It has no clearly defined facial features. No hair, no eyes, no ears, no nose, no mouth, no face what so ever. Just a blank white thing of a head. I can make out that he has normal-looking bare hands, but I heard it has no fingernails. I can't tell exactly how tall it is, but it is known to be six to fifteen feet tall, but has no defined height as it can change this at will. This is my fear come to life. This is what I've been dreading. I am staring directly at a living myth and it is looking back at me. This thing that I guess that only I can see, as is known to be within its power, is the Slenderman.
We just stare for a long time. I don't know his reasons, other than thinking of ways that I can be used to decorate a tree. My reason is that I can't fucking move for the life of me. I've never been so scared in all my life. Not even after I watch the Saw movies, and those things leave me paranoid for months. Suddenly he tilts his head and vanishes from my sight. Breaking my horrified trance and allowing me to get the hell out of there.
Once home, I clean myself up and take some pain killers to get rid of my near migraine. This isn't good, not good at all. Not only have I just seen the Slenderman, but I have also been afflicted with 'Slender Sickness'. The sickness is said to be caused somewhat unintentionally by the Slenderman, as he might be giving off Sigma Radiation, or radiation in general, which has a long history of inclusion in theories regarding Slenderman and its powers. The theorized order of the illness is as follows. Stalked victims: Nose bleeds with fever like the common cold. First encounter: Nose bleeds, nausea, strong cough, vomiting, slight signs of radiation poisoning, aches and pains. More than five sightings: Coughing up blood, blood in vomit, many signs of radiation exposure, painful breathing, difficulty in swallowing, and memory loss. And that's if he decides to let you live long enough to be effected as such. My future looks very bleak.
Rob comes home about an hour later and I don't tell him of what happened. I don't want him involved and up dead because of me. He's too good to be killed off due to my dumb ass. But I can't just sit idly by as this whatever it is plans my fate. I have to do something. Anything...I need to study my information.
The main reason I fear the Slenderman is his mystery. No one knows what he is, what he wants, where he comes from, if he can even speak on a Human level, or why he does the things he does? Unlike the monsters of movie creation, you can't reason with the Slenderman. You could make deals with Freddy, but not Slendy. You can avoid Jason by staying away from his camp, you can't do that with Slendy. That's the scary part. You can't do anything. But I do have a plan.
The Slenderman can either kill its target instantly upon meeting or torment them over a long period of years. But some people that do get his attention are spared by becoming what is known as a Proxy. Proxies work on behalf of the Slenderman, who controls their thoughts and feelings, and through that, their actions. Proxies still have free will, or partially free will, and may or may not know that they are mind controlled, or when. They are used to interact with other victims, set traps, or give information to the victims on behalf of the Slenderman. It is debated as to the full independence of proxies, and some suggest that when under its control, proxies act as a collective hive-mind. If I'm lucky, I can at least become this and live.
With this in mind, I spend the rest of my time studying all that I have and all that I can find. No site is left unlooked at, no clip remains unwatched. I gather every bit of info I can get my hands on and memorize it till it's burned forever into my brain. This new behavior worries Rob, but I can't stop, not even for him. I don't want to end up dead. Hell, I planned on living forever. No way I'm going out like this. I'm not the kind of girl who bows before the executioner. I fight with everything I've got till there's nothing left keeping me going. It's just the way I am.
Days go by, and all seems well. I continue life as the norm like before, but now with the sense of impending doom. I take no joy in the things I once loved, yet I haven't seen Slendy yet after that first sighting. But that doesn't mean he's gone. That's the shitty thing about knowing your death is near. It makes you crazy! Paranoia goes to levels one would think were impossible. But I must press on. I have to keep my wits about me. I never know when the faceless reaper will be coming for me.
It's strange really. That my mundane life could be thrown into the blender of CreepyPasta. That I can find the idea of being a monster's puppet a favorable thing to possibly look forward to. But I'd rather be a servant to the beast, than to die in its jaws. If my bell is to toll, than I will be the one to ring it, and it will sound louder than any bell that came before it or after. But only time will tell as to how my fateful story will end. Be it with me living or my funeral. I know not. I only hope god loves me enough that I can go on to know another birthday. If I live, I will be eternally grateful. But I am to meet my end, well...I just hope it'll be done painlessly or in the very least instantaneously.
(To be continued.)
I thank you all who have read this. This is my attempt at a Slenderman story. I have learned all I could in order to make this as real as I can. I hope I have done so. If I get enough feedback from readers, I might be willing to keep this going. If well received, I plan on taking this to places no one has thought of before. Do tell me if this was done okay. I'm trying to remain true to the canon Mythos. I thank you all again for reading and I hope you enjoyed my story. Till next time. If there is one? Goodnight and good fright. Don't let the Slenderman bite.