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[JAL13]

Proxy or Not?

[Geneaux486]

I was given to understand that "proxy" in the context of Slender Man mythology referred to someone who acts as an extension of the thing's will. I don't think any characters in Marble Hornets fit that description. Alex is erratic and violent, but so are Tim, Brian, and even Jay when they've been affected by the Operator.

The four demonstrate varying degrees, with Tim being the most violent and unpredictable (though we only really think this because we've spent more time observing Tim in his Operator-induced state than the other three, and because he's been dealing with it the longest that we know of), but the symptoms are all the same. I don't think any of them is actively doing the Operator's bidding, I think they're all just being driven insane by the thing and it's pitting them against each other.

[lonsumtravlr]

I don't think any of them really is a "proxy." I see Geneaux486 has just posted a response, and what he says about how none of the characters fits the description of "acting as an extension of [TO's] will." I guess the closest would be Alex if only because there have been points at which he apparently did make some sort of bargain with TO or was under more or less TO's direct control. But he doesn't seem to be any sort of puppet--he's quite conflicted and if he's to be believed, has made at least some attempts to shelter some individuals (Jessica?) from getting targeted by TO.

Hoody seems more like someone who was fucked up by exposure to TO and can't fully come to terms with losing his life.

There's still more to learn about Tim (how much we'll get to in the remaining entries remains to be seen), but possibly the only time on video that he was acting in any way as a proxy was Season 1--assuming that he specifically stalked Jay and brought him to TO in Entry 23. It's not quite clear what Tim/Masky was doing then, and it's easy to over-conjecture and try to make season 1 fit with seasons 2 and 3.

[Lithp]

"Proxy" is an artificial term, generated by the fans. I prefer to avoid it wholesale.

Hoody: I would call him an Informant, because he is the one always stringing them along with conveniently timed clues.

Masky: I might call him something like a Brute or an Enforcer, because his main function is to carry out Hoody's will. You could also use the TV Tropes term "Dragon." He may have also been an Informant at one point.

Alex: Don't really see the need to call him anything besides Villain or Antagonist. In terms of his relationship to The Operator, you could use the same terms as Tim, if you think that he follows its orders.

Honestly, coining the term "proxy" killed our vocabulary & made things more confusing, not less.

[Zarggg]

The "proxy" concept we have seen turn up in other Slender Man fiction doesn't really exist in Marble Hornets, or at least has not yet come into play.

As stated before, proxy generally refers to people acting on behalf of the Slender Man entity, which we don't really have here. Hoody and Masky (the most obvious proxy candidates) have generally been working against the Operator.

It may be possible to say in the end that Alex is a proxy, but we haven't really reached a point of certainty yet.

[gennerx]

Google defines proxy as a person authorized to act on the behalf of another.
So people acting on behalf of TO.

[Geneaux486]

And seeing as how the Operator's affects have been consistent from character to character, and they can't all be acting on the creature's behalf (setting aside the fact that the Operator has shown no signs of having goals, motivation, or even complex thought), we can safely conclude that there are no proxies in Marble Hornets.

[DHawk314]

But the way the Operator treats the characters is different. In Entries #45 and 67 the Operator saves Alex from Tim and Brian, who are somehow about to kill him. The Operator provides no such courtesy to his other stalkees, such as Jay, who Alex himself kills, and Jessica, who either Alex also kills, or the Operator kills.

The Operator also never actually attacks Alex. He only ever is physically sick from the Operator when he walks directly at it, such as in 43 or 70. In 65 though, the Operator continually put Tim through quite a bit of pain. He drags Tim on the ground and almost drowns him, between a bunch of seizures. In 72, Jay runs away from him and the Operator runs after him. 82 was also clearly some sort of attack. As a result, Masky and Hoody always run from the Operator, such as in 45, 83, or even the totheark video Admission, where the cameraman pretty clearly hides from it.

Alex is different. While some early 2006 footage has him running or hiding, that seems to be before he knew what was going on. In the aforementioned Entry #43, he walks right at the Operator on purpose. And in 46 he just stands there while Jay runs away. When Jay asks him about this in 47, but Alex avoids the question completely. Alex isn't scared of it. I once again sight 67, where not only is Alex not running, the Operator shows up to save him in the first place.

The Operator arguably helps Alex by disposing of Jessica, Jay, and that other guys' bodies, although considering he does the same thing to Brian's body, who Alex doesn't kill at all, I'm starting to think the Operator might just have a cadaver collection or something he's trying to fill up. However, if that is so, then that might be why Alex ends up killing that other guy in the tunnel anyway.

So Alex is more than just driven crazy by the Operator, they're somehow in league. I don't think he knowingly is working for it, because he claims to have reasons for wanting Jessica and Jay dead, they just don't really make any sense. This is similar to Jay's irrational logic behind his violent acts after seeing the Jessica tape, right after his Operator encounter, before which he was going to reconcile with Tim.

None of the character are knowingly working for it, and their mental symptoms are essentially the same but to different degrees (Jay least bad, Tim without meds the worst, and Alex and Brian somewhere in between.) But the Operator's opinion on them is clearly different. And don't forget Alex clearly leading Brian to it and then dragging the body away.

So basically all of them crazy, but Alex the Operator likes and is using, and everyone else the Operator doesn't care about, Jessica to the point of maybe killing her.

[awakeasaurusrex]

Re: Proxy or Not?

[JAL13]

Re: Proxy or Not?

[lonsumtravlr]

It's a meaningful question; it's just that "proxy" isn't a meaningful term in MH.

[sp103]

My understanding matches the same as the above posters-a proxy is someone who acts under the direct or control of slenderman (or over here in Hornet land The Operator).

A lot of the terms created by the fanbase are just so poorly written it hurts your brain. I just read the idea of the "Core Theory" that some Slenderblog came up with. I liked the idea and the concept-but holy sh*t whoever wrote it on the slender wiki needs to take his/her meds.

[lonsumtravlr]

[sp103]

[lonsumtravlr]