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 Forum index » Chaotic Fiction » Marble Hornets
Pre-Existing Slenderman Mythos
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RatheadSyndicate
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Joined: 09 Dec 2009
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Location: Dayton, OH

 		Pre-Existing Slenderman Mythos
One of the major problems that continues to derail any discussion in this thread is the insistence that the only evidence available to us in regards to the nature of the Slenderman character is that which has been made explicit within the context of this pseudo-ARG, despite the fact that Marble Hornets is implicitly based around the pre-existing Slenderman mythos. This is analogous to claiming that an ARG that takes place at Miskatonic University is unrelated to any pre-existing Cthulhu mythos until evidence is presented in-game, or that the players of a Gotham City-based ARG shouldn't consider the affect of the established fictional history of Batman and related characters upon the game. I agree that an ARG with a fully home-grown concept ought to be played by the traditional rules, but this isn't the case here.

Keep in mind that the original Something Awful thread was something of a collaborative ARG, with people offering "eye-witness" accounts of Slenderman's activities and building the mythology that way. Since Marble Hornets debuted in that very same thread, it's not a terrible jump to suggest that it's not only its own stand-alone ARG, but also part of the impromptu myth-building exercise witnessed in that thread. Therefore, some (if not all) of the big mythological pillars of Slenderman's nature can be used in analyzing these videos.

So what do we know about Slenderman from the Something Awful thread?

*He's malevolent.
*He's supernatural.
*He is not exclusive to Alabama, nor is he a recent phenomena.
*He is associated with trees or wooded areas.
*He exhibits some sort of hypnotic power on his victims.
*He is associated with the deaths of children and the mutilation of animals.
*According to legend, he WANTS you to know about him, since that's the only way for him to get to you.

Feel free to add to this list.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:53 pm
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IWontGetOvertheDam
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Joined: 24 Dec 2009
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 		*He has some odd tentacle-like appendages that have yet to make an appearance in Marble Hornets.
*Supposedly he can change his height.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 4:19 pm
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Future Sith
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 		Keep in mind that the name "Slender Man" is never spoken or mentioned in any of the entries or TTA responses. Although we call the faceless guy in a suit "Slender Man" it's not necessarily him. These students have obviously taken some creative liscense in order to create their own story, loosely based upon the myths and legends srrounding SM. It's really not productive for us to be looking into the SA mythos, our time would be better spent deciphering TTA's videos or looking deeper into Entry 22.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 4:24 pm
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RatheadSyndicate
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Future Sith wrote:
Keep in mind that the name "Slender Man" is never spoken or mentioned in any of the entries or TTA responses. Although we call the faceless guy in a suit "Slender Man" it's not necessarily him. These students have obviously taken some creative liscense in order to create their own story, loosely based upon the myths and legends srrounding SM. It's really not productive for us to be looking into the SA mythos, our time would be better spent deciphering TTA's videos or looking deeper into Entry 22.


Respectfully, I disagree. By linking his video, in character, in the Paranormal Images thread, Jay makes his video's inclusion in the Slenderman mythology implicit. Some of the least productive speculation has come out of a blind and willful ignorance of the Slenderman mythology (Slenderman isn't here to hurt anyone, Slenderman isn't supernatural, Slenderman doesn't want to be seen by the cameras, etc.). Perhaps not all of the mythos is in play, but ignoring it completely is as unproductive as slavishly clinging to it.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 4:43 pm
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Tyran
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 		THANK YOU. While I agree that Marble Hornets has taken some liberty ((Though I don't see how, the Slenderman is acting exactly as he usually does in these vids)) with such things as the extra characters like Masky and TTA, they've stayed pretty true to the mythos and we should honor that.

*Slendy doesn't actually have a connection with water. He's more centered around forest.

*Slendys basic appearance and shape sometimes changes, but it's stayed the same throughout all of MH.

*Slendy focuses on children, though there are as many stories about him hunting adults down as well.

*Slendy will usually appear during the night, but appears during the day as well.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:54 pm
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C/AMN MERRITT
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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 		It's been reported that most of the time, children will be able to see slender man both in reality and their dreams when adults can't.


Slender Man has to known to kidnap people only to return them trauma dne to them but has the taken the memory of how it happened from the said person.


Slender Man only gets you when you research him, as was the case with Matt and his squad of US Marines.


Slender man appearently has the ability to effect aspects of people from mental health, short/long-term memory, and appearence, and it's been theorized that he can even controll people for a period of time.


He has no face,.[/strike]

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:09 pm
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Woobiehastelly
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 		He's always seen wearing a business suit

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:32 pm
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Guest
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 		just want to state the tentacles ruin it for me a little. I'm not afraid of Dr Octopus, and i'm not afraid of slendy because he can pick up cars or shank me with his tentacles or w/e. I'm afraid because he has no face and bad things happen when he is around, not because I would lose to him in a fight.

He is like the mothman.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:50 pm
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Telos954
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 		It should be included that the Slenderman always wears some sort of black clothing that in the era of the story, is something a figure of power or money would wear.

In the stories set in medieval times, he's seen in black robes the style a nobleman would wear.

In the stories set in colonial times, he's seen in black formal dress attire.

In modern times, he's seen in the iconic black suit.

It's been theorized that it is used to convey the thought of his power and give him a higher status. It is also thought that it's been done like that as a subtle play at the government and authority. Of course, black is often associated with 'evil' and 'dark' people.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:07 pm
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chaos
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RatheadSyndicate wrote:
Future Sith wrote:
Keep in mind that the name "Slender Man" is never spoken or mentioned in any of the entries or TTA responses. Although we call the faceless guy in a suit "Slender Man" it's not necessarily him. These students have obviously taken some creative liscense in order to create their own story, loosely based upon the myths and legends srrounding SM. It's really not productive for us to be looking into the SA mythos, our time would be better spent deciphering TTA's videos or looking deeper into Entry 22.


Respectfully, I disagree. By linking his video, in character, in the Paranormal Images thread, Jay makes his video's inclusion in the Slenderman mythology implicit. Some of the least productive speculation has come out of a blind and willful ignorance of the Slenderman mythology (Slenderman isn't here to hurt anyone, Slenderman isn't supernatural, Slenderman doesn't want to be seen by the cameras, etc.). Perhaps not all of the mythos is in play, but ignoring it completely is as unproductive as slavishly clinging to it.

what you say is true, but when in the SA creations has slenderman let his victims go after being near them like he has with alex and J

what i'm just trying to say is, while he is slenderman, his behaviour and[more due to lack of money to invest in special effects and the like] abilities are not the same as the ones he is presented with in the literature
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:11 pm
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Telos954
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Joined: 10 Dec 2009
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chaos wrote:
RatheadSyndicate wrote:
Future Sith wrote:
Keep in mind that the name "Slender Man" is never spoken or mentioned in any of the entries or TTA responses. Although we call the faceless guy in a suit "Slender Man" it's not necessarily him. These students have obviously taken some creative liscense in order to create their own story, loosely based upon the myths and legends srrounding SM. It's really not productive for us to be looking into the SA mythos, our time would be better spent deciphering TTA's videos or looking deeper into Entry 22.


Respectfully, I disagree. By linking his video, in character, in the Paranormal Images thread, Jay makes his video's inclusion in the Slenderman mythology implicit. Some of the least productive speculation has come out of a blind and willful ignorance of the Slenderman mythology (Slenderman isn't here to hurt anyone, Slenderman isn't supernatural, Slenderman doesn't want to be seen by the cameras, etc.). Perhaps not all of the mythos is in play, but ignoring it completely is as unproductive as slavishly clinging to it.

what you say is true, but when in the SA creations has slenderman let his victims go after being near them like he has with alex and J

what i'm just trying to say is, while he is slenderman, his behaviour and[more due to lack of money to invest in special effects and the like] abilities are not the same as the ones he is presented with in the literature


I brought it up in the thread for entry 22, but here it goes.

Slenderman seems to be the type to thrive off of the fear and panic of his victims. Instead of just killing them, he can feed off of these feelings for extended periods of time. The reported stories in the SA slenderman accounts focus on the killing, but, who's to say SM just sticks to killing in all accounts? In various other stories and creepy-pasta, SM has stalked children and teens for prolonged periods of time, doing things just to cause them high amounts of fear and panic, only to vanish for a time and come back to do it again.

The mutilation of pets and animals can also add to that point. An animal poses no threat to SM, but, if the owner woke up to his dog in the oven with it's guts ripped out and wrapped around it's body or something - He'd freak the fuck out, giving SM more to feed on.

Slendy is a dynamic character. While the base mythos stays the same, traits change over time and expand.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:18 pm
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Tyran
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 		So wait, just because it isn't EXACTLY like the SA Mythos, it isn't like it in ANY way?

I chortled. What, do you want ONE video where Slenderman kills everyone and leaves a lone person so it fits THE STORIES EXXXAAACCCCTTTTLY?! D:

Seriously.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:49 pm
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Renren
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 		He also has a history of twisting bodies and impaling them in tree branches it seems.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:53 pm
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Chief Poirot
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Joined: 11 Nov 2009
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 		I agree with you, Rathead. The Slender Man mythos was this series' inspiration, and J even further linked the two by saying the topic inspired him to look at Alex's tapes (maybe that was what you were referring to earlier). Thus, in my mind, these guys have taken creative license with SM, but he's still (hopefully) the same. This also means I desperately hope that in MH, Slendy isn't something like a vengeful spirit from a forest fire, or something simple. Quite frankly I don't want an explanation as to what he is. Just like in the original mythos, I want that unexplained. I don't think an explanation could really live up to the legend, in a way. "It's better not knowing", I suppose.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:31 pm
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RatheadSyndicate
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Joined: 09 Dec 2009
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Tyran wrote:
So wait, just because it isn't EXACTLY like the SA Mythos, it isn't like it in ANY way?

I chortled. What, do you want ONE video where Slenderman kills everyone and leaves a lone person so it fits THE STORIES EXXXAAACCCCTTTTLY?! D:

Seriously.


I don't think anyone is suggesting anything like this. You may want to read over the initial posts with an eye toward critical understanding. The suggestions being made, on either side of the debate, are these:

1.) Marble Hornets is an extension of existing Slenderman mythos, and if indeed this is the case, details of the original myth may be useful in interpreting these videos.

2.) Since Slenderman has not been named in the game proper, and since the details of the SA-originating myth predate the start of the game, the original myth is not a viable lead.

Nobody is griping about the current state of the game itself.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:16 pm
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