unforum

[Telos954]

[OT] Tossing around some ideas

[gordon_ramsay]

Alright, i'm in if you need anyone else. What do you need from me contact wise?

[Warbear]

I'm interested as well. I have a fair amount of experience with ARGs. I'd gladly give you my email or whatever you'd need to contact me.

[Hats]

-rises out of Lurk-

I'll play. I've played a few.

A few questions: What do you define as the canon Slendy mythos, and what is the cut off date for inclusion in this mythos? Will you include the information created in other Slendy ARGs that is created as yours progresses? A few of the blogs have taken the whole scenario in /wildly/ different directions, and I'm sure there are some contradictions out there somewhere, so this needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

As far as player interaction goes, how much story changing potential do you plan to allow? As an old time tabletop DM, I can tell you that giving the players too much freedom can lead to the game going off the rails in ways you hadn't planned for, and people tend to make mistakes at that point.

Lastly, if you aren't planning to defeat Slendy in some random way, will there be a defined conclusion set (by yourself without telling the players) before the game starts, or will you just let it go where it leads to? The problem with these blogs and such is that there's no good way to end them. No decent way to write a conclusion that doesn't involve someone dying horribly or an asspull to make Slendy go away.

However, reading your posts and things said about you, you're a smart gent, and I imagine this will be an epic game. Looking forward to it, mate.

[Warbear]

Well, pertaining to the SM mythos, this thread would seem like a good start on things.

EDIT: Whoops, wrong link. http://www.slendernation.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sm2&action=display&thread=30

[Hats]

[Telos954]

This whole project may be put on hold for a few days or a week or so.
I just got back from putting my best friend (cat) down. 16 year old kitty I've had since I was 4. I'm taking it well, because I know it had to be done to save him pain and all that. But, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to really dedicate my self to for a few days.

But by all means, keep suggestions and comments flowing in. Like I've told others, I'm going to need something to distract from the pain and stuff. Nothing helps more than tormenting fictional characters.

Just to answer a few questions/points Hats made.

- My plans for the story (will have to do a little vote with the others helping out, just to make sure they're good with it.) is that there will be two or three possible 'endings'. Just like in an RPG or something, where your actions ingame change your ending. A good, a bad, and a neutral. Players won't have total free reign and control over the story, but for example : say there's a time sensitive puzzle and said puzzle isn't solved in the allotted time. The 'prize' for solving that puzzle will be destroied/not given. So like, if there's one for a bit of information that our 'mysterious helper' figure has, but the players only have two days to figure it out, they don't get it - that stuff's gone. With out having it, it pushes the story a bit different.

- Slendy in this will take on various traits he has in previous 'games' and stories. I'd like to stick with the 'more you see, more you know; sooner he comes, less time you have' deal. I'd like to stick with his two armed form being his 'stalking' and 'playing' form, and more arms means he's more dangerous. I would like to take the mental effects as seen in the various blogs and incorporate them in to it. If possible (meaning if anyone on the team is good with video editing.) I would like to include electronic interference on any videos with him, and like in the 'In my head, in my mind' blog - things such as Wifi and clocks being messed with. I would like to keep the marble hornets 'slow stalking' style to him, but I would also like him to be able to be fast, scale walls, grow and shrink, ect. Killing method, style, and means of body disposal may change or have multiple methods, as Slendy is a dynamic being, he's changed as more stories come out.

I am telling you all now, Slendy will not be killed or anything. Bullets if used will just hit him but not make him bleed or anything. Holy symbols may or may not help ward him off. He will be more 'powerful' in the woods and around major sources of water (some say he has a connection to rivers?).

As a note on the holy symbol thing. In my mind, Slendy is a force that is attracted and repelled by emotion. If someone forces themselves to think a cross will ward him off, and it makes them mentally strong, and gives them moral and such - I think it would help push him back. If they don't put meaning in to it, it'll just be another symbol. **This is something I'd like you guy's thoughts on.**

- Contradictions in information :
My way of addressing these is a two part deal. First is that with different sightings in different areas in different time periods, Slendy will act, dress and effect humans and his surrounding area differently. He adapts and changes. Second part : Humans make mistakes and errors. Ask any crime scene investigator or police sketch artist; the majority of descriptions are given off of perceived images already in the head, not by actual detail.

An example. Assume you're an older white male who has to walk through a ghetto area at night through a part where there's a known street gang composed of mostly teenage black guys. Now assume as you pass through that area, you're mugged. You only see the clothing of the man who did it, and not his skin color or anything. Because you're in an area where crime is high and most suspects are gang members, even if this guy was an eighty year old Albino, your mind might tell you he was a young black guy.

Based on this, contradicting information that doesn't fit in to the plot, or that can not be easily recreated for the purposes of this chaotic fiction/arg, will be put off as human error and exaggeration. **again, that's something I'd like to know the community's view on before we start drafting a plot.**

- Characters.
As I'm having help and not doing this alone, I will probably be able to get different writing styles in here. I read the comments you guys posted, and I sent my own to the In My Head PM, who emailed me back saying it was a complaint a lot of people had; the characters seemed too similar, in both their actions and writing styles. I think with more than one head writing the character's dialogue, more realistic characters can be made. That's a big part of why I turned to the community for this.

- General things

In general, I want this to be something the majority of the community can enjoy and take part in, whether from a creativity stand point where you help behind the curtain, or from a player perspective, enjoying the story and having fun. I know we won't be able to please everyone, but I think if it's open for suggestions, comments, ect as it's being made, it can grow to be something great.

- Contact info
If you need to get ahold of me out of game, for what ever reason, the email to reach me at is Telos954SPLATgmail.com, my twitter (which I use for ARGs only) is Telos954, the people who I'll be working directly with (Co-PMs) will be given my number. Akumukuro@hotmail is my MSN/windows live, and I always have that running.

Because you'll all know I'm the PM behind this, you know how to reach me on here and everything, so if you can't use any of the above, just sent me a private message here on uF and I'll get back to you.

Also!
If you're in south Florida, and would like to help with filming or anything, please contact me and we'll arrange a meet up. We also have connections in Calgary, AB (undisclosed at this moment, the person involved can contact you if he/she wishes to.).

Just a little note, before it comes up, as I know it might. This is in no way intended to bite off MH and leech off of it's success. It's not supposed to be a rival to it in any way, it's not supposed to be a copy or a ripoff. It's supposed to be a community project that we can all enjoy between entries and things with the real MH. It'll give us something to do instead of $20 jokes and other meme filled threads.

So, questions, comments, suggestions, just keep 'em coming.

And, thanks a ton for your initial interest

[gordon_ramsay]

Alright. Well, I do like the "meaning in symbols" bit. I mean, if you don't have faith in what you believe in, why believe in it in the first place?

I have added your MSN. If you need mine, just PM me. I would rather not give it out to the public.

uhhh, I guess anything else you need to ask me, put it in here, or message me.


OH, and just a side note, I am a professional writer. Just thought I would let ya know in case it helps in planning anything for you.

[Renren]

This sounds amazing. (I'm really sorry about the loss of your cat, though )

I've never done an ARG before and I don't know if I'd be that great of a resource but I'd love to help in any way I can

[Hats]

Regarding contradicting information:

I think that if someone has an encounter with Slendy, they will /know/ it is Slendy. He isn't someone you would forget >.>

Regarding the symbols:

If they are based on the belief that the object /will/ stop Slendy, /anything/ could stop Slendy >.>

[Telos954]

[Hats]

I've added you on MSN, Telos.

The idea of the entire Slenderman thing being someone's paranoid fantasies is /very/ interesting, and could lead to some amazing debates on the definition of reality within the ARG. Can't wait xD

[Warbear]

I added you on MSN as well, Telos. I'm liking this new take on Slender Man. I've always thought of him as real, but not in a physical sense. More of the sense that people get freaked out and paranoid and start seeing him everywhere. (I know it's happened to me.) I'd be very interested in getting involved in this ARG/Chaotic Fiction, whether helping you out with it, or simply playing it. The ideas seem fresh and new to me, and it has peaked my interest.

[Telos954]

Well. Slendy may or may not stay as just a mental illness. Think Silent Hill, where the sorrow and madness manifest as reality. I don't think I want to say much more yet, it would ruin stuff for ya.

JUST got MSN working again. Had to delete it's cache and change a setting in IE to get it to allow me to add new contacts. Thankfully that's sorted out.

[Warbear]

Ah. A Silent Hill schtick. This makes me even more interested in it.