unforum

[Geneaux486]

I dunno, I think MH has some really good character developement that's illustrated in a very subtle way. As for TT, I think he may have jumped the shark a bit with this latest developement.

[Zaden]

[Bartok]

[Geneaux486]

Obviously just my opinion, but I think... I should probably put it in spoilers, huh?

[Bartok]

[redherring]

[TheCake]

So, I just thought I'd throw in my two cents $1.50 here, though I do agree on a basic level that MH= Story, TT= Effects and EMH= Characters.

I think a big difference between the three series is subtlety. Marble Hornets is scary to me because of how things are shown- for example TTA, whose videos doesn't often have explanations, is one of the scariest parts of MH. A lot of times the creators go for a creepy-ish feeling that stays with you by using less dialoge and more "Oh god look at the background" scares. To me, MH is the scariest of the three and conveys its horrors the best.

TT seems a LOT less subtle to me, especially at the beginning. I don't really find it scary (entertaining, yes) but it's always lacked that really terrifying core to it. It just seems a little to obvious to me, as I said mostly in the beginning with the "COUGH COUGH HEY LOOK AT THAT CREEPY SYMBOL A FACELESS MAN WITH A SUIT FOLLOWED MY FRIEND GUYS COUGH"

For the story, MH wins. It was the first of course, which gives it the edge of originality, but it also keeps many things mysteries. Masky, Alex, what happened to Brian, Tim's motivation, the SM himself and Jessica are all really well thought out mysteries that have many possibilities. The thought and theory provoking side of the story is also one of the reasons I'm so interested in it ^_^

If we're just comparing TTA vs Observer, TTA wins for the main reason that his videos are 10-60 seconds long and manage to scare us while the Observer videos tend to be 2-3 minutes in length, which by the end just lose their scare for me. But then again, parts of the TTA observer vids DO freak me out.

Another thing that has been mentioned is the lack of realism in TT...with the swearing and reactions of characters. Though MH does have some idiot ball moments (Hey, you're Jessica? I'm *real name*) TT's amount of swearing subtracts from the immersion. Though MH does this a bit with the LACK of swearing, I'm kinda glad it's swear-free...I'll be able to watch the DVD around the family Another thing that was a bit weird for me was Noah crying when he answered the phone. I dunno just struck me as odd.

Now what's interesting is how EMH fits into all this. I know it's "Marble Hornets vs TribeTwelve" thread, but whatever, I'm comparing all three.

EMH is very character driven, and it has a lot of side villains/monsters and parts to it. While both TT and MH have a very sort of straight, point A to point b this-is-what's-happening plot line, EMH has TheseventrialsofHABIT going on as well as the story about the Corenthal, the Rake, The Damsal and of course, the Slenderman. A lot of people complain about the fact it's so...busy, and I guess I can see where they're coming from. From my perspective, I think they do a fantastic job balancing each part out, and keeping all the different plot lines interesting. I haven't been too confused about them, and to me HABIT is just as interesting as SM.

I think having these different antagonists (I assume) brings different type of horror into the story/ies. SM is portrayed well with the classic, creepy driving me insane story, while the Rake is scary because of it's purely physical threat. HABIT...well okay, HABIT's not that scary, but man does he cause some great theories and WMG

Two more great things about EMH is the level of fan interaction and the characters. As stated, the characters in EMH really get you invested in them- in their troubles, sufferings, motivations and their sanity (coughEvancough) I think getting you interested in the characters really helps keep the story lines so interesting. Both MH and TT have great characters as well (MH seems to be expanding on this point as of recent) but EMH really stands apart for me based on that alone. Also, the Hybrids/fans have always been a big part of EMH, moreso than MH or TT. Solving clues, finding/receiving boxes and of course, the trials.

Of course, I have some gripes with EMH, the biggest two being how the story lines will all tie in (assuming they do) and how long it takes to really get started. It took me several tries to get into EMH, because I found the first few videos boring. Once it hit Jokes Over it really got good, but for the first few videos...ehh. And my biggest worry for EMH is that they won't manage to tie in HABIT, The Corenthal children and SM story lines together in a good, not half-assed way. If they screw it up and hap-hazardly throw them together then I think the series could really suffer for it, but right now I remain hopeful the boys have planned ahead.

So yeah, there's my thoughts on the three series and how they compare. I talk a lot about EMH, even though this thread isn't about them, but they get some flack so I wanted to defend them. Also, since the post's like a FRIGGIN' ESSAY, here's a summery.

TL;DR?

MH= Story, Mysteries and theories fun, overall scariest.

TT= Great effects, scary moments, entertaining but also goofy at times and lacking realism

EMH= Great characters and fan involvement, many different but interesting story lines, if they all tie in eventually.

[HunterEris]

Time to throw my hat into the ring, I think. WARNING: WALL OF TEXT.

Marble Hornets is amazing. It is by far the scariest and most creepy. I also think it has the most interesting characters. Like TheCake said, all of the mysteries are what make the series compelling and allows for a lot of discussion and theorising.

Tribe Twelve on the other hand is alright and pretty much only as good as the latest video. I don't like Noah. I really don't. The Observer is interesting but I really can't stand Noah. It isn't that he swears too much (I swear far more than him on a regular basis, I'm Scottish), I just think that his character is terrible.

See, I know that J is, excuse the language, a bit of a dumbfuck, but I like him. I feel his loneliness and confusion. Noah's a bit of a dick.

With J, it feels like the creators are trying to put you into his shoes so that by seeing through the camera and what he has seen, you feel like you are there. Every played Oblivion? Or Fallout 3? It's that kind of thing.

Noah just gets on my nerves. I don't see how anyone can like him.

Now onto the villains, ignoring Slender Man for the minute. TTA is interesting. He's cryptic and his motivations are unclear. He may or may not be Tim, or Brian, or Seth, or heck, why not? He might be Sarah or Alex (I do not believe either of those two are possible).

The Observer, as people have said in the TT thread, is a troll. He is interesting but it essentially boils down to "Is he Milo?" Though I will point out that I like that TT has its own symbol and didn't use the Operator symbol.

Right. Slender Man. I like both versions. I'd like to see a little more of him in MH, but the story hasn't called for him in a while, so it's forgivable. I like the effects in TT (which is about all it has going for it) and the Slendacles.

Now, since other people are doing it too, I'll talk about everymanHYBRID. Epilectic bag of kittens. Sorry if that offends anyone, but that's how I feel and I'll expand on it now.

The characters are all a bit dull. I kinda like Evan because I like insane people, but that's about it. While I do like that emH is actually an ARG, unlike the other two, it's brought down by characters I would never want to talk to. They are all a bit dull and Vince is a bit pompous and Jeff's a bit blah...

Their side villains are a bit odd too. The Rake is just not scary. Brute physical force threats last for about a minute. Psychological threats or torture threats last entire series.

HABIT annoys me. It seems to have completely derailed the story away from Slender Man. Heck, I'd say that emH isn't even a Slender vlog anymore.

There seems to be timetravel at play as well, which is honestly a bad idea unless it's handled very carefully. I've yet to see anything other than Legacy of Kain handle it in a way I like (except maybe Quantum Leap).

All in all, Marble Hornets is amazing, Tribe Twelve is alright, and everymanHYBRID is a bit, well... Narmy.

[Geneaux486]

[Zaden]

@HunterEris
Vince is the most normal person I've seen in a Slender Man video series. I think he's a likeable, practical person and is the perfect straight man to other esoteric or psychotic characters. If I had to pick one person to ally with and watch my back in a war against the Slender Man, it would be Vince.

Well, I have to admit; Brian is also very normal. What I consider "normal" people, that's Brian and Vince.

[HunterEris]

I dunno, I guess I just took Vince that way because he kinda feels like a self-sanctioned leader of what is meant to be an equal trio. Could be wrong.

Warning: casual swearing ahead. I wouldn't normally call J dumb. It's the whole "I didn't find anything in the house, so I'm going back" then "I only got ambushed by a freak in a mask, so I'm going back"... It's just a moment that made me facepalm and utter the word "Dumbfuck".

There's a difference between dumb and being a dumbfuck. Even the brightest people can be dumbfucks. My prime example of this is Dr. Light in the Megaman games. Not only did he create the original 6 super robots that inspired a madman, but he continually deletes aquired powers between the games. He even trusts Dr. Wily again in the 3rd game only to be doublecrossed again.

But I love J regardless of this. Bad decisions, but they made for good Entries and the introduction of a new threat. Plus, I get the courage thing and he is certainly determined.

[Geneaux486]

[HunterEris]

[JustJim]

Personally, TT is my favorite because it still feels like a pure and simple Slender Man story. There's some other things going on but they all tie back to The Slender Man. Even when he doesn't appear, it still feels very much like his story.

With EMH, as has been said, it barely feels like a Slender Man vlog anymore. They're trying do so many things at once and I'll be really surprised if they manage to keep them balanced and flesh them out equally. They're already dropping the ball with Slendy. When he made his last appearance a few videos ago, it felt like they were including him purely for posterity.

The same is starting to happen with MH. Yeah, we saw him at the end of the tunnel and that's been referenced since, but it's really starting to feel like Jay vs. Alex vs. Masky/TTA as initiated by our Tall friend. He almost feels like background (no pun intended) information. Although with every Entry I feel like we're getting closer to an epic Slendy return.

At the end of the day, I watch Slender Man vlogs for The Slender Man, and I feel like TT is the best in terms of a simple, focused, terrifying Slender Man story. I could go into more detail about how I feel about the characters and the side villains and what not, but the majority of my opinion is based off of pure Slendy-ness, so I'll leave it at this for now.

[Deimos]