unforum

[Cyan507]

[NEWS/META]Stabbing of 12-year-old in Wisconsin

[kira1000]

great, next thing you know people will start blaming creepypastas and online horror stories for causing deaths just like they did video games. get ready folks

[AssassinB]

inb4 spinoff series based around this event

Alright that was a bit insensitive, but in all seriousness this is stupid as hell. No one who creates series or adds to the mythos should feel bad about these two really stupid girls. Obviously they were way too impressionable to be reading even the creepypasta wiki so personally I blame the parents.

Let's hope this is the last time impressionable preteens shed a negative light on our hobby and passion.

[knifebladepresents]

Wow, that's creepy. At first, I thought, OH MY GOD SLENDY IS REAL :O

Then I was wait...that's stupid.

Then: Poor girl...

Finally: STUPID KIDS!!!!

But yeah, kira1000, I hope this doesn't make national news headlines, and then everyone is going to attack creepypastas. The truth is, only six people are responsible: the two girls who believed Slendy was real, and the two sets of parents that raised them (or, worse, abandoned them :/ )

[Pixiestix]

It is indeed national news. And in this case, this is a bit different than the whole "he played WoW and Halo, and then shot someone." The blame here is justified, not the whole blame, but a quite legitimate finger pointing. This is a case of VERY damaged girls who took things far too far in the name of something specific (SM), and very possibly believe what they were doing. Tragic, horrible. Let's be respectful of the situation here folks. Someone was almost killed.

[Checkmite]

I agree - this isn't a case of "well he played violent video games, clearly there's a connection"; these girls directly named "Slender Man" as the whole point and purpose of their crime. Not that I'm saying this would justify a "creepypasta causes violence and should be banned" rationale; it's just that "the Slender Man thing" is an integral and inseparable part of this crime and we have to accept that it will come under legitimate scrutiny from investigators.

[Jordan]

Well...this is something.

But honestly: you can't really put this on Slender media in general, most kids know the difference between reality and fiction. I love Slender media, but - and I say this with all respect to all creators, few series, due to restricted budget restraints, can really strive for realism. There is no way that most kids would have seen Slender media and not have believed what they saw was fake.

I'm not 'defending the mythos in place of what has happened, but clearly this is a sign of something far more troubling about these two little girls if they truly believed in what they were doing which just can't be put down to these stories we happen to enjoy.

[Cyan507]

Cheers to the mods for fixing the heading as well.

What I'm worried about now it that people will point the finger at the verse now, claiming it advocates such behavior. Much like video games, a lack of knowledge by both and media and the general public (depending on how big this story becomes) could have quite a drastic impact on any form or Slenderman-related media. Vlog series with comments enabled might be bombarded with hateful comments or flagged as inappropriate. Indie developers will have to avoid the whole subject. Even people who simply watch videos or like a picture of Slenderman on FB might be considered a possible suspect. I'm quite worried for Trosphim as they are currently trying to bring Marble Hornets out into the mainstream media with DVDs and a film.

Of course as time goes by and people start to analyze this, the media will cover this the completely WRONG way and do an in depth look into creepypasta sub-culture and ignore the way these children were raised.

EDIT: These kids were plotting to murder their friend since December, and we're expected to believe there were no signs and no way this could have been prevented? Come on, man.

[knifebladepresents]

I strongly suggest you put a link to some of the news stories on this thread (different news will often play different perspectives, usually because of political bias).

I can't believe it made national news, though. That isn't good...

But yes, some kids WILL believe it. Haven't you noticed all those comments that say "is this real" on spooky videos? Probs little kids who don't know the real story.

[Cyan507]

[Peppercorn]

It just makes me sick that something like this could happen... and how will the mythos fare? Obviously there will be consideration that these girls were too impressionable and should have been taught the difference between fantasy and reality, but the Slender Man was built up as something that "could be real" for the fun of people who knew better and now this has been twisted into something terrible. I'm sure they can easily verify that people propagating the myth don't believe in it, but it could be so very easy to pin the blame on a deliberately vague apocryphal horror story and a fan community this small could have something they enjoy and understand the boundaries of irrevocably stained forever. I don't know if the media can understand an internet trend like this and I don't know what to do if they can't.

[knifebladepresents]

Wow...there's tons of comments too. The one on CNN has 8000 comments!!! It's made it to Drudge Report now, and I'm waiting for it to hit Bing News.

Notice, on the CNN video, the cop just says that it's a violent internet figure, associated with stories of horror and death...

The most detailed article I suggest reading is the one on JSonline.

[SignerJ]

This is absolutely horrific, and I'm shocked that these kids did something like this.

Nevertheless, this is in no way the responsibility of the mythos. And it would seem that the comments on the CNN article agree. The majority of the comments don't even mention the mythos's involvement. And virtually none of them blame the mythos in any way for what happened.

EDIT: It's on the Times: http://time.com/2817524/slender-man-murder-charge-waukesha/

Mr. Faceless was half of the article. Instead of focusing on the kids who did this, the article instead focuses on poorly describing the Tall Man.

[Cyan507]

[Dacad]