Monday, August 2, 2010

Info and Speculation

Okay, asked an online friend - Zabby - about Slenderman. Her theory is probably my favorite so far.
Slenderman was a creation of the Something Awful forums; everyone knows that. At the time, he wasn't real. He was fun story.

The Operator Symbol, popularized by Marble Hornets (by all accounts, not math majors, so forget about that interpretation) was what brought him into life. Here Zabby's theory goes into the realm of what she knows from television (of course), but it's still a pretty good way of explaining it. If you've ever watched the Supernatural episode "Hell House", you'll remember that the "ghost" was actually a thought form willed into life by so many web surfers thinking about it and looking at some sort of symbol that channeled those thoughts into reality.

(Honestly, I think the show might've been grasping at straws, but that's beside the point.)

That was Zabby's theory at least, and I expanded upon it. Symbols give power to ideas or thoughts. Easten philosophy, Spiritual Satanism, and a few sub-branches of Wicca basically revolve around this concept; that a symbol is a direct way to "channel" the idea/being/concept that it's signifying. Demonology uses sigils to invoke entities. A more mainstream example: the sign of the cross in Christianity invokes the power of Christ.

The Operator Symbol may not have originally had anything to do with Slenderman, but as Marble Hornets led more and more people to associate the symbol with the concept of Slenderman, the symbol concentrated that universal thought and... I don't know. People 'believed him into existence', if that makes sense.

This comes into conflict with the idea that Slenderman has been around basically forever... but I've never exactly been a fan of that theory. The most I've found to actually support it are the "Der Ritter" pictures (German woodcuts) which bear a startling resemblance to everyone's favorite Tall/Thin Fellow.
 
Still, might just be a coincidence. If I find anything else about that theory, I'll post it here.

You know, if my theory is correct, I kind of... feel bad for him. I really do. To exist for no purpose other than to be a monster. Being imagined into existence essentially takes away his free will. He can't get a job at the local grocery store or something, because that would come into conflict with everyone's vision of Slenderman. He surrounds himself with people who do have free will, who are living a life he could never have for himself. All he can do is terrorize, kill, whatever he does, for all eternity.

I gotta say, if that were me... I'd be bitter. I'd be pissed off at everyone who'd brought me into existence in the first place. Maybe that's why he's going after people who think about him, or believe in him; he wants to stop existing. Hell, I know would.

* * * * * * * * * * 

More on the Operator Symbol. Here it is, for reference:



Look. I know my symbols. I obsessed over symbols for a hell of a long time. I have never seen THAT, except in math, and in relation to Slendy. Like I said, we can rule out the math interpretation. The closest I can find is the terra (earth) symbol.
It's not the same, but it's close. Is Slendy somehow tied to the Earth? I doubt it; the legends I've found involve him with fire or water somehow, but there might still be a connection. The fact that he frequents the woods is kind of earthy. Maybe the symbol is more of a "Stay out of the woods" warning.

That's wild guessing, though. The Operator Symbol and the terra symbol have one main difference, though. The Operator's lines go
 outside of the circle. Is this intended to show that he's "not of this earth"? Makes more sense to me, though still a little out there.

Speaking of freaky shit in the woods, gives me an idea. If you've seen
 The Village, you're familiar with that concept of standing with your back to the woods at night. I might film myself doing that, and see if I can get a Slendy sighting out of the deal. Borderline suicidally stupid might be just what the doctor ordered.

* * * * * * * * * *

It's taking me a while to find anything new, as I'm packing while I research.

It might be helpful to head this off at the past and describe the layout of my house now.
 Feel free to skip if you're just here for Slendy.

It's a modular home, single story, brand new when we bought it. And this thing is a serious piece of crap, to tell the truth. But Dad's been working to get it fixed up whenever we have a bit of extra money. He added a garage at the back. Through the garage is the most frequently used back door, which leads into a long, tiled dining room and kitchen. The laundry room, a cramped and dimly-lit space which our cats frequent, is off the dining room. We leave that door open when not in the room, but when we sit down to eat, it's best to close it because of the inevitable noise from the washer and smells from the litter box. I love animals, I really do; but I'm starting to regret owning them.

Anyway, from the kitchen, you walk straight into the living room. It's unremarkable; stone-age T.V., stone-age computer, couches covered with blankets to protect them from wear-and-tear. basically the nucleus of the rest of the house. Off to the right of this room is the master bedroom, which leads to the master bathroom... this is on the opposite wall from the laundry room, so you're likely to get some muffled sounds through the walls. The living room also has a hallway on the left which leads off to my side of the house. There are there rooms; two bedrooms on either side of the bathroom. The room on the right is where I sleep; on the left, where my computer is located, and where I'm sitting at the present moment. My three rooms are fairly cut off from the rest of the house, but it's still easy to hear people walking around even in the dining room, because, as I established, this place is pretty poorly made.

When we first moved in, I was
 terrified of it. The vents make weird as hell noises, the floor creaks with every movement, and the walls creak for no reason at all. Yes, this house iscompletely new. I can blame basically any weird sound on one of those three causes. Maybe this is good, because I'm not neurotic and jumpy, but might be bad, too. It's kind of numbed my sense of hearing - never a good thing when Slendy may be around.

* * * * * * * * * *
Masks. totheark in Marble Hornets. Creepy as fuck mask. It looks like a cross between the Phantom of the Opera mask, and a mime. And at the same time, it's not like either.
(Like that. Not to fuel anyone's paranoia or anything...)
There have been a few instances of masks appearing in other videos and blogs. I can't tell how many Slender-blogs are real and how many are fake, though, so there's no way to figure it out for sure.
M proposed that masks might trick Slendy into thinking you're watching him, thus slowing his... advance. His progress to do whatever it is he's planning to do. It that case, I might just paint eyes on my eyelids. Now that would be awesome.
I think there's something more to this, though. I can't piece it together completely... but doesn't it strike you as slightly odd that Slendy has no face, and masks... are faces, in a way? Maybe masks trick him, or maybe he just really needs one so he can blend in, or maybe, I don't know, maybe he's just a mask enthusiast. Who knows? But I think there's more to this than I'm seeking. I'll stay alert.
* * * * * * * * * * 
The more I hear about Slendy, the less I know. I've heard too many tales and each one argues with the other. That Slenderman was in the land before people were, or that he came with them, or came to them. He's the "angel of death", or he's a demon from the pit. The Operator Symbol summons him, or it keeps him away. He appears as a warning when your soul has been somehow condemned to Hell, or he's going to take your soul down to Hell himself. If you see him, you belong to him, or he belongs to you.
I don't believe any of it, and at the same time, I'm starting see that I have to believe all of it. Because if he's been brought into existence by what people believe about him, then what they believe about him must be the truth.



*****


That's all I've got for now. Probably won't update again until after vacation, unless I find something really important. I kind of doubt it.
Until then... laters.




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