The Slenderman Mythos

[zonk]

Hi, there.

It's been quite a while since I've lurked here, and even longer since I've posted. I was incomplete without YS. :<

ANYWAY, TO THE MATTER AT HAND.

I recently watched the "Marble Hornets" series on YouTube and was simply amazed at how well that plotline/main villain (if you can even call him that) fit in with the tone and overall feeling of Call of Cthulhu. A sense of foreboding, a heavy, heavy dose of hopelessness and helplessness. Horror movies don't usually scare me that badly. This series, made on a budget of presumably nothing, actually kept me up for a while at night, and kept my friends up for multiple nights. It is done so incredibly well, and I have this urge to mold it into something interactive.

I suppose the problem at this point is actually turning it into something workable. As utterly terrifying as Slenderman is, his motive has always puzzled me, mainly because it looks to be nonexistent. For a scenario, Slenderman would require a goal, and I honestly have no idea what that would be. Oh! It seems as though I've left out the most important part. Some of you may be asking, "Who or what, exactly, is Slenderman?" Allow me to explain. Aside from the vague "MOST TERRIFYING THING EVER" description, he/it is an eight-foot-tallish man-thing with extended limbs, a business suit and the power to lengthen his appendages at will.

Oh, and he also LACKS A FACE.

The combination of his limb-stretching and lack of facial features works to the end of putting people in his thrall, especially children, whom he/it seems to have a penchant for kidnapping, rather like the Pied Piper.

So, Yoggies, how do you think I could turn this into a great scenario/campaign? My friends have all watched Marble Hornets, and so they'd know a bit of what was coming for them, but I believe that would work for me rather than against me.

By the way, here are some links if you'd care to learn a little about Slenderman yourself:
Marble Hornets Intro
Slenderman Guide

[Skraal]

Well, according the the Slender Man guide link that you posted, he likes to kidnap children. Maybe you could start by having the PCs investigate some missing children, and then make up the motive for kidnapping the children that is unrelated to Marble Hornets. Maybe some cultists have summoned him kidnap the children for ritual sacrifice?

[zonk]

That's really not a bad idea, Skraal, and it's definitely scenario-worthy. However, with that setup, Slenderman isn't in charge. The vibes one gets from watching "Marble Hornets" are terrible because there's this ever-present sense that Slenderman him/itself is in control of everything, and that is where the hopelessness and helplessness come in. If a cult were to have summoned him, they would be in control of him unless he decided to turn on them, et cetera.
...
To take your suggestion one step further and make it satisfy the control clause:

Cultists need children for human sacrifice (perhaps to a Cthulhoid deity) to perform a ritual, and summon Slenderman, who promptly enthralls all of them and uses them from then on out to do his bidding. This is where I'm hitting a dead end-- I don't know what Slenderman's objective would be, as there hasn't really been one hinted at in Marble Hornets.

[Cthulhudude]

Just watched a couple of these. So far they're kind of cool. Thanks for making me aware of them.




*edit: changed "we" to "me".

[zonk]

Just watched a couple of these. So far they're kind of cool. Thanks for making we aware of them.

The pleasure's all mine. ;D They're extremely well-executed, and it's quiet horror-- the proper reaction isn't to scream and run away, it's to recoil in fear and keep watching.

[DrWily]

Not to get too spolier-ific, but the episode where he videotapes himself sleeping is pretty much eternal nightmare fuel.

[zonk]

Yeah. That was one of the jumpiest moments of the entire series, I think.

[MrTim]

My take on what's going on in Marble Hornets (and Part 2 may completely change my mind) is that he's more like a GOO himself. He seems to be the center of a (possibly one-man) cult, but not necessarily directly influencing it.

Marble Hornets' version of Slenderman seems to be very much like Dennis Detwiller's take on the Hastur Mythos in that the mere presence of Slenderman seems to have a corrupting influence. You could create a scenario where the PCs are drawn in by cult activity, only to find out that the "cult" is a collection of otherwise unrelated Slenderman victims who've gone unhinged.

[zonk]

My take on what's going on in Marble Hornets (and Part 2 may completely change my mind) is that he's more like a GOO himself. He seems to be the center of a (possibly one-man) cult, but not necessarily directly influencing it.

Marble Hornets' version of Slenderman seems to be very much like Dennis Detwiller's take on the Hastur Mythos in that the mere presence of Slenderman seems to have a corrupting influence. You could create a scenario where the PCs are drawn in by cult activity, only to find out that the "cult" is a collection of otherwise unrelated Slenderman victims who've gone unhinged.

I also like Slenderman viewed through that lens quite well. Still, the thing I find most puzzling is the reason Slenderman has decided to make his presence known, let alone terrorize wholly innocent people.

[MrTim]

Still, the thing I find most puzzling is the reason Slenderman has decided to make his presence known, let alone terrorize wholly innocent people.

One gameable theory (and not where I think Marble Hornets is going): Perceptual feedback. Ordinarily, he goes about his business with most people none the wiser. Unfortunately, someone who's perceptive enough, or knows enough, or who was unlucky enough to see him but not be killed by watever he was doing, draws his attention. The more you notice him, the more it annoys him. You become an itch he has an urge to scratch, but he can't or won't just get rid of you.

What I think might be going on in MH: He's stuck on the wrong side of a dimensional wall, and needs people with the right qualities to repair/pilot his travel device (the ark). These qualities may include madness, so he may be deliberately inducing it in otherwise suitable candidates.

[TheChain]

I have to thank you for showing this. I know my GM is planning on doing some more Hastur scenarios in the future and this will really get me in the mood.

And not to ruin the feel of the videos, you should watch one of the parodies I found on there, (edit: forgot to mention, there is some language some might not like.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmZ90VijO_0 . Made me laugh.

[zonk]

I have to thank you for showing this. I know my GM is planning on doing some more Hastur scenarios in the future and this will really get me in the mood.

And not to ruin the feel of the videos, you should watch one of the parodies I found on there, (edit: forgot to mention, there is some language some might not like.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmZ90VijO_0 . Made me laugh.

Haaa! I actually saw that earlier today. Funny every time

[Cthulhudude]

And not to ruin the feel of the videos, you should watch one of the parodies I found on there, (edit: forgot to mention, there is some language some might not like.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmZ90VijO_0 . Made me laugh.

The last line of that video made me burst out laughing. Thanks.

[BaldHero]

Slenderman is a voyeur.
He watches us, fascinated by us.
He also is more frequently seen by children, who as always are somehow always closer to the imaginary than adults.
The problem is not if Slenderman sees you, but when you see him.

The earlier post about being our being able to see him being like an itch he has to scratch is a pretty cool idea.
He has no idea why we exist, how we exist, or what it is we are doing...so he watches us.
If you happen to capture slenderman on some sort of film, this gives him a problem.

Wherever he is from, or whatever he is, some part of him can be captured on film, or in imagery. Sort of like primitive people once believed photos captured souls.

In the process of trying to get that part of himself back, he has to show up more and more, getting closer and closer to the person that has the film/image. It's then that we begin to learn that he does more than just watch sometimes.

we find out that he takes some of those children that can see him, and likes it when someone has captured a part of him, because it allows him to interact with the victim in new and unique ways. He can test our minds, our sanity, our physical limits. Of course to us this is both mind blasting and physically deadly.

While this is what he does, it does little to explain the why of it? Or his origin, which i feel should be left alone.
To make this into a workable scenario, you don't need to explain why he does it, only that he does.

Someone gets a photo, Slenderman is in the background, and comes to collect his image. Now that he has the power to terrorize someone, he does. The investigators spend some time trying to figure out what he wants, then realize that after they give it to him, or destroy the image/film...he just continues to toy with them.

I really liked the video, but found the idea of a cult to be too much.
Maybe once you have seen his image, and the more often you see it, the more vulnerable you are to being inhabited by him. letting him interact with the world more directly?

[maxspookington]

Long time reader, first time poster.
I have seen this series, which is kind of hit and miss (just in my opinion). I know it's repetative and overt: but I'm pretty sure that Slenderman is just an avatar of Nyarlathotep, related to his "Halloween-man" form. Just my intial impression. I mean his whole goal is just to screw with us, yeah?