History Franchise / TheSlenderManMythos

** The sheer number of monsters in unrelated works that are reminiscent of Slendy is just a bit unsettling. This includes [[ChzoMythos the Tall Man]], [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer the Gentlemen]], [[{{Nightside}} the Harrowing]], [[ThePhantomTollbooth the Terrible Trivium]], [[TheKingInYellow the Stranger in the Pallid Mask]], [[Series/DoctorWho the Silence]]-- hell, go far enough back and you get the ''noppera-bo'' of Japanese myth.

** The sheer number of monsters in unrelated works that are reminiscent of Slendy is just a bit unsettling. This includes [[ChzoMythos the Tall Man]], [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer the Gentlemen]], [[{{Nightside}} the Harrowing]], [[ThePhantomTollbooth the Terrible Trivium]], [[TheKingInYellow the Stranger in the Pallid Mask]], [[Series/DoctorWho the Silence]]-- hell, go far enough back and you get the ''noppera-bo'' of Japanese myth.
** Go back ''really'' far, and you get the ''gurumuka'' of the AustralianAborigines on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groote_Eylandt Groote Eylandt]], sort of a cross between Slendy and a vampire... which is unnerving when you consider the number of Slenderblogs set in Australia, as well as the purported Australian origins of the first two photos.

* {{Foil}}: The Slender Man is often considered to be the foil to the standard [[HauntedHouse Haunted House]]. While the Haunted House is usually in a more rural setting as something stationary and traps its victims, The Slender Man is often found in an urban environment and stalks his victims. Further analysis [[http://johnfossil.blogspot.com/2012/06/postmodern-horror-slender-man-mythos.html here]].

* {{Foil}}: The Slender Man is often considered to be the foil to the standard [[HauntedHouse]]. While the Haunted House is usually in a more rural setting as something stationary and traps its victims, The Slender Man is often found in an urban environment and stalks his victims. Further analysis [[http://johnfossil.blogspot.com/2012/06/postmodern-horror-slender-man-mythos.html/ here]].

* Foil: The Slender Man is often considered to be the foil to the standard [[Haunted House]]. While the Haunted House is usually in a more rural setting as something stationary and traps its victims, The Slender Man is found in an urban environment and stalks his victims. Further analysis [[http://johnfossil.blogspot.com/2012/06/postmodern-horror-slender-man-mythos.html/ here]].

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: If [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vobMsssVBxo this song]] is to be believed, Slender Man stalks and attacks people, breaks childrens' knees, haunts dreams, and... wants a bowl of peas.
** Also this disclaimer on [[http://slenderia.blogspot.com/2010/09/intro.html the first Encyclopedia Slenderia post]].

* BreakoutCharacter: This is how Slendy started off in the original thread.
** Another character, the Masked Boy (AKA "Masky") has branched off of the Slender Man mythos, primarily from the Marble Hornet videos.

* CaramelldansenVid: Yes, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhF-Mue_dyM really.]] Word is out on whether or not this makes him less scary.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0vl8cuhpLk&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLDA97D1CC2CCCAE13 Two, actually.]]
* ChildEater: At least, he seems to prefer them in his initial incarnation.
** Most blog and vlog iterations of the mythos, however, seem to imply that he's indifferent as to who he hunts/eats.

* DependingOnTheWriter: The details concerning the Slender Man's powers, personality, and modus operandi change from story to story.
** [[http://thattallstalkerdude.blogspot.com/2011/05/final-postby-me.html This posting]] and [[http://oldcelluloid.blogspot.com/2011/07/ive-found-it.html this one]] gives us a theory on the matter.

* DoNotAdjustYourSet / HostileShowTakeOver: Frequently both blogs and vlogs get hijacked for an episode or two by an antagonist or a TricksterMentor, although rarely by Slender Man himself.
** Invoked by [[CompileTRUTH Dr. Cairo]], who [[spoiler: staged [[SockPuppet fearfulXbenefactor's hijacking on twitter and his blog]] to [[RedHerring keep people distracted.]]]]

* TheDragon: Slender Man typically has one per work, sometimes more.
** MarbleHornets has the most famous in totheark, aka the Masked Man (well, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot at least that's how things seem...]]).

* TheFairFolk: One of the earliest stories of what Slendy may be; that he's a malevolent fairy that lives in the forest and preys on naughty children.
** There exist [[TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost Changeling]] runs featuring Slender Man as a true fae, or as a group of very similar fae. There is at least one fan campaign that combines fae-Slendy along fae-[[TheRing wellwraiths]]. And it is horrifying.

** Also from MarbleHornets:
*** Video distortion occurring whenever Slendy or one of his agents is close at hand, sometimes going as far as happening whenever he comes into frame (it's a useful tool since distortion can be used to hide many of the obviously fake aspects of whatever prop or costume is being used in that series).
*** The Operator Symbol, which has become a central symbol in the mythos.
*** Slendersickness: Warning, prolonged exposure to Tall Dark and Faceless can lead to chronic respiratory problems and related symptoms.
*** Some mysterious (often masked) yet apparently human figure related to Slender Man in some way (whether or not he is an actual agent of Slendy is debatable since MarbleHornets never explicitly states that this is the case). Extra points if the series is a vlog and the figure in question creates a separate Youtube account for posting video responses.

*** Go back ''really'' far, and you get the ''gurumuka'' of the AustralianAborigines on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groote_Eylandt Groote Eylandt]], sort of a cross between Slendy and a vampire... which is unnerving when you consider the number of Slenderblogs set in Australia, as well as the purported Australian origins of the first two photos.

* IHaveManyNames: The Slender Man is often given additional or new names, such as "The Operator" in MarbleHornets.
** [[http://nihilartikelling.blogspot.com/2011/01/his-names.html "so many names slim suited man rail thin man skin-and-bones man rawboned man angular faceless long limbed man operator mister gaunt."]]
* InvisibleToNormals: More than one ARG has implied that only Slendy's targets can actually see him in real time; however, he will always appear on digital video [[spoiler:unless he, say, breaks the camera like in SeekingTruth]]. This leads to protagonists reviewing video and wondering why they didn't notice the surprisingly obvious ten foot-tall faceless man when they actually shot said video.
** A variation shows up in one of the earlier MarbleHornets (Entry #12): The crew filming near the Tower see Slendy standing in the open but none of them seem to notice how he's eight feet tall, the fact that he has no face, or the way his arms dangle in the most chilling fashion.

** Tropers, I present to you [[http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z379/BanishedZaber/SlenderDegreesofSeperation.png this diagram]] courtesy of an Unfiction forum member.
*** Best part about that diagram? For all it's glory and complexity, it's still a SIMPLIFIED version of the crossover web. You'd need several pages to keep track of every single minor crossover that has occurred within the Mythos.

* NightmareFetishist: Even though Slender Man was made to be ''terrifying'', he still has quite a fanbase.
** In-universe, this can be how Slendy ensnares his victims. "Ooh, this is a pretty creepy meme, I'm going to read more..."

* NumerologicalMotif: Strings of identical digits seem to hold some significance with Slender Man.
** For example, [[spoiler:in Entry #26 of MarbleHornets, he appears on camera in Alex's house on [[FourIsDeath April 4 (4/4), 44 seconds after the clock strikes 4:44]], and in Entry #29, he appears at the 55 second mark in the 66 second long video. In JustAnotherFool, its implied that he attacks Logan at 11:11 on November 11. In TribeTwelve, in the 'Night Recording' entry, Noah wakes up coughing at 3:33 on the dot, and in the 'dot dash' video from EverymanHYBRID, the old woman that Jeff visits to obtain information lives in room 222, and in that same audio file Jeff discusses a fire that occurred on some day at 5:55.]]

** Perhaps Slendy is just a incredibly harsh critic?

** [[LittleKuriboh "Hey guys, hey guys! Hey guys, can I be in your movie too?"]]

* UnreliableNarrator: Very common. But did the Slender Man drive the narrator crazy, or was he already crazy and using Slendy as an excuse?
** And then come the cases where the narrator isn't so much crazy as [[CompileTuth just lying.]]

* WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma: a distressingly common Feature Of qUite a few of the sleNDer blogs is to have whoever is tYping Only capitalize the letters that can be Used to spell out whatever message they want readers to decipher.
** ''A Rainbow Life'' actually has the blogger [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] this, stating something along the lines of "oh, sorry for the random capitalizations, my fingers keep slipping."

In addition to many a strange stories from people who appear to have seen him, as well as photographs by people who have not been heard from since. A more-or-less full list can be found at [[http://slenderversemedia.tumblr.com/ here]]; the TV Tropes articles for the works can be found in Franchise/TheSlenderManMythosStories.

There is an enigmatic figure that hides in the darkness of the world. It is most often seen as a tall, thin man dressed in a formal suit with long, strange arms and a face like a [[TheBlank blank slate]]. Where he comes from is as much a mystery as what he wants.

* WebVideo/MarbleHornets
* WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID
* WebVideo/TribeTwelve
* Blog/JustAnotherFool

In addition to many a strange stories from people who appear to have seen him, as well as photographs by people who have not been heard from since. A more-or-less full list can be found at [[http://slenderversemedia.tumblr.com/ here]]; the TV Tropes articles for the works can be found in Franchise/TheSlenderManMythosStories.

Not to be confused with [[ChzoMythos The Tall Man]], [[Film/{{Phantasm}} the other Tall Man]], Film/TheThinMan or [[{{Metropolis}} the other Thin Man]].

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: If [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vobMsssVBxo this song]] is to be believed, Slender Man stalks and attacks people, breaks childrens' knees, haunts dreams, and... wants a bowl of peas.

* BadassInANiceSuit: Although there's been some question as to whether he's [[HumanoidAbomination even wearing a suit]].

* BreakoutCharacter: This is how Slendy started off in the original thread.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: He likes doing this to people, as [[MarbleHornets Jay]], [[TribeTwelve Noah]] and the [[EverymanHYBRID HYBRID]] guys can attest.

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve (a.k.a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa Tulpa]]"):

* TheDragon: Slender Man typically has one per work, sometimes more.
** MarbleHornets has the most famous in totheark, aka the Masked Man (well, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot at least that's how things seem...]]).

* TheFairFolk: One of the earliest stories of what Slendy may be; that he's a malevolent fairy that lives in the forest and preys on naughty children.

* {{Filler}}: Frequent in all the video series and blogs, but also [[JustifiedTrope justified]]: the bloggers are putting up all the mundane stuff from their lives or of their projects, except Slender Man just so happened to get involved. This is becoming less common now that more blogs are starting with the protagonist already aware that they're being stalked by The Slender Man.
* FollowTheLeader:

* FridgeHorror:

* HiddenInPlainSight: Used in TribeTwelve and {{X mandelbrot}}. Both series protagonists are quite disturbed at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od-z7tJENho&feature=channel_video_title what]] they [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reUk9q2MI7s&feature=relmfu missed]].

** [[MakeItCount Make It Count]] mentioned Rocks State Park in Maryland as a location, and also talks about the lack of cell service. A reader who lives in the area vouched for the accuracy of this.

* HumanoidAbomination: Provides the trope page image, for good reason.

** [[http://nihilartikelling.blogspot.com/2011/01/his-names.html "so many names slim suited man rail thin man skin-and-bones man rawboned man angular faceless long limbed man operator mister gaunt."]]
* InvisibleToNormals: More than one ARG has implied that only Slendy's targets can actually see him in real time; however, he will always appear on digital video [[spoiler:unless he, say, breaks the camera like in SeekingTruth]]. This leads to protagonists reviewing video and wondering why they didn't notice the surprisingly obvious ten foot-tall faceless man when they actually shot said video.

** [[SeekingTruth Zeke]] and [[TribeTwelve Noah]] guest-starred in the {{Everyman HYBRID}} chatroom on Sunday, March 20, along with EMH boys Jeff and Evan.

* MindRape: One of the many tools the Slender Man has in his arsenal.

* {{Most Writers Are Male}}/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet: Played straight in the early days of the mythos, but now mostly averted. There are many blogs and vlogs written by women or starring female characters.
* {{Motif}}: The tensor product symbol (generally called the "Operator symbol" in mythos-related contexts) is a calling card for the Mythos and is typically written as (X) in text. Some in-universe characters (such as [[http://getuphigh.blogspot.com/ M]]) theorise that it's a Slendy-repellent, while others think it calls Mr. Thin towards them.

** The only one that's actually been released so far, {{Film/Windigo}}. It's called that because everyone in the movie mistakes Slendy for the {{wendigo}}. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5apy27bksGo It's legally available to watch for free.]]

* NamesTheSame: There's a surprisingly large amount of bloggers named or going by the alias of [[{{AnomalousData}} Jay]], [[MarbleHornets J]], [[EverymanHYBRID [J]]], etc.

** In-universe, this can be how Slendy ensnares his victims. "Ooh, this is a pretty creepy meme, I'm going to read more..."

* NumerologicalMotif: Strings of identical digits seem to hold some significance with Slender Man.
** For example, [[spoiler:in Entry #26 of MarbleHornets, he appears on camera in Alex's house on [[FourIsDeath April 4 (4/4), 44 seconds after the clock strikes 4:44]], and in Entry #29, he appears at the 55 second mark in the 66 second long video. In JustAnotherFool, its implied that he attacks Logan at 11:11 on November 11. In TribeTwelve, in the 'Night Recording' entry, Noah wakes up coughing at 3:33 on the dot, and in the 'dot dash' video from {{Everyman HYBRID}}, the old woman that Jeff visits to obtain information lives in room 222, and in that same audio file Jeff discusses a fire that occurred on some day at 5:55.]]

* OneOfUs:

* ShoutOut:
** Although Slendy and ''Film/{{Phantasm}}''[='s=] Tall Man aren't too similar beyond the names and suits, the original SomethingAwful poster ''did'' use the latter as a template when Photoshopping his images. Despite noted similarities, said poster had never heard of the {{Chzo Mythos}}'s Tall Man.

** In one post, [[http://wwwrunningwonthelp-lya.blogspot.com/2010/12/shes-better.html Sandra]] wakes up from a period of psychosis screaming "OH GOD THE BUNDLE DATA REDACTED THROW D-CLASS AT IT", an obvious reference to Wiki/SCPFoundation. Crosses over into [[FridgeBrilliance Fridge Brilliance]] when you look it up and learn that [[spoiler: many Slenderfans believe SCP-582, "Bundle", is no other than Slendy Himself.]] [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-582 Reading the page, it's not surprising they would come to this conclusion.]]

* SpinOff:

** [[TheFearMythos The Fear Mythos]]

* StylisticSuck: The soap opera film project Alex comes up with in MarbleHornets, the mediocre health/workout routine from EverymanHYBRID, and [[http://tonightitallburns.blogspot.com/ Damien's crappy Slender-blog attempt]] from DreamsInDarkness, up until they get [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By Slender Man]].

* WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma: a distressingly common Feature Of qUite a few of the sleNDer blogs is to have whoever is tYping Only capitalize the letters that can be Used to spell out whatever message they want readers to decipher.

** From LittleKuriboh himself, I give you ''[[http://yu-gi-ohabridged.blip.tv/file/4457836/ Concrete Giraffes]]''.

* JustAnotherFool

Not to be confused with [[ChzoMythos The Tall Man]], [[{{Phantasm}} the other Tall Man]], Film/TheThinMan or [[{{Metropolis}} the other Thin Man]].

** Although Slendy and ''{{Phantasm}}''[='s=] Tall Man aren't too similar beyond the names and suits, the original SomethingAwful poster ''did'' use the latter as a template when Photoshopping his images. Despite noted similarities, said poster had never heard of the {{Chzo Mythos}}'s Tall Man.

Not to be confused with [[ChzoMythos The Tall Man]], [[{{Phantasm}} the other Tall Man]], TheThinMan or [[{{Metropolis}} the other Thin Man]].

* SpinOff: The HannaIsNotABoysName forums created a less scary version known as Slendercow. It is quite {{Narm}}y, and its one true weakness is Sunny D. (These forums are quite cracky, and thus this almost makes sense.)

** Drake from [[http://toaaul.blogspot.com/ Trail of an Urban Legend]] had an encounter with [[http://www.creepypasta.com/the-rake/ the Rake]] and it seems the Rake is his worst enemy at the point of chapter 3.[[spoiler: Or is he?]]

* LandDownUnder: The page picture was "taken" from the Stirling Library, which (if [[http://www.ngw.nl/int/aus/sterling.htm the crest]] is accurate) is situated in Western Australia.

[[caption-width-right:300:[-''"One of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze, taken one week earlier. Notable for being taken the day which fourteen children vanished and for what is referred to as '[[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent The]] [[HumanoidAbomination Slender]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Man]]'. Deformities cited as film defects by officials. Actual photograph confiscated as evidence."''-] ]]

--->DISCLAIMER: Reading about Slender Man has been known to result in [[ParanoiaFuel paranoia]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel loss of sleep]], and the death of you and [[AndYourLittleDogToo everyone you hold dear]]. Anyone who continues to read on is fully accepting the risk that a man in a suit may rip out their favorite organs as a result. I don't want to wind up with any lawsuits from people claiming that it's my fault they were killed. Because then we'd need to figure out how a dead person hires a lawyer, and how to transmit funds to the afterlife, and it would just get really messy legally.

* DontGoInTheWoods: [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Honestly, half the time he doesn't even bother with the woods.]] [[ParanoiaFuel So good luck avoiding everywhere you ever go.]]

* InvisibleToNormals: More than one ARG has implied that only Slendy's targets can actually see him in real time; however, he will always appear on digital video [[spoiler:unless he, say, breaks the camera like in SeekingTruth]]. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel This leads to protagonists reviewing video and wondering why they didn't notice the surprisingly obvious ten foot-tall faceless man when they actually shot said video]].

The AlternateRealityGame site Unfiction has a whole [[http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?f=264 forum]] dedicated to the mythos, and reviews of stories can be found at [[http://slendereview.blogspot.com/ The Slendy Review]] blog. Non-story information can be found at [[http://slenderia.blogspot.com/ Encyclopedia Slenderia]] and [[http://slenderbloggins.net Slenderbloggins]]. An in-game YouTube channel [[http://www.youtube.com/user/compileTRUTH compileTRUTH]] also summarises some series.

An [[http://www.slendermanmythos.com/ extensive fan site]] is in the works, created by one of our tropers.

Currently, there is a feature length film in the works, to be released sometime in [[SummerBlockbuster August]].

A video game is in development right now, but the company refuses to admit they've picked up the project. None of the employees are allowed to discuss it and have all signed disclosure agreements with the consequence of being fired should they break the agreement. It is known that the game will be available on PC and Mac as well as the Xbox 360 Arcade.

The game will be a culmination of the most terrifying aspects of the entire mythology, and is inspired mostly by the Marble Hornets series on YouTube and the independent game created by GreenMeteorTeam on the Game Maker Community: http://www.greenmeteorteam.com/slenderman.html

The game is a first person perspective in black and white using the Crytek 3 engine. This information was leaked through an email source from the company developing it. Given the amount of information that was acquired from the leak, a website providing more information should be showing up soon.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: If [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vobMsssVBxo this song]] is to be believed, Slender Man stalks and attacks people, breaks childrens' knees, haunts dreams, and... wants a bowl of peas. Also this disclaimer on [[http://slenderia.blogspot.com/2010/09/intro.html the first Encyclopedia Slenderia post]].

* ByTheEyesOfTheBlind: Invisible to the naked eye unless you are his target. Also can usually be picked up on video.

** There's even a (currently inactive) [[http://adifferentshadeofpale.blogspot.com/ blog]] which had the stated purpose of putting Slender Man in as many different genres as possible.

* NamesTheSame: There are a surprisingly large ammount of bloggers named or going by the alias of [[{{AnomalousData}} Jay]], [[MarbleHornets J]], [[EverymanHYBRID [J]]], etc.

** Possibly also a shout out to the Schattenman of ''7thSea'', a tall, thin shadow-being who inhabits the forests of Eisen, the FantasyCounterpartCulture to Germany. He is known to mutilate victims as well, dismembering them and stacking their limbs like firewood. He does this with a huge pair of scissors, itself a ShoutOut to the Tall Tailor of ''Literature/{{Struwwelpeter}}''.
** "He only exists if you think of him. Now try not thinking of him."

** Dr. Cairo of [[http://www.youtube.com/user/compileTRUTH compileTRUTH]] used a [[VforVendetta V for Vendetta costume to make a decoy]] and has made a handful of anime references: using music from Manga/DeathNote and {{Bleach}} in Compilations, and jokingly entertained the notion that [[EpilepticTrees Slender man may be a hollow]].

** In one post, [[http://wwwrunningwonthelp-lya.blogspot.com/2010/12/shes-better.html Sandra]] wakes up from a period of psychosis screaming "OH GOD THE BUNDLE DATA REDACTED THROW D-CLASS AT IT", an obvious reference to WebOriginal/SCPFoundation. Crosses over into [[FridgeBrilliance Fridge Brilliance]] when you look it up and learn that [[spoiler: many Slenderfans believe SCP-582, "Bundle", is no other than Slendy Himself.]] [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-582 Reading the page, it's not surprising they would come to this conclusion.]]

* HazardousWater: The Slender Man has some form of connection to water. CanYouSeeTheWords plays it the hardest by far--every reference to water is struck out (when asked about this by a reader, the protagonist simply replies with something vague about correcting mistakes) and the blog links to worldwide news reports on floods.

In addition to many a strange stories from people who appear to have seen him, as well as photographs by people who have not been heard from since. A more-or-less full list can be found at [[http://slenderversemedia.tumblr.com/ here]]; the TV Tropes articles for the works can be found in TheSlenderManMythosStories.

The game will is a first person perspective in black and white using the Crytek 3 engine. This information was leaked through an email source from the company developing it. Given the amount of information that was acquired from the leak, a website providing more information should be showing up soon.

A video game is in development right now, but the company refuses to admit they've picked up the project. None of the employees are allowed to discuss it and have all sign disclosure agreements with the consequence of being fired should they break the agreement. It is known that the game will be available on PC and Mac as well as the Xbox 360 Arcade.

The game will be a culmination of the most terrifying aspects of the entire mythology, and is inspired mostly by the Marble Hornets series on Youtube and the independent game created GreenMeteor Team on the Game Maker Community: http://www.greenmeteorteam.com/slenderman.html

The game will be a first person perspective and in black and white using the Crytek 3 engine. This information was leaked through an email source from the company developing it. Given the amount of information that was acquired from the leak, a website providing more information should be showing up soon.