History YMMV / TheSlenderManMythos

* FridgeLogic:
** A viewer occasionally wonders how the various ARG characters find the time or motivation to update their various journals, especially while being chased by the creature himself. However, if played right it can lead to both FridgeHorror and FridgeBrilliance.
*** Many blogs suggest that Slendy makes them do it.
*** [[http://everything2.com/title/The+Lovecraftian+compulsion+to+keep+writing+even+as+one+is+being+devoured The Lovecraftian compulsion to keep writing even as one is being devoured]]
** And then there are the videos that show things that should have ''never'' made it past the editing process, or should have merited a complete re-shoot as bad as they were. This is actually addressed in the WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID universe: not only is it implied that the protagonists can't see the screwy bits in "normal" videos, but it's stated that they can't see the ''really'' weird ones at all. Why do people keep telling them about something called dot-dash?
** Many people believe that Slendy exists because people think about him. Many also believe he only targets people who believe in him. If he succeeded, would he die?
*** Although this ventures more into WMG territory, this could lead to a stroke of Fridge Brilliance: Perhaps that is his motivation towards his acts. Maybe he's not really as hostile as he's portrayed. Perhaps he simply wishes to stop existing, to rest.
*** Or maybe, he doesn't exist, but he wants to. And what better way than something as innocuous as the internet?
** Slender Man is commonly theorized to have come into existence through the Tulpa theory, AKA "think about him a lot and make a bunch of stories and he'll suddenly exist." [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero Guess what we've been doing, all this time...?]] [[OhCrap The stabbings might be warnings that we've crossed the line at last.]]]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: A fair number of fan theories involve Slendy himself not being evil or malevolent. Either he's a lonely figure who unintentionally curses those he comes into contact with in his efforts to make friends, a harbinger of doom, or even an incompetent guardian trying (and failing) to save people.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: If it's a video-based series, and Slendy has CombatTentacles, you ''know'' this is going to be either [[DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible a terrible series]] or [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the]] [[NightmareFuel scariest]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome thing you'll ever see on video.]] Examples include: [[WebOriginal/TribeTwelve Tribe Twelve]] and the unfortunately deleted [=AKoolStick=], which had the unique scene that is ''[[HolyShitQuotient jumping Slender Man.]]''

* ShoutOut: There seems to be a trend within the Slenderverse of [[Manga/DeathNote enigmatic characters who's names are just a single letter....]]

* HypeBacklash: A result of overexposure. Slender is almost an exercise in how quickly something genuinely interesting becomes cliche and predictable with its fans hyping how scary it is. Nowadays when the Man is bought up, it'll be regarded as SnarkBate more often than not.

** Many think Marble Hornets is the greatest Slender Man story and everything else is crap.

** If Youtube is anything to go by some find Slender Man a scary and refreshing presence while others consider him annoying due to overexposure.

** There is also an ongoing joke that Slender Man is stalking [[MarbleHornets Alex and Jay]] because he wants their $20 and that he would go away if only they gave him the money. {{Word of God}}s state that they are sick of that particular joke.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: After years of being concidered not notorious enough, TheOtherWiki finally has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender_Man a page dedicated to him]].

* HarsherInHindsight: Slenderman's original status as a child kidnapper/murderer has taken a pretty nasty turn after [[http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/slender-man-stabbing two girls attempted to kill their friend by repeatedly stabbing her to "appease him."]] Fortunately the victim didn't die and the girls are being put on trial but it does cast a very bad light on the character.

** The more anxious you are, the more likely it is he'll come for you. This has lead to such anti-Slenderman tactics as listing to yackysacks, or looking at lolcats to keep yourself from panicking.

** Who would be afraid of the [[Franchise/SpiderMan Friendly Neighborhood Sp]]... umm... [[http://artoveli.deviantart.com/art/Junior-Detective-355435918 Slenderman]] anyway? (This is one of those {{Alternative Character Interpretation}}s and manages to not only humanize him but make him ''cute''.)

* RunningTheAsylum: Except technically, the whole Mythos ''began'' this way.

* NightmareRetardant: Slendy is frequently mistaken for [[WesternAnimation/NightmareBeforeChristmas Jack Skellington]] by those unfamiliar with the mythos.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU3A9w59I9A We have discovered his true purpose.]] To teach humans how to do... The Slendy-dance.

* NightmareFuel: Many posters on the original forum thread remarked that they had had nightmares about the Slender Man only a day after he had been originally mentioned.
** Some real life nightmare fuel - two 12 year old girls [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/slenderman-stabbing_n_5439667.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular stabbed another 12 year old girl]] [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/02/waukesha-stabbing_n_5434675.html nineteen times - nearly killing her]] because they "wanted to meet Slenderman" and "prove he was real".
** [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/daughter-attacks-mom-slender-man_n_5473213.html And now a mother was stabbed by her daughter after reading Slender Man stories]]. What the '''fuck'''.
*** The above double as FridgeHorror; a common theory in the Mythos as to how Slendy came to be is basically doing things as seemingly innocuous as even just ''thinking'' about him a lot, coupled with lots and lots of stories about him. [[spoiler:[[OhCrap Guess what]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero we've been doing from the start?]]]]

* ParanoiaFuel: He can be anywhere. No. Really.
** As the saying goes, "[[SpeakOfTheDevil He only exists if you're thinking about him.]] [[InsaneTrollLogic Now try]] not to think about him."
** People love theorizing he first came into being in the Blog!Slenderverse (or maybe the Slenderverse as a whole) thanks to so many stories and so many people thinking about him. [[spoiler:[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone ...]][[OhCrap That]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero sounds]] ''[[RealAfterAll familiar...]]'']]

* BiggerBad: [[WildMassGuessing Some fans speculate]] that Slendy is only the servant or minion of a much more powerful and dangerous entity.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: ''Don't'' [[WebVideo/MarbleHornets give Slender Man]] [[MemeticMutation your twenty dollars.]] [[http://iamslenderman.blogspot.com/2010/02/give-me-20-dollars.html Give it to Haiti.]]

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: If it's a video-based series, and Slendy has CombatTentacles, you ''know'' this is going to be either [[DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible a terrible series]] or [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the]] [[NightmareFuel scariest]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome thing you'll ever see on video.]] Examples include: [[WebOriginal/TribeTwelve Tribe Twelve]] and the unfortunately deleted [=AKoolStick=], which had the unique scene that is ''[[HSQ jumping Slender Man.]]''

** This picture from the infamous Dashcon 2014 Ball Pit: http://cdn0.dailydot.com/uploaded/images/original/2014/7/13/ballpit.jpg

** The Slender Man stabbing cases are all connected, by, well, [[CaptainObvious Slender Man.]] Of course, people loved theorizing he first came into being in the Blog!Slenderverse (or maybe the Slenderverse as a whole) thanks to so many stories and so many people thinking about him. [[spoiler:[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone ...]][[OhCrap That]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero sounds]] ''[[RealAfterAll familiar...]]'']]

* DeaderThanDisco: As far as the video games go. The original ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' was considered to be a great example of what you could do with limited resources and an effective atmosphere in spite of its simplicity. However, after [[FollowTheLeader other developers imitated it]], the concept lost some of its edge and is regarded as being lazier. Some of this backlash has since made its way to the the character itself on account of overexposure... well, that is, until it was discovered that [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/slenderman-stabbing_n_5439667.html people are now actually attacking their loved ones after learning of his existence]].

* DeaderThanDisco: As far as the video games go. The original ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' was considered to be a great example of what you could do with limited resources and an effective atmosphere in spite of its simplicity. However, after [[FollowTheLeader other developers imitated it]], the concept lost some of its edge and is regarded as being lazier. Some of this backlash has since made its way to the the character itself on account of overexposure... particularly since [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/slenderman-stabbing_n_5439667.html people are now actually attacking their loved ones after learning of his existence]].

* DeaderThanDisco: As far as the video games go. The original ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' was considered to be a great example of what you could do with limited resources and an effective atmosphere in spite of its simplicity. However, after [[FollowTheLeader other developers imitated it]], the concept lost some of its edge and is regarded as being lazier. Some of this backlash has since made its way to the the character itself.

** Some real life nightmare fuel - two 12 year old girls [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/slenderman-stabbing_n_5439667.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular stabbed another 12 year old girl]] [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/02/waukesha-stabbing_n_5434675.html nearly to death]] because they "wanted to meet Slenderman" and "prove he was real".