Slender Man

"We didn't want to go, we didn't want to kill them, but its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified and comforted us at the same time..."

- Caption from the original Slender Man post on the Something Awful forums.

The Slender Man is an internet meme and urban legend, first gaining stardom in the Something Awful forums, and branching out across the web as a figure that has established his own myths.

He is popularly viewed as some sort of malevolent demon that abducts and psychologically traumatizes people, particularly children. Though what he does with them is unknown, it is speculated he kills them or takes them to another dimension. In some versions of the legend, he will impale captured victims on tree branches and save them for later skinning and consumption.

It is widely considered that his "faceless pale man in a suit" persona is really a smaller form and that his true form is beyond comprehension for mortals. It is also thought that he may have a long-term (possibly cataclysmic) goal in mind, but this is specifically uncertain.

He is widely recognized as a sort of pop culture icon and also a very controversial figure, and is a prime example of a Creepypasta villain at its best, being featured in many fictional stories around the web. Slender Man's motivations vary depending on version, but the original has him as a misanthropic predator that despises humanity and takes great pleasure in sadistically torturing them before devouring them; when he is not feeding, he simply likes to torture and kill. Some believe that he is real and sightings have been reported from diverse locations.

Appearance
One of the main issues facing Slender Man investigators is the fact his appearance seems to be subjective, with reports varying largely from area to area. This is often put down to cultural bias, with the observer projecting his fears into the sighting and recollections being blurred.

However, the generally agreed appearance is of a pale, emaciated male figure, with an apparent height of between 7 and 9 feet tall, and no facial features.

He is sometimes portrayed with seemingly incomplete facial features, such as empty eye sockets or mouth as if the face is molded. Some believe he can change his height. In addition, some say his face is difficult to focus on, calling it "ever changing."

The figure is often described as wearing a black suit and black/red tie, although these seem to be relatively recent additions to the mythology, suggesting that he changes his appearance every once in a while to better fit in with his surroundings.

Appendages
One of the more unusual aspects of the Slender Man's appearance is the description of additional appendages or limbs in reported sightings. Witnesses have described these as being "a snaky arm," to rope-like in appearance. These appendages are apparently only visible under certain conditions and can be used for mobility or possibly as weapons.

Powers and Abilities
The Slender Man possesses a highly varied arsenal of supernatural powers and abilities. He is immortal, having lived for at least 11,000 years without end, and any wounds inflicted on him instantly heal.

Detrimental contaminants such as disease, pathogen, viruses, and bacteria are harmless to Slenderman, and he is also unaffected by poisons/toxins/venom, allergen, alcohol, drugs, and radiation. Slenderman also seems to be immune to fire.

He can modify and warp reality itself through various means. The Slender Man's primary means of movement (although he sometimes crawls on his tendrils, or, far less commonly, walks on his two legs) is through teleportation (teleporting others or matter is not out of the question either), or through Slender Walking.

The latter technique involves altering quantum mechanics and makes him omnipresent until locked into one place when someone sees him.

Looking at the Slender Man causes several negative effects, such as pain, disease, nausea and technological disruption, although he can seemingly manually turn this 'on' and 'off' for certain situations. He can also move himself and others through time. Slender Man can apply a deadly disease to victims known as the Slender Sickness. Effects include nosebleeds, nausea, amnesia, mental/emotional instability, diarrhea, puking and constant pain. Slender Man's aura can also apply sleeplessness/insomnia and the effects of contaminants like alcohol, drugs, and venom.

Slenderman can create limitless manifestations, avatars, and copies of itself across existence, allowing him to track down multiple victims at once, torment a single victim or a group of adjacent victims or pop up in other worlds, timelines and time periods for no reason. Slender Man can also manipulate his own perceptibility; such as turning himself invisible for some or everyone, being only perceivable if certain conditions are met or only appearing to certain groups or individuals. His mere presence can alter the temperature to his likeness, too, and he can emit radiation - usually Sigma radiation - for various effects.

Not even in one's dreams is one safe from the dark messiah, as Slender Man can freely enter and edit the dreams of others, as well as communicate with them telepathically. Or he can downright make victims his slaves through hypnosis, convince them of his supposed goodwill through indoctrination and brainwashing or make them do his bidding using mind control, or even adjusting or wiping their memories, controlling their emotions and feelings, creating illusions - sometimes physical illusions that can interact with the real world - and make others suffer hallucinations or fatal organs.

Victims that are under Slender Man's control or influence are usually referred to as Proxies. These are usually given special abilities by Slender Man; usually enhanced physical characteristics and a regenerative healing factor, but some are given superpowers, like The Observer who was bestowed with the power to warp space-time, apply diseases, possess others and modify technology.

Most Proxies can also cast illusions. Slender Man can turn intangible to phase through surfaces. In addition to just his two arms, Slender Man can generate himself far more appendages; including more arms but also tentacles, tendrils, spider legs, and petiole.

He can also place hands on them. These appendages are exceptionally strong and can be turned into spears that can stab through reinforced metal. They can even crack space-time itself. The entity can freely modify his body and change form, shape and size.

He can flawlessly mimic voices as well as receive the abilities of anything he turns into, and the memories of any individual he turns into. Slender Man can also turn his suit into armor, and somehow even into a tree. A form of Slender Man has commonly attained is a multi-armed skeleton.

In addition to himself, Slender Man can even transform others; he can turn people into the fog with but a gesture, or mutate people or turn them into Proxies.

Slenderman's primary offensive abilities include pyrokinesis (normal, green and blue flames), and immunity to it, electrokinesis, umbrakinesis, green, explosive energy blasts, streams of water that can flood towns, earthquakes and manipulation of the weather, such as to make it rain, snow, hail or storm, to have lightning strike down or to conjure up gusts of wind.

Slender Man can also use telekinesis to move objects with his mind alone and make others cough up blood. Using technopathy, Slender Man can take control of technology. He can also possess others. Some of Slenderman's "helpful" abilities include prolonging death, reducing pain, resurrecting the dead and applying morphine with his stare or a gesture.

More complicated abilities of Slender Man include space and time manipulation, the ability to alter time perception by shunting others through a private dimension, probability manipulation, causality and the ability to create and modify custom worlds of his own, including mirror worlds. Slender Man's single most powerful ability is to cause the Dimensional Bleeding which is an event that leeches off universes and dimensions, distorting and disrupting them and potentially even causing its destruction.

The above abilities have been derived from various works, sources, and authors - the fact that anyone can give their own spin to the character makes Slender Man a highly inconsistent character. Some authors give Slender Man additional abilities or leave some of his powers away; it is overall very hard to pinpoint a true, "canon" Slender Man. Therefore, a composite template has been utilized for these abilities, drawing from various sources that cannot be confirmed, neither debunked as part of the continuity.

2018 Film
Slender Man will appear as the titular main antagonist of the 2018 theatrical film.

Slender Man's Songs
Slender Man has had many songs written about him, with the most popular being one by musical artist Sable, often referred to as "The Slender Man Song".

Trivia

 * Slender Man's online fame originally spread from the Something Awful Forums, in an entry to a Photo Manipulation contest by a man named Victor Surge. Ever since the contest, Victor Surge started to create mini stories based on the character in which would later be known as "The Slenderman". Lots of people have created similar stories, ARGs (Vlogs and Blogs), video games and short movies.
 * MarbleHornets is another major early source of The Slender Man's stardom on the internet. In 2009, MarbleHornets became the first Alternative Reality Game to feature The Slender Man along with establishing and creating Proxies. Although this is the first Slender Man Vlog as well as ARG series, MarbleHornets does not feature The Slender Man, but an entity similar in appearance and abilities known as "The Operator". After the rise and popularity of the series, Many other ARG series (E.g. TribeTwelve, EveryManHybrid, DarkHarvest00, MLAndersen0, and CaughtNotSleeping) have been spawned ever since, and the Slender Man is featured in almost all.
 * Slender Man has also inspired the Endermen of the Minecraft series, having many similarities such as impressive height and lanky arms, but act differently in-game, like moving blocks with their elongated appendages.
 * Slender Man has many online games inspired and based around him - however, the most notable (and recent) one is known as Slender, which has become extremely popular and some gamers are claiming it is "the scariest game ever."
 * The 2012 horror film The Tall Man is loosely based on Slender Man.
 * A movie named Entity was in development but was canceled.
 * Slender Man also appears as a Team Fortress 2 monster known as Slender Mann.
 * Slender Man was in the Rap Battle By Unwanted House Guest in the ANIMEME RAP BATTLE.
 * Creatures named the Gentlemen to appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they are a possible influence on the Slender Man mythos.
 * Slender Man appears in Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series; he appears in the special episodes Concrete Giraffes and An Ishtar Family Christmas. He also appears in Marik Plays Slender. Slender Man is very humorous, not acting scary at all and always saying "HAAAAY GUUUUUYS" in a strange voice.
 * The Thin Guy set and Slendermog from AdventureQuest Worlds are based on Slender Man.
 * In Total Drama All-Stars, Slender Man is seen in the episode "Moon Madness".
 * Slender Man appears in Youtube Minecraft Videos.
 * He also makes an appearance in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, in the episode "Pinkie Apple Pie".
 * A goat version of Slender Man - called the Slender Goat - appears in the game Goat Simulator.

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