Slender Man Characteristics

I’ve been thinking about the physical characteristics, or rather the possible ones, of a Slender Man. This is beyond height, width, color, etc. I mean physical capacities. Here are my current thoughts on said possibilities:

Biology: Nothing worthwhile can be said, other than it is clearly alive and humanoid in appearance, but is also clearly not a typical organism, as there is no clear face (and therefore entrance to the digestive tract or any external indication of sensory organs beyond touch). However, repeated reports suggest that it can see (“Sees me”). There is the possibility that the “face” does conceal a more typical arrangement, or some other portion of its body does. It may simply see in a different part of the spectrum, allowing it to see through its own skin. Alternatively, lens for its eyes may simply appear the same color as the surrounding material in the visible spectrum (compare that the external portion of the human eye has visibly transparent material, which is not transparent at all wavelengths).

Cross-Species Interface: It is possible that the creature can directly connect to the nervous system of a human being. This is evidenced by the blackouts attributed to its appearances. The most likely cause would be a thin, almost wire-like appendage (possibly either an extension of or modified tentacle) that can be easily inserted into the skin, possibly through bone, even, that can connect to and interfere with nerves electrically. This insertion, obviously, is either wiped from memory or entirely painless. This presumably has the potential of rewriting information, and even causing massive behavior changes. What changes are intended are impossible to be certain of, if any are explicitly desired. For all we know, this kind of interaction could be something akin to sex or drug usage, a pleasure-based or even necessary action.

Electronics Interface: I theorize that a similar or same appendage is used to interfere with electronics, sending impulses into them to disable, or even manipulate them. If this is sophisticated enough (as it would need to be to intelligently modify humans through the nervous system) a Slender Man could even implant information into the system, such as adding footage to a recording, either as it is being recorded or after the fact, depending on the storage medium.

These conclusions, if correct, are disturbing. Obviously I’d prefer them to be wrong, but if they are indeed correct, this might actually give an advantage. Knowing what to expect gives the opportunity to counteract.

Wearing thick clothing and a helmet (the motorcycle sort) could stave off the appendage, but it’s impossible to be completely shielded from something that passes through bone without ludicrous and costly accoutrements. Shielding electronics is easier, in that metal plating is comparatively cheap for smaller items, such as cameras, though the lens is still potentially an issue.

In the end, the most intriguing idea for me is trying to get non-visible imaging of the creature. My gut instinct is that ultraviolet is the best bet, but it could be anything. However, the imaging requires the chosen wavelength to have an external source. I can’t exactly lug around a gamma ray-emitting device for obvious reasons. Radio, on literally the other end of the spectrum, is unlikely to give me the resolution I would need for any meaningful analysis.

An ultraviolet source is much easier to obtain, or as they are commonly called, a black light. Unfortunately, the range wavelength-wise is smaller than I would like, but I actually own some currently, even if they are not on hand at the moment. This includes a small handheld one I can have on my person at all times. The only issue is a camera that can pick it up. However, I have a friend whose father likes to tinker in this sort of thing. I’ll see if he can get something jury rigged while I look for things online within my price range.

If this fails, infrared is the alternative imaging choice. It is even simpler, as normal cameras can pick up certain infrared wavelengths. However, if I were to use a normal camera, I would have to use a filter of some sort, else the infrared would be lost amid the visible light.

So there is my current plan. Secure and if necessary modify electronics to look at a monster that likely wishes to kill and/or mutilate humans, probably including myself, just so others can know about it. Oh, and it may be able to control both humans and electronics directly.

Sounds like an enjoyable pastime, doesn’t it?

Knowledge

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Slender Man is that it seems it only appears after knowledge of it is obtained, at least with cases where those who were not stalked as children are involved. Modern incidents have apparently skyrocketed with the recording, in video or writing, of interactions and subsequent posting on the internet. One would be hard pressed to find much mention prior to the information age. Otherwise, it was simply relegated to tall tales or stories to scare children, nothing anyone ever believed in.

However, the pattern is undeniable. A person finds out about it from someone else, or on the internet. Then they are stalked. This has happened as described in the logs Just Another Fool, Everyman HYBRID, Marble Hornets, Tribe Twelve, and countless others. One rarely sees the creature without having heard of it first.

This is something I cannot properly quantify, except as coincidence or that a Slender Man follows a target, finishes or abandons it, and then finds someone with connections to that person. Simple enough, one might think. Or it would have been some decades ago. The internet has complicated this. Some are stalked with no connection to other targets but photons from a computer screen.  This is most baffling. Again, simple coincidence could explain it neatly. Or even a larger-than-expected Slender Man population. But I simply do not think that is the most precise or reasonable explanation. I could joke that the species is tech savvy, but that is patently ludicrous.

I have to admit I am beginning to hit a road block. But I intend to overcome it.           

In fact, there is a very simple possible explanation (with more than enough precedent, I might add) that I will mention here as closing: sometimes people do not know they have had connections with a Slender Man.

Noted

Please note that hereafter references to “the” Slender Man can be taken as a reference to what I believe is a species, rather than an individual.

In the Beginning…

After the wall of text of the Marble Hornets analysis, which hopefully will be the longest, considering it is perhaps the most informative that I have currently come across, with a few possible exceptions, I will now regress to and interpret the “origins” of Slender Man.

It seems to have first appeared, according to some, in Germany, at the earliest in feudal times, in a woodcut circa 1540 entitled “Der Ritter” (“The Knight”). In it, a skeletal knight in (apparent) chain mail with what seems to be a spear or lance of bone attached to itself killing a knight in plate armor (I haven’t done in depth research, but the plate armor seems to be possible for the period). This creature also has multiple legs and is roughly faceless. I say roughly as it still has some outlines/cavities of typical features (eyes, mouth, etc.) but does not have the features themselves. This may have simply been an artistic choice, or how it actually appeared.

If this thing is indeed a Slender Man, as so many have suggested, why is it so different? The multiple limbs add up to the tentacled depictions of the modern version match, but why the stark differences?

Simply put, for infiltration. Even assuming it can hide in plain sight, when it is seen, outside of a Renaissance Faire, the armor would immediately appear out of place. Perhaps more ghastly, but panic does not seem to be the prime objective of the creature. It could clearly accomplish that as it is, anyways. But if it wanted to blend in, it must adapt, or evolve as a species, or shape shift. At some point (probably the 20^th century by the style), Slender Man became a suited man and has remained so to this day.

What is interesting are the forms it has taken: the knight and the business man. They both have two significant but contrasting characteristics. They are successful, powerful, a higher class, at least in theory. They are something to be looked up to, not feared, unless you cross them. But they are feared nonetheless. Business men are sometimes thought of as crooks in suits, and the suit itself can conjure up the image of the corrupt official or attorney. In a similar fashion, knights were not always noble. They committed atrocities themselves in their day. Of course as with any time and profession, it was a mixed bag. But people seem to favor the negative view in their hearts.

However, this is not the only connection to Germany. There is a tale regarding a creature similar to Slender Man known as Der Großmann, or the “Tall Man” living in the Black Forest. He was thought to be, obviously, a tall man in form, a fairy of the forest, and took children, something common to the Slender Man stories. The tree association is also usually shared by Slender Man. However, further information is scarce and this post is long enough as it is, so I’ll wrap up quickly.

Conclusion

Slender Man may have originated in Germany, or at least was best recorded there. This may be the species’ homeland, so to speak, but it is impossible to know for certain. It has apparently spread and changed, now residing (apparently, by reports) primarily in the United States and most likely remains in Europe in some form. It has the ability, either in the individual or species, to adapt to better infiltrate human society in such a way that seems targeted to generating conflicting emotions or unease. To what exact end, I do not know.

That’s all for today. This is still too long, so I’ll continue to try to cut down on the length. Next time, I’ll be focusing on the Tribe Twelve video log.