White Elephants

edit: Robert's insane, why didn't I even fucking think about that back when I praised him so, back here?  Titles, and 'other side' bullshit.  Why couldn't I see it? No, I had to go in hook line and sinker, believe it all and believe that being given a title meant anything at all.  Do yourselves a favor if this is your first time reading this,  take your index finger, cram it down your throat and spend twenty minutes throwing up, then skip this entry.

I'm sure most of you have followed Robert(Sage) over on White Elephants.  He's gone now, off to do his duty against a callous ethereal foe.  I chalk it up as a win for us overall, the first blog that was ended without a death apparent.  He's still out there, laughing at constructs.  I...Sorry if my typing is a bit off today, I'm perturbed by his departure.

Robert had talked about finding new Sages since the first three had...well disappeared in one form or another.

then I get a comment on my last blog saying

You

3/3

I check the name 'greenlight'....and it's Sage.

I...

god, look, I know I've said that I've always wanted a chance to be someone, to leave something behind...to be remembered, but if I read this right; that he's picking me as a rep of some sort.   I dunno if I'm that sort of guy...

Still, I said I was in this thing, and I guess I still am.  But I haven't seen the Slender Man.  I can only speculate on him until he shows himself.

I guess I really do need to see if that bum is still out there by the overpass, maybe I can learn something useful, or buy him a fire extinguisher...

Amelia got a notice as well,  but who is 1/3?  Who is it?  Maybe we need to talk before anyone starts claiming stuff about 'new sages'.  I wouldn't dare to be so arrogant and self-absorbed to think I know anything more than Robert, Jay or Shaun.

Time to give this some extra thought.


edit:  It's Maduin.  Thanks, Omega.

edit 2:  Maduin and I have been in contact, if only a hair.  He advises me to find the 'Rock' .   Having searched WE, I come across this

Maduin said:
Sad deal, this "Hero" business. And one would have to have a mind and soul as strong as a rock.
Do you intend to nurture such an individual?
Raise one?
Create one? 

then

Robert Sage said... Zeke(Mystic) had his shot, a Warrior who's already had a turn at the Warrior and isn't -corrupted- becomes a Mystic. That's not to say Zeke can't try again.

Maduin...you(Seer) are very very clever and figured out the Grand Theory. Almost. You see, Heroes can't be created or forged. That never ends well. I(Sage) have other plans.


Alright, I have a task before me now, A hero cannot be created or forged, and must have strength of absolute conviction.  So, a hero simply...must be.  How he arises is either pointless or inconsequential.

I think the only way I'm going to really get any answers on what to do, or how to do so is to encounter him myself.

A stranger, or familiar?

So nothing's been up lately, I've been good, no sightings, no creepy feelings like eyes watching me for a few weeks.  I've been sleeping again, things are good.  I've had a few extra bucks in my pocket, so on the way home after I get off the interstate I got a few dollars out for one of the homeless gents that is always present under the bridge I pass.

I see someone as I stop at the light, that I motion to, with the typical green in my hand, which he noticed of course.  Now, I'm not good with strangers, in fact I always try to remain guarded around them, in fear of being carjacked or robbed.  As he approached, I saw his cardboard sign on the ground.

It had a picture that looked far too similar to tall dark and faceless on it, scrawled on the right side.

As...surprising and alarmed as I had gotten over it, I failed to notice the light change, so I pulled off to the side to let traffic pass.  I was regarded by the three homeless in the area as a curiosity, as I made a brave move to talk to the man I was to deliver charity to.

I may have some of the words wrong, but here's the general context of what happened

Me>>>  Uhm, afternoon
Runner>>> Thank ya, god bless you for the help
Me>>> Well. yeah. i've been okay so I figured i'd return the....uhm
I paused
Me>>> So I noticed your sign here...

it read " Please Help.   F(X)LL(X)ED.  Hungry and Cold"  then with the stick figure next to it.

I didn't notice the symbols at first, so crudely drawn.

Me>>>  So...you're followed...well, I know this sounds funny, but I'm a bit morbidly curious today...so the government?

As I understand it, that's a typical complaint, followed, stalked by the gov't.  Paranoia at its finest.

He shook his head and barked a wry laugh.

Runner>>>  Hell, if it were so easy.
Me>>>   Okay, humor me?
Runner>>>  Ehh, I think you're better off not knowing.
Me>>>   Well that does pique me...I can guess, I bet.  I've heard a lot on the web lately about something that's been....a nuisance.
Runner>>>  I dunno if that's the word for it.
Me>>>   A tall figure?  Dressed in black?

I saw him flinch, which was enough of an acknowledgment as I needed.


Me>>>  So you're on the run from him?  You following the rules then?
Runner>>> ...
Me>>>  Yeah...alright, I get you.  Uhm listen.....I know this seems......reckless of me, since I don't know you from Adam, but...you want a place to crash tonight?  I've got a nice couch and a couple of good blankets.

He looked at me for a moment, then shook his head, "Nah....I wouldn't want to bring you into it."

I told him I understood, and handed off a few more dollars to him, what I could spare at the moment, and headed home.

As I headed home, I wondered if maybe I had met a fellow blogger just then, running from the construct.  I hadn't stopped to ask his name. Was it M?  Perhaps even Zeke down on his luck, or some anonymous stranger who had a story to tell.  I think I'll go see if he's still there tomorrow.

Then I realized that it was in my city....I know he can move, he can teleport, be anywhere, but to know that he's *here*.  Its astounding.  He's in my city somewhere.

A window rattles as the wind passes through, and I nearly get a heart attack as the pizza guy knocks on my door.

Just shadows and noise.

Always shadows and noise.

Dismay

Alright, I admit that I thought my concept to kill our unfriendly neighborhood construct would've taken off a bit more than it did, but I see now that such things can easily be viewed as absurd or untrue.  There's a set series of beliefs we have about construct, and can easily identify things outside of the norm as untruth.  H(a)unting, Scared, and whatever blog that has 'Breaker' in it have those concepts.

Firstly that he communicates, and is nice about it, or that there's two personas about.  While many have speculated that there are multiple constructs, it's widely believed that none of them are 'nice'.  Belief shapes life, so this is untrue.  The "Breaker" story is widely considered a mary sue fairy tale of what how to beat him.  Death of the construct is seen as untrue, thus the story comes off as childish. 

Though I did realize that my attempt to garner widespread belief of 'killing' the construct was just as childish.  Power exists, certainly, but I'm speaking to the dark about how to destroy it.  I am starting to think that no one wants it dead really.  Oh sure we say we want to kill it, but we have such rigid definitions of what it is, what we believe it can do that we won't allow ourselves to say something like, 'Hey, I just threw a banana at him, and it put a hole through him, so get out your fresh fruit and throw it at him."  That's just considered absurd, because we've already proven he's practically invulnerable.

I can't change public belief of him, at least not alone.  I doubt anyone else will either, perhaps we consider him.....fun?  I dunno, maybe that's just me being bitter and irritated at life again.

On a personal note; and this is all true by the way, not some fodder to set myself up in a fictionalized story as a victim, I noticed the chain on my front door was partially out, as if someone tried to force the door open but failed.  The odd thing is, that either they must've circumvented the lock itself to do so, or I forgot to lock the door, but I chained it.  That's a bit scary, I have quite the fear of home invasion ><

I'll try to get it fixed via maintenance asap.  ugh,  now I have to shake off this paranoia before bed else I'll freak out all night.   Typically I just exhale a few times, and envision a protective aura, growing about me, in my room, that expands out to cover my home, forcing out all dark presences.  I can feel it, like, between my shoulderblades as I exhale, sort of a 'venting' feeling. 

Granted, I could just be pretending I'm special as I've lambasted so many before me, but maybe, just maybe there's some truth to it, you know.  I've started to realize that I'm a bit...bipolar, if you haven't noticed by now.  I'm crass and judgmental, and bitter as all hell, but sometimes, I'm just full of positivity and faith in the ability to overcome. 

Heh

Just like a coin.  It all comes back to luck, doesn't it?

O.o

edit: This happened, I still have the pillowcase, didn't get all the blood out.  Maybe a nosebleed? 

I decided to give in, and write a story with how I view this all to end, and it to be annihilated, because this morning, I woke up and the pillow next to me had blood on it.   I think I just had a nose bleed, but it sort of looks like...like a throat slash or something, given where the pillow was compared to me.

Well all I have to say to that is, show your damn self, and I'll give you a present or two.  Until I see you, you're nothing.

Defictionalization

It came from another place, it was a predator, a devourer of sapient life.  Its world was dark and ever-changing, its work was cryptic and dangerous.  It found its way from one world to another.  How, one could only speculate, whether it be a returning to a place inhabited long ago, or the mass awakening of a collective beckoned it.  It appeared, and adapted to the world around it to stalk and feed.

Humans, it found, were susceptible to its wiles and charms, most were lured by empathy, others were consumed only after slowly peeling away their sanity a layer at a time, and those few that held strong were chased out into the night with fire, then stalked.

It had entered a city park one night, intent on another meal, when light came down upon it.  Search lights, beacons, and...people.  Some of them held marks that were thought to ward him, others made circles of salt or wrought iron shavings, working together to ensnare it before it could comprehend the trap.

Noone spoke, noone needed to, for the world rejected him now, its survivors forsworn to eliminate him.  Emotions rolled into the foul creature,  the anger of a policeman driven to destroy, the cold intellect of those wishing to analyze for weakness, the cry of vengeance for those lost, and the steadfastness of those who were doggedly pursued for months.  Its power slipped as it stood paralyzed, incomprehension filling it, when suddenly it was gone, shattered into the ether. 

Unmade by those who had wrought it.

Bulletproof-Death of the Villain

I've noticed lately that my self-esteem and luck seem to have been flipping like a coin every day and night.  By day I've been feeling good, and at night I have been plagued by insecurities that all men face in the dark, when they stare at the second most terrifying thing they know, themselves.

I think we all know who occupies the top slot.

So let's get onto the topic at hand, about him.

On a personal level, no visits, no pictures,  I've taken a few with my camera phone about my home and work, just in case,  it's all good.

I've been starting on Omega's Encyclopedia Slendira, skimming it really for now, I simply haven't the time so far to do an archive binge.  He's got a comment on there from Jack Tyler, who writes Scared.  Now...I haven't read Scared, I cannot claim to be able to invest myself in his shoes, but this gets me....

"Stephanie is asleep right now..... She had an all nighter, and most of today. I had at least 4 hours. Regardless, I am going somewhere. The woods. I will be back in a couple of hours hopefully."

 Let me repeat that sentence

"Stephanie is asleep right now..... She had an all nighter, and most of today. I had at least 4 hours. Regardless, I am going somewhere. The woods. I will be back in a couple of hours hopefully."

The Woods? seriously?  Haven't enough people heard that they shouldn't go into the woods, especially after having contact with /construct/?  I took the liberty of glancing over Scared's newest entry.  Apparently Jack is of the belief that there are two /constructs/.  Alright, this corroborates with Richard(Sane)'s belief that there is one for each nation.

Before I continue on with this, I must admit that this is a sound idea.  /Construct/ is in essence, the Boogeyman, and if the mass melding of social inadequacies and primal fear can create /construct/ then it stands to reason that it has happened before, things by gone back when storytelling to a small village spread news, and tales. So, I am not overly skeptical of this, it seems to fall in line with anything else I've heard.

Now, back to Scared.  I find it hard to believe that one of the two doesn't seem overly hostile, and actually communicates with writing.  It seems so...out of place.  I'm going to have to read the archive of Scared, to see if I can understand how this came to be.



All this leads me to my current point of the day.


/Construct/ was created by a gap in social conscience, I think.  We've heard people blame SA for its existence, which can sound laughable, but perhaps is more true than we thought.  Something Awful,  while I do not vist it, is well known as being a very culture-centric site.  As I understand it,  a great deal of memes are created there, that spread out into the internet culture.
   When the communication explosion occured, back when texting and facebook started, we stumbled across something magical,  the ability for instant communication gratification.  Stimulus/Response from practically anywhere in the world, at your fingertips.  Added with the mobility of cell phones, this staggered us as a culture.  People were killed responding to texts while driving, lives crumbled, and school rooms were simple texting grounds.  These things still happen, but now we're starting to step up against it.  Communciation evolved farther than our ability to understand it,  we needed to grow socially, as the whole world, to understand what we had done.
    One of the games I've played has a concept of magic that in essence says, 'the more you're taught something, the more you're defined as to what your world is, the less potential you have, because you've chosen to rigorously define what is and is not real.'  I've seen this as a sound theory, and while I am naturally skeptical of things, I believe that this could in fact be the case.  What was it Sherlock Holmes said?  "If you take away the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
   This malaise, this cultural reawakening we discovered, threw back the curtains, and revealed to us another truth, and for a few years, we were children, open to the fantastic yet again.  This is how we got here.

So here's my proposal.  We need to kill him, here on-line together.  We all need to write a story, a paragraph at least, of how the ./constructs/ die, and leave us rid of them forever.  We need to tap into that morass, and spread the word, get it on Something Awful, maybe make it a contest or something, where everyone submits a story, and kill this asshole in our minds and spirits.  Do it,  Kill the Slender Man!

Confused

edit: and here's where I started a journey into madness, pay attention people.  It gets worse before it gets better,  look at those fucking titles I'm already using, fucking embarassing.

Okay, so I've been thinking about /construct/ and my role in all this, and I'm starting to wonder what I am supposed to do with it all.  I think I've given out some ideas so far as to what it takes to confront evil, but I find myself afraid as well at times.  Last night, I thought I felt a hand across my face, which caused me to jolt awake.  I live alone, both my hands are generally under my head...What the hell am I hallucinating?  I keep looking to the side of the road, thinking I'll see him, and then I'll know that it's begun.  I know I've got a very active imagination, I mean I've role played for nearly 20 years now, but this...it's like I'm haunting myself.

Pfft, I knew the risk when I decided to delve into the myth, to extend myself towards those in needs.  I just want to make a difference for one of them, whether it's B in "What Now?" or Robert(Sane) in White Elephants, whom I have grown worried over.

I know I have an answer for someone somewhere, but when and to whom?  Must I seek out other blogs as well to help spread the words, or am I just self indulgent, arrogant enough to believe that the human collective has strength beyond creatures, nightmares?

I see I have a follower now, which is nice to know.  I can only hope that he has faith in me, rather than wanting to watch me burn...

where am I?  I'm so lost today, and tomorrow, it'll feel totally different.  Who needs a mental labrynith by the /construct/, when I am lost inside myself?