User blog:Rhialto/Jeff, Slendy, and Those Creepy Psychotic Russian Insomniacs... A Consideration.

As a recent blog post has stirred up a bit of discussion on the matter of Jeff the Killer, I've decided to crock my metaphorical snook not only at this site's most... notorious resident--albeit for reasons that have nothing to do with actual horror--but at a pair of his fellows in the classics category, Slenderman, and the Russian Sleep Experiment. And realize this is a big deal, as I have no idea what a snook actually is, much less how to crock one. So when I start pulling out my metaphorical variation--things can get dangerous very fast. I'm not kidding, people. Limbs have been lost on previous attempts.

To start with, I have to explain just why I'm writing about these three pastas in particular. The answer simple--all three are accredited classics which have developed rather vocal hatedoms, albeit to varying degrees. This post is my attempt to answer why this is so, pasta by pasta.

First up... Jeff.

Jeff the Killer, Who is Really Bad at His Chosen Profession
JtK is a pretty easy one to answer, especially as I've done it many times before. It is a bad, bad story, that isn't very good at all, starring a character who barely qualifies as a character, and in a world where everyone is apparently on really, really good drugs, as that is the only way they'd act the way that they act therein.

If it were simply a matter of quality, I don't think Jeff would be so hated, actually. Oh, understand it is incredibly bad, but when you take it on its own terms, as the impromptu creation of some twelve-year old eager to prove he's a big kid an' stuff, then it's hard not to develop a bit of a soft spot for the damn thing. It tries so hard and fails so amusingly. The problem is Jeff has a sizable, inexplicable fandom that is plastering the internet with the story, spinoffs, and of course, his creepy picture.

Add to that, for many entering the community, the story gets pointed out as something... exemplary. And then the poor bastards read it, start wondering 'what the hell?', and are turned thereby into lifelong Jeff-haters.

So much for Jeff. On to a certain tall gentleman with a memorable lack of a face...

The Slenderman Will Soon Be Appearing in a Theatre Near You!
The interesting thing about Slendy is, as opposed to Jeff, he's really not a pasta per se at all. The closest thing Slenderman has to a founding document are a pair of enigmatic photoshopped pictures, with a brief pair of captions. Everything else is the work of chats, forum discussions, blogs and of course, some online video series. As opposed to Jeff, Slendy is, when you get down to it, almost pure meme.

That is his strength, and it is his weakness. Despite his detractors I'd argue Slenderman is a strong fundamental concept. But that's all he is--a concept. When you start reading a Slenderman story, you are completely in the hands of the author, and it's up to them where they take you. And because he is such a strong, such a striking concept, people take him up who have no real ability to use him effectively.

Meaning that with Slendy--you are Sturgeon's Law territory. Tread with care. Most Slendy stories are bad. Hell, chunks of what have become accepted lore don't quite work. (I suspect the entire 'Ritter' woodcut deal makes anyone with even an elementary knowledge of German grit their teeth. I know it makes me do so.)

Add to that, Slendy's other big enemy--his own ubiquity. Slenderman shows up everywhere, to the point of self-parody. (And actual parodies, while we're at it.) Read enough bad Slendy stories while seeing him everywhere and I suspect you too will start to loathe the faceless creep.

Ubiquity isn't the problem for the next case, which is something of a community thing...

In Russia, Sleep Experiment Drinks You
Ahh, the Russian Sleep Experiment. Widely considered one of the greatest creepypastas--even at times, the greatest. A macabre journey into the realms of terror that... well, frequently doesn't know when to quit.

I have to be honest--this isn't my favorite story for just that reason. While it may be weird to compare this to Jeff the Killer, they do share one thing in common--both of them show a childlike glee at letting the red stuff flow. The difference is RSE's author at least had some idea where to put it, even if he regularly lets it overflow into the margins. That's the problem--for many readers, the RTE hits the point it needs to get to, and just keeps going until the whole exercise becomes ridiculous. Throw in a few issues that a bit of editing would have cleared up, and you have a solid story that just doesn't seem to live up to the hype.

And since, on this great system of interconnected tubes we call the interweb no one is capable of simply going 'meh', the hatedom begins.

A Conclusion, Because Really, Writing All That Without Coming To One Would Be Damned Annoying, If I Do Say So.
And so as we look upon this collection of tales--or more exactly, two tales, and a meme--we ask, is there something connecting it all, and we come to a conclusion--yes, yes there is. It is hype. Hype is what all three have and don't quite live up to. Hype is what creates distaste--even bitterness--when it is not lived up to. And hype is what keeps all three going. Especially Jeff, which would probably be utterly forgotten if preteens didn't keep convincing themselves that this is a real story.

Is there an answer to all this? Of course not. Hype is something people have been dealing with for centuries. What you can do is try to keep from letting it overwhelm your good sense, either by letting it rule or judgment completely, or by letting your disappointment with things that don't live up to theirs get toxic.

After all, when it's all said and done, these are just stories. And generally pretty short ones at that.