User blog comment:Dorkpool/A Bit on Jeff the Killer/@comment-4998996-20180312034959/@comment-25024572-20180312053809

While I don't exactly agree with your opinion on Jeff, I get where you're coming from (though I have no idea what that whole Slimebeast thing was). That being said, I'd like to offer my opinion on why so many people seem to like him.

I think a lot of his edgy teenage fanbase sort of knows Jeff not from his story, but from other stuff they've seen of the character online. Fanart, fan fiction, various tidbits of things. Enough that they have a general idea of who he is, but nothing concrete. Also, having absorbed what they know via some sort of cultural osmosis, their opinions were probably influenced by what they read about Jeff. A fanbase can add things to characters that aren't canon or emphasize one trait that was briefly used and people just sort of accept it. People may know of Jeff because of "Creepypasta Manor" or some fanart with him and Jane or something.

As for the Jeff story itself, I think some of the story's weaknesses kind of work to its advantages in some ways. Jeff is a bullied teen with a shitty home life who ends up taking revenge on those who wronged him. Certain teens feel they can relate to that, and the story of Jeff is some form of wish fulfillment. Plus, the fact that Jeff has so little character allows them to easily imagine themselves in his place, and make stuff up about who the character is.

And, as mentioned, a lot of knowledge and interaction with Jeff for the "fangirls" comes from places other than Creepypasta-based sites. It's more stuff on Deviantart, or interacting with Jeff the Killer RP accounts on iFunny or Kik or something. They interact with more folks who like Jeff, and build up the character more, or deal with folks who like characters based on or around Jeff. As there's very little that's "canon" for Jeff (outside of his original story and maybe the Jane story), there's a lot of room for interpretation, and people turn him into what they want him to be.

Basically, Jeff is a wish fulfillment fantasy type character with little actual character, allowing people to make him whatever they want him to be. Additionally, most people learn stuff about Jeff through fandom, which influences what they think of him.

That's my theory, anyway. I say this as someone who kinda learned about Jeff through places like iFunny or random sites, and did interact with Jeff or Jeff-based character roleplayers online. Please don't judge; I was a lot younger at the time, and I still cringe a bit thinking back on it.

Anyway, hope this gives you some idea on why this character is so popular. Honestly, I've wanted to talk about this for a while and I'm glad to finally get it out.