Friday, July 8, 2011

Inkheart and the Narrative Theory

Ryuu made a comment on my entry yesterday that got me really thinking.
Looking back on her comment and my response, it was a bit of a tangent, but still a good point I wanted to raise.


When I talk about the narrative theory, the power of belief, I'd like to make it a little clearer what I mean about those two things. In my mind they're pretty closely linked, and there's a reason for that. If we did bring Slendy to life, or if we even merely gave him more power or woke him up or whatever you believe about what happened on SA two years ago(I tend to believe that because WE thought he'd always been there, then he was, but that's not horribly important for the purposes of this discussion), then we started the story going. We set what he does, who he is, how he operates. Some people argue that he changes, a popular example of this is the growing trend towards proxies, but from the very first write ups on the forum there is talk of people following him.


"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..."


Marble Hornets had Masky from Entry 18 as well. No, I tend to think that his fundamental nature doesn't change, now that we've made him. The trick is finding the loopholes in what he already is. The things that aren't known, that aren't solidified, and using them against him.


The analogy I used before, that got me on this train of thought, is Inkheart. Don't know how many of your read it, it wasn't a half bad book. But I find it relevant for several reasons. The biggest and most helpful reason is this. The basic premise is that there are characters from a book who have been made real in our world. Fictional entites, who have been made real and alive and who terrorize everyone who knows about them. Sound familiar?


That aside, there are grander implications. The main characters meet up with the author at one point, and he expresses surprise that one of them is still alive, because he wrote their death. But that's the thing. The characters are already people, they are who he made them to be. But he doesn't control the story. No one does. When fighting Capricorn, who is the big villain type, they can't change who he is and expect it to work.
They use what already exists to destroy him. To me, that seems the key.


So, sorry to everyone who thinks that if we believe really hard we can make Slendy into a fluffy bunny or some shit, but I'm not buying it. We set the story in motion. We have the ability to write what happens next-but not to rewrite what's already been done.


Just something to think about.


~Elaine

17 comments:

  1. I don't know Elaine. I think they could do it, but I also think a faceless, mouthless, noseless fluffy bunny with tentacles would be the most horrifying thing on the planet.

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  2. See, that's the thing. You could theoretically change it into a bunny, I guess. But you wouldn't be able to change the fundamental nature of who he is or what he does. So he'd be a bunny that sprouts tentacles, has no face, and likes to kill people.

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  3. A very valid point and good theory. But spreading it and putting it into motion are quite different beasts entirely.

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  4. Fair enough. But I'm just putting the information out there.

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  5. That's how Surge spread Slenderman. It's the first step.

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  6. except I'm spreading the word on how to beat him, not infecting the internet.
    Theoretically.
    Thanks, asshole.

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  7. Why does everyone assume I'm trying to be a dick? All I was saying was that he put up a photo or two, and blam, everyone saw it. You put up a clever idea, and people might just stop and say "we should probably listen to her."

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  8. ... Maybe think before you hit post next time. You say these things and I'm not sure if you're trolling or just stupid.

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  9. Considering he's stalking me too, I think we can rule out trolling.

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  10. Huh... I think that's a grand theory. I'd like to test it out sometime.

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  11. This is why I think it might be better to approach this from the side. Either use such a theory (which is really the bedrock of any magical practice) to *create* something to counter Slendy, or conversely use it to empower ourselves or our god(s) to fight him. Even reduced to a symbol of fear, he gluts himself on the belief of thousands, but there are other symbols in which we could invest our belief and energy. We're only as weak and helpless as we believe ourselves to be, and there are more of us than there are of him (hopefully).

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  12. You people are hilarious. Even after that's happened you still think Father popped into existence because humans wished him into it? I'm 24 fucking years old I was raised by Father. So I know he has existed long before SA. Any theory you come up with based on this line of thought is doomed to failure because of that fundamental flaw. Never mind those who have come before you who had opportunities to study Fathers nature Scot, Robert, Will all their research pointed to one weakness which all of you have simply over looked. If you want to kill my Father I suggest you expand upon their research instead of wasting your time trying to make use of pseudoscience. Maybe you should you know read physics book to learn more about what your talking about.

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  13. @ Stumblr, Still haven't ruled out that you're a faking proxy bastard. Sorry.

    @Hylo, thanks. Hopefully we will, at some point.

    @Mystery, exactly!

    @Tensor, See, you say that, and I believe you, I really do. But anyone who's seen Buffy knows the retroactive existence I'd imagine Slendershit has. When SA came up with him, he was new. But because they made him something that had been there forever, he was. Thus how he could have been there in Egypt and Germany, and how he could have raised you.
    That is what I think. Maybe I'm wrong.
    I'd also like to point out that Scott's research is not really something I could test. And I'm not trying to defeat Slendy directly, I'm trying to get the other bloggers with better resources to direct their attention to plans that have better chances of working.

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  14. I get the whole retroactive existence thing, but if people could simply bring beings into existence with pure thought then answer me this. Where are all the other supernatural beings that humans have ever thought. You know Gods, angels, demons, monsters, etcetera. If none of those other things exists through thought then by all accounts neither should Father. There are countless other ways for Father to have into existence that are thousands of times more likely. You're (The Runners) best bet at defeating is to start exploring those options.

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  15. Tensor, you're right. We should and hopefully will explore all the options. Give me a week or so and I'll have an article up on the various possibilities for how Slendyshit came to be. The belief thing is definitely not airtight, though it seems more plausible than a lot of the alternatives.
    The fact of the matter is, that we don't know that gods or angels or monsters DON'T exist. And honestly, most of the other ways that he could have come to exist could be argued against with the same argument, and all of them have arguments against them that are also plausible and valid.
    But no, I definitely don't plan on limiting my research and speculation to the Tulpa theory.

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  16. Making Slendy a fluffy bunny. -snort- That's an amazing mental image, thank you Elaine.

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  17. Late to the party, but your theory is good, that now that it exists it's pretty static, but it can still throw the occasional curve ball at us I'm sure.

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