Observations

I know I'm starting to get redundant with this, but sorry about not posting the last few days. In fact, to prevent further redundancy, let's just say that my posts may be farther spread out than they were before. So there, that's settled.

Having said that, I need to put forth some questions and observations. Good science is good observation, and good journalism is good questioning, and it's time to employ both. I'll list them first, and then explain each in turn.

First, a question: He hasn't been following me. Why?

Second, an observation: It is raining. Again.

Third, an observation: Despite what she may say, Violet appears to be using her Twitter account (@ViggityViolet, for those keeping up) to do little more than post her art and chat with me in a new, fun way, rather than actually update on what she's doing on an everyday basis. This annoys me.

Fourth, both an observation and a question: During our time together Monday and Tuesday, Vi described to me some of the "experimentation" that she and Riley have been trying. My question: is experimenting with something of this scope really a wise idea? Which raises the counter-question: when nothing else works, what the hell else can we do?

Fifth, another question: Is it possible that he could have a weakness if we believe he does?

Now for the explanations.

First. It's been two and a half weeks, and I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. I saw him that night -- so why am I not feeling any urges to write cryptic messages or draw stick figures? Why is my voice clear as a bell, without a trace of that distinctive cough? Violet says that it's for sure now, he's around, although he seems less aggressive than he was with Rose (although, given Rose's penchant for hiding her problems, he could've been around far longer than we knew he was). I'm still a little skeptical of the idea that he's following Vi at all, but rest assured I've learned my lesson and so we're erring on the side of caution. However, Violet says that he isn't always around, and when I talked to her, she was surprised to hear that I hadn't been seeing him as well, since she assumed that when he was gone, he was terrorizing me instead of her. But nothing has happened to me. So where is he going? And why hasn't he come after me?

Second: We're getting record rainfall all down the east coast for the past week and a half. This happened right after that freak fog I wrote about in a previous post. It's raining as I type this right now. Is it because he's around? Some of the legends say he's connected with floods, what with that "Can You See the Words" chick and the Biblical connotations of "totheark," the YouTube user who was screwing with Jay Whatshisface.

Third: We got the stupid Twitter accounts so that we could keep track of each other. Granted, I haven't been keeping up to date with mine as much as I'd like either, but I'm not the one with a fucking humanoid eldritch beastie following me, am I? So Vi, if you're reading this -- and I know you are -- you've got me (and Allie, and Brooks, and Ryan, and every goddamn body else) worried sick. Keep up with the damned Tweety.

Fourth: Naturally, when I was down with Vi, we talked a lot about what we're going to do now. Violet told me that she and Riley have been trying out some methods to keep themselves safe. The first she told me about was putting hidden Operator symbols in all the recent drawings that she's done. They're mostly invisible to anyone but her -- she showed me some, and it's serious Da Vinci Code-grade stuff we're talking here -- but she said that because she knows they're there, it gives her comfort (needless to say, Vi is a subscriber to the idea that because of the symbol's resemblance to an eye, it tricks him into thinking he's being watched, like a moth's false eyes; more on that in a moment). The second, I think, holds a little more water: Violet showed me a little trinket she had. It was a small pen, the kind that artists dip into ink to draw with; it was obviously very well-used and she even told me that it was all bent out of shape from all the things she'd drawn with it. She said it protected her.

When I asked what she meant, she said that it was a gift from Riley from forever ago when they'd first started dating. She said that she always kept it with her, and whenever she felt like she was being watched, or whenever she could see that telltale business suit around, she took it from her pocket and held it in a certain way, or just generally held it out if she was feeling that way. She put all her effort into the belief that this pen, which she made in her mind into a symbol of the love and protection of her boyfriend, shielded her, and kept it that way until he went away, or until she stopped feeling watched. She said it was hard to do it when she first started it about a week before because it felt like a bluff, but gradually she's been buying into it by repeating it to herself and having Riley repeat it to her. She said that she didn't know for sure, but it seemed to her that she didn't feel watched quite as much, but she thinks that's because she's still not a hundred percent convinced of it yet. Being a LOST fanatic, Violet called this concept her "Constant," a Slender fail-safe.

This brings up another question: is her belief in the Constant (that is, the pen) really keeping him away, or is it just that she percieves it that way? This entire business is mired in the dreaded fog of human perception. There's no way to measure whether certain actions keep him away or certain actions draw him in. Even the legends seem to contradict themselves: he sets fires, but is also connected with floods. Does the Operator symbol mark you as prey, or trick him into thinking you're a predator? They say the more you know about him, the easier it is for him to get you; so why are all the Slender experts -- the lifegospels, the Khaoses, the Dav Flamerocks -- still alive and unharmed (as far as I know)? Is it like Violet told me the other day when I asked her, that they know, but choose not to believe? Can this entire thing be fixed if we all just stop believing? Is it even possible to choose not to believe?

Which brings me to my fifth and final point. No one that I've read about has ever postulated that the Slender Man has a weakness. Does this mean he doesn't? From what information I'm collating, it could. Conversely, that could mean that if we believe that he does have a weakness, one could manifest. Of course, this is keeping in mind that all this depends on one big-ass "if:" that is, whether or not his existence depends upon our perception of him.

While it would explain the contradictions, it also brings up questions of its own. Why does he show up on camera, if he's all in our collective heads? The only explanation I can come up with is that those who see him have a sort of (for lack of a better word) aura around them that can, in a way, reflect him onto the camera; that is, their raw energy (again, lacking better terms) gives him reality that can be detected by technology.

Or, if they're close enough and intense enough -- say, held tight and terrified -- then is it possible that this energy -- this fear, this belief -- can be reflected onto another human being? It would explain why I saw him that night and haven't seen him since. Of course, it's also complete speculation on my part. Who knows? The Slender Bastard could just have bigger fish to fry. He could be biding his time with me. Hell, he could just be screwing with me. But will he only come for me if I think he will, like I do? If I change my thought pattern, try to convince myself that he won't come for me, will that repel him like Violet thinks her Constant does?

Could I have saved Rose if I had just believed in her and started asking the right questions sooner?

My head hurts; methinks this is enough metacognition for one night.