Why Slenderman should be a future Chapter for the game [WITH RESEARCH and Updated]

This is a redone/updated version of slenderman discussion I made in July.

I have changed Grammer, most of the wording also has been also changed, added more information and art.. I have fixed a lot of the paragraphs to make more sense while still trying to be more persuasive with again help from friends.

NOT A CHAPTER CONCEPT BUT A HISTORY OF SLENDERMAN AND MORE

THIS IS EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND EXPLANATION ON WHY SLENDERMAN SHOULD AND NEEDS TO BE A FUTURE CHAPTER AND SOME EXAMPLES OF CONCEPTS TO GET A GRIP ON WHAT HE WOULD DO INGAME WHILE ALSO INCLUDING FUN FACTS, REASONS OF HAVING HIM, AND FAN ART I MADE.

ALSO NOT FEEDBACK OR SUGGESTION SINCE I AM JUST EXPLAINING WHY HE IS PERFECT FOR DEAD BY DAYLIGHT WHILE EXPLAINING WHAT HE IS.

Depending on where you heard him from, you might differ on whether it’s a good idea. I am here to persuade and hopefully get people to wanting Slenderman in dead by daylight but also possibly to have him join.

DESIGN-WISE

SLENDERMAN WALKING SHOWN IN THE VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lpLtIF1uqU

POWERS

• Teleportation: He can teleport near the victim rather than walking, but he walks in Arrival, which I will link to the video above which is going to be pretty creepy with how he walks even though you rarely see him walk. In Dead by Daylight, you would think that either he would teleport to set locations that were marked at the start of the match or phase there in a spirit-like form.
• Shadow Tentacles: in Arrival, it is known that he has shadow-like tentacles, but he rarely uses them in Arrival. In other media forms referencing this, he can pick up and destroy stuff with them. I consider this a fact since they give him more lethality in Dead by Daylight if he were to use this ability.
• Static/Technology Malfunctions: In every game, if you get too close, he will cause your screen to become static. This is because you are not using the player's eyes, but you are using a camera view. Based on this, he may interfere with technology. So he would most likely affect Generators and Flashlights, but not stuff like Toolboxes or Medkits.
• Illusions/Sanity Breaks: In Arrival, you see changes in things such as the writings that were not there before about Slender, and warning the player about him. Also, it's known that Kate in-game, is a Proxy of Slenderman, which most likely means he drove her into insanity with illusions like the Doctor in Dead by Daylight.
• Stealth: In the games, it is shown that he can be quite stealthy while stalking until he chases down the victim.
• The 8 Pages: After the 8 pages game it seems now that he is connected to the 8 pages in a way. It's unknown who placed the pages and why Slenderman does not want anyone to have them but one thing is known is that he becomes more aggressive as each page is taken.

This art I found gave me big archive cutscene vibes so I had to put it here. You gotta admit it's very similar to what the Devs do in tome cut scenes.

PERSONALITY/LORE

From the first game, his personality was always to stalk down the individual who is collecting his pages and give them a game over screen, accompanied by a Jumpscare. The second game, however, is unique. He still hunts the player that is collecting the pages, but there is actual lore in Arrival which I will not spoil too much of it.

Between all the media, it’s the same. He does not stop pursuing until you either: Collect all 8 Pages; Escape the area that he is in, or Escape while carrying the 8 Pages. It’s again unknown why, in most situations, he ceases chasing the player after they collected the Pages and/or escaped the area. One theory is whoever created the Pages did something to them which protects them from Slenderman if they were to collect all Pages and/or Escape the area he is in so the person can escape alive. Maybe Slenderman is bound to some sort of rules which hinders him from hunting the player after they collected the Pages and escaped, or he is confined to the area he is in, and the pages are his memento from previous victims that he does not wish to be taken.

Slenderman usually or always shows up at night, which is unknown if it’s for a stealth approach to stalk victims or simply comes out at night. It is also recognized that he appears or turns visible when an individual is operating a camera to search around. Handling a camera when he is near makes the camera glitch and distort, which will increase as he draws closer. If someone does not have a camera. Then Slenderman would only appear to them if he wanted them to look at him. For example, 2 people are in front of Slenderman, which 1 does not see him while the other is experiencing a scare at the sight of Slenderman.

Slenderman sometimes has shadow-like tentacles growing out of his back to catch victims quickly. Tentacles are the strongest example to illustrate it because the appendages move like it possesses no bones and no detail can be observed on it. The tentacles are like lashes of shadows on his back that drain out any light that tries to illuminate on it. No suction cups like an octopus but more of like giant lethal whips that either destroy objects or impale/snatch victims. An example of this is when Slenderman is seen in Slender arrival trying to use his tentacles in a chase to catch the main character.

Even though in his naturally aggressive style there is another approach to how he attacks victims. Instead of the aggressive teleportation and murdering the victim part, occasionally he prefers to take his time. Like I stated before, he could and can affect people’s sanity to the verge of madness, which is what I am leading to talk about in a second. Most of the time he stalks his victims in the shadows slowly, causing the victim to feel like they are being watched non-stop. Once the victim shows hints of dread, Slenderman in reaction to it increases the victim’s paranoia by appearing randomly in view of the victim for a split or few seconds. Even if individuals are around where Slenderman was last appeared people do not recall seeing anything out of the ordinary which is because Slenderman only lets people see him if he wants them to see him unless they have a Camera.

Though there is 1 sign that is always apparent if he is near which is electronics emitting static noise or showing static on the screens but this varies depending on the situation. As the victim descends into madness as more Slenderman affects them, they will no longer tell what is real and what is not. When this happens Slenderman abducts the victim which they are never to be seen again.

It’s too reported that Slenderman takes interest in people investigating him. If that happens, then Slenderman will begin stalking his potential new victim. Once Slenderman has his victim in his clutches 1 out of 2 things will happen. The first possibility which is most common is which Slenderman abducts the individual and is never heard from again. The second possibility is they fell into Slenderman’s power and have driven into insanity which now they turned into a “Proxy” which are mindless yet aggressive puppets of Slenderman like an example of a proxy is Kate from Slender Arrival which she is called “The Chaser” which was revealed in a secret level when you play as Kate and when Slenderman catches her, Slenderman will say “I have plans for you Kate”.

There are a multitude of different theories on what Slenderman is which explains some of the stuff Slenderman is capable of and why. One is he is an old/ancient god-like Cthulhu who was created by H. P. Lovecraft who makes dark creatures similar to that of Slenderman but in this example imagine if Cthulhu is real. This would explain why he is powerful yet still unknown to people of the modern world. If this is correct, then would mean Slenderman would have existed for a long time and explain the many legends/folktales about him. This could again explain how his powers don’t obey the rules of reality or don’t affect him.

An interesting theory about the 8 pages is that it’s a test for Victims when facing Slenderman. Once the Victim reaches the area where Slenderman is lurking and picks up the first page the game has begun. The Victim has to run around the area avoiding Slenderman while collecting the rest of 8 pages as entertainment for Slenderman. Unlike most games, if Slenderman catches the victim it’s game over and their fate is sealed. When the Victim gets close to collecting all 8 pages Slenderman will become aggressive that he is losing and will make the Victim’s search of the pages more problematic. If the victim has collected all 8 pages, this will impress Slenderman, which he will grant the Victim a reward. The reward is straightforward, permission to escape from Slenderman’s grasp and live. Upon leaving the area the pages that the Victim has collected will disappear which explains why no one ever has successfully kept the 8 pages.

Another theory of Slenderman is the Pseudoscience theory. This theory states that Slenderman is a trans-dimensional being from another realm. This can point out why there is no explanation that can be made with science about Slenderman. Though, this can still tie him into being an Ancient God from another dimension too, since it is a possibility he can switch between realms. In most cases, for a being to hop between dimensions they got to have immense power which an Ancient god has.

Those who are being stalked by Slenderman sometimes suffer from “Slender Sickness”. Slender Sickness is an illness caused by Slenderman which causes paranoia, headaches, nosebleeds, and/or a persistent sense of dread. This happens if a victim is being overwhelmed by Slenderman’s power. Which is most likely if he is too close to the victim, such as in the same way when an electronic camera distorts and static.

BACKGROUND

Eric Knudsen created him on June 10, 2009, for a Photoshop contest about creating Paranormal images. He uploaded two black and white photos with Slenderman while also having descriptions in the point of view of some witnesses that would have seen Slenderman if he existed.

The first photo had the quote "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…1983, photographer unknown, presumed dead"

The second photo had the quote "One of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze. Notable for being taken the day which fourteen children vanished and for what is referred to as "The Slender Man". Deformities cited as film defects by officials. Fire at library occurred one week later. Actual photograph confiscated as evidence". 1986, photographer: Mary Thomas, missing since June 13th, 1986.

Soon he went viral on the Internet, having fan art, cosplays, and even horror stories called Creepypasta. Slenderman’s classic design made it easy for any artist to create art or animations with him. Also, because you can wear a morph suit under a black suit anyone could dress up as Slenderman. The simple access to producing a Slenderman costume lead to the creation of found footage videos. This leads to the production of web series called Marble Hornets, then other versions because the simplicity of Slenderman’s design made it easy to imitate or recreate. This also contributed to tons of fan films.

The reason he became so popular, according to many, is that Slenderman is shrouded in mystery. Writers can use classic Slenderman tropes to create their own stories about him and not worry about being cannon. Even though he is not real, people like to entertain themselves by making stories that seem he exists in which Eric gets a chuckle and says, “He might be real”. Even radio stations that do theories and conspiracies had phone calls about Slenderman. During this, it became known the entire world, and the internet caught “Slenderman Fever”.

He was on top of the world in horror. Anyone can use him to make horror stories with no real lore behind him. So, it gave imagination to writers which, in response, produced amazing horror stories. Then came Slender: The 8 Pages; and Slender: Arrival, which gave more ideas to writers and artists to make do with Slenderman. It introduced us to a new type of horror that was not bound to any cannon rules while still mysterious and threatening. Having multiple fan games to give us a genuine scare of the unknown. Another game created by fans is called Slenderman’s Shadow, which became very popular. The reason the game became popular is that it had 8 maps instead of one so much more gameplay for gamers and Let’s Players while also having more scares.

Later down the line, a legend was made about Slenderman, which took place in the 1600s in Germany. Instead of Slenderman in this story, they called him Der Grossman, also known as The Tall man. Discovered on Wood carvings by an unknown artist. They describe Der Grossman as a fairy that lurks in the Black Forest and is said to abduct wicked children who adventure in the Black Forest at night. Der Grossman will stalk them until they confess the foul deeds they committed to a parent.

Any story of Slenderman that’s made rarely has graphic violence or body horror. Instead, most stories leave the victim’s fate a mystery, leaving it up to the readers to guess what happened to the victim of the story. Again this is because Slenderman is shrouded in mystery and individuals want to maintain it that way so many further horror stories don’t need to follow tons of rules just the basic ones like he can Teleport, cause static, has tentacles, and another stuff Slenderman does.

Marble Hornets actually helped to extend The Slenderman Mythos by adding more lore to him. Marble Hornets introduced the Slenderman Symbol ⦻ and the idea he can interfere with video and audio recordings. Not only that, but they also introduced “Proxys” which are people who fell into Slenderman’s power/madness and became mindless violent puppets like Kate in Slender Arrival.

Ironically enough Marble Hornets helped create Slender the Arrival game which was a great idea based on the game's reviews and playthroughs.

FUN FACTS

• Slenderman appears in a Gravity Falls comic book.
• He appears as an easter egg in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.
• Enderman name from Minecraft is a little joke on Slenderman.
• Slenderman appears in Supernatural as "The Thin Man"
• In Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, Slenderman appears on a forest level.
• He is a well known Creepypasta character and considered "King of Creepypasta" [Everyone knows but might as well place it here]
• Silent Hill and Resident evil were some of the many inspirations in making Slenderman followed by other inspirations.
• Eric's intention of making Slenderman was to "formulate something whose motivations can barely be comprehended, and [which caused] unease and terror in a general population"
• Slenderman was created in 2 black and white photos that were photoshopped by Eric with Slenderman for a paranormal Photoshop contest.
• Any information about Slenderman is called "The Slenderman Mythos"
• Slenderman in The Marble Hornets series is called "The Operator"
• Crypt TV’s Look-See most likely was inspired or based on Slenderman because of its design, use of proxies, similar powers, and both are considered Urban Legends as Look-See was confirmed in The Fatal Wish Creepypasta, and Slenderman is considered an internet urban legend.
• Both Pyramid Head and Slenderman actually have some things in common because Slenderman came into existence from the Internet while Pyramid head came into existence from James. Both have been shown to have paranormal powers and are connected in some kind of legend. Also, both are them are monstrous paranormal beings that might be more powerful than the Entity.
• The Halloween store called Spirit Halloween has a mask that bears a strong resemblance to Slenderman called "Silent Stalker" which comes in tan and white but has black eye sockets.
• Slenderman’s preference of luring children into the forest has a strong coincidence to Pied Piper when he lured the children away from the town.

WHY SHOULD HE BE IN DEAD BY DAYLIGHT?

• Dead by Daylight can make great use of using Slenderman based on his internet horror fame back in 2012 to 2013 Scaring video game players and causing Paranoia to horror readers.
• He was such a big horror icon when during my middle school years, which helped me also helped me graduate out of high school. I loved reading the scary Creepypastas about him. Enjoyed the scares I had when playing the games, even if I was watching someone else play it. Also, Slenderman introduced me to the Horror genre.
• Unlike most horror icons in Dead by Daylight, there was no actual way to win against Slenderman based on his 2 popular games. This brings genuine fear into Slenderman, which makes him quite terrifying to players because even if you win the game, you can never escape Slenderman.
• Slenderman has no true backstory so Devs can make him linked to the Entity like how Ghostface is but Slenderman is much more connected to the Entity than any killer In-game because of his ominous appearance and unknown backstory.
• Slenderman would be the first Urban Legend killer in Dead by Daylight.
• The Look-See is highly likely based on Slenderman so why not add the Original as a Killer.
• Slenderman was the very first horror icon that had everything about him written by random people filling in the major gaps of his story based on 2 black and white photos that was for a contest..
• Currently, he is owned by Mythology Entertainment, which Sony came to them to make that... movie. At least there is a company they can go to get the licenses to have him in-game.
• 2018 Slenderman movie did him wrong and Devs can do a lot better while maintaining source material.
• Many people thought of Slenderman coming to Dead by Daylight when certain leaks came out and showed major interest for Slenderman in an April fool's joke video.
• I did a poll not too long ago to see how many people would actually like a Slenderman Chapter and got quite a bit of votes https://forum.deadbydaylight.com/en/discussion/265270/slenderman-for-dead-by-daylight#latest
• Also another poll which was made by HaunterOfShadows https://forum.deadbydaylight.com/en/discussion/259527/part-12-how-would-you-feel-about-slender-in-dbd#latest
• I see forums about wanting him from time to time but weirdly enough on Reddit lot of people want him ingame with upvote of 800 people in 24 days and another one with 7,000 upvotes which is a Slenderman Concept in one year. [In the time I am typing this.]
• As H.P. Lovecraft once said The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. Which this quote describes Slenderman perfectly.

how would Dead by Daylight benefit from Slenderman

• Slenderman brings the classic 2012/2013 horror nostalgia like when playing/watching classic horror games during that time so a lot of old Slenderman fans would be interested in trying out Dead by Daylight.
• Slenderman as a killer would bring tons of cash from Creepypasta fans and horror fans from the 2012 era.
• Could have a Legion Proxy skin based on Chaser [Kate] from Slender Arrival or even 4 proxy sets for Legion which would be popular with fans.
• We can have a real forest map or a map based on Slender 8 pages or Slender Arrival Oakside Park which again would bring in even more fans.
• Slenderman could be an alternative route to making killers just as powerful as Spirit but still being fun for both sides. This way you can play as a powerful killer not worrying about gen rushing or other stuff while Survivors still have ways to slow you down so they can escape while having fun. No more sweaty matches for both sides when Slenderman is out to kill.

How would Slenderman act in Dead by Daylight

• Slenderman would be a terrifying killer, fun to play, and face against in-game. He has so many powers that can function well in Dead by Daylight. They can balance him while still being a possible S-tier killer. Slenderman could be bigger than Spring trap from FNAF if given the chance.
• He can have a similar yet threatening walking animation like in Arrival so he does not feel out of place because most people are used to him standing in one pose while sliding to the player.
• He can use his tentacles to pick up survivors or bash breakable stuff. You can even make pallets and doors glitch out in existence.
• His mori can be him grabbing a survivor and having their POV at Slenderman’s face and goes to static as a reference to the classic games.
• Dead by Daylight could redesign Slenderman like the Noah Summers version which I posted few pictures of below the fan-made chase music. Even though Devs could just use the Slender Arrival version with upgraded graphics which I would also love even as a skin as long it’s not the Sony movie adaptation of Slenderman.
• Slenderman’s 8 Pages could be a secondary objective to help make Slenderman’s power less effective on them but at the cost of enraging him.
• Slenderman’s perks would be something chaotic like “Hysteria” while making him harder to figure out where he is and some kind of perk that punishes the survivor if they try to escape or taunt the killer.
• Slenderman’s power would be similar in the joke video as a combination of Ghostface and Doctor but with some mechanic to move around the map without being seen unless Slenderman wants to be seen by survivors when attacking/chasing. Also, maybe some means to give wrong information to survivors to confuse them so Slenderman can provide them a giant scare.
• Another idea for Slenderman’s power is a sort of passive effect when a survivor is staring/looking at him, which could be another means to increase his power or a way to affect generators and flashlights which are mechanical/electronic.
• His add-ons could be based on the 2 popular games he is in and even includes references to other Slenderman related things including the 2 photos which he started from. Addons could indeed have some effects based on his games like Oblivious, forcing survivors to Scream, hallucinations, causing machinery/electronic to fail like Flashlights and generators, undetectable status, and a lot more. Would love to see them go to the similar addon route they did with Blight since his addons are unique and entertaining to use.

Why would the Entity choose him?

• Slenderman's powers cause people to become afraid and suffer from him which the Entity feeds off emotions and pain, his Cat and mouse game with the pages provide the Entity with entertainment as the survivors choose either the Generators or the Pages as both have their ups and downs.
• Slenderman is most likely as ancient as the Entity and as powerful, but he would come to her realm willingly as long there is people to play Slenderman's game. Also, he would probably ignore most of the Entity's rules if Slenderman benefits from it to catch survivors.
• Slenderman has no real motive and only thing known is his victims are never seen again after interaction with him. The unknown is what to be truly feared and that is Slenderman.
• He is unpredictable and can not be easily countered unless it's sheer luck of the survivor making it difficult for any of them to escape the trials.

EVEN ONE IS AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE WHICH QUITE A BIT OF PEOPLE WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT WAS NOT REAL

AGAIN VIDEO ABOVE IS APRIL FOOLS JOKE NOT REAL

Then there was something on Twitter about the possible Slenderman chapter cause the DBD logo had all the faces removed like Slenderman with no face which again people were kinda hyped for which is heard from here.

Also turns out he has been requested killer for a while, found him on number 4 when I was watching this a day later after I posted the outdated discussion in July. PS you can tell it's old since has Ghostface on the cover lol. Funny enough in every most request killers video Slenderman always pops up.

Another when which he is ranked 9

Also sad thing is Slenderman was not mentioned on the satisfaction survey this year when you reached the part about licensed chapters.

You could type in Slenderman in the box when it says "Did we forget something" but I just think he is not in here because not a lot of the community speaks up about Slenderman unless its content creators or Devs don't consider him a future chapter which breaks my heart if it's true.

Yes I saved this for Halloween