The niche of "almost made it out of folklore." https://twitter.com/still_gre/status/1391484976978448387

In less glib terms, this; https://twitter.com/IuRgayLoLI/status/1391486645418053636

"The Malevolent, Faceless Entity of the Woods" is ubiquitous, ancient and a particularly powerful symbol within the human psyche. Speaks directly to the Lizard Brain. Slenderman was a particularly viral and modern representation of it. It is in the symbol's nature to fade quickly

Slenderman is an interesting case.

It's crude. Plainly derivative of the symbols it invokes. It's one of the less interesting of these nu-folk entites for that reason... and yet the weight of that history gave it a rare distinction; it actually inspired ritual violence.

This speaks to something important.

Nuance and depth is lost with time. Simplicity and legibility is immortal. We'll never know the particular nightmares the ancients feared but we *know* they feared fuzzy, everyman Faceless Men in the dark.

Slenderman was always real.

Cosmic horror will fade with time. We've already reached a point where most people can't really appreciate it or even read it... but this will always mean sadness.

That's why Slenderman was powerful enough to inspire an attempted ritual murder.

Facelessness is a sigil.