Round Table II

Sorry this is late. They wouldn't let me sleep. I took a nap. And suddenly it was 9:00.

Whoa.

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Roll call.

Here.

Here.

I'm here.

GUYS!  I actually got my computer to work!

Ohmygod. That's all five of us. All online at once.

I don't think we'll ever accomplish this ever again.

Yeah. Seth. Get your computer to stop ruining things.

Hey...it's not my fault. I get a new one in March.

Shhhh! You guys! Don't jinx it!

OH. Of course.

Before we go on about my "present", did anybody get anything else?

Yeah. This time Rat left me a little plush acorn. So I guess...so far I'm a rabbit and a squirrel?

I want creepy presents...all I get is them stalking me. All. The time.

Did they do anything new?

No...they stay outside now.

Am I the only one that thinks Fox has a hilarious crush on Branwen?

...I don't like to think about that. =/

Hee~

That's okay. I'm pretty sure Crow has some sort of obsession with me.

Eh?

I found a bunch of burnt, crumpled up papers in my bedroom trashcan. They were all addressed to me. They looked like...poems. Written like the note Casey got.

Oh wow. What is their deal.

Casey? Anything new?

No more than usual, remarkably.

You should tell us about delivery of the package now! The pictures were interesting.

Alright

Wait...pictures?

...go check your inbox.

So. I was sitting here at the computer like usual. Occasionally looking back to make sure nobody was in the yard. Nobody was. Nobody was in the house either. Just me and Ace.

Oh hey...found them!

SETH. STOP INTERRUPTING.

Boy, I'm going to hurt you.

You have my permission. Just don't hurt him too much. He's fragile, you know. :P

Oh...hey... :(

GUYS. STORY.

Thank you. So. I'm sitting at the computer. It's almost quiet except for the news on in the background because I will go mad if it's completely silent in this house. And then this truck rolls down the street. And it parks by our mailbox. And out stumbles this horribly confused looking UPS guy. He walks up to our front door, knocks, seemingly almost pees his pants when Ace barks. I open it, he awkwardly hands it to me. I say thank you, and close the door. He walks back to his truck, shaking his head.

Do you think he knows?

Shush. I'm getting there. When I put the package on the kitchen table to examine it more closely, I see that an operator symbol has been lightly carved into the top, and some of them are on the sides too. There's a note written on the box, in Fox's apparent manner of speech. It says: "Dear sir and/or madam, would you be so kind as to deliver this to the gracious young lady it is addressed to? It is of the utmost importance."

That's incredibly creepy. How did they get that to you? Don't...they have some sort of suspicious package procedure? Or something?

That's why I think he knows.

Or. They looked and deemed it wasn't a threat and just happened to push the delivery on some awkward guy. It was just a mask and a couple notes. Even Crow was smart enough to put his in an envelope.

I'm not sure how that goes though.

Like...how thoroughly they're allowed to go through your mail?

Yeah. I'm just glad nobody was home. I mean...how do I explain that?

I don't know about you guys, but Fox really creeps me out...more than the other two...

I know. It's like we know what Crow's deal is kind of. He's some moronic crazy.

And Rat is a just stalker dude.

I think it's how he writes that bothers me the most...

Well then. Be on the lookout for him. I don't trust any of them, but he's the shadiest in my opinion.

Will do.

Speaking of...suspicious, creepy, and shady...has anyone...seen...

No. Why? Have you?

Seth. Please tell me you haven't.

I haven't. I was just asking you guys...because it seems like the big deal these days is proxies. And ///It/// is pretty much nowhere to be seen.

Right...I don't know whether to be glad or not.

The coughing and nightmares have slowed down...

Mine too. Though I'm still not getting much sleep due to these douchebags.

He still appears to your friend though, right?

Oh, only all the time. But that's a different one. By His word, anyways. Whatever that's worth.

Can we change the subject?

Of course. I think we're done here anyways.

Table dismissed?

Dismissed.

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END TRANSMISSION

The exact contents of the package were discussed thoroughly in another message. The one Seth apparently missed before.

That kid...

I'll post that one tomorrow.

Guess what's missing?

Skyler said I'd post. I know.

Things happened though. Fox, chivalrous as he tries to make himself sound (god you guys should see this note), is quite the creeper.

I have to say though, trying to see him balance on Crow's shoulders just to see through the top of my bedroom window was pretty hilarious. There's a kind of screen over the bottom portion. Some stick-on, stained glass looking stuff. Pretty. Hard to see through so nobody will be able to see me changing across the street, not that there's stalker types out there. I just don't want to flash the neighbors, especially when they're having parties. Heh.

I was in the city yesterday and part of today. In Pittsburgh with my cousin. Her birthday party. I forgot it was happening. I'm so glad it did. I was getting so scared...

And the other two cities close by...not suited for hiding from ///It/// or them. More on that later. Probably.

I got Fox and Crow's package. They sent me my mask back. How sweet... /sarcasm

It got scuffed in the wrestling match on the street, but it looks like they painted over that. And then stuck a band-aid on the nose. Looks like it's never been damaged though. I'd call Fox's handiwork. Crow doesn't seem suited to anything requiring steady hands...or patience...

Oh, and they wrote me a note~

Crow's is...well...if you look back at his hacking job...hm. It's like he was trying to be sincere, creepy, and psychotic all at the same time. It's almost hilarious. Almost. I start laughing, and then I'm like, "Ehhhhh..."

But Fox. Hmhmhm. Nice choice of font style, sir. Initials With Curls. How did you know I'd recognize that I wonder...

The entire thing is written in a polite, chivalrous manner. Apologizing for the scuffle. And apologizing for Crow's behavior. And then apologizing for Crow's existence. (Which I laughed at.)

Which was actually neat and almost sincere. Until he erased the conversation file I had saved. Which isn't that big of a deal. It just means I have to go back and copy and paste everything all over again and then color everything. It was the manner in which he did it that bothers me.

Instead of remotely hacking like Crow did, Fox actually got into my house when nobody was there. I know because he left another note in that font when we came back from going out to dinner. Right by the computer. Where only I'd find it.

"My condolences on your computer trouble. It was being very non compliant with me."

(Note: That's not my favorite font, Fox. I prefer Bohemia. Looks cooler.)

In hindsight, leaving the window with the file in it was probably a terrible idea. That means he was able to get in and out before Ace could take a bite out of 'im.

(Note: RETARD. Ghost files. And flash drive. Use them from now on.)

And then the window thing.

Didn't sleep well that night. Cleaned up around the house and got ready to head into Pittsburgh the next morning while they sat by the trees in the front yard and waved. Left my bag on the couch. Dad took Ace for a walk. They made themselves disappear. I felt it was safe to leave that room, went to look for anything I'd forgotten to pack, and came back to find another note sitting on my bag.

"Have a good time, ma cherie."

I almost threw up.

That's all that's happened. So...I suppose I owe you that follow up. And some pictures.

Aiden came home today! He needs to wake up. Fill us in.

Frap is okay. <3

I'm worried about Kaiju. I had a party of ridiculous while his was one of danger. Please be okay.

Yggy's been learning more about his superpowers. It's totally weird to have some sort of Slenderman "hatchling" on our side. And really awesome too.

I'm sorry about your aunt, Celeste...

And hello, Morningstar. I believe I've heard your name before.

Round Table follow up...

...will be posted tomorrow.

Branwen recieved her package. We're all talking now.

It's a sheer miracle we got all five of us on at once, let's just say that. I don't think we could do it again if we tried.

I've read more about Celeste. Rat looks like a Practical Cat copy. Ugh...

I wonder if they're all friends...

GODDAMMIT

CROW.

Get the hell off of here!

How are you even hacking my account?

Jesus...

What package are you talking about...? I haven't gotten anything...

And leave Aiden alone. His situation has nothing to do with your "Master". You creep.

Keep your murderous creature out of this. We're talking about a different one.

Yggy. You win eight billion cool points. I love you right now. You fabulous person.

Red tailed hawks ARE cooler.

one for sorrow two for mirth three for a wedding four for a birth five for silver six for gold

seven for a secret not to be told

YOU TOLD YOU TOLD

do you know what eight and nine are for

YOU KNOW WHAT TEN IS

YOU KNOW YOU KNOW

the numbers are friends

they tell you things

LISTEN TO THEM

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN

do not ignore

IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS

not anymore

DID YOU GET OUR PACKAGE

we sent you one

we sent it with love

KAWKAWKAWKAWKAWKAWKAWKAWKAW

THESE CROWS...

...THEY ARE GETTING TO BE VERY ANNOYING.

I did not appreciate the flock of them kawing incessantly during piano practice. That was absurdly irritating. And I'm getting tired of these numbers.

I saw four of them today. First three, then one.

1.) Four for a birth

Or

2.) Three for a wedding and One for sorrow

I don't like Option 2 one bit.

On another note...Zeke. Poor guy...

We've loaded so much responsibility onto him. Take care of yourself, man. Alcohol won't fix it.

You too, Aiden. Stop it. We'll be fine. Drinking away worry and fear is not the way to go. :(

More Data

It has become available.

Like Redlight? What?

How do we refer to him now? They? This messes up everything in the world of pronouns.

On a serious note, it seems we have a message to decode. Or two. Or three.

"Hello kitty won't you come out to play?"

A toy carrot from the Rat addressing Skyler as Little Prey

"Soon the storm will darken your sky."

Speaking of Sky's.

Skye. Absent. Five days.

Round Table

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New message system started. Is anyone there?

I am here.

As am I.

No Skyler? Huh...

We can go on. She'll catch up.

Okay. So I guess you guys read about my scuffle?

Yeah, are you sure you're okay?

They could have hurt me much worse than they did. Fox had me pinned. I only got shoved and scraped up from the road. All they took was my mask.

So...what are they doing?

Taunting?

They're more aggressive.

I swear I was about to die when you called.

Hey. I could say the same about your post. I was freakin' out. Not fun. D:

Watch us NOT get killed by some creepy monster or stalkers. Nope. We'll both die from heart attacks from being terrified for each other.

Ahahaha...yeah. That'd be lame.

Yes.

Well I wouldn't. I'd be like freakin' Rambo. >:(

Heh.

Inside joke?

Yes.

So uhm...what happened with the break-ins? I'm still confused...

Oh. That. Whelan and I talked after my incident.

We don't think they're..."breaking in" so much as they're just teleporting in and out whenever they please. Providing there's a tree or a tall wooden structure.

But I thought your alarm went off?

It did. He set it off on purpose. So I'd know he had been in there. Whichever one of them it was.

You don't know?

All they left me was this: http://i52.tinypic.com/16kozt4.png

Oh...that's...lovely. Is that blood?

Yes. And what is the deal with fire lately?

What does that even say?

"HELL(X) KITTY W(X)N'T Y(X)U C(X)ME (X)UT T(X) PLAY"

Uh...

I don't even know what that means. Kitty?

Fire seems to be their thing.

SKYLER.

I was talking to Seth while he was on break. Sorry.

You got a hold of him?

Yeah and...that is the creepiest thing I think any of us have ever received. Casey. I don't know how you're not completely terrified. D:

Did I say I wasn't? Sorry. Miscommunication. I cried for about three hours after finding that. It was under my pillow.

Oh. Sorry...

No problem. Understood.

Any of us have ever received? You're implying there's more things they've left us?

Yup. Rat left me a little toy carrot on my door step. The tag said, "T(x): Little Prey, Fr(x)m: Mr. Rat"

That's...almost endearing.

And here's what Seth says: "So I don't feel safe with the salt anymore. They like...they broke into my house. I don't know how they got in and past everyone. But I woke up to noises in my room and they were kicking the salt around...and laughing. I haven't seen the thing in days. But these guys...they're relentless, Sky. And they said something about you. At least I think it was about you. They said, 'Soon the storm will darken your sky.' And I thought of you. And...what does that even mean?"

Guys? Which ones does he mean specifically?

Crow and Fox I guess. They're the ones up with you aren't they?

Yeah but see...there's something that bugs me about that.

Me too.

What?

They can teleport.

If Rat wanted, he could just move up here whenever. And they could move down there with Skyler.

But they don't.

No.

Why?

Well, that's another thing we're just going to have to figure out I guess. Good talk. I expect we'll reconvene soon.
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END TRANSMISSION

Encounter

My torso is fine. I might be lightly bruised. But my legs couldn't possibly be any more scuffed up...

And he has my mask. That creepy ass vulpine weirdo has my mask.

...Dad asked me to take Ace for a walk because he had to go to bowling. Mom's back at work this week too. I was alone.

I've had the whole day off. Freak snow storm. Again. Yay.

I knew something would go wrong. Everyone has had break-ins. Everyone but me. Rat busted in Skyler's living room. Casey got a note from Crow. Crow was also in Sammi's basement/room. No one's sure what exactly happened to Seth yet. He had to go to work before he could finish typing.

I knew something would go wrong...

I layered up, put the coat on, then the mask, then the gloves. I also found a walking stick my brother picked up at the local flea market years ago. It has a blunt end.

Weapon.

Snapped on Ace's leash. Trotted out the door.

Nothing happened. Not on the path to the right. Ace stopped once, but I pulled him so we could keep going. Turned around. Went towards the left path. I saw two crows.

Two for mirth.

Everything went silent near the bend by the woods. Completely quiet. We slowed down. I scanned the trees as well as I could from the mask. But The Dark One, incidentally, was not my problem today.

About 30 seconds later, two figures burst from the brush. Snow flies everywhere, and melts before hitting the ground. Weird.

I let go of Ace. And readied the stick.

Ace's job wasn't too hard. I'd already taken out the back of Crow's knees (thank you, martial arts, for that lesson). He pounced on Crow and held him in place. I heard screaming.

Crow is definitely a man.

Something grabbed my arm and shoved me. I hit the road, landed on my shoulder and rolled on my back. Dropped the stick. Fox stood over me. He has a coat over the hoodie now. Leather. Black.

The mask is homemade. Made to imitate mine. Copy cat...

He shook his head. He sighed. Masculine. A man. Another correct guess.

Crow shoved Ace off. Fox turned towards him.

I scrambled out from underneath him and grabbed the stick. I managed to swing fast enough to still catch Fox off guard. I hit his side with satisfying THWACK and CRUNCH.

He stumbled, fell, clutching his side. I broke something. Teehee.

He was annoyed now.

Crow got close enough to rip the stick out of my hand before I could land anymore blows. Shoved me forward. Landed on my knees. Hard.

Ace clamps onto Crow's ankle. Another scream. Hilarious.

Fox is up in a crouching position. He tackles me. We roll.

Why didn't I think to pad my legs as well as my upper body...

I can feel gravel and asphalt cutting my legs. I'm on my back again. Fox is crouched over me. He scoffs, and rips off the mask. Ace tries to bite him, but he and Crow are both off into the woods by the time he reached me. They're gone. Vanished.

I hear noises again. The man with the dump truck down on the right path we were just at. Some cars. Light wind.

It occurs to me that the periods of complete silence might be another realm I've slipped into. Or some illusion created by the creeps. Snow melting in midair. Some details of the houses around me were missing too. And where were the neighbors?

I'm not there anymore though. Ace's muzzle is in my face. He's whining. He licks my face. I grab his collar and he steadies himself to help me up.

Good dog...good, good dog...

He grabs the leash in his mouth.

I pick up the walking stick. I take the leash from him.

And we walk home like nothing happened.

I saw a couple neighbors on the walk back. I nodded and waved. Just the neighbor girl walking her dog...yup. No mask to freak you out right now. I guess that is the ONLY thing I have Fox to thank for.

I'm so very lucky nobody's outside when I have my mask on...I'm too sore and irritated to think of some BS to cover that.

It seems I have some new sparring companions. And a "realm" to look into...

And these crows.

Two for mirth.

I hardly think so. Asshole.

God why do scrapes burn so much...

Trespasser

The alarm is going off.

Was.

Was going off.

Harry's sitting in the living room with a gun.

The police came. They didn't find anything.

The snow probably took his tracks.

You didn't take anything. So I know you left something in here...where is it?

AND WHY IS THERE SNOW ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. IT JUST MELTED.

Events

Now that I'm done juggling conversations with others and miming to Crow how I'm going to bludgeon him to death with various objects...

He's still outside. Ass.

I have things to say.

Reach. And Tony. And Robert.

I'm so sorry you guys...I guess...we ALL should have been expecting that. Redlight's not as much of a failure as a villain as I thought.

He played us all.

But maybe, just maybe, he's still our Jack Spicer.

Maybe, we can play him back.

No. We will.

You guys will get Ava back. Red can suck it.

Storm. You may have left home, but you're not alone out there. If you ever head into Ohio, we can find you a safe place. I would stay up closer to Aiden. They have the least problems with Him.

Frap. Please be okay. Please come out of this okay.

Kaiju. I really hope they don't realize it was you. Because I'm scared they'll find you. That's a lot of proxies, man. Please be careful.

Good luck, friends in trouble. Us five are thinking of you.

Stay safe, everyone.

Hi...?

...I'm the last one of us to introduce myself, aren't I?

I mean, not counting Seth.

Who we still don't think we should give the blog to.

Awwww dang. And I just had to wait for something to happen too. >:(

My name is Samantha Garcia. You can just call me Sammi.

I go to school with Branwen and Seth and Skye half the day before returning to my stupid crappy school full of stupid crappy people.

We have today off though so it's like, "YAY!" and "NOOOOO!" at the same time.

Bran told me I should tell you guys what happened. =/

There was a guy in my room.

I came home from skiing with my parents and my brother Chris and when I walked downstairs...there he was.

He turned. And I could see the shape of a beak.

I screamed.

He walked past one of the wooden pillar things. And he vanished.

...I love that my family just assumed I was screaming about a bug and casually walked over to ask what was wrong. So I played it off like it was a bug.

Seriously. Screw you guys.

I called Branwen a few minutes later. And asked if Mr. Crow was anywhere near by.

She said, "Yes. Why?"

And then I told her.

And...

Can they friggin' teleport?! What the hell?

New Information

[heavy sigh]

Really REALLY tired. The transcript might not seem long (read here), but we were sitting there talking for HOURS.

I'm still trying to register things. The Core of Yggdrasil?

He didn't have to be so defensive about Sandra and Celeste. I was just asking...

M. He had better be as safe as He claims. M is a good man. A smart man.

Damien...how do I tell Zeke...

I...actually feel bad about the cookies now. Sorry Slendy. Understand things from my point of view though. Not only was I thoroughly annoyed with You, I also have a more morbid sense of humor when it comes to things...like You.

The Dark One. I think I like that better than ///It///. Still contemplating S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W.

I'm still reasonably skeptical on what He tells us though. Though I guess now I have different priorities.

They're named Fox, Crow, and Rat.

I don't think they're ordinary proxies or Hallowed. I'm going for Agents. That said, you other four? Watch yourselves. I don't want to make any hospital or funeral visits...I hate both those places.

My throat is acting back up...

I saw another crow today. Just one. It was eating roadkill.

One for sorrow.

quick update

Borrowing Matty's laptop to tell you things.

We're at Cleveland's zoo this time. For sure. I am totally not mixing it up Akron again I promise.

Last night was completely quiet. I was disappointed. I made sure to devour the heads of all those cookies in the most vicious way possible. And He didn't show. :<

I let Seth eat some too.

They're incredibly delicious by the way.

I'm running out of head-bitten-off cookies to show Him. Because I keep eating the rest of the bodies.

Anyways, I've finally thought of some good topics for questions to ask, providing He shows up tonight

- ///It/// and us

- Sandra and ///It///

- Redlight

- M

Anymore you think I should ask, let me know.

P.S. Seth finally caught on that he's the only one without the login information to the blog. I had to straight up tell him that it's because I couldn't trust him not to post anything effed up. He took it well. Good sport.

P.S.S. Somewhat related, why am I the only one of us five that communicates with other runners? ._.

Zoo/Geocaching

We just got back from those a bit ago. Just hanging around the house now.

The zoo! It was fun! I love the zoo. I've been up to Cleveland's Akron's before. But it doesn't matter. Because I love the zoo. I go to Pittsburgh's all the time! :D
Edit: STUPID! :D I always get Akron and Cleveland mixed up. ALWAYS. Doesn't change the context of the sentence though.

Geocaching...I mean treasure hunting. THAT'S when stuff happened.

Note: Slenderman suddenly appearing will make it very hard to look for caches because Seth won't stop jumping around like an idiot.

And I was admittedly being hard to get along with as well. He actually ended up being helpful though. We found a few. I love this treasure hunting. I squealed everytime we found one. I think Slendy was confused and exhasperated by that. He actually facepalmed once.

That was weird. But funny. That's what this is. Weird and funny.

If we could all live in this house and get away from the the threatening One...

I didn't realize how sick of Fox and Crow I was until I've had pretty much a whole day without them. I didn't notice that I was subconsciously freaking out and running my body into the ground. Probably because I was trying to form a shield around me. And you know...it's only been a few days that they've been hanging around...

Oy. I'm tired...

It suddenly got very cold today. It dropped about ten degrees with the wind. Did you know the moon is full? It is.

I just heard it's supposed to be 36 tomorrow. My heart just broke...

I wonder if Slendy will come in to talk. Seth is okay with Him now.

I have to go. Toodles!

Heading Out

Getting ready to go pick up Seth. And then mom will drop us off at Aiden's.

GUYS. I LOVE THE ZOO. SO FRIGGIN' MUCH. YOU HAVE NO IDEA. :D

And then and then and then, treasure hunting time! I will officially refer to geocaching as such. As well as these paczki. They're not paczki. They're delicious donut things. And I love them.

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE! <3

No sign of Crow or Fox. Anywhere. And I mean anywhere. They're not bothering anyone else either. Maybe they're taking time to enjoy the day too. Hah.

I heard a crow "kaw". A single crow.

"One for sorrow."

I'm just going to ignore that and pretend I never heard it. Ignorance is bliss eh?

That reminds me a song! "Princess Toadstool, it is I your one and only king, Bowser Koopa. I'm a turtle as you see, a little slow and a little green, but on the whole I'd say SUPER DUPER."

Oh man, I'm in such a good mood today. <3

"Pictures of you, pictures of me..."

"I love that I'm singing just to avoid the awful feeling I get from looking at these."

Oh wait. Those aren't the lyrics.

Hey! So. I got them. And Sammi's. Well...two of Sammi's. The rest were either too messed up to be anything discernible or the files were corrupted somehow.

You don't know how sad this made me...I worked hard getting those pictures. :(

I know...

Anyways, acquiring these was such a joyous time! All the punching the monitor and desk (and Seth telling me to calm down) and the almost crying...

And you know...Oesch couldn't fix the computer because he couldn't figure out what was wrong. I knew exactly what it was. But that kind of talk gets you sent to the nurse. And the guidance counselor.

So I just flailed around for like...half the class. When I finally got it to cooperate enough for me to look at them...

You remember the first time I took pictures, right? They were fine when I took them and fine on the camera. But when I uploaded them they were horribly distorted. Not all of these are like that. They came out the way they were supposed to. But some are. In a really, really terrifying way.

I shared the new developments with Casey first. Here they are.

This is just us walking up to the shack. I was disguised just in case. It is incredibly hard to effectively maneuver up hills while wearing that thing...

I told you to go up the way I was going.

I couldn't see anyways. :l

Because you were wearing that ridiculous, asthma inducing mask.

Casey looking in. The inside shows evidence of a fire. So does the roof.

I can't believe I've never looked at this the entire time I've lived here.

I'm still amused that it took an Eldritch abomination to get us to go explore it.

 Burnt, decaying doorway. Please note the lack of anything significant in the window.

This is a bit of the roof. Right in the doorway.

I still don't know why you went in there after you saw that.

Somebody had to.

Oh. Window again. Annnnd there. In the left pane. Do you know who that is? I'll let you guess a bit first. Let's go on.

WE thought it was Him too. You know, before you try and guess that. Because you'll be wrong.

This was taken right after the figure in the window appeared and shuffled away. There is NOTHING wrong with this wall normally. Yes, this is one of the "new developments".

Pleasebepaintpleasebepaintpleasebepaint...

I'm pretty sure I almost passed out in class...that wall was blank...

This is a bit of collapsed roof above the same wall. Nothing is wrong with this picture. No distortions...or blood...

Speaking of roofs, this is above the creepy stalker window. More graffiti.

How did it get up there...?

They probably just stood and sprayed it on. It is incredibly claustrophobic in there...Ms. I-Wouldn't-Go-In.

Shush. :l

A view out the window Casey was looking in.

I can't believe I didn't see him from there...
SHHH YOU'LL GIVE IT AWAY.

We don't know what this is.

Madre said it was for a well.

I refuse to believe that.

Me too.

This is where I became hysterical. Silently hysterical though. My hand shot up to my mouth and I started (almost) hyperventilating. Seth and Sammi had to pat and hug me.

...

That wasn't there. I can prove it in the next picture. That wall is as blank as the other side of it.

It looks hand painted. It's not distorted like the rest of the picture either.

You see?! Oh. And quiz time! Did you get it right?

I love that he ran off as soon as we noticed.

Either we're oblivious or Fox is sneaky. Or both. And the only reason we noticed was because this happened: "Whelan! You're in the shot!" "No? I'm right behind you." "Then who..." "...holy shit. HEY YOU!"

This is the last of ours. Just another pic of the Wolf...yes that IS the fence I fell over.

Teeheehee...

And now...Sammi's. There's only two of these. But the three of us ALL froze when looking at them. Somehow she missed these two in her collection...

I swear they weren't there...

...I don't think that's Aiden's Slendy. Sammi. Please be careful outside.

Oh yeah. You don't have to worry about that. I'm not goin' out there...

Ohgod. Why didn't anybody warn me not to look at those alone...

Whelp. Thursday. Super eventful day. Other than seriously almost making me faint several times, it's still a harbinger of good things. Like delicious lunch. And me actually doing good on a math test. And a four day weekend. And it's NICE outside. I actually got to hop around on the trampoline without incident. But that's probably because Ace was out and Erin brought Tucker over too.

Really looking forward to Aiden's tomorrow. It's really weird feeling this way, but I just have this desire to be there. And feel safe. Because I know He isn't harmful there. And He won't let Crow and Fox get me.

Seth is still reasonably iffy about the fact that He's going to be around, but I assured him he'd be safe.

When I get back, I've got some serious studying to do on those two. And I need another look at that shack.

That's all for now, everyone. Stay safe, friends.

Edit: Skye. Absent. Four days.

Data

So...while weird things are happening elsewhere...I think I need to go over some things, just for my own clarity...

This is also a compilation post, by the way. It's going to be a long one...

This is in no particular order to this list. Just going by whatever name pops up in my head first.

Zeke: Received a file folder from Redlight containing documents pertaining to a Mary Gallagher, who apparently belonged to a cult along with her parents. "Excilis Everto." Signs point to the cult Damien O'Connor spoke of. Damien may not be as crazy as his so-called brother Rick led us all to believe.

Robert: In Redlight's possession. Is some sort of crazy right now. Is being threatened with a lobotomy? Situation unclear. Redlight is a smug asshole.

M: Where are you? Please be okay...

Celeste: Being harassed by the FBI. Is also being fabulously snarky towards them.

Sandra, Matt, Lya: Some sort of turf war is going on? Something appears to be happening with Sandra and //It//. Bodies are piling up.

Jack and Stephanie: Stephanie has been returned and is okay. Both are assumed safe for the time being.

Kaiju: Got the proxy cure from Jeff. Managed to save one named Lucas, but he ran away. Has to decided to start a group to fight and help proxies - NAPPA.

Yggdrasil: Has sprouted...tentacles? Other than that, I don't think anyone's sure what's going on here. But uh...cool?

Ulryc: ...I'm so SO sorry...

J (Jenn): Made a post five days ago...but her blog is gone...?

Maduin: Started audio logs. And is still planning something with that pineapple. Has not posted for a week.

Frap: Regained control over himself. Confers with Him. Has five demons living in his head. Unsure of what's currently going on, but it doesn't look good at ALL.

Storm: Is better! Yes! We missed you! Keep on truckin'.

Ava and Reach: Reach lives! But has something happened to Ava? I think I'm just as confused as everyone else...is that her mother posting?

Aiden and Co.: You jerks. Getting off easy with the guardian Slenderman. I kid, of course. I love you. And that still sounds creeptacular, no matter if He's helping or not. Can't wait to see you all ~ <3

Anybody I'm missing, I either forgot you (sorry), or time still won't let me get to catching up on you.

And now for us.

Hello new followers and older ones I've yet to greet~

Liam, Chase, Inky, Frap, Yggy, Ouroboros

And some of you who I see in the box but don't know...

AleXander Brookes, Kerri Price, Reinforcement Sage

So, since I haven't really explained thoroughly, let me tell you about these proxies or whoever they are.

It seems that in the absence of Slenderman sightings, these three decided to show up. Coincidentally enough, right after we visited the shack. Casey and I have some ideas about that shack and why they'd showed up NOW, but that's for a later post. You know, the one with the pictures which I think I can FINALLY use now that He's not creepin' so much.

As stated, there are three. I thought there might possibly only be one, but unless they also use The Other Side, there's no way one could be down with Skyler and then be up here five minutes later. And I've also seen two at once so...

They wear masks similar to mine, but no gloves and just simple black hoodies.

- Fox

- Crow

- Rat

They seem to vary in intelligence and slyness. Crow I think is the stupidest. Rat is proving to be quite a pain. And I suspect Fox is much smarter than he's letting on.

Oh yes, and from what I can gather from the body shape, I'm assuming all three to be male. But they're hoodies, so it's hard to be sure from a distance...you know?

We decided to talk about this. Here's the conversation thus far:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's discuss some proxy business, shall we? So far I've got Crow and Fox. I think Rat is exclusive to Skyler for whatever reason. The two pretty much stand around in my yard until they either leave of their own volition or Ace chases them off. Did I mention Crow's a moron? He is.

I think Rat is the cockiest of the bunch. He just follows me around town. Sometimes he's hiding somewhere, and I only notice because I'll catch a rat mask before he slips away. But other times, especially if I'm in a crowd, I think he goes maskless. Because I get this weird feeling when he's following me, and then I get that in a crowd. And I'll look around, but I won't see him anywhere.

Other than stalking, he hasn't done much else.

I think they're just observing.

That sounds about right. That also explains why Fox pulled Crow away from the window before he could break in. They're not supposed to. At least not yet.

Fox has NO problem getting near MY window.

I think he's just being a jerk there...

That's a crow...? I thought it was a raven...

No, Sammi. Different beak style.

Oh. Then can I be the raven?

Wait, we're picking animals now?

Guys...

Seth just logged on.

SETH.

Yeah, bro.

What's the situation? GO.

Uh...I don't know. They like...kind of stalk around like...HE did. They don't do much else.

So they're antagonizing us?

I guess- HEY. That's supposed to be MY title. Maaaan. They're copying everything. :<

We get titles too?

CASEY.

:D

:l

Okay, so we know that they're observing, and that they're doing things to annoy us. Which in Bran's case just happens to be them existing.

Yeah...HEEEEY.

What about our tall BFF?

I thought the salt was your BFF?

No. The salt is my bro. Duh.

You and Branwen are going up to her friend's on Friday, right?

Ayup.

Oh, sure. Just leave me at school by myself.

:P

Please be careful up there. And tell us everything that happens. <3

We'll be careful. <3

I won't get him killed. Promise.

Whelan.

Yeah?

I demand cake.

'Kay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annnnnd that is the end of our nonsense. I'm going to fight with the computers all day tomorrow to try and get you guys those pictures.

Toodles for now.

Well, this is interesting.

Guess who we need to talk to, guys?

I think it's my turn now to ask them about something. Like if //It// has been around lately. And if their Slendy hasn't been. And such.

I think our cases are very VERY related.

So, I think I can be calm about Friday's events. That's what we ALL need to do.

Fox and Crow have been very busy. Tapping on Casey's window. Stalking around Seth's house. And Sammi's house. And my house.

We aren't anywhere near each other, by the way. We all live about 15-45 minutes apart. I'm close to a couple of cities, Casey's in the sticks, and Sammi and Seth go to different schools in different towns from here.

Rat seems to be the sneakiest of them. Skyler suspects he's even going without a mask sometimes. The problem is figuring out which one he is in the crowd.

Crow and Fox were just here about 20 minutes ago. Mom had a window cracked because it's warming up outside. When I noticed it and them, Crow was already creeping towards the front porch. I slammed it shut, pointed at him and mouthed, "NO.", and Fox dragged him back to the middle of the yard by his arm. Then Ace stomped into the living room (ever so gracefully) and wanted to play, so I made a big show of it. And then he wanted outside and stomped towards the back door. While he did that, I stood up, grinned at Fox and Crow, then let him outside. By the time I walked back to the living room window, they were already gone. Ace was standing in the yard looking rather dejected about not catching them.

I can't help but laugh. :D

I want to punch Fox though. The tapping on the window thing is something that Casey is terrified of (due to an incident that happened forever ago). And that severely irritates me that he's doing that. :l

She sounded more angry and less scared though. Especially after this had been going on a few days.

I think I'm going to switch out Experiment #2 with something related to these guys. Heheheh...just let me think of something...

Skye. Absent. Three days. Sammi says she's really sick. I'm not sure what to say about this...

He's Safe

If you didn't see. Got disappeared by Slendy. To his school. Or something.

Neither Crow nor Fox was involved. Which means they're only annoying me. And Casey now too.

That's what I've decided to call them, by the way. They're copycats. They have masks kind of like mine...

I saw black hoodies, but no gloves. Not at school. Good.

Grammar failing. Typos everywhere. Good thing I can fix them.

Sleepy. Yeah. Have not been sleeping well. Gonna go do that soon.

Goodnight, friends.

Goodnight, Crow, you creepy asshole.

Aiden

Slenderman.

If you have him, bring him back. Right now. In one piece. And mentally stable.

Proxies.

Yeah, I see you putzing around my yard. I also see you turning your backs around the windows so I can't tell which of you is which. It doesn't really matter, Crow. I know who you are by the way you jump every time any dog in the neighborhood barks. And it's incredibly hilarious. Do you hear me laughing at you? Because I am.

Fox. Yeah I know what mask that is now. You slipped. I saw the mask. You're as dead as Crow if you come near this house. And if I find out you're responsible for whatever happened to Aiden...

Rat. There's a six foot metal pole just dying to meet your skull if you threaten Skyler. Yeah we talked. She thought it was a brilliant idea.

I'm a little disappointed that all you're doing is stalking around my house from time to time. And only when I'm the only one that will notice you too. No notes or threatening messages? You can do better than that.

Aiden. Please be out there. Please be safe...

What a Lovely Day for Valentines...

Why is it so dreary? At least it's warm...er.

Nothing much has happened here. Nothing NEW anyways. I was up with Seth this weekend. So we could exchange presents. :)

Still haven't gotten to see Sammi or Branwen yet. Not even at E79. =/

Seth really loves the salt. I've abandoned mine in favor of testing the Constant, which I'm pretty sure works.

Not much to say today, other than Happy Valentine's Day!

And...has anybody up there seen a man in a rat mask? I think he was following me...

Biiiirdy Booooooy

Couldn't talk earlier. Have to go soon. Workworkwork. Keeps taking up my free time. Lucky I have a counterpart.

(It's math today. ACT and brother-in-law's party yesterday. And a Valentine's Day box as well today.. I'm not making that up. I really have to do that for a grade. It's pretty awesome, actually.)

There was a guy in my yard. In the woods in my yard, actually. Which isn't technically my yard its the neighbors but I walk through it all the time and nobody cares.

But this guy. It wasn't the same guy. I don't think so. Unless it is and he changed masks.

Same black hoodie. Black pants. Crow mask.

Ace saw him first. I thought he saw Him, but then I looked. Ace pawed the door. I let him out.

I have never seen anybody run so fast. I almost cried from laughing.

RUN BIRDY BOY RUN.

Ahahahahahaha! I love life.

Redlight is such a sore loser. I laugh at him.

Related: I've given up researching him. At least for the time being. I don't have a lead other than Jay. And we have more pressing matters.

Reach! You live!

Frap! Back to regular Frap. The cheeriness was fun at first, but you got really scary there. Please keep being Frap.

Yggy. Lmao. Good job. Update us when you're in the clear.

Ava. Keep an eye on him. Stay safe. I'm sure those boys will cover you. Men are handy like that.

Casey and I have so much to say about yesterday. Oh goodness. You have no idea what we've found. No idea.

Caser Eraser, keep blunt objects handy. You see that black hooded figure again, there is definitely no chance it is me. Especially since I'm here and not there. Remember to keep the alarm system on. And keep an eye on your windows. All of the windows. All of them.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough time right now (busybusybusy) and she is fighting with the equipment. So much to show you...

Don't worry. We're fine. Shady kids in black hoodies have nothin' on us. Especially the ones that try to look like me. (Was that an animal mask we saw...?)

It mostly involved surprised yelling. And then stalking around like we were ready to knock something out if somebody showed up again.

My injuries? I fell twice. Stupid ice. Stupid fence. Stupid spiny plant things stuck in my shoe...

Hurt my pride more than my leg. Was never very good at fences.

Sammi. I have her camera. We just decided to do it that way instead of sending them. Took us long enough to figure out. Stupid.

Seth is fine. He says, "Hi."

Skyler is safe too.

Skye looked...better?

Casey. Morale back up. Mission: Success. I don't suck as a best friend after all.

We haven't seen Him. But we did see a him. At least we think that was a boy. Will be on the lookout for this kid again. And others, if there are more. All is well right now.

"Branwen's Big Forest Adventure!" #2

Okay. Anybody that saw my last post, sorry if I alarmed you. Nothing really bad happened. It was just really weird and I was startled and confused. I headed off to church choir practice to sing and relax. And now I've got some green tea and Pringles. (Shut up they're awesome. There is nothing weird about that combination.)

Let's talk.

After I made my explanatory post, I donned the costume, snapped on Ace's leash, and made like I was walkin' the dog as usual. You know, neighbors. Forgot to factor those in, only remembered when I walked out the door.

Fortunately it's cold enough to freeze your urine outside, so anybody with any sense wouldn't be out there. I wonder what that says about me...

Skipping the part where we're walking up the street - and god it's so cold why didn't I wear gloves under these gloves - we come to the fork. And here I must choose. Left, into the trees. Right, only near the trees. I decided, for the sake of this beginning experiment, we should go right.

I hadn't really thought of anything like how long He might take to show or if He'd be there at all or how in God's name would I explain this entire situation if He became aggressive and I lost my cool under the Gentleman Wolf and screamed and attracted neighbors...

All on the walk down there. But none of that ended up mattering anyways.

He was already there, about 20 feet away from the top of the hill. The hill I refused to climb down. If we were going to interact, He was coming to me. In the open.

Yup. If I'm gonna do something dumb...what's that expression...? In for a penny...

So. Anyways. Things aren't weird yet. Other than the fact that I'm now staring down the Slenderman through a wolf mask. He tilts his head a little. I respond by tilting mine in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Ace is not pleased. Not aggressive yet, but clearly alert and prepared. Allow me to explain it in WolfQuest speak. When a dog is standing alert, ears erect, tail parallel to the ground, they're saying, "You're not my family. Who are you? Why are you on my property?"

Slendy tilts his head back up, and then the other way. He's turned towards Ace now. I pretend I am unfeeling and am a statue. I'm not moving from this spot. I place a hand on Ace's back.

And then suddenly Slendy is halfway up the hill into the woods. Much, MUCH closer. I have to look up now. I slowly raise a hand and wiggle my fingers in a casual hello. He waves back, then looks down at Ace. I push my shoulders back, chest out, back straight, and try to push an irritated aura around me. Slendy looks back at me. I'm not backing down. "Don't you hurt my dog," I think as hard as I can.

And then He pats my shoulder.

And I drop back into a slouch from being completely dumb founded. Ace growls.

And then He gives Ace a couple pats on the head. And Ace drops his tail, ears still erect, head tilted, also completely confused.

He taps the nose of my mask. And then He leaves.

Ace grabbed the leash in his mouth and guided us back home again, but not urgently. We casually walked in the door, I unhooked his leash, and then we just sat in complete silence in the kitchen for about five minutes.

After that, I look Ace in the eyes and say, "What the hell was that about?"

Ace groans his usual frustrated groan, slides to the floor, buries his snout in his paws, looking back up at me with his puppy eyes that say, "I have no idea. Now give me a hug."

He relentlessly stalks Casey.

Remember Sammi's possible concussion? Got the full story. She fell headfirst on the ice. A quad accident that HE caused.

Skyler. Also relentlessly stalked.

Seth. God, there were so many things happening there short of him losing time and getting injured.

And all I get is some nightmares, a cold, a few sightings, and a pat on the shoulder that's basically telling me, "Calm the eff down I just wanna pet your dog,"?

Slenderman. Make up your goddamned mind. And also, you're SUPPOSED to ASK before you pet a stranger's dog. He could have bitten you. What if he had rabies? You'd have Slender-rabies.

[sigh]

Confusion and attempted humor aside, I guess I should be glad I'm not being attacked. Yet.

Tomorrow I go to Casey's for a few hours. Maybe I'll get a look at that shack...I've always wanted to. I forgot it was there.

And I'll either a.) break His schedule or b.) see Him constantly while I'm there.

Again. Sorry if I scared you there.
Yggy, please get out of that trunk in one piece.

I don't understand...

None of that made sense...

"Bonjour," says the Gentleman Wolf

I'm finally alone. Mom is visiting the doctor and picking her car up. Dad is at the store. Not that this couldn't be accomplished with one, or even both parents in the house. But I don't want to have to answer any questions at all. As far as they know, the Gentleman Wolf is just another character I've invented. They saw it a couple days ago, but don't need to know what I plan to do with it.

Perks of being furry and being me: parents are used to the costume deal. And the cosplaying.

And now I present to you, the Gentleman Wolf.

Yup. That's my bathroom.

And that mask is the thing I found in my basement. And that is indeed the Zeke Strahm coat.

Not wearing the gloves, though.

I'm taking a page out of Maduin's book here.

This is my new second skin. I feel shielded this way. Despite the name, Gentleman Wolf is ambiguous in gender. Anonymous.

Materials:

- Coat

- Hoodie

- Wolf Mask

- Gloves (it's freezing balls outside)

- One large German Shepherd mutt

Experiment #1:

Achieve contact.

That is all. Get close to see what we're dealing with. I'm cloaked in the new mysterious character and guarded by a mastiff-sized beast. I am not afraid.

Okay...maybe a little...

Too much to say...

I'm going to combine this all into one message for the sake of us not spamming a bunch of posts. Guess who was having technical problems? All at the same, inconvenient time? Casey and Skyler broke through enough to tell me what they had to say. Sammi's is still prevailing. I guess Slenderdouche is camera shy. Because He won't let us see those pictures.

And now I feel like a despicable person. Because I didn't know any of this was going on. Because I haven't been around enough. Because I'm a terrible best friend. Because...let me tell you what Casey has to say...

Sorry this is late. Craptacular computer was having even more problems than usual. Because of him...

So, uhm, hi. I’m Casey. I’ve been a good friend of Branwen’s for…ever pretty much.
I’m kind of reluctant to do this because I feel like putting it in words is admitting what’s going on. Like I could wish it away otherwise.
It started out with Branwen mentioning it a lot on Facebook. I’ve heard of him through other people, but I know how I react to these types of things so I stayed away. I caved eventually, watching the videos through a hole between my hands. Bran left after that. I figured I would be scared for a week at most.
Wrong.
I was always very obnoxious. The social butterfly of the school. Smiles all the time. Straight A student. Ambitious.
So here I am, almost two months later, paranoid. I can’t sit still. I can’t sit. Sitting would be like inviting him. I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I’m spent. My entire manner is dark. People have asked me about the change. I don’t tell them. They don’t need to know. They find out anyway.
I know he is following me. I see him everywhere. It’s as if he isn’t even trying to be hide anymore. He wants me to accept it. I want to accept it.
I can’t go to college. He’ll go to.
I can’t go anywhere.
I have to stay.

I didn't know. All this time she's been spiraling downward and I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE because I'm too absorbed in my plans or experiments to think of asking how everyone's doing and if they're okay. I could hunt her down at school if I wanted. I could make an excuse to go to the copy room during math, or even stop there BEFORE I go to that class. But I didn't. Because I'm an oblivious moron.

I could have even figured out how to get to her house. Just for one day...

...enough of that. Time to step it up. We are a team now, whether some of us know each other or not. This gives me a whole new reason to try this insanely idiotic experiment. Vigilance. We are the Aries, Casey. We are fire. I'm going to try to be the- No. I'm GOING to be there soon. Even if for one day. In the mean time, do what you can to defy Him. Make faces at Him. Call Him mocking names. Anything to empower yourself. Just don't give in. And the wards. Use them. We're testing them all for a reason.

And you can use Phoebe and Sparky at home to your advantage, in case you didn't already know. When they start flipping out, guard yourself. Two toy sized dogs might not feel as secure as a large working breed, but it's something.

And I'm ranting to you because you're the one who is most faithful to this blog. I KNOW you're going to read this.

This is why I'm Mother Goose. Teamvigilteamvigilteamvigil...

Speaking of insanely idiotic experiments, Skyler had something for me too. Which means material gathering is complete. Which means I'm going to be endangering my life tomorrow. Because of SCIENCE. And because I'm the least affected for whatever reason. I feel obligated to be the one doing the moronic things. I'm probably less likely to die.

Don't worry. I'll give you all a full briefing before I do it. I will have Ace with me as well.

I finally have it. By now you've probably figured out or assumed I've been having computer trouble. So I took those extra few days to extend testing. To be sure. And I am now.

Constants are definitely a good temporary ward. We're calling all of them temporary right? Because of something some guy named Robert said? Okay...since I have nothing to do now, I guess I'm going to be doing some reading.

-This is where I think, "Yes, do. Mr. Sagel is insane amounts of important."-

Or trying to. If this computer will stop spazzing enough for me to send this to you.

Also, even though you probably already know this too, I think the salt's working for Seth. I can't say if it did for me or not. I don't think I can really test both of these things at once.

-Oops. Okay that was entirely my fault. Sorry, Skyler.-

Again, sorry this is getting to you late. But at least we know for sure. I hope nothing terrible happened up there on your end.

-S'okay, Skyler. And thank you so much, if you can read my commentary here.-

If I'm correct, that makes three wards. I'm well aware that they may not work for my entire crew. And that they won't work forever. And that they might not even be working, we could just be being screwed with.

And I feel like I NEED to say this.

Thank you, everyone.

To the crew, for staying alive and sane enough to function. To Seth, who's trying as hard as he can to keep his head above the water. To Sammi, for being an idiot like me and risking her life for the photos. To Skyler, who I don't even personally know but has been willing to test things for me, for us. To Casey, for still being my best friend even though I've horribly messed up her life. And Skyler, it is not your fault. You didn't cause this. Because if you hadn't told Seth and he hadn't told me, I would have found out from Aiden who would have found out from Taben. Or Casey might have told me. Anybody could have been a facilitator.

Thank you to my Followers for existing and for the helpful and encouraging comments. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you guys in that little box up there, or to see a comment. It seriously brightens up my day.

To Maduin, for inspiring this stupid idea of mine. And for being British. Yes, I AM one of those Americans. Heehee.

To Zeke, for existing. And to Robert and to M. You guys are geniuses and I don't know what we'd do without you.

To Ava, for being a Scientist. I STILL have catching up to do. But I've heard of your electricity stunt. And I've definitely gotta try that. And for being witty, even when life is throwing disaster after disaster at you.

To Aiden and Brennon, for being my big brothers when my real siblings aren't around. Even if you're still working something out between the two of you, you're still both there for me. Even though I just did a really stupid impulsive thing and it appears Aiden's kind of annoyed with me. You're there. All the time. ...I might cry...

To anyone I forgot or just to everyone in general, THANK YOU. The ghost phobia was crippling. I didn't know how I would be able to handle the goddamn Slenderman. But I did. Because all of you could do it too. And you've said that you're ALL scared. But it doesn't stop you from doing what you do. I won't let it drag me down. I might be the least affected by Him, but everyone else being dragged down around me is what gets to me more than anything. More than the nightmares. More than the sickness.

Keep holding your heads high, everyone. I will be. It's time I kick it into a higher gear here.

God this is such a long post. I'm not even sure what compelled me to do this. No more sappy stuff.

Okay I lied. THANK YOU. And I love ALL of you.