Everybody Lives

Is that too much to ask for?

Just once.

Let everybody live.

it's daniel again

i know alora mostly told you what happened last night, but i decided i should throw in my two cents.

first off, nothing about damien or the people he knew or what happened to him felt even remotely familiar. sorry scott, but i don't think i'm him. it was a good theory though. the names are strangely similar. i just wish i knew where i'd heard of him before...

but i did get a "flasback" i guess you call them from...



i've seen what he does. i remember seeing it. being there. several times. different people. i know their names.

barbara. greg. david. susan. little susan. susie.

she was just a kid. just a child. she'd just turned six. he killed her. took away her life. she wanted to be a nurse. why why why would you take that away she was just a child she was




sorry. calm now.

i couldn't sleep last night. alora never talks about it, but he's out there all the time. i've always known. she's not kidding anyone.

part of me wants to go out there and hurt him for what he did to those people. the rest of me wants to run, and keep running.

but alora thinks we're safe here and i trust her. so i guess i'm staying put.

oh, and she wants me to tell you that jeff and cheska are alive. she's pretty happy about that. i don't know them, but i hope they make it out okay. no one else needs to die. not now, not ever.

Theory

Scott recently posted his own theory about Daniel's identity. Short version: Daniel is Damien from Dreams in Darkness.

My thoughts: Could be. However, Zeke Straham mentioned a Damien (presumably the DiD one) in a recent blog post of his, and that he's in Indiana, which is pretty far from my base of operations (no, I'm not telling where that is). One poster suggested I show Daniel Dreams in Darkness to see if it jogs his memory. As unpleasant as that might be, I think it's our only shot as of right now. Unless someone has a physical description of Damien that I can compare against Daniel.

I happen to have a theory of my own, but it has less to do with Daniel's identity and more do to with how he ended up this way.

Think about it: what are some of the ways we identify each other? Three big ones are face, voice, and (if you've gotten yourself in some trouble) fingerprints. Now compare that to what happened to Daniel. His face, while still recognizable as human and not nearly as bad as it could have been, has still been marred, and the scarring (to me, at least) almost looks like they tried to cut his face off (I know, I'm sorry if this is squicking you out). He has no voice for some as of yet unknown reason...and the plot thickens. Daniel has to take his mask off to eat, and today I noticed more facial scarring. These almost looked like puncture wounds around his lips. Like they had been sewn shut.

I know, I know, I'm sorry.

Anyway, fingerprints. Those are more-or-less obliterated too. He DOES have scarring on his fingertips, nothing huge, but definitely enough to making ID-ing him through fingerprints next to impossible. Basically, what's been done to him seems to be specifically designed to wipe out his identity, destroying the things that would make him recognizable to others. Then, in the final act of rape against humanity in general, they took away his self-identity by robbing him of his memories.

But the big question is why? Some form of punishment? Did he do something? Was he too close to something? Is this some kind of experiment? Identity has been a huge theme in this whole mess, especially with the Hallowed, who don't seem to have one at all. Maybe...I dunno, maybe he resisted being Hallowed. Maybe they were trying to break him.

Well, this is a depressing post. x.x

Of lesser depressing-ness, but still depressing nature is the fact that I CAN'T THINK OF A DOCTOR WHO EPISODE FOR HIM TO WATCH. Seriously, all of them have some kind of Nightmare Fuel, and while it might not seem like much to you and me, well, it's Daniel. His brain is addled enough as it is. He doesn't need to see the gas mask children wandering around London, even if that one had a happy ending.

Although, now that I think about it, this struggle DID lead to a pretty humorous discussion:

that one doesn't look too scary.

"No, no, no. That one has Daleks. Daleks are scary."

daleks? you mean those things on your poster? (I sort of hand-make posters for fandoms I like. I'm weird, sue me.)

"Yeah. Trust me, they're effing terrifying."

they look like pepper shakers

"But they're SCARY pepper shakers."

alora, they're pepper shakers with plungers attached to them

"Okay, smartass, you try watching 'The Daleks' all by yourself at some ungodly hour! See how tough you are then!"

Yeah, I was sort of scarred by the Daleks in the early days of my Who obsession. More the idea of what they are and what they do than their appearance, though. I admit, they are kinda goofy-looking. Until they melt off your face.

Anyways, I'm going to see if Daniel is up for a Dreams in Darkness archive binge. I'll let you know what happens. Stay safe, you guys.

~Alora

ETA: Daniel couldn't finish Dreams in Darkness. We did manage to establish three things:

One: He is pretty sure he's not Damien, or at the very minimum no details about Damien's life struck a cord with him.

Two: He HAS, however, heard of Damien somewhere, but he can't remember where.

Three: He's seen first-hand what Slender is capable of. He doesn't know where or when or why but he's seen some of the...stuff described in Dreams in Darkness. That's what really freaked him out, and that's the real reason he couldn't finish the blog. He'd seen it before, though God only knows where. He...sort of had a freak out. Not like last night. He nearly threw up and started crying. I managed to calm him down. He's asleep now.

I wish I had some answers right now. And the ability to punch whoever's responsible for this. Poor Daniel...

The Mood Swings of the Experiment

Yeaahh, last night/this morning was...interesting.

D, at my urging, posted on the blog. In an attempt to help, Scott left a list of names of what I assume are fallen runners. D...sort of freaked out. Partially because they sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where, and...well, I don't know if that triggered a flashback or something, because he started freaking out. He was just sitting in the corner, scribbling in his notebook. Here's how it went down:

"D? You okay?"

how do i know how do i know how do i know

"D, it's okay, you probably just read some of the blogs. It makes sense if you were being stalked by him."

no no no no

"D, you okay?"

red sweaters, bright lights, everywhere, all around me, don't want to, no no no no no i won't i won't i won't i won't you can't make me please it hurts, it hurts, i won't, no no no

(right about I took away his notebook and gave him a hug) "It's okay. It's okay, you're going to be okay. Shh, shh. You're safe now. He can't hurt you. Shhh."

It took him a good five minutes to calm down.

BUT there is a happier ending. I think we need to stop calling him D...

...And start calling him Daniel.

He's not 100% sure that's his name, but he's pretty damn sure. It's the one he's latched on to the most, so hell with it. I'm calling him Daniel now. He's pretty pleased with this.

OH and thanks to JediZero I had a good laugh at Minecraft Creeper's expense. over at Exilis Veritas there has been a theory bouncing around that Tenebria is Slender's bastard daughter. In light of this, I walked up to Creeper after class and did this:

"Dude, I need to pass on a message to Slender. Tell him we know about what happened in Vegas with that stripper. It's not cool, man. No means no. And since when has he been into tentacle hentai? [Creeper looks mightily confused by this point] He really needs to talk to Tenebria. Yeah, we know about the two of them. If he just told her he was her dad, then maybe she wouldn't have so many emotional problems. Girl needs a father, you know? [He's REALLY confused at this point] Anyway, just tell him I said that. 'Kay?"

I walked off before a) he could ask any questions or b) before I burst out laughing and ruined the moment. His face was HILARIOUS. Somewhere between completely confused and completely disturbed.

No sign of Slenderp, but he's probably going to show up again once night falls. He's been out there every damn night. Stubborn, obsessed SOB.

Hoping you guys are doing okay.

~Alora
and daniel

ETA: And then I read this and got all depressed again. He has a point, though...

hello again

it's d. alora is finishing up her schoolwork, so said i should write something.

...i don't know what to write.

nothing really interesting happened today. i've mostly been spending my hours sitting in alora's room and reading/watching tv. she doesn't have a room mate. she says that having an anxiety disorder can have its perks. i guess not everyone can stand sleeping with the lights on. i don't mind. i can sleep through anything, i've discovered.

i still don't remember much.

alora said that later i can go through a list of names that start with the letter d and see if any stick out. i'm not sure how well it will work, but i'm willing to try anything by now.

it's kind of scary, not really knowing who you are.

i don't really know much about the enemy and his methods, but...has anyone heard about a person with scars like mine? alora doesn't know this, but i have other scars on my fingers. little x's on my fingertips. typing is a little awkward. has anyone else ended up like me?

or did i just really make him mad?

...what did i do?

Sorry, Guys

Just wanted to post to let you know I'm okay. A little emotionally shaken, but okay.

I saw the last post. I guess I freaked out D a bit. Just a little. He was really nice about it, though. Even gave me a hug. Poor guy...(mental note: from now on, have meltdowns in private.)

I was...well, I was timelining Jeff and Cheska's blog...and on a lark I clicked on Darby's old blog, God only knows why, and I saw what happened...and I thought I would be okay, cataloging what Jeff and Cheska have done because I know they're going to be all right (or at least I've deluded myself into thinking that), but when I saw Darby's blog, I just sort of broke down. All the shit that's been happening lately...I guess I needed a good cry.

Anyway, I'm all better now and

don't listen to her. she's trying to read more blogs. i said she should

Sorry. D keyboard jacked me. I don't get

someone make her stop re

OI!

Jeez, I thought I was the one looking after him. (And now he's trying to give me the look from under his mask. It's not working.)

And yes, I do want to finish timelining "Let Us Keep Living" even after my meltdown. This is war. I have to suck it up and move on. Jeff and Cheska are going to be okay, and we can help Darby. I know we can. Power of Deluding Yourself Positive Thinking at work. Besides, stopping in the middle of the blog is a pain in the ass. Hang on...

i am not responsible for any emotional breakdowns she has after this point. i tried to stop her. you all saw it. -d

OI!!!

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to go smack him, cry some more, then get back to work. Stay safe, you guys.

~Alora

hello?

this is d, not alora.

she's really upset right now.

something about these people darby, jeff, and cheska...

she was just typing and then she started crying.

who's darby? and jeff? and cheska?

i don't know why she's upset...someone please tell me what's going on. she won't stop crying. i don't know what to say to her.

i don't think she's okay.

You Know You're Facing Evil...

When even its unseen presence effs up your life.

I'm fine, mostly. My sleep pattern is forever DESTROYED seeing as I have been doing most of my sleeping during the day. It's D I'm worried about. I know I said last post that he was getting better, but "getting better" after three months of amnesia and being chased by Slender takes some time, let's face it. He's been having nightmares. Way early this morning I woke up and heard him crying. He didn't tell me what happened. I'm not sure I want to know.

The story has a happy ending, though. I was able to cheer him up. We watched Half Life: Full Life Consequences. Epic lulz were had. Well, I laughed. He was sort of laughing without making any noise. Close enough. ^^

"IT IS A GOOD DAY TO DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE BY ME AND HELP MY BROTHER TO DEFEAT THE ENEMYS"

On a less fun note, Reach thinks that there's MORE THAN ONE REDLIGHT. Son of a bitch, that's not good. If I ever see Minecraft Creeper in a red sweater, I quit. Especially since he probably hates me SO MUCH right now. I guess I have no one but myself to blame for that, though. >.>

Stay safe.

~Alora

Shit's Hitting the Fan

Not on my end, on Jeff and Cheska's. Someone named Recessed posted on the blog. Said that they're going to...

...

I don't believe it.

I know that probably sounds naive and stupid, but I don't. They've been through worse. They can make it through. I know they can.

Jeff, Cheska, please stay safe.

Oh, and Minecraft Creeper was back in class with the rest of us today. He was pissed at me for pepper-spraying him and kicking him in the nuts. I blew him off.

D is doing fine, slowly recovering from the last few months. Mostly though rest and food. Ali pointed out that he might have been born mute, but when I asked him about that, he said he could remember being able to talk. So something must've happened to psychologically scar him so badly he stopped talking. I'm not sure I want to know what. And he realized he likes Cheerios, so that's another piece to the puzzle. Everything he can remember about himself is a small victory. Even if it's as simple as liking Cheerios.

Stay safe.

~Alora

Day One with D

That's what I'm calling Note Buddy now, since we established his name starts with a D. Anyway, he slept like a rock last night and well into the afternoon. I was already done with my work and goofing off on the internet by the time he woke up. Fortunately, I'd grabbed him some food from the lunch room. He was pretty hungry. Apparently he hadn't had a real meal in something like a week. Sympathy levels rising.

Anyway, so I decided it might be a good idea to start establishing what he does know about himself, then work our way up towards remembering what he's forgotten. Here's what we do know:

Name: Unknown, starts with a D
Age: Unknown, but he thinks he's in his 20s
Town of Birth: A suburb. He remembers it being warm and sunny a lot of the time, so maybe somewhere down south? (If he talked, I might be able to gauge his accent...)
Family, Friends: Mother and Father. He remembers the name "Alice" but that could refer to anything. Mother, girlfriend, distant relative, friend. She must be important if he did remember her name, considering the fact that he barely remembers anything else.
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Number: Even numbers
Favorite Type of Music: He seemed the most drawn to bands like Mumford and Sons, Sky Sailing, and the second Panic! at the Disco album.
Favorite Kind of TV Show: He was most drawn to some show involving psychologists who hunt criminals (Criminal Minds, I think. I've seen it before, but a few episodes). He's watching it right now. There's a marathon. TV is great for babysitting recovering runners. He thinks the plots are "interesting" so maybe he was studying to be/is a cop, criminal psychologist, or just likes that sort of thing. Some people do.

Once we established most of this, I started asking him other questions. Just stuff I could think of, anything that seemed relevant.

"Did you know who ever follow you when you were a kid?" (He doesn't like it when I say Slender Man.)

no

"You don't remember ever seeing him before three months ago?"

no

"And you don't remember how you ended up in that hotel room?"

no. i was just there. but i think there was someone else staying in the room with me. there was another suitcase. none of the stuff in it was mine.

(I have an epiphany.) "Was there a red sweater in the suitcase?"

what?

"Did you look in the suitcase at all? Was there a reddish sweater in there?"

i don't think so.

"Okay, do you remember seeing anyone in a red sweater? Was there a red sweater in the room anywhere?"

i don't think so. i think (He stopped here for a few seconds, like he was thinking really hard.) i kinda remember someone in red. flashes of it, before i woke up in the room. why?

"[CENSORED] REDLIGHT!"

who?

"No one, no one. What kind of hotel was it?"

the cheap kind. dirty. motel 8 i think.

"Okay. How did you find out about me?"

i came here. was wandering around. i was hiding near here, went out to see if i could scrounge around for food. i saw him in front of your window. figured out who lived in the window. i'm sorry. i didn't mean to stalk you.

"Dude, that's not even the weirdest thing to happen to me lately. I can forgive you for that one." (I hesitate) "You really don't remember how you got those scars?"

no. i remember it hurting, but not what happened.

"Okay. You don't have to think about that too much. Why can't you talk?"

don't know. every time i try my voice doesn't work.

There isn't any physical scars on his throat...anyone else know why a guy wouldn't be able to talk? Psychological, maybe?

Anyway, he'd never heard of any of the standard Slender blogs before, and since he can't remember Slender ever following him as a kid, we still have no idea why he latched onto him. Or why Redlight got involved, if Redlight was involved. I can't see why he wouldn't be, though. The guy has no memory and he vaguely remembered seeing someone in red before he woke up in that hotel room. It wouldn't surprise me if Redlight was involved. Is Redlight big on torture, though? Again. Wouldn't surprise me. Asshole...

D is still pretty shell-shocked. He's slowly getting over it, but I think he can't quite believe he's safe(ish). He's just sitting there watching TV.

Damn, I feel so bad for him. >:

If anything new turns up, I'll let you know. In other news, Ava...Ava's in trouble. Reach is going after her. And Vivi/Chester got hacked by some bitch Tenebria. Guys, I think you should change your password. And Tenebria can go to hell.

Stay safe, guys.

~Alora

P.S. D says hi. I told him all about you guys. ^^

You Guys Are Going to Kill Me

I found Mysterious Note Buddy.

He's in my room right now (and yes, he's a he). He finally fell asleep earlier.

You are not going to believe what happened.

I got a note back from him. can we meet in front of the library? 4:30? i'll be there. 4:30 wasn't before sunset, but it was sure as hell pushing it. For those of you who don't really realize what nictophobia entails, this isn't standard fear of the dark that everyone has. I don't even like the idea of the dark. I'm inside way before the sun sets for fear of getting caught outside after dark. Darkness or the excess thought thereof can lead to panic attacks, which has happened before. But I promised I would help this guy, so I was going to be there. I sucked it up and showed up.

He wasn't there.

I waited ten minutes. When he still didn't show up, I figured "screw it" and started back for my dorm. On my way back, I heard these sounds, like someone was getting beat up. I did the stupid thing and backtracked, just to make sure it was a fight before I called the cops. It was a fight, all right, but not just a couple of pissed (in the American and British senses) dudes beating the crap out of each other. It was Minecraft Creeper, punching this guy in the face, over and over. Calling him slime, a worm. Just hitting him over and over.

I did the sensible thing *cough* and intervened. By kicking Creeper in the nuts.

I can't tell if he was hurt in the standard "OH SHIT MY BALLS" way or if Renevant's sensitivity effects that area too, but he went down like a ton of bricks. The fact that both my dad and my brother taught ,e the art of nut-kicking before I left for college had a lot to do with it (just a warning to any proxies reading this). Anyway, so me and the guy Creeper was beating up make a run for it, all the way to my dorm hall. Partially because I was scared Creeper was going to get back up, and partially because the sun was starting to set and the panic was setting in. It wasn't until we were inside and once I was done nearly having a panic attack that I found out who the guy was. He was Mysterious Note Buddy. He didn't say anything; he just wrote something on a notepad and showed it to me.

thank you thank you thank you

Mysterious Note Buddy now has a face...sort of.

He's tall, about six three, and has really short sandy blond hair. Blue eyes. His clothes are all battered and dirty, and he's wearing a mask. I've seen his face, though, and I know why.

His face...

Does anyone know if Slender and his mooks are big on torture? Because that's the only word I can think of to describe it. He has these scars...a really long one around the perimeter of his face, with a big X right in the middle. Yeah, he has a massive operator symbol carved into his face.

He doesn't talk. He uses his notepad. We managed to have a conversation, though.

Me: Are you the guy who's been leaving me notes?

Note Buddy: yes

Me: Okay...what's your name?

N.B.: i don't know

Me: You don't remember your name?

N.B.: i don't

Me: Okay...are you...a proxy? [He stares at me blankly] You know, Hallowed? Do you work for Slend...[he starts shaking his head emphatically]. Okay, you don't work for him. You're a runner?

N.B.: i can't remember a lot. i can vaguely remember a few things about my past, and everything that's happened since three months ago. but i don't know. he's been chasing me that whole time. i've always been running.

Me: But you're not on his side?

N.B.: why would i be? he wants to kill me

Me: Good point. Is that why that guy was beating you up?

N.B.: yes

Me: [I decide to switch topics] Do you think you could take your mask off? [I hadn't seen his face at this point. At first he doesn't want to take it off] Look, I need to know that I can trust you if I'm going to help you, and I need to see your face to do that.

N.B.: scars

Me: On your face? [He nods] I'm not going to be freaked out or anything. You can trust me.

[He hesitates, then takes off the mask. I manage to avoid fainting or anything at the sight of his facial scars, but I was probably visibly disturbed.]

Me: W...what happened? Who did this to you?

N.B.: don't remember. are you scared?

Me: No. Why would I be?

N.B.: the scars scare some people.

Me: They don't scare me. [I try to smile, but I'm too busy wanting to punch whoever hurt this guy] You don't ever have to worry about that. [He puts his mask back on anyway] Do you remember where you're from?

N.B.: no

Me: Do you know how old you are?

N.B.: no

Me: Do you remember anything?

N.B.: no [He looks really distressed at this point] i keep trying, but i can't remember

He's a runner with no identity. He vaguely remembers having parents, no siblings, living in the suburbs as a kid, and the name "Alice". He thinks his name starts with a D, but he's not positive. He woke up in a dirty hotel room three months ago with these badly stitched-up wounds on his face and a bag holding some food, a little money, a mask, and a note telling him to start running. He's been hunted by Slender ever since, going from city to city, stealing and begging to get by. He finally ended up here, saw Slender outside my window, realized I was a runner too. That's all I was able to get out of him tonight. I could tell how tired he was.

I know you're probably all yelling at me for letting a stranger into my little bubble like this, but (and I know some of you aren't going to buy this) I really think I can trust this guy. If you met him, you'd feel it too. He doesn't feel malicious. He feels lost, like a little kid separated from his family. We share a common enemy, and besides, what am I going to do? Kick him back out to get beat up again? No, thank you.

I'm sleeping with my pepper spray though. If I sleep at all. Slender's back outside my window. First time in a while. I shot him the bird before closing the window blinds. It's just empty bravado, though. I'm scared shitless right now.

I'm going to try to get some sleep now. Stay safe, you guys, and wish me luck.

~Alora

Gah, My Fingers. And My Brain.

Finally finished timelining "Exilis Veritas". I'll start on "Let Us Keep Living tomorrow. I can't handle any more archive binging. My brain feels like it's going to explode. I also reversed the polarity of the neutron flow direction of the timeline so now it starts with the past events. I figured it would make it easier to read (and easier for me to fill in).

On a note totally unrelated to the archives, I got a note back from Mysterious Note Buddy. For those of you who don't know, I decided to leave a note to him (her?) in my own mailbox. I figured if (s)he's getting in and out of the mail room (which wouldn't be that hard, you just have to know how to pick a lock or steal an ID card), then (s)he might find it if (s)he decided to leave another note. And (s)he did.

Here's what I wrote:

To Whoever You Are:

I'm going to assume that our mutual, well-dressed friend is after you too. If that's the case, I want to help. I really do. But I can't help you unless you give me a name, some way to contact you, your location, something. Okay? If you tell me who and where you are, I can help.

~Alora

And this is the response I got back.

i don't know my name. i don't remember it. i think i had a name once, but it's gone now.

i've been hiding. i keep changing where i hide. he finds me every time. i can't tell you where i am because i don't know where i'll be next.

are you a dream, alora?

if i came to you, would you let me in?

At first, I didn't know what that second-to-last line meant, but when I looked up my name on some baby name site, it turns out it means "my dream". How Note Buddy knew this is beyond me.

I keep wondering if Note Buddy is a recovering proxy of some sort (other blogs have implied it's possible to be un-Hallowed in ways other than the cure). That would explain the loss of identity. But (s)he's using pronouns and contractions just fine, so yeah. I got nothing.

Still, I left a reply saying that I would let him/her in. And before you yell at me for being stupid, remember, I have pepper spray, a very loud scream, and the campus PD on speed-dial. This person doesn't look on the DL, I call the cops. Simple. I never said I would let him/her in right away, after all.

The days are getting longer. This makes me happy.

Stay safe.

~Alora

ARCHIVE BINGE

AT AN UNSEEMLY HOUR.

Seriously, I just plowed through A Really Bad Joke, H(a)unting, and the first 60 posts of Exilis Veritas, doing my weird archive thing. Thus the Timeline and Archives have been updated, and I added a new tab to list all the people involved in this insanity.

A few notes on my work:

1. If I messed up any dates or details in the timeline, feel free to tell me. I want this to be as accurate as possible.

2. Does anyone know if Maudin is a "he" or a "she"? I know that might sound stupid, but I honestly cannot tell and I don't want to get his/her gender wrong in the timeline. Question answered. Thanks, Jean. ^^

3. Obviously, all of this is a work in progress. I'll be getting to other blogs ASAP. But damn, this is going to take a while. Especially once I get to the blogs of people who've been at this a while. I cringe to think of what going through M's blog is going to be like. x.x

I keep wondering if my Mysterious Note Buddy has left a reply. Gah. I need to just go to bed and stop thinking about it.

Also, Chester is getting better. ^^

Stay safe.

~Alora

Eventful In a Bad Way

Chester's stuck in a labyrinth now.

He's a strong dude, I'm sure he'll be okay, but that doesn't make it any less scary or suck-tastic for Viv.

I got another note.

Same handwriting as the "hello" Valentine, but this time written on lined paper and with more to it. Here's what it said:

hello

you are not the only one. the dark is after me too.

he is watching me.

i do not want to put you in more danger but

please

please help me. you have to help me please. i cannot keep running from him, i can't, it doesn't matter he will find me.

please help me. please.

There was no signature, no way of getting in contact with Whoever This Is, and frankly, I'm a little freaked out. Either this is some a-hole messing with my head or someone who genuinely needs my help. Either option is kind of terrifying.

What should I do?

~Alora

Valentine's Day

So, my Valentine's Day was interesting.

I wasn't really on the blog-o-sphere because I was celebrating V-Day my way...by watching Doctor Who, eating chocolate, and pretending Matt Smith is my boyfriend. Just kidding about that last part. Maybe. >.> ANYWHO (see what I did there?) I go to check my mail, and find two items of interest. The first is from our good friend, Minecraft Creeper. Who seems to want to apologize for the "incident" on the 11th. With a Valentine that looks like an actual human heart, not the shape.

Joke's on him: I would've thought that valentine was the coolest thing ever if it had been coming from anyone but him. (I'm a little weird like that.)

Point is, he's still a creeper, as the thing didn't even say anything, just had the operator's symbol. Weirdo.

The other item was...a bit stranger. It *was* a traditional Valentine's heart, but the sort that a five-year-old would cut out of red construction paper. And it only said one thing:

hello

That's it. No signature, no other message. Just "hello". And no capitalization either. I'm not sure if it means anything yet. Maybe I have a secret admirer. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Anyways, belated Valentine's Day to all our couples. Take good care of each other. We love you all. ^^

Stay safe, you guys.

~Alora

ETA: I have an icon now. Figured I'd let the Doctor bring some much-needed optimism to this mess.

News

Reach is safe.

Viv is getting better.

Darby is gone.

...

I feel like this blog is becoming a massive archive of obituaries and temporary good news.

Rest in Peace Darby. Thanks of being so nice to me and offering to be there if anything happened. I'm...I'm sorry it had to end like this for you.

...

Nothing else to say.

~Alora

Well, Today Sucked

Viv is still stuck in the mental construct/labyrinth/whatever the hell you want to call it. Reach is in trouble. Jeff...I don't even KNOW what Jeff is up to, but...damn it, you people and your habit of getting into trouble?

Actually, I am sort of one of "you people" now considering what happened to me today...

So I'm walking back from class and Minecraft Creeper (thanks to Chester for the new nickname) started following me. It took me about three seconds to get freaked out and ask him what he wants.

"You have very delicious despair."

"What?!"

(Seriously, that's the first thing he said to me. And the conversation only got weirder from there.)

Creeper: I saw your entry. It is really quite funny, how helpless you are.

Me: Go to hell [side note: this wasn't as brave as it sounded. I was stammering like nuts].

Creeper: Why else do you think he likes you so much? You are very emotional.

Me: What does that have to do with anything?

Creeper: You were right about him. He feeds off fear. He feeds off you. [About here he proceeded to ignore my personal space, getting too close for comfort] I do not think he will decide to kill you just yet. You are a very good source of fear. Playing with your food and all.

Me: ...Well, if I'm so delicious, then where the hell has he run off to?

Creeper: He has other things to worry about. But do not worry. He will be back.

Me: ..Look, what are you, a Renevant? Do you just follow him for fun? Is this fun for you, you sick f...

Creeper: [Suddenly grabs me and gets REALLY pissed] DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?! HE WANTS YOU ALIVE!! YOU WOULD ALREADY BE DEAD IF HE DID NOT!! YOU ARE PART OF THE PLAN!! YOU GAVE HIM A NAME!! YOU...

Right about here I gave him pepper spray to the face.

The fact that he acted like I freaking ripped out his small intestine with my bare hands means that I was probably right about him being a Renevant. I know pepper spray hurts like hell, but he was screaming like I'd jabbed out his eyes and given him a lobotomy. Yes, campus PD got involved, and no, I'm not in trouble. Apparently this university doesn't take kindly to harassment and what was basically assault.

So basically we have Viv stuck, Reach in danger, Jeff having some crazy plan of craziness and me being confronted by Creeper and told I'm basically Slender food. Great. Fan-freaking-tastic.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit in a corner and cry now.

~Alora

Argh

Vivi's in trouble and Slender wasn't outside last night.

Vivi. Shit, Viv...I don't know, she's stuck in some nightmare in her mind and he did something to her and HE WASN'T OUTSIDE MY WINDOW.

I know that's the last thing I should be freaking out over but part of me thinks that he could be anywhere else, or that he was out doing something "more important" like hurting you guys, or maybe he just got sick of me, or I don't know. He could be inside the building. He could be on the other side of the country. He could be on a totally different continent effing with Viv.

Leave her alone, you bastard. She didn't do anything to you. NONE OF US HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO YOU YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH. WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE USE ALONE? No, slice that, why'd you leave ME alone and go after her? And Scott? And freaking everyone else? If you're trying to mess with my head, it's working. What, are they just more fun? You like strong prey, is that it? Am I too easy? Get back over here and I'll show you how tough I can be, you ASSHOLE!!

Chester....Viv....I'm so sorry....

x.x (Edited w/ Code De-Coded)

I suck at codes. Anyone want to help me out?

1.24.15.12.12.1.24.5.8./
1.24.9.-4.12.1.24.21.1.24.15.23.-1.24.5.11.1.24.9.12.-1.24.15.20.1.24.5.20.1.24.1.12.1.24.21.20.1.24.18.7.14.1.24.15.3-1.24.21.1.24.15.25.-14.1.24.15.14.-18.1.24.21.1.24.1.19.19.1.24.1./
20.1.24.9.-19.1.24.1.23.-1.24.1.-.4.1.24.15.1.24.15.7.-1.24.1.1.24.5.4.1.24.9.-20.1.24.1.8.20.-12.12.1.24.9.23.-18.1.24.5.22.1.24.5.14.-11.18.1.24.15.23./
1.24.9.-4.12.1.24.21.1.24.15.23.-1.24.5.11.1.24.9.12.-1.24.15.20.-4.14.1.24.9.13.1.24.5.18.-1.24.21.1.24.15.25.-20.1.24.1.8.20.-1.24.5.18.1.24.5.8.20.-19.1.24.9.-18.1.24.5.8.20.1.24.15.14.1.24.1.-1.24.5.3.1.24.9.20.19.12.1.24.15.19./
16.1.24.5.1.24.5.11.-7.14.1.24.9.14.14.1.24.21.18./
1.24.5.3.18.1.24.1.3.19./

This was posted as a comment on my first ever post by someone named scarce, whose first blog entry appears to be the same code he left in the comment. At first I thought it was an alphabet-based code, but there are only 24 numbers, so that went out the window. All I can figure out based off a brief internet search is that any double numbers (like the 12.12 in the first line) are either ss, ee, tt, ff, 11, mm, or oo. I might try fiddling with that after (or during) class (hurrah for not paying attention!). But until then, I'm stuck.

In other news, Jeff found out he's...well, he's still Hallowed. A Renevant, like Reach (who is MIA, presumed dead, but I'm not so sure...I mean, this is Reach we're talking about here). I know some people are pissed he never mentioned this, but I can't really be mad at him. He's come clean about it, now we have to help him. Simple as that. (Yeah, I'm one of those forgives-people-really-fast types.)

Scott is being hacked by...someone. And potentially stalked. So he really needs our support now. Don't worry, man. You'll get through this.

I need to start back up on the timeline...maybe this weekend. I'm normally up late watching TV anyways. Damn you Fox for canceling Firefly! >:(

I'll let you guys know if I figure out anything with the code.

~Alora

EDIT: Thanks to help from Sammie and his sister Vera, I found the answer to the code. Going to check the other guys' story, but from what I can tell, it's being posted on all the Solstice Stories. Here's the translation:

Hello
I would like
To congratulate you non assaur. It was a good idea that wi
ll never work. I would like to remind y
ou that there is another solstice. Keep running.

Scarce

Can't decide if this guy is for real or just some asshole gamejacker. Either way, I am not amused.

OTHER EDIT: Yup, it's on all of them.

Still Alive

For those of you who are wondering where I've been, the cold got worse, I complained to the 'rents, and they whisked me away for the weekend to help me recover. I figured I should all forgo the blogosphere, at least until I got back. All the Slender this and Slender that was getting to me. I needed a break.

I'm feeling much better. Still sick, but better.

I think Slender's there. I haven't bothered to look.

Whatever. I don't even care right now.

Glad to see that you guys are doing okay for the most part. :)

~Alora

The Note

Uhm...

I got contacted.

Remember that creeper classmate who I said may or may not be an agent? Yeah, he walked up to me today and gave me a note. Said "he" wanted me to read it.

The note...it...well...

Just...read this:

Youshouldnotasksomanyquestions.

Youwereright. Ididnotneedhimtobreakyou. ButifyouinvolvehimIwillnothesitate. Youwilldiscovertheupstart'sfate, thenifyouvalueyourbrother'slife, youwillnotbringitupagain.

Myapologiesforthemisunderstanding.

It was signed with an operator symbol.

...

It got freakier.

My brother called ten minutes ago. The Proxy that attacked him is dead. He was found hanging by a sheet in his jail cell. The cops think it was suicide. I know better.

He's outside my window. Just staring. Like he has every night since the 26th.

...

FML.

~Alora