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Starting here, Anomalous Data follows the exploits of a blogger named Jay as he studies how to counteract being haunted by the Slender Man. Fair warning to readers, some of his methods are morally questionable at times, but the results his experimentation yielded was sound. Jay is one of the three original Sages picked up Robert Sagel.
Method:
- Expose subjects to The Slender Man Mythos.
- Observe the ones that become haunted.
- Step back and watch the subjects and observe how they contend with it. He only referred to them as subject as a measure of emotionally distancing himself.
- Record all personality and physical changes and try to figure up an average on how long it takes for Slendy to completely take them (assuming they don't read M's The Tutorial and run for it...or read Anomalous Data and go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Jay).
- Apply direct injection of Kainic Acid to the hippocampus to induce amnesia on subjects chosen for rehab.
- Result: Lack of knowledge concerning the Slender Man brought on by the induced amnesia would leave the subject free of the war raging between the Monster and humankind. Side Effects May Include: A permanently and irreparably damaged brain and mind! Please consult a doctor for more details. Our lawyers are standing by.
He also conducted other experiments in which involved how long subjects would have to stay in one place before a visitation, if Slender Man could overcome M's rules, and attempts at baiting proxies and agents for capture and study.
The blog ended on October 7th, 2010.
Tropes used in Anomalous Data include:
- Anti-Hero: Hoo-boy, yes. The Jay who is the protagonist of this blog has no qualms about using human experimentation to learn about the Slender Man and develop methods of erasing him from consciousness and memory. The only thing keeping him labeled as a "hero" here is that his actions are all for ridding mankind of the Slender Man.
- Amnesiac Dissonance: This happens to Liz, a proxy Jay gives near complete amnesia to unintentionally after he was attacked by Slender Man shortly after capturing her.
- When he attempts to return her memories, she becomes a powerful conduit for Slender Man once again and the two are attacked.
- Apocalyptic Log: The last entry, of course.
- The Blank: Uh-huh.
- Brain Bleach: It exists in this blog, but you're really, really going to have to want it. The procedure is perhaps the most terrifying variety of this trope. See Fridge Horror, High Octane Nightmare Fuel, and Laser Guided Amnesia on this page for why.
- Downer Ending
- Humanoid Abomination: The Slender Man.
- Jerkass: Jay has very little interest or care for others on an individual level and even in one entry admits to not being very big on emotions and attachments.
- Jay's coldness and lack of strong emotion and convictions actually works in his favor as it keeps Slendy at bay for a time.
- Kick the Dog: Committed by our "hero", actually. In one update, he reports that two pairs he introduced to ol' Slendy are either dead or missing and the thing that disturbs him the most is it was over mere days after testing with them began so he couldn't get much data off them.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: It's just one syringe full of acid to the brain away! Or if you're real lucky, you can instead have take several smaller doses on weekly basis for an indeterminate number of times. Curled up in the fetal position yet?
- Name's the Same: Lizzy, one of Jay's test subjects, is not the same person as Lizzy
- And you probably guessed that's not that Jay either.
- Pet the Dog and Redemption Equals Death: In the very last blog entry, though surrounded by Slender Man and his gathering of proxies, Jay attempts to protect Liz against all over-whelming odds. Perhaps the first act of genuine heroism out of the man.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Believe it or not, his own subjects don't rise up as one to slay Jay. No, Slender Man lays siege against him because he captures Lizzy, one of the proxies, and frees her from His grip.
- Shout-Out: In one entry, Jay likens Slendy to Stephen King's IT, the Tall Man from Chzo Mythos, and tall freakish things from various other works like the Reapers from The World Ends With You.
- The Spock: Jay is an example that's very extreme on the cold and calculating bit.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: And Jay's more than willing to pump your brain with acid to unmake it!
- What the Hell, Hero?: Called on his...questionable methods by M of The Tutorial.