So You Wanna Punch Out the Construct?

Easier said than done.

I'm not sure if I want to include this post as part of the Slender Man Doctrine, but it kind of fits. I wanted to take a moment to look over the various defenses the thing possesses. Not a specific abilities rundown, but rather just a "This is all the shit you're going to have to go through if you want to hit it." Which is somewhat important because... I don't think it's so much a matter of finding the right weapon to fight the Construct with, so much as it is finding a way to actually CONNECT with said weapon. So here we go...

Firstly, to strike the Construct, you need to consider the base levels of protection that it possesses. I'm going to address these as "Layers," of which there are three.

Layer 1 - The Malleable Body
The Construct is capable of changing it's shape. Twisting, stretching, and contorting itself beyond our feeble imaginations. Becoming taller, elongating his arms and/or legs, growing new limbs from seemingly nowhere. This is a pretty clear indicator of a physical make-up that is more like clay or... jello, than a truly solid substance. As such, I believe it is presumable that the Construct's body could easily absorb and/or deflect any direct attacks, bouncing back from them as though he hadn't even been touched. (Go poke a big slab of jello really hard, you'll see what I mean.) It's even plausible that the Construct could perform a form of rapid self-healing in the event that such a near-liquid body was punctured or cut.

Layer 2 - Tentacle Onslaught
Whenever actually threatened by something, or perhaps just when motivated/annoyed enough to do so, or just for kicks... I don't fucking know... the Construct brings out ye old flailing appendages. These things serve multiple purposes and act as much as an offensive structure as a defensive one. Though I could note that "the Best Defense is a Good Offense" so whatever. These things act primarily as a distraction, they draw the eyes with their constant, rapid movements. This makes it more difficult to maintain your aim when the target's body is constantly obscured and/or moving about. Additionally, they serve the obvious purpose of keeping you from getting anywhere near close enough to attack the first Layer directly. The number seems to vary, though I imagine that the more of a threat you are, the more you're going to see... until there are so many that they're the only thing you can see.

Layer 3 - Perception Barriers
Note the "s," plural. The Constructs greatest weapon is, and has always been, it's ability to affect the mind... through what I assume is some means of psychic activity. There are any number of mannerisms that I've observed through my studies that you might come across. Perhaps one of the more frightening is the ability to make himself invisible to the human eye. This approach is selective, seeming to only work on certain individuals... but regardless, it allows the Construct to hide from you while in plain sight. As in, standing dead center in front of you in a wide open empty space and you still don't see anything.

Another instance is an apparent ability to stop an individual dead in their tracks. Causing the body to simply lock up and be either extremely difficult or damn near impossible to move. There may even have instances in which the Construct has taken control of the victim through use of this version, forcing them to move how he wants them to or perhaps just flinging them bodily across a room without actually touching them.

Yet another is the simple act of creating an actual physical barrier, which would react to those who encounter it and objects that strike it as an invisible wall. They stand as if to say, "You may go This Far, No Further." Effectively rendering any attempt to get near the Construct an effort in futility.

And perhaps the recent favorite is the Loop. Trapping your consciousness in a state of perpetual existence, apparently separated from the real world around you. These vary from the simplistic, in which you find yourself performing the same act repetitively in succession, the same moment occurring over and over again until the chain is broken... to the highly advanced, in which a large area has been isolated from the rest of the world and looped inwards upon itself, creating a perpetual space of nothingness, in which nothing ever changes and time is effectively non-existent. Such loops tend to only occur in extreme or special cases however, likely do to a higher level of effort required in creating and maintaining them. So they aren't the type of thing to expect often, but nonetheless are part of the Constructs arsenal of mindgames which prevent you from actively approaching him.

Lastly, a perceptive element that can be applied on it's own or in conjunction with any of the previously mentioned versions, is the Illusion. Just as the Construct can make himself invisible to your eyes, he seems to be able to make other things just as transparent... and things that aren't there at all, suddenly very real. Another of his most powerful tricks, the Construct's ability to make you see, feel, or otherwise "experience" things that cannot possibly be happening to you. By manipulating your perception, it can make you believe anything it wants you to believe... or at least, it can try to.


Each of these Layers is like a particular stage of a complex boss battle, in which you must find the weakness of each form before you can truly pierce at the heart of the beast. It would likely require a very well coordinated group effort or else one extremely gifted individual, to bypass each layer simultaneously and actually strike a damaging blow against the Construct.

However, it may also be possible to avoid certain layers entirely. The second Layer being the easiest to avoid, but doing so would require catching the Construct off guard. Which may be easier than it sounds. The Construct seems to rely on the third Layer most heavily, typically capable of rendering any foe helpless merely by directing it's gaze in their direction... but if one were capable of overcoming a given Perception Barrier, then one would have the opportunity to lash out at the Construct while it remained unguarded by the second Layer. This strategy is not foolproof, as I shall point out later in a "Case Study" I'm preparing, but it holds potential.

There is also the rare instance in which both the Second and Third Layer are cast aside. Typically in situations where the Construct WANTS you to go running into his open arms. Or maybe he wants someone else to and you just happened to be around at the right moment? Either way, it's a perfect opportunity to strike if you could time it right.


One last thing to consider however. I wouldn't necessarily refer to this as a Layer, but it is an important factor to consider nonetheless when attempting to attack the Construct and bypass the Layers that comprise his defenses. And that thing is SPEED...

For something that stands around not doing a damned thing so often, the Construct is remarkably fast. This should be obvious enough while observing the movement of it's slender appendages, but is not an immediately recognized fact in regards to the speed at which the Construct actually "Moves." This is probably misconception resulting from it's nature as a still fixture, standing in place, silently observing. I hesitate to suggest the Construct is capable of actual teleportation, supposing rather that's it's use of "the Path" accounts for its capacity to cross vast distances in short timespans. However, in regards to close range travel, the Construct is able to reposition himself at rapid speeds, almost the blink of an eye. Though reports of him "walking" are few and far between, there are documented cases which it, and the speed by which he flows across the ground has been noted as alarming. Henceforth, unless the Construct has chosen to fight you standing still, then piercing through each of those Layers is going to become increasingly more difficult.


These observations are not meant to discourage you from opposing the Construct, but rather to inform you of what you're going to be up against so that you may take proper precautions and (hopefully) not do anything stupid. Good Luck... and remember, that "Perception is Key."

Working out Defenses

It’s been about a week now since I’ve posted anything hasn’t it? Sorry. I’ve found myself a little busy lately. F&C’s been asking me a few good questions now about my defenses and I guess it got me to thinking. I mean, I have defenses in place, but most of them rely heavily upon experimental logic. I trust the logic is sound and have a good deal of faith in it(I think it’s probably important that I “believe” it works too). But when you really start to think about it... it really is just untested highly experimental theory. So kind of flimsy as a defense against an eldritch horror.

So I’ve taken a break from my normal reading the last few days to do some alternative research. I’m working on setting up a few things that may help me out a lot in the long term, but it’s going to take me a while to really get any of it done. It’s pretty important though, I think... because I may have defenses, but in the event that I actually have to defend myself, then what I really need is an Escape Plan. And prior to now, I didn’t really have one. Everything in Onewinged’s notes was focused on survivability within the bunker and the logic pertaining to its status as a safe zone. Leaving it never really comes into the equation, since leaving equals certain death.

That’s the fear at least... I guess. I feel like... now that I know... that if I were to open that door and step outside, that the extreme sense of paranoia brought on by the knowledge I now have, would summon the Construct to me the second I placed myself out in the open. And then that’d be the end of it. I mean, it’s almost a given. I’m out here in the middle of the god damned woods. HIS TERRITORY. The only thing keeping me safe is the fact that he doesn’t know I’m here and (hopefully still) isn’t looking for me.

Which brings me back to the logic part I guess...

I’m not going to sit here and list out all of my defenses. That’s just stupid. It’s common knowledge that Proxies and Agents and whatever else that’s out there read these blogs. I’m not going to sit here and broadcast all of my secrets in a public space and give them all the information they need to work out a means of fucking me over at every turn. I mean, for the time being anyways, I’d say that I sort of trust the few people presently aligned with the Construct who have spoken to me here. I mean, they’ve yet to really give me a good reason not to. But this is a weird world I’ve entered into and one of the only certainties I can discern from it is that “Things Change.” Plus, there could be more of them watching me that haven’t made themselves known yet... I’m not going to take that risk and piss away all of my advantages. If someone is going to come after me, then good fucking luck to them because I’m not going to say anything that could even remotely aid in their quest of finding and murdering me. Sorry.

But I will discuss what defenses I can that aren’t of a compromising nature. Especially since the knowledge could prove helpful to some on the run, and that’s kind of what I’m here to help with so... carrying on.

The basic logic I keep referring to as my prime defense lies heavily within the logic of M’s Rules. I touched on this a bit earlier in the comments when F&C happened to take notice of “The Joke.” One of the most important elements that The Tutorial stresses is the need to “Get Up High.” This logic is founded upon the nature of the Construct. M views the Constuct from the standpoint of any other naturally existing predator. As an animal acting upon instincts. I’ve certainly seen plenty of instances that indicate a fairly higher level of potential intelligence from the Construct than M would initially suggest, but in the long run, the concept still applies. It IS a Predator. Of a generally Parasitic variety I might add... but still an animal, the same as you or me... just with a much higher ahh... Threat Level? I dunno how to describe it. Basically just the fact that he’s capable of some crazy shit.

But just because he’s powerful and can influence others, possibly even communicate with them on some level, doesn’t mean he’s of human or higher level intelligence. I’d kind of like to make a Termors reference. The Grabboids weren’t really all that “smart” at all, they were just really good predators which were good at adapting to new situations. This fact, combined perhaps with just sheer dumb luck on the beast’s part, led the human’s hunted by them to initially assume that they were far more intelligent than they actually are. I believe similar forces may be at work here...

Tangent aside, this leads to the theory that the Construct doesn’t recognize entities which are located several stories higher than it to be human. Because humans are smaller than the Construct, it perceives anything “taller” than it to not be human. And perception is almost always the key with this thing...

Another, non-Tutorial example can be found when the Sage Shaun experimented with the Construct to determine if it preferred to appear in light or dark rooms. The test determined that the Construct prefers to appear in well lit rooms. This prompted the theory that he chooses the well lit rooms because humans are more likely to be found near such light sources. The Constuct knows his prey well and thus molds his perceptions of how and where to find us. He’s been doing this for quite some time after all. We’re rather predictable after a while I would suppose... so it all becomes instinctual. And instinctual perceptions rarely change.

As such, my current position takes these ideas and proposes an Anti-Thesis, “Get Down Low.” The concept being that if you’re down low enough, such as in a deep dark hole in the ground, then the Construct is just as likely not to perceive you as human. Human’s don’t live in holes or caves, not anymore anyways. So why would he seek out his prey there?

Certainly there are instances of him entering such underground locations, such as the “temple?” discovered by Damien O’Conner... but in instances such as this, the Construct only appears to be venturing into these locations because he was “Invited” to them previously. I plan to make no such invitations... <.<;

Secondly, as I shall explain again, is my status as an Unmarked Victim. The reason Onewinged didn’t try the bunker experiment himself is because he knew he was marked. That he was contaminated. And that to enter the bunker would simply cause that contamination to spread, rendering the location and his experiment useless. So though something of this particular nature may work well for someone like me, it seems less likely to be effective for someone already hunted by the Construct. As it seems as if hiding from him is a relative impossibility... like there is a beacon of some kind which draws him to you. But as I have no such mark, I remain effectively off its radar.

I’m not sure how long that will last however. Certainly I know of him now. So I’m... “Corrupted?” I suppose one might call it? But I don’t think that’s enough to draw him to me. I will note this specifically to Lady Elaine as perhaps one of those few things that Robert Sagel was correct about... even though it seems he never quite returned to elaborating on the matter... but the idea that simply knowing about the Construct is not enough to make a victim of yourself. There’s something more to it than that. Another step or two that must be taken before you become one of the hunted. And I’m certainly not sure what that is, but I am most certain that simply knowing Him is not enough. To believe such is quite literally stupid. It doesn’t make any sense.

I’ve read quite a few instances now and it’s never quite the same. Some will research the monster in depth, learning everything they can about him, and commenting on the blogs of runners about the creature... yet they themselves remain unstalked. They may even be actively TRYING (for some unreasonably perverse means) to attract the creature to themselves... yet still they remain unstalked for an extensive span of time before the Construct finally decides to take notice of them. Meanwhile, others may only just have become aware of him and barely know anything at all, yet they become stalked right away. And to add even more madness to the equation, there are those who know absolutely nothing about the Constuct at all prior to encountering it, yet still they have become one of the hunted. So not only is knowing about him not the only requirement for becoming a victim, but it may well not be a factor in the equation at all!

That being the case, I believe I may be much more well protected from the Construct than one would initially assume. The only connection I have to the creature at all is through Onewinged... and if the Construct took no interest in me prior to now, then it most likely remains uninterested. As such, I believe that I’m safe here. Outside of its reach. Outside of its vision.

....That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself anyways.