they'll lose
their children 'cause i'm now back again
they don't
notice the way i'll make them insane
- project
pitchfork, "requiem"
attributes: the boogeyman is the living embodiment of all
that children fear. the dark, abandonment, evil clowns...all these
things are the meat and drink of this nightmarish creature.
although not inherently evil, the boogeyman serves as a constant
reminder to children that monsters are real. those that can defeat
the boogeyman are one step closer to conquering their own fears
(especially the most potent fear; the fear of growing up).
despite it's name, the
boogeyman need not appear as a red-eyed, razor-toothed apparition.
he is the creepy old man that lurks near the playground, the
juggler who offers balloon animals to the brave little boys and
girls. he is as sinister as he is seductive, beguiling those who
dare stray from the straight and narrow path. for that is the
boogeyman's true purpose: to separate the weak-minded and
weak-willed children from the clever and confident.
not limited solely to
children, the boogeyman is also a threat to those who have grown
up but have not gotten over their childhood fears. for these
unlucky souls, the boogeyman is even more terrifying...because
they know
that he isn't real --
and that's where he draws his greatest power.
taboo: the boogeyman is the sum of all
childhood fears and although he can threaten a child with every
conceivable torture under the sun, he cannot harm actually him. he
is under no obligation to protect children, nor is he prohibited
from allowing harm to come to them. he just cannot commit any
physical act that would endanger their safety.
it is also against the
boogeyman's nature to reveal his true identity. he is the threat
in the shadows...nothing more, nothing less.
symbols: the dark, flickering shadows, candy
apples and razor-blades, half-open bedroom closets, creaking
stairs, thunder and lightning, clowns, shiny silver dollars,
balloons, morbid nursery rhymes. animals associated with the
boogeyman are snakes, spiders and worms (and anything else that's
creep or crawly).
suspected avatars in
history: because of
the secretive nature of this archetype, many avatars only exist
through folklore and legend. avatars of the boogeymen seem to have
histories recorded solely through literary sources: the pied piper
of hamlin, pennywise the clown and even willy wonka seem to
represent this being in various popular stories. in the real
world, the most famous person suspected to be an avatar of the
boogeyman is none other than john wayne gacy. of course, his rise
to ascension was cut short by his darker appetites...
channels:
1%-50%: with a successful avatar: boogeyman
check, the boogeyman can create minor unnatural phenomena (as
described in the unnatural section of ua). common tricks include:
the sound of footsteps climbing a creaky staircase, lights
flickering on or off, heavy breathing that comes from everywhere
and nowhere and the perennial favorite, causing patches of urine
to appear on a child's mattress.
51%-70%: the boogeyman is now able to conceal
his true appearance from children with illusionary disguises. he
can appear as anything from a sinister clown to his victim's
long-dead grandmother. the boogeyman cannot mimic the appearance
of someone that the victim knows well and no matter what the
disguise, he always looks normal to adults (adults who haven't yet
gotten over their childhood fears can still be affected).
71%-90%: with this level, the boogeyman gains
the ability to disappear from plain sight. children are still able
to see the boogeyman out of the corner or their eye but adults
will be totally unaware. the boogeyman may also be seen in
reflected surfaces.
91%+: you can now travel extremely quickly
between bedroom closets and underneath beds by warping time and
space. provided you know where you're going, you can travel 100
miles in about about one minute.
example: willy the local ice-cream man, an
avatar of the boogeyman, is in california and wants to visit
another of his "special friends" in boston before the sun comes
up. he slips into the shadows under little rebecca's bed and a
half-hour later, emerges in little tommy's room in
massachusetts.
