Anonymous asked you:

Any tips or inspiration for writing creepy characters? Not like stalker creepy but inhumanly creepy on a Slender man or Zalgo scale?

Ask yourself why we’re afraid of those creatures.

I don’t get scared easily. I only know of one horror movie that has ever frightened me (The Orphanage; you should all watch it because it’s an excellent film) and the only creatures that have ever frightened me (and many others) have been creatures like slender man. But why do these creatures frighten us?

They’re anthropoids, meaning they resemble humans. They remind us of ourselves or something we can become through (often horrifying) supernatural means. These creatures show up in the background of pictures and we pick them out because they look like us, but they’re warped and we’re not entirely sure what they are.

Sure, your creatures can be colossal beings that destroy cities, but the second they resemble humans they become plausible, in a way. Then there are the human-like creatures who start walking on all fours and crawling on the ceilings in the dark. That frightens us because while it’s still reminds us of humans, it’s deviating from a human characteristic. It suddenly becomes faster than we are. It becomes harder to escape. Just imagine how much scarier slender man would be if he crawled on your ceiling and hid in the corner.

Zalgo is about transformation. It takes something normal and changes it to something that makes us uncomfortable. Again, it’s rooted in human transformation. Which ties into the origins of these creatures.

The origins of some creatures are unknown. And the unknown scares us, If the origins are unknown, There’s also origins of creatures like this that involve humans becoming these creatures. They usually have their roots in moral codes, such as teaching children not to go to certain places or not to eat certain foods or else they’ll turn into these creatures. The fact that some of these creatures are said to have been human adds to the creepiness.

To add more to the creatures you create, draw from common human fears such as the dark, heights, insects, water, being buried alive, and pain. There’s also not being able to see creatures in full view that makes them creepier. There are often just quick glimpses or sightings.

For more inspiration on creating creatures, look at my mythology tag and creepy pasta wiki.