Author Topic: Creepypasta as the new 'Weird Fiction'  (Read 7104 times)

lowky

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on: December 24, 2013, 02:10:55 PM
Creepypasta is being billed as the new weird fiction.  I am not that familiar with creepypasta myself, wondering if anyone had any opinions on it.



Scattercat

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Reply #1 on: December 24, 2013, 02:21:00 PM
I don't see how creepypasta is any different from regular weird fiction except that because it's common on the Internet, there is a much higher crap-to-genius ratio.  If anything, it's a lot more restrictive than weird fiction because of the common use of the first-person Internet post as a framing device.

"Candle Cove" remains my personal favorite, though the SCP Foundation has some good stuff, too.  I tried to get into Reddit's NoSleep forum, but the occasional unpolished gem was just not worth slogging through all of the completely awful stuff.



lowky

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Reply #2 on: December 25, 2013, 02:53:07 AM
almost gave up on candle cove until it just went bat shit insane, and then it drew me in and the ending...


Fenrix

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Reply #3 on: December 25, 2013, 03:49:22 PM
That article is nicely written. It's clearly from someone who has spent a lot of thought on the horror genre and the mediums it is delivered in, as they've at least made it through the front section of Supernatural Horror in Literature. It would probably be a better introduction if it included links or handy examples. I still think it's better than the Know Your Meme entry.

I think the most interesting bits are how if it is successful, the author disappears. Also, how they then to fully reside in the digital age, and that many of them would be intolerable on the printed page (or in audio, such as with time/date stamps and headers).

While I like the evolutionary mutations in the form, I'm not a huge fan of the style. The campfire ghost story form doesn't chill me the way it did decades ago. However, it seems to be effective still on the young, as my niece loves scaring herself witless with slenderman and other similar stories.

I am interested in seeing the next mutation, where the creepypasta evolves into a fully realized story. I think we've seen some examples already on PseudoPod, such as the haunted video game ("Kill Screen"), as well as Black Eyed Kids ("Apathetic Flesh"), and the Slenderman.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2013, 03:53:30 PM by Fenrix »

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


lowky

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Reply #4 on: December 25, 2013, 04:10:45 PM
yeah I think Candle Cove could be developed into a story if it focused on it happening when author was child or do it as dream sequence instead of as forum posts.  But the forum post story with time stamps etc. doesn't lend itself to print or audio.    The Welcome to Nightvale podcast is an example of this style I would say.  It uses a lot of humor with it too, I think without the humor it wouldn't work as well though.


crdola11

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Reply #5 on: November 23, 2015, 10:34:37 PM
I love me some creepy pasta, however, it's not on the same par as the fiction I've come to love from Pseudopod. I consider it the fast food of fiction as it doesn't have the proper development and build up I crave when I'm in the mood for a scare.

The worst excesses of mankind springs from the all-too-human traits of cruelty, apathy and arrogant misapplication of our own talents. The heroes who triumph in my stories are those who demonstrate the most kindness, common sense and ingenuity.


Fenrix

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Reply #6 on: November 24, 2015, 07:45:25 PM

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Tim Tylor

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Reply #7 on: December 03, 2015, 09:26:00 AM
They're a mixed bag, and I confess to a bit of mean pleasure in perusing the more rank specimens. But there's some real effort and imagination going into said bag, and some decently-told effective stories coming out. A few personal favorites:
Just Another Midnight More a character-study than a horror story. The narrator, up late and fighting off night-dread, recounts some of the old scares and nightmares that shaped his fears.
The Sandman A story that unfolds into something a lot more sad and unsettling than the simple bogeyman-tale it appears at first.
A Little Gift A short "ritual" one from, or at least, set in my old country, with a nice folklorish flavor. Details provided by one of the most unreliable narrators in the business, so follow at your own risk.
And because I like me some parodies...
Crappypasta (youtube video) Quick masterclass on how-not-to
"Does anyone know a good plumber? I did one of those stupid rituals and now my shower is leaking. And there’s a faceless guy in my kitchen." How most of these overelaborate occult deals work out in practice.