So I saw a confession on the Creepypasta Confessions blog and I am pissed.
First off, to be clear: I’m not trying to attack anyone personally. But I am extremely tired of people throwing around takes like this and calling it “realism” because it’s not. It’s uncreative and borderline gatekeeping.
This is gonna be a long one. Buckle up:
🚫 Saying “Jeff would kill everyone”
That’s not realism. That’s avoiding the question of why he might not. You’re dodging character complexity in favor of edge.
👁 Saying “Eyeless Jack only sees others as prey”
That’s not realistic. It’s ignoring that even monstrous characters might have nuance or boundaries, or that he might recognize other cursed beings as more than meat.
🎮 Saying “BEN Drowned only sees others as pawns”
You're writing off any chance of him forming actual relationships or attachments.
🎪 Saying “Laughing Jack sees them as entertainment”
Again, yeah… until he doesn’t. What happens when the entertainment fails? What happens when he connects? Explore that.
💋 Saying “Nina only cares about Jeff”
Okay, and what about after? What about growth? What about disappointment or found family? You’re locking her character in amber.
⏰ Saying “Clockwork and Toby are too insane to get along”
So… you’ve never heard of shared trauma bonds, dissociation, or neurodivergent kinship, huh? They're more than their instability.
👧 Saying “Sally won’t trust anyone”
Great. That’s the start of a story. What about the arc? Who does she learn to trust? What brings that wall down?
🌲 Saying “Slenderman isn’t a father figure to everyone”
Sure. But why can’t he be one to someone? Who sees him that way? What does he feel about that? Explore the dissonance, not just the denial.
🔥 “Realism” Isn’t an Excuse to Be Boring
I’m sorry you couldn’t think of ways these characters might grow, clash, bond, or just coexist without stabbing each other, but don’t act like that’s realism.
Here’s some so-called “realistic” reasons for why Slenderman might have a mansion just pulled out my ass just right now:
Maybe it’s not his, it’s just a convenient base
Maybe he built it to contain or protect his proxies
Maybe a proxy built it for him
Maybe it’s just a house from when he was human, if you roll with that theory
Why might Jane and Jeff exist in the same space?
Slenderman's forcing them to
Jane’s forgiven him, Jeff doesn't have to stay evil
She’s forgotten what he did, Slenderman gave Toby amnesia why not her?
You can write any of this in a grounded, character-driven way. “Realistic” doesn’t mean “everyone is alone and evil forever.” It means understanding why they’re not.
💡 This Mindset Hurts New Creators
What pisses me off the most is that someone who wants to write a “realistic AU” might see this garbage take and think:
“Oh… I guess I can’t do that.”
YES. YOU. CAN.
If you want to write a mansion AU? Do it.
If you want to make them friends, enemies, exes, reluctant roommates? Go wild.
Just ask yourself why it works. Get creative. Build the bridges. Tell the story.
Stop saying "this can't work." And say, "How can this work?"
Don’t let boring people kill possibility and call it "canon."
