As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

The thread that goes bump in the night! [Spooky] Thread y'all!

1679111288

Posts

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    Though I don't buy it, this dude's work has obviously struck a chord with me, because I keep talking about it. I wonder if there's any analysis of his research by some third party that I can check out to see what people more in the know than me think of it.

  • GR_ZombieGR_Zombie Krillin It Registered User regular
    Delduwath wrote: »
    Though I don't buy it, this dude's work has obviously struck a chord with me, because I keep talking about it. I wonder if there's any analysis of his research by some third party that I can check out to see what people more in the know than me think of it.

    The reports are at least good story germs if nothing else.

    04xkcuvaav19.png
  • MvrckMvrck Dwarven MountainhomeRegistered User regular
    GR_Zombie wrote: »
    Delduwath wrote: »
    Though I don't buy it, this dude's work has obviously struck a chord with me, because I keep talking about it. I wonder if there's any analysis of his research by some third party that I can check out to see what people more in the know than me think of it.

    The reports are at least good story germs if nothing else.

    That's basically what I'm taking from it. And I feel like thats the basis of the Stairs in the Woods stuff. Some park dude was like "I can totally write creepy stories about this stuff" even though it's all pretty mundane overall. Shit, that video says 411 missing cases. I would be willing to bet that you could match that number for people that have vanished from shopping malls.

  • Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    I think the title of the book is missing 411, I don't know if that's th number of cases, unless I totally missed something.

  • JihadJesusJihadJesus Registered User regular
    edited January 2017
    Delduwath wrote: »
    Though I don't buy it, this dude's work has obviously struck a chord with me, because I keep talking about it. I wonder if there's any analysis of his research by some third party that I can check out to see what people more in the know than me think of it.

    Look up when your local search and rescue meets. Buy them beers. Listen to them laugh uproriously at this moron who has never actually tried to find anyone lost in the mountains.

    My grandpa was the one who took me hiking as a kid and he was mountain S&R for thirty years. Believe me, you don't need supernatural shit for the wilderness to ruin your day. The perfectly natural has that covered just fine.

    EDIT: For reference, according to the parks service there were more than 300 MILLION distinct national parks visits in 2015 alone. A ton of those are just drive through and visitor center tourists, but if you were curious if any significant portion of people who visit the national parks go missing the answer is pretty clear.

    JihadJesus on
  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    Delduwath wrote: »
    The other thing I thought amusing about the descriptions of specific incidents was one incident where a 3-year-old girl went missing, and was later found by some people in the company of some dark humanoid shape that stood up and left when those people were approaching. The girl then described the incident by saying that "the doggie ate [her] hat".

    - This incident is from the 1800s. I'm not saying that people in the 1800s were credulous fools, or that facts didn't exist prior to the Information Age, but I'm also not necessarily going to put as much stock into a rando 1800s report of a dark humanoid shape as I am in a, say, 1990s report of a dark humanoid shape.
    - A 3-year-old saying that a doggie ate her hat does not mean that a robo wolf-man abducted her and then ingested her hat for tissue sample analysis.
    - A dark humanoid shape that runs away when adults approach is not necessarily the wolf-man. I can think of several reasons why a dark humanoid shape might run away from a lost little girl when adults approach.

    I'm also very curious about the overall statistics. How many people visit national parks, overall? What percent goes missing? What percent goes missing under mysterious circumstances? What percent of both categories is eventually found?

    Like if one percent of one percent goes missing, there's no reason for the government to Warn The Public About National Parks. That's not sinister; that's statistics.

    1800s versus modern also has, if I understand correctly, a cultural zeitgeist more willing to accept the supernatural as a possibility in the absence of counter-evidence.

    It's not about being right or wrong, even. It's just that the belief structure encourages or discourages explanations. If you hear a crackly noise on the radio you can't explain, it's just the radio fucking up, because you've placed "maybe ghosts?" as something requiring extraordinary evidence if you allow for it at all. Meanwhile, if someone believes in ghosts, they might investigate to rule out obvious causes (hopefully, because that's basic due diligence even aside from belief structure questions) but once they've placed those out of the picture, they'll assume it is, since their view of reality has that as a more likely possibility than anything else on the table.

    Nobody knows anywhere close to everything, so what you rule out from the start (which you have to do if you're going to get anything done) is as important to your view of the world as what you find along the way. Different cultures, different impossibilities.

    Basically, a modern person with no belief in Draculas seeing some asshole turn into a bat is a much more compelling bit of counter-evidence to the general "I don't believe in no Draculas" premise than hearing the same story from a member of "Draculas: They secretly run the government: The newsgroup".

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    chiasaur11 wrote: »
    Delduwath wrote: »
    The other thing I thought amusing about the descriptions of specific incidents was one incident where a 3-year-old girl went missing, and was later found by some people in the company of some dark humanoid shape that stood up and left when those people were approaching. The girl then described the incident by saying that "the doggie ate [her] hat".

    - This incident is from the 1800s. I'm not saying that people in the 1800s were credulous fools, or that facts didn't exist prior to the Information Age, but I'm also not necessarily going to put as much stock into a rando 1800s report of a dark humanoid shape as I am in a, say, 1990s report of a dark humanoid shape.
    - A 3-year-old saying that a doggie ate her hat does not mean that a robo wolf-man abducted her and then ingested her hat for tissue sample analysis.
    - A dark humanoid shape that runs away when adults approach is not necessarily the wolf-man. I can think of several reasons why a dark humanoid shape might run away from a lost little girl when adults approach.

    I'm also very curious about the overall statistics. How many people visit national parks, overall? What percent goes missing? What percent goes missing under mysterious circumstances? What percent of both categories is eventually found?

    Like if one percent of one percent goes missing, there's no reason for the government to Warn The Public About National Parks. That's not sinister; that's statistics.

    1800s versus modern also has, if I understand correctly, a cultural zeitgeist more willing to accept the supernatural as a possibility in the absence of counter-evidence.

    It's not about being right or wrong, even. It's just that the belief structure encourages or discourages explanations. If you hear a crackly noise on the radio you can't explain, it's just the radio fucking up, because you've placed "maybe ghosts?" as something requiring extraordinary evidence if you allow for it at all. Meanwhile, if someone believes in ghosts, they might investigate to rule out obvious causes (hopefully, because that's basic due diligence even aside from belief structure questions) but once they've placed those out of the picture, they'll assume it is, since their view of reality has that as a more likely possibility than anything else on the table.

    Nobody knows anywhere close to everything, so what you rule out from the start (which you have to do if you're going to get anything done) is as important to your view of the world as what you find along the way. Different cultures, different impossibilities.

    Basically, a modern person with no belief in Draculas seeing some asshole turn into a bat is a much more compelling bit of counter-evidence to the general "I don't believe in no Draculas" premise than hearing the same story from a member of "Draculas: They secretly run the government: The newsgroup".

    Right! This is the vague notion that was floating around in my head; you've verbalized it in a much better way than I would have.

  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    So here we have a highly active Wiki consisting entirely of clinical descriptions of imaginary tornadoes. I don't know why, but everything about this community is extremely unsettling to me.

    GDdCWMm.jpg
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Less spooky and more terrifying.

    https://youtu.be/3XKiUtruQiY

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    ... Welp.

  • BedlamBedlam Registered User regular
    Plane Poops :|

  • TankHammerTankHammer Atlanta Ghostbuster Atlanta, GARegistered User regular
    "We didn't originally have them make the sound of violins from a horror movie, that was all Ron's idea. It adds a lot, don't you think?"

  • Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    "What's that attachment?"

    "Oh that's the Exsanguination Probe! It's basically a giant needle that sucks out all of a person's blood."

    "But why?"

    "Lol I dunno."

  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    These things aren't even armed. :) What's supposed to be scary about them?

  • Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    Panda4You wrote: »
    These things aren't even armed. :) What's supposed to be scary about them?

    Yet.

    They aren't armed yet.

    I'm imagining giant clouds of palm-sized drones with built in teargas or pepper spray canisters just descending on a crowd of protesters like a swarm of very angry mechanical wasps.

  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    Panda4You wrote: »
    These things aren't even armed. :) What's supposed to be scary about them?
    Yet.

    They aren't armed yet.

    I'm imagining giant clouds of palm-sized drones with built in teargas or pepper spray canisters just descending on a crowd of protesters like a swarm of very angry mechanical wasps.
    Well, facts of life have never really been "scary" to me. They're just shit you have to take into account. :wink:
    But really, why would that be a better or more cost-efficient solution than just use a regular riot police APC and mow down the crowd with a pepper-laced water cannon...?

    Here's a good iranian horror movie though! :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHVFP80Upxw

  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    Panda4You wrote: »
    Panda4You wrote: »
    These things aren't even armed. :) What's supposed to be scary about them?
    Yet.

    They aren't armed yet.

    I'm imagining giant clouds of palm-sized drones with built in teargas or pepper spray canisters just descending on a crowd of protesters like a swarm of very angry mechanical wasps.
    Well, facts of life have never really been "scary" to me. They're just shit you have to take into account. :wink:
    But really, why would that be a better or more cost-efficient solution than just use a regular riot police APC and mow down the crowd with a pepper-laced water cannon...?

    Because this way you can do so anonymously (and thus without accountability) and without any sort of boots on the ground.

    Corrupt cops are a thing, but you know they are a thing and generally have some (few) means of dealing with them. Clouds of death robots falling on your town from an unknown source wreaking havoc for a reason you likely will never know (assuming you survive) is something else entirely.

  • Vann DirasVann Diras Registered User regular
    Ah yes, terror drones raining murder from on high

    The facts of life

  • XehalusXehalus Registered User regular
  • Tommy2HandsTommy2Hands what is this where am i Registered User regular
    I wanna write an SCP for that

    8j12qx8ma5j5.jpg
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Vann Diras wrote: »
    Ah yes, terror drones raining murder from on high

    The facts of life

    You take the good, you take the bad

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    edited January 2017
    ah shit, filesize... :)

    But take a look at this

    Panda4You on
  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    I love old timey dressup.
    o2Nb2j4.png
    From a local intermediate school in the 1940s. I think this is the alpha version of Bert and Ernie.
    8Dniyyj.png
    And the whole group, who were performing as the "Awkward Squad."

  • BedlamBedlam Registered User regular

  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    Pack it up, folks, we are done as a species.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giS41utjlbU

  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    Pack it up, folks, we are done as a species.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giS41utjlbU

    stairs.jpg

    GDdCWMm.jpg
  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    edited February 2017
    He has friends that are not so limited.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5qpXO3isM

    Some of them will get you a beer. And then take it back.

    chamberlain on
  • TankHammerTankHammer Atlanta Ghostbuster Atlanta, GARegistered User regular
    The wheels are on the end of legs. You don't think Handle can lock his wheels and go up and down stairs on his 4 appendages? He's a Boston Dynamics robot!

  • XehalusXehalus Registered User regular
    robocop 4 got weird

  • Johnny ChopsockyJohnny Chopsocky Scootaloo! We have to cook! Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered User regular
    Pack it up, folks, we are done as a species.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giS41utjlbU

    https://youtu.be/sAmyZP-qbTE

    ygPIJ.gif
    Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
  • CampyCampy Registered User regular
  • XehalusXehalus Registered User regular
    kUSspO1.jpg

  • CalicaCalica Registered User regular
    Hey, y'all remember watching that middling Sinbad movie where he was a genie?

    NO YOU DON'T CHUMPS

    http://www.theearthchild.co.za/glitch-matrix-many-people-claim-seen-movie-never-existed/

    FUCK

    So when I watch a movie for the first time, particularly if it's in a theater, I often have the impression that I watched it twice. My best guess is that I'm mentally processing at least some scenes in a way that creates distinct parallel memories from just the one event. I wonder if this is similar.

  • XehalusXehalus Registered User regular
    PIA19048.jpg

    Europa looks creepy as fuck

  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    edited February 2017
    "Make us whole again, Isaac."

    Panda4You on
  • BedlamBedlam Registered User regular
    How about name that spooky memory thing!?

    I remember a tv show I think it was something like the outer limits but it could have been a movie as it was on during primetime before young me would have gone to bed. And definitely in the 90s when things like x-files were popular.

    Anyway its a sunny day and there is a guy and he comes across a small figure in the park. Sort of the size of a farangi but wearing a black cloak and creepy as fuck. The thing follows the guy and he gets in his car and the creature scratches the window in a circular motion. Then I changed the channel because I am scared out of my mind.

    Anyway that memory has been sticking out in my mind lately and since I just got a hulu sub I figure if it rings a bell and is still available I might try and watch it again. if anybody else has spooky memories of old tv shows that could be to try and guess as well. (kind of like name that game)

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Sounds like Tales from the Darkside maybe

  • SmurphSmurph Registered User regular
    Maybe it was prophetic dream of something that's really going to happen to you one day

  • LadaiLadai Registered User regular
    edited February 2017
    Regarding spooky memories:

    I have this one distinct memory of being a little kid in some basement with like dozens of other kids my age, and we're watching The Neverending Story. I also remember a sense that none of us kids wanted to watch that movie, and that we were being made to watch it against our will.

    I once told this to a friend of mine in high school, to which he responded, "Holy shit, dude, I have the same memory."

    My friend and I have known each other since kindergarten, so that would make sense, if this event did indeed actually happen. But neither of us remember the other person being there. Just a basement room full of other kids we didn't know, watching this movie and not liking it very much.

    We used to be fairly creeped out by our shared memory, but now it's just something we just laugh and shake our heads at.

    Ladai on
    ely3ub6du1oe.jpg
Sign In or Register to comment.