User blog comment:Goddess of Despair/Season 6 Battle 4 Voldemort vs Slender Man/@comment-4661256-20130908194316

El Alamein's Edgeless Evaluation

I'm going to say right off the bat that I think Slender Man will win, but it's not nearly as one-sided as everyone else makes it seem. In reality, I believe that when one analyzes what Slender Man has proven itself physically capable of, it's a lot less invincible supernatural powers and you can really discover its true limitations (and, I daresay, weaknesses).

So let's start with the Slender Man's physical makeup. The Slender Man is alive, whatever it is, there's no denying that. This means that Avada Kedavra and other offensive spells will have an effect on him. Slender Man's prey of choice are small children or otherwise defenseless victims, as it feeds on their fear and draws out the thrill of the hunt until their paranoia and terror reaches a palpable climax - it's only then that the Slender Man strikes. It rarely (if ever) chooses to target a potential victim that would or could fight back. All this "Slender Man's invincible dur de dur" is bogus, because you have no evidence to support its perceived invulnerability. As a living organism (even if a supernatural one), it is susceptible to physical damage.

Voldemort, obviously, is alive too, and much more human that Slender Man. However, being more human proves to be in this fight a strategic limitation, as humans (and Voldemort especially) are very emotional creatures. Voldemort allows his emotions, especially  negative ones like fear and rage, control his decisions, especially in the heat of battle. The more afraid the Dark Lord becomes, the more angry he appears in an effort to mask his fear and seem dominant in the fight. Against a foe with no psychological makeup like the Slender Man, Voldemort's bellicose rhetoric and displays of magical shock-and-awe will have no impact. In fact, it could have a reverse impact - after setting the whole forest on fire (or something of the like) in an effort to frighten the Slender Man, and seeing that it didn't work, Voldemort could well be driven into a panicky state as his magical psychological attacks crumble before his eyes.

Now let's look at Slender Man's abilities. In probably one of the only canon sources available on the creature, the indie game Slender (which might not be canon, I don't know, but I'm going to reference it regardless), the Slender Man never moves, teleports, etc. in front of the victim's eyes. It always does so when the victim has fled and stations itself in a position where the victim will inadvertently encounter it and find themselves in a place of no escape (i.e. Slender Man hiding behind a corner or whatever). So it's not like Voldemort's gonna Apparate and the Slender Man can grab onto him and attack him in mid-teleport. Another thing is that the Slender Man is not an omniscient being - it sure appears to be one, but if that was the case, why would it only prey on weak creatures? The obvious answer must be that it is not capable of performing feats greater than hunting children armed only with flashlights. Of course, this isn't to say that the Slender Man won't or can't teleport or move freely in full view of its victim, but that, as it has been demonstrated multiple times, it chooses not to. This will be a great strategic limitation, at least in the early game.

Voldemort's abilities will likely prove (initially) more useful than those of his enemy's. I believe his nearly limitless magical arsenal, coupled with his self-perceived notion of invincibility, will protect him, for a while, anyway, from the Slender Man. Slender sickness can be wiped away by something as simple as a "Protego" (or some shield charm even more potent). The only problem I see is that Voldemort takes a blitzkrieg-type battle plan when it comes to using magic in a fight - all Avada Kedvras all day long, with the occassional Crucio. I think that Crucio may be enough to startle the Slender Man into reworking its game plan - because as a living entity, it is subject to physical pain, but I doubt it will outwardly display it. The Slender Man doesn't move in front of its victims, as I have stated before, so even as its body is consumed in this physical sensation alien to what it knows, it can still assault Voldemort will Slender sickness or whatever and appear to be unmoved by Crucio.

Voldemort will lose this fight thanks to his self-inflicted limitations on his magical arsenal - that being that he's proven to prefer offensive magic rather than a balance of offensive and defensive. He'll unleash a barrage of spells, realize they don't faze his foe, and then lose face and fall apart into his fear-fueled anger that will lead him to make unforgivable tactical blunders. Slender Man might not be the invincible teleporting demigod the users below have made it out to be, but its patience, psychological immunity, and its ability to appear invincible will lead it to win more times than will Voldemort. Of course, over the course of 1,000 (or 10,000) battles, Voldemort will certainly win some - a well-placed Avada Kedavra could end the game before it starts. But the Slender Man will win more times because its battle plan is less susceptible to gaping holes like Voldemort's is.