A journal I guess

Evolution of Them throughout the ages.

This chapter deals with heavy topics such as s*icide, g*re, and other things which may be triggering. You've been warned.

This is long overdue, I know. As an Archivist, I keep certain information to myself out of habit. But I realized this is both important and harmless enough to share. 

What does this chapter entail, exactly? It's meant to prove a point, whether it's to show the different versions of Them based on culture, or to show Their existence long before the internet. You're free to interpret this how you will, I'm only sharing the information contained in my archives solely to be informative. There will, of course, be sources, as all the chapters of this nature often have, to allow you some further reading. 

As the decades go by, the human mind develops and adapts. Our interpretation of monsters, too, change, and our view of what's frightening changes along with it. These fears and these monsters not only evolve along with us, they shape how we view the world around us. This can be seen in culture, religion, and urban legends. It explains why there's different versions of the same creatures; it all depends on the perspective of the person experiencing them. If you believe something is malicious, you will then interpret every action it takes as malicious. The human mind tends to exaggerate, depending on what it believes. It sharpens shadows, adds claws and teeth, hears growling when there is none, and pulls itself into the depths of paranoia and fear, because that's human instinct. 

That's why in certain cases, these creatures, these "Creepypastas" or "cryptids," whichever you want to call them, are called "Fears." Or "Tulpas." Many of these theories are correct in their own right, solely based on the fact that we as humans, never experience fear the same as others. It's a unique experience tailored to each individual. 

With this opening, I'll get to the different versions of these creatures, and why I believe they're the same creature. And no, this won't be the same creatures that are always mentioned in other journals. I'm not talking about Der Grobmann and H.P. Lovecraft. This is going to be a deep dive into connections between different urban legends and cultures, and of course, I'll try my best to be as respectful as possible when talking about cultures I may not be so informed about. If you're interested in links or sources to sightings, let me know and I'll give you some, although I do share a limited number of sightings in the sources. 

This is meant to be a summary of these creatures, and the sources are meant to serve as further reading for you, the reader. Since there's so much material to sort through, I can't do more than a quick summary of each creature. This isn't meant to be an opinion piece, nor do I vouch for the credibility of the legends discussed today. I'm not here to debunk them, only share them with you. I hope you can understand. 

Ps. I won't share all the creatures in this chapter. The next one will contain more. It's just a lot of content to digest, and I'd like to divide it into two or more parts. For your convenience, incomplete lists will be marked at the bottom.

1. Fleshgaits. 

These creatures, which have reported sightings since the early 2000s, are a variation of The Rake, and W*nd*g*s/Sk*nw*lk*rs. Generally described as tall, thin and pale humanoids with long limbs and claws, these creatures are able to shapeshift, and mimic the voice and appearance of humans. Some say this is done after the Fleshgait obtains a body and wears its skin. The individual being "possessed" for the lack of a better term, will begin to act strange or confused, as if observing the world around them for the first time. This can be described also as a complete lack of personality. These creatures are found deep in wooden areas, often areas that are abandoned or off limits, and attempt to lure people via mimicking human voices. 

Due to the appearance of The Rake and the Fleshgait being the same, I believe these two are the same creature under different names and guises. Fleshgaits also originated along with the 4chan image which circulated and later on became known as The Rake.