“ | You think your heart's dead? Mostly, but not yet! You think your body's broken? Not even close! But that doesn't matter, does it? Cause you figure, 'I won't care. Do it. Cut me open, HABIT, gut me like a fish. Cut off my fingers, chew 'em in front of me. I won't care, won't give a shit. I won't scream, I won't beg, I won't cry.' But you will. They always do, and in that moment, I'll be there. To piss in your wounds, and to burn you alive. You think you're untouchable? Not even God can hide from me. | „ |
~ HABIT |
HABIT is one of the main antagonists of EverymanHYBRID. He is an entity responsible for the caches and letters containing the Corenthal Papers, as well as some of the unsigned tweets and the Seven Trials of Habit Tournament.
HABIT types in all-caps and tends to end his messages with "YOURS," or "REGARDS,". In series entries from mid-2011, it became clear that HABIT could assume control of Evan's body, and by mid-2012, it was clear that HABIT could completely possess Evan at will.
Relationships[]
Evan[]
Though it had been suspected, and heavily hinted since the beginning, that HABIT and Evan were linked, it wasn't until later in the series that the link became more concrete. While it was initially believed that HABIT may be an alternate personality of Evan's, it has became clear that HABIT can possess and assume control of Evan's body and cause him to act against the rest of the cast. It was suggested that the times Evan was seen speaking to the empty chair (in Slenderman and at the end of Ryan & the SEVENTRIALSOFHABIT ) may be early instances of HABIT taking possession of Evan.
The possession seemed to grow stronger, and HABIT's personality started coming to the forefront in videos like May & June, where Evan/HABIT was instrumental in killing a deer with his bare hands. In the the video Box 6 it seemed clear that Evan was at least occasionally being possessed by HABIT. His attitude towards Green Feathers, and the fact that he knew where the box had been hidden, were outside Evan's normal behavior. However, it soon became clear, with Jeff's kidnapping and disappearance (see videos Not dead yet and MOVING IN) that Evan had been completely taken over by HABIT.
Slenderman[]
Habit's relationship towards Slenderman seems to be one of animosity, as shown in the Twitter fight (this assumes that Slenderman is, in fact, the source of the lowercase Tweets); however posts by HABIT on Damsel's former blog have confirmed that HABIT and Slenderman have worked together in the past. Throughout the series it has become more and more clear that at the very least HABIT is working against the Slenderman, even going as far as murdering Jeff to taunt him. Despite this Slenderman's views on HABIT is still unknown.
The Rake[]
It is heavily implied through out the series that The Rake is HABIT's enforcer, killing those who directly go against HABIT in one way or another. It is unknown the full extent of their relationship though HABIT often refers to The Rake as a "deformed dog," implying HABIT views The Rake as a pet.
Vincent[]
Throughout HABIT's time possessing Evan he would force Vincent to do his bidding, serving as his tormentor while also demonstrating the rules and roles him and the EMH crew abide by. He often verbally and occasionally physically abuses Vincent, implying he likely hates Vincent and is only using him for his own means. In the end HABIT uses Vincent for the North Star, resulting in his and Evan's death and the conclusion of the series.
Fairmount Evan[]
A few papers belonging to Dr. Corenthal were discovered in Box 3 , dated November 17, 1971. It was revealed in this two-page report that the doctor had a juvenile patient named Evan with the nickname "HABIT". The patient's nickname was given to him by his birth-mother. Evan would only respond to this nickname, and would never divulge how he came to acquire it. During the first two weeks of HABIT's stay at Fairmount Children's Home , he brutally killed one of the nurses. Though admittedly redacted, it was later revealed that a plastic fork was involved, used to stab the nurse several times, with Corenthal's report stating that he had never seen a utensil so deep in a person's body.
In the wake of this first outburst, it is reported that HABIT slowly improved, keeping a picture diary with a Polaroid camera. This was not the end of his violent tendencies, however, as Dr. Corenthal reports of "the warren of rabbits found in the Community-yard that Evan had apparently used to recreate the scene of Christ's crucifixion." The date of HABIT's release from Fairmount Children's Home is unknown, but Dr. Corenthal's report mentions that the doctoral body had recommended his release on medical probation, an act which the Doctor himself was opposed to. It is unknown what the relationship is between Evan, the patient known as HABIT, and Evan, the member of the EverymanHYBRID crew, though the latter is likely a reiteration of the former.
Twitter[]
HABIT is mentioned in some of the Unsigned Tweets , and some have speculated HABIT itself is the author of at least some of them. After the establishment of the tournament it became clearer that this was indeed the case. All communications regarding the tournament, both through e-mail and Twitter have been presented in all caps, like the Unsigned Tweets. The author of the unsigned lower case Tweets remains a mystery.
HABIT has established a Twitter account of his own (SEVENTRIALS ), posting primarily about the tournament.
If you were around during the time of EverymanHYBRID and you were following the Twitter you may remember the few tweets that were posted, then deleted shortly after. Clearly an amount of those tweets were from HABIT due to the all caps.
CANYOUSEETHEWORDS[]
On November 15, 2010 it was discovered that the phrase "this is no longer their game. consider yourself marked." is hidden in the background of Damsel's blog . This matched up with an unsigned tweet saying "TILT" (Tilting the computer was the most obvious way to find the message.) There is a great deal of speculation as to how this appeared, Steph expresses ignorance of where it came from, though it seemed to be a phrase that HABIT might use, it was presented in lowercase which goes against HABIT's normal methods.
Later all-caps posts, in the normal style of HABIT's writing, began appearing on the blog every few days. Though the grammar and diction of the posts were less formal than HABIT's normal writing, they seem to be seeking a way to connect HABIT with past serial killers and human monsters life Josef Mengele.
The first, on May 11, 2011, was a video documentary of serial grave robber and murderer Ed Gein and the movies that were inspired by his history such as "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," along with the text "DAMN I LOVED THOSE SKULL BOWLS. AND SAY WHAT U WILL ABOUT THAT LADY SUIT BUT WOMEN SKIN IS FUCKIN SMOOTH HAHA" referring to a part of the documentary in which it was revealed that Ed Gein had bowls made from skulls and several sets of vests and leggings made from cadaver skin in his home when he was arrested. The implication seems to be that HABIT was in control of Ed Gein when he committed his crimes, though many think that the phrasing also suggests that he has some measure of control over either Steph or Jessa as well, and has been "wearing" them.
On May 19th a video for Motorhead's "Jack The Ripper" with the statement "NOT THEIR BEST WORK BUT IM STILL FLATTERED." was posted, adding to the evidence that HABIT had posessed both Ed Gein and Jack the Ripper. The unusual style of the posting has continued to cause some doubt as to whether they were indeed posted by HABIT.
Again on May 25th a documentary about Josef Mengele was posted with the caption "MARC WAS A GOOD KID" referring to Marc Berkowitz, one of the people interviewed in the documentary, who had acted as an assistant to Mengele when he was very young.
On June 2nd a post was made linking to early NYC serial killer and cannibal Albert Fish's Wikipedia entry, with the comment "MMM-MMM ROASTED BOTTOMS", referring to the part of the article where Fish describes in a letter how he thinks the buttocks are the sweetest part of human meat.
On June 12th a woodcut of Vlad III the Impaler was posted with the caption "SIMPLER WAY OF LIFE :D"
HABIT continued his posts on June 28th, posting what he claimed was an excerpt from the diary of a young girl he met in 1957. This particular post calls a lot of HABIT's former statements into question as the story that is relayed refers to him having a physical body that is somewhat invulnerable, and to him collecting the girl and delivering her to Slenderman. However, this may be the young girl's perception of a regular person while that person was inHABITed. It was made known in a future entry that inHABITed persons can take much more punishment than a regular human, making them seem invulnerable at times.
On July 9th he posted an entry from "Johnny," an adult man who HABIT forced to type out the entry as he was being tortured and watched his wife being killed by HABIT. As with the other story Johnny had a son named Aiden who is taken by Slenderman.
On July 20th he posted yet another entry entitled "A LITTLE ONGOING EXPERIMENT OF MINE". The entry is written by a captive, a man named Nicky, who tells us that he has treid to kill himself 8 times within the last 3 days. In the entry Nicky is inHABITed, and is forced to kill his dog, while being possessed. Afterwards, HABIT tells his captive that he's getting him ready for a fight against "another experiment."
HABIT's Identity[]
It has been speculated that HABIT is a demon, a monster, a ghost or some other kind of possessing force. Little is known about who or what exactly HABIT is, though there are hints and clues provided. One of the earliest clues came during the infamous twitter fight in 2010, in which HABIT tweets "IT IS I WHO inHABITS THIS SANCTUARY.", making a strong case for HABIT as a spirit or ghost who can possess others. When asked directly who he was during a chat with Agnol, HABIT said "I'M MANKIND'S BAD HABIT."
After the establishment of The Trials and HABIT's Twitter account in 2010, other clues began to come out as HABIT began claiming either direct responsibility for, or involvement in, various violent events around the world, like an uprising in Egypt.
In mid-2011 when he assumed control of Damsel's blog, CanYouSeeTheWords, HABIT began implying that he had been, perhaps through possession, several of the world's worst serial killers and villains, including Vlad the Impaler, Albert Fish, Josef Mengele and Ed Gein. He also began posting first-hand stories of modern encounters that he has had with victims. These stories began to place him in a modern context (for instance, he mentions a song released in 2001.) They also start to reveal small facts, like that he can control/possess people, and make those vessels inhumanly strong and fast.
In a crossover with TribeTwelve in December 2013, HABIT flagged a letter as sent by him by sticking purple tape on the envelope, as well as a sticker featuring Haunter, a ghost Pokémon that is seen on a t-shirt that Evan/HABIT sometimes wears. The signature of the enclosed letter featured a drawing of a ghost-like face, which was also drawn on HABIT's whiteboard in the same video. This could suggest that HABIT is, in fact, a ghost.
As HABIT is a possessive force it's appearance depends entirely on whomever it is currently possessing. While it is not known whether or not HABIT truly has a true corporeal form it is assumed he is more akin to a spirit thus having no "true form" (aside from an Instagram post on Evan’s personal account where he shares an idea for HABIT’s “real body”). Despite this it is seen taking the form of Evan when seen in other realities, as seen through TribeTwelve in videos such as DEUS EX MACHINA. This has led some to believe HABIT prefers to take the form of Evan even when it is not necessary, though this could simply be because of HABIT's possession of Evan at the time.
History[]
2010[]
The Hidden Videos[]
During the fitness days of the channel, mysterious videos were being uploaded on the channel, with the titles being in morse code. According to the crew, they didn't upload the videos nor could they even see them. It became evident that someone else was uploading them against the crew's wishes. The song "Who Can Win A Rabbit"' by Animal Collective featured heavily in the "Hidden" Videos, and the word "habit" is repeated over and over in the song's lyrics.
HABIT was first mentioned in medical papers found by Jeff in I'm Okay . This led to the discovery of Dr. Corenthal's Wikipedia page, which mentioned that, in his late career, Corenthal had begun compulsively scribbling the word "HABIT" all over medical papers and records, probably indicating a decaying mental state and obsession with this patient.
Prior to the events of Cops Checked, No Body, Jeff received a mysterious postcard with the word HABIT on it, possibly as a form of signature. This clue led the EMH cast to Lambertville, Brooklyn, and eventually Centralia seeking the "Land of Ashen Waste" mentioned on the postcard. The Postcard , the video ". . . . " and the Centralia Note have all been speculated to have been orchestrated by HABIT. Each contains the same font and general type treatment.
The Seven Trials of HABIT[]
In Ryan & the SEVENTRIALSOFHABIT, Vince revealed that, prior to his death, Ryan had received an email inviting him to a tournament that was established by HABIT. Ryan's death seems to have been a consequence of breaking the rules of the tournament. It is evident from his death (and, probably, of mysterious applicants 151-153) that HABIT is not a benign entity. The similarity of Ryan's fatal wounds to wounds seen on other victims suggest that The Rake may have been responsible for them, and could in fact be acting as an enforcer for HABIT.
Fans started signing up for the tournament, and in all communications related to it, HABIT referred to the tournament participants as "Rabbits"; another connection with the above-mentioned song "Who Can Win A Rabbit" (the final lyric, repeated several times, is "Rabbit or habit?"). In the the tournament, HABIT was very verbose, and willingly interacted directly with the Rabbits via Gchat and twitter.
HABIT's motives for the tournament, and the goals he hoped to achieve by hosting it, are still unclear. The First Trial consisted of burying and abandoning a "cherished object," while the Second Trial involved a process beginning with the election of team leaders and culminating in the elimination of 16 Rabbits. The Third Trial required the Rabbits to sever ties with a friend, blaming it on that friend. The Fourth Trial consisted of reciting a poem written by HABIT in a crowded area. The Fifth Trial involved creating a gift for a friend, and then destroying it in front of them. The Sixth Trial involved protesting local government to request that HABIT be the locale's new leader. The Seventh Trial instructed Rabbits to simply "Keep your body breathing."
In progress.
2011[]
In May & June, Vince, Jeff, Evan, and Alex were drawn into the woods where they would later be chased by Slenderman. The crew then saw something, which led Evan to swing his machete before the screen cuts. In the next scene, everyone is covered in blood, with Evan having the most blood on him as he brutally slaughtered a deer using his machete. The camera then shows Evan licking blood from his fingers, which is possibly a sign of Evan being possessed by HABIT.
Later in OUTSIDE HELP, Evan tells Vince that Nick tried to attack him while they were in Evan’s basement and Baldpate Mountain. The fight was possibly staged by HABIT himself, and led to Evan snapping Nick’s neck, killing him.
In Box 6, which was posted by a friend of the EMH crew, Green Feathers, Green went to a wooded geocached location where he found a knife and an ink ribbon with an accompanying note, but he then encountered HABIT. HABIT told Green to show what he retrieved to all of his friends, but before leaving, HABIT threatened Green, telling him that he should keep the knife because HABIT will come back for him with a bigger knife.
In Dead end with a pulse, Jeff goes to Evan’s house to tell him that he found new information, but upon entering Evan’s house, he began to bleed from his mouth. He was then pursued by HABIT while “I Can’t Decide” by the Scissor Sisters played, and eventually attacked by him.
2012[]
Beginning the Final Act[]
In progress.
HABIT continued his possession of Evan, killing Daniel, torturing and killing Steph and Jeff, and committing other atrocities in videos like Next. Evan's mode of dress started to change as well, and he started wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt and straw fedora (again, as seen in Next), which was very different from Evan's usual jeans and t-shirt style.
In WAKE UP, it appears that HABIT released his hold over Evan, or perhaps Evan broke it. Evan can remember the events that happened while HABIT was in control, and was shattered by what was done with his body.
In March 21st, Vince announces that he has decided to attempt to communicate with HABIT in a seance or summoning type event.
2013[]
In a crossover with TribeTwelve, the video DEUS EX MACHINA features an enigmatic character from that series, named Firebrand, stating that "A loathesome entity with mutual interest saved me from servitude", while an image of Evan/HABIT is on screen. Firebrand had been serving Slenderman, who was working under the name "The Administrator" in TribeTwelve. This event furthers the connection between the two series and HABIT's rivalry with the Slenderman.
In A summoning, Vince and Evan successfully summon HABIT by having Evan stand in a pose HABIT calls "the Statue of Liberty playing football" for an hour and seven minutes - which seemed to be a practical joke HABIT played on them, as he manifested in Evan when he wanted to rather than when summoned. HABIT and Vince have a brief conversation, with Vince barely getting any information out of HABIT.
In Lexi, HABIT, still using Evan's body, takes Vince to Lexi's old apartment, where Vince finds out Slenderman was stalking Lexi for a short time. He enlightens Vince to some things; he identifies Vince as the "Guardian" and says there's something about Vince that "we can't quite fuck with". Vince, and possibly his friends, have an innate resistance to the effects of the Slenderman and--presumably--HABIT, and normal people die very quickly from the "slender sickness", which is seemingly what happened to Lexi. HABIT claims to need Vince for something, but surprisingly comforts Vince--who was feeling guilty for going out with Lexi and exposing her to the situation surrounding him--by telling him that seeking companionship and normality is a very human and understanding thing to do, and calling Vince a good person. HABIT also says more people are going to die.
2014[]
HABIT, while still in possession of Evan's body, appears in the TribeTwelve video Severance, wherein HABIT teleports Noah to Evan's house in New Jersey to discuss his ongoing struggle with the Slenderman and how he (HABIT) may be able to help. After managing to "calm" Noah down to some extent with reassurances that the Slenderman cannot touch him while he is inside the house, HABIT reveals that he once worked with the Nazis during World War II on a project with a soldier named Sebastian.
HABIT goes on to tell Noah that the journal Sebastian possessed acts like a "Pope Bubble" and makes it impossible for the Slenderman to touch those who are in possession of it and that he must get his hands on the journal. After this HABIT produces a whiteboard covered with a game of hangman, a recipe, a word square, and a couple of notes, like "Dinner: Presume drunk (will be alone) written on it and a dry-erase marker and asks Noah to draw the "Observer" symbol.
Upon drawing the symbol correctly and being asked what the symbol actually is, HABIT goes on to explain that the "Observer" symbol is a rune that represents "severance" that is powered by the users emotions, wants and their meanings and can be used to "hack" (for lack of a better or rather human definition) into anything including something that HABIT refers to as existing on an "even grander scale" and then goes on to explain that in order to be free of the Slenderman, Noah must draw the "Observer" symbol on something suitable and 'allow it to enter into the body of the one who does the controlling'. A moment later, apparently in response to Noah's obvious incomprehension, HABIT tells him to "put it on a knife, you fucking retard, and shiv 'em in the neck!"
HABIT then reveals the existence of his latest victim, who is bleeding to death in Evan's bathroom, to Noah before kicking him out onto the streets of New Jersey after stating that he is expecting an order of pizza to arrive any minute and that he doesn't want Noah to have any. HABIT is forced to kick Noah out a second a time when Noah tries demanding answers regarding his location. Noah asks someone waiting in a car where he is, what day it is, and he discovers that while it was at Christmas when HABIT transported him for the chat, it was currently the previous September; HABIT had moved him through both space and time.
In the TribeTwelve video Bridge to Nowhere, which is a direct continuation of the video Severance, HABIT (still using Evan's body) stalks Noah after he accidentally enters the Candleverse via a tear in the fabric of reality, and confronts him after watching Noah's exchange with the Candleverse incarnation of Jeff, who suggested that Noah kill himself instead of going through with HABIT's plan. After demanding an explanation as to how Noah got in, HABIT asks Noah what he thinks about Jeff's suggestion and becomes furious when it seems as if Noah is actually considering the idea.
While yelling at Noah, HABIT's voice becomes distinctly more demonic as his anger grows until he realizes that Noah is filming everything that is happening, and he quickly proceeds to calm and collect himself. But HABIT and Noah quickly resume their argument after the conversation goes down a path Noah isn't comfortable with and ultimately ends with HABIT granting Noah's desperate request to be sent back home. HABIT then returns to the Candleverse to resume his hunt for Jeff and a handful of other unnamed and unseen individuals that are currently trapped in the Candleverse.
In the MLAndersen0 video GOODBYE , HABIT uses Evan's body to interrogate Shaun Andersen about the whereabouts of his brother Michael. After giving useless information, HABIT tantalizes Shaun with the idea of Michael is using him as a wall between him and the Slenderman, along with a couple others that have gone through the motions with Shaun and Michael. HABIT mentions that he's known Michael for very, very long time (it is unknown at this time whether he means Michael or Michael's alter ego Patrick), and also asks Shaun, "Do you even know if he's your brother?". The video finishes with HABIT closing the door to the attic to begin torturing Shaun. Years later, in 2016 in the Stan Frederick video 13. Unsatisfied Customers, Patrick while having a phone call with Stan confirms that HABIT did indeed kill Shaun, having cut him into little pieces with his chainsaw.
In the EverymanHYBRID video Breaking the lease, HABIT becomes interested in Vince's behavior as he begins to film things of his own accord. Vince claims that he doesn't want to kill anymore people to survive, then tries to leave but the door is locked. HABIT unlocks the door and Vince steps outside but HABIT hits him in the back of the head (similarly to the events in Three's company) and drags Vince away.
2015[]
To be added.
2016[]
To be added.
2017[]
To be added.
2018[]
To be added.
Speculation[]
- HABIT is Fairmount Evan, who has become a force similar to Slenderman through unknown means. The evidence for this is sparse with most pointing to Corenthal's Letters in which he states that Evan was given the nickname of "Habit" by his mother.
- HABIT has (or had) a symbiotic relationship with the Slenderman: HABIT delivers children to Slenderman and in exchange Slenderman keeps HABIT's victims alive longer so he can torture and experiment on them.
- The Rake is one of HABIT's "experiments" similar to Nicholas who is described in the blog post, "A LITTLE ONGOING EXPERIMENT OF MINE."
- If he is not Slenderman's enemy, HABIT could be a "Proxy" (a term used in other series to mean someone who works for Slenderman.) His habit of writing in all caps has been exhibited by known Slenderproxies in other series. Similarly HABIT's seemingly otherworldly powers make him a "Black Pawn Revenant," another term popularized in other series. They are proxies that the Slenderman has given powers like his own, but weaker.
- HABIT is a memetic entity,
- HABIT knows something about/has history with/is connected to the entity Patrick and/or Michael Andersen from MLAndersen0 and knows things about him that make Michael/Patrick enlightened and trained to be strategic around the Slenderman.
- HABIT believes in giving a little bit of help - but not a lot - to those he believes are useful to him.
- HABIT freed Firebrand from The Collective to spite Slenderman.
- HABIT and Slenderman are enemies/rivals.