The feeling of being watched. When the DMs contain statements like 'I'm always here' or 'I see you every day', it gives this horrible sense of being constantly under surveillance, even in the safety of your own home while using Tumblr.
The anonymity. When you don't know who is sending those terrifying DMs, it makes it so much scarier. It could be anyone, lurking in the shadows of the internet.
The personal nature of the threats. For example, if they mention your real - life locations or things that only you should know. In one story, the sender knew about a secret family heirloom the user had, and that was used to terrify them in the DMs. It makes you feel like your privacy has been completely invaded.
The unknown is often the scariest. In dm horror stories, things like strange noises in the dark that you can't identify. It's the fear of not knowing what's making that sound. Is it a monster? A ghost? It plays on our imagination.
The sudden appearance of unexpected and disturbing images. For example, a gory or supernatural figure popping up when you least expect it.
One Tumblr DM horror story I heard was about a user who received a series of anonymous DMs. The messages started with simple, creepy statements like 'I'm watching you.' As time went on, the messages became more detailed, mentioning things only the user thought they knew. It turned out to be an ex - friend who had hacked into another account to stalk and scare them.
One common element is a lack of respect for the players' ideas. DMs might disregard character backstories or player - suggested plot twists. Another is being too rigid in the game world rules. For example, not allowing any creativity when it comes to using skills or magic. Also, unfairness in encounters, like creating unbeatable foes without any real purpose or way out for the players.
The use of anime - related knowledge to create fear. In weeb dm horror stories, the sender might use a character that the receiver loves and turn it into something menacing. They could say things like that character is now cursed or something bad will happen to it. This plays on the emotional connection the weeb has with the anime world. Also, the anonymity in DMs can be really scary. You don't know who is behind those messages, and they could be anywhere in the world, plotting something evil.
The unknown is the scariest. In 'as is horror stories', things are often left in their natural state, so you don't really know what's lurking in the shadows or what's causing those strange noises. It's that sense of not having all the answers that makes it terrifying.
Isolation is also a key element. When characters are alone in a spooky place, like an abandoned asylum in one of the stories. They have no one to turn to, and that makes the situation even more terrifying as the horror unfolds around them.
The unknown is one of the scariest elements. When things are not clearly defined, like a strange figure in the fog in some stories from '1001 horror stories', it makes our imagination run wild. We start to create the most terrifying scenarios in our minds.
The scariest element could be the sense of the unknown. For example, in many stories, there are strange noises or happenings that the characters can't explain. It's that not - knowing what is causing the fear that really gets to you.
The isolation in many of the stories is really scary. Like when a character is alone in an old, abandoned building, cut off from the outside world, and they start to feel like they're being watched by something malevolent. There's also the fear of the supernatural, such as ghosts or demons that defy the laws of nature. This makes the characters, and the readers, feel powerless against them.