Author Topic: People killing themselves after looking at a pic.. (Read 4796 times)

tivx · « **on:** May 27, 2006, 12:12:01 AM »

Quote

Take a look at the picture above, I recently discovered this image and its tale in a korean publicaion.

The story is this, in Japan shortly before a teenage girl comitted suicide, she drew this picture, scanned it and posted it online. In korea this story broke out and it spread like wildfire. There are various posts around in korean forums that say that the viewer gets drawn to the girls blue eyes, they say they can detect a hint of wraith and sadness within the eyes. Maybe the girl had died with so much sadness and anger that her spirit haunts the image, or maybe the image provoke sadness, similar to the song 'Gloomy Sunday'.

The freaky bit is this, they say it is hard for a person to stare into the girls eyes for longer than 5 minutes, there are reports that some people have taken their own lives after doing so. People say the picture changes, as you view it there is a hint of a growing taunting smirk appearing on the girls lips or a dark ring grows around the girl or her eyes.

One thing is for sure, the picture has sparked a curiosity in me that I must find out, i do feel a presence when I look at the image, whether it is evil or not I can not judge. I would like to know what the global online community feels and maybe even experts in art would be able to resolve why the eyes of this image can draw the viewer in so deeply?

- Jojo

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=17626

Pretty freaky. Anybody wanna give it a try? These things freak me out easily.

ohbahsan · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:33:02 AM »

A1 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:39:22 AM »

Oh hell naw...

aimaime · « **Reply #3 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:45:03 AM »

is this another one of those "WAHHHHHH!!!!!"

pics?

tivx · « **Reply #4 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:56:00 AM »

no it's not aimaime, i wouldn't do that to you

or would i.... >.>

Sabaku Ika · « **Reply #5 on:** May 27, 2006, 01:44:52 AM »

I heard in third grade that if you stare at a mirror and say "Bloody Mary" 30 times, a ghost will appear and kill you. I never tried it and I'm still alive, so it must be true.

edit: That is quite a picture. I'd probably not hit it.

Dronak · « **Reply #6 on:** May 27, 2006, 02:01:52 AM »

Unless I didn't wait long enough for it to turn into a screamer, it's a static image with no sound. The post that went with it is probably right about people with art knowledge being able to explain how the picture can draw you in. That's not me, but I'll post some thoughts anyway.

I imagine the light color of the eyes are part of it. My niece has crystal blue eyes and they really draw your attention. The eyes are also in the center of the image, a pretty natural place to look and focus. As for the other bits, that staring at it is hard and you start to see changes, I think they're basically optical illusions. I suspect things like persistence of vision or after-images caused by the staring cause the changes. Also, I've heard from a lot of courses over the years that humans are pretty good at seeing patterns and things that don't really exist. (I don't think it would be too hard to search out info on this if you're interested.) So I think the changes in the image are basically imaginary. And staring at just about *anything* for a long time eventually gets hard, doesn't it?

As for people killing themselves after staring at the image, I find that hard to believe. If they were already unstable or leaning towards suicide, then *maybe* this could push them over the edge if they got overwhelming feelings of sadness or something.

P.S. -- Great logic there, Sabaku Ika.

Sabaku Ika · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2006, 02:07:39 AM »

One of the commenters on that site named SarahColleen wrote:
"This is an optical illusion that I have studied before when I went to art school (later became an artist) because of the blurriness, when you focus on one point of the pic, for example the eyes, your mind wants to correct the blurriness and hence you will see things get lighter and darker as your mind tries to make sense of what is blurred. nothing is really moving, darkening, or becoming lighter. It is really all in your mind. The eyes in the pic are not blurry, and are the brightest- which makes us focus on them giving a large surrounding area to blur and unblur.
Sorry for the long explination, but thats how it works."

I didn't stare long enough to varify this. Staring straight at ANY still image for 5 minutes is a challenge for most people, I think. There could be a magical reason for that too...

aimaime · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2006, 04:19:33 AM »

Quote from: tivx

no it's not aimaime, i wouldn't do that to you or would i.... >.>

damnn.. that makes me even more curious :bounceblob:

Mugen · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2006, 04:41:31 AM »

damn its pretty freaky but i dont wanna check it out...yet

Tyler_Wood_2005 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 27, 2006, 04:49:47 AM »

Oh hells no, I got scared enough when I just read the text. I'll check it out if someone here checks it out first and replys back alive....

Jaci85 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 27, 2006, 05:43:22 AM »

Quote from: Sabaku Ika

I heard in third grade that if you stare at a mirror and say "Bloody Mary" 30 times, a ghost will appear and kill you. I never tried it and I'm still alive, so it must be true.

I heard that too. I've made it to three times before chickening out. One kid claimed that he did it and the ghost appeared with an ax.

Anyway, that pic scared me, so I closed it after 10 seconds. It's not that I believe it or anything, it's just... you know. It's beautiful though. I expected an ugly pencil drawing or crayons.

Tyler_Wood_2005 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 27, 2006, 06:11:31 AM »

It's strange how something like that can scare you so much isn't it. I still won't open that link...not even to look.

Chatin · « **Reply #13 on:** May 27, 2006, 06:15:04 AM »

Quote from: Tyler_Wood_2005

It's strange how something like that can scare you so much isn't it. I still won't open that link...not even to look.

I finally caved and looked. It isn't anything bad, really. It looks like pretty fanart. Like something you'd find on deviantart.

Kei · « **Reply #14 on:** May 27, 2006, 06:16:43 AM »

You're all pussies! I stared at it for six minutes and 38 seconds and I didn't top myself after it.

StreakInTheSky · « **Reply #15 on:** May 27, 2006, 09:09:47 AM »

It's a really nice painting... quite pretty I think, but it is a little depressing.

Tyler_Wood_2005 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 27, 2006, 09:43:36 AM »

OHHH SHIT!!, I shouldn't alooked and stared, now I got her outlined burned into my EYES!!!. I still see her even after I stopped staring.

I can't explain it...but I felt terrified as I stared.

EVEN though I'm drunk as a fox right now, that's what it took me to actually to get to stare!!!. I wouldn'ta stared if I was sober.

Great...I knew I shouldn'ta stared...now I feel like killing myself

vvv
only because I WASTED!! $350 on a shitty concert ticket to Konno Asamis last concert, turns out I'm gonna be a the very very very back of the concert hall, as far as you can get from the stage itself infact

psymon · « **Reply #17 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:09:29 PM »

*jumps out of the Window*

thatguy · « **Reply #18 on:** May 27, 2006, 12:17:40 PM »

i looked at it and noticed that there's some rather subtle motion blurring all around her face (particularly in the hair), which clears up the most at the eyes. looking at the picture actually made my eyes hurt, cause they couldn't resolve the whole picture to the same extent as the eyes. in my opinion, the eyes look too glassy compared to the softness of the rest of the picture.

i also noticed her lips are just slightly parted, neither definitively open nor closed. looks almost as if she has something to say but can't quite get it out of her mouth.

i'm personally not moved in any way, and i think it's something of an urban myth. i bet you could come up with a completely different back-story to explain that picture and get a completely different reaction.

Sabaku Ika · « **Reply #19 on:** May 27, 2006, 03:01:00 PM »

The real question:
Is it really an urban myth or did that site start the whole thing? Notice, the story includes no specific sources at all. Has anyone seen this elsewhere?