The Most Dangerous Games: The Ritual Of Static

Previously: The Dice Game.

I’m actually not at all sure where the Ritual of Static comes from. I’ve mostly seen it on Brazilian sites written in Portuguese, where it’s called O Ritual da Estática; in that respect, it’s not dissimilar from the Television Ritual. I did find one image of the text written in English on Pinterest, but both a reverse image search and a straight-up quote search failed to turn up the original source. What’s more, the little comic strip included in the creepypasta to which the ritual is attached includes words from several different languages — but two in particular stand out: There’s some English, and there’s a lot of German. (And for the curious, yes, I also searched for a couple of different German translations of the phrases “Static Ritual” and “Ritual Of Static” and came up empty there, too.)

All of which is to say that the origins of this one remain unknown.

The Brazilian sources seemed to be the most complete. They seem to date the ritual back to 2013; in March of that year, the Ritual of Static appeared as part of a creepypasta on both Creepypasta Brasil and the Creepypasta Brasil Wiki. According to the story, the narrator discovered the ritual on a crumpled piece of paper they found while helping a friend move house. The instructions weren’t written out, though; they were drawn as a sort of comic strip. The friend didn’t know where it had come from—when the narrator showed it to him, he said, “It must be something the children drew a long time ago,” wherein “a long time ago” was estimated to have been around 1935 — but he did say that he had previously found a television similar to the one depicted in the comic strip in one of the house’s bedrooms, which he subsequently had moved to the new house.

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It’s not totally clear what the point of the ritual is. The creepypasta to which it’s attached notes that it’s “meditative” in nature and can provide “self-knowledge,” which suggests that it’s sort of akin to the Three Kings or Doors of Your Mind; however, the little comic’s last panel also implies that there’s substantial risk involved: If you do it correctly, your “third eye” will open… but if you do it incorrectly, you’ll be consumed by the static.

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• An analog television. The television should be equal to or larger than the width of your own body. It should not have any auxiliary speakers connected to it.
• A bathroom with a bathtub.
• Two candles.
• Matches or a lighter.
• A timekeeping device, preferably analog.

Instructions:

The Prelude:

1. Begin at midnight.
2. Position the television such that, when it’s turned on, you can hear it from the bathroom where your bathtub is located. Do NOT place the television directly in the bathroom. Make sure the television is plugged in and operational.
3. Place the candles in the bathroom and light them.
4. Place the timekeeping device in the bathroom.
5. Turn on the bathtub’s faucet and fill the tub with water. NOTE: Do not fill the bathtub all the way up. Leave some extra room (see: The Main Event, Steps 6 through 9).
6. When the tub is sufficiently full, turn the faucet off.
7. Turn off all the lights in the house.
8. Turn off, unplug, and/or remove the batteries from any electronic devices in the house OTHER than the television which may beep, buzz, make noise, or — especially — create static.
9. Turn on the television.
10. Tune the television to a channel that receives only static.

The Main Event:

1. Sit in front of the television facing the screen.
2. Speak your name to the screen, clearly and directly. Say nothing else at this time.
3. Go to the bathroom and get in the tub.
4. Relax, but do not fall asleep. Keep quiet. Listen to the static.
5. Remain in the tub until 1am.
6. At 1am, turn on the bathtub’s faucet.
7. Get out of the tub.
8. Go to the television and turn it off.
9. Return to the bathroom and turn off the bathtub’s faucet. DO NOT allow the tub to overflow.
10. Get back in the tub and pull the plug.
11. Remain in the tub while the water drains out.
12. When the tub has drained completely, get out of it.
13. Extinguish the candles.
14. Begin making your way slowly back to the television. Take your time; don’t rush it. As you move, call out your own name as you would if you were searching for someone. NOTE: Leave your timekeeping device in the bathroom. Do NOT take it with you.
15. When you reach the television, place your hands on the screen; then lean forwards and place your forehead against the screen as well.
16. Keeping your hands and forehead against the screen, begin speaking about yourself. Anything is fair game: Basic biographical information, likes and dislikes, hopes and fears, your deepest secrets… nothing is off-limit or out of bounds.
17. Continue speaking until at least 3am. Do NOT refer to your timekeeping device. You must rely on your own sense of time.

The Conclusion:

1. When you believe it is 3am or later, cease speaking.
2. Return to the bathroom.
3. Turn on the light.
4. If you have succeeded, you will know.
5. If you have failed… you will know.

Additional Notes:

It is not known whether a digital television may be used successfully to complete this ritual. If you wish to try it with one, tune the television to a non-receiving channel and turn the volume all the way up. It is NOT recommended that this method be attempted, purely due to a lack of knowledge about what may occur if it is.

It is not recommended that this ritual be attempted with other people or pets in the house. No harm will come to them if they are present; however, the ritual will likely fail due to an improper environment or additional noise.

There is no “dress code” required for the principal. If you do not wish to climb into a full bathtub fully clothed, you may remove your clothing during Step 3 of The Main Event and re-dress yourself in Step 12 of the same section.

If the bathtub overflows at any point, DO NOT PROCEED. The ritual has been interrupted and will therefore likely fail. Turn the lights on, clean up the mess, and try again another time.

A Note About Time:

You may complete the ritual later than 3am, but DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE IT EARLIER.

The static doesn’t like being… interrupted.

The Ritual Of Static: FAQ.

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[Photo via Pexels/Pixabay]