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But she runs like she saw it coming.
Some slumbering piece of brain must have prepared her for the carnageSilent Hill 3forces her through.
But that was 20 years ago.
Gods been dead for a long time, and Heathers been reborn as a TikTok star.
I LOVE HER SMMM, a commenter says about oneshoegaze-backed fan camwith 30,000 likes.
LOVE LOVE LOVE, screams a comment on that video.
DEPISH MODE, another declares (Enjoy the Silence plays in the background).
I dont like mirrors, Heather says at the beginning ofSH3, prophetically.
Its almost like theres an unknown world right on the other side.
And the person staring at me isnt really me, just an imitator.
Theres no way around it, Heather.
featured in countless memes and Depop inspo tags because theyre girls sick of eating shit.
Heather always reminded me of myself, a user named Tammy told me over Reddit messages.
I was the same age [as her] when I playedSilent Hill 3for the very first time.
Shes easy to map yourself onto,Silent Hillfan Alaska echoed over Twitter DM.
Heather is definitely inspiring in that way.
She feels a lot of responsibility for not just her own life, but everyones.
I think, especially post-pandemic, thats something a lot of younger people relate to heavily.
Thats why Heathers influence spreads like cherry jam, slipping past TikToks borders and across online life.
Reddit threads guessher favorite band, Pinterest collagesanalyze her miniskirt, and shes the crux ofYouTube manifestosabout girlhood.
She has thesprezzaturaof an It girl, the devil-may-care reputationThe Believerascribed to Jane Birkin ina 2018 interview.
If youre going to be known for something, why not the bag?
The song and the bag, Birkin says in that interview.
Heather, in one of TikToksfavorite dialogue lines, exudes a similar self-confident calm.
I dont know, she says after killing God.
Dont you think blondes have more fun?
But I recognize her trepidation, the way she hunches over her steel-pipe weapon.
Its how I instinctively shrivel when men stare at me on the train.
Im moving against the unfair world, reminding myself to sit up straight.
Thats what I like about Heather Masons TikTok incumbency.
It pairs well with indulgent journaling, sending friends a three-minute voice memo, and distorted guitar.
I feel like, while were here together online, we might as well get our knee-high boots on.
The world, for women, is like a shadow puppet, always shifting into a new monster shape.
But Heather doesnt need to change.
As someone with aFive Nights at Freddysprofile picture might say, shes alreadyslaaaying!
