The Melancholic Princess

The Melancholic Princess
About This Screamer
Maker	Robert Chang/Lunatique
Type	Picture
Release date	2002

The Melancholic Princess, also known as Princess Ruu and more famously known as Sonee, is an art piece created by Robert Chang. Eventually, it took on a life of its own and evolved into an internet urban legend. The legend of Sonee has served as the basis and setup for numerous internet jumpscares.

History

The Melancholic Princess was created in February 2002 by Thai artist Robert Chang, also known under the pseudonym "Lunatique". The piece was created as concept art for a sci-fi/fantasy screenplay he had been writing, titled Tellurian Sky. The subject of the painting is the main character, Princess Ruu, in her final casual portrait before her coronation following the death of her father, the king. Ruu's melancholy expression is intended to capture the grief for her lost father, the burden of her impending responsibilities, and the pain of knowing that she will be permanently separated from her lover once crowned.

Eventually, the painting somehow became the subject of an online urban legend. Chang himself caught wind of the legend a few years prior to 2006, when he received an email about it from someone in China (which therefore is where it is most strongly suspected to have originated). During this period, the legend was textually transmitted through online forums. Eventually, even English speakers sent emails to Chang as well, indicating that the legend had spread into the western hemisphere. Chang recounted this experience in a blog he posted on May 31, 2006.

Only less than one month later, the urban legend truly exploded. On June 11, 2006, Youtuber sonee uploaded a video titled "SONEE: Scary Clip". The video and legend reads as follows:

Take a look at this picture..

The story is this, in Japan shortly before a teenage girl committed suicide, she drew this picture, and posted it online..

The freaky bit is this, they say it is hard for a person to stare into the girl's 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..

Can you tell?

The video then prompts the viewer to stare at the painting for 5 minutes, accompanied by creepy music. At the end, the video then asks, "Did you see it?", before fading to black.

This video gave major exposure to the urban legend, which many took to calling "Sonee". The template of Sonee provided the perfect conditions for a jumpscare, an opportunity which many internet users took advantage of. Numerous variations of the above video/legend were soon uploaded to YouTube, with jumpscares included at the end. Examples include "SONEE: (The Real Story)", "The True Story of the Melancholic Princess", and "Scariest Screamer".

Explanation

While the urban legend is obviously false, many have still reported seeing the painting warp itself when staring at it. Many people, especially fellow artists, have offered several explanations for this. Most of the painting is blurry, except for the eyes, which pronounces Ruu's piercing gaze. Additionally, the art style is a blend between anime and real-life, causing an Uncanny Valley effect. And due to the rest of the painting besides the eyes being blurry, the viewer's brain may "automatically" adjust the image to slight degrees on its own, making the image seem as if it has moved or warped.

Sources

• SONEE: Scary Clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTmwBhLMlFg (No Jumpscares)
• https://www.ethereality.info/ethereality_website/paintings_drawings/new/illustrations/melancholic_princess/melancholic_princess.htm
• https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-melancholic-princess-sonee

Gallery

• 

  The Melancholic Princess (Jewelry Variant)

• 

  Tellurian Sky poster, featuring Princess Ruu (pictured right)

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