NINA THE KILLER – JEFF WOODS THE KILLER

Viral image of Nina The Killer.^[1]

Disclaimer: This wiki was made quoting the sources listed below.

Summary

Nina Hopkins, otherwise known as Nina The Killer, is the titular protagonist of the Creepypasta^[2]of the same name. Nina’s concept was published on Taringa.net^[3],[a], in February of 2013 – notably, the story was posted more than a year after the concept of Nina was introduced on DeviantArt, and is partly responsible for the viral circulation of the story. Taringa.net was an Argentine-based social networking site, and allowed an account, known as ‘HorrorFans’^[4], to submit the story. However, this account did not belong to the mind behind Nina. AleGotic-Twevel is credited as Nina’s creator, and first revealed the concept of Nina on Halloween of 2011 by posting about her on her DeviantArt^[5] page.

Nina’s Creepypasta^[2] contained many of the same themes and elements of Jeff’s entry^[6] , which resulted in a mixed reception from readers. Some readers perceived Nina to be a literary example of obsession to the point of mimicry, and others were unable to parse the story as anything other than the author imitating GameFuelTV.^[7]

I. THE AUTHOR: ALEGOTICT
II. NINA THE KILLER (ORIGINAL)
III. NINA THE KILLER (2021)
IV. ADDITIONAL FACTS & TRIVIA
V. FOOTNOTES
VI. SOURCES

I. THE AUTHOR: ALEGOTICT

The author of Nina the Killer is known online as AleGotic-Twevel^[9] a Venezuelan artist and content creator currently residing in Mexico. In addition to returning to the Creepypasta community with a reboot of her original character, Nina, Ale is also responsible for a handful of other original characters. Ale’s characters consist of Nina, Cloe the Ragdoll, Psychopath Rabbit and Eyeless Alice. Ale has been creating content on her new DeviantArt account for nine years, and has showcased her rebooted concept by posting new designs.

AleGotic has released statements in her ‘Ask Nina and Ale’^[10]series from her DeviantArt page that provide some clarity as to why she returned, stating that after a period of healing and time away from the community, she was able to revive her character and that she feels that Nina is an important part of her life.^[11]The ‘Ask Nina and Ale’ series has provided a window into insight behind the character and the creator.

Portfolio: Alegotica12

@Alegotic_twelve

@AlegoticT

Alegotic_twelve

II. NINA THE KILLER (ORIGINAL)

II.I. PLOT

AleGotica-Twevel’s story follows the origin of Nina Hopkins^[a], who has recently arrived in a small unnamed town in the United States^[b] with her mother, Monica, and her brother, Chris. She and her brother are about to start a new school at the start of a fresh semester. Nina and Chris encounter bullies, and Nina responds with a dire act of violence. Her response to the bullies serves as a catalyst for her transformation into a killer, though the process is slowed significantly by the support of her brother, seemingly anchoring Nina to her humanity.

Nina is fixated upon the Creepypasta character ‘Jeff the Killer’, and has a shrine to him in her room. She attributes her violence to Jeff as the incidents grow more severe.

Nina’s transformation is complete when, after violently ending the lives of two of her bullies, Nina is doused in bleach and gasoline in her kitchen by none other than Jeff himself. He uses a match to set her face on fire. Her screams alert her family, who rush to extinguish the flames and get Nina to hospital.

When she wakes up, her face is not disfigured as expected, but smooth and soft and powder white. Nina thinks she is beautiful, and becomes convinced that she will become more beautiful with more acts of violence. Nina’s mom takes her home and tries to reintroduce her to a normal life, but on that same night, Nina brutally murders the third bully, who had initially escaped her homicidal tendencies. Her mother finally sees Nina for what she is, but is unable to escape or call the authorities. Nina kills her, and then her younger brother, before disappearing into the night.

II. II. CAST

II. II. I. MOTHER

Monica is Nina’s mother. Monica is supportive, if somewhat oblivious, and appears to know very little of what her daughter is going through. She meets her demise by Nina’s hand at the end of the story.

II. II. II. FATHER

Nina’s father is unknown, though he is presumed dead. In both the original and translated edition of the Nina the Killer story, Nina’s father is briefly referred to as ‘late’ when readers are given the description of Chris.

II. II. III. NINA’S BROTHER, CHRIS

Nina’s brother, Chris, is also referred to as ‘Prince’. Nina is motivated through her story by a desire to protect Chris, who becomes the unwitting victim to bullies. Chris serves the story as a foil – a contrast to Nina who appears to ground the protagonist when she is lost in her bloodlust. Chris can be credited for preventing Nina’s homicidal instincts from taking over in the earlier bullying scenes, but he cannot keep his sister from acting on her violent tendencies. He, like Monica, meets his end by Nina’s hand at the end of the story.

II. II. IV. CLAUDIA, MALCOLM AND YONI

The trio of antagonists attempt to establish control over Nina very early on. Nina tries to defuse the initial tension during their first meeting by declaring that she wants no trouble. Chris ignites the anger of the bullies by declaring, rightfully, that the bullies have no power over them and cannot tell them where to go or what to do. This triggers the bullies into making their first attack, and establishing themselves as the villains of Nina’s story.

Claudia dies at the very end of the story, depicted in both editions as being stabbed to death on Nina’s bed. Though it’s unclear how Nina managed to get Claudia there, the original edition makes it clear that Nina has disemboweled Claudia. It’s worth noting that the original edition of Nina the Killer describes Claudia as having dark hair and being older than Nina, but it also describes Claudia as having blonde hair and being very pretty during her death scene.

Malcolm and Yoni are not described in either edition of Nina the Killer. They die at Nina’s hands, paying with their lives for allying themselves with Claudia.

II. III. APPEARANCE

II. III. I. NINA THE KILLER – 2011

Before Transformation

Before Nina becomes ‘Nina the Killer’, she is described as having light brown hair, pale blue eyes and white skin. Her hair is long enough to reach her knees and is often worn in a high ponytail with a vivid red ribbon. She has a magenta streak in her hair that she is implied to have done by herself.

In Nina’s origin story, she is just eleven years old. She wore short black skirts, black-and-red striped stockings, sneakers and a purple hoodie that is stated to be Nina’s favorite garment.

After Transformation

After Nina is transformed, her fair skin is bleached of color and appears to be completely white. Her hair loses some of its length and the ends are singed and burnt. Nina’s light blue eyes are open as wide as they can go, and she soon commits to the unnatural look by sewing her eyelids open. Nina continues to mutilate herself by carving deep, crooked slashes into her mouth to give herself the signature Glasgow grin that her obsession, Jeff the Killer, also bears.

II. IV. ORIGIN

What follows is a rewritten version of the translated edition of Nina the Killer^[2] told by Viscera. Spelling errors have been amended and a creative narrative has been added to emphasize the short story. However, the content remains unchanged from the source material.

Nina was an eleven year old^[g]girl with a laundry list of insular hobbies – things she could do alone, or with her beloved younger brother. She preferred to keep to herself, spending her days listening to or playing music, enjoying video games, or watching her favorite anime. When she wasn’t browsing the internet to catch up on the latest drama between characters, Nina liked to read the Creepypasta forums. In particular, Nina was drawn to one story above all others. The tale of Jeff the Killer spoke to Nina, going beyond a frightening viral story, to establish a real connection with the young girl. Nina was drawn to Jeff. She admired and adored him, idolized him, and could not get enough of his story.

One night, Nina was interrupted during one of her many sessions rereading Jeff the Killer by her little brother. Chris was everything to Nina and she treasured him, she even had a special nickname just for him. She referred to Chris as ‘Prince’, and believed that his cherubic likeness with his light green eyes, dark hair and fair skin was further proof that Chris lived up to his namesake. Nina left the unfinished story waiting for her on her laptop and went with her brother to their nightly family meal.

The following day, Nina felt something different within herself. She paid it no heed as she, and her brother, needed to go to school. It was the first day of the semester and the siblings had mixed feelings about the day ahead. Nerves and anxious thoughts clouded their minds as they walked together, until Chris had to take a different route to his elementary school, and Nina continued on to her high school.

Nina didn’t have a good relationship with education. She found lessons uninteresting and didn’t feel engaged by her teachers. Nina spent her hours during lessons waiting eagerly to meet up with her brother again. She and Chris liked to share their recesses and breaks together and Nina was keen to keep up the habit in this new setting. So, once their lessons released them, Nina found a secluded area that she and Chris could meet in, so they could hang out and have some snacks without being interrupted by any of the other kids.

The peace that the Hopkins siblings found was quickly interrupted by an older girl, who approached them with menace in her eyes. She introduced herself as Claudia, and made it clear that she thought she was the top dog of the school, and wanted to establish herself as such to the two new arrivals. She threatened Nina and Chris with unspoken consequences if they neglected to obey her word. She brandished a knife at them to make her point, and if that was not enough, Claudia had cronies. Two boys emerged from some nearby trees to provide backup to Claudia.

Nina could tell that these kids meant business, but all that mattered to her was ensuring that her little brother remained safe. She quickly jumped up from where they had been eating and positioned herself in front of her sibling. She swore to Claudia that they didn’t want any trouble and just wanted to be left alone. Claudia couldn’t accept this. She felt as though the area that Nina and Chris were in was hers, a part of her territory, and said as much.

As the situation escalated, Chris opened his mouth and told Claudia that he thought that she was being stupid. He reckoned that Claudia had no right whatsoever to chase them out. Affronted by his outspoken nature, one of Claudia’s henchmen – Yoni – lashed out and punched Chris in the stomach. Seeing her brother in pain incited Nina towards violence, and she attacked Claudia. She punched the older girl in the face, and then grappled the knife out of her hand and used it on her, stabbing the schoolyard bully in the shoulder. This was still not enough for Nina, and she turned on the boys that supported Claudia. Malcolm, the other boy that had yet to act, was kicked in the groin. Once he was on the ground, Nina rained hell down upon him, kicking him over and over and over again.

Yoni, the boy that had attacked Chris, became very frightened by what he was seeing playing out before him. He turned and tried to run from the scene, but Nina was faster. With a knife in hand, Nina pursued Yoni, and seemed very intent on plunging her weapon into his stomach. The blade was just centimeters away from its target when Nina’s young brother cried out her name, and broke the violent fugue that his sister had become lost to. She looked at him, surprised and dazed, and struggled to understand the shock that she saw on his face. He gaped at the sight of the blood on her hands and the lethal gleam in her eyes. His sister had never been violent like this before, but he told himself that she must have been acting in self-defense, doing whatever she had to do to ensure that they were safe. She had protected him.

The day passed without incident after that. Nina washed the blood from her hands and she and her brother returned to their classes and acted as normally as they could. But, Nina couldn’t focus. Her mind was on what she had done, and more than that, how good she had been at attacking another person. She felt like something strong and dark was growing inside of her, and most frightening of all… She wanted to do it again.

When Nina and her brother returned home at the end of the day, they were met by their mother, who greeted them warmly. She wanted to know how her children had gotten on at school, whether they were finally making new friends in this new environment or if any of the subjects they were learning about had caught their attention. But, she was met with strange behavior. Her son was quiet and withdrawn and her daughter was smiling at her unsettlingly. But, Nina piped up. She said that the day went great, and she and Chris had had a wonderful time together. Their mother was relieved and watched her children ascend the stairs to their rooms with an affectionate and grateful smile on her face.

Nina closed the door to her room and went to her closet. Throwing it open, she revealed a veritable shrine to Jeff. His wide smile greeted her from several posters and hand-drawn likenesses. His eyes gazed at her from the front of t-shirts and the glossy covers of notebooks. She even had a range of toys styled to look like him. She picked one of them up and held it tightly before she threw it onto her bed. The doll’s sinister smile was equal parts intimidating and amused, Nina thought. She felt like it was really looking at her, seeing her.

Nina blamed Jeff for making her behave so violently and pinned the attack on his influence.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Nina’s attack on the school bullies, authorities were struggling to identify who was behind the violence. No one suspected that an eleven year old girl could have unleashed that kind of brutality, and the bullies were reluctant to admit that they had been beaten so badly by such a young girl. Rumors quickly began to circulate about the incident, muddying the waters with misinformation that further protected Nina from being discovered. Life went on as normal, and the attack was all but forgotten as the days went by.

Until Nina opened her locker one morning, and was met with a curious note. Unfolding it and reading it between shaking fingers, Nina realized that someone knew what she had done. The note read: “I know what you did… But, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. You’re so skillful, but so dangerous…”. This baffled Nina. Someone knew of her guilt and not only wanted to keep it a secret, but refused to divulge their identity to her. She hid the note in one of her pockets.

Nina knew that things were changing for her. Her sanity felt like it was disintegrating, and she became convinced that she needed to keep a knife on her. She stole it from her family kitchen and smuggled it in her clothes, keeping it on her person, just in case. No one seemed to notice that she was succumbing to her dark thoughts, or that she had begun to behave suspiciously. She went about her life as though nothing had changed, she attended her classes and went out with her brother, and she must have seemed normal enough that people didn’t look too closely at her.

One evening, whilst Nina watched anime in her room and her brother played outside with his friends, Nina’s mom knocked on her door and got her attention.

“Hey, Nina. It’s getting late. Do you think you could go and get your brother for me? I don’t want him out after dark.”

Nina looked at the window, where she could see that the sun was setting. “Sure, mom.” She said, and got up to leave.

But, Nina didn’t find Chris with his friends. He was nowhere to be seen, so she asked them whether they’d seen him heading home, or where he might have gotten off to. One of the little boys explained that Chris had been playing with them, but then a dark-haired girl had come over, grabbed him, and forcefully taken him away. The boys were all too scared of the girl to say anything to any adults, but they told Nina everything. With wide eyes and little, shaking hands, they were too scared of the violent gleam in Nina’s eye to do anything other than tell her everything they knew. When they were done, Nina whirled away from them, clearly intending to go and hunt down her little brother and get him back.

Nina spent hours hunting for Claudia, who she was sure must be the dark-haired girl that the boys had described. This was clearly an act of revenge, and Nina swore that if anything bad had happened to her Prince, she would make Claudia pay. Just as Nina was beginning to lose hope of ever seeing her brother again, a car came screeching down the road towards her. The doors flew open and a shape was thrown from the moving vehicle. Nina realized in horror that it was her brother and ran to him immediately.

Chris was in a sorry state. He was bleeding badly, his clothes were torn, and it looked like he had taken the beating of a lifetime. Nina could barely recognise her beautiful little prince, and she held him in her arms as he wept and tried to tell her everything that had happened. Her hands shook as she clutched her sibling and she realized that he needed serious medical help. He needed a hospital. Nina’s mind whirled with dark voices and screams of fury, but she managed to get ahold of her mom and make sure that Chris was sent on his way to the hospital. That night, the small family was informed that Chris had suffered some real damage. From internal bleeding to wounds swollen and likely infected, Chris needed to be in the hospital overnight. The doctors kept an eye on him, and Nina and her mother remained vigilant at his side, to make sure that nothing else happened to him.

When Chris was released, he was put on bedrest for a number of weeks. Though their mother wanted Nina to return to school and try to remain in a normal routine, no one could make Nina leave her brother’s side. She sat by his bed all day and all night, reading him stories and making sure he took his painkillers.

Nina eventually returned to school, she started to open her locker and get her books for the day when another note appeared. It read: “I’m sorry about your brother… I hope he recovers. You must never think you’re alone… I’m here, I will be your friend.” Nina’s cheeks warmed as she read the note, but again there was no signature, no identity to attach to her mysterious letter writer. She folded the note up, put it in her pocket, and closed her locker. Every day, she hoped she would open it and find another note, but nothing arrived.

As the weeks passed, picture day eventually came up on the school calendar. Nina was prepared. She dressed in her favorite outfit, one that she wore as often as she could, and regarded herself in the mirror. She liked what she saw. A slim girl in a black skirt and striped tights and a sleeveless t-shirt. She tied her long, black hair into a ponytail and fixed it with a red bow. But, Nina couldn’t help thinking that something about this outfit wasn’t complete. Something compelled her to go to her closet, and she drew out her favorite purple hoodie. As she put it on, she was reminded of Jeff the Killer, and the hoodie that he would wear and smiled to herself as she twirled in the mirror.

Chris and Nina made it to school, following the routes they did every morning. Nina expected to go about her usual routine, but instead, she found that Claudia and her lackeys were waiting for her. She hid from them, but she could tell that they were looking for someone. Who else would they be looking for? Nina thought. They have had it out for me and my brother since day one!

Nina tried to avoid the bullies, but her efforts were for naught. Later in the day, Nina was struck with the feeling that she was being followed. When she glanced over her shoulder, she was punched in the face, hard. She fell to the ground and, blinking through the pain, looked into the face of her attacker. Claudia loomed over her, and a short distance away, she saw that her brother was in Malcolm’s arms. Nina tried to pick herself up, but Claudia beat her down to the ground again. When Nina looked at her, Claudia had drawn a gun and pointed it at her.

Nina tried to tell Claudia that she didn’t want to fight, but Claudia didn’t want to hear it. She fired the gun, but miraculously, Nina was able to dodge the bullet. She managed to escape Nina and her friends, and ran for a nearby house that appeared to be unoccupied. She gasped for breath and felt her heart hammering in her chest as Claudia, Malcolm and Yoni followed her and tried to shoot at her again. They fired upon the old house, and as windows shattered around Nina’s head and her ears started to ring, she felt that familiar, dark urge rising up within her. She wanted to kill these bullies.

Finding a weapon in the unoccupied house, Nina burst out of the front door and ran right for Yoni. He was the closest, and she hadn’t forgotten that he had been responsible for punching her brother all those weeks ago. The weapon in her hand was a metal pipe, and she managed to thrust it into the boy’s head with enough force that blood erupted from his skull. It misted her, landing on her face, and the sensation of Yoni’s blood on her skin was the final straw. Something inside of Nina shattered beyond repair, the thin thread of Nina’s tether to sanity finally snapping.

When Nina turned towards Claudia and Malcolm, they recoiled in fear. Nina’s face had changed completely. She grinned at the remaining bullies, and her smile was so unhinged, so far from normal, that even Chris shivered in fear at the sight of her. Chris watched in terror as his sister attacked Malcolm, launching herself upon him like a wild animal, intent on ending a life. Even though Malcolm released him, Chris was close enough to witness every second as Nina used her metal pipe to cave in the skull of another victim.

“Are you okay, Nina?” Chris asked. “Do you feel good?” He needed to know whether his sibling was still in there, behind the psychotic mask that had replaced his kind, quiet sister’s face.

Nina beamed at him, radiating pure joy. “I feel great, my prince. Let’s go home.”

Leaving Claudia alive, possibly only because Chris had interfered, Nina and her brother went home. Their mother saw Nina covered in blood, but said nothing as her young daughter went up to her room. Nina opened her laptop and began to type a note, knowing with each press of the keys that it was unlikely that anyone would ever read it. She didn’t even care that she was leaving bloodied fingerprints all over the keyboard and the screen, and left it like that as the night went on. She seemed almost reluctant to wash away the evidence of what she had done, but she knew that her mother would be upset by it, so she showered and dressed in fresh clothes. The small family went about the rest of the night as if everything was fine.

Once Chris and their mother were soundly asleep in their bedrooms, Nina peeled back the covers and got up. She crept down the stairs towards the kitchen and withdrew a bottle of vodka from her mother’s liquor shelf. She drank the entire thing, put the glass bottle aside, and then started to rummage through other cupboards, looking for something else. She needed to find the bleach, but the distinctive yellow bottle was evading her.

“Where is it?” Nina hissed to herself.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” A male voice responded. Nina whirled, eyes widening, and gasped at the sight before her. Standing in her kitchen, holding that bright yellow bottle in his hand, was Jeff. He smiled at her.

“It’s you!” Nina exclaimed in a harsh whisper.

“I have been observing you for some time.” Jeff confessed to Nina. He laughed. “I think you’ve become a killer, just like me.”

“Yes! You’re right. That’s why I need that bleach…” Nina said, holding her hands out for the bottle.

Jeff laughed. “Let me help you.” He opened the cap and upended the bottle over Nina’s head. It poured over her hair and into her eyes, it stung her skin and slipped past her lips when she opened her mouth. But, before she could say anything, another liquid washed over her. The acrid smell of gasoline filled the small kitchen and, through the fog of Nina’s bleached gaze, she saw that Jeff held a matchbox between his fingers. He struck it as she watched.

“Do it,” she told him, desperate and passionate. “Please.”

“Go to sleep.” Jeff told her as he held the match to her body and watched as she ignited.

Nina screamed as pain overcame her entire body. She screamed loudly enough that her mother and brother both woke and ran downstairs to see what was happening. They tried to put out the fire that engulfed Nina, and the last thing Nina remembered of that night was her baby brother’s terrified face through the curtain of flames. Nina’s unconscious body was carried onto the ambulance. Her mother and her brother were tasked with redirecting the neighbors that had been drawn by the noise and commotion. One of whom was a dark-haired boy with brilliant green eyes. He studied Nina with enormous concern, but he was unable to get closer to her.

“Jake, come away.” Said his mother, gripping her son tightly by his shoulder.

When she awoke, she was in a hospital bed, swaddled in bandages. She tried to move and found that she couldn’t, really. A nurse entered the room, trailed by her family, and advised her to remain still. She needed to spend some time recovering, and the less she wriggled and squirmed, the better her skin would look at the end. She was covered in burns and needed to give them time to heal. Nina’s little prince climbed up and sat on her bed beside her, and promised that it would all be okay, as long as she did what she was told and gave it time

So, she did. For a month, Nina endured a monklike existence. She moved very little, and listened only to the stories that her brother would read her when he was at her side. She swallowed her medication and she allowed the nurses to change her bandages and apply balms to her broken skin and, in the end, it paid off. Eventually, a stern-looking doctor entered the room and announced that it was time for her bandages to come off. She could regain some freedom and independence, but she would need to accept that her likeness had probably changed a good deal. Though her facial structure had not been damaged by the fire, she was still likely to be scarred and disfigured.

When the final strip of gauze was peeled away, Nina heard her mother gasp in shock.

“What?” She asked. “What’s wrong?” Nina tried to get up from her bed and, despite the protests of the doctor, she did exactly that. She staggered towards the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, expecting to see a mess of melted flesh and scar tissue.

But, a beautiful face looked back at her. Her skin was no longer just pale, it was white, and it was soft under her fingertips. Chris was suddenly at her side, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

“You look beautiful, just as beautiful as you did before!” He told her, lying through his teeth. Chris was disturbed by what he saw in the mirror. His sister looked like a monster to him, and he was frightened by her.

“Oh, Chris, you’re so sweet.” Nina replied, in a singsong voice that disturbed him. “But… I want to be more beautiful!” She screamed the words, alarming everyone around her. She suddenly darted from the bathroom and laughed in the faces of her confused mother and baffled doctor. “My face is perfect!” She cried. “Jeff gave me this face! My dear Jeff!”

Nina’s mother looked to the doctor for guidance. “Is she okay? What do we do?”

The doctor seemed to be at a loss. “She should recover with time,” he said unsurely. “If she doesn’t improve, I’ll have her visit a psychotherapist under my personal referral.” It was all that he could offer the family in that moment, and he excused himself shortly after delivering the underwhelming solution.

Nina and her family left the hospital that day and returned home. As they left their car and walked up the front yard to the door, Nina caught a glimpse of someone watching her from one of the nearby houses. Turning, Nina made eye contact with a boy on the other side of the street. He was standing at his window and focused on her intently. Nina put her finger to her lips after they had spent a long moment looking at one another, and then turned to go into her home.

It was difficult to get Nina to dress herself in her favorite purple hoodie and convince her to stop looking at her own face in the mirror. She was obsessed with her new appearance, and needed to be guided away from her reflection so that they could all go home. Everyone was hoping that Nina would improve when she returned to a familiar setting, that maybe being in her own bed would be the cure for whatever had disturbed her.

Nina’s mom managed to get her settled in bed, but she couldn’t make herself kiss her own daughter on the forehead. She said goodnight from the door, and avoided making eye contact with the strange creature that had replaced her Nina. She retired to her own bed, her heart tangled with concern and fear, and tried to sleep off some of the stress of this catastrophe that had struck their family.

She woke some hours later instead, disturbed from her sleep by the sound of weeping. She immediately suspected that it was Nina that she could hear crying, and crept down the hall towards her daughter’s room. The door was ajar and she reached into the darkness to flick the lights on, so that she could see whatever it was that was making Nina cry. But, it was not Nina. It was the final, awful sobs of a girl being stabbed to death by Nina. She wielded a kitchen knife in one hand, and buried it in the girl’s body over and over again. The victim that lay beneath Nina barely resembled a person anymore.

“Nina, what have you done?” Whispered her mother from the door.

“She used to bully me,” Nina replied stiffly, her wide eyes unseeing as she repeated the stabbing motion. “At school,” she went on softly, “She bullied me at school. But, now I’m becoming more beautiful.” Nina’s head whipped around on her neck and she stared at her mother. Nina’s mom clapped her hand over her mouth and clutched at her chest as she took in how her daughter had changed. Her mouth was slashed open, carving a deep grin from the corners of her mouth into her cheeks. Nina’s eyes were no better. Blood dripped from her eyelashes, and Monica realized that her daughter had sewn open her eyelids. Nina gazed at her, unblinking, smiling that awful smile.

“I’m tired of worrying, mama. I’m tired of being sad and suffering all the time.” She punctuated the words with blows of the knife, the blood and gore sopping wetly out of the dead girl’s body. “But, now I will always be smiling. People will see my beautiful face. The face that Jeff gave me.” Nina’s soft, white skin was dusted with a splatter of blood. Her mouth was stretched wide in a terrible grin. “Am I beautiful, mama?”

Nina’s mother backed out of the room, shaking her head. “No, Nina,” she shuddered as she spoke, “You have become a monster! You’re a killer. I…” Nina watched as her mother turned and started to run. She hopped off the bed and followed her on quick, silent feet.

“I think it’s funny to kill people when they run.” Nina whispered cruelly as she pursued her mother. Her mom was heading to Chris’ room, probably to try and take Nina’s beloved prince away from her. Before her fingers could even touch the handle on the door, Nina lunged forward and thrust her bloodied knife into her mother’s head. Her body fell, dead before it hit the floor, into a lifeless heap.

“Mom doesn’t believe I’m beautiful.” Nina said, withdrawing the knife. “That makes me feel sad. Almost.”

On the other side of the door, Chris opened his eyes. He could sense, somehow, that he was in danger. He clutched his sheets tighter around his body and cringed at the sound of his door opening. Nina filled the doorway, her dark shadow looming in the moonlight.

“Chris…” She called his name as she came closer. “Am I beautiful?” Chris gulped around his fear, but he couldn’t say a word. “Oh, come on, Chris.” Nina’s tone was playful as she took another step. “I didn’t do anything bad.” She crossed her fingers behind her back, in the way she always had whenever she told a lie to her sibling. “You know, I feel much better now. I think we should start a new life. Come with me?” She was by his bedside by then, and looked down at her brother as he cowered beneath the sheets. Still he couldn’t say a word, but he nodded his head. Nina smiled impossibly wider.

“Good boy. Just go to sleep, my prince, and you will join me.”

Nina left behind her family home, carrying the body of her dead brother on her back. His body was peppered with stab wounds and blood warmed Nina’s back as she exited their front yard. Her brother’s angelic face was frozen in a smile, his eyes wide open in a terrible mimicry of life.

“Chris,” Nina said to her slumbering prince, “I will kill more people. I will make them all go to sleep.” She put Chris down by the gate, and walked away, into the darkness.

II. IV. I. THE BOY WITH DARK HAIR AND GREEN EYES; JAKE

At two separate points in Nina’s story, the author makes a reference to a boy that shares her neighborhood. His name is only available in the untranslated edition, where he is revealed to be called Jake. Though the author made no further reference to the character in the story, savvy readers have determined that Jake is another mirror of an element from Jeff’s narrative.

Jeff the Killer shares his neighborhood with a young woman with dark hair and green eyes. She is known as Jane and later goes on to become his nemesis in some versions of his tale. Her name is revealed to be Jane Everlastinger^[8], who adopts the alias of Jane the Killer later on.

Jake therefore, became known in the community as Jake Everlasting. For years, Ale has been falsely miscredited as being the creator of Jake Everlasting. She has stated that, though the character appears in her story, Jake was suggested as an addition to her by a friend at the time. Therefore, AleGotic-Twevel claims no authorship over the concept of Jake. However, at this time, Ale is not able to identify the individual responsible for Jake.

II. IV. II. ADDITIONAL SIGHTINGS

At the start of the Nina the Killer story,^[3] the author includes a fictional excerpt of a newspaper clipping. This is considered to be the first canon sighting of Nina the Killer as a fully actualised character and departs from the bulk of the story, depicting her origin.

The newspaper clipping interviews a nameless young man, who describes being followed one night on his walk home from work. He describes encountering a young girl, either sixteen or seventeen. He describes her as having black, singed hair and a distinguishable fuschia streak. Her face is described as inhumanly white, with a bloodthirsty gaze. Specifically, Nina’s eyes are described as being ‘extremely open’, and readers will know this is in reference to her stitched-open eyelids. Nina’s mouth is depicted as ‘superhuman’, and ‘cut’, confirming that Nina bears the signature Glasgow grin that makes her appear so much like Jeff.

The young man goes on to claim that Nina spoke to him, telling him to ‘go to sleep, my prince’. He attempts to flee, but Nina chases him down and succeeds in stabbing him in the shoulder. From his position on the ground, the young man notes that Nina caressed his abdomen and ‘observed him in detail’. Had it not been for the sudden arrival of an armed police officer on the scene, the unnamed gentleman seems unlikely to have gotten away with his life. The officer fired upon Nina, who avoided the bullets as ‘if they were leaves falling from a tree’, indicating that Nina possesses superhuman grace and speed. Nina laughed as she avoided the attack, and walked away before ‘climbing several of the houses’ to get away. This implies that Nina is capable of extreme agility.

The young man is later discovered dead in his home. The article states that he was ‘torn to pieces’ and several of his organs were removed from his body, but located within the house. Amidst the horror of the scene, Nina leaves behind a message on one wall, written in blood. It reads ‘You did not go to sleep, prince’.

The article concludes with a plea to the audience to contact authorities if Nina is encountered or spotted by members of the public.

II. IV. III. RECEPTION

When Nina the Killer was released, it was met with mixed reviews instantaneously. Readers appeared to struggle to separate the nuance of Nina’s character from the similarities her story bore to her inspiration. Nina’s story undeniably includes elements that match or mirror those found in Jeff the Killer’s story. However, the author’s decision to adopt those elements for her own character speaks to the nature of Nina. Had Nina’s story been done differently and had she not gone through such a similar struggle as Jeff did, she would not have become Nina the Killer and the point of a copycat killer would not have landed with as much narrative confidence.

However, other readers responded very positively to Nina, and proclaimed that she had become their new favorite Creepypasta entry, and that it was refreshing to see a character that was so invested in a Creepypasta that it overtook their identity.

Unfortunately, many readers took it upon themselves to take their strong feelings to the author herself. At the time, AleGotic-Twevel was a minor, and was subjected to many months of harassment and bullying. At fourteen years old, AleGotic-Twevel was subjected to threats of bodily harm and death. Her character was frequently depicted as being gruesomely and horrifically harmed and maimed, always without the creator’s consent. In the end, for the sake of her own wellbeing, AleGotic-Twevel stepped away from the Creepypasta community and requested that people stop associating the character with her as an artist and creator.

Despite the bullying and harassment, Nina the Killer remained prevalent. People continued to read and share the story, and it remained viral within the Creepypasta community for years to follow. Even in 2024, AleGotic-Twevel is tasked with explaining a character that she made as a child and is frequently inundated with requests to clarify content about a character that is retired. However, Ale continues to use her platforms to attempt to reduce the amount of misinformation that surrounds the concept of Nina.

III. NINA THE KILLER (2021)

III. I. REVIVAL

In 2021, AleGotic-Twevel returned to the Creepypasta community and resurrected her controversial character. Nina’s revisited concept has been received positively by the community, and is considered to be a more nuanced and developed character that fits more seamlessly into the canon of the Creepypasta universe.

Summary

Titled only as Nina the Killer (2021),^[12] the revised character of Nina Hopkins is introduced as an adult woman who appears to be an independent hitwoman. Known by her alias as ‘Nina the Killer’, this story makes it clear that Nina never felt any compulsion to be like Jeff or to be liked by Jeff, and instead adopted his naming convention to get on his radar. Presumably, she made this decision in order to lure Jeff towards her and make it easier for her to capture, or kill, him.

The story opens with some insight on a local police station. The lead detective, David O’Brian, is hunting for a prolific serial killer in the area that the audience can assume to be Jeff. The killer uses a kitchen knife and leaves his victims mutilated with enormous, garish grins. The detective is growing frustrated at how this killer continues to elude the authorities, when he is suddenly made aware of a small family that has been all but destroyed by Jeff. A single survivor remains – Nina – and she becomes his only hope for substantial information about the murderer.

Nina reveals to the detective that the man that attacked her family, the man that he’s looking for, is called Jeffrey Woods. Not only does Nina insist that Jeff is real and not a work of fiction found on the internet, she goes on to confirm that Jeff was particularly interested in her after he heard her talking about him.

The story goes on to suggest that David spent many years hunting for Jeff, until it cost him his job. He began spending less time with his family, and more time with his research. His private endeavor to document everything he could about Jeff and bring the killer to justice began to consume him. Until, one evening, he’s visited by none other than Nina.

Nina reveals that she escaped the orphanage she was placed in after she recovered from Jeff’s attack. By the time David reunites with her, she’s nineteen years old, armed, and seems determined to convince David that Jeff isn’t real after all. She confesses to having been diagnosed with traumatic schizophrenia and that she had hallucinated the man that attacked her and killed her family. When David goes to his computer to attempt to present her with evidence to the contrary and refresh his memory of her file, he finds that there’s nothing in the database to do with Nina.

Nina had made herself into a ghost. She hacked the system and removed any incriminating details that might hint at her existence. David makes valiant attempts to talk sense into Nina, but he begins to comprehend that she isn’t merely at his home for a visit. Nina shares some dark insights about what she believes of Jeff, indicating that she believes there are multiple murderous entities, or perhaps a sect, and she appears determined to be the one to exterminate them.

The climax of the story depicts Nina showcasing her supernatural abilities. David attempts to shoot Nina, but ‘black spikes’ emerge from the walls at her will. They form hands and restrain David, allowing Nina to manipulate his body. She points his own gun at his head and leaves the detective to his death. She walks the streets until her phone rings, and an unnamed source provides her with details that enable her to complete the job.

III. II. PERSONALITY

Nina Hopkins is a psychopath who does not have the strongest relationship with reality. She’s a severely traumatized individual who has encountered extremely unpleasant circumstances and is not always likely to act out of reason. Nina’s delusions and beliefs about Jeff the Killer indicate that she may not be anchored to reality, and may be navigating her journey without any real guidance or touchstone to the real world. AleGotic revealed that Nina blames Jeff for what she went through, but also feels gratitude towards him for enabling her to become the woman that she is now.

There is also no denying that Nina is incredibly skilled, and good at what she puts her mind to, regardless of the hurdles that she encounters in her life. Nina’s diagnosis of schizophrenia may inhibit her progress at times, and she may also struggle to connect emotionally to others, implying that she will not be able to express compassion or empathy for her fellow person. Driven by desire to capture, or kill, the man that murdered her family and has claimed numerous other victims, Nina is supported by her lethal skills and passion to reach her goal. She is morally gray and follows her own definition of right and wrong.

Though Nina is obsessed with Jeff the Killer, it should be crystal clear at this stage in Nina’s journey that she has no romantic notion towards him. AleGotic-Twevel has made it perfectly clear^[13] that Nina was never designed to be ‘in love’ with Jeff, and told the team that she has no intentions to change that. She has gone on to elaborate that her vision for Nina and Jeff in particular, is to achieve a sibling rivalry dynamic – the desire to kill one another remains, but there may even be moments of brevity^[14] between the attempts on one another’s lives.

III. III. CAST

III. III. I. DETECTIVES

David O’Brian is the lead detective investigating the murders of Jeff the Killer. He’s baffled and aggravated by the lack of information that each murder scene has for him, and is beginning to show signs of desperation. He’s thoroughly intrigued when the news of the Hopkins family reaches him, and is keen to talk to the sole survivor of the attack and glean information from her. However, by the end of the short story, David dies by Nina’s hand.

Erika Montez is a briefly depicted side character. Her physical traits are not described, though she plays a relevant role of delivering information to David, and attempting to reign in his temper when his desperation regarding his unsolved case begins to show.

III. III. II. HOPKINS FAMILY

Monica and Joel are depicted as the mother and father to Nina and Christian. In the previous edition of Nina’s tale, their father was unnamed and presumed dead. Joel’s revival in Nina’s reboot is short-lived, as his life comes to an end when he is defending his family from Jeff. Monica has an even smaller role in the rebooted version of Nina’s story than she did in the first one, and is only mentioned to describe how she dies. Nina sees her mother, face down, and bleeding heavily. She dies as a result of Jeff’s attack.

Christian is Nina’s younger brother. During the attack, Nina is directed by her father to take Chris and escape. However, her path is blocked by ‘black, dry trees’ that appear to grow as she approaches, and so she finds herself running blindly through unfamiliar terrain with her little brother in her arms. Eventually, Nina realizes that her plan to carry Chris out of the forest is not working, so she releases him and urges him to run. He is immediately encountered by Jeff, who ends his life.

III. III. III. JEFF THE KILLER

In the retelling of Nina the Killer, several new elements are made clear to the reader that differentiate not only the titular character from her past rendition, but also indicate that the character of Jeff has significantly evolved. No longer depicted as a singular entity or individual, Nina theorizes with O’Brian about her suspicions of the killer. She suspects that Jeff may not be human, or may hail from another realm. Nina also suggests that in order to get closer to where the Jeff concept exists, she has to ‘not exist in society’. Nina says the words ‘If I want to get to him, I have to do the same as him’.

Jeff the Killer appears to be capable of manipulating the environment around him, and displays an ability to change the terrain. When Nina attempts to escape with her brother, she describes trees seemingly moving of their own volition to block their path. By the time Nina makes it clear to David that she has to adopt Jeff’s methods, the readers become aware that Nina possesses a similar set of skills, as she appears responsible for the hands that protrude from the walls and cause the death of the detective.

However, it is also worth noting that Nina is not a reliable narrator in her story. She confesses to the detective that she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and, even though the character appears to make this remark dismissively, it is no less relevant to the narrative and implies that Nina’s opinions and observations may not always be grounded in reality.

III. IV. APPEARANCE

AleGotic-Twevel released her new design^[15]for Nina on April 13, 2021. The character is depicted with a jagged black ponytail and a red streak in her hair. One blue eye glares out at the viewer, and the other is obscured with an eyepatch, or otherwise covered by a lock of dark hair. Nina has pierced ears and is depicted with a cigarette clasped between her fingers. Both of these design elements indicate to the viewer that she is a more mature concept than the original.

Nina’s outfit depicts her in an olive-green ‘shrug’-style garment and a red tube top. She’s also equipped with dark shorts, a belt-harness, dark thigh-high socks, and durable boots.

Notably, Nina has healed scars on either side of her mouth, which serves as a significant reminder that Nina is not only canonically removed from her historical likeness, but she has literally outgrown the wounds that defined her past rendition.

III. V. RECEPTION

When AleGotic-Twevel announced Nina’s redesign,^[15] she took her audience by surprise. People were not anticipating seeing the character again, let alone resurrected and redesigned. However, long-time fans of Nina were pleased to see that she was getting to step into the spotlight again and voiced enthusiasm for fresh content. Nina’s redesign has not yet reached the same levels of viral circulation that her first rendition did, which is perhaps the concept’s saving grace. The lukewarm reception that the new Nina design received may not have broken the internet, but it has definitely enabled Nina’s new likeness to exist without a barrage of extreme criticism and unfiltered hatred.

IV. ADDITIONAL FACTS & TRIVIA

Note from the author:

Hello, folks! I was fortunate enough to spend some time getting to know AleGotic-Twevel and had the pleasure of picking her brain about Nina. Though not everything I learned could find its way into the article, I did think that there were plenty of interesting tidbits that deserved to be shared here.

IV. I. HOW WAS NINA NAMED?

Ale confided that when she named Nina, she wasn’t aware that she was matching the name of a Kuroshitsuji character.^[16] Though fans of Nina speculated that it was intentional, Ale confirms that she was not aware of the choice. She liked the name, believed that it fit the character, and only realized some time afterward.

IV. II. HOW OLD IS NINA THE KILLER AND WHAT’S NINA THE KILLER’S AGE?

In “Nina The Killer” (2011), Nina is described as being in high school at 11 years old. In the “Nina The Killer Rework” (2022), it is mentioned that by the time David, the police officer investigating Nina’s case, reunites with her, she is 19 years old. However, the author, Alegotic12, has not established a canonical age for Nina. Alegotic12 has stated that Nina can be portrayed at any age, as the character has had a long and evolving life.

Alegotic12:
“Nina has had a long career as an assassin. Focusing on her early years, starting from when she was just a little girl, seems a bit unrealistic and contributes to why many Creepypastas feel like fantasy. I want people to portray Nina at whatever age they prefer and with whatever experience they imagine. Personally, I almost always depict her between 18 and 20 years old.”

Ale explained that she hasn’t given Nina The Killer an official age because she’s tired of seeing people, often young individuals who believe they are morally superior, accusing others of being pedophiles based on the character’s perceived age. She finds it absurd that these accusations are made against a character who appears to be an adult, and she believes these claims are simply an excuse to hate on someone they dislike and create controversy. Ale expressed hatred for anyone who messages her asking about Nina’s age just to find a reason to attack artists. She made it clear that Nina can be portrayed at any age, and she doesn’t care if people depict her as an adult with revealing clothing. Ale urged people to stop bothering her.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4ZBNmsLOxs/

IV. III. WHAT’S NINA SEXUALITY?

Readers have speculated about the many potential pairings for Nina, and one of the questions that we had for Ale was whether any of those pairings were considered canon to her. In Nina’s current design, she is described by Ale as a psychopath with no capacity for romance. However, Nina identifies as a bisexual woman and may become involved with sexual or physical encounters.

Ale went on to elaborate that Nina may become obsessed with individuals, particularly men that resemble her brother. Ale provided insight and clarified that Nina’s obsession with her sibling bordered on incestuous. Ale made it very clear that she does not support incestuous relationships, but shared the insight with the team behind this article to provide clarity about how unwell Nina is. She is not a character that should be romanticized.

IV. IV. WAS NINA INSPIRED BY REAL LIFE EVENTS?

No, Nina was not inspired by any real life events. However, Ale admitted that the character was inspired by a difficult period in her childhood. Nina was an outlet for the author, who at the time, was thirteen and needed a way to vent her frustration with the real world.

IV. V. WHO IS PICTURED IN THE ‘NINA THE KILLER’ IMAGE?

Ale herself is the individual in the photo. She cosplayed as Jeff! When Nina’s story began to circulate, this image was shared as a supplementary visual. A number of photoshopped renditions of this image have made their way around the internet since then, and are still used to depict Nina.

V. FOOTNOTES

^[a]Taringa.net has been defunct since 24 March 2024. The link provided utilizes the Wayback Machine^[17] and allows readers to review the Spanish version of Nina the Killer.

^[b]AleGotic-Twevel’s first DeviantArt account went by Alegotica12 and is no longer available due to the account’s closure. However, the link provided utilizes the Wayback Machine to allow readers to peruse a primitive version of the account.

^[c]GameFuelTV submitted the story^[18] on the behalf of his brother, Travis. Travis’ version of ‘Jeff the Killer’ is credited as a fan-fiction of Sesseur’s^[19] earlier work. GameFuelTV and his brother, Travis, have not been active online since 2015.

More about Jeff the Killer and his evolution through the years here:

https://jeffthekiller.com/comic/jeff-the-killer/

^[d]Nina’s full name – Nina Hopkins – is theorized to be homage to the Kuroshitsuji character of the same name.

^[e]Readers are confident that the story of Nina Hopkins takes place in America. Contextually, the story implies Nina and her brother attend ‘high school’ and ‘elementary school’, both of which are commonly associated with the United States school system. Additionally, it would make sense for Nina to be in the same country as the object of her obsession for the sake of the narrative.

^[f]It may be worth noting that, in the translated edition of Nina the Killer, the anonymous author neglects to include the passage where Nina mutilates her face and gives herself the appearance that she will be most recognised by. In the original Spanish edition hosted on Taringa.net, the author Alegotic-twevel, specifies that Nina has sewn her eyes open and carved her face crookedly, with the knife she carries.

^[g]Nina is stated as being eleven years old, though she would have needed to be at least fourteen to be in a high school in the United States. This is an error of the original author and has been left uncorrected in the retelling for the sake of integrity.