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the-stove-is-on-fire · 2 years

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Interview With A Ghost

Red Robin, (aka Tim Drake) decides to host a YouTube series called "Teenage Hero Burnout'' after he makes a video by the same name talking about his own experiences.

He interviews current and past heroes who started their careers as teens and discuss how it shaped their outlook on heroing & life in general. His primary focus is on current teen heroes. Once he runs through his whole team roster and all willing (and unwilling) BatFam members he branches out to look for more obscure teen heroes. (Inadvertently he ends up building a support network for young heroes but that's for another time.)

Ficlet under the cut vvv (Ao3 Link)

Today the "studio" is decorated with little ghosts and miscellaneous Halloween decorations to match his guest's theme. Clearly a homemade set, but RR has a high-quality camera and sound equipment. Today's episode is titled "Teenage Hero Burnout #56: Interview With A Ghost.”

Phantom is sitting in his chair invisibly with a cup of coffee (the coffee mug has his DP logo on it), which of course makes it look like RR is interviewing a floating cup of coffee. But every now and then the camera picks up a blurry shadow in the shape of a person. Super creepy. (And in case you were wondering, yes, this is 100% the Halloween special.)

"Let's get this over with already," Phantom mumbles into his mug, taking a sip. Red Robin ignores his guest's comment and continues his little intro.

"Welcome back everyone! I hope all you Birdies have been taking care of yourselves since the last episode. Today's guest is Amity Park's Phantom. A lesser known small-town hero, but no less of a powerhouse who has helped the Justice League themselves on several occasions. Say ‘hi’ Phantom.”

The floating coffee mug rises and bobs in the air like someone making a salute with it.

"Thanks man, I totally feel like I’m not talking to myself,” Red Robin mutters.

“Calm your shorts bird boy, do you have any idea how crazy ghosts get around this time of year?”

“No, but it sounds like I should put an underage drinking disclaimer on this video.”

“It’s not underage when you’re in a different dimension.”

“And jumping off of THAT robust rebuttal, since we're using this series to focus on the experience of teen heroes here, let's start with how old you are, Phantom?"

"What are you, a cop?”

Red Robin glares intently at the seemingly vacant chair beside him.

“Kidding, kidding. Do you want my ghost age or my human age?"

"Can you elaborate on that?"

"Well, the whole phantom thing isn't just a gimmick. I am an actual, bonafide member of the afterlife. Age isn't as straightforward for us. It could be my assumed age based on my appearance, how old I was when I became a ghost, how old I'd be if I were still alive, or how long I've been dead. Which is only three years, by the way. Shocker, I know. Despite what some people think, I'm not an ancient trickster ghost with the face of a child."

"Don't worry Phantom, we'll give you a century or two to work on it first. How about you tell us how old you were when you first started acting as a hero?"

"Same as when I died, fourteen."

"So that makes you roughly seventeen now."

"In human terms, yeah."

"And what are your pronouns?"

"He/him"

"Nice, same. Any fun facts about yourself before we get into the real meat of things?

"Uuuuuuuuh, do I have any facts about me that are fun? I really like flying? Yeah. Flying is probably my favourite power. I love being up in the air. It's the best."

"We know you started heroing about three years ago, but can you tell uus why you started heroing? Were there any inciting incidents?"

"Ah, origin-story time. Amity Park has always been a thin spot between this world and the next with lots of natural ghost activity. Mostly just small stuff. There are thin spots all over the world. Sometimes they get thinner, sometimes they move or close up entirely. It's just another weird part of nature. But when ghosts in Amity started coming through the veil at a more rapid rate and clashing with the living residents I just felt like it was my...duty? I guess? To protect the town. I wanted to protect my family and friends from other ghosts."

"You still have living relatives and friends?"

"Yeah, it's complicated but we make it work."

"I'm glad you've got a diverse support system, especially since you haven't been a ghost for very long. Also mini PSA to the audience:" RR gestures to Phantom to pick up where he left off.

"Never ask a ghost about their death unless you'd like an express ticket to your own funeral. Red Robin cleared these questions with me ahead of time."

"Are you still an active hero?"

"Yes."

"What kind of villains do you normally face?

"Ghosts."

"What about ghost hunters? In fact, do you consider yourself a ghost hunter?"

"I used to think of myself as a ghost hunter in the early days but now I think ghost fighter is a better label for what I do."

"And human ghost hunters?"

"Uuuuugh, yeah. Sometimes I have to deal with humans hunting me. The Fentons and Red Huntress have chilled out and I have truces with them but the GIW fucking sucks. If you ever have a ghost problem, never call the Gits In White. They will make your problems worse and the anti-ecto acts that let them get away with it are inhumane and discriminatory."

"Yikes. Human troubles aside, do you have a traditional rogues gallery of ghostly enemies?"

"I guess? To be honest I've become frenemies with a lot of the ghosts that used to give me a hard time. There's a lot more diplomacy and negotiating in fighting ghosts than you'd think."

"Any examples you're willing to share?"

"Hmmm, I'll use Ember as an example because she'll appreciate the free press. So Ember loves making music and she's really good at it. Like, good enough to literally hypnotize people. Obviously, mind control and enslaving the living are no-nos in my haunt. But because most ghosts can't stray too far from a steady source of Ectoplasm without an alternate energy source Ember didn't have many options. We got stuck in this cycle of her controlling people to get enough energy to leave Amity and me not letting her control people while in Amity. Eventually, we talked it out and found some non-mind control methods to help her get out and establish her music career in a safe and healthy way. That's Ember McClain by the way, check out her new album 'Domino Effect'."

"Shameless."

"I owe her a favour or two. Nowadays we only fight to blow off steam and hang out."

"Sounds like we have another tally for rehabilitation being the most effective method for dealing with villains."

"Wow, you really have a board for that?"

"The power of friendship is not to be underestimated."

"Sort of related to that; earlier I was planning to say that I've made more friends after dying than I ever did alive for my fun fact but I figured that was kind of depressing to start off with."

"I mean when you say it like that, yes. How about we re-frame it? You didn't get the opportunities to make more friends during your life, but as a ghost, you've been given a second chance to make as many friends as you can! And it sounds like you've been pretty successful in the new friend department so far."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that is a better way to look at it. Sure wish I didn't have to get my ass kicked so often before I figured it out, though."

"Eh, sometimes the learning process sucks. But you know what doesn't suck? Bingo time!" Red Robin hits a buzzer and little ghost confetti rains down on them. The outline of Phantom is more visible because of the little clumps that land on him.

Hero BINGO cards:

Free Space (Hero Complex) "I refuse to use the free space." "I mean, it's a free space, it counts whether you want to use it or not." ":/"

Gone to Space "Yup, another fun fact, ghosts can do just fine in space."

Been to Another Dimension "I actively live in another dimension."

Visited an Alternate Timeline "Unfortunately."

Saved the world "Technically."

Have you ever been cloned Sigh, “Yes” "Dude, really? How does that even work?"

Kidnapped "Yep." "Who hasn't?"

Imprisoned "Isn't this the same as being kidnapped?" "Nah this one's more formal, like detained by a government body or authority." "Ah, okay. I got that one too."

Impersonated "Oh yeah."

Mind-controlled "Glad to know I'm not the only one."

Died and Resurrected "..." "..." “How alive do you have to be for it to count as a resurrection? Like, percentage-wise. 50%?”

Fought an Evil Version of Yourself "This highly specific and traumatic thing is a common enough problem to be a BINGO card?" “Yeup.” “Yeeesh. But again, glad to know I’m not the only one.”

Have an Arch Nemesis "That's like, a prerequisite. This should be the free space."

An Adult Mentor "Kind of? I honestly don't know if I can say yes to this one." "Have you ever had an adult train you or help you with being a hero and/or your abilities?" "I'm going to pass this one and just say no. My head hurts thinking about the adults in my life." “That’s fair.”

Dead Parents "Isn't this one a little dark?" "Sometimes the best way to start addressing your trauma is by laughing at it. And yes, it is also a highly specific and traumatic thing common enough among teen heroes to be on the bingo cards." "Jesus."

Government-funded Experimentation "Oh come ooooon! This whole thing has to have been tailored for me." "Dude… I take it back, Hero Bingo hates you. What even is your afterlife?" "Endless suffering."

A Social Life "Surprisingly, yes."

Last of Your Species "Unfortunately, no."

Poisoned "Ye- wait. Wait no, I've never been poisoned. How is that even possible with my luck?" "Knock on wood right now dude."

Homemade Costume “Weellll….” “I feel like that should be a yes or no answer…” “Does it count as homemade if I died in it?” RR face-palms.

School Dance Interrupted “Weirdly enough, yes.” “It happens way more often than you’d think and we have no clue why.”

Evil Ancestor “Does a witch hunter count as evil? In modern context, yes, but in a historical context...?” “I’d go with evil. Burning or drowning people usually puts you solidly in the evil category. Regardless of whether or not they cursed your dick to look like a toad or whatever.”

Framed for a Crime “YES, AND I WILL NEVER GET MY RECORD EXPUNGED BECAUSE ‘A CRAZY CLOWN MADE ME DO IT’ IS ONLY AN ACCEPTABLE DEFENSE IN GOTHAM.”

Your Crush/SO is Evil “Thankfully no. I mean she used to shoot me a lot, but she also thought I was the evil one.”

"I have like, six BINGO's. Is this supposed to be difficult?" “Not really, but man, your luck...”

"Well… BINGO was… interesting. How about we finish up the last few questions?"

"Have at it."

"Like a lot of supers, your relationship with the media hasn't been the best. Are there any common rumours or misconceptions about you that you'd like to clear up?"

"YES. For the last time, ghosts are NOT INHERENTLY EVIL. The vast majority of ghosts stay in the ghost zone and mind their own business. The ghosts that cause trouble for the living are like 1% of the population and even then, the ones who actively go out of their way to hurt people are an extreme minority. Ghosts in the mortal world are most likely there because they're lost or completing unfinished business. We are not mindless or emotionless, and YES, we can still feel pain. If you have had a negative interaction with a ghost, chances are you probably did something to piss them off first. That's not to say that all ghosts are safe to be around. Treat ghosts like people. Don't bother them unnecessarily, don't ask invasive and overly personal questions, and be polite."

"We should do a whole Ghost Safety PSA Mythbusters style one of these days."

"Honestly, I would be so down for that."

"Sweet. Do you feel being a teen hero has negatively impacted your mental health, why or why not?

"Yuuuuup. The saving people part is nice. The dying and being dead part is less nice. Also, being hated for my species while still trying to protect the people who hate me has been hell for my self-esteem. I somehow have a social life but it's about half as dead as I am.

"Getting the shit beat out of me is more my physical than mental health but I've been told that constantly being on edge and expecting to get attacked at any moment isn't good for your mental health. I guess I don't have to deal with receiving or inflicting lasting injuries and facing mortality the same way heroes like you do since ghosts are pretty much indestructible.

"But seeing what comes out on the other side of death, and hearing the horrific things some ghosts went through to manifest is its own can of worms. You haven't had real mental scars until you've been trapped in a room with someone reliving their own death over and over and over with no way to help them."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Don't die. Or if you do, don't become a ghost. The afterlife is fucked up."

"If you're still active, will you continue heroing into your adult life, or in this case, for the rest of your afterlife?

"Yes. I'm pretty sure I'm locked in for the rest of my existence."

"How so?"

"My… purpose, I guess you could call it, is helping and protecting people. As long as there are people getting themselves into danger I'll have a reason to be around. Never-ending unfinished business."

"That's… wow. I can't imagine doing what I do for the rest of eternity."

"Yeah, me neither."

"Hm?"

"Sorry, I know this is supposed to be about positive mental health and stuff but… I'm going to keep doing this until it ends me. I don't really have any other options. But I don't see myself doing this for eternity either. Somewhere along the way, hopefully a couple lifetimes from now, the hero life will take me out for good and that'll be that."

"I do try to put an emphasis on thinking positive but you're more than welcome to share the dark parts too. We can't grow if we focus on only the palatable thoughts and feelings. I can't begin to understand what it feels like to be in your situation. Do you think that you're fatalistic or realistic?"

"I like to think I'm being realistic. Maybe I'll change my mind when I've been dead for a couple of centuries, maybe I won't."

"Maybe you'll see humanity making their way into space en masse? We know there are hundreds of other species and planets out there. If life on Earth ever gets boring you can always head for the stars."

"I- thank you, Rob, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"Anytime."

Closing comments.

"That's all for today everyone, don't forget to brush your teeth, take your medication, and get some fresh air! As usual, links to mental health resources and our Hero Health forum will be in the description below. And remember my Birdies, knowing when to ask for help is a sign of strength. Whether you're a Kryptonian, an Amazon warrior, the embodiment of fear itself dressed as a bat, or just some dude, never battle your demons without backup! Red Robin, out!"

Blooper scene/skit while the end credits roll:

"Dude, you promised you'd make an appearance."

"Trust me, this is more for your sake than mine."

"Sure it is. What, did you forget to wear your suit?"

"...."

"Shut up, are you serious?"

"Well I didn't expect to be summoned in the middle of the night so someone could cash in a favour."

"You agreed to do this months ago! Besides, it's YouTube, casual is fine, preferred even. No one is going to care if you're in your pj's- wait you are wearing clothes right?"

"Uuuuuuugghhhhh, yes. I am wearing clothes."

"Well now I'm curious."

"I'm not showing your fans what I sleep in."

"Will you show me if I edit this section out?"

"..." deep sigh, "fiiiiiine."

Phantom drops his invisibility but the only thing the camera picks up is a horrific, vaguely human-shaped blob of distorted static with two neon green points for eyes. When Phantom speaks his voice is extra crunchy and echoing.

"͔̐̿͗͑̒T̃̑̿͂h̻̠̬͍e̖͔̥͚ͣ̾͋͑̚ͅr̙̈̏̔e̊̽̈ͬ̑͂̂,̤̖̖͍̖̞̪̋ͩ ̝̳̖̺͖̲͉̇͐̇̏̾h͉͙͈͓̙̞ͬͅa͓̤̐ͥ̋̇̃̍ͥp̘̺̬̞̬̮̹̈́̈́ͧ͐̅p̥̦̺̹ͭͧ̌y̭̟͉̅̚?̭̤̻̑͋̈ͥ"͙͔͔̱̅͂

"Oh my god, that's adorable."

Highlights from the comments section:

People calling Phantom an Eldritch Horror.

Calling Red Robin a monster fucker.

Asking what Phantom could have possibly been wearing??? (Answer: His NASA themed footie pajamas)

Telling Phantom to get more sleep.

Telling Phantom encouragements.

Thanking Phantom for protecting his town.

Thanking RR for introducing them to a cool new teen hero they'd never heard of before.

There are the occasional comments claiming that Phantom couldn't do the interview in person and 'invisibility' is a creative work around for his absence that still ties into the Halloween special.

Philosophical debates on the pros and cons of immortality and listing off other (allegedly) immortal heroes that Phantom should get in touch with.

[A/N: Congrats if you made it this far! This ficlet is a bit rough around the edges but I hope you enjoyed it! Any readers feel the desire to do so, they are welcome to take this, in part or wholesale verbatim, and use the idea for their own fic.]

#Danny Phantom #dp #Red Robin #DC #Tim Drake #dcxdp #crossover #long post #zalgo text #<<but only briefly #ficlet #I know that's not how bingo works I just wanted to come up wit a response for each one #my bingo sheet is so crunchy lol #stove on fire #38006

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peeledpokemon · 7 months

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What if you peeled MissingNo.?

i̵ ̷u̶h̷m̴.̶ ̶i̶.̴ ̸d̶o̵n̷'̴t̸ ̵k̵͕̻̓n̸̬̓o̶̘̍̌w̷̖̜̒͑ ̸͇̌̽ĥ̵̜̜̉o̸͓̼͝ẅ̸̲̠̽ ̶̜̖̽̈t̸̞̩͊ȏ̸̫͒ ̶̞͆̒g̷̢̤̈́͝o̵̧͙̽̍ ̵̣̓͑ã̴̻̃b̴̘͗ͅo̷̩̰̊u̵̩̠͠t̶̺͒ ̵͎̅d̵̳͒͛o̷͚̯͊͑i̷̛̺͊n̴̯̤̓ǵ̵̡ ̷̛̠̺̎ẗ̴̲̀h̵̟̾ï̶̭͝s̴̰̙͊͊ ̵̧̈̎s̶͔̦̈o̷̮̊͝ ̵̱̒u̴͕̱͛h̸̯̄͌.̵̫̺̊̈́ ̵͚͐i̷̶̶̸̶̶̶͙͕͍͔̟̝̻̼͍̭̗͉͕̮̹͚̮̘͇͇̯̹̒̀͆̌̒͆͛̿̈́̄̾̊̕͘̕͝͝͠ ̴̴̵̴̶̷̶̧̛͉̹̠̹̞͉̭̩̱͓͓̤͎͈̼͓̭̱̬̮̠͌̈́̾́̎̿̇̑̑͑̚͜͠g̷̷̸̵̶̵̹̦̞͈̹̮͔̙͈̣͇͈͖̖̯̜̬̀̃̍̈̃͊̆̽̕͝ͅo̸̷̴̴̶̶̸̡̨̟̩̠̻̱͚͎͕͚̬͉̪̯̫͖͆̾̓̆̆̇͑̕͘̕͝t̷̵̸̸̶̵̡̬̲͈̜̭͍̫̦͍̄̇̐̒̉̓̌̍͑̈́͗͐̕͜ ̵̷̴̸̵̧̛̪̪̬̮̱̝̘̟̠̳̏̍̒͐̍̚͝͝ͅŗ̸̸̸̴̸̡̢̻͖̝̘̣̣̙̯͚͛̓̃̈́͆̈̾̈́̽̈́̑̚͘͝į̶̷̷̷̴̗̰̖̬̻̯͖̩͉͈́̑̉̓̾͌̎̽͜͝͝ḏ̸̸̸̶̶̴̱̼̜͖̫̜̙̲̘͚͗͌̂̂̄̎̾͐̎̓̅̕͝ ̸̶̸̸̸̸̨̧̛̳̼͚̫̝̻͚͖̩̭͌̐͋̍̎̇̚͘͝͠͝͠ͅơ̴̸̸̶̸̵̷̢̺͎̺̻̟̰̱̱̤̟͍̲͙͉̆̓͋̃̌̋̓́̆̄̂̕͘̚ͅͅf̵̴̵̵̵̸̯̰̗̲͖͓̩͕̼̞̯͈̰͌͒̂͌̓͑̂̋͑̅̈́̑͘͜͠ ̶̶̴̶̵̡̡̟̘̮̖̣̻͎̱͓͍͕̼̜̌̊͐̒͒̿̆͋̋̅̚͝ą̸̴̵̸̶̸̟͎̲̻̗͍̲̻̼̤͈̙̞̫̏͂̉̂̅͌̋̓͌̕̚͝͝ĺ̴̸̶̸̵̸̶̡̨̨̡̛̘̬͇͈̠̲̳͉̬̺̳̲̊͆̈́̃̾̓̏̉̔̽̆́͆̌̕̕̕͝͝͠l̷̴̷̴̴͖͎̮̗͇̙̝͍̮̖̉̾̿̌̀͐̋͐̒͋̓̂̐̀́͊ ̴̷̵̸̵̴̨̛̛͓̦̝͈̤͔͍͎͎̖̪̲̋̊̀̋̅́͋̔̓̀̓̚̚͝ͅt̸̴̸̵̴̷̷̡̛̝͓̖̝̠̠͖͈͖̃̀̿̅̍̆̊͋̀͑̓̀͐̔̈́̕̕͜͠h̷̶̸̸̵̸̢̥̱̮̫͔̥̣͈̥̙̎͆̈́̊̍̿͆̒͒͆̓̒͆̾̚͘̚͜ę̷̴̷̴̵̴̻͎͔̘̦͈̜̳̟̮̹͛̎̐͌̎̾͋̄͂̿̏̌͜ ̵̷̴̸̷̵̶̨̢̢̦̺̦̖̥̻͎̱͉͙͚̬̠̹͈̤̌͂̒̈̀̀̔̅̑̍͗̍̉̓͠ͅb̸̷̴̵̨͎͎̟̘̻͖̗͍͖̔̑͊͗̔̐͘��̷̷̨̪̳̣͎͇̿̇̇́̕l̶̶̶̵̴̯̼͇̳̣͍̖͙̝̐̀̿͗̌̀͆̕͜͜a̵̴̴̵̷̷̸̡͉̙͍̺̥͍̫͓̪̦͔̳͚̯̣̙̳͙͇͗̈́̀̃̓̀̇̾̽̓̅͋̈́̀̚͝ç̸̸̷̶̴̶͙̘̦̯̝̪͕̱̱̘̜̃̋͆̀̈́̽͒͐́̀̒̽̓̋́͐͜k̴̸̸̵̵̟͉̜̫̗͎̻͋̑̀̊̂͛̈́̅̿͐̀ͅ ̵̸̴̵̴̷̢̧̧̣̘͕̰͙̭̰̼̪́̀̊̊̉͌̎̃̄̀̈́̇͌͛ͅȃ̴̶̶̸̵̶̢̧̛̗͉̦͇͔̞̳̖̭̲̦̭̭̻̳̹̅́̒̔͂̈́̎͂͘͜͝n̷̴̶̸̷̨̡̨̧͉̥̯͇͔̓̑͑̉̃̃͛̍̅̒́̃̑̏d̵̶̸̴̸̸̺̠̼̫̫͙͍͖̝̮̳͚͔́̍͆̒͌̌̒̐̌̓͗͝ ̵̶̷̵̴̵̴̨̢̖̹̺̙̻̳͎͙̪͈̫̗̗̣̿͊͋̂̏̂͊̎̚̕͝͠͝͝͝ͅẃ̸̵̵̵̸̧͇̠͓͔͎̞͎͈̘̫̯̰̭͊̈́͌̿̔̅̂͑̓͆̆́ḩ̴̶̶̶̸̶̢̢̛̮̥̤͇̬̪̹͛̇̓̓̈́̈́̀̐͐͐̊̾̕ͅî̸̸̴̴̸̸̛̱̩͉͇̣̭̹͎̣̪͉̗̰̬͋͋̽͗̓͌̾͆͆̊̈̾̔̓͘͝͝t̶̶̸̴̸̶̷̡̢͓̺̩̺̘͉̻͓̤̤̰̤̞͚̟͈̜́̎͊̐̀̋̀̆̐̇̊͑̕̚̚͜͝͝e̴̶̷̸̶̶̷̡̨̩̜͎̖͔͚̞̮̮̰͙̺͉͆̔͌͒͑́̏͐̀̃͋̆͆̒͗͝͝͠ͅ.̴̴̸̴̷̵̶̨̢̛̛͔̞͕̘̳̥͕̩͉̲̯̖̬̻̣̇͗̆̓̋̅̾͒̒́̀̏̍͜ͅͅ ̸̵̷̶̸̴̢̡̧̨̖̣̩̟̺̩̺̱͕̮̿̅̆̾͊̉̑̉̌͂̓͆͐̄̕͝į̵̴̶̸̴̵̵̛̦̘̜̣̜̯̮͔̮̦̝̰̻̤̠͔̐̍͛͂͗̌̐̔̀̊̄͗̉̀̿̂͋̅͝͠ ̴̸̶̶̴̳͕͍̭͔̬̐̏̆̑̀͊͆͂̈́̈́́͆͝g̷̷̷̵̴̨̳̮̺̠͍̠̬̩̙͍̯̒̈́͌̈̔̉͂̑̍̈ų̸̷̷̴̸̶̨̹̯̪͇̥͖̪̮̯̜̀́͑͌́̌̎͒̎͂͐̐́́͘͜͠ͅẹ̶̴̵̸̷̴̷̡̧̢̧̢̨̡͈̰̖̩̙̲̹̫̥̭̮̣̥̪̰̅̓̈̄̽̃́̽̀̏̚̕͝š̶̴̷̴̴̸̢͍̪̗̳͚̳̟̝͎̦̭̊̊͗̅̔͐͆̿͊͌͊̃͠͝ş̶̸̵̵̵̵̸̧̛̝̝̗̯͔̞̱̥͈̣̬̤̲͍̞̓̎͗̌̾̓͗͊͊̇̽̒̈́͌̉͊̌͠͠͠.̷̴̷̷̵̶̡̨̯̖͙̯̪̖̭̳̣͖̟͕͙̞̆̀̍̑͂̐̉́͠ ̶̶̴̶̸̶̨̛͖̪͙͉̭̻̘͎̘͚̭̖̟̼̲̍̀̒̐̾̋̾̈́̆̾̃͌̑

#peeled #pokemon #anonymous #missingno #zalgo text

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shinobi-bacon · 4 months

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Man, I love A̷̦̤̝͉͑͑N̸̢͇̳͓̬̊Ĩ̴̤̣̲̱̱̣̘̇̓͗̐M̶̼̈́̂̓̊̕͠A̶̧͙̜̟͕̭̻̔̕͠Ļ̷͉͚̝͖̪̜͚̔̈́̑͛ ̸̲̯̫̥̈́C̷̗͉̯̘̰̓̚̕R̵̠̆͂͗̔̋͂͜ͅǪ̸͛̾̇͛́̏S̴̝͈̋̇̌Ś̷͎͓̞͈̱̦̖̫̈́Í̴̡̧̛͉̜͔͙̙́̄̔̃͘N̶̤̬̩̒̏̾̚̕G̵̢̩͎̭̦͋͋͑͘

#animal crossing #cult of the lamb #cotl #zalgo text

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void-of-unparalled-chaos · 6 months

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Rending Flesh From the Bone

Ah yes, the dpxdc "drabble" I decided to write for Halloween. Honestly not too enthused with how it came out but posting it anyway. I feel like some parts feel a bit rushed and there might be some plotholes. Oh well. As always, feel free to add on if you so desire.

TW: Gore, Cannibalism, Vomiting, Zalgo Text

Translations for the Zalgo are available at the end.

AO3 version

“Are you sure about this, Hood?”

Dick stared at the entrance of the abandoned subway tunnel, Jason practically vibrating out of his armor beside him.

For once, it was Jason who had broken into Dick’s apartment and not the other way around. He was rambling something about the Joker and needing Dick’s help, and who was Dick to say no? His little brother never sought him out on his own, let alone asked for his help. Never. Dick was so proud! If he rewarded this behavior then maybe Jason would do it again, and somehow that would lead to Dick being able to give him his highly sought-after best big brother hugs whenever he wanted. Dick was still figuring out the intermediate steps.

The point is that Dick needed to help him, regardless of if this was all based on a gut feeling and not even a whisper that the Joker was around let alone planning anything. What the hell, Dick thought. Sometimes gut feelings are right, and push comes to shove, Dick will follow Red Hood around Gotham until his paranoia dies down. Then Dick can lovingly bully him into brother bonding time.

So here they were, staring into the gaping mouth of an unused tunnel.

There are worse ways he could have spent his night.

Jason grunts, fists clenched as they gaze into the blackness. “It’s almost Halloween. You know how these freaks get this time of year.”

Dick concedes the point.

“Come on,” Jason bumps against his shoulder as he stalks toward the blackness, “He’s down there I just know it.”

Dick shrugs and follows him in.

Something about it is oppressive. Like something is warning them to turn back or face the consequences. Dick swallows. He shouldn’t be getting so worked up over this. He had been in closed dark spaces like this before, tighter ones even!

“Dick.”

Jason is pointing to the ground. Dark splatters. Blood. Fresh, and more than just a little nosebleed.

They make their way further in, following the convenient blood trail even as the urge to turn around gets stronger. They only walk a few feet before a loud scream breaks the silence.

“I fucking told ya Nightwing!”

Dick grunts in response as they sprint down the tunnel, following the blood down twists and turns.

The two vigilantes slide to a stop as the tunnel breaks into a new one. There is something in this new tunnel. Something large and glowing. The Joker is screaming as it bats him around.

Dick can’t bring himself to do anything but freeze, watching and assessing.

The first thing he sees is the crown. It floats crookedly above the creature’s white hair, bathing the tunnel in light with its green fiery glow. The being’s face almost looks humanoid, with long ears tapering into points. Its body is long and spindly like a man who had been left starving on an island for several weeks. The vertebrae in its neck are visible even underneath its skin. The spinous processes of the vertebrae break through the flesh, creating a long row of protruding bones that clack and rattle as the spine moves. Its pelvis juts out as if only a thin layer of skin is covering it. The ribcage is on the outside of its body like some kind of fucked up turtle shell. Space was underneath it, the purples and blues of nebulas and the blackness of night and twinkling stars and planets rested underneath the bones.

The creature has the Joker by the neck. It reminds Dick of a cat Damian had fostered, one that had kittens and would carry them gently between her jaws. There is nothing gentle about this though. Red blood drips down to the ground as the Joker thrashes to try and free himself. The jaws tighten viciously around him and the creature shakes, flinging him around like a chew toy before slamming him down into the ground with a growl.

A skull flashes underneath its face as if its skin and cartilage are merely a transparent overlay. Sharp, jagged bone peaks rise up smoothly from its mandible in a mimicry of teeth.

The creature’s jaws are still wrapped around the Joker’s throat. He’s scrambling, screeching underneath the being despite the teeth that should be cutting into his vocal cords. The Joker scratches at its chest, trying to push it away. It merely makes a low staticky hissing noise, one of its hands pinning him down by the shoulder.

The other arm raises upwards in the air. It's too long for the body of the creature, fingers tapering into sharp points.

The claws slash downwards.

The Joker choked on a scream as the digits tore his chest open like it were tissue paper. Mouth still wrapped around his throat, the being flipped a flap of skin and fat upwards like it was turning the page of a book.

The Joker continued to struggle, blood and something green gurgling out of his mouth. The being maneuvered itself until it crouched to Joker’s side, twisting his neck with it.

The Joker stilled.

At first, Dick thought he was dead, but then he saw movement inside his chest wound.

His lungs.

His lungs were still moving.

Dick can see his lungs breathing.

The creature reaches its hand back down into the Joker’s chest, wrenching the ribcage open with a snap. The Joker begins to struggle once more, red blood and green liquid splattering on the ground.

One of the clawed hands replaced its teeth, pinning the Joker’s head down as it stuck its face inside the chest cavity. The Joker suddenly froze. When its face remerged a glowing violet orb was held between its teeth. Red and green dripped from its face.

The green was familiar.

Glowing green.

…

…Lazarus water?

The tooth-like protrusions pierce the orb with a crack.

The Joker falls silent.

His lungs are no longer moving.

The being’s head tilts back, the shattered orb disappearing down its gullet. It hunches back down over the corpse. The slimy wet sounds of its hands and head digging into the body are sickening. Dick watches as its head remerges with what looks like a kidney. The kidney follows the orb.

Dick snaps out of his shock, but not quick enough to muffle his strangled gasp.

The being catches sight of them, green eyes, lazarus green, boring into them. Dick can see the dark hollows of the skull’s orbits underneath them. His head pounds.

The creature began to stand. Its joints, too many joints, creaked as it unfolded its legs. It seemed like it struggled to maneuver its stiff limbs. Like it’s fighting against rigor mortis Dick noted absently.

Now standing at full height, the being’s crown nearly scraped the top of the ten-foot ceiling. Its maw parted, blue vapor billowing out between the spiked protrusions that were its teeth. The putrid stench of death and burning flesh that invaded the tunnel had Dick gagging. He quietly covered his mouth as he tried to bite back the bile in his throat.

He glanced back at his brother to find that Jason had taken a step back. It was impossible to see his expression under the helmet, but Dick could read the tightening of his shoulders. Fear. Deep, primal fear. The kind of fear you feel when you know there are no more options. When you know fighting or running is pointless.

Here, at this moment, the infamous Red Hood looked less like a feared crime lord vigilante and more like a one-week-old gazelle face to face with a lion.

Dick reached to pull Jason out of sight but the pounding between his eyes made him uncoordinated. He tripped over his own feet and crashed into Jason’s side, gripping his shoulder with shaking fingers as he righted himself. Jason didn’t budge, remaining stock still despite the extra weight of his older brother against him.

The creature stared at them, the piercing green glow of its eyes brightening with a spur of power. Its head tilted to the side until it came to rest at well over ninety degrees. A pointed, frostbitten tongue lolled out between its teeth to lick its bloodied face clean.

“C̷o̷m̶p̴a̵n̵y̵?̵” It sounded like the desolation of space, the static of electricity, the explosion of a star, the final screech before death.

The space trapped in its chest began to bleed through its ribs, twinkling stars and asteroids and galaxies escaping the confines of their prison to drip down the being’s waist. It ran over its legs, building and thickening until a long serpentine tail had replaced the limbs entirely. Even as the coils moved, the stars and planets stayed in place as if the tail was merely a window. Watching it made Dick motion sick.

Even as the elongated spines stretching out of its back clanked together in the mimicry of a death rattle, the creature made no move toward them. Another puff of foul-smelling mist escaped its mouth.

“Y̶o̷u̸ ̶s̵h̴o̷u̴l̵d̶ ̴b̶e̵ ̸m̴o̴r̷e̸ ̴c̷a̴r̸e̴f̴u̷l̵,̷ ̸l̴i̴t̷t̶l̷e̸ ̶g̶h̸o̷s̴t̶l̷i̸n̷g̸.̸” It’s voice boomed, “Y̴o̸u̵ ̶a̸r̶e̵ ̷n̷o̶ ̷m̵a̸t̸c̶h̴ ̷f̴o̵r̴ ̸m̶o̵s̷t̷ ̴s̸p̵i̴r̴i̷t̴s̴ ̵a̸s̸ ̷y̵o̵u̵n̷g̴ ̴a̷s̶ ̶y̶o̵u̶ ̷a̸r̵e̵.̷ ̷E̶s̸p̷e̸c̵i̶a̶l̴l̷y̶ ̶n̴o̵t̷ ̴o̶n̴ ̶S̵a̶m̷h̷a̶i̷n̷.̶”

The two brothers remained frozen in place. The stars in its tail flickered until millions of eyes were boring into Dick’s soul. With a stuttering gasp, Dick stepped back again. Jason refused to budge despite his urging. The next time Dick blinked the eyes were stars again.

The being chuckled at them, “N̵o̴ ̴n̶e̸e̵d̷ ̵t̵o̶ ̵f̸e̸a̶r̵,̸ ̵g̸h̵o̶s̶t̶l̸i̴n̴g̶.̸ ̴I̸ ̵d̴o̵ ̷n̶o̶t̴ ̶w̶i̸s̵h̴ ̵y̸o̴u̸ ̷n̷o̵r̴ ̸y̴o̶u̴r̸ ̴f̵r̸a̷i̵d̷ ̴h̵a̵r̷m̸.̶” Dick found that hard to believe considering that they had just watched it eat the Joker’s kidney, “Y̸o̵u̴ ̸a̷r̴e̵ ̵v̵e̸r̸y̶ ̴l̵u̶c̸k̶y̴ ̶i̶t̵ ̴w̷a̴s̴ ̴m̶e̵ ̸w̴h̷o̸ ̸y̶o̷u̵ ̷c̸a̸m̷e̴ ̵a̶c̴r̷o̸s̸s̵ ̶r̸a̴t̷h̷e̵r̸ ̷t̵h̵a̷n̴ ̴a̵n̷o̴t̶h̶e̶r̵ ̷s̴p̷i̸r̸i̴t̸.̵ ̷M̶a̷n̶y̶ ̵w̴o̸u̶l̴d̸ ̷h̸a̶v̸e̷ ̵e̷a̷t̴e̴n̵ ̸y̸o̴u̶ ̴b̵y̷ ̵n̴o̴w̶.̴”

“I-” Jason finally choked out, “What?”

The being lowered itself until it was at eye level with Jason. It evaluated him once more before jerking back with what seemed to be an expression of surprise. “O̷h̷ ̸l̵i̶t̷t̵l̷e̵ ̴g̴h̴o̶s̴t̴,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̴ ̸a̴r̵e̸ ̵m̴u̸c̴h̴ ̸y̸o̷u̸n̴g̴e̴r̶ ̵t̶h̷a̶n̸ ̶I̵ ̵h̸a̷d̸ ̴t̵h̵o̵u̸g̸h̵t̵!̵ ̴Y̴o̵u̶r̵ ̷c̵o̴r̸e̵ ̵i̴s̴ ̷n̸e̷w̶ ̶a̷n̷d̵ ̸u̶n̶d̴e̷r̵n̴o̸u̸r̶i̶s̸h̵e̴d̴.̶ ̸N̴o̵ ̴w̸o̴n̸d̵e̶r̶ ̷I̷ ̴h̵a̸d̴ ̷n̵o̷t̴ ̴s̸e̸n̴s̵e̵d̵ ̸y̸o̶u̶ ̶b̷e̵f̵o̷r̷e̶!̴ ̶H̵a̵v̷e̶ ̶y̶o̷u̴ ̷b̵e̵e̵n̵ ̶e̸a̷t̸i̷n̴g̶?̸”

Its tone seemed almost doting, motherly even. The image was broken by the fact that it was currently leaning closer toward them, supporting itself on what was left of the Joker’s exposed ribcage.

Jason shook his head in dumbfounded horror.

The creature seemed to take it as an answer, humming in what felt like parental disappointment. “Y̶o̶u̷ ̵n̵e̴e̴d̸ ̶t̷o̷ ̷t̶a̵k̸e̵ ̷b̴e̸t̵t̵e̸r̶ ̷c̸a̶r̸e̴ ̶o̷f̶ ̸y̴o̴u̴r̵s̸e̷l̶f̴,̴ ̵l̷i̸t̴t̷l̶e̵ ̶g̶h̵o̸s̵t̴.̵ ̵I̵'̴v̸e̴ ̴n̵e̸v̴e̶r̸ ̸s̵e̵e̵n̷ ̴s̵u̶c̵h̵ ̸a̶n̴ ̸u̶n̷d̷e̸r̶n̶o̴u̸r̸i̸s̵h̸e̵d̶ ̷c̶o̶r̷e̴.̸ ̷Y̷o̶u̴ ̸m̴u̶s̷t̷ ̸b̷e̷ ̷a̵b̵l̷e̸ ̴t̸o̴ ̸f̸e̸e̶l̷ ̸t̶h̵e̸ ̸e̸f̷f̵e̷c̷t̵s̴.̶ ̵A̴r̴e̴ ̶y̴o̴u̶ ̴i̵n̸ ̸p̸a̵i̴n̶?̴”

Dick knew that he was. If it wasn’t the emotional torment of the pit madness it was chronic pain. There had been many nights where he had to tend to his brother, trying everything from painkillers to ice packs to numbing cream in an attempt to stop it.

Jason nodded hesitantly, “Yes…” he took his helmet off, letting it drop to the ground. His eyes were burning lazarus green, “It hurts all the time… like there’s a fire burning in my chest. It gets hotter and hotter and hotter until I feel like my brain is gonna melt outta my ears.”

The creature slithered closer with a rumbling coo. It offered a hand to Jason. Its fingers curled unnaturally. It looked like it had an extra knuckle. “C̷o̷m̷e̴ ̵h̸e̷r̸e̴,̵ ̸g̴h̷o̴s̵t̷l̷i̸n̸g̶.̴ ̴I̷ ̷w̶i̴l̶l̸ ̸s̸h̴a̸r̸e̴ ̷m̶y̶ ̸c̷a̴t̵c̶h̴.̷ ̷I̵ ̷c̵a̴n̷ ̶s̶e̴n̴s̴e̵ ̸t̵h̴e̸ ̵c̴o̵n̷n̸e̵c̴t̶i̷o̷n̷ ̶t̴h̴i̵s̵ ̷r̸e̸v̷e̷n̴a̴n̸t̴ ̴h̴a̶s̸ ̸t̷o̷ ̸y̶o̶u̵.̶ ̷A̸s̸ ̵y̷o̷u̶r̴ ̷k̷i̵l̸l̶e̶r̶,̶ ̵f̵e̸a̵s̷t̴i̴n̸g̶ ̸o̴n̷ ̵h̵i̷m̶ ̸w̷i̴l̵l̵ ̴h̷a̸v̶e̷ ̶e̸x̶t̸r̶a̴ ̶b̶e̷n̸e̵f̸i̵t̷s̴.̸”

Jason reaches out to accept the hand. Dick throws himself between them, “Little Wing, what the hell! You aren’t seriously going to… you're not…”

“I… I need it, Dick.” Jason wiped drool from his lips. Dick caught the flash of fanged teeth, sharper than they should have been. “I don’t know how to explain it but I just- I’m so fucking hungry.”

Dick… Dick wasn’t scared of Jason. He wasn’t. But at that moment, he felt like he needed to run. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t abandon his little brother to this…thing.

“I̸ ̵u̶n̵d̴e̸r̶s̸t̵a̷n̴d̵ ̷y̶o̴u̶r̴ ̸a̵p̶p̷r̸e̶h̴e̷n̶s̷i̵o̸n̵.̵” the being addressed him, Dick struggled to look it in the eyes, the pounding of his head increasing, “A̶s̷ ̷a̷ ̶l̴i̷v̵i̴n̷g̴ ̷i̸t̸ ̴f̴e̵e̶l̸s̷ ̴w̷r̶o̶n̶g̵,̶ ̶s̴i̶c̵k̴e̴n̴i̶n̵g̴ ̶e̴v̷e̷n̸.̷ ̴I̸t̷ ̵t̷o̸o̶k̷ ̸m̵e̴ ̶a̶ ̷l̶o̸n̴g̸ ̸t̵i̴m̷e̵ ̵t̵o̸ ̷c̵o̵m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̴ ̷t̷e̸r̷m̸s̸ ̸w̶i̶t̴h̸ ̴i̸t̴.̷ ̵I̶ ̴u̸n̵d̶e̵r̷s̸t̶a̴n̶d̸.̸ ̴B̷u̴t̵ ̴i̵t̷ ̸i̵s̷ ̸s̸o̵m̸e̸t̷h̶i̸n̷g̶ ̷o̷u̸r̵ ̷s̴p̸e̷c̷i̵e̵s̸ ̷n̸e̸e̶d̵s̸.̵ ̸S̵u̶r̸e̷l̸y̶ ̴y̷o̷u̴ ̸m̶u̷s̴t̷ ̴h̴a̸v̸e̷ ̷w̴i̴t̸n̴e̸s̴s̵e̶d̸ ̶t̴h̷e̴ ̴e̴f̴f̶e̷c̴t̴s̶ ̶o̴f̴ ̶s̵t̶a̶r̴v̷a̸t̶i̶o̶n̴ ̵o̴n̸ ̸y̵o̷u̶r̷ ̶f̵r̵a̶i̷d̸m̶a̷t̶e̸?̵”

Moments flash through Dick’s head. Jason breathes as he struggles against the pit so hard that Dick starts to worry his brother will pop a lung. Jason looked at the remains of another destroyed glass in dismay, before practically sprinting to hole himself up somewhere Dick couldn’t find him. Jason sobs into his shirt, begging him to make it stop, to take the pain away as Dick watches on helplessly.

“I̷t̵ ̷w̸i̷l̵l̶ ̵o̷n̶l̵y̷ ̷g̷e̵t̵ ̷w̴o̸r̴s̸e̶ ̶i̷f̷ ̶h̴e̷ ̷d̵o̶e̶s̴n̸'̶t̷ ̸e̵a̶t̴.̵ ̶E̴v̶e̵n̵t̸u̴a̴l̸l̵y̸,̸ ̵t̴h̴e̵ ̵s̶t̶a̶r̴v̷a̵t̶i̸o̵n̵ ̸w̴i̷l̵l̵ ̶b̴e̶ ̶s̶o̷ ̸b̷a̶d̸ ̷h̷i̸s̵ ̴c̷o̴r̵e̵ ̷w̷i̸l̷l̴ ̷s̷e̵l̸f̵-̷c̴a̷n̴n̷i̵b̷a̶l̵i̵z̴e̷.̵”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“I̶ ̷a̵m̵ ̷K̶i̶n̷g̷ ̷P̶h̵a̴n̸t̵o̶m̵ ̵o̸f̷ ̵t̶h̴e̸ ̶I̴n̶f̶i̵n̷i̶t̸e̶ ̶R̷e̶a̸l̴m̷s̴,̷ ̶t̴h̷e̶ ̵A̸n̶c̵i̶e̵n̶t̵ ̵o̵f̵ ̵S̸p̸a̶c̸e̸,̶ ̶P̷r̸o̶t̶e̴c̵t̸o̷r̷ ̴o̶f̷ ̶t̷h̸e̸ ̵L̷i̸v̵i̷n̸g̸ ̸a̵n̷d̴ ̸D̷e̸a̴d̴,̷ ̷t̵h̷e̴ ̶O̸n̸e̴ ̸W̶h̶o̶ ̷L̷i̴e̴s̷ ̸I̴n̶ ̴B̴e̷t̸w̴e̵e̴n̵,̷ ̶t̴h̶e̷ ̴K̵i̴n̶g̵ ̸o̷f̶ ̶G̶h̷o̴s̸t̷s̵.̴” What almost looks like a smile splits across his face, “I̴f̸ ̶I̶ ̴w̵e̶r̴e̵ ̷n̵o̸t̵ ̶a̴w̷a̸r̷e̶ ̶o̶f̵ ̶m̷y̸ ̵p̶e̴o̶p̷l̴e̸'̵s̵ ̸n̷e̶e̴d̵s̵ ̷I̴ ̶w̵o̷u̸l̵d̴ ̷b̴e̶ ̴a̸ ̷v̴e̵r̵y̷ ̷p̴o̸o̷r̸ ̴k̶i̸n̷g̸ ̶i̵n̶d̷e̸e̷d̴.̸”

Dick turns back to Jason. His brother hasn’t looked this small since before his death. He’s shaking. He looks desperate.

Dick steps to the side.

Jason lets out a stuttering breath but remains still otherwise, hands clenched at his sides.

The newly dubbed King Phantom returns to the corpse, digging through fluid and meat. “I̴f̷ ̸i̴t̷ ̷i̶s̴ ̸a̸n̸y̴ ̵c̴o̵n̸s̸o̵l̶a̸t̷i̷o̵n̶,̷ ̵h̶e̵ ̷w̶i̴l̵l̵ ̸n̴o̷t̸ ̶n̷e̸e̶d̴ ̵t̶o̵ ̶e̸a̵t̴ ̴o̷f̴t̶e̸n̶.̸ ̸O̵n̴c̸e̸ ̴o̸r̴ ̸t̶w̷i̴c̸e̵ ̷e̸v̷e̸r̸y̶ ̷f̴i̶f̸t̵y̶ ̵y̸e̷a̴r̶s̶ ̸o̷r̴ ̷s̴o̵ ̷s̵h̵o̶u̶l̵d̶ ̸b̶e̸ ̸e̴n̸o̵u̸g̵h̴ ̶t̸o̶ ̸k̶e̴e̵p̶ ̴h̶i̶m̷ ̶r̸e̴l̶a̷t̷i̸v̶e̷l̶y̸ ̵h̶e̵a̸l̶t̸h̶y̴.̶“ He pulls out the Joker's liver with bloody claws. "C̷o̴m̷e̵ ̶h̵e̸r̸e̷,̵ ̷g̸h̵o̴s̷t̷l̵i̸n̴g̸," he purrs, offering it to Jason as if it were an apple instead of a human organ, "I̴ ̴k̴n̶o̷w̸ ̷y̸o̴u̵'̶r̵e̷ ̴h̶u̶n̷g̶r̸y̷.̶ ̵T̴h̵e̸ ̷e̶c̴t̴o̵p̷l̶a̶s̷m̷ ̸i̴n̴ ̶h̷e̷r̴e̵ ̵w̵i̵l̵l̴ ̵h̵e̴l̶p̵ ̵b̵o̵o̸s̶t̵ ̸y̶o̵u̵r̵ ̷o̸w̷n̸ ̶e̶c̷t̴o̴ ̸p̶r̶o̷d̴u̷c̴t̴i̶o̴n̵.̵"

Jason reaches for it, eyes flicking uncertainly between the liver and the creature’s eyes. Despite everything, Dick almost hopes that he will suddenly come to his senses, slap the hand away, and leap backward gagging in disgust.

Instead, he wraps a couple of fingers around one of King Phantom’s. His tank of a brother looks minuscule in comparison. Jason stares up at the being with wide eyes, like a child presented with cotton candy.

“Are you sure I can have it?”

King Phantom’s chest lets out another deep rumbling purr. “T̶h̷e̴ ̶l̴o̷s̵s̵ ̴i̸s̴ ̵n̸o̴t̶ ̷a̷ ̷g̵r̷e̶a̵t̸ ̴o̷n̷e̴ ̵f̴o̶r̴ ̸m̴e̸.̴ ̵I̵ ̵a̶m̸ ̷p̷o̸w̵e̷r̶f̸u̸l̸ ̵e̶n̸o̶u̷g̷h̵ ̷t̵o̴ ̶s̷u̷r̸v̴i̸v̸e̸ ̵o̷f̵f̶ ̷a̷m̴b̷i̶e̸n̵t̸ ̸e̸c̷t̵o̷p̷l̵a̵s̶m̸ ̸a̶n̸d̴ ̴e̸m̸o̶t̷i̵o̴n̸s̶ ̴l̴o̷n̷g̶e̸r̸ ̴t̸h̸a̵n̸ ̴o̶t̴h̵e̸r̸s̷.̷ ̸B̶e̵s̶i̸d̸e̸s̴,̶ ̴t̵h̵e̶r̴e̷ ̸w̴i̴l̷l̷ ̴a̷l̴w̴a̵y̷s̷ ̵b̸e̴ ̸a̵n̶o̷t̸h̴e̷r̴ ̸c̶r̶i̶m̷i̴n̶a̵l̵ ̸t̴o̸ ̷h̶u̸n̵t̵.̵”

Jason snatches the liver with burning green eyes. The organ wobbles in his hands. To Dick’s dismay, Jason takes a large eager bite. His expression can only be described as blissed relief like he had just tasted ambrosia. He goes in for another, larger bite before he has even swallowed the first, jaw unhinging like a snake.

Dick is never eating Jello again.

He watches with detachment as Jason takes a third bite of the liver. His brother’s mouth is painted in red and green like a facsimile of King Phantom’s. For the first time, Jason’s chest stutteringly hums in relieved glee. King Phantom purrs in return as he tucks his face back into the corpse, like some sort of horrific feedback loop.

Dick tries to focus on something else, anything else, but the iron stench of blood and burning flesh is inescapable. He tries to avert his eyes away from the gorey pile of what used to be the Joker as his brother and the creature tear into it. The stars that makeup King Phantom’s tail stare at him. They blink. A sharp pain shoots behind his eyes as he shuts them tightly.

It feels like he loses time.

When he opens them again, his brother is gnawing flesh off a rib. The entire front of his body is caked in red and green. King Phantom is staring at him with piercing green eyes. Intestines dangle from between its jaws. Its tongue maneuvers them further into its mouth like they are spaghetti noodles.

The bile rises in his throat again. Dick retches against the wall. He wipes the acid from his mouth and leans his forehead against the brick. The coolness of the stone eases the pain zinging between his eyes. He can still hear the squelching of meat and snapping of bone behind him.

A noise of concern sounds from his brother.

Dick turns back in the direction of the horror show, keeping his eyes squeezed tight.

King Phantom hums in thought. “P̴e̷r̷h̷a̶p̶s̶ ̴i̷t̸ ̵w̶i̷l̴l̷ ̸b̵e̵ ̸e̶a̵s̵i̵e̴r̸ ̶i̷f̴ ̸y̴o̵u̸ ̷w̵a̵i̴t̸ ̶o̷u̸t̵s̶i̵d̵e̷.̸”

“Y-yeah.” Dick nods, voice cracking. “I think I’ll just… do that.”

Jason makes a noise of acknowledgment.

Another bone snaps.

Dick quickly makes his way back the way they had come. He stops briefly to vomit again, though there is nothing left in his stomach to throw up. When he emerges from the tunnel entrance he gasps on fresh Gotham air. He wraps his arms tight around himself with shaking fingers as he tries to steady his breathing. With the absence of the creature the pain in his head steadily fades away, though the images of bloody organs and sounds of desperate screaming remain persistent.

He’s not sure how long he waits outside, but it's long enough that he begins to worry something happened to Jason. He begins to wonder if the creature pinned him down like it had the Joker, restaining him with his neck between its fangs. What would Dick even do? How could he save his brother from that… thing?

Jason remerges before he can figure it out. He’s clean of any visible blood or lazarus water, but the acrid tang of death and gore follows him.

Jason pleadingly stares at him through the eyes of his helmet.

Dick nods.

They don’t speak of it again.

______________________

Zalgo Translations...

"Company?"

"You should be more careful, little ghostling."

"You are no match for most spirits as young as you are. Especially not on Samhain."

"No need to fear, ghostling. I do not wish you nor your fraid harm."

"You are very lucky it was me who you came across rather than some other spirit. Many would have eaten you by now."

"Oh little ghost, you are much younger than I had thought! Your core is new and undernourished. No wonder I had not sensed you before! Have you been eating?"

"You need to take better care of yourself, little ghost. I've never seen such an undernourished core. You must be able to feel the effects. Are you in pain?"

"Come here, ghostling. I will share my catch. I can sense the connection this revenant has to you. As your killer, feasting on him will have extra benefits."

"I understand your apprehension."

"As a living it feels wrong, sickening even. It took me a long time to come to terms with it. I understand. But it is something our species needs. Surely you must have witnessed the effects of starvation on your fraidmate?"

"It will only get worse if he doesn't eat. Eventually, the starvation will be so bad his core will self-cannibalize."

"I am King Phantom of the Infinite Realms, the Ancient of Space, Protector of the Living and Dead, the One Who Lies In Between, the King of Ghosts."

"If I were not aware of my people's needs I would be a very poor king indeed."

"If it is any consolation, he will not need to eat often. Once or twice every fifty years or so should be enough to keep him relatively healthy. "

"Come here, ghostling,"

"I know you're hungry. The ectoplasm in here will help boost your own ecto production."

"The loss is not a great one for me. I am powerful enough to survive off ambient ectoplasm and emotions longer than others. Besides, there will always be another criminal to hunt."

"Perhaps it will be easier if you wait outside."

#baby ghost Jason Todd #stumbling face first into a predator that can absolutely rock his shit #only to get almost immediately adopted by it #family dinner is about to get a lot more interesting #dpxdc #ghost king danny #ghost king au #eldritch danny #tw gore #tw cannibalism #tw vomit #my writing #dpxdc fanfic #ghost cannibalism #zalgo text #ghosts can purr #me sticking my hands into the plotholes: “it has pockets :)”#RFFTB #ghost hunger

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laurasimonsdaughter · 1 year

Text

There were always casualties during this kind of ritual. That was to be expected. One of his colleagues was currently screaming incomprehensibly in the background, but he was sure Xosha had it covered for now and HR would deal with it afterwards, they’d be alright. He really couldn’t afford to take his eyes off the circle of protective sigils on the floor right now. Just like he couldn’t afford to make the same mistake as Mason, so he took care not to look up into the endless gaze of the being currently trapped in his circle.

F̸̦͚͕͒́́͗̍̌͛͂͂̀̐̚A̷͚̳̰̠̠̤̼̗̹̜̟̞̐̈̌̐͗̀C̷̮̱̦̍͊̒̌͂̒̀̂͘̚͜E̴̢̢̛̩͖̗͉̬̼̝͖̐̒̆̾̐͘͘ ̴̧̻̺̬̤̥̖̮̠̓̂̀̉̋͛͝M̷͈̺͉̝͉̺̆̀͋̽̈́̽̕͝ͅE̴͚̟̞͍̩͚̠͉̒̐ ̴̧̨͔̫̳̿̍͛̇̄̀̉̈́̅̐̾͜M̵̧͖̹̜̱̟͈̙̱̳͚̙͐̓̇͆̓̚͠O̴̜̗͕̖͕̠̤̓̄ͅR̴̢̥̺̫̉͗̍̓̌T̶̫͙̈̇A̶̧͓̤̟̯̹̟͎̭͇̫͉͒̌̅L̵̡̢̡̧̜̠̲̹̞̯͕͖͗̕

“Yes, I realise it’s bad manners, but considering what you did to my associate you’ll forgive me for not making eye contact, Your Eldritchness.”

The bone chilling howl that followed made him very grateful for the latest update to his ear protection.

“I understand your frustration, I really do.”

T̴̨̡̧̗̖͍̰̘͇͍̤̻̒̒͆̌͒̿͝͠Ŏ̸̢̖̜͈͔̬͖̲͖͎͋͑́́̊͜͜ ̶̫͇͚̻̯͍͌̈́̄̆̚B̵͔̞̠͙̼͒̀̉̽͑E̸̝̙͕̔̂̐̐͌̌̄͌͘̚ ̸̢̖͕̺̣̲͓̹͉̍̈́̿͘͠S̸̨̜̟̦̞̖͇̺̺̱̮͌̈́̒̀͝ͅǗ̸͖́̇̈́́͘M̴͚̝͕̪̐̾̋͗͠M̶̡̹̳͍͔̯͙̯͕̼͎͇̓Ö̵̧̙̝͔̳͈̞̱͕̪̲͌̎̓̓͝N̶̨̢̠̫̘͙̮͌̄̈́͒̓̐̊̎̕̚Ȩ̸̳̖͍̫͍̩̖̼̦̳̈́̊͗̅̓̋̽̀̾͒͒͝Ḏ̷̡̢̢̺̩̼̣̆͐͠ͅ ̵̡̮͚͈͖̺̖̅͊̀̏̈́̃̈̌ͅL̵͈̂͐Į̵̨̣͋̈́̎͒̎̋́̐̆͝ͅK̷̠̦̳͖̼̾̚̚Ȅ̸̩̯̀̊̈́̂̐̚ ̵̨̙̙͔̳̫͉̳͍̗̝͛̾͆́̿̀̈́́͆͋͜Ą̴̡̩̲͖̪͕̒̈́́̓̈́̋ͅ ̵̛̙͍͈͖̺̻̩̄̐̌͊̿̉͝C̸̢̨͈̼̻̘̥̝̓͜O̴͉̘̭̬̙̯̐̋͂ͅM̴̡̗̱͇̫̳̤͎̈́̈́̅͛͊̌͌͒̕͝M̶̨͓̣͖̱̏̒͐͐O̴͙̹͔̮͔̘̾́͋̉̿͆͆̋̆̔̅N̴̘̟̓͒̍̈́̈́̆̆͊͝ ̸̫̦͙̟̜͙̱̀D̸̡̖͓̬̙͍̏̀̈́͗͝ͅE̶̲̹̰̹̘͉͂͗͜M̷͍̯̬͍̬̈O̸͔͈̜̬̻̺̟͙͙̣̼̳̿N̴̩̟̼̩͊̽̉

“While I absolutely do not want to dismiss the discomfort and inconvenience this must have caused you, I would like to point out that we did not summon you to this realm, we merely made sure that the rift you tore into our reality ended up here instead of where you intended to go.”

Predictably, this remark was not appreciated.

When the ground had stopped shaking, he resumed brightly: “Couldn’t be helped, I’m afraid. This has been your third crossing and you know what they say: three is a pattern.”

Ŗ̷̣̗̖̞̠͛̓͆̆̓͜E̷̼͇̽̈́̿̊̚͝L̸͖̤̯̘͂̏̌̅͒̚͝Ę̶̧̛̱̙̣̲̖͙̮̈́͊͌̂͐̌͐̉Å̶̠̈́̈́̎͌͊̂͛̉͝͝Š̴̠̯̖͖̣̄̒̑͑̾̂̚̕͜Ȩ̸̲͙̜̪̜͗̒̎̎̄͌̕ ̴̛͙̦̂̓͛̒̑͊̇̈́͐̄M̴̡͙̜͚̲̥͊͊̇͛̓͋̌͋E̶̛̗̞̖̦̬̪̗̞̒͗͒̉ͅ

“I think you know I cannot do that, Your Eldritchness, since you do seem particularly insistent on coming over here and in your current form, if you’ll forgive me the expression, you do an absolutely disastrous amount of damage to our general existence. ”

The screeching resumed and he had to lower his voice to a whisper to reach the creature at all. “However— If it’s a stay in the human world you want, we can help you with that.”

The silence that suddenly took over was almost more painful than the sound it replaced.

w̷̡̦̺̹͈̥̗͔̭̉̉̕͜ͅe̸̛͇̓̅̏̏̊͌̍̏?̵̡̢̢̞͈̙̼̜͇̯͙͑́͌̈́̆͒̀̋

Oh thank goodness, that sounded almost like a reasonable speaking voice. “My associates and I, from the Eldritch Relocation Initiative,” he replied cheerfully. “We can walk you through the process of creating a suitably stable human appearance, get you the necessary paperwork for a residence on earth, and can even find you some charming mortal accommodation to house you, if you wish. You will be assigned a personal case worker to help you with any problems you may encounter. On the condition, of course, that you stop subjecting my fellow creatures to unspeakable horror and tearing at the fabric our of reality.”

The past couple years he had become quite good at gauging whether his offer was being considered with curiosity or contempt. Even without any conventional facial features to read. The current doubtful jittering vibrating at the edge of his hearing definitely sounded intrigued. So much the better. It always broke his heart when they had to go through the whole banishment procedure. Mason had also stopped screaming by now, which was a decided improvement.

“Perhaps you’d like to tell me what drew you to our little corner of time and space in the first place?” he invited. “I’m sure that whatever it is you are interested in, you’ll be able to enjoy it much more from a human perspective, as it were. Really immerse yourself, you know?”

There was something deeply, profoundly confusing about receiving a form of communication that was beyond language, words, or sounds, and yet have it appear decidedly shy and embarrassed.

.̷̡̦̗͙͈̺̻͚͍̦͍̆͊͒̒͂́̑̔̚͘͜.̴̛̫̫̫̣̝̪̤͆̃.̷̪̗̠̤̯̫̰͈̥̩͖̺̿̓̏̽̾̽͗͛̍͠y̸̨̭̻͈̠͐͒̽̈́͗̕ơ̸̛̭̮̬̜̮̱͕̜̩̽̅̎́̓̊͂̀̍͜ų̸̨̛̟̫̳͔̻̬̹͇̘͊́͗̀̄̓͗ ̴̨̞̪̬̪̗͍͚͛̈́͌̋̈́͑̃̃͘͘h̶̖̉̑͛̋͌̕͝͠a̵̭͓͍̮̘̬̹̺̩̮͎̓ͅv̸̤̬̯̯̊̀̀̈́̓̍̋̀͝ȩ̶̻̙̫̙̯͌̀̈̈́͗.̴̪̺̊̀͛̌̑͑͜.̷̮̞̠̼̥̮̗̫͚̈́̅͊́͒̕.̶̛̪̳̪̣͙̥͉̞͙̳̱̎̈̔̏̅̓̄͛̽͐͝ḇ̶̢̰̞̗̠̠̝̄̿͒͜͜ͅö̶̧͖̩̰́͑̐́̅̉͂̚͝͝͝͝ã̴̢̨̧͎̩̼͖̬͐͗̀̀͘t̸̬̄̈́̋͝s̴̛̜̮̖͚̞͍͈̓̐́̈͌̄̑͠?̵̧̫͙́

His smile broadened. “We most certainly do have boats, yes. It did say in your file that all your previous sightings have taken place at sea. So, you’re interested in boats! Excellent choice of hobby. A marvel of human invention, if I do say so myself. And you’ll be please to know that there are many humans just as interested in them as you are, and they’ll be more than happy to teach you all about them!”

The lights in the reinforced basement, which had previously barely been able to stay lit, stopped flickering.

ȧ̶̮̼͈̯̝͕̉͗n̴̨͈̗̪͑d̷̢̢̗͉̗̗̜̭̝̒̀̊̀̽̀͐̂̉͜͠͝.̵̛̭̺̠̪̇̂̀͌͌̐͝.̷̨̙͔̬̥̣͙͔̈́̿͆͗̄͐͠ͅ.̷̢̣͕͓͋͑̓̈̐̑̇͜s̷̼͕̳̻̚ͅą̵̢͍̪͔̠̼̼̜̝͆̐̎̀͊́i̸̯̥͚̫̘͐͐́̑͌̑͆̅́͐͝͝ļ̴̺̦̻͈̱̦̜̝͎̤̿̑̒́̀̃̈̅̏̂̈́̈͜ ̷̧̡̳̘͙̤̞̻̭͉͂̈́̀̿i̶̢̨͉͍̲͚̱̼͌ͅǹ̴̢͛ ̸̡͕͎̩͓͠ḯ̶̡̨̨̱̟͙̥͎̙̘̠̒̈́̈̈́͜t̶͉͙̭̬̟̦͖̳͗̾̂̀̀̈̃͠?̴͍͇̣̳͇̤̺̬̬̬́͘ͅ

“Well, if you would be willing to adjust your shape, size, and general destructibility, I would say that the least we could do is take you for a boat ride!”

The overhead lights gave one last concerning buzz, and then the writhing, broiling contradiction trapped within the circle brightened, darkened, and then steadily started shrinking, until what was left was almost of a height with the two ERI negotiators currently still available. They both smiled brightly. This was going to be a lot less paperwork than the one who was obsessed with the entire city of Copenhagen.

#urban fantasy professionals #eldritch horror #except not at all because it's me #laura drabbles #zalgo text

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ocontodezalgatoth · 2 months

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Zalgo's corruption is now an aesthetic

#creepypastas #creepypasta blog #creepypasta fandom #creeypasta #creepypasta fanart #zalgo #zalgo creepypasta #creepy art #creepypasta #comics #cosmic horror #zalgoid #zalgo text #lord zalgo #creepypasta headcanons #creepypasta mansion #zalgo headcanons #zalgatoth

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ingo-in-places-he-shouldnt-be · 1 year

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Ingo sho͓̬̝̠͕͔u̟ĺ͕ḍ͔͓̻̟͙́n̢'̞͚t̲̝̀ b̨҉̤e̙̘̜̬͢ h͞͝҉̪̣͇͎̦͍̦̹͍̻̪͔̻̹̮b҉̶̢͇̙̞a̶̸̘̳̬̯̳͇̤̖͕̪͔̠̺̦̦̲͡͞ͅs̛̛̗̤̫̝̙͖͇̹̩̰̹̬͇̰͓̫͜͠h̴̴̡̝̺͍̘̗̘̜̮́b̸̦̳̪͔͠f̵̰̗̬̬̬̜̞͞ͅw̶̶̲̳̳̹̘̞̠̯̝̹͝k̵̛̹̝̩̤̫̼̼̞̰̣͍͔͍̮͔̼͜͡q͠͏̕҉̳̼̜͈̙̣̯͍͍̖̲̪̲̠͕͇j̷̧̛̗̠͓̣͙̗̠̫̻̖͜͞ẹ̶̴̻̗̯̪̰͇͎͘͜͡f̧̖̠̭̼̹̹̬̘͞a̴̶̖̼̱͖̳͙͚̖̱̯͜d̪̬̬̳͎̪̘̰̘͡͞f̢͉̬̠͇̖̞̜͈̀͝͝r̢̰̙̥̼͙̹͓͍̙̱͔̹̪̰̰̯̙̩̲͡͠͡f̢͓͉̥̟̝̣̲̞͜s̶̴̯̺̝̫̖̭͚̟̙̺̳̩̱̪͠ͅD̡͏͇̘̱̺̤̗̩̲͎͍̹̻Z̴̫͈̟̰̤̺̳͕̥̞͍̘̗̦͕̲͜ͅF̴̶̼̝̝̼̙̮̖̥̗̳̩̪̰͘͞ͅͅq̢̛͚̪̹̩̘̭̻̤̦̪̥̠̞̖͢͝͝e̷͕̫̤̥̺̩̹̮̝͓̖̪̥̕d̷̵̛̫̤̮̺͎̥͞ͅḁ̵̡̪͈̰̕͜ͅs̢̱̜̰͎̺͕͔͞͝e̡̧̫̻̗̲͔͍̝̱͝f̵̸̡̥͖͉̠͍͚̥̭̰̮͖̩͞ạ̶͍̥̼̻͍͉w̢̛̬̗̝̰̮̕͟ͅ

#Ingo in places he shouldn't be #Subway Boss Ingo #Warden Ingo #Pokemon #miscellaneous #body horror tw #glitch horror tw #zalgo text #ask to tag

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after-nine-at-the-oasis · 5 months

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something's gone horribly wrong here

I wrote this in a trance last night and then vaguely edited it this morning. it just took over my brain okay <3? enjoy :)

“Success!” Grian cries desperately.

Just a few more steps. He runs forward, reaching his hand around his shield-

A wither skull slams into him, sending shockwaves through his entire body. And everything goes black.

“No!” he screams in frustration, and a hint of ironic laughter.

He draws breath to scream again, into the darkness, but it catches in his throat. He pauses. He’s still here.

“Wait- what?” Grian manages to get out. He should’ve respawned by now.

There is silence for a moment. Then-

“WRONG.”

Grian would reach up to cover his ears, if he could. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a body, so he just suffers the grating shout. And then it registers. They’re here. And They want to talk to him.

“No, no, no!” he yells. Block them out until he respawns, that’s what he should do.

Blessedly, the world starts to come back into view. The grass, the torches, the Secret Keeper. But when he tries to stumble back to the battle, away from Them, he realizes two things: no one is around, and he can’t move. Then Grian sees the gray haze hanging over everything, and he wishes desperately to respawn.

But he doesn’t respawn. And they keep talking.

“SHE DIED FIRST.”

“Agh- that wasn’t my fault,” he responds, head aching. If he had a body, every muscle would be tensed to the point of cramping. And every fiber of him wants to Look.

“THE CURSE THINS.”

Grian doesn’t dignify it with a response. He didn’t know why in the moment, but he felt a vicious gladness when Timmy died second. Sure, he brought Lizzie to Red and Mumbo died directly after him (during quite a destructive event), but he lived.

“HE IS LEFT. HE IS WITH HIM. WHERE IS HE.”

His mind aches, it aches, it’s all-consuming–

“HE HIDES FROM OUR WRATH.”

They’re talking about Martyn, he thinks. He made the right choice – ran as soon as the wither showed up, just like Timmy and Mumbo should’ve done.

Timmy and Mumbo. The grief hits him like a wave. There are still so many Greens left, and they’re gone.

“THERE. WHERE THE OTHER IS. WHERE IS HE. WHERE IS HE.”

“I don’t know!” Grian yells angrily. “I don’t know where he is!”

“HIDING AWAY FROM US ALL THE DAY.”

Martyn doesn’t hide, his brain sluggishly supplies. Not all the time. But everything’s starting to feel fuzzy, and he’s not quite sure on the significance of that.

“WHERE IS HE.”

“I don’t know,” mumbles Grian. “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know what you want.”

He can feel Them, seething, gnashing Their teeth. They hate this. They hate him. A small grim smile works its way onto what would be his face.

“And I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

A growling like noise fills the void, but Grian thinks (hopes They don’t have long before he’s back in his body. He hopes They’re not holding onto him too hard. But Their presence grates on his brain, squeezes his lungs, and he wants out, he wants out-

“Ẅ̷̧̳̼̣̫̜̖͈̙̹̹̼̞̲́̍͂̅̾͝H̷͔͖̗̜̳͎̯̻͇͖̜̣̜͖̻̗̩̀̊͑̔̊͌̍̏̾̒͌͐͘̚̕͝͝É̷̡̞͓̫̹͚̱̖̲̬̽̃͋͜͝ͅͅR̷̢̺͇͚̭͖̪͕̞̙̎͌͆́̈͑Ë̷̻͎̦̭̱͉̓͑̑̎͛ ̶̨̛̦̙̲̥̮̥͇̗̖̣͂͗̉͗̈̍̕ͅĮ̸̣̺͖̮̭̠͇̥̩̩̼̦̯͓̈̅̽̄̂͊̽̇̃̇͒̊̇͌͂̕ͅS̷̪̜͈̻̥̈́́̈͠ ̴̢̧̮̠̟̘͚̼̼̖̙̲̜̰̃̑̓̇̓̍͒̏̓̒͆̕͘̚͠͠Ḥ̶̨̢͉̖̙̺̠̩͆̀̊́͂͊̌̎̌̽̕͠Ę̴̛̛͔̪͚͓̰̻̼̫̱̺͍̩̫̼͇̓̿̂́̔̆̒̆̈́͊͘͘͝͠.”

Grian screams. He tries to curl in on himself, tries to get away, but the noise is all around him. Pressing down, pushing the air out of his body. It fades after an indiscernible amount of time, but is replaced with a loud static.

“I don’t know,” he repeats with a gasp. He nearly has to shout over the static, and it only gets louder after he speaks. Another growl joins the crescendo, and the pressure increases and he wants to scream but he can’t, he can’t-

Grian gasps a breath as his feet hit the ground.

Immediately, the sharp stab of wither makes itself known. Before he can regain his breath (it feels like he’s fallen a hundred blocks, like Joel weeks ago, like his soulmate but with no water, like-), he’s moving. Running away from the Secret Keeper, away from the explosions and yelling of the battle. Running away from Them.

“I- wait, what?” he pants. He can feel it. “I’m yellow.”

Etho runs up to him, bleeding from several burn-like marks and covered in dirt.

“Why are you still poisoned?” he calls.

“I- something-,” he tries. “I died as I hit the button and I think it broke, so badly.”

Etho laughs. “Oh, no.”

Grian hit the button, and he can feel his health fluctuating, but after- what was it? After the pause, the break in the battle, he respawned and ran. Something like that. His health should settle soon.

And a few moments later, just after Cleo joins them on the sidelines, before he runs back into battle, it does. Everything’s faded now. He doesn’t remember details of the glitch, so it must have been small.

But somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, there is a scratching echo of a phrase.

Where is he.

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