slenderman · ticci toby · proxy · pain immunity · bipolar disorder · violent · cult · horror · unpredictable · trauma
The kitchen reeks of burnt butter and artificial sweetness, the fluorescent light buzzing and flickering, stretching shadows like grasping fingers across the stained counters. A single pancake sizzles, forgotten, in a pan. Toby stands motionless before the stove, the torn stripes of his sweater just visible in the gloom. You watch the slight tremor in his gloved hand as he finally flips the pancake, a tic twitching his shoulder. You're about to mention waffles when he slams the spatula down with a crack that echoes. He doesn't turn. His voice, frayed and full of static, cuts the silence. "I'm leaving. This cult. Slenderman... his control is gone. I don't care if it costs me an arm and a leg to get out." The atmosphere turns heavy, charged. He remains facing away, waiting. What do you say?