His Face All Red

Now for something a little darker.
Original comic by Emily Carroll:
www.emcarroll.com/
Voiced by SungWon Cho (me!)
Edited by SungWon Cho
Music by Kevin MacLeod
incompetech.com...

[@suspiciousde862]

I didn't even notice it was ProZD. He's a friggin' amazing voice actor.

[@sunnyc5236]

Agreed

[@yakultlover8661]

Suspicious De LMAO UR PFP AND USERNAME

[@evanixel3553]

C

[@nv_johan8711]

Same

[@pantelisrrasoulis2007]

Holy fuck... I noticed how good his VA work was but I didn't know it was him until I saw your comment

[@swag4rce]

was genuinely scared but then a huggies diaper ad interrupted my immersion

[@JHiggsBrand]

Yeah I got some woman trying to get me to join the Navy

[@a_businessman]

nothing is more terrifying than huggies diaper ad edit: spelling

[@room.temperature_beanz]

That was foreshadowing for what you might've needed had you been fully immersed

[@mossypop]

i got ARBYS: WE HAVE THE MEATS

[@vaughn.reynolds]

You know what would have saved you? KZbin... RED

[@jconte2343]

He didn't have the courage to slay the beast, but he had the cowardice to murder his brother, the only one to trust him, fight for him, and believe in him.

[@saggyhaggis]

_Oh._

[@sirmount2636]

the riff His brother is a genuinely good person, the main character only dislikes him because of envy.

[@averybadvictoria6777]

@Paullinians I thought it's was because he didn't believe that he could have done by himself

[@makaramuss]

@@averybadvictoria6777 So? I mean even if he is in disbelief he is going there to support him. Helping someone you belive needs help is a virtue not humilation

[@lunaangeleclipse9745]

@@makaramuss and to be fair, he clearly couldn't do it, seeing as he hid and let his brother deal with it. So in the end the brother was right to offer help, perhaps knowing better than anyone else that the MC would be in danger if he went alone.

[@demfrodegroot7596]

Anyone else wonder if when his false brother says "Thank god he killed that devil", he wasn't talking about the wolf?

[@sachimourya1431]

Yess, When he says his face was all red. Was he maybe talking about like the real kind of devil and the brother that returned was his brother and when he goes into the pit, it was the devil that turns to look at him.

[@napalmkitty6686]

I.. I am now yea

[@megscorner3596]

@@sachimourya1431 Or maybe it's the other way. Perhaps the true brother was the one at the beginning. When both of them went into the woods, the real devil planned it out so that the younger brother kills his older brother due to greed. The devil knew that the younger brother was a coward, and that he hated being a coward. You can see at the beginning of the story that the younger brother talked about all the things his older brother had. But when the older brother killed the wolf, the younger brother realized that the fame would belong to his older brother as he hid behind a tree. The devil knew this, and looked at the younger brother to give him a temptation to kill. And that he did. Satan can't touch God --- the older brother could be viewed as a Christ figure --- so he tempts his children ---- this could be the younger brother. So when the younger brother tosses the corpse into the ditch --- it smelled like lilacs, quite ironic since the lilac ditch turns out to be the older brother's death bed --- the devil can manifest himself out of his greed. And so, when the devil returns, he looks like a completely new man, he disguises as a Christ figure. But we never what happens in the end. I believe that the devil, who disguises himself as an older brother, does something very bad to the village and that he's digging a ditch so the younger brother can bury himself there due to guilt. Without the other brother present, the devil can do what he wants since there's no one to stop him. (the younger brother was the first one to suggest hunting, which shows that he is courageous. But he sees himself as a coward)

[@killianemory1089]

I think he killed the fake because of the ending

[@jenniferdunstan5065]

What if that false brother was the real one all this time

[@kamenraider1175]

Hahaha, classic ProZD comedy, gotta love this silly dub with these funny voices!

[@vizthex]

*crys in fear*

[@dimi4673]

@@vizthex Cry Of Fear

[@alexrecrem9094]

Another silly dub with dumb jokes for kids

[@SeriouslySeriousGrim]

@@alexrecrem9094 I’m so happy that I got that reference

[@vladimirirkhin]

@@SeriouslySeriousGrim hot bilge and waffles! *wai-*

[@IceDragon978]

damn that's a good ass story

[@schwany6703]

IceDragon978 likes lol

[@freyathedragon899]

Doubly so

[@EvoluteCreator]

Thos story is definitely not about ass

[@CarlosIsDown]

Good ass-story

[@nathanlevesque7812]

I don't get it

[@vicentetemes5793]

This man is not ProZD. ProZD has a fine voice with a wide range, and thick glasses, and anime-themed T-shirts. This man has all these things. But this man isn't ProZD. Because ProZD is a meme lord.

[@hopiahon563]

Vicente Temes he has the range, darling

[@sirsupesafro7637]

@Ties de Jong ... and "who the actually hell" doesn't sound condescending and demeaning?

[@sirsupesafro7637]

@Ties de Jong So far, we both agree that free speech is an amazing privilege. But your previous comment ("who the actually hell," which I see now has been corrected to "who the actual hell") conflicts with your supposed moral of free speech "... atleast without patronizing." "Who the actual hell" is in itself a patronizing comment.

[@hopiahon563]

Ties de Jong sounds like someone doesn’t have the range 😳😳😳

[@hopiahon563]

Ties de Jong lmao ok darling

[@stevenyoung9738]

His face all red Arms sweaty Legs unsteady Mom's spaghetti

[@thememewalker]

thank you I needed that after this video

[@Randus1058]

He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to kill beasts, but he keeps on remembering, what he did then, the whole crowd's cheering now, he opens his mouth, but the words don't come out, he's stressing, how? His face was all red and now, he's going down-to see what he's done BLOW! Snap back to reality, or, was it memories? Or, was he dreaming again, he's so stressed that he wants give up easy, but, he won't have it his brother should've been dead so how But it don't matter he woke, his brother digs a hole, he's so guilty, he knows, he goes back to that bloody hole, that's when life hits him with reality, oh his face is red, you'd better wait for the continuation,

[@sylph8005]

@@Randus1058 Thank you so much for this

[@FFKonoko]

His bodies in the pit already

[@dibbingsauce]

@@FFKonoko *INTO THE PIT, I MUST ADMIT.*

[@Ponera-Sama]

His brother's machinations lie undetected for years, for he is a master of deception

[@thedangerstrangeruk]

King Dragon sends his regards

[@mobeenkhan824]

Ponera Grimoire After reading lots of long serious comments this one took me by surprise.

[@satwiksahu486]

This world is imperfect

[@Shadow-876]

@Vladimir Novitski tbf chadicus and bradicus are awesome.

[@maschiefondasoda333]

@Vladimir Novitski My sword has a gun on it

[@theresagazzola9538]

This was going to be the last video before bed. what a bad choice

[@grammerlyki1823]

my too 😫

[@dayalasingh5853]

Same

[@ilaihikurni6454]

Me too😨😱😱😱

[@dorohime7001]

SAME

[@Dracophile7]

I don't need SLEEP. I need ANSWERS!

[@OuterRem]

Ahhh the lack of resolution at the end is good for story-telling but now I want to know the truth...

[@CosmicWaltz7]

Best way I heard it described was as a moral quandary. His brother is still alive in the bottom of the hole, so to prove to everyone that his "brother" in the town is not what he appears, he has to bring his brother back from out of the woods. This is his chance at confession, should he bring his still-living brother back, or, he could kill his brother for good, and bring back the body. A better, if weaker, interpretation is that while he was hiding, the monster could have potentially taken his brother's form, intending to go back with him, and that is what is in the hole. So, in this interpretation, he is left questioning if the person in town is his brother, completely oblivious to the attempted murder, or if it is the monster, whom he'd need to confess his actions to call out. Conversely, his brother could have seen the whole thing, and is digging his own pit to do the same thing to the narrator that the narrator thought he was doing to him. Both of these are a bit lofty, though. His "brother" digging a new pit, calling the narrator a hero, refusing to look at him, and having no tears in his "coat" lends to that being the monster. Finding his brother alive in the hole loses a bit of suspense then, as his life seemed to have improved upon "killing" his brother, so presumably, he'd just finish the job and blame the doppelganger in town, and it would be a hard sale for the identity thief to say, "Yeah, but I didn't kill him! His brother did!" I like the atmosphere, but this comic doesn't hold up too well to scrutiny. Still enjoyable.

[@TheTrueGOATS]

CosmicWaltz7 Brother in the hole would have to be dead if it were human. For one he was shot in the face but furthermore he was trapped in that hole for days without water to drink or even use to clean his wound which would have got infected.

[@CosmicWaltz7]

I've always read it as him being clubbed over the head, and not shot. And the human body can go three days without water on average before death, but in certain circumstances can go longer, which, although narrow, could still fit the narrative. I don't think the writer was thinking that in depth, however, for both the time frame and in regards to infection.

[@TheTrueGOATS]

I always interpreted the red flash as a gun shot because they also used it before the brother killed the wolf. I definitely think the brother that came back to town was the monster and that the monster lived in the hole they found. That's why when he came back he started digging another one. You also have to consider how deep the hole is, I think dropping him down the hole would have killed him alone. I think his brother getting up at the end was more for like, shock value or something rather than a clue to the mystery.

[@CosmicWaltz7]

Could be. The best examples of horror leave you wondering more than explaining itself. This one just gets a bit fragile if you look too deep.

[@AnActualDuck]

One piece of information people never comment on is that his brother would no longer turn and look at him but at the very end the brother in the hole did. Not sure what this means but it seems like a relevant clue possibly indicating the brother in the hole is the real brother.

[@MrSlothJunior]

I think they're both the "real brother". Both the same undead real brother. But he knows who killed him. In the hole he's alone, when his brother the murderer arrives. Of course he'll look up with his bloody face.

[@tobimisa]

+MrSlothJunior but if it was really the same person in the town as in the hole then why was the coat not ripped?

[@MrSlothJunior]

If it was really the same person, why is he alive? I feel like that's a better question, but I just accept that something supernatural is going on in the story. There's no explanation without the supernatural, unless we're talking a truly elaborate prank. According to my theory he killed his own brother, who then Jesus-style came back after 3 days. He was whole though. Not so Jesus-style... Perhaps he won't look at the protagonist, since that guy does not deserve to share the "live brother", and only deserves the "undead one". Perhaps it really is just guilt and paranoia that's causing our main character to believe that his brother is paying less attention to him before.

[@tobimisa]

+MrSlothJunior my dude, there's a difference between "this doesn't make sense because it's paranormal" and "this doesn't make sense because it doesn't fit in with the narrative of the story" sure, in a longer story you could chalk up that story beat as a mistake or it could have been an intentional misdirection in a story with a more defined ending. but as this story is short enough for every detail to be intentional and it's clearly open ended it really should be regarded as a clue, or at the very least not pushed aside solely because it's inconvenient my current working theory is that the wolf wasn't the beast that had been killing the livestock, if you catch my drift

[@MrSlothJunior]

Nowhere in my comments did I write or intend to insinuate that something didn't make sense. I'm simply saying that almost no matter how we go about this, something supernatural is going on. The two simplest supernatural explanations seem to be the beast being a shapeshifter, and the brother rising from the dead. With as little details as we get, we can not deduce the "one true story". There are strong and weak points for both.

[@ididthisforthefavs]

This author's stories always fuck me up. I love 'em.

[@JFCotman]

Who is this author?

[@HOULWOOD]

+Jamiel Cotman emily carroll

[@crestfallenknight7983]

She should check it out

[@UniqueliAnimationsSN]

Miss Anthropist one of her comics fucked me up for a whole week, too scared to even open my eyes at the dark

[@Trustworthy_McLegitimate]

His brothers cottage has a lilac bush... The hole, deep full of dark... that smelled of lilac. How curious indeed...

[@ButchBirdie]

Even more curious when you realize that lilac is traditionally used to cover up the smell of death

[@trickytreyperfected1482]

@@ButchBirdie curious indeed

[@YowLife]

A man sees his brother and decides to kill the other. Now he's feeling royal as he gets his brother's spoils. When several days pass, the brother emerges from the grass. "How can this be? I killed him in the trees." He heads to the spot, where he dropped his brother off. He falls into the cave, where he dug his brother's grave. He shines light over the body, still torn, red and bloody. "The other brother is full of lies, this one has sat here and died!" Standing still in a daze, something catches his gaze. As he stared into those eyes full of bloodstained youth, they began to stare back, and he realized the truth.

[@wowalamoiz9489]

How come THIS doesn't have more comments and upvotes after a whole month?

[@aakritiparashar3954]

Nice!!

[@Fluffadoodle]

@@aakritiparashar3954 up votes?

[@aisharosealeta6801]

@@wowalamoiz9489 you mean likes? I think upvotes are what you call the arrow pointing up in reddit not the thumbs up in KZbin

[@wowalamoiz9489]

@@aisharosealeta6801 Eh, same function.

[@FurryCunt]

Oh my god I read the book where this story came from and you made it ten times better.

[@AnimaAtaraxia]

+1 the original was a masterpiece bue he went and made it go beyond that

[@HCroaks]

SuperHeroAsh I read this comic a long time ago. what book does it come from?

[@gabrielpeterson5504]

+HCroaks Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

[@MsSarahJosephine]

It's brilliant on her website too - you have to scroll down the page when it comes to him descending the hole so your descending with him - and then you have to click to get that last page and you reeeeaaaally don't want to.

[@SuperCombustion231]

Was that the book with the flesh worms?

[@aeipathy_live]

Please, please, P L E A S E do more like this. Not only do the writers completely blow my mind with stories like these, but your voiceovers and readings blow it out of the water. Such an incredible amount of talent from both you and the author.

[@evannelles6090]

Jake V yep yep yep yep yep

[@logicbuilder1204]

yes

[@rora2493]

I wonder why he stopped

[@ender4344]

Exactlyyy

[@ammarslhim7934]

Aye

[@UltimateWaifuXD]

The real monster, was himself.

[@aldric2252]

Deeper than that hole!

[@stillasp]

debatable but a good way to interpret.

[@godofthecripples1237]

And that might be why we see him in the hole at the end. After seeing what was supposedly his brother returned from the woods, he felt guilty and killed himself. He brought himself down to the level of the monster, as he thought he was one.

[@methanesulfonic]

*BRAVO NOLAN*

[@keatonbash2217]

Maybe the real monster was the friends we made along the way.

[@ViewingChaos]

Here’s my theory- The wolf was the beast killing all the livestock. Up until the brothers try and hunt it. The MC runs away but his brother manages to kill the wolf. The wolf monster is a shapeshifter that turns into a copy of the brother. Now there are two possible scenarios- 1. The actual brother runs away while trying to kill the monster. With the brother out of the picture the shape shifters soul takes on the brothers form and greets the MC. The MC unwittingly “kills” the shapeshifter and returns home. The real brother shows up, but the guilt from the MC doesn’t let him rest- eg. Not looking him the eye and nightmares about hole. 2. The shapeshifter shifts into the brother and runs away. The actual brother greets the MC and is killed. The shapeshifter returns and pretends to be the MC’s brother. =Either scenario leads to the MC revisiting the hole out of distress. Either his brothers corpse or the half dead/dormant Shapeshifter greets him. It’s ambiguous what happens next-

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

What if that's still the shapeshifter and it's taking the form of the dead brother exactly when he died to mock the protagonist

[@ViewingChaos]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 That is also a possibility as well....

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@ViewingChaos I say that because the hole goes down isn't the one the brother digs, bit the one they already had in the woods. I honestly thought he went down the hole the brother was digging. So there's the possibility the creature got to it first. If I was to write a continuation I'd have the brother that came back be the monster, and either the dead body is a vengeful spirit, or he's still alive.

[@joelsasmad]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 I've seen a theory that the brother really did get lost in the woods while our mc hid. The thing he killed and ripped the coat of was a monster feigning as the older brother, which is why the returned brother had no damage to his coat. Meanwhile he was digging holes to bury his dead livestock.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@joelsasmad But he kills what he thinks to be his brother right after the brother kills the wolf. And the whole "my brother won't look me in the eyes" thing. Seems to fit the shapeshifter more. Hell, maybe the brother was half dead in the hole and the other one WAS an imposter. It would explain the brother in the hole making the same face he did when he got shot.

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

So its canon that his wife is Thick

[@zakesters]

Well, this does appear to be set somewhere in Central Europe, so, I mean yeah, of course.

[@fuzzytheduck6821]

This is clue number one

[@vizthex]

Ikr, most important detail amirite?

[@SaintDamain]

You spelt THICC wrong.

[@user-ke1gn3ql1g]

Yep

[@selenanadav1841]

So far, no one has mentioned that lilac is associated with corpses and the dead. Specifically, lilac was used to cover the smell of death. The brave brother, as stated on the first page, has a lilac bush at his house. The deep dark hole smells of lilac. The 'returned' brother is seen digging holes. Who dug the first hole in the woods? Does it smell of lilac because the brave brother dug it? Why is the 'returned' brother digging a new hole? Was the brother dead all along (growing lilac to cover it) and is 'returned' because he's already undead? Also remember that the happenings started about a month ago, and full moons and wolves have all kinds of problems and connections. So it could be something like a doppelganger (who is a spirit in flesh form, so dead-->lilac still makes sense), or it could be something more akin to a werewolf, like a skin walker--who literally "wears" the skin of the person it's imitating, or according to some legends simply needs to eat a piece of them (and would use lilac to cover the smell of death for it's literal flesh suit). Or maybe he's something more akin to a vampire, which would use lilac to cover the scent and also sleeps in "the earth" (usually a grave, but not necessarily). Lots to ponder over....

[@Mayeur000Donz]

Yeah. I think the first thing that makes me think it's some kind of doppleganger is that this one's coat isn't torn, and I believe the hole we see at the end is the one in the woods, and the original's "body(?)" is still there. You've clearly done better research than me, though.

[@qonitaalviannisa9929]

at some point I was thinking that the brave brother is digging a new grave for his brother

[@yrm1594]

Chao me too. but I think the 'returned' brother is the monster or whatever it is

[@LukaUnempress]

So Skinwalkers are a medicine man who went bad and used their powers for evil. In Navajo culture, along with skins being taboo to wear on rare occasions, it is also avoided as it is thought it gives them power.

[@sweetalkk]

Why was the coat not torn?

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

My theory: The MC hid, therefore making him unable to see what really happened. His brother ran as he did, but in another direction. When the MC came out, the one he saw was not his brother, but the beast (a shapeshifter). The MC, seeing this as an opportunity to take credit, kills his "brother", drags him into the hole, and brings the ripped cloth home. The man who claims to be his brother from the forest was in fact actually his brother. He had gotten lost running away from the beast. And when he came back, he praised the MC as a hero, b/c the MC really did kill the beast. So the beast is dead, the brother is alive, and the MC is a hero, great right? No. The MC is being eaten away by his guilt. Although it was the beast he killed, at the time, he believed he was killing his brother. A thought that he carried out for which he cannot undo, no matter how great the outcome was, he actually tried killing his brother. Seeing his brother dig that hole at night was a nightmare, because as he said, he now remembers his dreams. His brother not looking at him is also just in his head. Both are signs that he believes he deserves to be condemned, or even killed and thrown in a hole by his brother. In the end, the MC goes to see what he'd done for himself. He climbs down the hole, and faces the beast who appeared to be his brother. From our perspective, we see the beast look up, as if it's still alive. But no, that's really showing us that the MC killed himself down there. Putting himself on the same "level" as the beast.

[@sigh824]

Mad Alice I don't think it's guilt that's driving MC tbh, I think he's lacks too much self-awareness to feel responsible for his actions. But other than that your theory is amazing, it makes a lot of sense and I love the irony of it

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

Thanks :)

[@samgills5703]

wow you're great at this

[@arthurwild6563]

Not sure about the guilt part. He only started to lose sleep when the brother came back. If he really felt guilt, he would've lost sleep immediately. He also specifically mentions remembering his dreams. So why should we think that the scene with the shovel was also a dream? I also don't see any reason why we would think that his brother avoiding his gaze is just in his head. Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps it was all in his head? Maybe there never was a shapeshifter, but it was more metaphoric in nature. The brother that returned was his guilt personified. I wonder if there's more to the fact that the hole smelled like lilac when they found it. The brother had a lilac bush as well. Another thing that bothered me was the repeated use of the sentence "... came from the woods. Most strange things do." Three things came from the woods: The "Wolf", the "Brother" and the main character himself.

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

Arthur Wild Listen, this theory was thought of after watching it only once and giving my basic understanding. It's bound to have some holes. Also, I believe the guilt only came when the brother arrived because now he was faced every day with what he'd done. Maybe the fact that he was guilty scared him, because at first he didn't think guilt would be a problem. Anyway, like I said, just my take. I'm more of a storyteller than an analyzer anyway.

[@PlanetKhaos]

I wonder if the MC premeditated the murder of his brother. He could have killed his brothers animals, after all he lives near to his house, and he even made sure to not kill all of them so he might recieve the surviving animals as a reward. The MC could have also picked some of the lilacs from his brothers garden during the act to put in the hole, since lilacs are typically used to mask the scent of a body. He was also the first person to volunteer to hunt the beast, perhaps knowing only his brother would be brave enough to follow follow, leaving just two men alone in the woods with no witnesses, and himself bearing a gun, there'd even be a good excuse for only himself returning, just say the beast did it. There was motive to do so, when he describes his brother he makes sure to bring up the things his brother has that he doesn't, the admiration of the town, a loving, beautiful wife, more land, animals.

[@luna4s]

But the Main Character clearly perceives the world in a very different way then the brother does. After all he describes mundane things as rather morbid, an oak tree's leaves as ladies hands. A stream as barking wolves. And the Main character is the narrator. The only thing we know is that the lilac hole is probably real, and reasonably deep. Seeing as the older brother saw it too, and said "curious". But holes don't randomly smell like lilac, lilac doesn't grow in holes. But the brother had a lilac bush at his house, and lilac is apparently often used to mask the smell of corpses. I don't really know what happend. But things don't add up, the torn piece of cloth whilst the brother that returned had an intact coat and no visible wounds. The fact he only started having issues with guilt after his supposed "brother" returned. He had all reason to kill his brother, I'd be a very smart plan. He might just have been seeing those morbid things because he planned on killing his brother, after all if you've dug or found a very very deep hole and threw in some lilac in advance to mask the send of the corpse you were going to dump there. You'd probably be thinking of morbid stuff.

[@inanjarif1388]

@@luna4s I'm about a year late,but I realized something. The main character mentions the admirable stuff his brother has (more land,bigger house,a beautiful wife,animals),but there is nothing so special about a lilac bush. So this interpretation makes sense. Why would he mention the bush if he hadn't taken flowers from it? I know writers mention random details all the time,but this seems a bit too specific.

[@luna4s]

@@inanjarif1388 Well it could be that lilac was a hard flower to grow well? Or had some kind of value to it? But I guess you're right. It would be an odd thing to mention otherwise.

[@cawareyoudoin7379]

This is the only theory I've seen so far that I'm 100% on board with. It makes a lot of sense.

[@givemethedie8464]

I’m three years late, but I think while he might’ve premeditated the entire monster ordeal, murdering his brother was not part of the plan. He killed them as to receive praise much like his brother when he “defeats the beast” as he had no reason to expect his brother to volunteer to hunt down the beast as well. I believe his motive at the time was only to gain recognition from the villagers to be on the same level as the brother. However, with his brother then volunteering to go with him, his plan is foiled and jealousy overtook him the night of the hunt to kill down the beast

[@TarsonTalon]

My best theory: A wolf was actually responsible for the sheep deaths. However, it was a doppelganger dug the hole in the woods and stuffed them with lilacs, intending to throw the corpse of a victim into the hole, and then impersonate them. When the brothers came upon its ambush sight, the doppelganger attacked and disarmed Main Character's brother, who ran away. The MC themselves hid, never having had a good look at the creature. However, before the doppelganger could begin to pursue or hunt the brothers down, it was interrupted by the wolf the brothers had originally come to hunt due to the sheep killings. Ever clever though, it picked up the weapon the MC's brother dropped, slaughtered the wolf, and then assumed the form of the MC's brother. The doppelganger had thought its disguise and story was perfect...and it was. Which is why the MC attempted to murder them, and toss them down the hole. The MC, thinking he ended the rivalry between himself and his brother for good, went home to tell his cover story. The MC's brother however got lost in the woods, as it was night. When the MC's brother returned, at first MC's brother was glad that his brother MC was alright, and had killed the monster they saw. But, because the main character was freaking out over him being alive, the MC's brother got suspicious of the MC, thinking they may be an imposter. So the MC's brother began digging up the corpses of his poor sheep he had buried to see if there was any connection between them and the monster; but there was none because it was the wolf's fault the sheep were dead. Knowing the monster in the woods that he saw was no wolf as the MC described, yet having no proof otherwise, the MC's brother grew distant and could not bare to look at the MC, who he was suspicious of being an imposter. So, neither brother was an imposter, but they kept bouncing their suspicion vibes off each other, further making them suspicious of each other, until the main character had enough and went to investigate the hole where he dropped the body...which was the worst mistake of his life.

[@doctorkong3065]

This is so underrated.

[@playasadonejoe]

Makes sense in context, but if you read the full story the brother? starts doing weird things like digging a big hole near the flowing lilac bush.

[@elliotyong2331]

When the imposter is sus

[@AdmiralJota]

A slightly simpler version of that: Possibly the brother had seen the doppelganger well enough to know what it was and assumed that the main character had known as well. ("Thank God he killed that devil.") But when he saw how the MC reacted to his return, he started to realize that the MC really *had* decided to murder him in the woods and had trouble facing him after that.

[@IStoleAllYourCookies]

Rather suspicious.

[@Justaspacequeen]

“But three days later my brother came back from woods.” Jesus?

[@ButchBirdie]

10 months late but this is the hottest take and absolutely hilarious

[@Justaspacequeen]

Rachel W I mean am I wrong-

[@ButchBirdie]

@@Justaspacequeen Absolutely not

[@bait5257]

😂

[@followingtheroe1952]

Thats a brilliant interpretation. 3 days later and the narrator receives his judgement. This isn't to say that the brother IS jesus, but the choice to make him come back after 3 days is no bloody coincidence (*wavy jordan peterson hands*) AND THATS THAT

[@andrewramlall3560]

This is Cain and Abel taken to a whole new level

[@breobreo9176]

The brother that comes out of the woods is the beast, as a shape-shifted doppelganger. (The beast was not "just a wolf".) I think this because the author uses the exact phrase "(most strange things do)" when describing the beast and describing the brother that comes out of the woods. In the end, the real brother survived the shot and fall into the pit. The protagonist is given a second chance to make a decision: rescue his brother to expose the doppelganger (but admit he tried to kill his brother), or re-decide to kill his brother, make up a story, and then show his body (which would also expose the doppelganger.) He has to do something, because to me the doppelganger intends to kill the protagonist, who is the only person in the village who knows the truth. The doppelganger is digging a grave for the protagonist, possibly so that another doppelganger can replace him as well. Also my theory on why the doppleganger won't look him in the eyes goes back to the saying "the eyes are the window to the soul". The theme of the story being, given the chance to remake a decision you regret, would you actually choose anything different?

[@sploofmcsterra4786]

Why would the real brother say he killed a wolf then?

[@danielac.3211]

@@sploofmcsterra4786 this isn't their actual theory, they copied it from u/Alsweigart on Reddit 8 years ago lol

[@bait5257]

@@danielac.3211 😂

[@jamiemanning4944]

Bro you just copied this from reddit

[@stickynutjuicemoved959]

Note that the brother who returns from the woods is clean-shaven, despite being gone for three days.

[@thatsonespicydorito5372]

“This man is not my brother” *My brother is king dragon who send his regards*

[@olymolly3637]

I think at the end he got the point.

[@thething2723]

Something about the art style sets me on edge

[@sirmount2636]

It’s designed that way. The toothless mouths, the long skinny fingers, etc.

[@Solqueen86]

Read this story online and now I'm scared even more by the voice

[@morganb8250]

Solqueen86 hi

[@jacksonbernard855]

Solqueen86 how does it end?

[@thecolorpurple6401]

Jackson Bernard *it doesn't.* This is the end. It's left ambiguous so that each person can try to come up with their own explanation of what happened. A nice idea, but leaves me slightly dissatisfied as I'm so damn curious!

[@lero244]

what if the brother is a murderer like listen - he has a lilac bush by his house -i learned that lilac is used to cover the scent of the dead -the hole smelled of lilac like someone died in there already -the brother was digging another hole and last -the brother has a way with people that makes them TRUST him so no one suspects him

[@lero244]

or the shape shifting beast uses the brothers skin to kill people in the month that its been attacking the village

[@frownyclowny6955]

Christina Cesard I heard the theory of the returning brother being the genuine article while protag killed the actual beast. It’s a bit flawed, but sounds cool at least

[@pepperplume]

Yo you blew my mind

[@serenaushy]

This is a bit of a stretch but my thought is that there was never a beast. Well... there was, but not the way we're thinking. Let me explain. First of all, we have to look at what we KNOW about the blond brother from this story: - he isn't well-liked ( no notable friends, no partner, small house with no family, people mock him when he suggests he fight the beast ) - he's a coward ( hides when the 'beast' shows up, implied by people making fun of him about hunting, kills his brother in secret ) - he pays attention to the world around him, appears introspective ( comments on small details, like the lilacs and the color of his brother's vest ) - hates his brother ( seems to hate his brother's beautiful life, mocks his appearance, the focus on his brother being 'better', k... kills his brother ) - wants what his brother has, perhaps with less work on his part ( him choosing to kill his brother, him referring to his wife in such a loving way ) - appears selfish ( takes what his brother has without working for it himself and has no remorse over it ) Let's say you agree with all these points above. Because of the character of the Blond Brother we've established above, I can easily believe that this was all very, VERY premeditated. He knew that if his brother died, he'd be entitled to what was his brother's. He knew if he asked to fight the beast, his brother would valiantly join him. And he knew he needed a beast to go fight. Preferably, one that only targeted livestocks and fences -- things his brother had -- and not people -- meaning, wouldn't be a threat to him. There was never a beast. The Blond Brother was the beast. It was him who started attacking the livelihood and the fences. Remember him saying that he's "safe", because obviously, he was never in any danger. Also refer to the panel when that's revealed -- it shows him standing over the destruction directly, which is a very interesting and personal perspective. ( Doesn't immediately prescribe guilt, but is worth noting. ) So now, he's got his beast, and he knows he can lure his brother out to the woods alone. So now what? Well, he plans, that's what. You remember the hole he tosses his brother in? It smells of lilac. That's weird, isn't it? Lilac doesn't just waft from holes. Unless someone was throwing lilac down there, or maybe smelled of lilac themselves from living near a huge lilac bush. I think it was a grave. I think it was always a grave. While the brother formulated his plan, he dug. He dug and looked at the lady-hand leaves. He dug and listened to the growling of dogs in a brook. He dug and dug and dug and dug until he couldn't dig any further and knew he needed to fill this hole. After he kills his brother, he tosses him in the hole. He could've just left him out where he'd died. It's a forest -- animals would've eventually likely taken his corpse to eat, and no one ventured this deep in the forest ( his brother, who's implied to be someone strong enough to hunt with the others, comments on everything he sees as though he's never seen it, and no one else wished to go hunt the beast ). But, no... he specifically threw his brother down the lilac-smelling hole. What the Blond Brother and what you don't know is that... there was a real beast. A beast watching the whole time. But not quite a beast. A forest spirit, perhaps. Maybe a fae of some sort. Maybe the darkness itself, spiraling and breathing and moving. They saw him dig the hole. Little by little. Small bits until it bloomed into an endless cavern. And then... they saw him kill his brother. Perhaps they even knew that they were being blamed for slaughter they didn't commit. Maybe seeing this sort of cowardice and manipulation made them angry. Maybe it made them curious. Either way, they shapeshifted, took the form of the brother, and returned to his home, specifically to torture him. They never tell the truth -- never even LOOK at the brother. But you know what they do do? They do dig. Every night. A deep, deep hole. Just like they'd watched him do countless nights before.

[@yoonjicho6217]

I enjoyed reading this, you put my thoughts into writing really well

[@ronswasonbutcuter4474]

That's the best and most likely theory I've seen in the comment section so far, bravo

[@skandarcorrea]

The beast came from the woods, that's something your theory didnt adress.

[@hafiraa4514]

This is an amazing theory and well thought out, great job

[@rowandowler511]

But the blond brother says he feared another attack the night after he killed his brother, which doesn't make sense if he was behind all of it

[@aidan6620]

I remember reading this story in a compilation of short horror stories like this one, one being a darker/scarier version of little red riding hood where (I can't remember the details since this was over several years ago now, but this part stands out to me) little red goes through the forest to her gran's house and manages to never encounter the wolf. The following night she is sleeping in her grandmas cottage (because she needs to stay the night there to have a safer travel back home the next morning), and through the window you can see the moon. It's then revealed in a pretty horrifying way that it wasn't the moon but one of the wolf's eyes looking through the window at her, because he opens the eye next to it. Little red wakes up and sees the wolf; the wolf then says this: "You may have been lucky this time, but you have to be lucky every time, while I only have to be lucky ONCE." The wolf leaves. There were a bunch of other really good stories which I can't remember the details of but one was a story about things in the walls, another about a creature that possesses you by going inside your body through your mouth and so on. Pretty much all of these were horrifying to me back when I was like idk, maybe 9? So I really want to see how I react to them now. They may not be as scary, but judging off of this one and the few details I can remember, they're probably really good. Edit: Found one of the other ones, it's called "out of skin", search it up

[@olymolly3637]

Thank you so much for this!!! Gonna look it up thanks again! Edit: I only found Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl but okay will look around again. Edit2: I guess I need to sleep. I reread the description & everything & found out they're all products of Emily Carroll. So okay I'm good now lol. Sorry.

[@username-yc3bd]

The “I only have to be lucky once” threat is literally a quote from the IRA to Margaret Thatcher

[@canadadry5449]

I think the beast was very envious. I believe the beast was fearful. I think the beast happened to have an older brother with a cottage and that perhaps something drove the beast insane.

[@TheRareOn]

Right before the brother goes to look at the hole again, he looks at a bunch of Lilac flowers, the same smell as the hole, i don't know how often people notice this, i just found it interesting.

[@goe5]

TheRareOne lilac was often used to cover the scent of a rotting corpse

[@TheAsylumCat]

TheRareOne nother thing to note is the lilac bush his brother had.

[@wesleykupic627]

Fuck... Dude this scared the shit outta me. Kinda like, all suspense, not really scary actually. Still, enticing as ever though.

[@philliparnesen4493]

You would like HP Lovecraft. His works are just like this. The scare is more in your mind, he is really a master of suspense and atmosphere, you fill in the horror.

[@kathrync1139]

kinda like stoker's dracula

[@azathoththeprimalchaos2289]

@@kathrync1139 except with Dracula an explanation is given eventually. This story is open to interpretation.

[@imefix]

damn i was just watching Harry Potter comics and funny stuff trough automatic reproduction AND THEN THIS CAME

[@RogueT-Rex8468]

imefix it came from the recommendations. (Most strange things do)

[@ashleyenespanol980]

Rogue T-Rex so true

[@DinoDieter]

What the actual hell this shit was definitely one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen dude. Now that I’m laying here in my tent in the woods every crack of an branch seems like something or even someone who is walking around outside there. Every howl of the cold september wind that rages outside appears to sound like an wolf or another wild creature which creeps trough the undergrowth and thirsts for blood. Even the forest around seems to be whispering horrible secrets of dead man walking in the night.

[@caractur5217]

Blink twice if you are still alive

[@trickytreyperfected1482]

That's why I hate woods at night.

[@definitelynotawitch]

Pls tell us you're alive

[@meloniejen8400]

*I don't need sleep, I need answers*

[@potionsseller3713]

fuck me this is scarier than a spooky skeleton

[@undergravitydownforce714]

Salivar Ravilas no You are the blasphemer!

[@dewiemegaman3033]

The birthday skeleton?

[@twister1154]

the thing is, you hear a gunshot, but the main character hid. Who's to say what really happened in those moments? Was it really a wolf? Was the man he killed really his brother?

[@Scrubjay457]

Twister You know, this is the most likely theory in all honesty.

[@sawcasticninja]

now my bet is that the monster is a shapeshifter, and the "protagonist" actually did kill it.

[@SOULKINGSAMA92]

This is some Junji Ito shit

[@dappercuttlefish9557]

SOULKINGSAMA92 Exactly, it fucks you up and is ambiguous about what actually happened.

[@creditsunknown7974]

The thing about this story is to figure out who the "real brother" is After the brother killed the wolf we see a eye like thing in the looking at it, this may be the beast There's also the fact that the protagonist says "why won't he look at me" And in the hole we see how the corpse looks at him, may imply that it is the real brothe There's also the fact that he brought a piece of cloth from the body. Or not

[@lesteryaytrippy7282]

Man, from the comments, I've learned a lot about certain details of the story and how passionate everyone is. So here's my take: what if that "curious" hole in the woods was where the creature lived? What if these lilac holes are the true dwelling of the creature? I'll get back to that. But after that, I feel it's never about a hard and detailed lore, but a character driven one. The hole smelled like lilacs, there had been livestock killed, including 3 from the older brother. This went on for a month. We aren't exactly given descriptions of whose livestock got killed first, or the pattern of the houses, or even the way people maintain their gardens or flora, because I'm only assuming that other people have lilac flowers, too, and I'll get back to that point. Overall it's bad. Now we keep pointing out lilacs being used to mask the stench of death, but Hawthorne Trees also have great symbolism. Hawthorne trees are ornamental trees and can grow very tall, as shown in the story, and one of the things it stands for is love, specifically a successful marriage and longevity. Hawthornes are also symbols of, from different cultures, generally positive aspects, like fertility, life, strength and, one surprising one from Celtic traditions....get this...._death_.Hawthorne branches, when cut off, are described to have a stench of death and it's taboo to wear them or take them inside a home. So you see, the writer made an incredible job of using flora as motifs on the life and death of the older brother: a successful, happily married man who meets his untimely demise. I also like to point out how this gothic story draws inspiration from old and new testament stories, from Cain and Abel and Jesus's resurrection as well. The ages of the characters in this story are different, as Abel is younger and favored, but the same parallels apply. The Cain of this tale killed his brother out of jealousy and he's being punished for it by the sudden appearance of his "brother" and the fact he's not treating him as he used to, implied from the main character noticing how he doesn't look at him or turn to him. This is also a subtext, from the main character's perspective; perhaps, the little brother, guilty and anxious, is awaiting how his older brother will finally look him in the eye, i.e. how the older brother knows what he's done and finally confronts him outright, and punish him. But so far before the ambiguous ending, there had never been. Lastly, the return of the "brother" after 3 days mirrors Jesus's resurrection, albeit an unfortunate one to our main character. Now lemme get back to my lore theory, especially regarding lilacs. I assume there could be other people in this town have lilacs. Now bear with me: what if this creature has been taking lilacs from the townsfolk as well, besides killing livestock? It had a month of taking from the townsfolk, so it's possible, and as part of its habit for its dwelling, it needed lilacs as a scent tactic to mask its smell of death. Now I think you know where I'm going, but at the end it doesn't matter, nothing is definitive because the ending is ambiguous. But okay....I think the creature took on the form of his older brother, but there is a twist. And, because it's a supernatural entity, it managed to fix the torn coat and clothes, which is the big red flag something is off, because being out in the woods would make someone have clothes in disarray, very fatigued and wounded (and in the case of the killed brother, supposed to be at least bleeding or dead). Now I say it's a twist and it wouldn't matter. So first off, the creature must've likely been stalking them once they were in the woods, overheard and saw the whole thing. Or, it must've overheard them when they were peeking down its hole in the woods. Whichever way, the dead body was dropped on its dwelling. And you can imagine what must've happened down there, as I am leading to one of the assumptions the creature was occupying the hole at that time, which is its own horrific idea. And with that, here's the twist: I think the older brother and the creature are now "residing" the same body as the "brother". And understanding now what kind of a person his little brother is, he continues the lies by even praising his little brother how he killed the "devil". He never looks at his brother or treats him as warmly as he once did or how he treats the townsfolk, both because it's the creature who has no ties to him and the older brother who may now have grudge. And during nights when he caught his "brother" digging, it's the creature making a new dwelling, making use of accessible lilacs and now it's _dwelling_ within the town itself. Now I say it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how much I've speculated what it could be or how it dwells or what really happened to the older brother, because ultimately it's about the little brother, his arc and his ambiguous demise. The fact he had to resort to murder, giving in to his jealousy, lying to people to save his face and ultimately gets the comeuppance of guilt, is what it's about. It doesn't matter who or what it is with the Red Face dwelling in the hole who finally looked up to face him, because what mattered was this guilty person, who committed a crime, has to face what he's done. It's actually quite ironic how he's depicted to be so cowardly, but after committing murder, he spread a lie, continued to be silent about the blood he has on his hands and finally had the balls to face the truth, down in that hole, to confront the Red Faced Man.

[@RedTheSkeleton08]

Wow

[@JLZ109]

I do like your point! And perhaps the "same body" thing can be explained by the brother being a changeling? What always throws me off for every theory is that people never mention how, after the "brother" kills the beast, he goes to sleep but specifically says he fears another attack. If he knew the wolf was dead, why fear? So maybe the one who came back is indeed his brother AND the thing he "killed". Perhaps a changeling can't be killed. Perhaps he only thought he'd killed him, but didn't. When the blonde goes down the hole, the sleeping one turns, red faced. It's been a few days, if it was only blood, it would have washed off. The red is the changeling's true form. I think once he "killed" his brother in jealousy and saw the true form, he realised the brother wasn't really human. That's why he throws the body in the hole, and why he fears it might attack again - he knows the wolf is not the beast now. This is why when his brother comes back he is sure this is not his brother, it is a beast to him now. And as it goes on he thinks he may not have seen what he saw, maybe he imagined it, maybe he only saw the red face because of guilt. Maybe his brother ran away and did come back, and he killed something else. But there's also the never turning to look at him, and the coat, and the incessant digging. So he has to see it for himself again. When he goes down the hole he finds the truth: The one he knew as his brother (red faced and supposedly dead) and the one hanging out in the village are the same. Hence the lilac in both the house and the den - it leads a double life, has been for a while. If it was a different creature/person/actual brother who came back, it wouldn't have a reason to dig, at least not one obvious to me. Or perhaps the brother was NOT a changeling, but by throwing his body in the shapeshifter's den he gave it the opportunity to take over the brother's life. It was probably watching for a while now. The lilac covering the smell of death might be to mask the smell of pray (animals), and perhaps the occasional corpse of the person they are pretending to be (physically taking/eating them instead not just mimicking the appearence). So when sees it in its "natural" form (the form the corpse was) in its den. Of course it's all an allegory for the narrator's own monstrosity and it's definitely supposed to be ambiguous X but it's still fun to try and figure out what's happening :)

[@matthewduran1120]

Damnnn

[@mimisezlol]

I think the wolf was a doppleganer of a wolf that takes the form of a creature that is dead. When he killed his brother and dropped him in the hole, the creature took his body and copied it for its own, and then went back to the village to live the brother's life as best as possible (as it did with the wolf), while holding onto the brother's spirit and real body in its original hole. It's digging a new hole because it needs to periodically rest in it or something, idk, it needs a hole nearby.

[@Korokorokorokoro4662]

Maybe

[@josephinewhitfield6786]

Raspberry Mint didn't think of it like that but that sounds right the more I think about it. Or maybe whatever falls into the hole he thing becomes and a wolf fell in one day and it took its form

[@jet100a]

Raspberry Mint Maybe the hole represents a cycle of betrayal?

[@1001011011010]

I'm so late to the party but what if the wolf actually defeated the brother. And then acted like he had been the brother who defeated the beast. But the brother wasn't dead, and the main character killed the beast in reality.

[@changednamelit]

This reminds me of a manga called My Immortal

[@WolfThunder29]

The big brothers voice sounds like Chrom and the little brother's voice sounds like Robin.

[@Anglesso]

oh shit u right

[@Anglesso]

Then the monster would be robin

[@nikkikwa]

freaking out

[@whatsthatsupposedtomean3104]

WolfThunder29 you’ve been playing too much Awakening

[@philliambillingsworth7806]

Then I suppose that means that Robin killed Chrom... again.

[@mons00n81]

I think that wolf got... THE POINT (Why am I commenting on a 3 year old video?)

[@undergravitydownforce714]

Mons00n because we his fans all would've loved to have left your comment

[@mons00n81]

Why thank you.

[@moeflamelord6900]

Goddammit, Barb!

[@theemojimovie1025]

Mons00n Do you think that wolf, in fact, did, or did not get the point? Archibald?

[@mons00n81]

I think that wolf got... THE POINT

[@lrke531]

Neat detail I only just noticed: the tounge brother looks out on lilac growing outside his brothers house at 4:12 (since it is in frame it must have meaning). This coupled with the fact that the brother started digging a hole (like the mysterious hole in the woods that smelled like LILAC), could be the reason the younger bro snaps and goes back to the woods

[@xzukosisx15]

"Then, we found the beast..." My roomba: *starts cuz it happened to be it's scheduled time to start cleaning* Me: *a startled mess*

[@JC-or9zj]

when things get scary and you put on your fuzzy slippers

[@kikuhonda64]

I love Emily Carroll's work, I clicked on this so fast when I saw it

[@SGHmemories]

I find the best way to interpret these kind of stories is to understand the themes and read in between the lines. Don't take anything literally and don't try and insert figments of your own imagination to sort of cover up for what you think the story left out. I assume that the story has been told exactly as intended. The first thing I want to focus on is the narrator's choice of words. He's clearly an unreliable narrator - he perceives a tree and a stream as sinister things. He sees himself as inferior because he has a small house, no livestock, and is laughed at when he tries to take initiative. In contrast, his brother is almost obliviously the opposite - everyone loves him, he's successful and is curious about the unknown, not afraid. This sets up the bloody scenes in the forest. The narrator perceives the beast as this devilish thing and hides. The brother realizes it for what it actually is - a wolf - and slays it. So we have a brave, perfect brother, his scared little brother, and a dead wolf. Next, we see the little brother dumping his limp, red-faced older brother into the hole, and taking a blood-stained piece of clothing to the village as proof of death. The little brother thinks he gets what he wants. But he doesn't! His brother proves his gruesome, dark perception as wrong, again, by coming back, alive, with an untorn coat. If we know that the narrator's perspective has been skewed before, it's proving to be completely delusional now. He didn't actually kill his brother and dump him in a deep black hole. He probably just knocked him out and left him in a ditch, fully believing that the man is dead. Now he's left to go insane with guilt and confusion. The point isn't what exactly transpired between these two brothers who hunted a beast. It's that one brother is so jealous of the other one and so fixed on the morbid, dark aspect of life, that he convinces himself that he killed his brother. That's the truly disturbing heart of the story - what your mind can make you think, even when the opposite of that is staring you in the face.

[@dragoonthegamer5289]

I guess if thats the case it would make sense why the MC's brother wouldn't look at him when he returned. He's angry, perhaps even blindingly so, but doesn't wish to see his brother beaten and run out of town, perhaps even killed. So he hides the truth and keeps the MC's murder attempt under wraps, even letting him take credit for the kill. Because he loves his brother unconditionally. But one problem with this is the torn piece of cloth. If the MC really did knock out his brother and bring back a bloody piece of cloth as proof of his death, then why is there not a tear in the brothers coat when he returns? It cannot be delusion, considering the townsfolk believe him without question. And considering their poor opinions of the MC, he had to have proof to convince them or else they'd likely believe MC killed his brother himself. Or maybe I'm wrong. I'm a little sleep deprived right now, not gonna lie.

[@andreseidi2121]

Best comment of the video! IMO u're absolutely right. It's like hearing a story strictly from a person point of view; most of the facts will be filtered first by the subjectivity of the one who is narrating. There is a brazilian writer called Machado de Assis who is known for doing exactly that, to the point that midway through the book you start doubting every single sentence you're reading.

[@gavinlopez6258]

What about the body in the hole?

[@learizzo943]

@@gavinlopez6258 I agree with the theory for the most part, but this is one of the 3 parts that breaks it for me, the others being the phrase "And i slept, dreaming of nothing." and the torn piece of the coat. The narrator sleeps perfectly, he doesnt feel guilt for what he did, he doesnt miss his brother. The choice of Lilac is also a weird choice. And the fact that the brother is digging by night... I think that whats happening is that the narrator goes to the woods with his brother, hides from the beast, and after his brother kills the beast, he knocks him out. You could interpret the problem of the cloth in 2 ways, but i think he doesnt actually cut a piece of cloth from the coat of his brother. I think his brother is a murderer(not a new idea seeing the comments really), using Lilac to hide the bodies. He is the one that made the hole in the first place, and threw someone in it. After "killing" his brother, he throws it in the ditch where his brother had already thrown somebody. If you look closely, it doesnt seem like he got the cloth before throwing him in the hole, which must mean he got it afterwards. You could see this part in 2 ways. He went down the hole, and got a piece, or he imagined it the whole time, but i dont think he imagined it. He is not delusional, he is merely pesimistic, and afraid. Besides, in the end of the video, we see that the corpse he finds has a piece of cloth missing. The narrator throws him in the hole, and cuts a piece of cloth from the body of the past victim. A victim that is not, in fact, his brother. He returns to the village, happy, but then, his brother comes back, since he didnt really kill him. He comes back with a perfectly good coat. Sometimes, he wakes up, seeing the brother dig outside his house, by night...he is making another hole, this time for him. He cant look at him, he knows he tried to kill him, but he wants to be the one to return the favor, and because of that, cant let the town know. After sometime, the narrator leaves to see if he really killed his brother, goes down the hole, a hole that, as we can see, he sees as really REALLY deep. And, at the bottom, he finds a corpse. A corpse that has a piece of cloth missing. The corpse doesnt really look at him, its dead, it has been for sometime, and soon he will be aswell.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@learizzo943 I think the monster took the shape of his brother right at the moment of death, his face all red, as a final insult to the brother.

[@DindellaTheDefender]

Alright, this is a very different angle then what I’ve read in the comments so far. But some of the symbolisms for lilacs are innocence, bravery, unconditional love. Hawthorn trees are a double edged sword. The brother has both of these things representing his home, but one if them is just a face. It’s shallow, closer to the ground. While the truth, the tree, looms above it. The main character (MC) has had to live with being so overshadowed his entire life, his brother’s presence isolates him. Just the way the brother’s words trigger the MC says a lot about the emotional/verbal abuse he’s had to deal with growing up. In the face of being mocked again, abused again, he saw red. He could’ve hit him with the back of his gun or punched him in the nose. We don’t get to see that, after all. The hole seemed darker and deeper because it was night time. MC didn’t kill his brother, but he thinks he did. Humans have survived, even relatively unharmed, from heights due to being limp/unconscious, so even if the hole was deep... there’s still a chance the brother was relatively unharmed. Left in the woods with, I assume they would bring, a supply bag, because it’s difficult to make up a story that you can’t find your brother if you have his bag. Too suspicious. Obviously the brother, being more wealthy then MC, may have packed some first aid and spare clothes. Wake up, wash off in the brook, try to get enough strength to make it back to town. The MC was sleeping easy at night, because the relief of not being abused anymore was stronger then his grief. It feels like his brother’s “spell” has been lifted and he can finally lead a normal life, with friends and opportunities. But then his brother returns. The outward kindness he projects, fueled by anger. His revenge begins by showing the MC that people never cared about the MC, despite his supposed heroics. The moment the brother returns, all of the attention is immediately back on the brother. The MC feels his new, safe world crumbling. The brother knows this. He’s been psychologically messing with his MC their whole lives, and he knows MC has anxiety and fear of the supernatural. So he plays that game, driving the MC to feel like he must be hallucinating. Because he knows, or thinks he knows, that something deeper is happening and he’s the only one aware of it. So he goes back to the hole, unable to take the confusion and guilt anymore. And, in a bit of a psychological break from being in the dark with a moving light source, the MC mistakes the jacket and pile of lilacs and leaves in the hole as a body. At first as his brother’s body, but then as he steps closer (why it looks like the head turns), he sees that it’s himself. (Look at the colors of that final clip) In the end, the true lilac was the MC. Overshadowed by a Hawthorn tree (his brother). Every act of kindness and attempt at bravery taken for granted, but in trying to get rid of the monster that plagued him in that moment of agony... he, himself, became the monster. The scent of the lilacs cannot cover the smell of what’s killing him from the inside out. There is no happy ending to this story. In order for the MC to live his life in peace, he will have to kill his brother for real this time. And be faced with the pain and fear that will entail for a second time. Or, after his brother has finished digging a grave, be killed himself. In order for either of them to move on from here, one of them will die.

[@amalsoappickle]

So a theory is that what came back was the beast shape-shifted to look like the older brother. The beast is attracted to lilac because it covers up the scent of what it might've killed making holes smelling like lilac in case the beast has to hide the body. The beast is the one who comes out of the forest possibly knowing the connection between the brothers so it avoids eye contact with the other brother just in case. The older brother digging is the beast digging up the MC's(or someone elses) grave and then since the older brothers house has a lilac bush, maybe can cover it up.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

I just realized the whole the brother goes into is the one in the woods

[@8loodyrain]

This fucked me up.

[@Prince_Of_Autumn]

(n)spooky(n+2)me

[@Echocookie8948]

Jesus fucking Christ this may have been 2 years ago but it is brilliant.

[@Lambert555]

when n=2

[@tiacat11]

Alright this is my favorite version of the meme.

[@draxiss1577]

HECK I THOUGHT OF THIS AROUND 2014 (after a spot of series in Differential Equations) and I'm upset I didn't make that comment here first.

[@draxiss1577]

. . . Where n is an element of Real Integers.

[@remellis9668]

ｍｏｓｔ　ｓｔｒａｎｇｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　ｄｏ~

[@friendlypootis9987]

Some overused joke about the KZbin recommendations system

[@jellomiki]

Even after a few years of coming back to this story, I can't understand it or formulate a sound theory about it. Somehow that makes it so much better

[@kayleehicks9534]

OKAY Maybe - when the "brother" is digging the hole the MC is actually still just dreaming(nightmaring?). Like, his subconscious is determined to make him psychologically suffer the way his brother is/was. All the "I can't sleep" is just his guilt torturing him even while unconscious If the "brother" is the monster, that'd also be kinda weird, because how could it get his personality so accurate? *I'm thinking the brother he killed was the monster disguised.* and the one that came back is the real brother, hence why it's simply MC's subconscious eating away at him. And then at the end, where we see the peak of the "brother's" red face, it's the monster, who has been awaiting revenge. And so, I'm thinking the monster finally kills the MC. And maybe, all this time, rather than it being the Mc's subconscious, it was the monster using some sort of telepathy or mind of sorts so that he could eventually lead him to the hole. After all, we have no clue what this monster really is or what he's capable of.

[@MrSlothJunior]

My take is that the brother killed the beast which was just a normal wolf. MC killed the brother. The brother returns from the dead either to take revenge or simply to live out his life now as an undead being.

[@originalname1198]

Kaylee Hicks yours is way more believable

[@av7949]

MrSlothJunior I don't know, I like to think that, since the MC hid behind the tree, he didn't see his brother run off as well. The "brother" he kills is the real monster, a shape-shifter. When his real brother catches up to the MC 3 days later, its just his subconscious guilt making him worry. When he sees his real brother digging, its a dream his guilt creates. He later goes down the original hole where the shape-shifter is waiting for him.

[@frownyclowny6955]

This theory’s as good up until the telepathy thing. That’s sounds bogus. Honestly, guilt and regret about an action such as this is enough to pull someone back into that.

[@frownyclowny6955]

Tom Stanton because MC shot it and chucked the “corpse” into the hole?

[@spanishinfluenza]

Video: fades to black Me: *impersonating JonTron* that's not a rhetorical question THAT'S NOT A RHETORICAL QUESTION

[@kuromanson]

Wow. Your narration was so powerful I got shivers.

[@thebrandunsafeone7184]

"Where's your brother?" "In The Hole"

[@raymondmakarovich]

I come back to this video every couple of months. The ambiguity is what makes it so genius. Never knowing what really occurred makes the mind wonder feverishly.

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Great style of writing. The short sentences make the story work well.

[@Liuhuayue]

You really set the ambiance. Really great voicing, pictures, and sound effects.

[@Foxingg]

My theory is that the new brother is a vengeful spirit come to do its job. It has simply taken the brothers form so it can torment the killer before eventually finishing him off.

[@ohlookmarki]

Katherine Novella that’s what I think so too. That or it’s his guilt physically manifesting itself as his brother to torment him.

[@thehelpfulshadow919]

Wait wait wait, is no one going to point out the strangeness in the wording? The narrator keeps talking about a beast, and the brother killed the wolf. Yet for some reason, the brother that returns says the narrator killed a devil. This is a strange word choice because the term devil has the implication of a humanoid aspect due to it being based off Satan, the singular devil in most religions. Note that the word demon, on the other hand implies a wicked creature in general, which describes the wolf a lot better. In addition, when likening something to the devil it means that they are cunning and manipulative whereas comparing something to a demon usually means that it is ferocious. Another thing of note, is that the dead brother's face is shown three different times, and each time it has slit pupils like a snake's. The brother on the other hand has rounded pupils. Strangely enough, the second time we see the face, the dead brother is smiling which just seems odd to me. Another point of interest was the shape of the ears. Throughout the story, it is shown that the brothers have rounded ears with the best example at 1:08 where both have the same ear type. Yet at 1:58, the brother's ear now tapers to a point instead from what should be essentially another side view. And before you make the argument that it is just the angle his head is at, other angles where the ear shape tapers it is still rounded at the end. Finally, when the brother walks out of the woods at 2:58 his ear is back to being rounded. Therefore, I posit that the narrator actually killed a devil that disguised itself to look like his brother and the person who came out of the woods was the real brother.

[@vocner4130]

Nice

[@christopherrajamanpurba1533]

Nice

[@BI0628]

Edgar alan Poe type shiz right here my guy

[@leirawhitehart1236]

Man, in so used to this guy being hilarious, that it's weird seeing him do something serious for once. Heck, I kept waiting for there to be a punchline, but it never came. I ain't complaining though, because it's still really good, as to be expected.

[@eldtrainboystudios3962]

It’s interesting how there are technically two monsters here. The Doppelgänger... and the Sad Brother.

[@user-sl1wt1dv4y]

the protagonist did kill the monster, the monster shape shifted to look like his brother and used the corpse of a wolf as a subversion, the real brother ran and hid, and the real brother watched behind the trees as the protagonist killed the real monster disguised as the brother.

[@savannahs7898]

Emily Caroll is such a good story teller! I loved their video game "The Yawhg" This is such a good dub. I'd love to watch a show animated in Emily Caroll's style with your voice acting :)

[@qiqinightstar7013]

this comic is creepy. way too creepy. I applaud the artist, her stories kept me up once. I especially loved the one where the teeth of the 'people' are moving. and the voice acting in this video too, man! I'm so happy this got dubbed.

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

I didn't know you did this one! Awesome comic and awesome voice work! 10 outta 10!

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

***** That's what I meant. My wording was a bit off, should've replaced "did" with "voiced".

[@toneee]

i was literally watching your memes on autoplay then this came up wHAT DISRESPECT

[@manuelrabuffetti]

Since everyone is posting theories and clues that they've noticed, here's mine: The brother appears to know the woods already (because he comments on the trees and rivers like he knows them and where they are, also he is the one leading the MC through the forest) she couldn't have gotten lost

[@relm.5934]

I like how the story can be interpreted in so many ways. Mine is three. There are three types of monsters being portrayed and two of them, metaphorically. 1) The wolf / shapeshifter /skin taker / literal monster -a literal monster 2) The MC -killed his own brother out of jealousy 3) The brother -someone wrote a theory that the one who came back was the real brother and that MC actually killed the monster. This makes the real brother a monster too, in a way, it could mean that all this time he's been just a pretentious jerk who's been living in the limelight and has always been aware of the MC's insecurities. Also, I like how the brother digging at night can mean the MC's guilt is digging through him keeping him up and awake at night.

[@channelnamehere8924]

This gave me CHILLS, I NEED you to voice over more of these horror stories, your voice is PERFECT for it!

[@art0salt]

Wait a sec..."Hawthorne tree"...DAHLIA'S THE MONSTER I KNEW IT. (Excuse my rambling)

[@aquiteangel2247]

Dahlia Hawthorne from ace attorney?

[@art0salt]

+Lil' Potato yes lol

[@rosaspaulding6851]

omg thats what i thought, to lmao

[@cbone0457]

Honestly, if she was the monster, I wouldn't be surprised.

[@mmmohyeah281]

Paige.Lmao I don't get it

[@spilledty9537]

The MC premeditated the death of his brother because he was jealous over everything his brother had and this can be seen because the MC is a coward at heart who is afraid of streams of water, and yet is the first one to volunteer to kill a monster. (I believe he's the one who killed the sheep as well) He knew his brave loveable brother was going to step up and join him in the woods. The hole was filled with lavender by the younger brother because lilac can cover up the scent of the dead. Brother goes out and about ahead and actl gets lost. A wolf enters the scene and is killed by doppelganger brother who just copied looks of real brother. MC kills doppelganger and brother sees this and realized that MC had the intention to kill him and stays in the forest to observe the next actions MC takes. When the brother comes back, he still loves his brother despite it all and let's him have the glory he desperately wanted, but still can't bear to look at the man who tried to kill him. MC notes that he can't sleep, and I'm assuming that goes on for a period of time and lack of sleep can cause hallucinations, which is why he sees his brother digging the hole. (Some kind of subconscious thing where he feels that he was decieved into doing the work for the creature or smth) He goes to confirm his theory by checking out the hole but by the way the body turns, we can tell that the beast didn't actually died, and probably replaced the MC.

[@jaredpullins2715]

Your English is bad but this is the theory I like the most

[@MelodyLiuJade]

Please do more horror comic voicing. This was amazing.

[@TheGrandBagel]

I keep watching this every few months, I can't stop thinking about it

[@Spookweave]

A million thumbs ups, this is genuinely some of the best horror I have seen/read

[@ubikentang2017]

I watched other people doing this story, I love your version the best. It's really your excellent voice acting that outshine them & the editing. How the way you guys does it actually make much more sense & impact compared to the others. Thanks :)

[@JFCotman]

This is deep !!!!! And I usually don't care for fiction.

[@jechiquim]

you should try more fiction, there's a reason why some works are classic.

[@jet100a]

Jamiel Cotman was that a pun?

[@JFCotman]

@@jet100a not at all 😂

[@thedocblock6421]

Honestly, a little bit I don't really see mentioned immediately in these comments: Throughout most of the story, the thing ravaging the village is called a beast - it is animal and natural in nature, or so believed by most. The most this is deviated from is with 'monster,' which still implies a somewhat natural existence. And yet when the 'brother' comes out of the woods, he says "thank god my brother killed that *devil.*" Which could either be the brother breaking associated speech patterns and tipping the reader off that the brother isn't *actually* the brother, or could be saying that the brother knew the true nature of the monster and knew it was unnatural and demon-like. Just more fuel to throw on the theoretical theory fire.

[@hilarithebambee3562]

Spoilers: The beast: turns into brother to escape being shot Mc: kills him because he thought he was the brother The beast: thAts not how it's supposed to Go-

[@poeticcinema5857]

Well, rip literally everyone in this comic

[@mysticthemanakete]

HOLY SHIT THIS GAVE ME SERIOUS CHILLS

[@samwallaceart288]

That was a great story; thanks for alerting me to this artist's existence.

[@sigh824]

Samuel Wallace have you heard of The Yahwg? It's a little cyoa game by the same artist, gets dark like this and it's really fun to play with friends.

[@largeandmildlythreateningr2966]

this is incredible, it reminds me of those old motion book shorts like John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat.

[@IrvingIV]

1. Outdoorsy brother is ashamed of Indoorsy brother, and plans to humiliate him. 2. Indoorsy brother kills Outdoorsy brother after he "kills" the "wolf" 3. While Indoorsy brother returns, the creature becomes the Outdoorsy brother, and practices mannerisms while wandering the woods. 4. Grateful for the opportunity to slip seamlessly into a community and belong somewhere, the creature praises Indoorsy brother and leaves him alone, out of respect for the fact that he knows the truth and can't possibly have a happy relationship.

[@justakid8904]

After so many years passed, I keep coming back to this. Repeatedly, it almost engrossed me in an incandescent way.

[@philliparnesen4493]

That really was amazing. Do more of these. I honestly would kill to have you read some lovecraft works.

[@undergravitydownforce714]

Actually you could kill so he voices a story of your killing, that's a genius idea

[@michaels9595]

the beast taking the form and memories of the brother? there must be some element of the beast since there is a hole just like the one in the woods

[@ImSquiggs]

That was one of the best stories I’ve heard in years

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

"A plump young wife" first time I've heard it sound like a compliment. This is pretty great tho really enjoyed it

[@ytcsabidealer8387]

I will come back to this masterpiece in exactly 5 years

[@doctorkong3065]

I'll be waiting.