my dear world is falling apart!

Dorian curled up in the corner of his room, clutching his tail with his now-clawed fist just barely to the point of pain. "Every little thing," he thought. "Every fucking little thing is a reminder of what I'm not."

Abruptly, he sighed, and let his tail fall to the ground, instinctually curling it up around his leg. He sat there for a while, just stewing in his own self-pity until an incorporeal head poked it's way through the wall and looked at him. 

"Gah- fuck, Showtime? You can't just - give me a warning first, at least, man."

"You alright?" Showtime asked, stepping all the way into the room. "Nevermind," he continued, before Dorian had a chance to formulate a response, "you clearly aren't. Look, I came here to give you something that'll cheer you up, or at least help to distract you from..." He gestured towards Dorian as a whole, "whatever's happening here."

Dorian shrugged, loosening his posture from the ball he was curled up into. "Sure, I'll trust the ominous cursed spirit that lives in my friend's brain. What do I even have to lose anymore?"

"Glad to hear it," Showtime said, flashing a toothy grin. "Here, just take my paw." 

Dorian could've sworn he saw a flash of brilliant bluegreen flame around the spirits hand for a second, but ... No, it must have been his eyes playing tricks on him. Or showtime playing a trick on him. One of those, he was sure. 

Apathetically, though what little remained of his fight-or-flight reflex was begging him not to, Dorian reached out to grab Showtime's hand

and it was

as if

his

entire 

world 

shattered. 

Dorian froze for a second, from the sheer sensory overload. He had to imagine this is what being subject to Gojo's technique would have been like, but something told him that this was even moreso.

All at once, Dorian realized many layers of his existence. He was a character in an anime - no, was it a manga? - no, he wasn't even in those, at least he wasn't supposed to be, he was planted in there artificially, never meant to be there - no, that wasn't even him, he was a splinter of that person that gradually overtook the original - but no, now wasn't he a splinter of even that?

And Showtime - showtime was never meant to be there, even by the lax overall standards of his current type of existence. Showtime was -

Showtime was -

Showtime was - 

What is Showtime?

Showtime is the one in charge of this branch of splinter timelines.

Showtime is the one who controls, quite literally, everything in the world.

Showtime is the person who got him into this mess.

Showtime is the one who made him like this.

The first words out of Dorian's mouth, once he can finally move, are: "Oh, you bastard."