| “ | Hope it haunts ya, big guy. Woulda been the kinda fight worth livin’ for.
— Crush to Brother Ape, as he stands before Razor Rex. (Chapter 8, Page 59
 ) |
” |
Crush is a ghost and a student at the dojo of Francisco Guerra in Paranatural. He is training in the martial art of Spectral Fist. He is a former member of the Activity Consortium. Currently, he has ceased to exist since Razor Rex consumed him.[1]
Appearance[]
Crush has bright orange hair, combed back in spiky tuft that points upwards; he has a soul patch beard. He has unique, exaggerated facial features, such as a flat nose represented by a two-loop scribble, arching eyebrows that furrow in the middle, and a protruded chin. His physique is bulky and muscular, and he even though he lacks legs due to being a ghost, having instead a trail of spectral energy, he is able to conjure up legs by made of energy at will.[2] His eyes are narrow, with a simple black dot for a pupil. The hue of his spectral energy ranges from light purple to bright fuchsia.
He wears a white gi with the sleeves and the collar torn off, tied at the waist with a black belt. It is uncertain whether this is any indication regarding his proficiency in the techniques of Spectral Fist. As a ghost, he can't alter this attire, as they were the clothes he wore when he died.
Personality[]
Crush has boisterous, jolly temperament and he's perpetually grinning. He's quite self-assured, brazen and stubborn, albeit not particularly sharp. He is somewhat forgetful, as he tends to overlook the fact that he's dead and a ghost. He is aware of these flaws, to the point of describing himself, in his own words, as "thickheaded"and a "lug".[3] Nonetheless, he likes to have a good laugh, and he's not above making jokes at others' expenses.
He is passionate about fighting, and seems to be knowledgeable about various fighting styles. He is eager to prove his skill in combat, and seizes any opportunity to show it off. Likewise, his worldview is centered around competing fairly and honorably and working hard to earn your stripes, as he possesses a "no pain, no gain" kind of mindset.
Background[]
In the past he used to work in the Activity Consortium under Boss Leader's command, and was dismayed when Francisco Guerra revealed to him the truth about her being a wight, which he refused to believe at first.[3] He has been training with Master Guerra ever since, learning spectral energy combat techniques, living in the dojo and contributing to its maintainance.
He was killed in a reckless solo fight with a spirit.[4]
Paranatural[]
Chapter 4[]
He is seen training with Isabel Guerra, Scabs and other students and eagerly assists in recapturing a loose spirit when Francisco destroys the target it was residing in.[5]
Chapter 5[]
Crush makes an appearance when Mina Zarei is summoned to the Dojo to tend to a minuscule spirit bite he got, and she struggles to convince him that his lack of legs is normal for a ghost, and that he has been one for a long time, a fact which he apparently forgot. He is quite satisfied with the result of the medication. The salve used by Zarei is noticed by Isabel, who she attempts to steal it.[6]
Chapter 7[]
Crush makes a brief appearance in the kitchen where Amy Chen is medicating Isabel. He is on cooking duty and he's stirring a pot with an haunted ladle, which Amy takes from him in order to scold Francisco Guerra by smacking him with the ladle. Crush reacts apologizing profusely to Guerra.[7]
Chapter 8[]
Crush is sparring with Ed Burger on the dojo's porch, or rather, he is busy counting his victories over an unfazed, unmoving Ed, while Isabel Guerra and her grandpa are yelling at each other.[8] The ghost makes fun of Ed when Isabel spurns the latter's attempt to comfort her. At the end of the training, Crush spots a suspicious figure in the woods surrounding the dojo, but lies to Ed saying that it's just a misplaced training mannequin, so as to protect the kid and to prevent him from calling reinforcements. Crush then goes on to face the skull-masked lurker, who introduces himself as Brother Ape of the Death Cult, and the two engage in combat. During the fight, Crush never stops ridiculing Brother Ape, trying to weaken him by getting under his skin. The dojo's student quickly gains the upper hand thanks to his superior skill, despite the cultist's advantage in exploiting a pair of Doctopi to render himself numb to the pain; however, Brother Ape turns the tables on him when he calls his tooled-up spirit's power to his side. His spirit partner, Mister Sun, amplifies greatly Ape's strength, fueled by the Doctopi's giddiness: a single punch is enough to break Crush's previously unbeatable spectral tempering defenses. Shrugging off the tremendous injury that is already triggering his fading process, the ghost keeps on fighting, doling out psychological attacks that target Ape's vacillating resolve and his loyalty to the Death Cult, eventually managing to bring the cultist to his knees. Crush, standing victorious, offers the cultists a chance at starting over a new life at the dojo, then he turns to the face the hidden cultists waiting for the right moment for an ambush, which he had noticed beforehand. He attacks Sister Cat first, but he's thrown off balance when it becomes clear she is a non-spectral who perceives him anyway: this moment of faltering is all that it takes for the Mandrake to zap him in the back with his Lifetaker Laser. Crush is instantly morphed into a third-place bronze trophy, to add insult to injury; immediately thereafter, the cultists reveal their true faces as Coach Oop and Ms. Baxter.
Once Rose Baxter has carried the trophy to her goddess at the PTA meeting, Razor Rex employs Deathtaker Laser to turn him back, and she orders Oop to prove his loyalty by restraining Crush during the execution.[1] The latter, though battered and dizzy, doesn't refrain from talking back to the cultists, their master, and Agent Savage, who militates in the cult as Sister Lizard. Savage is tasked to identify Crush as a Consortium associate, and later she stops the ghost from wriggling free when Oop proves reluctant to hold him down. All the way to the end, Crush incites Oop to switch sides and turn his life around, to no avail. Crush briefly looks back on his own existence expressing no regrets, right before Razor Rex strikes the final blow with her spirit scythe.
Abilities[]
General[]
Crush is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, in addition to being considerably strong, fast and tough: he is able to keep on fighting after taking massive injuries. He also has a tendency to plays mind games with his adversaries, attempting to break them down by talking.
Ghost[]
He is a strong enough poltergeist to rustle leaves as he moves[9], and possibly to pick up objects[10]. He is restricted from using tools, since his status as a ghost marks him as a potential prey for spirits with purple energy.
Spectral[]
As a student of Francisco Guerra, Crush is trained in the techniques of Spectral Fist, such as the compression energy burstshot (spec-shot), various spectral energy constructs, and advanced forms like will wisps (manipulating droplets of spectral energy far from the body), which Crush can maintain for long even in complex constructs[3], and spectral tempering (concentrated spectral energy built layer after layer into an opaque, incandescent armor around the body)[9]. However, he hasn't fully mastered the latter technique, which leaves one side of his body unprotected by the armor and makes it vulnerable to shattering attacks.
In terms of strength, he acknowledges that he's the third best fighter among the students at the dojo, after Mr. Spender and Scabs; this accomplishment is the result of him honing his spectral abilities to overcome the gap between him and spirit-partnered spectrals and of his knack for reading his opponents on the battleground.[11] Indeed, Master Guerra expects him to be able to prevent enemies from hurting him at all, which goes to show his high prowess.
Quotes[]
- "Our lives for the targets!"
- — Crush recapturing a rogue spirit (Chapter 4, Page 6
)
- "Yeesh. I’d heard the rumors about Mayview havin’ some kind of weirdo death cult—y’know, for depressed accountants and realtors or whatever—but I thought you guys would WORSHIP death, not BORE me to it."
- — Crush rebuking Brother Ape's fit of religious fervor. (Chapter 8, Page 39)
- Crush: "You coulda MADE ME shut up a LONG, LONG TIME AGO, "
- Crush: "but get this through BOTH SKULLS, big guy... "
- Crush: "...YOU CAN’T BEAT ME ’CAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO WIN!! "
- — Crush delivers the final blow to Brother Ape's determination. (Chapter 8, Page 41)
- Crush: "What gives, big guy? Th-thought I left my mark on you... but you’re as clean as your dang whistle. "
- Crush: "A real man oughta... wear his bruises... like badges of honor— "
- — A weakened Crush comments on the healing that Oop benefited from. (Chapter 8, Page 59)
- Crush: "Why not go all in, then? "
- Crush: "Take an even bigger risk. I like the odds. Don’t you? "
- 'Crush: "'You and me, big guy. Right now. We could take down all these clowns together. "
- — Crush attempts to awaken Oop's conscience one last time. (Chapter 8, Page 59)
Trivia[]
- Zack Morrison described him once as "An orange soda of a man". (Chapter 8, Page 59)
- His spectral tempering gives him an armor that makes him look like a gorilla, thus inviting the comparison between him and Brother Ape.
- The "3rd" inscription on the trophy he gets morphed into, slightly tilted sideways, looks like the eyes, nose and grinning mouth of his face proper.
Gallery[]
Official Artwork[]
Comic[]
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