| “ | Just put 'em where it hurts and they'll drain the pain in twain!
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Doctopi[2], singular Doctopus[3], are a species of minor spirits used by the Activity Club and other spectrals as a form of pain relief.
Appearance[]
Doctopi are small squid-like spirits. Their main body is light green and has several darker colored plus shaped spots on the forehead area, and their underbelly along with their suckers are a cream color. Their eyes have a red plus-shaped iris that look like two bandages, and the "pupil", or center square of said iris is a slightly darker shade of red than the outer pieces.
Personality[]
Doctopi in general are rather passive, peacefully leaving their target after they've eaten all of the pain from their injury[4] and showing no retaliation to being bound[5] or squeezed[6]. The Doctopus on Max's arm during the events of Chapter 5 appears to show some form of intelligence, as it can be seen reacting with suspicion towards Lisa[7] and tries to join in on PJ and Max's handshake[8].
Paranatural[]
Chapter 1[]
While speaking with Johnny Jhonny and his gang, Max Puckett sees his first shade in the form of a Doctopus on Johnny's head, which had presumably been attracted to the pain caused by being hit with Max's scooter moments before. During the ensuing chase, the Doctopus excretes green fluid from its mouth before floating away. It ends up passing by Isabel Guerra, who spots it out of the corner of her eye while walking to Mayview Middle School. Near the end of the school day, two Doctopi are shown in the paranormal ensemble that Max is now able to fully view.
Chapter 2[]
After defeating Gorf at the Corner Store, Max and Ed Burger go outside to meet Isabel, who has collected several Doctopi to "drain the pain"[2]. After getting one stuck to his face, Max squeezes the Doctopus in his fist as Ed and Isabel leave before letting it go into the night.
Chapter 5[]
At the end of the Hitball game, a shadowed figure (later revealed to be PJ) sticks a Doctopus on Max's broken arm, relieving him of the pain but not healing the injury[3]. As Max and Jeff Flavors leave the gym, Johnny notices its shade on Max's arm in confusion. While colluding with the rest of the Activity Club, Mr. Spender ties the Doctopus to Max's arm with a spectral energy construct to stop it from going towards his chest.[5] The Doctopus stays on Max's arm throughout the rest of the day, and Max eventually decides to give it the name "Pain Killer", or "PK" for short[1].
Abilities[]
Pain Eating[]
Doctopi are shown to be utilized by the Activity Club similarly to medical anesthetic. According to Isabel Guerra[3] and Edward Burger[2], they aren't capable of directly healing wounds, but instead absorb the pain from the wound into themselves to ease the pain felt by their current host. Doctopi can also use this ability on non-spectral targets, as seen with the Doctopus on Johnny's head eating the pain from a scooter injury in Chapter 1[9].
Trivia[]
- On Chapter 2, Page 29
Zack Morrison commented that there "may or may not be a future character who uses Doctopi to their full potential". This may be in reference to Mina Zarei, a spectral doctor who owns a medical tent shaped like a Doctopus.
- They also revealed that Doctopi cannot feel pain, rendering them unable to feed off themselves or each other.
- Alternatively, it could be in reference to Brother Ape (Coach Oop's Death Cult alias, who exploits the powers of a couple of trained Doctopi to drain the injuries away when fighting melee; their resulting delight from repleting also serves to fuel the abilities of Mister Sun, Oop's spirit partner, which turns joy into power, that in this case takes the form of physical strength.
Gallery[]
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