"Death is our only release..."
Max and Ruby 0004
is a lost episode Creepypasta written by an unknown author. The story is about a relative who buys a Max and Ruby DVD for his younger cousin, and finds out that it contains a very disturbing episode that involves Max and Ruby's parents dying.
This story inspired two animated adaptations which were created by music producer and animator Devin Millar.
Tropes present include:
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Ruby speaks directly to the narrator near the end of the DVD.Ruby: "Well, whoever's watching this, this is because you never watched any of me and my brother's episodes, so... one of these days, you... will... regret this."
- Cliffhanger: The fate of the narrator is left rather ambiguous since the story ends with him receiving a note with the same message as what was on the end of the DVD.
- Darker and Edgier: As with most Lost Episode creepypastas based on children's shows, it's a given that the lost episode the story describes would deal with darker subject matter than the actual show. The episode shows Max and Ruby becoming orphaned and Max hanging himself due to his inability to cope.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite having massive hollow black holes for eyes, Max and Ruby here are not the typical “evil versions” of the characters from the show, ala Sonic.exe and other Creepypastas.
- Death of a Child: Like below, Max dies from self-hanging due to an inability to cope with the demise of the parents of he and Ruby.
- Driven to Suicide: Max hangs himself following the deaths of his and Ruby’s parents.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: A couple of days after watching, the narrator receives a note in the mail with the same message as the final message on the DVD: “Death is our only release.”
- Jump Scare: The video adaptations are well known for containing a slew of jumpscares including loud screams.
- May It Never Happen Again: Subverted at the end. After viewing the disturbing content of the Max and Ruby DVD, the narrator smashes the disc and stuffs the pieces down the sink's drain to avoid having to watch it again. Though nothing unusual happens for a while, he later gets a note from an anonymous source that says, "Death is our only release" (something that had been said in the aforementioned DVD).
- Red Filter of Doom: The screenshots of the episode are colored primarily in black, white, and red to give a sinister look.
- Sole Survivor: Ruby is the only surviving member of the family after the deaths of Max and their parents.
- Subverted Kids' Show: The story is about the narrator buying a DVD of Max and Ruby containing an episode involving death and suicide.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: Max and Ruby’s parents kill each other.
- Twisted Christmas: The narrator gets the DVD as a Christmas gift for his little cousin, not knowing what’s on it.
