Omg some actual OC, that’s original content, not original character, this isn’t a sonic forum for you to personify your mental illness into some weird hedgehog or something.
You better appreciate this absolute load of garbage because it took me much longer than it should have to write haha,
Been pretty busy recently but I think I found a new job, not as much of a step up as I wanted from my old job but I was put in a position where my options were to serve in heaven or become middle management in hell and I chose the former. So when I get this new job I’ll actually be out of the country most of the time and probably wont have time to waste on this stupid bullshit so the content apocalypse is coming.
I may get the odd blog out just to justify the exorbitant fees I pay to have my very own website. But I’m gonna be working pretty solidly, should be making pretty good money, meeting new people, seeing new places, probably do a lot of reading or more likley drinking and playing nintendo switch games.
Think I wanna save to buy myself a house in barbados I probably wont live in most of the year for tax and visa reasons haha. Ya gotta have a dream and that’s the one I’m going with right now and it’s much more doable than all my other dreams haha.
Not 100% that I have the job but I know a guy who I work with now who said he’d put a good word in for me, he used to work at the place I’m applying to now. So we can see if that old adage is worth it’s shit.
Talking about reading I finished that peak Parker book and it was pretty good, not sure if I mentioned this already but it had the classic Parker B plot where it’s the anal set up followed by mopping up the mess of where it goes wrong because no job is perfect and if it was it would be boring to read.
This one in all honesty went a little too perfect, the stakes didn’t really seem high enough and the job basically went perfectly and the after part where it started to fuck up went almost comically perfectly.
Because basically what happens at the end is a comedy of errors akin to the three stooges where all the people trying to fuck over Parker end up killing eachother before he even shows up leaving only one a real threat to end the book on.
It just ended a little too neat, things just fell into place a little too perfectly, one party opposed to Parker killed the other, the reporter giving them trouble was neatly packed away never to be seen again, none of the crew were new so none of them turned on Parker. The guy who set the job up turned out to be nuts but then quickly killed himself then there was just one guy Parker had to kill and it was wrapped up.
With these books it’s the constant balance of realism and entertainment and I think it was a bit wonky here but altogether thoroughly entertaining book, I really like how much effort he puts into even side characters that are only important for small stretches of time but he gives you a good feel of them.
Now I decided to get back into the shadow which is proving to be a mistake so far, I’m reading the one that’s supposed to be one of the best but it’s so fucking slow already and are we supposed to not know exactly when the shadow is pretending to be someone else because it couldn’t be more obvious. The guy with the masklike face who doesn’t say much is obviously the shadow, how hard is this to grasp? It’s annoying now and the action is kinda bleh, its just kinda safe honestly, it’s not edgy enough and I’m gonna be so bummed after I finish the Parker books. I really need a recommendation of some chad crime fiction, I need another Dexter or Parker.
Anyway enough chit chatting got shit to do.
See you…
–
“That sound again”
There was only silence and darkness shifting like the curtains of an unlit stage. The sounds were a dull metronome blending into the ultimate silence rising slowly.
“Like a fucking trumpet from hell or something”
Through the darkness grey shapes gradually undulated in the mist. Huge figures with grey mottled flesh like a corpse, long noses and huge ears.
“What are you called? Hephalumps or something? I saw you in a book, I think. I thought you were all gone.”
More and more appeared out of the darkness, their eyes empty, only silence as they moved, all looking at Pookie.
“Wait didn’t we do this before? I guess the writer forgot this was supposed to be a recurring theme or something. It beats flashbacks I guess.”
“Are you having another flashback” The head elephant said.
“I said are you having another-“ Riki said, his voice pulling Pookie back into reality.
“Just a dream” Pookie said with his eyes closed “Completely unrelated.”
Riki nodded like that made sense, he paused and breathed out as he perched on the edge of Pookie’s cot. “That technique he used, it’s ancient, from the old old world, called the ‘spirit blade’.”
Pookie looked down at himself as he lay, doing an inventory. “That’s a cool name, how did you hear about it?”
Riki grinned “I’m just fucking with you, I just thought it sounded cool” He turned with a shit eating grin.
Pookie grimaced as he rose off his back into a sitting position. He felt stiff all over, he was lying in a bed in a tent he’d never seen before. his shirt off, he looked down at his hands, they were bandaged delicately, by a woman’s hand.
“He said he could read my mind” Pookie said queerly.
“Probably bullshit just to scare you.” Riki shook his head.
“…” Pookie just looked at his hands and thought about that, squeezing them lightly.
“If that was the case he’d be unbeatable, he’d see all your moves before you made them, you’d have to use something no one had ever seen before, even you.”
There was a moment he sat in silence contemplating his palms.
“So are you really dying or did you just want to see him use that weird shit on me first?” Pookie asked.
Riki smiled sadly with one side of his mouth.
“I see” Pookie sighed.
“But what do you care, you just met me.” He said laughing.
“She did this, that girl Jersey?” Pookie said more as a statement than a question.
“Yeah how did you know”
“I don’t know, I just had a feeling”
Riki laughed and got up from his stool “Well you keep acting all cool like that and she might just fuck you”.
Pookie sighed irritable and laid back down.
Riki just let out a little breathy laugh and started to leave.
“You think you can beat him?” Pookie asked Riki’s back.
“Maybe.” he sighed and said “But maybe I won’t have to.” He smiled looking up at the sky, the sun bleaching out his face and forcing him to close his eyes like a kid getting his photograph taken.
–
As the sun set the heavy flap of a tent a whole wasteland away was opened and closed noiselessly, inside a single candle burned.
The figure that entered walked over to the candle light, stopping just short of it so the light only licked the tips of his toes. Then without words he mimed the laying of a tatami mat at his feet and kneeled.
Out of the dimness a ghostly white face rocked into the light like a marionette operated by a drunk. The face was stoney and still. Painted white with black around the eyes and mouth resembling a dimestore wooden indian flaked with white paint.
The one kneeling nodded at his master.
His master began to speak with his hands miming his words.
(Subtitles read) “Report, why do you abandon your post guarding the swammy?”
The kneeling one began to reply in sign and mime, without making a sound. (Subtitles read) “Lord Cesare my master, during my time with the swammy I believe I have encountered the one they call ‘Pookie’. The fugitive sought by the ringmaster, what’s more his accompanied by a deserter and a strange girl. He is currently hosted by a group not affiliated with the circ-.”
Cesare the mime shogun put his hand out to stop him. (Subtitles read) “You talk too much Pepe”
The mime bodyguard froze (Subtitles read) “There’s more, your son.”
(in subtitles) “Brandon?”
The body guard continued (in subtitles) “It seems as if he wants to fall in with this strange lot but he was turned away. Humiliated by the man leading them, at least I think it’s a man.”
(subtitles read) “He brings great shame onto me and our clan, but his failings are my own. He was cocky and I fed into his cockiness, I paid strong warriors to fall before him, but soon he challenged one that would not be swayed by money and he lost. When he found out what I did he was lost to me, searching for purpose outside of the circus.”
(subtitles read) “What would you have me do my Shogun?”
(Subtitles read) “The one known as Pookie is not to be harmed, for now. He is of grave interest to the ringmaster, but these others, the outcasts, they cannot be allowed to live.
Although Brandon is my shame, it is not their right to dishonour him, his weakness is my own and it cannot be known. Speak no word of this to the swammy, take a detachment of Mime ninjas with you, do it swiftly and leave no trace.”
(subtitles read) “Yes sir”
(subtitles read) “The clown must not be hurt is that apparent”
(subtitles read) “Readily sir.”
The mime shogun retracted his statue like face back into the darkness.
–
Later that night Pookie left the safety of the tent feeling as stiff as an ironing board with morning wood. Riki was milling about outside leaning against a post watching as Canard and Efron frolicked with the other performers. Canard especially looked to be having a good time, evidently getting into their supply of grain alcohol. The two were laughing and singing with the oddly dressed men as the sun slowly set on the day.
Riki sensing Pookie in the opening said “Are you feeling better?”
“I asked you if you could beat him” Pookie said looking past him.
“And I said maybe”
“What happens if you die?” Pookie said softly.
“You mean to them? Probably nothing” He laughed and then paused looking at them “What about you?” He said tossing his head bac.
“What about me what?”
“What’ll happen to them if you die?”
He paused for a moment having never given thought to that. “Probably nothing, or they’ll die, who knows, I’ll be dead.”
“Does your life mean that little to you?” Riki smiled.
“Does yours?” Pookie sighed. “You know, sometimes it feels like I’m only just starting to get this world.” He said as he looked at Efron smiling and laughing horsing around with the drunken one legged man. “and then-“
“It’s all ripped out from under you”. Riki finished his sentence.
Pookie sighed again. “That’s not what I was gonna say.”
“Life sucks” Riki said “But it’s all we’ve got.”
“I guess so”
“Because we hope one day it’ll all mean something, that it’ll make sense, that’s why we keep going.”
“Do you really believe that?” Pookie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm”
“Anyway I think you should fight him.” Riki said wistfully.
“Why me?” Pookie scoffed.
“Because you’re the main character” Riki laughed.
Pookie frowned and said “I couldn’t even touch him, he’s unbeatable.”
“If you want to cut him you can cut him.”
Suddenly Pookie heard the voice of his master in his head and it sent a shiver up his spine. “What?”
“I can teach you if you’ll let me”
“Fat chance” Pookie scoffed and went back into the tent.
–
Read the rest of the chapter on inkitt, or don’t I don’t care haha.
Darkly Dreaming Demographic. 
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