I never planned on this turning into a scene. It just sort of tumbled out. So I had no way of knowing how to end it. So, forgive the meme conclusion. Enjoy?
...
The Irvasker tribe of the wintery north always held honor among warriors as guiding doctrine. Every man, woman, and child was expected to show this level of reverence and respect to strength and especially overcoming obstacles, be they from the world or within. This left Yorgen Irvasker, son of the mighty Tusk Irvasker, in a difficult position. The great beast Grondel’s head lay at his feet. The same beast that Yorgen had failed to hunt for months. Indeed, such a feat would yield, by their tribe’s most honored traditions, the seat beside the Chief. Yorgen was conflicted giving such a regal position to an outsider, especially a Bobkin. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times around the pommel of his great sword, debating if he could talk his way out of lopping the sly grin off the Bobkin’s face. The Chief cleared his throat again, motioning to Yorgen.
“Ah yes,” Yorgen said, knocked from his internal monologues of bloodshed, “You have done well, Bobkin.”
“The name’th Withper.” The Bobkin named Whisper said with a painfully comical lisp. He leaned his small frame against the beast’s head, his elbow digging into its ear. “And I think, you got more to thay than that.”
Yorgen stifled a grumble with a cough, “Yes of course. As the customs and traditions of our tribe dictate, you are to receive a title and position worthy of your deed.”
Whisper gave a revoltingly self-satisfying smile and patted the head, “Tho, what will thith get me?”
The Chief stood from his throne of furs, leather and bone and made a wide gesture that made his mammoth-skin cape flutter around him. “For your deeds you shall become a Yar-Vasker.”
Whisper looked from the Chief to Yorgen. Yorgen sighed and wiped a hand over his face and down his beard, “He means you will become like a brother to the Chief.”
The minute warrior cheered, “About time you meatheads recognized my might.”
The Chief smiled. Yorgen grumbled, but then noticed a shifting of movement on the beast’s head. Not a sign of life, more like a sudden change in color before quickly shifting back.
“But before that,” Yorgen said, approaching the head, “We shall make ceremony of this great and impressive victory!” He raised his mighty great sword into the air. The masses cheered at the glinting steel of his blade. “Oh Whisper, the great hunter, the honor shall be yours.” He extended his arm, offering the huge weapon to the small Bobkin.
“Exthcuthe me?” Whisper said, head tilting to the side.
“Drive the blade into the beast’s head, such is the ceremony before honoring you as Yar-Vasker.” Yorgen said with an ice-cold smile.
Whisper looked at the greatsword, the handle of which was larger than his forearm. “I don’t think--”
“Oh but great hunter Whisper,” Yorgen said, his voice booming, “After defeating this beast, surely this small task is nothing for you.”
“Yes,” The Chief said, his smile was warm and brotherly, “Show us the might that slew the powerful beast.”
Cheers lifted from the crowd, followed by chanting for their new hero. Yorgen beamed, eyes wide and full of malice, down at the small Bobkin. The handle of the weapon aimed at his head like the bolt of a crossbow.
“Uh,” He looked between the weapon and the beast’s head. “Ith thith really nethethary?”
“Oh?” Yorgen said, a brow arching with the hope of mimicking the expression of one who is surprised. “Could it be you do not have the strength?”
Whisper sneered and matched glares with Yorgen, “Well, it was quite a mighty battle,” He let his grin show more of his sharp teeth, “Not that you would really know.”
The chanting of the crowd masked their interaction, but enough people noticed the change in Yorgen, from his usual calm and dominant presence, to the tense presence of a coiled predator. A second chant was called out, probably by one of the younger fools in attendance, that called for more bloodshed.
Whisper and Yorgen held each other at a glare until the burly, bearded man broke first. He turned to the Chief.
“My Chief. The battle with Grondel has left our savior weary indeed and unable to initiate the ceremony.” Yorgen said, his face wearing a worried look that ill matched the giddy sound in his voice.
Whisper let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
“So instead” Yorgen continued, “Mightn’t I do the honors?” He turned and lifted the blade over his head, eyes locked on the head of the beast.
“STOP!” Whisper said, his lisp vanishing.
Yorgen brought the blade down.
The head bounced out of the way and tumbled behind Whisper.
“Are you crazy?” The head burbled before twitching and shifting into a different creature. A mix between a shaggy dog and a dragon. The Farceling tried to hunker its large body behind the small Bobkin.
The crowd went wild, confusion, anger and a couple of people laughing nervously.
“I knew it!” Yorgen cried, “Naught but lies and trickery!” Yorgen strode over to them, blade held tight in his fist. “You dare--”
“Now,” Whisper held up his hands, “Let’s be reasonable about this.”
“We need to escape,” the Farceling muttered from behind his friend.
“What do you think I am trying to do, Hush?” Whisper said in a panicked voice.
“No, not from him,” Hush said.
Yorgen loomed over them. “I have had enough of you both.” He was shouting over the cacophony of the crowd. “You shall be put to death for your deceit.”
“Silence!” The Chief cried, raising his hands.
A rather tiny Pixum poked its head out of Whisper’s pocket for a second, “Did they figure me out too?” Whisper quickly pushed Silence back into his pocket.
The din of noise in the hall fell away.
“Where are the guardsmen?” The Chief said, scanning the crowd. Five hands went up.
“Here, Chief!”
Yorgen’s eyes went wide, “Then who is standing guard?”
The five men looked at one another.
“You said you were going to stay behind.”
“I told Bristle to stand watch for me.”
“Then why is HE here?”
“But Grondel is dead, so why would I need to stand guard?”
The crowd turned their eyes on the cowering Farceling. A hush fell over the room.
Then a quaking wail, the sound of souls being shred and the dead writhing in their graves, came thundering through the hall. Followed soon was the sound of barricades splintering under the force of powerful, unstoppable limbs.
The Chief went pale, “Grondel.”
Yorgen furrowed his brow, “It's here.”
“Oh shit,” Whisper whispered
Roll initiative…
Well my week has been exciting so far.
Day 3- We are tip-toing closer to Halloween and I got a case of the Morbs. I hope the quality is everything you have come to expect of me.
Chapter 2 of my Pokemon Thuglife AU. Again, inspiration comes from my good friend Puck’s Pokemon Superhero AU, Dustpan. Check her Twitter Puckarooni.
Enjoy the exploits of my young punks.
Alolan Joe - Alolan Ratata Ben - Spearow Zach - Zigzagoon Sherman - Sentret
~~~~
The Wreckers stood in the parking lot of the old thrift shop. The sun was setting on the cape and cast an orange glow over the scene.
“Ben,” Said Joe, contemplating while stroking his ‘stache, “When I said we needed an official hangout for our official crew, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Ben quirked his head to the side, “It’s the only abandoned place left in town.” He folded his arms and turned to Joe, “Unless you want to start a turf war with The Darkness.”
Sherman coughed, “The Darkness? B-But they are the biggest and baddest team in town.”
“We’d be crushed.” Zack said, picking up a discarded “thrift shop rewards” card off the ground.
Joe cleared his throat. “Right, no need for that.” He looked back to the thrift shop. The sunset reflected off the cracked windows and illuminated the several layers the filth and graffiti that had piled on since it was abandoned years ago.
“It’s…perfect.” Joe said, gagging on the words as they came out. “Let’s go in a check out the official crash pad for the Wreckers.”
They all nodded and followed Joe into the thrift shop. The setting sun continued to creep its way down the horizon.
…
Ben ripped off the boards baring the entrance and they made their way inside. The shelving was in disrepair and the paint on the walls was peeling. The floorboards showed their lack of maintenance as well. The air was heavy and each footstep echoed and somehow enhanced the silence.
The team split up to investigate the shop.
Joe wandered the aisles, murmuring about future design plans. “ah yes, the pool table will go here. And this is where we can have the television. I wonder where we could fit the couch…”
Ben had already set about pushing some of the shelving around to make space for themselves.
Zack and Sherman wandered the perimeter together.
“Hey, Zack.” Sherman said, looking over the stuff on the shelves, “Do you know why this place was abandoned?”
Zack looked over a handful of penny candies he had found.
“It’s haunted.” He said.
Sherman looked at him in a moment that seemed to last too long.
Zack looked up at him, his eyes shining from within his hoodie.
“Maybe.” He concluded. Sherman let out a breath he realized he had been holding. He turned and noticed that Ben and Joe had overheard the comment and had stopped their activities. Everyone froze for a moment.
“Welp,” Joe said at last, “I think that works for our first survey.” He clapped his hands, “We’ll come back again tomorrow.”
Ben scoffed, “Feh, what’s the matter? You scared?” He crossed his arms and smirked.
Joe and Sherman spoke over each other, each with their own flair for denial.
“Yes,” Zack said sheepishly.
Joe looked back at the sunset, “Besides, it is getting rather-” Suddenly, the four of them were plunged into pitch black. “-dark.”
From the center of the shop a hazy purple glow bubbled up from the ground. The four members clamored for the exit in the dim, eerie light. Ben grabbed at the door but it wouldn’t budge. They fought for an attempt to try the door as the light grew stronger. A large ball of purple ethereal vapor hovered in the center of the shop before a pair of bright red eyes flashed and locked on the small group.
“TRESPASSERS!” Came a bellowing voice. The mass started to float towards them.
“Dammit, Ben! You had to pick a haunted place.” Joe cried.
“This is not my fault, you bristle-lipped jerk.” Ben said. Joe snapped to Ben with eyes full of fire in complete disregard to the looming supernatural danger.
“Guys, come on,” Sherman said with a quivering voice, “Isn’t there something we can do?”
“Give it something?” Zack said. He reached into his pockets and pulled out his current stash.
Sherman picked out the thrift shop rewards card, “What is this?”
Joe glanced over and saw the card, “That!” He said, snatching the card, “Is our ticket out of this.”
“TRESPASSERS!” It roared again. The mass had finished its slow, menacing migration and was now looming over the four of them. “YOU WILL BE–“
“Actually,” Joe said, holding up the card, “We’re customers.” He spoke with absolute confidence, almost casually.
“Customers?” The mass said, in a nervous and soft tone.
Suddenly, the lights in the shop came to life. Joe and his crew covered their eyes until they adjusted. Standing before them was a young woman with wild, flowing purple hair and a tall pointed hat. She wore an apron that had a name tag on it.
She clapped her hands in front of herself, “I’m terribly sorry, valued customer, feel free to look around.” Her voice was mellow and comforting. The four of them glanced at one another and then to the shop. Illuminated, it had taken on a new life, looking much less of a total wreck than before. The woman nodded and then levitated off the ground to go tend to the aisles.
The crew stood in shock. Ben woke up first and slapped Joe in the gut.
“Ouph, ahem yes.” He straightened up, “Well, I am afraid we can’t stay tonight. Must be moving on.” He offered.
The lady turned to them with a dour look on her face, “O-oh.” Her shoulders slumped forward, the lights began to dim.
“A-actually,” Sherman said, “I was wondering if you had uh–” He glanced at Zack who pulled out one of the penny candies and shrugged. “Uh, penny candies?”
She lit up again, the lights of the shop coming back to full illumination, “Why yes we do. Right this way, valued customer.” She glided through the air and showcased a small section with different colorful wrappers on display. “We have a rather impressive selection, I think.”
Sherman and Zack joined her and began nervously looking over the candies. The atmosphere relaxed slightly, Ben looked over the shop and sighed.
“I guess this is a no-go, huh?” Ben said.
Joe twizzled his mouse-stache, “I wouldn’t say that.” Joe walked up to the floating ghost woman. “Say, my dear. You wouldn’t happen to have a place where we might be able to rest a spell?” he motioned to the others, “We have been working hard all day and could really use a place to take a load off.”
She regarded him for a moment, her face scrunched in and she glanced around the shop. “Hmm, well,” She said, biting her lip, “I am not really supposed to, but,” She looked back at him, “But you are valued customers so I think it will be fine.”
She flitted over to a door along the back wall that said “employees only”. She opened it up and it revealed a small lounge with a TV, a couch, some tables and chairs and a vending machine. “Feel free to relax as long as you like.” She said. “After all, it has been a long time since we had customers.” She looked away, her eyes unfocused, “A long…time.”
“Yes thank you,” Ben said, scooting past them and hurling himself on the couch. He landed with a thud and kicked his feet up on the shoulder rest. “Aha! That’s more like it.”
Joe joined him in the room, seated at one of the tables. “Yes, yes this will do wonderfully. Thank you very much Miss…uh,” He squinted at her apron, “Drevie?”
The woman nodded, “You can call me ‘Dee’.” She said.
Joe smiled back at her, “Excellent, Miss Dee. My name is Joe, that’s Ben.” He motioned to the couch. Ben lazily lifted his hand in greeting. “And the two outside are Zack and Sherman.”
“A pleasure to meet you all. Oh, I had better get back to the floor. Take care.” She said and fluttered off.
Joe leaned back in his chair and stroked his mouse-stache. “yes, this will work.”
…
Sherman and Zack joined them in the lounge when they finished purchasing their candy. The ordeal had left them all rather spent, before they knew it, they had passed out in the employee lounge. Joe joined them in resting his eyes a spell. Ben had been snoring since Dee went to cash out Sharman and Zack.
Dee dutifully stood at the register till daybreak, awaiting any further customers.
…
Joe pried open his eyes as a brisk chill washed over him. He sat up from where he had been lying in the grass. He looked around. He had somehow ended up outside, looking at the backside of the thrift shop. Nearby, the rest of his crew snoozed in a heap. Joe got to his feet and cleared his throat.
“Alright, look alive you punks.” He said, clapping his hands.
Ben grumbled and pulled his blanket tighter over him, which was actually Zack’s hoodie and caused the poor boy to be flung over onto Sherman, who yelped and flailed his arm, smacking Ben in the face. The three of them groaned.
Joe rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Let’s try that again. Up and at’em, gents!”
The three of them got to their feet.
“Hey, where’d the couch go?” Ben said.
“Did Dee kick us out?” Sherman said.
“Ben was snoring.” Zack said. Ben shoved him.
Joe shrugged, “Dunno about that. But I dare say our souls have not been sucked dry, so that’s something.”
There was general murmur of agreement.
“So,” Ben said smirking, “This haunted shop our official crash pad now?”
Joe looked to Sherman and Zack.
Sherman smiled, “It’s a wreck, but I guess that is kind of our thing.”
Zack nodded.
Joe laughed and twizzled his mouse-stache. “Then it is settled.” He placed his hand on the side of the building, “This will be our new pad.”
The others gave a vigorous cheer. Vigorous for the early morning, at least. Joe then turned to Ben with sharp and critical look, “Now Ben, you may apologize to me.”
Ben quirked an eyebrow, “Huh, for what?”
Joe stroked his ‘stache, “You know very well what, you sharp-eyed pigeon!”
Ben stepped right up into Joe’s face, “You wanna say that again?”
Joe sized up Ben, Ben sized up Joe. They sized each other for a moment before Joe spoke again, “I apologize for my morning breath, it must be difficult to stand there.”
Ben blinked through watering eyes, “Absolute torture.”
The two of them laughed and Joe wrapped his arm around Ben’s shoulders, “You had me going there, friend.”
“No use beating you,” Ben said snickering, “Your head’s too damn hard.”
They exchanged another laugh and walked out to the parking lot. Sherman looked at the haunted shop again.
“I hope we see Dee again.” He said.
“We will,” Zach said, taking out the rewards card and flipping it over in his hands.
“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.
been playing okami recently…
but did victor frankenstein actually have a phd
someone give him a grammy
you’re lying on mossy forest floors, slowly transforming into a nymph, your fingers are turning into flower vines, your limbs are bleeding honey & growing thick skins of sepia bark, wings sprout in between your shoulder blades. your breath sounds like the wind. fireflies litter the air above you
you’re hold up in an abandoned church, outside there’s a raging storm & a horde of zombies roaming around, pressing up against the entrance doors. you & a small band of survivors are staying inside for the night in hopes to ride the bad weather out. you take first watch & listen to these tunes on an old ipod while everyone else tries to get some rest & the undead crawl outside, awaiting the taste of human flesh.
you’re in your boyfriend’s pickup. he’s asleep in the passenger seat, you’re driving without a destination in mind & you have the window down as you let the cool night air whip against your face in a state of pleasant delirium you’re on a rooftop somewhere, there’s 5 am air on your skin, streetlights glint like coins at the bottom of wishing wells from where you sit. you’re feeling peaceful for the first time all week
you’re lying in the middle of a crop circle forty miles from your grandma’s old house waiting for aliens to come and abduct you
it’s four pm in the afternoon and you’ve got your head in the lap of the only boy you’ve ever loved & you’re reading jane eyre & he’s sipping on tea & it’s the kind of weather where it’s just warm enough for you to pretend it’s summer & it’s drizzling & you’re listening to the rain beat softly against the windowpanes you’re curled up in bed as it pours outside, there’s a citywide blackout and the last candle you had left has finally blown out, but you feel strangely at peace within the warm, all-consuming dark
you’re making out in the bathroom of a house party with someone that makes you feel like you’ve swallowed the sun you’re standing amidst a city you burned to the ground. the apocalypse has come & gone. all that’s left is ashes & mortar & sad bones but you’re feeling empowered. a slow smile creeps up your lips as you realize how you’ve always wanted to watch the world burn you wander into wonderland and now you’re suddenly being crowned fairie queen, apparently there’s a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled it’s mid morning but it’s dark outside from the rain. you thought the tapping on the window was from the rain but it’s actually a crow that flickers out of sight when you look directly at it you’re sipping on cherry cola by the pool on a lazy sunday & you’re feeling younger than you’ve ever been you’re summoning old ghosts in an abandoned parking lot on a smoggy thursday night
Feel free to stop here and rest before journeying to the posts below.