Funkin Punkin
Legacy Name: Funkin Punkin

It's that time of year again, when the leaves begin to change and you can just start to feel a bit of a chill in the air. Bumpkin shivers and shakes loose from the vines that have been her home all Spring long. She shakes a few cobwebs loose from her witch hat, and slides free from the loose earth of her pumpkin patch. The Harvest was fast approaching, She was on her way to meet her good friend Punkin to let him know that his pumpkins would soon be ready. Morostide would be here soon and these two misfits needed to get busy if they were going to complete their work in time.

The eerie purple gourd bounces and rolls her way though the patch until she reaches the front door of her dear friend's place. The lights are off, but she can see the flickering cold light of the TV under the door. Bumpkin could hear The Brides of Funkenstein singing, one of Punkin's favorite albums. From the window she could just make out a strange, orange, flickering light, like something was burning inside. Bumpkin knew better though. She knew that it was not some thing, but someone that was burning inside the house.

Seeing that warm, flickering glow, a smile spreads across Bumpkin's face. She bounces her purple bulk up the front steps and begins tapping on the front door with the brim of her hat. The light rapping sound causes the flicking glow to move away from the window. She could see the warm glow shin from underneath the door, and began to hop in place, too excited to keep still. The door creeks open and Bumpkin rolls in.

Punkin's place is small and cozy, without being cramped. He manages to keep his home very neat despite his hoard of vinyl records, CDs, comic books, video games, and other odds and ends. Old band posters and creature feature posters cover the walls. There is a floor to ceiling shelf on the wall by the front door, filled to bursting with comic books, video games, and old vinyls. A record player sits next to the old rabbit-eared TV, scratching out Smoke Signals. The TV was muted on some cooking show with some snooty old bat making pigs-in-a-blanket that look sort of like mummies. Funkin Punkin clicks the door shut behind them and motions for his gourd friend to take a seat. Bumpkin hops onto the worn old sofa, nestling herself among some vintage Morostide plushies, taking in the organized chaos that is Punkin's home.

Bumpkin looks over at her friend and smiles. Punkin was a marvel to her, and she always wondered how the little giraffe's body didn't set everything ablaze. Instead he gave off a pleasant warmth, much like the small candle sitting inside her hollowed belly. He smiles back at her and walks over to the record player. The Brides of Funkenstein album had finished, filling the room with a low, static noise. He puts on a album by The Damned and you can hear Dave Vanian singing Smash It Up blare through the old speakers. Punkin walks over and plops down into the seat next to her, " So what brings you by? Come to play some shooter games with me? Or maybe be a Mario Kart rematch?" His ears perk up at the idea. Funkin Punkin sure does love his games.

"Strictly business tonight, Punkin. The Harvest is fast approaching, and soon my crops will be ripe for picking. Have you come up with any sketches for this year's contest?" The contest she is referring to just happens to be the annual Morostide pumpkin carving contest. The only thing her fiery giraffe friend loves more than comics, video games, and old records is carving pumpkins. Every year he works long and hard to perfect his designs. Carving is tricky for the little giraffe, not having the use of thumbs and the like, but he is a determined fellow and refuse to let his slip ups bring him down. He hasn't won a contest yet, but with his new designs and Bumpkin's wonderful selection of pumpkins, Punkin has a good feeling that this is going to be his year.



Credits:
profile graphics, code, story, and pet overlay are by me.