Bulbous McAllister
Slayer of Pentagons
A Boy Named Bulbous
A life of rain, dark clouds and isolation is all Bulbous McAllister has ever known. He was orphaned at birth, raised by a pack of street rats in the shadows of the city. The daily insults from passing strangers that plagued his early life taught Bulbous how to speak. Any moment spent away from the cruel roads and the buzz of people, Bulbous was lost in dark dreams of terrifying shapes and illusions, making his life a waking nightmare.Around the age of 14, Bulbous was approached by a mysterious man. His long black leather coat was muddied and dirty, and he smelled of ash and death. "Come, he said, let me lift the veil that blinds you from seeing the monsters around us, and join my fight." Knowing nothing else but a life of squalor and misery, Bulbous accepted.
Path of the Shape Hunter
For 13 long years, Bulbous trained beneath his mysterious mentor, who never once revealed his name. He learned to read and write, to fight and hide. The mystic art of the Shape Hunters were passed on to him, and he learned to see through their disguise. Bulbous was trained to reveal and slay them, but that is not all he was taught.His mentor showed him kindness and compassion, and opened the door the a brighter world. Bulbous' childhood had made him a hardened child, disdainful of others as he knew only people's cruelty. And while he never shed the hardened wall that fenced his heart, inside a garden grew.
As the years passed, Bulbous grew stronger and smarter, till eventually his master judged him worthy of setting out on his own. He was assigned to the city of Irin, and set out to protect it from the shapes within.
A Disastrous First Mission
"God dammit."
He raced beneath the frantic city lights, the shadows close behind him. He had fucked up. Big time. This was his first hunting mission, and he was too cocky. Now, he had unleashed a storm of chaos and bloodshed, and it was coming for him.
Screams of terror traced his every step, as innocents were caught and swallowed into the maddening swirl. Desperate and afraid, he jumped into a dark corner, burying himself under piles of trash. The shapes thrashed around, unbearable voices screaming from its thousand mouths. Then all at once they stopped, as the shaped swallowed itself out of sight.
Hours passed before Bulbous dared to emerge. He was drenched in blood, weak and trembling. His eyes could not pull themselves away from the massacre he had caused. Dozens of bodies, all mangled together, in what could only be described as perfect harmony. Nothing could erase his mistakes. He ran away.
Bublous' first assignment was to deal with a dangerous flock of pentagons, spotted around the city centre. He had judged the task an easy one, but his cockiness had cost the lives of many. To this day, he still carries this guilt with him, promising himself to never fail again.
Years of Shame
For a long time following his failed mission, Bulbous abandoned his duties as a Shape Hunter, in what he now refers to in interviews as his "Era of Growth". He was ashamed of his actions, and he was too afraid he would let the city down again. So he hid, and waited for another to take his place. Most believe he died in combat, his body devoured by the pentagons that had slain him.Bulbous led a life of self-pity and misery, spending his every free moment drinking himself to sleep in any bar that hadn't kicked him out already. He fully expected to end his days as such, until one fatal day everything changed.
ID CARD: Bulbous McAllister
Age: 34 and still kicking
Astrological Sign: Scorpion
Eye Colour: brown- I mean red, cause I'm cool, ya know
Favourite Pass-time: Brewing! I actually make my own beer.
Favourite Animal: Lava sharks
Current Location: in the streets, day and night, fighting crime baby!
Relationship Status: my heart belongs to my duty, sorry ladies and gents
The Very Real Geometrical Threat
Listen. Vampires and werewolves and all that shit may sound dangerous- and don't get me wrong, they are! But shapes... these fuckers lurk everywhere. Hats? Shape! Window? Shape! And these are only examples of the most obvious ones. They could literally be anywhere. Heck, you might even have some on you right now!
And Bulbous is right. Geometrical shapes can indeed be found anywhere, and often they are hidden in the places we least expect to find them. Danger hides behind every corner, and it is the shape hunter's job to eliminate it. Some people will claim that "not all shapes are dangerous!", but they are fools, dancing like puppets in the hands of the shapes.
Children
by Juli