>>16534

Squunch sat and shivered in his cardboard box under the bridge. He missed the comforts of the volcano of course, but then again, he was an artist, he thought, and such refinements are an unnecessary distraction from the creative enterprise. Besides, the mortgage payments were prohibitive. Who knew that hollowed-out volcanos set in tropical paradises could be so expensive? Still, selling the old Imperial had paid for the box, and a thin blanket, so at least that was one positive.

His three fans were frustrated during the subsequent hiatus, and Loke, missing his regular instalments of fap material, had pretended to be happy when chapter 8 was finally released. But Squunch was no slouch, and knew how to read between the lines. It was clear that the lack of splatter in chapter 8 was a great disappointment to his dwindling fan club, and one that must be rectified if he was to have any chance of retaining his two remaining readers.

Squunch picked up his new best friend, a Nokia 3310, and peering through the scratched screen, set his aching thumbs once again into motion, "Chapter 9." Those guys won't know what hit them, he thought, and his road back to super-stardom would be ensured.