Ink Trail #1: A Gorilla with the Balloon Mumps?
Dear Offbeats,
Well, well, well. It looks like Inkblot, our very own street artist, has struck again, this time with a mural that’s practically bursting off a forgotten wall in downtown New York. You’ve probably seen it: a massive, gorilla-clownish face, made entirely of warped balloon shapes, grinning as though it knows a secret the rest of us haven’t yet figured out. At first glance, it’s obviously a jab at the usual suspects—Gorilla Greg and Halflequin. But that’s not the whole story, and I, dear Offbeats, am determined to unravel it, balloon by balloon. So, what does this mean for the upcoming match between the New York Climbers and the Derry Ballooons [sic]?
What’s clear to all of us is that Inkblot is suggesting that Halflequin has seemingly turned Greg into one of the Derry Ballooons [sic], by transforming him into a balloon figure. Yet, despite the warped and twisted portrayal, Greg is painted with that unmistakable grin of mischief—even Harlequin would have a hard time replicating it. Maybe, just maybe, what Inkblot is hinting at is that Greg is the one with the upper hand here. After all, anyone who has seen him execute his iconic Empire Swing knows that his grip strength is practically like a construction crane locking onto a steel beam mid-air. It’s a subtle hint that Greg might not be as easily 'popped' as Halflequin would like.
As we know the rule book for this game hasn’t been revealed yet—typical Offbeat League fashion—but perhaps Inkblot, who seems to have a knack for lurking in the shadows, has already gotten a sneak peek. New York Climbers are, of course, already in a strong position with home turf on their side. But could there be some hidden rule giving them an even greater advantage? Something about scaling the unpredictable chaos of a game that involves both skyscrapers and rooftop water towers? We can only speculate for now, but I’d wager that the Climbers have more than just altitude working in their favor.
But here’s the twist. What Inkblot is really doing with this mural is taking his usual poke—spray can in hand—at poor Halflequin. The message seems clear: once again, Halflequin, likely in a critical moment of the game, will fail to execute his signature move, The Twister. And this time, it’s not Greg who gets caught in the implosion, but his own teammate, Harlequin. Will Halflequin ever escape the shadow of his own missteps—or, more accurately, his moniker maker, Inkblot? Or should I say, his "tagger"?
Yours in art and entropy,
Eloise Inkwell
