Note / Some of Jenkins' first short stories


Yesterday I finally dove into the Jenkins short stories to get a sense of the BAYC narrative world. These "short stories" are actually just 500-word introductions — of characters and their concomitant intrigue.

In this world, rarity and valuation determine personal worth — pretty utopian, right? — and all lesser BAYCs (don't even mention Mutant Apes) get stuck in service positions, like our hero Jenkins, who sees his shiny job valet job at the Yacht Club as his chance to make a little scratch and do some wise hodling.

But combine Skull & Crossbones, The Five Families, the CIA, the FBI, and the KGB and you're only starting to approach the soul-sucking dastardliness of this moneyed place. Here, Jenkins learns that obedience and discretion can go a long way.

Jenkins first earns The Ape Father's trust. Then word gets around fast, and pretty soon he's helping out other apes — some of whom seem to be at cross-purposes. He helps a down-on-his-luck old-timer recover a priceless private key. He meets a famous former stuntman-turned-altcoin-shill and falls in love with a model ape who's appeared in magazines.

The more I read these stories, the more I drift into a Pynchonian mindset — who are the bad guys? are there good guys? who's got the money and who's got the drugs? are they the same people? why?

There will be plenty to report back. Next time, I'll recount a bit more of Jenkins' backstory, and soon I'll introduce the two apes I'll be co-licensing for Book 1.


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Appears in

  • Essay/In the Jenkins Writers Room