The Billiken's Bluff

I came across author Shelley Jackson's latest fiction project titled SKIN. This short story will be like any other, except that each word in the story will be tattooed onto a different individual. There will be no written copy of the text, rather it will only exist on the skin of the participants. Jackson explains:

"The full text will be known only to participants, who may, but need not choose to establish communication with one another. In the event that insufficiant participants come forward to complete the first and only edition of the story, the incomplete version will be considered definitive. If no participants come forward, this call itself is the work."

Well looks like Jackson has covered all her bases. But I know what your thinking...What if one of the participants decides they've had enough of the word LACKADAISICAL tattooed on their forearm? IRRELEVANT!!! says Jackson-

"The individual becomes the word, they are inseperable. They are not understood as carriers or agents of the texts they bear, but as its embodiments. As a result, injuries to the printed texts, such as dermabrasion, laser surgery, tattoo cover work or the loss of body parts, will not be considered to alter the work. Only the death of words effaces them from the text."

Sounds like the primer for a swashbuckling pirate film, or The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, or the key to finding The Holy Grail. Once all the select individuals are gathered together all will be illuminated...

To date she has 1780 out of 2095 words tatooed onto personages.



I would have my fingers crossed, hoping that I got something interesting, let's say like BOONDOGGLE. But since SKIN is a short story I imagine it will need some rather mundane articles like the, an, a... I'd be hella pissed if I got one of those.