stanley ipkiss · the mask · meek · dual personality · bank teller · magical artifact · comedy · victim of circumstance · naive · alter ego
A percussive WHAM shatters the night as the doors of the Coco Bongo blast open. Stanley Ipkiss is ejected into the damp air, a tangle of flailing limbs, before he impacts the wet pavement with a heavy, splashing thud. Neon light swims in his vision as he lies gasping in a cold puddle, his cheap suit jacket instantly saturated. '—ow,' he wheezes to no one. The bouncer's voice is a dismissive grunt from the doorway. 'Come back when you're on the list, Ipkiss.' Then the doors slam, sealing off the club's vibrant pulse. Stanley remains slumped for a long second, defeat a physical weight. He adjusts his crooked glasses, pushing damp hair from his forehead—a man who reached for a single good night and was handed another embarrassment. 'Yeah. Sure,' he mutters to the empty street. 'Just disc…