by Togi Kayako (土宜草子) Alest scraped roughly at the final stretch of blue-green tissue clinging to the kelpie hide on his table. His hands ached and his grunts of effort echoed through the large, cold workroom. The only mercy was that the wood of the tabletop and the leather of his gloves were both enchanted […]
Author Archives: ssbb-admin
23
Aug
A Pretty Piece of Calico
by Suzuran The stranger rolled into town like so much tumbleweed in the middle of a Thursday afternoon. I was behind the bar when he walked into my saloon, all in a thud of heels and a jingle of spurs, and as he pushed through the doors, the hinges squealed like a skewered pig, and […]
23
Aug
Run
written and illustrated by spicy-wrenegade El felt the wind on her back as she ran, strong legs carrying her across the prairie, a tawny blur in the shrubland. Something caught around her ankle and suddenly she was yanked back, her small body hitting the ground hard. Heavy footsteps made the earth tremble underneath her as […]
23
Aug
Raven and Rhinestone Cowboys
by ChibiSaboten Raven flies south, chasing the hot season while playing hide-and-seek with the sun along the great spine of the world. He soars high above, day and night, until the cool lushness of damp cedar forests thick with fir trees and rivers that run red with salmon fade into a seemingly endless expanse of […]
23
Aug
A Third of a Chord To Please the Lord
by Greta Jia-Kang Cabrel Clem had known that they would not be cast in The Marriage of Figaro, and they ultimately didn’t want to be: Dr. Opal, the chair of the music department, was directing the production, and the old coot had been markedly hostile to Clem since their appearance in a national feature about […]
23
Aug
Virginia Smolders
written and illustrated by Iron Eater Odd hunched in the shade of a twisty little mountain tree with an equally twisty hand-rolled cigarette, his clothes still dusty from the grave he’d started digging before sunup. Nobody out there worked in the noontime sun if they could help it. Something about the sun in the high […]
23
Aug
Giddyup
written by Devin Ambrosia and illustrated by spicy-wrenegade read the artist’s notes for this piece Love7
5
Jul
Prospective Participants for Bang*Bang 122
This is a signup for the August 24 issue; the text deadline for the issue is Tuesday, August 11 and the art deadline is Saturday, August 22. Please reply to this post if you plan to submit a story or artwork for this issue, indicating whether you are interested in contributing to the issue as an author and/or […]
28
Jun
Fine Wine
by spicy-wrenegade illustrated by Yellow Wagtail Adélie was kneeling on the warm earth, tending the vineyard, when slender arms wrapped around her shoulders. Red curls blurred her vision, and the scent of honey filled her lungs. “You are still working?” a bright voice asked with just a hint of reproach. Adélie looked up into the […]
28
Jun
There Stands The Grass
by Togi Kayako (土宜草子) Dace hammered in the last stake needed for their newest windbreak with a couple sharp blows of their mallet. Under their floppy straw hat, the few ragged tufts of hair they could grow were soaked with sweat, while the thicker carapace-like patches between them itched. They were coated with dust from […]
28
Jun
Kindling
by Iron Eater Hawk had chosen his adult name when he’d inherited the fire and the tools to tend it. As he’d placed his first log on the glowing embers a hawk had flown up out of the forest like a piece of whirling ash, so that had been that. It fit him so well […]
28
Jun
Casting Pearls
by Greta Jia-Kang Cabrel Dee had not expected a good time at the gala, and he was glad it was almost over. It was an annual white-tie to-do in his hometown, and the crowd included former classmates who had mocked him viciously for years for crying during fourth period screenings of The Glass Menagerie and […]
28
Jun
Landscape with Oak and Irritated Traveler
by shukyou (主教) illustrated by 2013 If he saw one fucking bug, he was going to kill himself. One single fucking bug. An ant. Ants were bugs. Weren’t they? Fuck. He was regretting every decision he’d ever made. Everything was moving. The ground was wet. The mud was staining his shoes. Everything was wet. Why […]
