by Kit Miller September 1890 Togas, Joey found, were a surprisingly comfortable garment, once you got used to them. And didn’t try to move around in them. And provided it was summer. Which it still was, if only barely. He was perched on a stool in Humphrey’s studio, stock-still so he didn’t disturb the meticulously […]
Author Archives: ssbb-admin
26
Apr
Afterimage
by Etienne Telling Jonah isn’t sure what he hates more: driving home when his twenty-four hour shift ends at night, or driving home when his twenty-four ends in the morning. Morning has too much traffic, but tonight isn’t great. It’s raining; he’s tired. He’d had a long call in the middle of the night and […]
26
Apr
Confabulation of Desire
written and illustrated by Devin Ambrosia 36 years ago – A memory my brain repressed: Friends playing doctor. Naked little bodies. Curiosity. Wonder. Just looking. The gasp of horror when Mom finds us, her saying, “Never again.” Shame then, a twist in the gut. 24 years ago – A memory my brain creatively coded: I’m […]
26
Apr
Making Merry
by Togi Kayako (土宜草子) illustrated by serenity_winner Merry’s sword sliced cleanly through another thorn-studded vine and he clanked a few precious steps forward. Sweat clung to his face and back from the harsh afternoon sun, and he still hadn’t reached the base of the wizard’s tower. He had no doubt of his heading, at least: […]
28
Feb
Prospective Participants for Bang*Bang 120
This is a signup for the April 27 issue; the text deadline for the issue is Tuesday, April 14 and the art deadline is Saturday, April 25. 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 […]
22
Feb
Encore
by Daykeeper The kiss-and-cry bench at the ice arena in the World Unity Games is a very ugly shade of blue, Kota thinks, as he waits for his score after finishing his free skate. His coach, Jan, sits beside him on the bench and reaches for his hand. There are cameras trained on them, broadcasting […]
22
Feb
Rookie Lap
by Circe DuBois Caleb Siegert had one foot in the hotel shower when his phone rang. So few people called him, especially at eight in the morning, that he grabbed it; one look at the name, and he turned the shower off. “Hello?” “Siegs, it’s Coach Allaway. Get your stuff packed, you’re going to Minnesota.” […]
22
Feb
Journeywoman
by Greta Jia-Kang Cabrel “Fuck, it’s time to quit,” Yunming said, glaring at her wrapped-up knee. “You just got out of surgery,” her sister Yunxi said. “You’ll feel different once you feel better.” “The drugs haven’t worn off yet,” Yunming said. “This is as good as I’m gonna feel the next six months.” Yunxi blinked. […]
22
Feb
Racqueteering
written and illustrated by Iron Eater Guy—pronounced the French or maybe Indian way, ghee, hard G, short for Guillame, absolutely not a synonym for “some dude”—was the kind of person who just kept going once he’d spun up a proper rant, and Vien might’ve found it exhausting if he hadn’t usually been the one to […]
22
Feb
FREE YARN
by Suzuran The Kijiji ad Sonny posted was as simple as it got. Just a title (“FREE YARN”), a couple of photos (only slightly blurry, too, he was proud of that), and a single sentence reading, “please help me get this yarn out of my garage.” Below that, he put his phone number (double, triple, […]
22
Feb
Do Good Things With You
by Devin Ambrosia Jane was restless, pacing a circuit around the bedroom. Her hands felt like they were moving of their own accord, flapping, wringing, picking at her eyelashes. She sat down stiffly and tried to meditate, but the noise of every emotion she’d felt in the last few weeks was too much. At first […]
22
Feb
Rules of AnonymousD
by ChibiSaboten Balls to the wall, literally. As opposed to figuratively, where it can have multiple meanings, such as: something vaguely related to sports, a tight, efficient turn while swimming laps courtesy of a rando on Reddit, or a pilot pressing their throttle so far one way that it touches the wall of their cockpit. […]
22
Feb
The Newlywed Game
by shukyou (主教) illustrated by Chiyohana Odile “Guys, you gotta help me.” The pleading look in Jeff’s eyes was like that of the world’s saddest puppy, begging to be released from the bath. “You gotta.” Lucas looked at Arsène, who looked back at him with a frown. Jeff was a great guy. He’d done a […]
