“Cease and Desist”

In the darkness of his writing-room, William Butler Yeats, internationally-celebrated poet and future Nobel laureate, was in the process of receiving a piece of rather unpleasant news.

“So, er, what is this, then?” said Yeats, adjusting his spectacles and peering down at the legal document in his hands.

“It’s a blooming cease and desist letter, Willie,” said Maud Gonne, Yeats’s muse and occasional correspondent, and the reluctant object of both his affections and his somewhat torrid verse.

“Skin Horse: Sensitivity Training Day” (part two)

“All will be revealed very shortly, Agent Unity,” said Logos, blasting several pieces of paper into existence on the conference room table with a casual incline of his colorful plastic handle. “Here are the roles that I’ve prepared for you to play today.”

Unity perked back up, alternately pounding on the table and pointing to the assemblage of paper. “See? Elf! I hella told you there’d be elfs! I get the elf!”

“Skin Horse: Sensitivity Training Day” (intro)

For February, an excerpt from a longer piece I’m working on in the same universe as my webcomic, “Skin Horse”. For maximum authorial freedom, I’m currently treating this as non-canonical auto-fanfic, but if the end result isn’t too terrible or world-breaking, I might reverse my stance. Anyway, check it out…

* * *

The conference room was stiflingly hot, and there were donuts you weren’t supposed to touch on a plate in the center of the table. One could derive this fact from the tiny little placard that read “Do Not Touch” sitting in front of the plate.

“Rule At My Side”

It’s always nice to check in on some characters I haven’t seen for a while, y’know, see what they’re up to with their lives. For January, a short from the “Mundementia One” universe, entitled “Rule At My Side”…

* * *

Phoebe “Feeb” Dimmesdale, prospective Master of Science, tents her fingers and peers down at would-be do-gooder Captain Intrepidity from atop her mighty throne.  It is not a particularly comfortable mighty throne, in that it is composed entirely of otherwise-functional DVD players rendered unusable due to mechanical problems with the disc tray.  She has conquered so very many of them.

“So,” she says, tapping the very tips of her aforementioned fingers together, one by one, in sequence.  “The stalwart Captain Intrepidity.  How many times do I have to kill you, Hero?”

“Skin Horse” website troubles, and a workaround!

Hey, folks. Anyone following “Skin Horse” will notice that the site has been pretty near constantly down for the past several days! We’re working with our hosting company on a solution, but in the meantime, to keep pace with the comic, please see our syndication site over on GoComics. Thank you for your readership!

“Swing Shift: Elroy’s Monologue”

[Camera up on the interior of a small, darkened room, about the size of a confessional booth.  Three walls are visible to the lens:  the first, to the camera's left, does nothing to detract from the whole "confessional" feel, inasmuch as it appears to be constructed of intricately-carved ecclesiastical paneling in a profound walnut hue.  The second wall, directly opposite the camera, consists mostly of a high-definition liquid crystal television at eye level, with a low curtain underneath.  The liquid crystal television is currently displaying a screen-saver-y image of colorful saltwater fish, swimming sedately and aimlessly across the display.  To the right, there are racks and racks of audiovisual equipment, lots of loose wires and slowly-winking amber lights and the like.  The room is unoccupied.]

“Struck by Falling Object”

For November, we have my entry to the Machine of Death project’s second volume, catchily entitled This is How You Die. Unfortunately, this one did not make the final cut, so I have obtained permission to post it here for your perusal! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The moment she opened her mouth, Angelo knew he was in love.