Apophenia is the tendency to form patterns where there are none. I suspect that without this well-documented weakness in our reasoning, we may have never developed language as we have. Words are not discrete tokens. They are individual components of a collage, torn from one context and reassembled into another. The latest usage contains information… Read more

Patriot City sat proudly on the shores of the Pesciplily River, silverly skyscrapers lit by lively thoroughfares, a glowing beacon of prosperity in the holy American night. But whither prosperity, so also the criminal parasite. In the shadows of the Pesciplily Docks, theft was afoot! Toughs cast their gaze about in fear and pulled their… Read more

“Hi, I’m Fannie Friday, with the City Record?” “Hello! Welcome!” The woman running the candy stall gently took Fannie’s hand and gave it a half-shake, half-pat. The intimacy of the gesture immediately made Fannie jerk back her hand in embarrassment. If the elegant proprietress was offended, she didn’t let it show. She was a little… Read more

Karla and Lucia are the creations of Devi LaCroix, who kindly let me play with them. You can find Devi’s work here. Karla smiled when sparks from the flint caught the tinder. She looked up from the fire with satisfaction. Lucia sat against the saddle bag, hugging her knees and pulling at a strip of… Read more

“I’ll admit, Dr. Messuro, this isn’t where I expected to meet you.” Jo Barbarosa, ace reporter, scanned the comedy club with an amused smirk. The poorly-lit club, with brick walls sunk below street level, was a hobby business of Antoine Messuro. When he wasn’t tinkering with sound systems in his sweats and old college shirt,… Read more

Natasha Romanov, the secretive Black Widow, peeked around the corner. Her expert eyes quickly assessed all the possible threats in the old mental asylum’s hallway, and found them lacking. That didn’t fill her with confidence. A trap she couldn’t see wasn’t necessarily a trap lacking. She jogged down the hall, senses deployed in every direction,… Read more

The hood jerked off of Eliza’s head. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Eliza saw Hyena standing over her. “Just so you know, you’re under arrest.” “Oh no.” Hyena raised her hands dramatically. “You got me.” “As indomitable as ever, Officer Mazda. I commend you.” Jackal stepped into the light next to his sister.… Read more

Harley Quinn hummed a merry melody. A retinue of armed guards escorted her, jacketed and strapped down to a wheelchair, through the halls of Arkham Asylum. Ever her jaw was restrained by a tight leather muzzle. It didn’t disturb her cheerful mood. She could still hum. She could still anticipate. The guards wheeled Harley into… Read more

Tina rushed through the aisle of the liquor store. She scanned over the prices as she went. Her oversized denim jacket whipped behind her like a cape. Tina was angry at herself. She was angry at the world. She had let that fuckface live at her place for a year, rent free – supported him… Read more

The future Dr. Margerette P. Scabsly trudged unwillingly into her Monday TA section, exactly four minutes and thirty-seven seconds late. The overall image of her was a rabid blonde squirrel protectively clutching a venti triple-shot mocha to her stomach with claw-like hands. To some unimaginative fools, a waifish, over-worked grad student with long curly hair… Read more

Officer Rita Claxton walked the curb, checking the parked cars for expired tags. She was anxious to make the department quota this month. Rita wasn’t boyish, but plain and tall, a fact not helped by her unisex slacks and uniform shirt. She drummed her pen on her ticket book in annoyance. Passing by an apartment… Read more

Ashley grimaced. Cold wind bit her face. She felt humiliated.             She had been told that the JJC Investments needed her – their top accountant – to sell a big investor on their reliability. But Ashley hadn’t been able to get a solid ten words in without Steve or Jared interrupting her to compliment her… Read more