Farley wandered into her roommate’s bedroom and face-planted in her bed, whining loudly. Anne ignored her until Farley started poking her nonstop. “What is it, Farley?” Ann asked as she bookmarked her page. “My dick is three states away,” Farley whimpered, rolling her head to the side so Anne could hear her. “Your…dick?” Anne was…
Tag: character sketching
Tit Talk #1
Some men name their penises and talk about them in the third person, so Farley refuses to let anyone make her feel weird about the fact that she calls her breasts “the girls” and that the three of them have pep talks. She started calling her breasts “the girls” in high school, but they didn’t…
Impenetrable
I am impenetrable. I am impenetrable because I will it to be so. I have the last say and I will not let you dig under my skin and I will not let you manipulate me and I will not allow you to have any power or sway over me. I have the agency in…
Baby
Daddy called her stupid, useless, shit-for-brains, hey numbskull, and idiot among other things. Ma called her Tammy, Tammy Lynn, not right now baby, I’m busy, maybe later. Her teachers could never remember her name. Beatrice called her Tammy-Lynn, but that doesn’t fit you, how about Quidnunc, Quid for short. Friend, best friend. Her classmates called…
Fireworks
Very little can pull Quid away from books and articles and reports. She isn’t fond of TV or radio or movies and video games and board games never hold her long, but the thud of exploding shells overriding her heartbeat gets her every time. She remembers old, worn blankets spread over dewy grass and the…
Ocean
Quid grew up far away from large bodies of water. She never learned to swim, never went to the public pool (that cost money). She never took baths, only showers. The closest she got to swimming was when Benny from two trailers down shoved her into the pond and she nearly drowned. Water was not…
Anniversary
There was a knock on the door. Quid marked her place and walked over to it. She opened without looking and was surprised to find her whole team there, Hye-Jung at the front holding a tray of rice cakes. Behind her Ivan had a homemade cake with an imperfect 100 in icing decorating the top….
Wedding
“I never thought Elita and Moore would get hitched,” Galen said under his breath to Quid as they watched the bridal party move toward the altar. “Why?” Quid asked, leaning closer. He shrugged as he answered, “Thought theirs was more of a ‘fuck it out of their systems’ kind of thing.” Quid though about that….
Laundry
Quid did her laundry once every other Wednesday night. It was when the Laundromat was the emptiest and Quid didn’t have to fight for the machines. She had learned early not to bring reading material with her because shuffling through a stack of books Howard Berg style attracted too much attention and she was hard…
Loss
“Don’t you dare,” Faline snapped and Quid looked up quickly. “I know exactly what is going through your fucked up head so you knock it off right now.” “Fal – ” Quid began. “No, it’s not your fault that Orrick was killed,” Faline said firmly, her cat-green eyes hard. Quid flinched; Faline had never had…
Kiss
Galen flicked through the TV channels while Quid worked her way through a book on quantum physics. He stopped and nudged her. “Hmm?” Quid murmured, turning a page. “Book down, time to watch some TV,” Galen said. Quid glanced at the screen, Jeopardy was just starting. “Galen…” she started softly. “Quid,” he replied, leaning in…
Sunshine
Quid looks like she doesn’t get a lot of sun. She’s naturally pale, but it’s not just her genetics. Too many hours spent inside behind computers and books makes her look sun-starved. She rapidly blinks whenever she emerges from a building even on a cloudy day. It’s as if her body can’t understand natural light…
Little Gentian 