Blur CW: eye stuff, swearing, some ableist words for mental illness (not used as insults), PTSD symptoms “Yep, she’s lucky we managed to fix her back up into one piece! Now don’t worry, she’s got a bit of a journey ahead, but she’ll come through just fine.” Dylan cracked open her eyes as the words …
Continue reading Storytime: Blur
Prompt Story: Waiting [an Ixan tale]
Al turned a circle, weapons dripping blood into the ground around zir. It hardly mattered, everything was already bloodied and soaked. When ze was sure there were no more coming, ze knelt, finding clean patches on the clothing of the dead to clean zir axe and short sword. The axe was little more than a …
Continue reading Prompt Story: Waiting [an Ixan tale]
Storytime: A Surprising Contract
CW: vomiting, some body horror [shapechanging-ish] Jordan looked at the letter in disbelief, closed his eyes, opened them, and read them again, his large, darkly tanned hands, turning the expensive cream paper into little more than a handkerchief. “What the fuck?” Jordan ran his free hand over his bald, bullet-headed skull and read the letter …
Continue reading Storytime: A Surprising Contract
Storytime: Baby Surprise
Elora fussed at her outfit in the full-length mirror, then grinned at herself wryly. Jay wouldn’t mind—or notice—if the white boatneck collar wasn’t perfectly straight. The only other person she was trying to impress was his 18 month old baby who also probably wouldn’t notice or care. In fact she fully expected the collar, and …
Continue reading Storytime: Baby Surprise
Storytime: Last Legs
CW: mention of cancer & mastectomy; one character is an amputee, and they’re struggling with an infection at the site. Harv paused from his work, patching and repatching old, torn clothing into ‘new’ clothing, and wiped the sweat from his bald head and neck. The ship was doing its best but he feared that it …
Continue reading Storytime: Last Legs
Prompt Short Story: Flicker
CW: implied violence, reference to violent murder Lissa bobbed her head slightly, in time with the music coming from her earbuds, as she made the trek from the construction site to the tube. She flashed her card at the reader, slid through the opening in the barriers, and paused. This wasn’t exactly a high-traffic station, …
Continue reading Prompt Short Story: Flicker
Prompt Short Story: Found
It was past what really should be bedtime. Shelley had to be up and out of the door in 5 hours, give or take. She hated overnight shifts. No amount of coffee could make them palatable, and 8am never came soon enough. But the pay was good. It paid the mortgage, kept her and Wuffle …
Continue reading Prompt Short Story: Found
Prompt Short Story: Undercover
CW: police violence, body borrowing Xe couldn’t put it off anymore… Xe drew on xyr magically armoured hunting gear, attached and plucked xyr bowstring; checked the quiver for the silver-tipped arrows; and hung xyr silver-inlaid rapier. Xe stopped to look in the mirror. Not to admire xir form—it wasn’t actually xyr form to admire after …
Continue reading Prompt Short Story: Undercover
Prompt Short Story: The Weave
CW: fighting, animal death I stamp my feet, feeling the gritty dust of the ground warm the bits of my bare feet that remained uncalloused. My armour is freshly cleaned and oiled, the smell of leather and linseed filling my nose as everything but my bare head began to sweat under the heat. I don’t …
Continue reading Prompt Short Story: The Weave
Prompt Short Story: Allies
Elysa was collected from Yan’s shop by a fresh-faced and eager messenger, who chattered the whole way, pointing out buildings and sights that she was far too exhausted and tense to take in. Yan provided a constant translation, which likewise meant nothing to her. But the talking was somehow comforting, so she tuned out the …
Continue reading Prompt Short Story: Allies