Fantasy

Fairytale/Myth

Cosy/Neutral

Full Moon Fishing - [3rd PPOV, cosy, fairytale] - Everyone knew that the day of the full moon was the best time to fish. Luck was guaranteed. Only those the gods were displeased with would fail to fill their nets. And Stuart hadn’t caught anything.

A Wish At Grawley Hill - [3rd PPOV, cosy, fairytale, asexual rep] - One moonless night Lilian climbs Grawley Hill chasing legends. Does whatever live in the barrow truly grant wishes?

My Wife’s Secret Room - [1st PPOV, romance, cosy, fairytale] - For five years I have grappled with temptation. Morning and night that door taunts me. Why must I never look inside? Why won’t she at least EXPLAIN?

Who Stole The Moon? - [3rd PPOV, cosy, fairytale] - Cat was tired of this! After five nights of having to put the moon back in the sky, she was going to find out who was stealing it.

A Frog, A River, A Hero, An Apple - [3rd PPOV, neutral, fairytale] - I need the apple more than I need a scrawny meal, human.

Celestial Demarcation - [3rd PPOV, neutral, myth] - In which proper handover procedures are NOT followed, but the End Times are averted.

Sworn On The Serpent - [3rd PPOV, neutral, myth, romance] - Winter being the slowest season, it’s also when spirits presiding over nature have the most free time, the cause of many a song or legend…

The Lucky Sister - [1st PPOV, neutral, fairytale] - She’s so lucky. And I don’t think she even realises. It’s not fair!

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Bittersweet/Sombre

The Truth-Giver - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, CW: suicidal ideation] - Once, so far away that it could almost be quite close, there was an alchemist told to find Truth. But the truth is a tricky thing to distill, and harder still to swallow…

The Plight Of The Dropped Star-Child - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, fairytale] - After that solstice marvel, nobody in the village called mundane wispy meteorites a “falling star” ever again.

An Imbolc Brawl - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, fairytale, romance] - Each year, the fight between winter and summer left the mortal world cowering. A conflict without end… but two lovers plot otherwise.

Not For Love Nor Power - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, fairytale, romance] - She hadn’t meant for the king to fall in love with her. She had just wanted a fairytale night, a sparrow freed by borrowed feathers to party and play.

Two Go In And One Comes Out… - [2nd PPOV, sombre, maybe horror, fairytale] - Everyone in town knows the song. Children skip to it. Women beat laundry to it. Men chop wood to it. You learn the words long before you understand what they mean.

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Grim/Horror

I Sold My Voice And I Must Weep - [1st PPOV, grim, fairytale] - Oh how I lament the foolishness of youth! Love led me astray and now I am but seafoam and bitter regret.

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Historical Fantasy

Cosy/Neutral

Sent To Fetch A Werewolf - [1st PPOV, cosy, somewhat bittersweet] - Jodie? Do you remember your name? Are you in there? Your father’s worried...

Free To A Good Den - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Dragons collect things. They’re well known for it. And this tiny hapless predator was awakening instincts.

The Dance Of Creating - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Hm. What are you meant to be?”

The Burden Of Memory - [3rd PPOV, cosy, little on the sombre side] - It looked like a pool of inky water, except that no matter how well illuminated the cave was, the surface of the pool never glinted. “This is the Spring of Lethe.”

To Marry A Gemcaster - [3rd PPOV, romance, cosy, disability rep] - “I can work with most gems. Citrine is the only one I cannot connect with. And opals are difficult.” She managed a warm smile. “But please, gift me whichever you love best.”

The Next Anaiide - [3rd PPOV, cosy, genderqueer rep] - A lull rippled out. Adults scrutinised. Did the child understand what this meant?

The High Harbour Inn - [3rd PPOV, cosy, lesbian rep] - The High Harbour inn sat at the centre of what had once been Tempest Valley. The legendary thousand-year storm quietly quelled by the couple who’d made this place their home.

Gifted To The Forest - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Sophie, dear, what’s wrong?” Forest Mother asked, her beady eyes squinting as dozens of mandibles shifted and clicked into a shape resembling a reassuring smile.

Halfway To A Saint - [3rd PPOV, cosy, lesbian rep] - Susan folded her arms and scrutinised the kindly, somewhat doddering figure. Not at all what she’d expected from descriptions of Anna the Devoted.

Few Problems Are Bears - [3rd PPOV, cosy, lesbian rep, sequel] - “The trick is to see people as they are. Not how they project themselves, or how you see them.”

The Troll Toll Bridge - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Hard to believe it was real. People swore it had to be magic. But it had stood strong for generations.

The Shop Which Didn’t Exist - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - There was a shop in the royal city which didn’t exist. Ask anyone.

To Light The Sun - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Greg didn’t remember the last time the sun ruled the sky; he’d been born on the day the cycle shifted. That’s why he was tasked with climbing the Tower and moving the cycle on again.

The Importance Of Earnest Truth-Seeking - 1st PPOV, cosy, genderqueer rep] - I must make it clear that I would normally never interact with an obviously magical artefact, but something pulled me to the eerily white, faintly glowing board…

A Glimpse Into The Winter Habits Of Forest Dragons - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Here we see a juvenile forest dragon, resting in the yearling burrow she shares with her litter-mates…

The Errant Lonely Bell - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - It was a tradition old as copper, though these days most of the bells were made of bronze or silver. All through the warm months they sang. But tomorrow’s the first day of winter, the silent season…

The Hearth Eternal - [3rd PPOV, cosy maybe a lil bittersweet] - The longest night. The oldest fire. Two strangers, bound by destiny. “If you were called, welcome. If not… turn back now.”

The Mask That Reveals - [1st PPOV, cosy, transmasc/genderqueer rep] - I was excited and anxious about taking part in the Midwinter Chorus. What mask would choose me? Would I be able to do it justice?

A Hungry Midnight Knock - [3rd PPOV, cosy yet creepy] - Tending the inn’s batchless pottage was Laura’s favourite part of the overnight shift. Admittedly there wasn’t much else positive about being available to help patrons. At least she was rarely bothered…

Born From Stories, Darkness, And Hope - [1st PPOV, cosy, pyromania rep] - Why all the concern? All I had to do was tend the fire.

Gob Neighbours - [3rd PPOV, cosy with bittersweet implications, CW: fantasy racism] - Mildred was in the middle of what she expected to be a perfectly normal delivery when… “A goblin!” As one the cooking staff AND THE GOBLIN turned to look.

A Strange Domestic Bliss - [3rd PPOV, cosy with a touch of bittersweet, romance] - “My love.” Clifford said solemnly. “My muscle-bound pearl. My robust rose. While I would never denigrate your prowess or forceful presence… I have met your mother.”

Wakey Wakey - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - They don’t get moving for half an hour anyway. Especially on a cold morning like this. People looking after horses have it so much easier.

A World Without Night - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - “Anything could be in there,” they warned her. And that was a terrifying thought... but it was also what made the darkness enticing.

The Old Wanderer And The Rock Watcher - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - The life of a rock watcher was staving off mind-numbing boredom with serious internal lectures about how vital your duties were. Interspersed with long periods of staring blankly at nothing, or anything which moved. With glances back at the rock, of course.

The Second Inheritance - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Lavinia Brent knew she couldn’t truly escape her family history, but she wasn’t about to let her brother drag her back in.

To Hug A Cloud - [1st PPOV, sort of cosy bittersweet] - As a child I spent hours reaching, trying to touch the fluffy, frolicking clouds. Then I learned that living clouds nested in the mountains...

Phillip’s Debut Role Postponed - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Cal’s the calm twin. Always had been. So when he whispered “Oh SHIT”, I looked up. Despite struggling with an angry goat and balancing on a bucking raft which had felt plenty big enough when we planned this stunt.

Welcome To The Void Heart - [1st PPOV, cosy with sombre overtones] - The rift opened, dragging me with it. For the first time I didn’t fight the pull. I knew it was foolish. Everyone said the other side was a nightmarish place. Deadly. Far worse than anything here. But…

Borrowed Feathers - [3rd PPOV, cosy, romance] - She was being foolish. It was GOOD she’d likely never see him again. If he found out who she truly was…

The Light Mage’s Shadow - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - What Helen was about to do would get her not only thrown out of the academy but stripped of her magic and possibly interred in the Wayward Crypts. Alive.

Shouldn’t Be Here - [1st PPOV, neutral] - She shouldn’t have come to the forest. I must not intervene…

Ever After - [3rd PPOV, neutral, gay rep] - Princess gets kidnapped, prince rescues her, they fall in love and marry and live happily ever after. That was how it WORKED. How had he managed to mess this up?

Invited After All - [3rd PPOV, cosy with sombre overtones] - Just as the family finished setting the table and sat down for the Solstice Feast, there was a knock at the door. A traveller.

The Feast Of Secrets - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - If there’s one thing the harvest goddess loved more than feasting and merriment, it was delicious juicy gossip.

One Of Us Needs To Be Individual - [1st PPOV, neutral] - Every solstice, catching my shadow gets harder. How long do I have before dawn?

Being My Shadow’s Shadow - [1st PPOV, neutral shading to bittersweet, sequel to “One Of Us Needs To Be Individual”] - Some days I think I’ve gotten used to being the shadow. Some days I feel it might be better this way. Other days I desperately long to scream.

A Dualities Duet - [1st PPOV, neutral] - High above us the cathedral belfry rings in the sixteenth hour of our vigil. We’ve already lost a score of singers, with eight hours left to go…

A Fountain Of Frozen Secrets - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Today the statue was expected to melt, so nobody was in the town square. That would be uncouth.

Nature Abhors A Hungry Vacuum - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Tanith leant on her cane and eyeballed the old shed. It looked rather… SMALL to hold whatever malevolent force was causing the village’s suffering, but…

Ghoulishly Good Business Sense - [3rd PPOV, neutral, CW: mention of cruelty to animals] - The carriage driver clicked to the horses, who took off with what, had the humans been paying more attention, might’ve seemed unusual eagerness to leave the warm and safe inn…

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Bittersweet/Sombre

Crystal Sisters’ Last Stand - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - When there’s no hope left for you, you find hope for others.

The Queen’s Voyeur Mirror - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, lesbian rep] - She must be consumed by envy and insecurity. What other reason could a woman possibly have for gazing upon gorgeous maidens in her free time?

Harbingers Of Life And Friendship - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, could be mundane] - “Never look a crow in the eyes”, I was told as a child. “They steal away souls. They’ll lay death upon you, then eat your ghost before it reaches the After.”

The Sky Cried For Him - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Being a big sister carries challenges and responsibilities, especially in a village where twins are always born with magic…

Thinking Of You - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, CW: terminal illness (kinda)] - The arch-fiend is slain! Which means the world is saved… and that one of the heroes is doomed to fade away. In the wake of this grief, what is left?

The Stars Came In Screaming - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet in a ‘grim but facing towards hope’ way] - It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The stars weren’t due to arrive for thirty years. And they’d never screamed before.

Stained And Shamed - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Henry punched the rag back into the sudsy bucket, sweat dripping into his eyes. That’s the only reason they were watering. It was the salt. That’s all.

Mortal Shackles Of A Fated Adversary - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - When I realised what happened, at first I laughed. Youthful foolishness. I thought only that I’d be invincible…

The Defiant Ghost Of Jackie Frost - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - They thought they’d killed her. But it’s remarkable what one can achieve through magic, determination, and stone-cold spite.

Guests Of Winter - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, genderqueer rep, CW: terminal illness] - The air in the meeting hall is… odd. Here we are, about to find out who’ll be gifted to Winter, and there’s no fretting at all.

Paying At Forgotten Warmth - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, CW: severe childhood poverty and societal abuse] - Jim’s breath fogged on the tavern window. His hollow stomach whined. He’d heard you didn’t pay for the food with MONEY here…

A Sacred Second Betrothal - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, romance] - Icy wind whips against my face, yet the snow doesn’t touch me, flakes drifting coyly close only to flit away, leaving my wedding suit perfectly dry.

Refilling The Reservoir With Care - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet and sombre] - For over forty years Edna’s hut had been open to all who needed healing. But today the door stands shut…

Sir Clumsy Chuck’s Fortunate Trip - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, humorous] - Charles awkwardly straightened his cravat for the umpteenth time. Of course he’d finally achieve his goal of being the target of a royal feast, making his family proud, and it would happen like THIS!

Eggs Borne From Ashes - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, sequel to “A Plague, A Cull, The Fires Weep”] - A flash of red sped through the treetops with that quintessential bombastic grace of forest dragons.

A Burden Of Memory And Healing - [1st PPOV, bittersweet and sombre] - “The truth is a burden. You’re lucky you don’t remember.” I told him. And, like an innocent child, he believed me without question.

Mouthy Gift Horse - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - Freebies can be expensive…

Between The Water And The Wall - [1st PPOV, sombre] - I had always been taught to fear the water and revere the life tree. But now I have nowhere else to turn.

Spitting At Eternity - [1st PPOV, sombre] - It’s our nature to march against entropy, knowing we cannot win. And it’s their nature to try and unwind everything which pushes against that inexorable current.

The Witch Phoenix - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: mention of attempted sexual assault] - The tang of ash and regret chokes the air. I angle my wings and soar down, down… not towards the charred skeleton of a hut or the corpses within, but to the other end of the pitiful trail; the cowering figure huddled deep in the woods.

Winged But Flightless - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - “God’s a right jokester, eh? Imagine if She’d made birds and not taught them to fly. But us and the Weave…”

The Price Of Hubris Is Paid In Tears - [3rd PPOV, sombre, disability rep, CW: description of healed serious burns] - Every child who lived near the Smoking Rocks knew that you should never tease a salamander. So naturally doing so was a regular dare. Usually not much comes of this mischief… if you’re lucky.

Off To Take My Dragon-Flying Test - [1st PPOV, sombre] - I’m sixteen, and like any other citizen of Aria that means I’m taking the test to get my dragon-flying license. After all, it’s the only way to get around up here…

A Precious Gift, A Shattered Trust - [1st PPOV, sombre] - I was five years and five days of age when a monster knocked on our door, saying he’d come to collect his child. My father pointed to me…

Two Faces Vs Two-Faced - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - Nobody came near when Don was training in his “Alter Form”. He didn’t blame them. The stories of shifters slipping and losing control were frightful. It was called “Cursed Blood” for a reason. Sure, their fear hurt. How could it not? But he didn’t blame them.

Breath Of The Clockwork Heart - [3rd PPOV, sombre, autism/OCD/disability rep] - Bell-Tender Heath watched the tower’s clockwork tick and whir. Everything was exactly as it should be. He didn’t look out the windows.

A Name To Die As - [3rd PPOV, sombre, psychopath rep] - Tom always expected his past would catch up to him one day. Sometimes he even hoped it would.

Sleep Deep And Be Called - [1st PPOV, sombre and creepy] - I wake in a jolt, mid-step, my limbs flailing. It’s just like the others described… which means I’ve fallen victim to the curse.

The Order Of The Onyx Urn - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - Everyone agreed the Ancients had been immensely wise. But... wise enough for this to be part of their great plan?

An Oath Made To Lunaria - [1st PPOV, sombre] - Every morning my first action is to touch the Oathgem at my neck and reaffirm my duties. But today I find crumbling, melting shards which fall from the pendent at the slightest touch…

A Duty Undone, A Soul Recalled - [1st PPOV, sombre] - I wake disoriented. For a moment I wonder if my memories of collecting the crystals, receiving the gods’ power, and sealing the Grasping One were merely a wild dream.

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Grim/Horror

On Hold In Hold - [3rd PPOV, grim] - Whimpers. That was the first thing Gar registered. Whimpers and the weight of shackles around his limbs.

Revenge’s Burden - [3rd PPOV, grim] - “We’re heroes, Brody.” Otis said softly, with a smile eerily like the earnest young man he’d been when they set out. “Heroes don’t murder.”

Huldra Hunt - [3rd PPOV, grim] - He had been a charming courter - until he declared himself her hunter. Foolish mortal.

A Simple Crushing Choice - [3rd PPOV, grim with horror implications, CW: endangerment and harm of children] - It was a simple choice. A simple, dreadful, bitter choice…

An Errant Child And Woodland Gossip - [3rd PPOV, grim and creepy] - Everyone respected how Noel’s family were clinging to hope that their child might be found, but the rest of the village had mentally buried him. Until…

Etched In Ice And Blood - [1st PPOV, grim] - I spat blood and hauled myself up once more. I wouldn’t let this thief escape!

Huntresses Of The Moon - [1st PPOV, grim] - For three days now, a pack of snow-white wolves have circled the town. Each day there are more of them, and they are more desperate to get inside…

A Stolen Taste Of Spring - [3rd PPOV, grim and creepy] - Everyone thought it harmless to wish for an early spring. And usually it was.

A Plague, A Cull, The Fires Weep - [3rd PPOV, grim] - Calvin wished he’d been assigned to one of the big dragon hunts. With those majestic beasts, you could pretend it was a fair fight. With these little forest dragons…

Stalking The Shadow Skulker - [1st PPOV, grim, fantasy western] - From the moment I saw that fire flickering through the trees, I knew my quest for revenge was almost over. But there were surprises waiting…

Queen Evelyn’s Secret Regime - [3rd PPOV, grim, CW: mention of murdering children] - The rumour was persistent. “Queen Evelyn baths in the blood of babes!”

Sugar Spun Over Blood - [1st PPOV, grim] - “Ooh, a rowboat!” She trills. You’d have to know her very well to detect the fury hidden behind her air-headed smile. “How romantic!”

Fairy Curse - [1st PPOV, horror] - It was an innocent request.

A Body Of Stone, A Heart Of... - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: Implied sexual assault] - The challenge was absurd. But he now had no choice. And every day that he failed, he dare not imagine the suffering which resulted.

Taken In On The Lonely Cold Road - [1st PPOV, horror] - She looked the perfect picture of a shrine-tender. I suspected nothing, eager to take shelter against the desolate cold of the isolated road…

Marked And Taken - [1st PPOV, horror] - I wake to my father sobbing and my mother holding my hand tight. I know what this means. I’ve been marked.

A Fire Shared Is A Fire Grown - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Hannah had never thought much about Hearth Week. And she was now too old to believe in monsters…

A Widow’s Allotted Warmth - [3rd PPOV, social horror] - Beth told herself she was imagining the sideways glances. Mourning in isolation was clearly doing funny things to her head.

Worth His Weight - [1st PPOV, horror] - Another failed casting? I don’t understand…

The Last Spooky Story - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Let me weave the story you wish…

Raw Truth Sears Deep - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: harm to a child] - If only Patrick hadn’t quarrelled with his father. Perhaps then he would’ve minded the rules about windows.

The Voiceless Haunt The Silent Pines - [2nd PPOV, horror] - The path through Silent Pines is only ever taken by the desperate. Far better to spend a month traversing frozen mountain paths than risk a week on that straight, sandy road…

A Guest Through Famished Pass - [3rd PPOV, horror] - This didn’t make sense. Gravier had ensured the caravan packed more than enough food to get through Famished Pass, so how were they running out?

Tend The Fire, Count The Stones - [2nd PPOV, horror] - The task is very simple. The circle has twelve stones. No more, no less…

Justice For The Spyder - [1st PPOV, bittersweet horror] - Darkness fills the cave, but I no longer have eyes and am unbothered by lack of light. This mask, this wicked porcelain prison, forces me to see the nightmare surrounding me.

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Urban/Contemporary Fantasy

Standalone

Cosy/Neutral

Dreams In Crushed Velvet - [3rd PPOV, cosy with a hint of bittersweet] - It felt so real. But mum never wore purple...

Sweater Kid - [1st PPOV, cosy] - How could I be hot? I’m wearing my sweater.

Gary, The Key Bearer - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Of all the supernatural forces to claim you as their chosen one, this wasn’t a bad deal. Pity it was still work.

Can’t Have It Both Ways, Pick Option Three - [3rd PPOV, cosy, romance, humorous, CW: use of the “cheating ended up with polyamory” trope] - “Ooh, we could coordinate! Sam, who were you planning to go as?”

The Returning Muse - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Ah! My Lady Muse! At last you have returned to me!”

An Itinerant Mouse - [1st PPOV, cosy] - On days like these, when the wind whistling past is wet and cold and the air inside the van stinks of petrol and coffee, I wonder if my mother was right. Perhaps I truly am a house mouse at heart.

The Hotel Listens - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Don’t worry about the sounds, it’s not… It’s just echoes. Sort of. Same for the voices. It’s nothing, honest. We think the building just gets lonely during the off-season. There’s no actual ghosts.”

The Viewers’ Views - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Bjorn the dwarf is skeptical that the route taken to the top of the mountain makes any difference to your view at the peak. But there must be some reason people take the harder path, so like any good dwarf he sets out to test this.

Absentee Arboreal Father - [1st PPOV, cosy] - Honestly, I didn’t expect him to show up. But here I am, deep in a woodland park, waiting to meet the man who sired me.

Spoken In Sunrise Fronds - [1st PPOV, cosy romance, maybe mundane] - His is the only voice I’ve ever seen which dances.

Life In Waves - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “What do you mean, ‘the river doesn’t want to be dammed’?” Robert scoffed, his elegantly waxed moustache bristling at the absurdity.

Hitchhikers - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - We shouldn’t have stopped. But they looked so pitiful in the rain!

Crossing Bridges - [3rd PPOV, neutral with creepy overtones] - You could never remember what the licence plate said, only that it was a standard one. Nothing about the vehicle was customised. Not conventionally.

Goblins Don’t Exist. Trust Me, I’m A Faerie. - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - “See there! They’ve cursed my new lilac.” “Nah, that’s dog piss.”

The Legendless Ghost Of Barron-on-Fens - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - I mean, it’s easy enough to avoid. Nobody- well. Nobody from around here has been got for like thirty years.

A Ratcatching Swizz Gone Awry - [1st & 3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - This is a disgrace! I, the greatest scammer in the city, swindled by a cat!

Chasing The Compass Song - [3rd PPOV, cosy with sombre notes] - “When the storm comes, my compass always points to the old lighthouse. The abandoned one out on the island.”

Chasing The Compass Song 2 - [3rd PPOV, cosy, continuation of Part 1] - It’s taken three months, but Wilma is ready to adventure to Todd’s standards! Finally, she’s headed for the old lighthouse on the island, looking for answers…

Riddle For The Ages - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “The Thin Veneer” was a strange name for a pub, and it had collected a suitably strange clientele. But for little Chrissy, who happened to live next door, soothsayers and fortune tellers were perfectly normal.

The Immortal Book Club - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Sometimes what you really need is people with commonality. Especially if part of why you struggle to make friends is the hassle of dealing with mortal timeframes…

A Timless Solstice - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - When your siblings wish upon Solstice Stars…

A Foxy Christmas - [3rd PPOV, cosy romance] - This Christmas, Amanda’s buried past returns. Will she go to earth, or face it?

An Impartial Third Liminal Opinion - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - While newborn care had caused Kyle to slip into hallucinations before, this was a dozy of a lack-of-sleep vision.

I’ll Call Them Serendipity - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Any minute now the clock would strike midnight, and the geasa would be set for the year. Needed to find Beth a suitable resolution FAST.

Migration Routes Have Shifted In The Last Millennia - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Now, Oscar was used to trying to shoo people out of protected waters. But before they’d always been, well, VEHICLES where they shouldn’t be. Whereas this…

An Unamused Muse Persists - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Of all the times Addyth had wished muses could turn corporeal just to shake people, this was the worst. If she didn’t figure something out soon the poor idea seed would wither!

Remnants Of Love And Shortbread - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - “Avaunt, restless spirit!” “SHAN’T!”

The Truthful Curse Of Agnus Greene - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Everyone agreed that it was a curse, though few came out and said it was a *bad thing*. But ever since Agnus Greene had cursed the town, anyone born in Withshim couldn’t lie. Well. You got three.

The Striders - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - It was a dangerous thing, living so close to… Them. The Striders. Whatever they touched changed.

Buying Shares In Our Future - [3rd PPOV, neutral, wheelchair user/disability rep] - “Dear friend, you have me all wrong! I’m not selling paltry investments! No, I’m selling shares in FUTURES!”

Hatch Of Suffocate - [1st PPOV, neutral] - The air is growing stale and close. I press my hands against the cool, smooth, gently curving surface surrounding me. Searching.

Viciously Violent Verbosity - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - As alliteration assembles arcane arcs, the entire market trembles. The glottal hags are fighting AGAIN.

Sir, This Is A 24/7 - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - This was what she got for slipping off-script. The guy being wild-eyed and covered with lacerations had thrown her. Not the usual kinda weird for overnight shift, even here.

Mr Flumkins Needs A Pet-Sitter - [3rd PPOV, creepy cosy] - When a request came in for a week in a woodland cottage caring for a “special needs cat” Tom didn’t hesitate. Now, here he was... staring at a rickety fence topped with skulls.

When The Sky Falls Again - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - For as long as anyone except Mr Grady could remember, the sirens on the old bunker only went off once a year, when Mr Grady ran the annual test. Silly old man. The sky hadn’t fallen in decades. Many people were loudly sceptical it had ever fallen at all…

Calling The Melder To Our Side - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - “Sis, you know I’m all for ending conflict and suffering forever, I just… I’m worried that feeding all consciousness on earth to an eldritch entity might not work out.”

One Chocolate Bar’s Worth Of Adventuring Advice - [2nd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Thank you, dearie. Now… if you follow that river…

Etherial Liberation For All - [3rd PPOV, horror comedy] - This group didn’t strike Bob as unusual. From the look of them he was thinking anarchists, or part of that New Age crowd.

She’s The Scary One - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - It was supposed to bring peace and order! Well, probably. Nobody involved in the ritual ever stepped forward to explain. Or apologise.

Harnessing Dragon Ghosts - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - “You KNOW how dangerous feral trains are!”

A Party To Deceit - [1st PPOV, neutral] - That familiar masked figure blocking the alley meant my hopes were dashed… unless I can convince what I could not escape.

The Wandering Door To Somewhere - [1st PPOV, neutral] - How long had that door been there? While there was nothing odd about the design, it was starkly out of place…

Buying A Reason - [1st PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - I’d known about the Midnight Market since I was a child but never been before. It’s as eerie as everyone claims. I hope they’re also right about what you can buy here…

Spring Travelling For Seasonal Business - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - We’ve done this for thousands of years, you’d think by now I could get a VIP pass or something…

The Winds Of Transformation - [2nd PPOV, neutral] - Nobody said you SHOULDN’T be outside at midnight on the last day of the year. But they did take pains to warn you about the consequences…

Suspended On Promises And Paved With Resolutions - [1st PPOV, neutral] - It’s a dream, I remind myself, and like every other year this doesn’t quite comfort me. After all, it affects the real world…

A Shelter For Winter - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - While the rest of the region suffers a heat wave, Charles is enjoying time next to the eternally frozen lake.

Born Of Dreams - [1st PPOV, neutral] - Why am I afraid? This is a dream. I’m in control. But the fear persists regardless.

Definitely Some Kind Of Karma - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - I wish I knew what I’d DONE in my previous life to get stuck with this. Am I being punished? Rewarded? Or just put to work?

Pairing Echoes - [1st PPOV, cosy but creepy] - I know desperation when I see it. Any seller of, ahem, metaphysically enhanced items develops that sense quickly…

Literary Genius Unthwarted By Death - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - I must confess, I have double-guessed my plan of haunting my favourite pen many times in the subsequent decades wasted lurking in this blasted antiques shop.

Diner Etiquette For Nowhere - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - Nowhere-On-Particular was a strange little riverside town. Quiet. Too worn-down to count as “quaint”. Cassie wasn’t planning on staying long.

Negotiating With A Genie - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - “Hm.” A pair of glasses appeared on the genie’s nose, and a stack of books poofed into existence around him. “What kind of flight did you have in mind?”

What Remains Of The Old Fortune Teller - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Once upon a time, when trains still stopped at Puddleton and the town prospered, the Puddleton Green was indeed green, and the site of many a festival or visiting attraction. But since then…

Taking Shelter - [3rd PPOV, neutral with creepy overtones, maybe mundane] - The house WAS ugly, and out in the middle of nowhere. Still seemed strange for it to be abandoned, though.

back to the TOC

Bittersweet/Sombre

Echoes Grown - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - I remember when someone lived in me.

Frosted - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, maybe romance] - Metaphorical warmth prevails.

Captured Confession - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - “You’re a good friend, Maisie. You have no idea how special you are...”

Trust Runs In The Family - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - They always say to never trust a fey. But life isn’t simple.

She Knew His Name Was Wendell - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, transmasc/genderqueer rep] - The Hog And Bailey wasn’t a pub Wendy expected to have a mystical experience in.

The Monster Left Under The Childhood Bed - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - Student accommodations don’t allow monsters. Blanket rule.

The Gift Of Borrowed Life - [1st PPOV, bittersweet horror, maybe romance] - I hold her hand tight and watch as the sickness steals her away. But I won’t let go.

Forever Loved - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, CW: loss of a child] - At first you thought I was delusion. Your grief playing tricks on you. I didn’t know enough to tell you otherwise; I was barely five months old when I died.

Surrogate Dragon - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - What a pair they were, two very different struggles mostly cancelled out by the other’s presence.

A Demonic Force Meets A Father’s Resolve - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - If only more parenting books thought to mention signs of demonic possession.

Locked Voices - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, mute/sign language/disability rep, CW: disability as curse] - There was great excitement when little Heidi started to vocalise. The first of her family to have magic! Perhaps THIS child would be the one to finally break the curse…

Lily’s Storytime - [3rd PPOV, cosy horror] - Where was she? This wasn’t her room, Lily was certain of it. It looked like hers, but it WASN’T. This had to be a nightmare…

A Trellis Grown From Ashes - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Long ago, before the magic returned and the world fell apart, this place would’ve been filled with people. Liam knew that. But he couldn’t imagine it.

A Dear Sister’s Frosty Advice - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - I was surprised to get a knock at my door, and shocked it was a postie. All the way out here? But it only got stranger…

Traded For Tender Amber Song - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - It’s that time again; the spirits have visited. What did they take, and what did they leave in its place?

A Time To Address What Lingers Unfinished - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Ah, the last hour of the year. And Cathie was due a break anyway; might as well let all the lingering resolutions in and address them.

Distributing The Old Favourite - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - “Seer…” What a strange voice. What could it possibly be?

A Vigilant Gaze Unpeels - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Nina knew the vigil was for the greater good, but of course she was going to worry about her son having been chosen for it.

A Doubled Life - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, multiple choice ending] - It all started on that long-ago August afternoon, where a decision split her life…

Ringed - [1st PPOV, sombre] - I should let it go. Let them die like my memories.

Witchy Gossip - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - “Oh, don’t draw it out! What did he do and what did she turn him into?”

Footsteps Out Of Place - [3rd PPOV, sombre, gay/queer rep] - Once you made that fifth turn and could see the exit it would all go back to normal.

When An Angel Needs Knuckledusters - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - As an experienced foster parent, Cathy has dealt with all sorts. But having a sick-looking rumpled figure on her doorstep claiming to be someone’s ‘guardian angel’ is a new one…

Petal Pals Forever - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: offhand descriptions of bullying and implications of a child being abused] - I didn’t always hate Emily. But then her magic came in, and being nasty about her was a comfy topic at school. So when I saw her going into an alley I was eager to snap some gossip…

The Ghosts Of Holidays Long Past - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - Perhaps it was the spiced wine, or the memories of holidays past, but August found himself reflecting on the puzzle of mortality.

Slipping Between Threads - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: off-screen suicide] - As a child Harold’s ‘split existence’ didn’t bother him. Most of the year his bedtime was before darkness fell anyway…

The Door To Possibility - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: substance abuse, suicidal ideation] - The Door was a constant. No matter where you were, or what state you were in, at the moment where the old year turned into the new, everyone encountered the Door.

One Last Promise - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: reflections on having just lost a child] - All that remained of that long-forgotten god was at the beginning of the year promises still froze and dropped from your lips like a perfect ice teardrop.

Have You Bitten My Brother? 1 - [1st PPOV, sombre] - If the legends are wrong, I’m alone for 65 days of arctic winter. If the legends are true, I’m about to face vampires.

Have You Bitten My Brother? 2 - [1st PPOV, sombre, CW: discussion of losing a child] - The docs say I’m human. Now I just have to survive my parents being mad…

A Capable Princess Crew - [1st PPOV, sombre, CW: young teens in danger] - The trip started so well, but now… what a way to turn thirteen. At least I’m not alone.

Grim/Horror

Different This Time - [3rd PPOV, grim] - They were never going to come to an agreement on this.

All Perfectly Necessary - [3rd PPOV, grim, CW: mention of rape] - It was a GOOD ending. But despite knowing that it was a good ending, and all elements were perfectly justified and necessary, he found it difficult to explain when faced with one of the characters involved.

Mustn’t Panic - [3rd PPOV, grim] - “Everyone else is selling up. Do you really want to live in a golf resort?”

Into The Jaws Of Hate, For Love - [1st PPOV, grim, CW: anti-queer violence] - Dawn touches the horizon as we gather. We’re all dressed for a riot (masks, helmets, warding amulets) yet the silence echoes. It will remain until the guard arrives to stamp it out.

Baby Teeth, Boxed - [3rd PPOV, quiet horror] - The tooth fairy won’t find it here, poppet.

Mistaken Identity - [1st PPOV, comedic horror] - “Look, buddy, my shift starts soon. Test’s are all negative. I’m not a vampire.”

The Lost Playground - [1st PPOV, horror] - We didn’t think to wander where they all came from. Where the drivers went. We were just kids.

Why Weren’t The Ducks Calling - [3rd PPOV, horror] - She’d been out here six hours. They couldn’t still be bowling? Fine. She’d walk over. It wasn’t far...

Oranges And Lemons And The Tunnel Never Ends - [1st PPOV, horror] - If I just block it all out, if I just keep going...

It’s not a graveyard. Graveyards have bodies. - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Nobody had ever seen it happen, and he’d *just* missed it!

The Sympathy Shrine - [1st PPOV, horror] - A few ‘souvenirs’ stood out to me: a sweat-stained handkerchief, a sandwich bag of hair clippings, a tissue dotted with blood. I started thinking maybe I should try convincing her to switch to scrapbooking.

A Touching Warning - [2nd PPOV, horror] - “They tricked me. I’ve never wanted a hug more in my life but it’s already too late.”

Check The Basement - [1st PPOV, horror, CW: description of a violently murdered child] - I was woken by a tapping sound. For a moment I was back in the old house listening to the oak playing silly tree tunes on my window. Then I remembered this house doesn’t have any trees near it.

C_T_O_IC Writing On The Wall - [3rd PPOV, horror] - This part of town was covered in graffiti, so Mark wasn’t sure when the game of hangman appeared. It must be some communal art piece. He was happy to join in…

Cursed For Scrumping - [3rd PPOV, horror] - When the local witch seemingly vanishes, Jim sees a chance to try and dispel the curse she laid on him years ago. But Ms Smyth has not left, and always meant what she said…

Got To Get Those Dream Steps In - [2nd PPOV, horror] - Every night I have the same dream. Star-studded yellow sky. Glowing red trees. Screaming.

Freeplay Horror In The Midnight Arcade - [1st PPOV, horror] - Determined to make the most of the arcade’s birthday party free play offer, I didn’t realise how late it had gotten until everyone else was long gone…

Mugging Analysis - [3rd PPOV, horror] - You could learn a lot about a person by going through their pockets. Which wasn’t why Trevor did it, but he fancied himself a connoisseur of the human condition after over a decade in the mugging business.

Worse Than Alone - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Kelly woke to find the internet down… and the city empty. Surely there has to be SOMEONE else left?

Grasping From The Canal - [1st PPOV, horror, anxiety/disability rep] - I was just trying to clear my head. Be healthy. Do my therapist proud.

No Laughing Matter - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Of all the curses to sweep the world… clowns. At least turning into a zombie had a dignified sort of pathos.

Sunshine Sanitarium Case Reopened (Not Clickbait) - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Denise and her brothers had tried recording ghosts plenty of places before, but she had a feeling Sunshine Sanitarium was going to be their big scoop…

The Power Of Unholy Friendship - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Father Bernard has carried out countless exorcisms, and doesn’t expect this job to be any different...

Beneath The Eighth Step - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Ellie feels so lucky to have inherited her aunt’s charming cottage and collection of art materials! But turns out she’s accepted more than a house…

Any Resemblance To Real People Is Terrible - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Craig loved how people loved his scrappy little campus horror mag. He never wanted to give it up. And what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them…

Another Momentary Lapse, Another Tragedy - [1st PPOV, horror] - Pain throbs behind my eyeballs. I hope that means I drunk too much last night, not too little. A hope that dies when I realise my hands are sticky…

For Research Purposes - [3rd PPOV, horror, maybe mundane] - This scoop was going to be Oliver’s big break. While mainstream journalists repeated stock fear mongering, he was going to pen a bold first-hand report of experiencing this “astral meth”.

A Special Guest At Chalky House - [1st PPOV, horror] - I always knew old widow Chalker’s family had been rich, but I couldn’t believe the treasures in that house of hers. Well, if she’s too daft to sell them, I reckon she’s too daft to miss a few…

The Last Train Home - [1st PPOV, horror] - My life began to end when I fell asleep on the train home. A mistake I’d made plenty of times before, like who knows how many of my fellow commuters. But this time…

The Hunger Of The Cathwary Rhombus - [3rd PPOV, horror] - The inscription could be translated as either ‘fortress’ or ‘prison’. Scholars likewise weren’t sure what the deity it housed had been a god of…

Our Mother Welcomes You - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Honestly? This was only like the fourth creepiest cult Natasha had been in. Er, investigated.

The Silence Collector - [1st PPOV, horror] - Is there any sound sweeter than silence? I think not. That’s why I collect them. And yet, even after centuries, my collection is missing something…

Mutant Mould Or Whatever - [1st PPOV, horror] - It’d been a long day already. I was not ready to walk into my apartment and see THIS clinging to the ceiling.

The Price Of Hope - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Mack defined a good day’s busking as having earned enough for a hot meal AND the ten-quid buy-in at the local casino. He had a good feeling about this one.

A Resilient Heart-Vine - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Karen had never understood the appeal of gardening. She was happy with her plastic plants and synthetic lawn. So where did that vine come from?

Blink And You’ll Hear It - [1st PPOV, horror] - I thought this was going to be a nice, easy job. After all the supernatural threats I’ve hunted and wrangled, this one sounded well-behaved…

A Trying Reflection - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Avoiding all reflections for the week was annoying, but NECESSARY. Mira knew what happened to people who didn’t heed the danger…

A Ward Of Silence Stifled Dawn - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: grievous abuse of a disabled minor] - Kyle didn’t think it strange Granny was agitated; knowing you’re dying must be dreadfully stressful…

Almost Close Enough - [3rd PPOV, horror] - The frozen lake was a breathtaking sight, light reflecting off its surface so the surrounding woods was up-lit… the perfect natural photoshoot. Kathy had never been so lucky…

A Professional Failing - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: violent mental breakdown] - Before demons returned, suffering from “burnout” meant needing time off and perhaps a relaxing retreat. Now it meant waking up chained to a hospital bed… if you were lucky.

Out Of Defined Service - [1st PPOV, horror] - A hospital hallway is surely one of the best places to have a stress breakdown and start hallucinating, so hopefully I’ll be alright. I mean, I MUST be hallucinating… right?

Gwen, Tell Me, Would You Rather… - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: description of a mutilated animal corpse] - Gwen wasn’t pleased to be given some random new employee to “mentor”, even before whoever has her number started acting strange…

Out Fishing For Urban Sharks - [1st PPOV, horror] - I slither from my burrow and taste the air. Ah, perfect hunting weather. But first, I should put my Guise on. What kind of predators do I want to eat today?

back to the TOC

Under The Interplaner Accord

Cosy/Neutral

Faerie Field Conservationists - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Did you seriously barge into my construction site to complain that fairies can’t tell the difference between motorways and rivers?

Minding The Potion Shop - [1st PPOV, cosy, humorous] - I answer the door. It’s a goose. Of course. “You’re not Madam Velma!” It is an *observant* goose.

Second Time Migrating, First Time Taking Point - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - You’ve got this, Harold. Just focus. Don’t want to end up like poor Uncle Abe...

A Dog Degree WITH HONOURS, Mind You - [3rd PPOV, cosy, anxiety/disability rep] - “You don’t know anything about fashion!” “Alright, but I’m not sure they do either. So...”

Coaching Your Human Is A Valuable Soft Skill - [3rd PPOV, cosy, anxiety/disability rep, continuation from “A Dog Degree WITH HONOURS, Mind You”] - Part of being a magical therapy dog is having trained in employee protection laws. As applies to both you AND your client.

The Dead Musicians’ Support Group - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - It’s never too late to follow your dreams! Admittedly it gets trickier once you’re incorporeal.

Mothering A Changeling - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - School wasn’t out for hours yet. “Genny, what did you do?”

Princess Ferret In Taffeta - [3rd PPOV, cosy, continuation from “Mothering A Changeling”] - There’s no weary sigh quite like a child’s weary sigh. Wholehearted and unburdened by proportional perspective. “That’s not what a ferret princess would sound like, Mummy!”

A Perfect Mess Of A Party - [3rd PPOV, cosy, continuation from “Princess Ferret In Taffeta”] - Two years ago, Rebecca would’ve been a nervous wreck right now. But that was before adopting a changeling.

A Fabulous Fabella’s Birthday - [3rd PPOV, cosy, continuation from “A Perfect Mess Of A Party”] - To be fair, normally getting children to write letters to their favourite fictional characters was a perfectly harmless activity…

Earning Your Wings - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “So it’s about doing something that your magic views as a ‘great deed’? There’s no, er, industry guidelines?”

Surprising Amount In Common - [1st PPOV, cosy] - This pig and me are now sworn besties and this is war.

Through Owl Eyes - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Hootbert clicked his beak, exasperated at her dithering. Neither Grey Skulkers nor Blue Walkers existed. But dinner DID, and was at the camp.

Moonlight Moonshine - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - It was incredibly difficult to tell if a fey was messing with you. Davis scratched his head and surveyed the line of casks they’d arranged on the hilltop.

A Friend In Mead - [3rd PPOV, cosy, continuation from “Moonlight Moonshine”] - “Be careful not to drink too much at once - fey mead will give you a real buzz.” While Davis believed Cassiopeia’s warning, he hadn’t worried about it. Oops.

Etched Into Your Soul - [3rd PPOV, cosy, transfem/genderqueer rep] - Even starting the process of adopting a changeling can lead to unexpected discoveries...

The Heady Scent Of Clarity - [3rd PPOV, cosy with creepy notes, nonbinary/genderqueer rep] - A demure sign promising magic. An impulsive diversion from her journey home. Now Sam has to decide what she truly wants.

An Ounce Of Doubt And Reciprocity - [3rd PPOV, cosy, nonbinary/genderqueer rep, continuation from “The Heady Scent Of Clarity”] - Sam set the money down. A crooked smile curving her lips. “I *knew* you were under-charging me last time. First hit is cheap, eh?”

Like Finally Finding Shoes That Fit 1 - [3rd PPOV, cosy, nonbinary/genderqueer rep, continuation from “An Ounce Of Doubt And Reciprocity”] - Come on, Sam. You can do this. Her heart pounded as she stared down at the illusion patches. Funny. The sigils painted on waxed paper looked kinda like temporary tattoos.

Like Finally Finding Shoes That Fit 2 - [3rd PPOV, cosy, nonbinary/genderqueer rep, continuation from Part 1] - Joy bubbled in Sam’s throat and rattled against her diaphragm as she eased the shirt on, making sure nothing touched the sigils on her arm.

The “Free Hugs” Pipe - [3rd PPOV, cosy, asexual/queer rep] - The sign was dingy. Scribbled on cardboard, jammed onto some long-abandoned nail, reading “FREE HUGS!” with an arrow pointing to the big drainage pipe.

Oaths And Guidelines - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - The elderly goblin sighed. “They keep swearing my humors are all normal, but...”

Netherworld Botany Conference Newbie - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - At least baffling ominous prophecies encouraged investment in research.

Barking Up The Correct Tree - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - It was Gary’s first time collecting materials from a magical tree, and while the tree being able to talk helped it also made him feel awkward.

The Spill And The Scarflette - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Mildred had noticed the red scarflette wrapped around the old woman’s left wrist; when you worked a cafe you knew people by traits rather than names. But she hadn’t taken particular heed. It was just… there. Unremarkably remarkable. Until the spill.

Carrying Home - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - It was definitely a mirror, not a picture; if you took it off the wall and tilted it, the reflection moved just as it should. But what it reflected had nothing to do with its surroundings.

Urban Fey - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Fey were an unusual sight in cities, but Amanda managed not to attract a second glance as she sauntered down the street.

The Rewards Of Interdisciplinary Cursology - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Malcom Baker was considered an oddity for being interested in where curses came from rather than ‘practical’ aspects of Cursology. But knowledge is power, especially in magic…

The Woodworker And The Dragon - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - At first Kate assumed the dragon eating from her coal scuttle was a baby. After all, she’d never heard of dragons small as her forearm.

A True And Lifelong Love - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - While Muriel knew she was lucky to have friendly classmates, being the only non-human at her school was still tough. But it was all worth it to be by the sea.

The Fall Of Vukmaw - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - The Moonlight Empire has fallen! Mighty warrior Vukmaw lies slain on the field… waiting for the ref to call the battle so he can hit the showers.

Weaving Gratitude - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Charlotte has always prided herself on being a helpful, accommodating, low-maintenance familiar. But making it so the person you’re supporting rarely has to think about you brings its own problems…

The International Summit Summit - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - As a rule, mountain spirits weren’t big on travel. But in this modern world, with threats and pressures on every side, it was agreed that coming together was important. So here Scafell Pike was, with the rest of the UK delegation.

Dandelion Kinda Romance - [3rd PPOV, cosy romance] - Sometimes love smells like roses and chocolates. But it can also smell like fresh wildflowers and muddy boots.

A Perfect Nothing Of A Talent - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Foresight ALWAYS came with drawbacks. Tiffany’s was overflowing with prophecies, such that she couldn’t tell which ones were important. An only half-useful talent…

Chaos Denizens Love Kindergartens - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - When Audrey started working as a kindergarten teacher she was surprised how many fey were on the team. But with experience it was clear why beings from a chaos realm would feel at home in the profession!

The Particulars Of Contemporary Bog Witch Fashion - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Esme prided herself on being an expert in witch fashion, but her latest customer was testing both her skills and her patience.

Honeyed Memory Wrapped In Waxen Forgetting - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “The bees know their way home, grandma. It’s not like they’d forget.”

Seven Generations Of Excellent Literary Management - [1st PPOV, cosy] - Ugh. They’re arguing again. What a terrible waste of an otherwise pleasant afternoon. I sigh and stretch one paw towards the flirtatious sunbeam…

Handling Inter-Realm Travel At Peak - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Maggy strode into the Cross-Vale checkpoint with the confident swagger of the most senior employee present. Viewed as the backbone of the team, she was a certified Good Dog.

Haunting & Hexes Helpline - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Hello, this is ‘Haunting & Hexes Helpline’, what’s your magical malady?” “I, uh… think I might have cursed someone?”

A Special Meeting Of The Eldritch Botany Club - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Some people assumed that because the Eldritch Botany Club advertised itself as a “fun and friendly group”, you needn’t arrive precisely at the listed four o’clock. Nobody made that mistake twice.

Pest - [1st PPOV, neutral with creepy overtones, lesbian/queer rep] - I’ve been doing this for fifteen years, ma’am, I’m telling you it’s a boggart.

Dead Books - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Oh, I’m not the Reaper anymore. I’m retired.

Getting The Tea On The Lord Of Dark Destruction - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Sofia was determined to get her superiors to take her seriously, and if that meant summoning a demon to get the gossip column scoop she needed, so be it!

Local Peace Dove Speaks Up - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - It was never good when an interview turned into an impromptu counselling session. Especially when you were interviewing someone of a different species and weren’t sure what would be comforting.

What Is A Rose? - [3rd PPOV, cosy yet creepy] - Excuse me, I’m from the local council. Your spirit realm appears to be parked in a public shrubbery... do you have clearance for that?

Totally A Dog - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Don’t be silly, of course he has to sleep. Well, no, I’ve never SEEN him sleep, but that doesn’t mean...

Party Like The Damned - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Well, I was going to ask Adam to bring his karaoke setup. Once people get into the booze, deviant ‘hymns’ are pretty much guaranteed...

From The Advice Column Of The Demon Noreel - [epistolary, neutral, humorous, continuation from “Party Like The Damned”] - Murder is an effective resolver of over 99% of noise complaints, particularly if you prevent the corpse from being possessed.

Birthday Supplications - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous, continuation from “The Advice Column Of The Demon Noreel”] - “PRESENT YOUR TRIBUTE, FOOLISH MORTALS, AND PRAY THAT I DEEM IT WORTHY!” “Well, um, I brought party hats…” “OOH, GIMMIE!”

Yes I Sell Anything - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Come now. If buying the world was *cheap* someone would have done it already...

A True Ex From Hell - [1st PPOV, neutral] - “We’ve GOT to stop meeting like this.”

A Candid Interview With A Shopping Succubus - [1st PPOV, neutral] - I dance through an endless buffet of impulses and needs and they feed me like a flower in the sun. But, well, you are what you eat.

A Candid Interview With A Succubus’s Business Partner - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - So, Mr Brooke, what’s it like working with a succubus in a, uh, close capacity?

Can’t Get Bones Professionally Bleached Around Here - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Now, I try not to judge customers on their purchases. Even grocery lists which *look* worrying almost always have perfectly innocent explanations. *Very few* people are, like, serial killers.

Welcome In The Dark - [3rd PPOV, neutral with creepy notes] - “You don’t have to go. You can just stay. That’s what I did.”

Bad Smudge! Bad Present! - [3rd PPOV, neutral, CW: glancing description of a dead animal] - Pets mean well, but somehow always seem to have the worst timing.

Responsibility For A Wish - [3rd PPOV, cosy sombre] - If Annie’s grandparents had known she would wish for her “best friend” to come to life, they would’ve picked a smaller, lighter doll to gift her. Now that Annie was seven, Belle was half her size.

The Marvellous Failed Hangover Cure - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Alchemists creating dangerously potent home-brew and wild cocktails was a cliche, but one many young alchemists were happy to perform. Vicky was in the cohort who rarely woke sober on Saturday morning, and used this as grounds for testing hangover cures.

Emergency Contact For The Other Side - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - The worst part about being a medium was that, once you’d truly pierced the Veil and become a psychic conduit, there was no way to keep office hours. Beatrice hadn’t been blessed with an un-interrupted evening in nearly a decade. But tonight’s contact is urgent…

Post-Mortem Advocacy - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy, humorous, continuation from “Emergency Contact For The Other Side] - “I wouldn’t say I KNOW the deceased, exactly. I only met him after he died…”

Managed Lycanthropy - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Wilma had her lycanthropy under control. Really, she did!

When You Wish To Fly - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - It was the sort of thing you were vaguely aware happened, but never expected to happen to YOU. Or your child. Thank goodness she was taking it well, but…

The Elf And The Shoe Distribution - Sometimes opposite problems look very similar, and what you have in common is knowing what it’s like to be squashed into a mould.

Don’t Mind The Screams, It’s Just Haunted - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Cloe wasn’t daft. Sure, the apartment block was old and basic, but if units were going for that price something had to be up. However, she was broke. So she went to the viewing anyway.

Changeling Gatecrash - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet] - Keith was forgetting something. He was sure of it. SOMETHING was on the horizon, drawing ever closer, but his calendar offered no clues…

Give A Hand - [3rd PPOV, creepy cosy, humorous] - While it’s normal to try all sorts of rheumatism cures, very few people turn to demonology. But Agnus had a quilt to finish.

Guardian Angel’s Deputies Seek Hero - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - When a child has an accident, it’s up to his guardian angel, living teddybear, and anxious under-bed monster to arrange rescue!

Funny Business - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Marvin understood why corporate didn’t refuse service to trickster fey. But he did bitterly wish, at least four times a day, that the jokesters hadn’t developed a taste for human television.

Pushing The Boundaries - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - It was a comfortably dull day in the grants administration department… until Professor Williams stormed in.

Blessed Bread Bane - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - Managing fey-human relations involves all sorts of jobs, but this is a uniquely CRUMBy situation to unpick…

Wistless - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Barry hadn’t gotten anything (other than cereal) out of his cereal box since he was a child, and certainly never an explosion of sparkles bearing an invitation…

Portrait Perfect Memories - [1st PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - I rarely accept business call-outs in the middle of the night, but Aldreda was in my, ahem, social circle, and sounded deeply upset…

Urban Magical Survey Corps - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - “I don’t understand.” Edna declared, in that managerial tone which seemed to expect reality to politely conform to the project plan.

April Vampires! - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Immortality is great and all, but being twenty-six forever gets old… for the people around you, if nothing else.

First Day At Vampire Coven - [1st PPOV, neutral] - Standing here, in the doorway of this ornate and very Gothic hall filled with impeccably dressed vampires, is giving me unerring flashbacks to my distant first day at secondary school, facing the crowded cafeteria all alone.

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Bittersweet/Sombre

Guffy, The Vampire Parrot - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - I don’t remember them all anymore. I loved them all, I did, but so many generations start to blur.

Kiss Of The Feathered Vampire - [3rd PPOV, sombre, continuation from “Guffy, The Vampire Parrot”] - At first Steph thought she’d done very well last night. After all, she didn’t have a hangover. Just weird bumps on her neck…

The House Only Sings When It Rains - [1st PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - Used to be I’d need earplugs to sleep, but now... it’s so beautiful.

Hellfire Cremation Services - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Lay your loved one to rest with our ecologically friendly, affordable service! Guaranteed to remove 100% of soul residue. Postage included!

Old Enough To Choose - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy] - “I wish… well, I always wish she was still with us. But if we HAD to lose her… I wish we’d managed to do this sooner. It… it would’ve meant the world to her, being here with you. Here FOR you, for this.”

Witnessing Echoes Of The Departed - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, CW: reference to abuse] - It wasn’t necromancy. Honest. Ellen preferred to call it ‘a knack’. An ear for the whispers the departed left behind, fragments of presence lingering on their cherished possessions like their fading scent.

Fairy Godmother Daytime Drinking - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet, humorous] - Even running a small pub in a small town, Ian had seen all sorts. But he’d never had anyone storm in sporting full evening wear at lunchtime. And them being four feet tall with glowing butterfly-esk wings was also novel.

RIP Debbie - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - Judge Evans wished this case was being handled by a magistrate panel; she didn’t know much about werewolves. Or pet chickens.

Blood At The End Of The Rainbow - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: description of the aftermath of graphic violence] - Leprechaun gold is in high demand for cosmetics, so Sean was used to following rainbows on his rounds. But what he finds at the base of this one will haunt his nightmares…

The Crimson Lattice - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet horror] - Gable didn’t realise it was happening at first. He didn’t even know how long it’d been going on.

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Grim/Horror

Parakeets And Sheep’s Blood - [1st PPOV, grim] - Birds circled overhead. Not just scavengers, either; there were pigeons, starlings, parakeets. (Once remarkable, now naturalised. Symbolic for so much of our changing world.)

Breaking Confidentiality - [3rd PPOV, grim, CW: mentions of a child being abused and assaulted] - “I don’t know what it is. If it’s a literal monster, or someone in the house, or… But her parents know about it.”

Hungry Roots - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Brian was proud of his apple orchard and took good care of his trees. Including the ones he let grow wild around the edges of his property. But sometimes pruning is called for…

A Gate To Nowhere - [1st PPOV, horror] - Normally ghoul squads get sent in once caution won’t save you. So why are they telling us to be careful? What did they FIND under that ice?

Earthbound Passenger Riding Cargo - [3rd PPOV, horror] - The mess hall fell silent as Jerry walked in. Nobody looked up. Certainly nobody looked AT him. He wished he knew WHY.

Hide And Seek And Find - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Normally the group wouldn’t even THINK of dabbling in magic, much less scary stuff like this, but Lorna had been missing for days…

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Science Fiction

Cosy/Neutral

This Celebration Is Not Optimised For Your Functioning - [3rd PPOV, cosy with a touch of bittersweet] - “You can optimise anything.” HEM spoke with the sublime artificial confidence of an entity whose entire psychology was centred around this concept.

First Time Off Ice - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - “First time doing cryo?” “Y-yeah…” “Figured. First ‘ice-lag’ is always the worst.”

The Lonely Rover - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Nothing in May’s seven years of robotics education had prepared her for the concept of a exploration rover which liked poetry.

Statue Limitations - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - While Margaret’s parents said she could go to Mark’s birthday party, turns out they didn’t give instructions to the home AI… and now they aren’t answering her desperate calls. What’s a teen to do?

My Other Three-Quarters - [3rd PPOV, cosy, blind/amputee/disability rep] - Jenni understood why so many people preferred non-sapient prosthetics, but for her, this partnership was perfect.

Unexpected ETA - [3rd PPOV, cosy with sombre notes] - Ben had never expected to become a father. Certainly not like THIS. But, well, it seemed the universe had decided that for him…

Suiting To (Power)Suit - [2nd PPOV, neutral] - And that’s not even touching on the boots, there’s a whole world of...

A Blatant Though Necessary Violation Of COI - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Conflict of Interest rules are vital to curtail corruption. More to the point, they prevent agonising awkwardness like questioning your wife on legal record. But sadly with both their departments in the med bay...

Subject Is Restless, Stressed, And Begging For Neurotoxicant - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - A minor intergalactic legal proceeding is complicated by cross-species differences.

Just Me And The Habitat Environmental Control Automator - [1st PPOV, neutral] - I’ll give those boffins this; you can tell someone’s created genuine artificial intelligence when the poor thing develops anxiety.

Staffing The Inter-Reality Dino Park - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - One day an upset customer would stop shouting to listen to Terry’s Phd findings. One day.

Super Picked Last - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - “Aw, it’s not dodgeball.”

Crying For A Signal - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - A landslide leaves two children trapped in a cave they shouldn’t have been in, and their com units can’t get a signal through the rock...

A Behavioural Programming Oversight - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - The Automatic Robotic Soldiers were hailed as the future of warfare. Inexhaustible, capable of learning, and utterly loyal to the leadership. At least, that was the plan…

He’ll Clean Up Nicely, I’m Sure - [3rd PPOV, neutral with creepy implications] - When Lucy declared that she was giving up on dating, her friends were entirely sympathetic. Her renewed interest in robotics didn’t strike them as odd either… at first.

It’s Called A Guilt COMPLEX For A Reason - [3rd PPOV, neutral with horror implications] - Graham suspected there were dozens of movies with premises very similar to this experiment, and was starting to wonder if he should have watched some of them…

A Glitch In The Foundation - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - That was the problem with children these days! They weren’t raised to ‘know’ that anything impossible they saw simply hadn’t happened.

The Unrepentant Rift Tearer - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous, SciFi fantasy] - With an alien force devouring all matter in its path, humanity was desperate enough to try anything. Even unleashing the last reality-destroying threat they’d only just managed to contain.

Proper Planetary Cleansing Protocol - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous with horror implications] - The galactic council are once again faced with their most problematic prison planet asking for an extension, claiming ‘record loss’…

Only Controlled Deaccelleration Is Our Motto - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - “D-don’t you think you’re going too fast??” “Not at all! My route and associated velocities are calculated based on air traffic reports and your chosen arrival time. I can assure you we are travelling at the perfect-”

Good Sportshumanship - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous] - Gus’s cussing at his holo-screen was interrupted with a call from Tim. “Hey, finally got a break. Are you watching the match?”

Repeated Exposure Principle - [3rd PPOV, neutral with creepy overtones] - Always one drone. Never two. No clarity. Only that message. “We have what you need!”

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Bittersweet/Sombre

Some Super Apple Carts Need Flipping Over - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - Abdul squeezed her hand and topped up her mug. “Now, I don’t know how you Supers handle these things. But I know how everyone else does.”

The Forgotten Sun - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy, blind/disability rep] - That once-familiar warmth. It was like the touch of an old friend. He drank it in. Well worth climbing 247 steps.

Welcome To Backroom Lilliput - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet] - I come around in a strangely shaped puffy… bed? The ceiling above me is so poorly lit it looks like cardboard. Where AM I??

Inadvertent Behavioural Overlap - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet, CW: mention of child abuse] - At first having an environmentally integrated AI carer had been great. But Alfonzo had been finding it increasingly… overwhelming.

For Want Of An Ounce Of Mercy - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - If only I could have gotten here sooner. Before this nightmare happened. If only I could actually help.

Ribbons Through Moonlit Orbit - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - “War means no communication with the enemy, soldier! THAT INCLUDES FAN MAIL!”

Super Replaceable - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: mention of suicide] - In a more primitive era, being zapped to another timeline would leave one disoriented, but these days every superhero had a phone widget for that. And this city looks exactly like the one Caroline just left…

Landing Point: Hubris - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - It was going to be a wonder of technology, evidence of how far man had come over nature…

Guarding Causality - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - The only remarkable thing about the office was how utterly archetypal it looked. It made the letter Tony’s father had left him feel even crazier…

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Grim/Horror

The Red Dot - [1st PPOV, grim] - The danger you know, or...?

And Stay Down - [1st PPOV, grim] - These bodies won’t bury themselves. But they’ll dig themselves out if we don’t move fast enough.

The Hiss Of Death - [3rd PPOV, grim] - Of the twenty-eight soldiers who’d been sent on a charge through the Lightning Caves, Theo was the only one still alive. With all the protective equipment having failed, can he figure out a way to escape?

One-Point-Six To Twelve - [3rd PPOV, grim] - One-point six faces glared reproachfully from the dark corners of his improvised bunker. Twelve faces wept behind them. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

My Steel Bubble - [1st PPOV, horror] - This posting was meant to be a two person job. Sitting all alone in a steel bubble at the bottom of the ocean will send you mad.

Perfect Completion - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Those people have arms. And cheeks. And livers. They have everything. Why can’t you give those to me?

Gifts From Above - [3rd PPOV, horror] - The impacts happened at 14:53. The internet exploded soon after. Metaphorically.

Your Perfect Match - [3rd PPOV, horror] - They were certainly filming participants. But not to put them on TV...

Right Hour, Wrong Year - [2nd PPOV, horror] - Disappeared? Yeah right. You like playing pranks on people, huh? You see someone who’s flown through the Bermuda Triangle and you rush to change the network time...

Freak Accidents Can Be Great For Recouping Costs - [3rd PPOV, horror] - It was a dream. He knew it was, because he didn’t feel cold.

Stranded With The News - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Before the clouds descended, Fran had lamented not being connected to the city…

A Temporary Fix - [3rd PPOV, horror] - It all happened so fast. Getting the call from the boating club. Rushing to hospital. Being told that Callum had passed. And then, slim dangling hope: “There’s an experimental procedure…”

An Ideal Cradle - [3rd PPOV, horror] - At first it seemed perfect, a new home for humanity after hundreds of years wandering space. Then they found something oddly familiar…

Broadcast Lunacy - [3rd PPOV, horror] - If the broadcast hadn’t been targeted, global losses would’ve been catastrophic. But where is it coming from… and why is it targeting astronomers?

The Final Element - [3rd PPOV, horror] - There’s no excitement quite like a horde of research scientists whose results defy all known paradigms. But they soon discover that this new element poses a risk to far more than just conventional understanding of physics…

Not What She Meant - [3rd PPOV, horror] - Mollie was curled up on her windowsill, reading far past her bedtime by streetlamp. But then the event happened…

The Cult Of Galactic Understanding - [3rd PPOV, body horror] - No! I was sure this would prove my stupid sister WRONG! Now my nose’s bleeding and my Communion Chip won’t.. Stop. Buzzing.

A Helpy Home Hand - [3rd PPOV, horror] - PlynTech’s patented “Helpy AI” is like a pet who integrates with your home! Always there for you, always caring, always helpful! And we’re always improving its software…

Goddess Agne Of Pod Thirty-Nine - [3rd PPOV, horror, grim comedy] - Time dilation within the “Dreamworld” simulation meant a real day became years exploring your chosen digital world. A wonderful holiday… so long as the exit routine runs correctly.

Cutting Away The Kiss Of Death - [3rd PPOV, horror, CW: improvised surgery without anaesthetic] - “Do you have another plan ? ANY idea other than putting a bullet in my head right now? Then shut up and do it.”

Must Be Stress - [3rd PPOV, body horror] - It started with constant, nagging headaches. A warning sign which is all too easy to ignore…

Testing defenceBot27 - [epistolary, horror, CW: description of graphic violence] - Current configurations state “acceptable harm: Lethal”. This setting requires confirmation by an administrator level user or above…

Empty Except For Belief In Protocol - [3rd PPOV, horror] - “Good morning, captain!” SEMA chirped. “Do you have any special instructions for today?” Captain Riley’s corpse did not answer.

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Realistic Fiction

Cosy/Neutral

The Promise - [1st PPOV, cosy] - We swore an oath that summer day on the swings, but...

A Misty Cocoon - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - Just like those distant childhood memories, this was a precious, stolen holiday.

Dog Aphorisms - [epistolary, cosy, humorous] - Life is like a sharp stick...

The First First Date - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous, gay/queer rep] - “We’ll have our phones off silent all evening, so just shoot a message if you need picking up early. For ANY reason. Alright?”

When You ASSUME - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - “Did you assume I was gay from the moment you found out it was a GUY applying to work at your flower shop?”

Kittens At Rainbow Dive - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - Joel had been running a queer bar for half a century, and he knew trouble when it swaggered in the door. Dumbass kids.

The Heartbeat Of The Club - [1st PPOV, cosy, maybe romance, nonbinary/genderqueer and queer rep] - I stomp until the memories of this hard week beg for mercy beneath my feet. I sway until the clinging sadness gives up and falls away. I punch the air until my frustration is splattered across the ceiling like invisible neon paint.

Truly Welcome In The Empty Nest - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet, nonbinary/genderqueer rep] - Mattie hugged their best friend tight and forced a smile. Settling into a new home was never easy, but...

Settled In - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet, nonbinary/genderqueer rep, continuation of “Truly Welcome In The Empty Nest”] - It was funny how quickly you got used to people calling you by the name you used inside.

Prom Monarchs - [3rd PPOV, cosy, nonbinary/genderqueer rep] - He was the prom king, she was the prom queen... and through conspiracy a third crown was readied.

A Pirate’s Dream ARG - [3rd PPOV, cosy] - “Hi, Nat.” Mum’s voice was bright and breezy. “Do you remember hiding treasure in the walls?”

Detective Grant And The Case Of The Smashed Wedding Cake - [3rd PPOV, cosy, humorous] - When the wedding reception is sabotaged 12-year-old Grant leaps at the chance to be a detective. But untangling what happened and when turns out to be quite a task…

Confession, Condolences, And Coffee - [1st PPOV, cosy] - I didn’t mean to start the day with a confession, but the waiter asked how I was, and I panicked.

A Ghost I Never Was - [1st PPOV, cosy, transmasc/genderqueer rep] - Mum wrings her hands and frowns at all the hoarded tat like it somehow snuck into her house of its own accord.

A Slippery Slope - [3rd PPOV, neutral, humorous, lesbian/queer rep] - How far would you stoop to reach that goal?

No Action Is Required - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - I will be at the Chained Swans this evening at 20:00...

Murder Mystery In The Clubhouse - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy, CW: bullying] - Jack wasn’t allowed to play with dolls. So he kept his secret stash of dolls in the clubhouse he’d built on the waste ground out back.

Detective Hartley’s Last Chase - [3rd PPOV, neutral] - After all that (the autopsy, two weeks investigating, that festering crossword puzzle) he wouldn’t let it all come to nought because of a distant badminton injury! Collapsing could happen AFTER justice was served.

That Constant Creak - [1st PPOV, neutral, maybe magic] - As a child that creaky floorboard was my nemesis. I *never* managed to avoid it. My secret dream was the floor being replaced. Now I’m so, so glad that didn’t happen.

A Perfectly Normal Approach - [1st PPOV, neutral, humorous, transmasc/genderqueer rep] - It’s nothing. I mean, it’s perfectly normal to mess around and experiment with your avatars, right? Especially when you always end up having a dozen characters in each game you play. That’s just… everyone does that. It’s NORMAL.

Forced Diplomacy Practice - [3rd PPOV, neutral, lesbian/queer rep, CW: casual racism] - Training to be a diplomat can be useful when you get trapped in a conversation with the local boor…

Easy As ABC - [1st PPOV, neutral] - If I’d known it was Gory’s bag I never woulda opened it, even being desperate to keep him from kicking me out of the gang…

Granny’s Mystery Recipe - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet, maybe magic] - Kevin wished he’d gotten to cook with granny, like everyone else. At least her recipes lived on.

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Bittersweet/Sombre

Personas - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, nonbinary/genderqueer rep, CW: reflection on losing loved ones] - Amazing how many fragments of myself were sitting in that trunk.

Reaching For Little Aggy - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - I’d heard of this ‘inner child’ concept but never thought much of it. Mostly because I never felt I’d really been a child.

Morris Never Had Time For Tears - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - Folks started calling me “Moody Morris”. I accepted it. Thought that’s who I was. That I’d sold my happiness for our hope.

Carbon Copy Laid To Rest - [1st PPOV, bittersweet] - It must be strange to see your twin in a coffin. It was strange enough for me, looking at Grandad lying peaceful and then glancing about to see him sitting on the other side of the room.

A Time Capsule Of Dreams - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, CW: transphobic bullying, transfem/genderqueer rep] - Clearing out the parents’ attic leads to rediscovering old stolen treasure, and accompanying pain.

Dislocated Joy - [1st PPOV, bittersweet, CW: depression] - I’m trying really hard to recapture the glee and aimless joy which came so naturally as a child. Back when I felt alive.

One Penny At A Time - [1st PPOV, sombre, CW: near suicide] - The wind blows my hair. I’m standing on the edge again. How many times have I had this dream?

Picture Perfect Squeaky Clean - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - She left it unopened by the sink for a few days. The promises were always far sweeter than the reality.

Pinned Tight To Unseeable Strings - [1st PPOV, sombre, romance] - The rhythm remains steady but the strikes become increasingly wild, no longer landing with precision. Perhaps despite the goggles dust has crept into her eyes. Or perhaps something else is lodged in them.

What Is Love? - [3rd PPOV, sombre, aromantic/queer rep] - Daisy didn’t even notice, that first time. But as the weeks went on the pattern began to eat at her.

The Hand Of A Punchbowl Angel - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet cosy, gay/queer rep] - It was one of those nights where Monty wasn’t sure whether he’d run away from home. It wasn’t like he’d decided to never go back, he just… he didn’t want to be in that house right now. For the third night running.

A Foster Boyfriend - [3rd PPOV, cosy bittersweet, gay/queer rep, continuation of “The Hand Of A Punchbowl Angel] - “It was never gonna be forever, but… it was beautiful”

Links Across Years And Lives - [3rd PPOV, bittersweet sombre, CW: reflections on losing a parent] - She perched on the end of the bed and inspected her reflection in the old, worn vanity mirror, and tried to remember when people started saying “you look so much like your mother”.

The Sweet Rotting Scent Of Rebirth - [3rd PPOV, sombre] - It was funny. The flowers hadn’t smelt of much when they were fresh. Now… they’d gone past death, into trying to become something new.

Stringent Parental Drop-In - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: emotional abuse] - “See you soon!” Maggie trilled into the phone, then sprinted into the kitchen in a panic. “My parents are visiting!!”

The Last To Leave - [3rd PPOV, sombre, CW: grief and substance abuse] - Agatha had always sworn she’d never do this. That she wouldn’t be the one to steal away the last scrap of family her brother had. And yet…

Strands That Never Loosen - [3rd PPOV, sombre, romance, CW: grief not being supported] - Once a week she faces what was a ritual of unity and is now an act of remembrance.

Don’t Stop. Follow The Wind. - [1st PPOV, sombre] - So cold. All over. Yet throat burns. Can’t stop.

A Beginning And An Ending - [1st PPOV, sombre, CW: terminal illness] - I shouldn’t have read the letter. Should’ve waited for AFTER the family get-together, when it’d be safe to fall apart.

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Grim/Horror

The Heart Of Art - [3rd PPOV, grim] - What use is a flower without a pot?

You Thought You Knew Someone - [3rd PPOV, grim] - “I thought that, I don’t know, that maybe it redeemed the decisions I’d made if a bunch of kids could get a leg up from it.”

A Deadly Dozen - [3rd PPOV, grim humour] - Even assassins need a safe space to relax and talk shop while off work. But how ‘safe’ is a room full of professional killers?

Lizzie and her Angel - [1st PPOV, horror] - She calls me Lizzy, and Lolly, and Manhunter. I’d do anything for her.

A Deflating Stunt - [3rd PPOV, horror comedy] - Aha. Says here that I’m responsible for anyone I let onto the ride, and I told you no, plus I don’t have training for climbing inside a cheery rubber deathtrap. So...

Zombism Or Hypothermia? - [1st PPOV, horror, maybe magic] - It all made sense once I decided I was dead.

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Romance

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Writing From Weird

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Table Of Contents

Fantasy

Fairytale/Myth

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Historical Fantasy

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Urban/Contemporary Fantasy

Standalone

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Under The Interplaner Accord

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Science Fiction

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Realistic Fiction

Cosy/Neutral

Bittersweet/Sombre

Grim/Horror

Romance

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