Hello readers and writers of tumblr !!
Are you interested in reading some horror and horror-adjacent stories for free? All you have to do is give me your opinion on them!
Here are all the short stories that I’m opening for beta reading:
MOUNTAIN OF BONE: 9k words, eldritch horror, disability and queer rep (GHOST YAOI !! HUZZAH !!)
Summary: an unnamed cowboy teenager tries to escape the powerful force of the Mountain of Bone, an everlasting presence in his life that has caused all of his misfortunes, from the loss of mobility in his leg to the death of his adoptive parents. As he befriends the ghost kid haunting the mountain, he starts to believe he truly may have a shot at running away, but what happens when his foes seem to be closer than he expected?
TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence, mentions of cannibalism, implied racism, implied pedophilia (very very brief)
THE GRAVE OF TERRY CROOKS: 9K words, psychological and transgender-themed horror
Summary: A story about four teenagers on their way to help an injured friend lost in the swamp, unaware of the way nature twists around and inside of them.
How do boys grow into men?
What if a lady was not a lady at all?
And, most of all, what is the right answer to give to the voice calling from the mud?
TRIGGER WARNINGS: discussions of gender identity (although not too explicit), physical injuries, there’s like two fatphobic jabs because it’s the 2000s
NIETZSCHE SENDS ME A BULLET: 8K words, psychological horror
Summary: Harinton's wife is dead, but the prospect of grief is cut short by his curiosity to study her body in decomposition. The more time he lets pass him by, the more the memories ain a stronger grip on his consciousness; outside, the storm enrages.
If karma exists, it's standing right at his doorstep.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: femicide, body horror, discussions of war, mentions of miscarriage
SLEEP’S PREY: 1.3K words, creature horror
Summary: Little Isiah, a chronic insomniac, can finally sleep. The neighbors don't understand just why his mom is so worried about it: he sleeps, and he sleeps well.
So, what if he thinks he sees someone, something staring at him through the window right as he dozes off? It's always better to sleep in company.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of bullying
GODLESSMANIA: 53K words (yes it’s the only novella here don’t worry), psychological, religious and surreal horror
Summary: the parish priest is dead. The suspects: two strangely intimate clergymen, the freakish deacon, and a goat-eyed child.
As time passes, the matter begins to be less about catching a killer and more about escaping him.
In these times of struggle, which brother will you trust, and which will you send to the slaughter?
TRIGGER WARNINGS: literally everything under the sun, pedophilia and grooming (A LOT OF IT), racial discrimination and fetishism, injuries and death, psychological trauma, all of it at the same time
PERFECT PEOPLE: 9K words, psychological horror-adjacent
Summary: a day in the life of Leslie Gibbs, heroin junkie and now half orphan, as he comes to terms with unrequited longing, the role he played in the death of his alcoholic father and the harm he’s still inflicting on his disabled little sister without her knowledge. A study of guilt.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: discussions of disability, racism, a lot of drug abuse
If you’re interested in beta-reading for any of these stories, message me! Any help would be appreciated, both from writers and from readers
