Stories

Ben Gay just wanted to tell the truth and get his story straight.

That was his first mistake.

The second was thinking anyone would believe him.

Set against a backdrop of dial-up modems and Y2K paranoia, this story is a deep dive into pure 90s nostalgia. On the final Spring Break of the millennium, music snob Leo believes a CD-ROM playlist from his best friend Caleb is a nerdy ark designed to save their decade's music from the apocalypse. He champions its eclectic mix as genius, until a single 80s song shatters his theory. Leo is forced to realize the playlist isn't a museum, but a love letter — the culmination of a decade of unheard confessions hidden in the B-sides of every mixtape Caleb has ever made, forcing him to finally stop analyzing and start listening.

Originally a throwaway parody in The Straightest Lies We Tell Ourselves, this story lassos the cowboy trope of a city boy in search of himself and drags it straight, or not so straight, into a cowboy crisis.

To secure his inheritance, Zayn hires River to play the role of his perfect boyfriend. It’s supposed to be simple—smiles for the family, a little hand-holding, and then part ways. But the longer they pretend, the more real their connection begins to feel.

Soon, Zayn and River discover that faking love is far easier than protecting their hearts. Will their deal end with both getting what they wanted—or will one of them lose something far more precious?

A humorous discussion between Poochie and Dane. A pair of dogs. I decided to marry a prompt, #622, first line, with the Anthology topic, Creature Feature.

Lord Percival Nocturne is an ancient vampire suffering from a profound boredom. His fate is sealed when a meal on a virgin porn author fills him with untapped creative energy. A subsequent attack by a rabid unicorn doesn't kill him—it transforms him into Sparklehoof, a glittery, fanged unicorn who excretes rainbow ice cream . He realizes he is a cosmic antibody against "The Beige," a universal force of soul-crushing blandness . Can his army of Pepsi-addicted penguins and furious dachshunds save existence from total monotony?

For socially anxious Owen, the only safe space at a chaotic Halloween party is his best friend, Jasper, who is completely hidden inside a ridiculous furry werewolf costume. Fueled by suspicious green punch, Owen confesses his year-long crush on a guy named Elias. But his confession is met with an unexpectedly tender and heartfelt reaction, making him wonder... what secret is the werewolf hiding?

Everyone knows the gayest thing about gay erotica is the straight guys.

Steve's a wrecking ball of boredom, intelligence, and drama... except no one believes him. At all.

Especially not straight laced, Baptist, All-Canadian repressed jock Kenny Jensen who is convinced Steve is out to pull a prank on him.

Lydia, Steve's sister, all around smartest girl in the room, and utterly fed up with Steve's BS, sees the truth. But will the two boys? No chance, Lydia's going to have to fix it. Uggh, boys, why are they so dumb?