Open Call: Cheat Code

<Cheat Code: A Queer Horror LitRPG Anthology>

Did you ever glitch your old Pokemon games to find MissingNo.? Try to access the Cow Dimension in Diablo? Get a glimpse of Bigfoot in GTA San Andreas?

SUBMISSION WINDOW:

September 1—December 31, 2026.

WORDCOUNT:

no minimum. 8K maximum (no exceptions

PAYMENT:

$25USD + paperback + ebook.

LINK TO ORIGINAL CALL

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WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR:

Did you ever glitch your old Pokemon games to find MissingNo.? Try to access the Cow Dimension in Diablo? Get a glimpse of Bigfoot in GTA San Andreas?

Curated by TT Madden, Slashic Horror Press is looking for queer horror stories about video games!

To fit with the vibe of a classic demo disc or game jam from the 80s or 90s, we’re looking for stories that feel intentionally incomplete, that feel like there's more going on beyond the page. We want small slices of a larger world.

Does someone get sucked into a videogame? Does something come out and into real life? Was a game delisted because it's actually cursed? Whether it's the story of a game itself, a story about a character's interaction with a game, or anything in between, we want to see it!

All entries MUST be queer-focused. This means having a line-up of authentic queer characters (not side-characters) as the protagonists and/or villains. We want slashers, cults, eco-horror, curses, supernatural… anything, really, but be original, and remember: nostalgic 90s video games. Please don’t give us fanfic or a story we’ve read a million times before. Be creative, be bold, and be unapologetic for being queer. What else do we want? Read below:

• Slashic is a queer-owned press. TT and I are looking for stories representative of queerness. Queerness doesn’t have to be central to the conflict of the story, but don’t just include a throwaway mention to check off a box. You do not have to be a queer writer to submit; ally stories are also welcome!

  
  

• Stories with a feel of the fifth generation of video game consoles (PlayStation, Nintendo 64)

  
  

• Stories with unconventional forms. Is your story told as a video game instruction pamphlet? In-world documents picked up in a survival horror game? Early-internet chat forms? Item descriptions? Surprise us!

  
  

• Stories set primarily in the 90s and early 2000s, but we'll consider stories in other times if they're exceptional.

  
  

• Stories mostly about video games, but we'll consider other types of games (playground games, TTRPGs, etc) if they're exceptional.

We want your best editing. You don’t have to get something professionally edited before submission, just do it to the absolute best of your ability. Don’t write or edit with AI. Don’t know how to edit? Learn. Don’t waste our time, please. We want to support queer indie authors who give a shit about their work and who put the effort in.

PLEASE DON'T SEND

Rape, bestiality, pedophilia. Anything derogatory to the queer community will clearly not be accepted. I will also not accept retold fairytales or anything clearly derivative. No generative AI. What else won't we accept? Read on:

• Anything that uses a pre-existing IP (though verisimilitude is fine)

  
  

• YA stories, though your story may feature young characters​

  
  

• Poetry

  
  

• Fantasy

  
  

• Romantasy

  
  

Anything that is not firmly horror will be rejected without acknowledgment.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Send stories to slashichorrorpress@gmail.com in the following format: SURNAME—TITLE—CHEAT CODE. E.g.: Fletcher—Gameboy Chaos—Cheat Code.