Submission Call: Acid and Ultra Violence

We’re looking for speculative fiction stories (science fiction, fantasy, horror) that center around implements of murder—the tools, devices, artifacts, or weapons used to kill. Whether ancient, alien, magical, mechanical, or purely diabolical, we want the weapon to be at the heart of the story. Turn it into a character, or turn a character into a weapon. Give it a story. Let it gleam in the light, drip in shadow, or hum with power. Is it cursed? Custom-built? Alien in origin? Rube-Goldbergian in execution? Show us something clever, brutal, unforgettable.

We want front-row seats to the carnage—whether the villain triumphs or the hero falls, whether justice is served or chaos reigns. Make it good. Make it hurt.

Guidelines:

• Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror (speculative fiction only)

• Word Count: 1,000 to 12,000 words

• Submission Window: May 10th – August 1st, 2025

• Projected Publication Date: October 1st, 2025

• Payment: $10 USD (flat rate)

• Multiple Submissions: Up to 3 per author

• Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere

• Reprints: Accepted if not published within the past 2 years and you retain rights

• AI Policy: No stories written entirely by AI. Assistance with plotting, grammar, spellcheck, or brainstorming is fine—but the final story must be human-written

• Keep it tasteful: We have no problem with blood, gore, cannibalism, human sacrifice, buckets of entrails left by the couch as a tasty midnight snack… but gratuitous gore, violence, and cruelty aren’t cool. It’s got to be necessary to the story and not just window dressing

Send submissions as:

• .rtf attachment

• Standard manuscript format (Shunn or similar preferred. If you’re unfamiliar with formatting for submission, here’s a link: https://www.shunn.net/format/story/1/)

• Email subject line: Acid and Ultra Violence Submission – [Story Title] – [Word Count]

• Email to: [fartheststarpublishing@gmail.com]

Rights: We ask for first world English-language rights (or reprint rights, if applicable) for three months from publication date, non-exclusive thereafter.