Worlds Without Warning

Special thanks to the Type. Tune. Tint. podcast for sponsoring this week's story. 

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new speculative horror story, "The Petals Beneath Her Tongue." Set in a near-future where emotions can be extracted and sold as consumable flavors, this story follows Vera Salazar, a disgraced influencer who signs a contract with Savorium to monetize her feelings...literally. Blending body horror with corporate exploitation and liturgical imagery, the story explores the commodification of authenticity, forced empathy, and what happens when the boundary between self and other dissolves completely. Content warning: this story contains visceral body horror, medical procedures, and themes of bodily exploitation.

You can find the written version of "The Petals Beneath Her Tongue" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "The Petals Beneath Her Tongue" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new literary horror story, "Housekeeping for the Dead." Set during the night shift at the Starlight Motel, this story follows a housekeeper who cleans seven rooms while five stay locked, encountering different versions of the same dying woman in each one. Blending grief with supernatural repetition and the mundane details of motel housekeeping, the story explores complicated mourning and what happens when someone can't stop trying to care for a person they've already lost. Content warning: this story deals honestly with terminal illness, death, and watching someone fade slowly.

You can find the written version of "Housekeeping for the Dead" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "Housekeeping for the Dead" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special thanks to the Type. Tune. Tint. podcast for sponsoring this week's story. 

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud "The Morrow Twins," a gothic horror story by Natalia Emmons, Cetera's managing editor making her fiction debut. Set in the fictional coastal town of Greyport, Massachusetts, this story follows Iris, who returns home for the funeral of childhood friend Thalia Morrow, only to encounter Tess—Thalia's twin sister whom Iris doesn't quite remember but somehow should. Blending psychological horror with haunted house atmosphere and New England gothic tradition, the story kicks off Cetera's Horror Month with twins, mirrors, and poppets with teeth.

You can find the written version of "The Morrow Twins" right here.

About the author:

Natalia Emmons is the managing editor of Cetera Magazine and one of its cofounders. She mainly writes short fiction, poetry, and extremely long text messages about the perils of run on sentences.

Listen toward the end of the show for Natalia's full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "The Morrow Twins" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine:

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits:

• Host: Jon Negroni
• Author: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Natalia Emmons
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share this story!
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special thanks to the Type. Tune. Tint. podcast for sponsoring this week's story. 

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new fantasy story, "I Am the Wolf, I Am the Boy." Set in the mysterious Singing Woods, this story follows Ilen, a traveling bard searching for stories, who encounters Corrin, a young man cursed to transform into a wolf and forget anyone who truly loves him. Blending dark fantasy with queer romance, the story explores the ache of loving someone we're destined to lose and the role of art as memory that survives forgetting.

You can find the written version of "I Am the Wolf, I Am the Boy" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "I Am the Wolf, I Am the Boy" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special thanks to the Type. Tune. Tint. podcast for sponsoring this week's story. 

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his dark fantasy story, "Songs for the Dead and Drowning," which is a fan favorite originally published in May that we've been eager to share in audio form. Set in a fantasy version of Caribbean waters influenced by Taíno folklore, this story follows a nameless sirena who refuses to be the sanitized mermaid of popular culture, instead wielding teeth sharper than storms and a hunger for justice that runs deeper than any ocean trench. Blending brutal fantasy with cultural reclamation and environmental themes, the story explores what happens when wild things refuse to be tamed, when predators stop apologizing for their nature, and what revenge looks like when it comes from the sea itself seeking retribution against those who would plunder and possess it.

You can find the written version of "Songs for the Dead and Drowning" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "Songs for the Dead and Drowning" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new magical realism story, "The Archivist." Set in Oakland, this story follows Isandro, a DJ who returns home from a late-night gig to find a mysterious woman in his apartment cataloguing all of his personal absences, which include missed calls, unsent birthday cards, and broken promises that have accumulated over the years. Blending fantastical elements with deeply grounded emotional realism and community healing, the story explores what we owe to the spaces where love should have been, as well as the weight of things left undone.

You can find the written version of "The Archivist" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "The Archivist" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new thriller story, "End of the Line." Set on Chicago's Blue Line during the late-night shift, this story follows Lily, a train conductor whose routine crossword puzzle is interrupted by a mysterious voice on an old radio frequency claiming there's a killer on board. Blending real-time suspense with transit procedural detail and character depth, the story explores quick decision-making under pressure, the courage to break protocol when lives are at stake, and what happens when an ordinary person must choose between following the rules and following their instincts to save passengers from a deadly threat.

You can find the written version of "End of the Line" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "End of the Line" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new speculative contemporary fiction story, "Behavioral Pause." Set in our near future, this story follows Eleanor, who volunteers for a clinical trial testing a drug designed to help people control their verbal impulses by creating a neural delay between thought and speech. Blending pharmaceutical science fiction with relationship dynamics and social commentary, the story explores authenticity versus acceptability, the pressure to optimize our personalities for social consumption, and what happens when we can no longer access our own voices. As Eleanor discovers the costs of chemical self-improvement while dating Marco, the story examines whether being liked is worth losing the ability to be truly known.

You can find the written version of "Behavioral Pause" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "Behavioral Pause" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera

Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new contemporary literary fiction story, "We Should Celebrate." Set in Charlotte, North Carolina, this story follows Elena and Noah, roommates whose carefully maintained boundaries are tested when Elena receives a job offer that will take her across the country. Blending understated prose with emotional complexity inspired by Sally Rooney and Emily Henry, the story explores the concept of "never-lovers;" people who want to be together but battle against timing and circumstance. Using an experimental three-act structure compressed into short fiction, it examines missed connections, unspoken feelings, and what happens when we choose our futures over our hearts.

You can find the written version of "We Should Celebrate" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "We Should Celebrate" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera

Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new dark fantasy horror story, "The Hunger Beneath the Warrens." Set in a world of interconnected rabbit warrens bound by ancient magic, this story follows Captain Vetch of Thornburrow as he faces an undead infection that spreads through fallen communities, turning the dead into something far more dangerous than corpses. Blending fantasy worldbuilding with zombie horror and emotional depth, the story explores impossible leadership choices, community bonds, and what happens when the magical connections that define a society begin to crumble, forcing survivors to choose between preserving the past and building an uncertain future.

You can find the written version of "The Hunger Beneath the Warrens" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.

• Read "The Hunger Beneath the Warrens" with original artwork.
• Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
• Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera

Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Host & Author: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.