Author
Sean Vivier
The Tyrant's Statue Is Still Falling
The tyrant's statue is still falling. It has such a long way to go. There are miles from the uppermost clouds of the gas giant to its core. It will topple for quite a while. It felt almost as long as the struggle to remove the tyrant from power. We had had to hide low in the…
Master Carver Builds A Debtors' Prison
Itzak paid very precise attention to Master Carver's instructions. He had apprenticed for the man long enough to know that his master demanded particular detail. For all Carver's love of anarchy, he still loved order and harmony within his own work. The apprentice knew all the…
2021
"Lord, save me from sequels." "I'm sorry, what?" "Nothing. Thank you for coming in. We wanted to discuss your story, 2021." "Happy to." "Thing is... this story doesn't really come together for us." "What does that even mean?" "Okay, look. It feels like you rushed this into being…
2020
"Thank you for coming. We wanted to talk to you about your submission. We have some notes. Is that all right?" "I mean, sure. I'm still at the beginning of my career. I can only stand to improve." "Now... we like the story. We do. Lots of drama. Lots of diverse and interesting…
The Wealth of Dragons
From where he hid behind the boulder, Sir Karl already saw the dragon in slumber. He imagined such vast wealth beneath that bulk. And soon he'd liberate it from the dragon's greed. He rose, sword at ready, and he crept closer to the recumbent beast. He halted, though, as soon as…
Ever Since The Rapture
Ever since the Rapture, we have all become far kinder to one another. I haven't seen a trace of judgment for petty differences. Not one gay slur. No Muslim has been beaten in a long while. My trans friends are walking without fear. And I haven't been slut-shamed once. It's a…
The Ones Who Don't Walk Away
A lot is made of those who walk away from the city. And I get it. I do. It's a shock to learn the city's secret. That a child must suffer for our prosperity. Of course it breaks a lot of people. Of course they walk away. Of course they abandon their civic duty. Sure there are…
Tornillo Memorial
As soon as Mike walked into the Tornillo camp, he felt the immensity of it bear down upon him. He had to hold his copy of Tornillo Means Screw tighter to himself to withstand it. The sheer force of history here. How his grandparents had been kept here, how his mother had been…
The Economist's Sisyphean Task
Marisol Prieto watched the boulder yet again slip and fall from its perch. She sighed. "This has no utility." King Sisyphus eyed her with disdain and defensive ego. "I almost got it that time. I'll get it this time." He began the long walk down the mountain, and Marisol followed…
Mining Titan
It rained as they set foot on Titan. Liquid methane rolled down Bruce Villareal's suit and left a puddle beside the ice that served for ground. He noted Samira Boutros beside him, and her suit glistened wet with methane as well. The place abounded in it. Why else mine the moon…
Decennarchy
We called them the Decennarchy, since they were a government that appeared every ten years, and because our librarian liked languages. Sure enough, ten years to the day since the last sighting, their domed temple came into being on the town green. How to describe the…
Mad Lib
It was another day in the ____(ADJECTIVE)____ Empire. Our Hero served them, not that he'd ever trusted _____(POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY)____. But you lived the choices they gave you. That attitude didn't give him much meaning, but it did place him in command. Of course, not everyone…
Democratic Weather
Report: Waves of drought and flood threaten harvest, may cause nationwide famine. Wow. Who could have possibly seen that coming? (/sarcasm) Posted two minutes ago. Lost a friend today because he found out I was Temperate Party. Posted seven hours ago. . Political cartoon in the…
Bitten Women's Shelter
***Editor's Note: Adult language and situation. Be advised.*** "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't come inside." That was Dr. Baumgartner's voice that Precious heard. She spoke in the tone that Precious had come to associate with controlled exasperation. "No earthly power can stay me…
The Chosen One Can't Lose
One Your Uncle Abraxas stands at the door. His eyes are wide and his hair tangled. He lifts his chin and sniffs at you. "Come, boy," he says. "The time is upon us. You must fulfill your destiny as the Champion of Light!" If you abandon everything for adventure with your Uncle…
Totemkill
Grant drove. Mel had the back seat and Hart took shotgun. Mel snorted. "Sign looks like a coat-of-arms." "What's that?" Grant asked. "That road sign. Stag Rampant, Sable on Or." Grant had a smile in his voice, if rebuke in his words. "I'm pretty sure that means deer crossing."…