Appears in The Arcanist, 22 July 2021

Ultimate Warrior cam drones swoop in to start my live stream. I check the HUD on my corneal implants, skimming messages from fans and haters.

VipeSqwad2028: Viper just SNAKED that warrior, he DED!
MixMaxMox: Viper gon be DED with a sick headshot!
RyanXXX: Viper’s got no fux left to give!

I wipe a bead of sweat from my chin. It’s hot AF under the Caribbean sun blazing over Permadeath Island. I have just enough time to re-attach a fake eyelash and tilt one leg forward.

A Kill Girl’s gotta look her best.

“Heyyy Vipettes,” I purr. “Like that shot? No scope to the nuts! Maybe he wishes I’d aimed a little higher.”

I giggle demurely, swinging my rifle over my shoulder and flash a sexy wink to the camera. The stream cuts and I drop the smile, falling into a squat as I check a message from Ty Reynolds, CEO of Death Rebels Inc., my gamer team.

Viper — your stream count sucks! 5.2M, 8th spot. Get it higher. If you don’t win, you can at least get us more views before you die!

Damn. Whoever’s number one must be twenty million. We’re all cogs in a machine, but it’s good to be a cog that’s making mint.

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My latest story appears in The Arcanist, bite sized fiction.

I’ve been reading and writing a lot on these themes – Cam Girls / Cam Boys, Streaming Culture, Video Games, Late Stage Capitalism, Nihilism and doing ANYTHING for the views. I have another story similar to this one coming out later in the year and I’m thinking of how to factor in these types of themes and badass characters in a longer work.