It wasn’t anything you did wrong. Sometimes a sword and their wielder just grow apart. But out of respect for our long companionship, I feel I owe you an explanation. You never asked me what I was doing in that dragon’s hoard where you found me all those years ago. The truth is, after centuries … Continue reading DP FICTION #90A: “Dear Joriah Kingsbane, It’s Me, Eviscerix the Sword of Destiny” by Alexei Collier
All Diabolical Plots stories published in 2021. For our most recent stories, click here! Issue 82 – December 2021 “There Are Angels and They Are Utilitarians,” by Jamie Wahls Our elders teach us that in the beginning, as we were given this world in stewardship to love and protect, there were two leaders, good and … Continue reading 2021 Stories
Content note (click for details) Content note: coerced surgery, cannibalism You will just have woken in your bed. Time is short. You are groggy, I’m sure, but it is important you pay attention and do not leave – do not move – until this recording is finished. Listen: marketing is everything. Corporations spend trillions to … Continue reading DP FICTION #80A: “Audio Recording Left by the CEO of the Ranvannian Colony to Her Daughter, on the Survival Imperative of Maximising Profits” by Cassandra Khaw and Matt Dovey
edited by Ziv Wities and David Steffen The interest in Thea Wells even outside of the circle of art lovers and connoisseurs remains strong, and conclusions about her work range from the normal, technical approach of art critics to the downright strange explanations of the ardent believers in the paranormal. To give a brief overview … Continue reading DP FICTION #78B: “The Art and Mystery of Thea Wells” by Alexandra Seidel
edited by Kel Coleman Content note(click for details) Content note: abuse The week I moved into my old family home, the brick one that sat like a triple-layered cake at the end of the street, I spent each day and into the night repainting every wall. Mint living room, yellow bathroom, pink bedroom. I chose … Continue reading DP FICTION #78A: “Fermata” by Sarah Fannon
edited by Ziv Wities and David Steffen When the cars started driving themselves, we went back to the old ways. It wasn’t a slow change, the way the news made it out to be. One day we were in control, and the next we weren’t. Now they can strike anywhere, anytime, any make and any … Continue reading DP FICTION #75B: “Three Riddles and a Mid-Sized Sedan” by Lauren Ring
Editor-In-Chief and Publisher David Steffen is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Diabolical Plots, LLC which publishes Diabolical Plots and The Long List Anthology Series. He is also the co-founder and administrator of The Submission Grinder. Diabolical Plots Editors Amanda Helms (she/her) is a biracial fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes horror writer whose stories have appeared … Continue reading Staff
edited by David Steffen and Ziv Wities I keep my head low as I sprint towards the floating Kakardemon, dodging left-and-right across the dusty ground of Io. A ball of lightning crackles overhead, a near-miss, and the Kakardemon’s single green eye twists in fury, its red leather skin sparking in the twilight as it builds … Continue reading DP FICTION #72A: “Energy Power Gets What She Wants” by Matt Dovey
Content note(click for details) Content note: discussion of suicide He was lost in the guillotine section of the big department store. He could never have guessed there was such a thing, or he might have taken more care when the doors of the elevator opened and let him out. He was on the wrong floor. … Continue reading DP FICTION #68B: “Are You Being Severed?” by Rhys Hughes
written by David Steffen This is one of a series of articles wherein I examine a music video as a short film, focusing on the story rather than the music, trying to identify the story arcs and characters motivations, and consider the larger implication of events. The film this week is Foil by Weird Al … Continue reading MUSIC VIDEO DRILLDOWN #7: Foil by Weird Al Yankovic
