Vivian Sims

Series

We Stayed Anyway

When loyalty outlasted logic.

A short story series that explores the emotional aftermath of staying — staying too long, staying for the wrong reasons, or staying because leaving felt harder. Told with biting humor and quiet heartbreak, each story dives into the absurdity of modern work life, from AI-era disillusionment to inner survival in toxic systems.Whether it's a dashboard that traps you in loops, an OKR that forgets you're human, or a company that treats your silence as gratitude, these are stories of people who knew better... but stayed anyway.

Stories in this series:

No One Told Me To Stay

A short story about the hidden cost of not deciding.

This satirical fiction captures the quiet exhaustion of staying in a job long after it stops making sense.
It follows one employee’s inner spiral — between Slack notifications, fake smiles, and the eerie comfort of “just one more year.”For anyone who’s ever postponed quitting, kept pushing through burnout, or clung to professionalism while fading inside… this is your story.A quietly devastating read — coming soon to Kindle.

Twist Clockwise and Pull Up

The Wrong Flavor Makes Everything Feel Harder

A short story about choice, burnout, and the invisible toll of “pushing through.”
Two mint tins. One tired employee.
When every task feels heavier than it should, maybe you’re not broken — just stuck with the wrong flavor of effort.For readers who’ve felt off, out of sync, or just plain worn down — this story offers dark comedy, quiet truth, and a tiny moment of clarity.Coming soon to Kindle.

Prompt, Pray, Survive

7 Wonders Behind The Compensation

A darkly humorous short story collection exploring burnout, quiet quitting, and the emotional toll of toxic work culture in the age of AI.
Perfect for fans of workplace satire, this book pulls back the curtain on what it really costs to “stay professional” while systems fail silently behind the scenes.Whether you’re in tech, HR, or just tired of endless Slack pings, Prompt, Pray, Survive delivers sharp insight with wit and empathy.
A must-read for anyone wondering if their “compensation” is worth the price.Coming soon to Kindle — stay tuned.

Series

We Built the System

Then watched it break from the inside.

A short story series told from the other side of the org chart — the founders, the leads, the dreamers who once meant well but slowly lost the plot.
These aren’t villains. They’re believers. They built systems to tame chaos, only to realize the chaos had logged in too.Set in an age of misunderstood AI, empty dashboards, and performative innovation, each story offers a dry, cutting dissection of modern leadership, accountability, and the beautiful lies people tell themselves when they’re the ones in charge.If We Stayed Anyway is about surviving the system…
We Built the System is about becoming it.

Stay tuned for the stories in this series.

About Annarstica

Annarstica is the independent imprint behind the works of Vivian Sims.
Focused on unpolished truths and quiet revolutions, we publish stories that resist the noise—and still cut deep.

Contact: [email protected]