Scott Christenson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (52)

52 Stories

2870 karma pts

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“Julia Goes Down the Rabbit Hole with ChatGPT” by Scott Christenson

(Julia) I hate my boyfriend. (ChatGPT) It's understandable to feel this way sometimes in a relationship, but it's important to communicate your feelings and try to work through any issues before making any decisions. If your relationship is causing you unhappiness and it cannot be resolved, it may be best to consider ending the relationship. (Julia) Yes! (ChatGPT) ...

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“Julia Wakes Up With ChatGPT” by Scott Christenson

(Julia)I hate my boyfriend. (ChatGPT)It's normal to have ups and downs in a relationship, but if your feelings of dislike towards your boyfriend are persistent and affecting your happiness, it may be a good idea to talk to him about your concerns and try to work through the issues together. If the situation does not improve, it may be worth considering ending the relationship for your own well-being.(Julia)Yes!(ChatGPT) If you h...

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“Movies That Suck” by Scott Christenson

My wife Janine wants me to stop organizing the monthly movie meetup in Hoboken. “Love you babe,” I tell her on the way out, giving her my best I’m a great husband aren't I smile.Without looking over, she says, “have a good time,” and wiggles her fingers in farewell.I don’t get much TLC on movie nights. But I think she understands a man needs to blow off some steam every once in a while. She’s also been giving me a hard time about being stuck in my ways, so it’s good to get the night off.<...

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“Our Lot in War” by Scott Christenson

[TW: pg-13 WW2 battle scene]In 1942 my father was lucky. He studied anthropology in university—even published a paper on the Minahasan people of Indonesia—and when the draft came he was enlisted into US Army Intelligence rather than being called up for combat.During the war he shuttled around the Pacific collecting information on local populations, providing weapons to resistance movements, and helping negotiate problems locals had with US military bases.On one such journey, on a troop...

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“The Elephant in the Room” by Scott Christenson

I promised myself I would change, but it's happening again—at my third job this year at a New York based charity, my coworkers have started calling me ‘controlling’. At first, I heard it just out of earshot; then yesterday, Ashley told me straight to my face. All of I have ever done is try to help people and offer them suggestions to improve themselves.And about the job, even though the weekly salary is low, I enjoy working for charities, at least that's the story I tell myself. Maybe I'm just not good at anything else.&...

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“Seven Cliches Over Christmas” by Scott Christenson

[DRAFT] At the Mud Creek Saloon in Eagle River, I see American flags on the walls, pitchers of beer on the bar, and drawn-out guitar solos ring in my ears. From what I've seen on TV, this is the type of place where they kick the shit out of gay characters. Or shoot them dead in the parking lot.Not my idea of a good time. So to blend in, I pretend to enjoy the song that's playing-Sweet Home Alabama. We’re in Northern Wisconsin but it's a crowd favorite.“Don’t let anyone in Wisconsin ...

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“Base Stock” by Scott Christenson

In the steamy air of Mizuna’s kitchen, beads of sweat trickle down the 30-something Japanese job candidate’s face.“Which restaurants have you worked in in New York?” I am holding the afternoon interview to replace the fifth prep cook who’s left this year for higher pay elsewhere.“None.” He shakes his head. “In Japan. Soba.” He gestures kneading dough with his hands. In the kitchen the hiss of the gas burners is constant. With his limited English and my very basic Japanese, this co...

66 comments 66 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Friday Dinner Date” by Scott Christenson

My tail taps against the perfume bottles on the dresser as I watch Zaya’s latest conquest. In his business suit he looks out of place in our dimly lit apartment full of hip antique furniture. He’s perched on the edge of the bed. “You want me to give you ten thousand dollars?” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve worked weeks as a database administrator to save that much. I’ll have to cancel my trip to Austin.”“If you want to see me again, Luis.”“This is ridiculous,” he says, his eyes ...

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“Mariko” by Scott Christenson

It's a chill late winter morning in Tokyo, but we sit in a perfect climate controlled office tower that looms over everything around it in a central part of the city.Mariko, my coworker, comes over and taps my shoulder, “I have a problem I want to tell you about.” She's also offering me a chocolate from a box of chocolates. I take one and eat it greedily. She smiles as if she’s about to tell a fun story. Over the past two years I've noticed that the bigger the problem is, the more animated, almost ebullient, ...

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“Motor Mouth” by Scott Christenson

A 2032 new model Hesla sat at the end of the driveway, fully charged. The owner of this car, 42-year-old Jake Baker, walked out of the front door of his suburban home and hurried toward his beloved new automobile. As he approached, the Hesla opened its door automatically, Jakes climbed in, and the engine switched on automatically.Jake put his hands on the steering wheel and looked in front of the car. A neighbor he recognized, mostly from the blue-eyed border collie he walked each morning, was standing at the end of the ...

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“Kore Statue #673” by Scott Christenson

In the past, people described my mother's personality as quirky. These days they would likely say she is ‘on the spectrum’. She is into puzzles, factual knowledge and has very strong opinions on many topics. Conversations with her tend to have a one way flow to them, so I’m never quite sure if what I'm saying is being heard. I will mention one thing, and then the conversation will quickly jump from topic to topic never getting back to that thing I wanted to talk about which can be frustrating.I used to be sure I was diff...

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“The Crafting of Fadhilla - a LitRPG Story” by Scott Christenson

Name: Fadhilla MoshiTime Remaining: 6 minutesA graduate of World Altruism’s Vision program, Fadhilla Moshi, sat in a computer center in Tanzania’s central city of Dar Es Salaam and had only 6 minutes left to live, but she found time for her father.His sad voice came over the line, “I hope they let you return home, someday.”“Probably not anytime soon, Papa. We Chagga are too good at this, and after all, you are the one that sent me here, weren’t ...

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“A World of Opinion” by Scott Christenson

Pundits predicted the death of the news industry back in 2028 when Trump and Biden were both moved to assisted care homes and were taken away from their microphones. The ex-presidents had the option of separate rooms at the home but neither could afford to stay alone for long. As a Pulitzer Prize winning human interest writer, my editor had me invited to hear their side of the story of what it is like to share a room because of the government budget cuts, but from behind their oxygen masks, I couldn’t make out much of what they were sayin...

53 comments 53 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“A Precious Life” by Scott Christenson

“Would you like a free DNA test? It could change your future,” a man asks while handing me a pamphlet as I walk past a shopping mall on the second day of my vacation in Maui. He points at a QR code. "Just register here."I want to grab him and shout some violent threat, and ask if he knows my sister, but he says “have a good day” and walks off before I get the chance.This is because my sister Courtney sent me different versions of that same ad for years after she dropped out of university and disappeared...

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“Alpaca Republic” by Scott Christenson

My father casts his shadow 50 feet over my shoulder out onto the cobblestones of Prazania Square. The outline of his preposterous Generals hat is the icing on the cake. If someone had told me I would be standing in front of his statue wearing the same hat giving a speech to the nation, I would have laughed, but reality is stranger than fiction.Side note: by law, my father's statue is the tallest structure in the capital city. Which is fine by me because I build most of my structures underground.I face t...

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Author bio

From Milwaukee WI and currently living in Hong Kong after spending 20 years living around Asia. Before starting with Reedsy a year ago, I had no writing experience and have learned so much from all of you amazing writers on this site! Lately I've been trying to plot an 8 character satirical novel about modern society, and also figure out where to submit a few non-fiction articles, including these ones and future ones to be written ones about trail running, travel and the outdoors: 'The Value of Time' is based on a true story in Latin America: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/ncfs5s/ Some say my 'Five Times I was Asked to Get Off the Bus' is a fun read: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/o6hkwv/ Email: sukosuko1@gmail.com

Winning 2 stories 🏆

Contest #165

Liability in Lingotto – read story

Contest #158

Your Cat™️ Customer Service – read story

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

Contest #177

Base Stock – read story

Contest #171

A World of Opinion – read story

Contest #159

Gluten Is What Makes This Nation Stick Together – read story