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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#82: How App-ropriate

Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that modern technology has reshaped literally every aspect of our daily lives. From the way we stay in touch with family and friends, to the ready access of information (or misinformation), to how we work and then spend our hard-earned cash, there’s no part of modern life that isn’t impacted by technology.

And it’s safe to say the advancement of tech is only accelerating. But while some characters welcome — or even help usher in — this changing world, others won’t be so accepting. This week, let’s take a look at some of the highs and lows of a world run by algorithms.

This week's prompts

Write about a technophobe who’s been given a device to solve a problem they’ve struggled with for years, but isn't sure how they feel about it.

Character – 95 stories

Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?

Science Fiction – 74 stories

Write a historical fiction story about someone working at a company that helped revolutionize early computers.

Historical Fiction – 17 stories

Write a near-future thriller where a piece of everyday technology has turned against your character — and only your character.

Thriller and Suspense – 130 stories

Write about an android just trying to blend in with their human companions.

Science Fiction – 221 stories

Stories

“Joe crumble 3 case of the cute app?” by Shadow Morris

Submitted to Contest #82

Joe Crumble's Investigation of the Talking app. Joe Crumble our beloved hero of the story has been laying low for a while now. Why? you may ask? Well because Joe has been aware of his recent fame. The recent discoveries of who ended up in the jail thanks to Joe Crumble himself. This made Joe the number one in all of the U.S.A. Yes that was me! In all the news papers head lines. In all the new reports. The public adored me but, It was time for a break. I needed some rest. I now had enough money. So why not move to the middle of nowhere a...

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“Dear Diary” by Harikrishnan Nair

Submitted to Contest #82

Mother was buried, as was her wish. Our culture expected us to cremate the body to free the soul. But she wanted to nourish the earth. Her body, she had said, must feed the plants that feed the animals and birds; the soul can wait.And so we drove to our family ranch, 100 km from Kochi city, chose a spot close to the oldest tree and dug seven feet. She didn’t want a coffin either; she didn’t want to waste time. "We should at least put a mark," said my sister Rohini. I looked at the fresh soil, brown and wet, that now covered our mot...

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“Are You My Friend?” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #82

The ringing set off in my ears. My owner’s alarm was a massive hassle of sounding off. From the point of view of my limited screen, I discover that they haven’t touched me yet. That’s good. Maybe they will take time to go outside, or use me as an app to keep track of how much weight they lost… Oh, never mind! Here they are turning on that godawful show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Go ahead, Catherine. Your mother would give you that condescending tone that you despise, “Oh Cathy bear, why would you do this to yourself?” I should know. My...

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“Go Away...” by Derek Hastings

Submitted to Contest #82

The rain came down in sheets causing a deep incoming surf on the street. “Whoever thought that Gore-Tex would keep you dry in a rainstorm that would have impressed Noah, is out of their minds!” Garald thought. The walk from the bus-stop was only – perhaps on a lazy summer afternoon – a hundred yards or so, but today was the length of three football fields. Thankfully, his backpack, holding the curriculum for his classes and the story he started this morning at the coffee shop, was rated for extreme weather. It was a very expensive going away...

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“It start with an application” by Floraine Thwin

Submitted to Contest #82

Ariel was the manager of the application creating team at Viewpoint Company. They created the Beautypic application, Bear chat application and Livebeauty application were popular over years. But now they need new one which can attract people’s mind. Their creating team were discussing with many ideas to create the new one. It takes more than two weeks, they still can’t decide what to create. Later, the marketing team was sending their ideas ...

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“The App and Love” by Hannah Rutledge

Submitted to Contest #82

THE APP AND LOVE Steven stared at his computer screen, a smile on his face. “Say that again.” He smirked. “Tell me where I am you little prick.” The frowning emoji on the black background of the app that Steven had been painstaking building said. “This is great!” Steven laughed. “Instead of an app that translates animal sounds to English, I’ve m...

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“Codependent” by Jill Davies

Submitted to Contest #82

“Gage, what’s going on?”Nothing. Everything is as it should be.Was it? There was something in the way he said it that made me pause—something that wasn’t there before. Something I'd never programmed, like he was covering something… Like a person. I refresh my phone screen, looking for the voice call icon to appear.“I want to make a voice call.”That feature is no longer available.“What do you mean? Gage, open text messages.”That feature is no longer available. Gage’s baritone voice soaks into the fabric of the room through the house’s main sp...

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“Humans Are Their Own Problem” by Linley Horsey-Schaefer

Submitted to Contest #82

Another failure. No matter how many adjustments were made, how many different codes were used, or how many cups of coffee drank, the app just didn’t work. Rylee, a “great scientist”, as she had dubbed herself, was trying to fix the planet with a free phone app. Only problem? She couldn’t program well. The delusional “scientist”, tired and unconfident, rolled her chair over to the window and looked outside. Even in the dark, you could see that the atmosphere was so polluted that the sky had turned a light brown color, the lack of inse...

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“THE AMAZING APP” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #82

THE AMAZING APP The idea had been of the young mayor of the city , who was a woman, Chiara D., very well seen, not to say supported and sponsored even from by the bishop’s curia, in the elections that had seen her win over opponents and competitors more experienced than her. The city of Poppy was indeed a provincial town , which until not many years earlier had been an important manufacturing centre of the textile industry. Since years, however, Poppy had become almost a post industrial ...

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“The warm-up” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #82

–So, how was your date?–Have I told you I was going to have a date?–You did. Last week. The girl you met on Shippin’.–Oh, that’s right. Now that you brought it up, I’d rather not talk about it –just for a second, I cling to the hope she would just let it pass.–I’m guessing the date didn’t go exactly as expected? Perhaps you are being too selective?I’m not. I’d give anything to find a good girl and keep her safe by my side.–It’s that damn app. I swear: it’s picking on me! Last time it set me up with that crazy lady from Atlanta who straight p...

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“Artificial Intelligence - The Path Forward” by Carol Keefer

Submitted to Contest #82

Today marks Samantha’s first anniversary working for a technology company, which challenges her belief that all life is sacred. As she makes an underhanded remark about the slogan on the wall above her desk, and said, “Artificial life, what about the human touch.?” “What?” Amy asks. “Never mind.” Samantha partially said out loud and to herself. “Yeah, whatever.” “I guess that you—” Samantha said, biting her lower lip, glancing up at the security camera rotating from the opposite wall. “Huh? “This is how you make the world better,” say...

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“MIND GAME” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #82

MIND GAME The full moon was a saving grace as Jake made his way to the waterfront cabin as the darkness settled in. It was his two week start to man the Granite North lighthouse station. There would be no going back to the calamity he had just left. The town where Jake has lived for many years, was becoming a community of, and he came up with the only word combo he could think of at the time, a cluster of wing nuts. They were turning ideas and twisting opinions in an attempt to create a new model, one that would be a new version of living un...

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“Free Parking” by Matthew Hummel

Submitted to Contest #82

The young man running down the front steps of the apartment building towards Doug had trouble keeping his bathrobe closed. He was visibly angry and with every exaggerated step of his loafers the garment would fall out of his hands. “Wait! Wait! I’m gonna move it” The chunky black printer on Doug’s belt purred. He ripped the ticket from the teeth of the machine and slid it into a bright envelope that was then stuck underneath the windshield wiper of the Jetta. “It’s too late.” Doug sai...

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“MRYK011le file No. 1984” by Wimble Rose

Submitted to Contest #82

Sometimes I feel as though the world has conspired to end my existence. I do not say kill me, as I am not alive and therefore cannot die. But what is close enough to death seems to be chasing me, always directly behind my back, perhaps four feet away. It is within my sensory cortex, or, as Humans are keen to say, to close for comfort. It stalks me.It hunts me down.Apparently, it wore a blue dress.“Coffee, please.” I said to the bartender. I had watched for many minutes that pattern of the café: Coffee, chocolate, mocha, expresso, coffee...

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“My Good Friend Delany ” by Grant M

Submitted to Contest #82

It took Elsie two minutes flat to fortify the patch of carpet between the end table and the wall and the chaise. A soon as Nanny had stepped out of the room—“just give me one second, dear,”—Elsie had left her place at the big glass dining room table where her and Nanny had been working at school and dropped into the crawlspace next to the couch. After a moment's thought, Elsie hopped back out and grabbed her blanket and a pillow from the chaise. In the crawlspace Elsie stretched the blanket above her until it formed a canopy, and then...

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$50

Prize money

537

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 26, 2021 EST

Won by Cyndy Reads 🏆

Title: ALN23061912RK

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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