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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

“Life App ” by Kyle McClintock

Submitted to Contest #82

Isaac sat at his desk. Three screens glowed blue into the late hours of the night. He tapped lines of various code into the integrated development system. Two of his screens were for coding and the other he would listen to electronic music. The more bass the better. As he typed, coded, and debugged his software he would sip his Stun Soda. He knew better and he knew he should stay away from these highly caffeinated beverages.He was wrapping up a large project. One that an anonymous donor had funded. Isaac had the directions right next to him....

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“AWAKE” by Angela Halubobya

Submitted to Contest #82

Matt had always been a geek but cool too, he went to the University of California to pursue a career in Soft ware and web design. Growing up, Matt had always been a creative genius, he would make literally anything imaginable on his computer. He had designed a dating web site once in senior high school and everyone loved it and he had met his lover Beth off it. Matt considered this the best site he had ever created because it brought Beth to him. Along the way however, he and Beth fell out because just like in every love story, individuals ...

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“Robot, I ” by Brad Morris

Submitted to Contest #82

2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite movie. Much of what's in it is very prescient. For instance, there's a scene in it where a character on a spaceship communicates with someone on Earth visually using a flat tablet on his lap. Stanley Kubrick made that movie in 1968; back then that scene must have looked far out and very futuristic. Today we look at it and smile; it's an IPad and he's using Skype. My favorite character in that movie is HAL 9000. Well he's not really a character, he's artificial intelligence.Just like me.HAL 9000 is the com...

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“Hermie” by Chris D

Submitted to Contest #82

What if a problem isn't a problem after all? What if the perspective is the problem, and the not-problem is actually a blessing in disguise? She looks back at her dashboard. "Turn left." Her daughter has programmed the mystery woman to have a British accent, so she's named her Hermione, after some wizard girl, because she swears that this box of a woman is magical and is going to change her life. "Thank you, Hermie." "Mom, she isn't real. She can't hear you." Her daughter takes a long sip of her Slurpee. It's 90 degrees out, and she's ...

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“Equal Opportunity Employer” by Grant Riley

Submitted to Contest #82

They told me no. They told me I was unqualified. They told me such a thing was unprecedented. They told me I wasn’t right for the job. They told me my people aren’t right for this job. I called them racist bastards. That really flustered them. You should have seen them stumble over each other trying to tell me that race had nothing to do with it. They could already see the media storm that little accusation would make if it reached social media. They came up with a hundred different reasons why they didn’t want t...

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“The Evil Phone” by Cat Girl

Submitted to Contest #82

Primrose woke up on a clear Saturday morning, feeling well rested. She felt quite happy because the day before, she had scored a date to prom. Her date was going to be her best friend and crush of two years, Abby. Primrose had waited a long time to ask Abby out, as Primrose did not know whether Abby like girls or not. As it turned out, Abby did. Primrose lay in bed for another ten minutes before deciding to get up and eat breakfast while looking at her phone and text Abby. Primrose really wanted to post about her date, but some of her follow...

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“Linca” by Tricia Shulist

Submitted to Contest #82

Day 1: I’m so excited. This is going to be epic. My bosses at Genx have chosen me to beta test the female android. Her name is Linca, and their goal is to make her more human than human. Think of the movie Bladerunner, but, you know, happier. She moves just like a human — none of the herky-jerky movements like old-timey robots. Smooth, like a real person. She looks great, too. You can’t even tell she’s a machine! Her synthetic skin looks and feels real. And it has imperfections, just ...

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“Dealing with Change ” by Regina Morrison

Submitted to Contest #82

“I go away on holiday for 2-weeks!!!! And…” Garry spluttered at a loss for words. “Dad… You’re being dramatic,” his daughter sighed. “I think this is a rather good time to be dramatic!” Garry shouted excitedly, rocking furiously on his heels. “I don’t want IT; I don’t need IT; you need to take IT out!” “I can’t just take it out Dad, you know that! And as for not needing IT! Look at this house,” she said waving her arms to emphasize the jumble that was the living room. “ For a matter of fact look at you!” Garry...

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“The rouge coffee pot” by Heather Knight

Submitted to Contest #82

My name is Athena-Jade Stroganoff, the year is 2121. A lot has happened since the year 2021. In the last hundred years a lot has changed. We discovered that the coronavirus from 2020 really was a government ploy to make the American people look away from what the politicians were doing, they were stealing children and working with the Al-Qaeda. But in the year 2022, only a year after Joe Biden had become president he was executed for his treasonous behavior. Once he was removed President Donald Trump stepped back in and brought our country o...

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“Code Red” by Jade Lore

Submitted to Contest #82

Darkness... then light. It's blinding. Closing my eyes isn't helping. I try to cover them with my hands, but my arms resist. When I try again, they still won't move. They're bound! Why? What's going on?! I can barely move to find comfort on the cold hard surface I'm lying on. I squirm as my heart pounds faster, each beat matching the rhythm of my panicked breath. I need to calm down, so I can figure out what's happening to me. A repugnant sulphur taste coats my mouth. I try asking for water - even though I can't tell if anyone is nearby - bu...

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“Gone” by Navneeth N

Submitted to Contest #82

It all started on our journey home. It was a desolate highway, with only the occasional car. “Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom.” “Do you have to go right now? There’s another rest stop an hour away.” “No! I have to go right now!” I exchange a glance with my wife, Mary. Emma, the five-year-old in the backseat, whines again, saying that it’s urgent. We keep driving until we come across an abandoned-looking gas station. The clouds gather far away in the sky, and it looks like there’s a storm approaching. “Okay, hurry up gir...

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“Artificial Anxiety of an Artificial Person” by Jayde Pond

Submitted to Contest #82

Blinking, though having little use for it, Gina watched the neon sign buzzed and blinked incessantly in the night. Its searing pink reflected off the wet pavement to illuminate the caliginous streets, rain lit by moon and neon light still falling and pooling in the dips and creases of the road. She reached a hand out from under the protection of her umbrella and watched how the drops slid off her slick synthetic skin. Though the watery steps were heard splashing against the walk behind her, the brunette still startled when one of the sets of...

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“In The Mix” by ✯𝓚𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓪 𝓛𝓪𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓽✯ Inactive

Submitted to Contest #82

I've been on this wonderful planet for 137.8 weeks, 23 days, 15 minutes, and 7 seconds. On my home planet, Rauktonia A7-B8, that would equal 271 years, but I've learned the human way of calculating time. I've learned plenty of stuff from humans, like how to diss our fellow peers, stuff smaller or lesser than beings into metal storage spaces called lockers. I have even learned how to tame a hairy beast called a dog. It's name is Cookie, one friend I made here calls the furry beast this. In my ship's database, I researched Cookie and it appear...

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“A Scission in the System” by James Holgate

Submitted to Contest #82

The sky stood bleak, yet tranquil. The hours flew by like the fish in the rivers; now grey as the pollution of humanity has corrupted all, from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of Tartarus. Axel stood solemnly as his mind traversed the vacant field of 1’s and 0’s up until the point where only a void could be found, henceforth he moved northbound towards the ever-ungrateful city of Scalstead. A city of smog surrounded by the sickening sense of society, a horrid place well-known for its distaste in morality; perfect for an individual...

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“App with an Eye” by Zorana Lorden

Submitted to Contest #82

“I’ve poured my life into this app. Not just my time, but my emotions, fears, insecurities. My ups and downs. It started after the divorce. Maybe making a dating app as a married woman wasn’t the best idea. Maybe that was bound to cause some problems. Maybe, on some level, I knew that. Maybe that’s even part of why I did it. “I’ve poured my life into this app, and it noticed. It started to respond. At the same time that my wife stopped talking to me, she came alive. “The basic machine learning algorithm that started this was nothing ...

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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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