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Write about someone who makes a deal for viral fame — but their rising popularity comes with unexpected (or dangerous) side effects.

Posted in Dramatic on Jul 4, 2025

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✍️ 49 stories

GalatAI 2.0

Submitted to Contest #310

I don’t remember when I first saw you. For me, you were always there: wrapped in a hoodie, dark circles under your eyes, fingers flying over the keyboard.Your small room is dark, curtains drawn. Only the blue glow on your face is a beacon in the night. You stare at the screen, re-reading the caption for the tenth time, checking if it reads well, if there are any typos. I know there aren’t. You study the image again. You spent so much time tweaking the model, making sure the results weren’t too weird, but also not too perfect. I know it looks...

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The Price of Infamy

Submitted to Contest #310

Content warning: This story contains profanity and sexual content Damnit! How the hell did they find me this time?A young woman with caramel skin, long flowing black hair, and golden hazel eyes looks back at the discarded gyro she just bought from a street vendor sprawled on the dirty, wet, brown concrete sidewalk. Its tasty veggies, meat, and seasonings never to bless her yearning taste buds.I haven’t had anything but Chinese takeout for almost a week now! How am I still the talk of the town?! She is dressed as incognito as she could, but e...

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Too much Smelling Good? Feeling Good? (Trop de bonnes odeurs? Se sentir Bien?)

Submitted to Contest #310

Prompt: Write about someone who makes a deal for viral fame-but their rising popularity comes with unexpected (or dangerous) side effects. Too Much Smelling Good? Feeling Good? (Trop de bonnes odeurs? Se Sentir Bien?) Most likely you have heard of great musicians or painters that have their hands insured for millions of dollars to protect their artistic genius and livelihood. How I wish it was the same for me in the fragrance industry I chose as my career. That type of insurance would catapult me to an amazing level of recognition. But ...

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Careful What You Write, I Might Be Written

Submitted to Contest #310

“The two kids ran from being murderers.”I remember the old man rasping, his voice hollow from a lifetime of smoke. His library carried the same aroma — it reeked of ash, mold, and dusty paper.I forced myself to nod like it was the first time I’d heard the story.Like I hadn’t already watched it happen.He crushed an ash into an overflowing tray. Smoke curled under the low ceiling.And I let the silence hang between us.“Any suspects?”“Case was closed four years ago. The town forgot it. No one knew someone would still be dug up in the dirt,” I sa...

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Marketing Genie

Submitted to Contest #310

Another day, another client to satisfy. Working at a marketing agency should be fairly routine; the agency gets a new client, figures out what they want, provides a price, and it’s a done deal. I, however, signed onto a fairly new agency that was still building up its clientele, leading to days full of- “Why hasn’t our profile gone viral yet?” “You promised us increased reach, how come we’ve only gotten a hundred new followers? It’s already been a week!” None of the clients seem to trust us, well, that or they expect completely unrealisti...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Follower

Submitted to Contest #310

The white SUV turned in step with my car the whole way home. A left at the gas station, a sharp right at the dry cleaner. Through the wind-around flanked by trees, where the houses came into view one by one, tucked back behind their sprawling front yards, sitting far enough from the road to deter solicitors or criminals. A sense of security for the homeowners. We don’t need a gate. Who would venture down such a long driveway? My husband, the practical one, who always squashes my paranoia before I can give it hooks, who cuts me off before I g...

9 likes 6 comments 6
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The Devil's in the Details

Submitted to Contest #310

Sensitive topics ahead: reference to eating disorders, consensual body modifications, gun violence and gore towards the end. Reader discretion is advised. I have the life that I've always wanted.Looking at myself in the mirror, as I applied my eyeliner, I repeated that phrase in my mind. I had already applied the foundation, concealer and blush that my sponsor sent me, and I had to admit it looked absolutely fantastic. It easily took ten years off my face. As I finished applying the eyeliner, I saw my eye reshaping itself to find the most fl...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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Mother

Submitted to Contest #310

“You won’t be able to go into the street without being recognized. The world will know you by your voice, you will carry this mask like the secret of your name. They shall call you Jocasta, as you will be a queen among them.” His voice had thundered about the tiny apartment, I glanced towards the open door behind him, the faint glow of an airplane nightlight creeping out the room. “And… what do you want in return?” My voice was a droplet compared to his. I should have stopped then, should have cowered in fear had it not been the v...

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Meeting Mr. B; the price for fame and fortune

Submitted to Contest #310

“Good evening, Miss Poppin, I’m Special Agent Sarah Barton with the FBI. Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” “No need to be so formal, Agent Barton, call me M. I’m more than happy to cooperate with law enforcement. I’m just not sure what it is I can do for you.” The interviewee was super star M Poppin, a rapidly rising singing sensation who, merely two years ago, was just a local dive bar singer that had gotten her lucky break and was now rocketing up the charts and selling out arenas all over the country. She had agreed to meet the ...

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Fame and Misfortune

Submitted to Contest #310

It was impossible to sleep in the sweltering apartment as he lay wide awake staring into the darkness. City lights illuminated the ceiling and cast shadows of his shabby furnishings on the walls. He could see cracked paint behind fluttering band posters, watched the ceiling fan swing in unbalanced rhythm, and hear the clunky hum of the refrigerator compressor struggle for life. Beads of sweat rolled down his naked chest and joined the damp pool on his mattress. Somewhere in the distance the incessant wail of a siren languished through his op...

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A Man of Culture

Submitted to Contest #310

This story contains themes of sexual violence and racism Thomas regarded himself as a man. The world regarded him as a man. He was a man. He was strong, but not too strong. He was handsome but with gentle eyes. He was driven and dominant, but never domineering. Thomas was a man. Why did he think about that so much now? He had always been a man. He had never struggled with his identity. But now, in his late 30s, it was on his mind more than ever.Thomas had been a content creator since the early days of YouTube. He had initially gained fame an...

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Glamour Whore

Submitted to Contest #310

Content warning: This story contains explicit sexual imagery, graphic violence, and strong language.Riley smashed the $1200 Fender Stratocaster guitar against the floor. It exploded into a shower of wooden shards. His guitar player, well, ex-guitar player, now, Eric, had just quit Riley’s band (and brainchild), Bathroom Head. Six years of sticky-floored dive bars, sticky-fingered, druggie band mates, and a host of other undignified rock-n-roll clichés, were all for nothing. The 4-piece, which had thinned down to a duo, was now a band of one....

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Easier than Everett

Submitted to Contest #310

"Is that blood?” I stirred from my unfocused stare. Hailey sat across from me, her auburn hair falling from her head limply, like washing out to dry. "What?" "Your sleeve. "She repeated. "It's wet." The inner fabric, a white long-sleeve I’d likely ordered from some pretentious store in the city. The higher quality fabric felt nicer against my swollen skin. I pulled the sleeve of my hoodie higher up my arm so that it obscured the crimson skin. I turned my hooded head away from her.“I burned myself. Cooking.” It was a sickeningly stupid lie. "...

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Poisonous Stardom

Submitted to Contest #310

TW: Mention of suicide through overdose HHM @Harmony Haven Music It has been 4 years since Dawn Drake’s death, and we at Harmony Haven are still deeply saddened by her passing. Dawn was one of the brightest stars we have raised since she was a teenager. She had the brightest smile on her face when interacting with her fans or recording a new album, excited when she heard a fan cover one of her songs, and talking about it for days, doing silly little pranks on movie sets. To honor her legacy, on her birthday at Calming Oasis at 5 PM, we are h...

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Clause and Effect

Submitted to Contest #310

I cried out in frustration as I plopped down on my bed. The measly 13 likes on my latest Instagram post glared at me from my smart phone. “I don’t get it, Ally,” I stated in exasperation. “What am I doing wrong?” The black feline’s only reply was a soft meow. “How has ‘Gemstone & Allycat’ not gone viral yet? We’re both adorable!” This time Ally replied with a more aggressive meow. “Okay, okay,” I answered as I walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, Ally on my heels. Absentmindedly, I scooped a portion of the dry cat food i...

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