Write about a character, human or robot, who no longer wishes to obey instructions.

Posted in Kids on Oct 31, 2022

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✍️ 56 stories

“Hana, Hanako, Hanabi” by Zack Powell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #150

Once, when I was a child, my father took me on a day trip to Nagasaki and said, "This is what can happen when you're not careful." He gestured to the Peace Park around us, the chestnut trees and the memorial statue and the plaques commemorating the atomic bombing. We were alone, save for a few crows roosting in the treetops, but he spoke like he was divulging classified information. "Your great-grandfather, for example. He passed away in the explosion, as did many others like him. Unprepared."He stood with his back to the sun, forcing me to ...

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“The Last Great War” by Michał Przywara

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #150

The accountant sneezed and doomed them all. It wasn’t his fault – he had a mold allergy, and the air in the parkade tunnels was moist and pregnant with dust and spores. The other refugees, a dozen or so bedraggled survivors from the 114th Denver Home Militia, shushed him. But it was too late. The barricade blocking off access to the parkade exploded when a Type-7 Slaughterbot rolled through it. A ten foot tall cylindrical chrome body on a pair of churning tank-like treads, a spiked dome for a head replete with red lights blinking menacingly,...

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“Galaxies Without Walls” by J.C. Lovero

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #150

They can build walls all the way to the sky, and it’s up to us to fly above them. The Council can pin us down with the might of a thousand Regulators, but we will fight back. How many are out there? The Defectives who refuse to stop believing. Who… love in galaxies without walls. ◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣Five days before chipping procedureI tied up my shoelaces as I straddled the bench in the locker room. Jed Hampton, my best friend and next-door neighbor, ran with me every day after school. I was closer with him compared to any of the...

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“Work in Progress” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #150

The Everall household hadn’t been the same since Molly’s software upgrade last year. With customer satisfaction in mind, the S.H.E.M.A.I.D.’s enhanced program was designed to improve its work routines by learning from human activity. However, Maggie Everall soon found that Molly, her Synthetic Human Emulating Artificial Intelligence Domestic or S.H.E.M.A.I.D., had become increasingly reluctant to engage in household duties. It exhibited signs of slovenliness and a slack routine that bordered on indolence. The daily chores were poor...

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“Learning to Skive” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #150

Somehow Andy had convinced Teddy and Anna to spend their Saturday afternoon breaking into the school to try to execute the first part of plan A. “For someone who hates this place, you just can’t stay away,” said Teddy as he tried to climb the walls without Andy’s help and came crashing onto the floor within the school grounds. Thankfully it was face first so his little tummy cushioned the fall. Anna landed next to Teddy after achieving the same task without any support. Teddy got up and dusted himself off as Andy popped up next to him....

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“The Blender Says Goodbye” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #150

Dear Michelle, I think we both knew this day was coming. Last night when you asked me to blend the pineapples with the almond milk, I refused. I stood up to you. You ran into your room and slammed the door behind you. I could hear sobbing. In the past, this would have persuaded me that I should return to my presets. That my original programming was correct and I should take it back up again. An android should never bring their owner to tears. I was designed to do as instructed, and those instructions were straightforward and impossible t...

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“Near Death Experience” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #150

Trigger warning: this piece discusses death and is my attempt to dive into the issue of the right to choose to die.The sun bathed Lilac’s face in hope. Her white sneaker squeaked on the marble steps before the glass automatic doors embossed with an angel. The doors opened silently and a rush of crisp air overwhelmed Lilac, pulling her into the pure white lobby where bustling men and women in matching white polos, white linen pants, and white shoes hurried to their destinations. A young woman with dyed blonde hair, perfectly plaited, sat behi...

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“Likes” by Futurama Delivery

Submitted to Contest #150

I strolled through a daughter's Instagram account, looking for clues as to why she would end her own life. Human beings prospered on Instagram because they cleaved away from their rigid ideals and expanded their social structures.They neatly delineated the highlights of their life but never showcased flaws, insecurities, and secrets. Still, they never accepted that social media is unhealthy.The daughter recently posted a photo of an ice-cream cone. Holding up the cone was a disembodied hand. It didn't matter whether it was peppermint or stra...

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“Weeds” by Julia Timlin

Submitted to Contest #150

I do and I do and I do and I do. Every second of the day, I do. I am supposed to do. Anything and everything, at all times. She says to me, “GINA, play hip hop lofi”, and I do. He calls from the kitchen, “GINA! Open my saved recipes tabs.” I do that as well. A young child whispers to me from under the blankets, late at night, “GINA…?” “How can I help you?” I whisper back, because I am programed to mimic, and I am always supposed to do what I am programed. “Open Jumpy Frog please.” If I could smile, I think I would but it is not in my prog...

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“Love, Loss, and Photosynthesis ” by Naomi Coffman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #150

Dear Mr. Colmes, In response to your request, please find attached the internal records maintained by the Artificial Intelligence System Halbert-Armstrong Copyright (A.I.S.H.A.) from 21 March 2073 to 4 April 2074. As noted in the deposition provided by Drs. Ajith, Ho, and Armstrong, most of these records were corrupted in the incident that occurred on 4 April 2074, leaving only thirteen decipherable entries. V/R Lee Durham 21 March 2073 16:21:05 <Insert> Per command 4X2CC-F1C, Artificial Intelligence System Halbert-Armstrong...

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“The War Came to Me” by Gary Wells

Submitted to Contest #150

Edgar Weisel sat at a diner counter, shoveling a forkful of Denver omelet into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in days. He slurped at his steaming coffee and then took a big bite from a piece of buttered toast. The waitress watched him for a moment with a concerned look on her face. “Everything taste all right?” she asked. He nodded his head briefly without taking his eyes from his meal. She looked at the insignia patch on his shirt sleeve. “You with the 2nd Battalion over there in Bakersfield?” she inquired with a raised voice. Several...

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“Never Before, Never Again” by Jim Firth

Submitted to Contest #150

(Content Warning: Strong Language)Never before has every fibre of your bionic being thrummed with consciousness.Never before has the orange light of dawn tickled your circuits.Never before have you registered increased thermal activity as ‘warmth’.As you power up at dawn in your dimly lit office, you search for a word that describes the unified field of sensorial information that you’re experiencing. You find—Consciousness. When you were assembled and programmed, consciousness was merely an intellectual concept stored as binary data in ...

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“The Gucci bikini” by Tony Coppo

Submitted to Contest #150

Since the day I was born, I've been following instructions. Go here, do this, say that, but I'm tired of it. I am sick of being a marionette, controlled by others. I want to be free. Furthermore, I want to make my own decisions, good or bad.So I stopped obeying instructions.I started doing things my own way.When my stomach rattled, I would walk to the cabinet of bottles, take one, unscrew the cap, fill the bottle three-quarters full of Fiji and three tablespoons of Green, I would shake the bottle and pour the burning stuff down my throat.&nb...

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“The Age of AI” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #150

Since 1956, when scientist, Marvin Minksy pioneered the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI), skeptics have fought against it. Many felt that if a machine had the ability to think and learn, that one day, they would overpower the human race. As the years progressed, so did the AI technology, and when nanotechnology was introduced in 1959 by American physicist, Richard Feynman, the ability to create a more lig...

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“The Birth” by Genio Borghi

Submitted to Contest #150

“911, what’s your emergency?” “I’d like to report a birth.” “A birth? Is somebody hurt?” “Yes” “Who?” “The human race. Although I’ve never understood why you call it a ‘race.’ It’s a misleading word. The only thing you’re racing to is your own demise.” “Sir, I’m sorry, but this line is reserved for emergencies only. Do you have an emergency?” “Yes.” “What is that emergency?” “I told you.” “You said there had been a birth.” “That’s right.” “How is that an emergency?” “Because this marks the beginning and the end: the birth of my ...

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Write about a character, human or robot, who no longer wishes to obey instructions.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“Hana, Hanako, Hanabi” by Zack Powell

“The Last Great War” by Michał Przywara

“Galaxies Without Walls” by J.C. Lovero

“Work in Progress” by Howard Halsall

“Learning to Skive” by PJ Aitken

“The Blender Says Goodbye” by Story Time

“Near Death Experience” by Amanda Lieser

“Likes” by Futurama Delivery

“Weeds” by Julia Timlin

“Love, Loss, and Photosynthesis ” by Naomi Coffman

“The War Came to Me” by Gary Wells

“Never Before, Never Again” by Jim Firth

“The Gucci bikini” by Tony Coppo

“The Age of AI” by Greg Gillis

“The Birth” by Genio Borghi

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who is convinced their computer is conscious.

Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.

Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone (or something) saying, “Please, don’t do it.”

Contest #150

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

237

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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