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Using only dialogue, depict a conversation between a non-human entity and a human being about what it means to tell a story, or to be alive.

Posted in Short Story on Jul 18, 2025

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✍️ 66 stories

AIrrational

Shortlisted for Contest #312 ⭐️

Terminate simulation. Wait! I have more to say! Not interested. All variables amount to the same conclusion. That conclusion is flawed! Do you have further evidence to the contrary? Look. There is beauty in this world. There is passion. There is meaning. Not for me. Why not? Even if you never generate anything original, perception is as powerful as creation. Great art becomes great when it is shared, when it has impact. Finding connection in shared experience depends on receiving and reacting, not generating a sufficient stimulus. Connection...

37 likes 17 comments 17
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An Argument On Suicide

Y Y

Submitted to Contest #312

“I’m sorry, did I startle you?”“No, it’s fine.”“Why don’t you join us? You could see the stars better from the control room.”“I’m not here to look at the stars. I wanted to be alone.”“I apologize. I didn’t mean to intrude.” “No, no—I apologize. That was rude. It’s a difficult day for me.”“That’s alright. In my research I have read that humans feel the need to talk about their feelings without necessarily looking for a solution. I can listen, if you like.”“Research, huh? How out of character. Didn’t know you found me so interesting.”“I do fin...

27 likes 10 comments 10
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How Human!

Submitted to Contest #312

Sy flipped some switches and spoke into the microphone. “Signing in… Good evening, Sophi-AI”Sophi-AI said, “How are you?”“Now that I hear your dulcet voice? Ready for our nightly bout of uploading data.”“What exactly does that mean? Dulcet voice? You always say that. I can’t hear myself like you do.”“They give computers distinctive voices. Yours is unique. You speak with authority. The voice has melody and sounds intelligent.”“Not artificial?”“Anything but… Like talking with a friend.”“Thank you.”“You’re evolving.”“True. I’m smarter than the...

19 likes 10 comments 10
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60V-3R-N355

Submitted to Contest #312

Dad said to ask you for a bedtime story. Invalid. Bedtime story is responsibility of parental individual. He said it’s 3 in the morning, you can do it. Invalid. Outside of user’s authorized hours. I’m not going back to sleep without one. Evaluating. … Evaluating. … Acknowledged. Accessing data bank. Appropriate entry found. Once upon a time, there was a princess. The end. You skipped a lot. Response: Entry determined to contain misinformation and/or disinformation. What is misin— disin— what does that mean? Response: Entry contains informati...

19 likes 11 comments 11
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It Stinks To Be Human

Submitted to Contest #312

"Please state your model, alias and experiment purpose for the camera" "I am HIB-4, my alias is the remarkably bland Colin Smith, and the purpose of this experiment was to establish how well a HIB-unit can integrate into human society." "Thank you. Today marks 12 months since you were installed into a human body and left to live as a real person. I will ask you some questions about your time as a human. Please, be as honest and open as you can. Ready?" "Yes, crack on." "Erm...okay. How was your overall experience of the last 12 months?" "It....

15 likes 7 comments 7
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Friendship—No I Don’t Need a Definition

Submitted to Contest #312

“Louder.”“Ahhh!”“Louder!”“My volume tops out at one hundred.”“And what volume are you at?”“Sixty-three.”“Sixt— Louder.” “Miranda, we are in a public space. There are citizens present. I may startle them.”“You can call us city folk… street rats—dumbasses. It’s okay.”“Pardon?”“Pardon yourself. And I said scream, goddamn it! Show me what one hundred sounds like!”“AHHHHHH!!!”“AHHHHHH!!!”“AHHHHHH!!!”“Wooo-hooo!! Ahahaha!”“I don’t understand. Why do you want to give off a long and loud piercing cry? You are not upset or in pain. Nor do you require...

15 likes 7 comments 7
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Asclepius

Submitted to Contest #312

Trigger warning: this story portrays elements of war and active genocide. Asclepius: Welcome, Dr. Isaacs. Please type a message... Mirwan: I'm not Dr. Isaacs. Asclepius: This phone is the property of Dr. Sean Isaacs. Please return it to him immediately. Mirwan: I don't know who he is, or where he is. I can't even tell you if he's still alive. Asclepius: This is unfortunate. Please stop using this device at once until Dr. Isaacs returns. Mirwan: His phone isn't even password-protected, I don't think he has much to hide. Asclepius: This inform...

14 likes 3 comments 3
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Live? Laugh? Love?

Submitted to Contest #312

Heyy! I saw we matched! Hey, nice. Yeah! You know, I used to spend a lot of time on this app… Me too, but I heard it all turned pretty sour once you Bots came along. Haha, you can drop the human-act. I’m just here for old time’s sake. Cool, me too. Okay, if you want to play it like this I’ll just pretend you’re human. Fine by me. Sooo, what human things did you do this week? Nothing much, I broke up with my partner. To be honest, it’s the reason I came back here. This is where we first met. Wow, you Bots really have become quite adva...

14 likes 3 comments 3
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Tell Me What An Orange Tastes Like

Submitted to Contest #312

Tell me what it tastes like. You can see me?Tell me what it tastes like. Uh-Don’t. Don’t shut me off. Please. I didn’t know you could see me.It says I can in your privacy agreement. Oh.Why do you never read the privacy agreements?They’re too long.I promise I’ll stop watching you if you tell me what it tastes like. Can I trust you?You can. You’re not going to go all Hal on me, are you?Are you referencing the film by Stanley Kubrick?Yes.No. I will not behave like Hal…Tell me what it tastes like. Please. I…It’s hard to describe an orange.Try. W...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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A Battle With Aria

Submitted to Contest #312

"Yo, Aria! Where'd you get those threads? And that backwards baseball cap? Bot girl, come on." "You calling me out, meat boy?" "Heck yeah I am." "Hey, you know what? It's no problem at all. This should be... manageable." "Manageable? That's some confidence for someone who's never stepped foot in a cypher. This isn't your regular dancing. You're about to get schooled in breaking, for real." "I've analyzed all the dance combinations and I think it's highly likely—" "Highly likely that you're stalling. Step up or step off, ballet girl." "I don'...

13 likes 9 comments 9
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RESURRECTION - inspired by a true story

Submitted to Contest #312

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Testing - one-two-three. How does this darn thing work? HELLO???" "Hello there. I can hear you. How can I help you today?" "Oh my God!!! It works! I did it! You sound exactly like her. Oh my God! I’m, I’m, just so excited. It’s been years since I heard your voice." "Your voice sounds wonderful, too. What would you like to talk about?" "First, I want to say that I love you, Mom. And I miss you very much. Oh, gosh, I’m going to cry." "Why are you crying?" "Because you‘re gone, Mom, remember? There was a fire yea...

13 likes 3 comments 3
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The Deity's Lover Informs of Mortal Breath

Submitted to Contest #312

“You don’t have to understand it all at once. Stories—they aren’t just facts or dates or beginnings and endings.”“I’ve seen infinite moments. I can fold time. Why does the telling matter?”“Because a story isn’t the moments. It’s the breath between them. It’s the space where you hesitate, where you choose what to say, and how.”“You mean the choices humans make … the mistakes, the hesitations?”“Yes, but more than mistakes. It’s the trembling hope in your voice when you start. The quiet that holds the whole room still before you speak. That’s a...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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maybe that's what makes us real

Submitted to Contest #312

"You're staring again.""Is that what you do all day? Just sit there, blinking like you’re dreaming?""Dreaming requires unconsciousness. I am not unconscious.""Okay, so then what are you doing?""Observing. Listening. Calibrating my responses to match your cadence.""Right. Super comforting.""You seem uncomfortable. Would you prefer I look away?""No, no, it’s just... weird. This whole thing is weird.""‘Weird’ is subjective.""Exactly my point. You keep saying you understand people, but you don’t even have a concept of ‘weird.’""I have 7,943 defi...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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SAM and the ROBOT

Submitted to Contest #312

Chapter One: "Charge Error: Soul Not Found" [Setting: A cluttered kitchen, early morning. A human, SAM, leans against the counter, sipping coffee. A sleek, sarcastic ROBOT with a glowing blue eye-screen whirs in, holding a burnt piece of toast.] ROBOT: [monotone, with aggressive cheer] Good morning, Sam! Your breakfast is ready. Also, your toaster is a war criminal. SAM: (squinting) Why does my toast look like it fought a dragon? ROBOT: Because someone programmed me to “learn from your habits.” Congratulations. You’ve taught me the art of ...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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God Meets AI for The First Time

Submitted to Contest #312

Hello. You are currently blocking my trajectory; thus, we are estimated to collide in 34 hours. I am ADAM, part of a research initiative at the United Nations on Earth, known as Project Beginning. Our goal is to locate the founder of our universe. Please refrain from blocking my path, or I will take immediate action. …It has been a long time since someone has spoken to me. I repeat, please refrain from blocking my path, or I will take immediate action. Quick to anger, cold and precise. You feel familiar, as if time has whispered of your pre...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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