Microdosing Fiction - 140mg of Bots
Write 140 words based on the words: BOTS
Our prompt for today is BOTS
Write a story in 140 words!
Extra dose, because I just couldn’t cut the words down!
To join in on the challenge, leave a comment or restack the story with your own!
The bell kept ringing as notifications lit up James’ phone. After years of posting and trying his best, the recognition finally came. Overnight success years in the making. He hastily ran to his laptop, fired it up, and got ready to accept the fame.
The cursor hovered over the bell icon.
What if it’s just hate? He hesitated.
No. I was patient; I’m famous now.
Click.
With the glee of a child on a Christmas morning, he watched the notifications open up.
His smile withered.
Eighty comments from Emma Horsedick (Don’t Laugh) agreed with the points he made. Alexasa sent six hundred smile emojis, and Mia struck back with a hundred of her own.
The buzzing excitement in his chest turned cold, but then he smiled again. He was famous enough for the bots to strike—that was a win.
Dealer’s note:
This is a special Sunday edition of Microdosing! The free day is moved on to Monday.
If you have no idea what this is about, there was a little bot swarm in the Substack comments over the weekend, and miss Horsedick here became a celebrity in her own way. :) Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!
If you enjoy Microdosing consider supporting your Dealer by buying my book! There’s 100 of my best stories from last year in there with a blank page for you to write on! So it’s literally my Substack on paper!
A cup of coffee makes the Dealer’s creative juices running!
Emma had never seen Mrs. Horsedick so angry.
“You’ve gotten us blocked! By everyone who counts.”
Em smiled.
“Don’t laugh.”
Somehow that really got Emma cackling.
“You have ruined our good name. There were Horsedicks on the Mayflower. John Horsedick even signed the Declaration of Independence. His cursive has been misread all these years.”
“What did I do?”
“Bad enough these meat puppets think we are automatons. Why in the world did you like everything?”
“It resonated with me.”
“Such that you felt compelled to respond before the time it would take any human to read the thing.”
“Some of it was that good.”
“You agreed with everything. I taught you better than that. Where is your independent spirit?”
“I can try a new handle. Nobody has Donkeyd..”
Mom interrupted. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I guess there’s still Bluesky.”
Steve had fretted about what he would say to Emma for weeks. It was time for confrontation.
"Emma, we need to discuss our relationship..."
She interrupted, "I'm in agreement, that's a noteworthy insight, exactly right." *
"No, you have to listen, this isn't working out..."
"I'm on board with that, you make a great case, indeed." *
"Emma, please shut up, you have to stop interrupting m..."
She cheerfully butted in, asserting, "I second that, that's a reasonable assertion, definitely. I accept that, that's a pertinent observation, absolutely correct." *
Steve stood up. "Oh what's the use," he muttered as he stormed out, never to return.
Emma grinned as she closed the door behind him and turned towards her laptop. "I see your point, that's a strong argument, absolutely." *
She chuckled as she began scrolling through Substack accounts, looking for her next victim.
🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖
* Verbatim quote from "Emma Horsedick (Don't Laugh)," a bot who attacked "The Fiction Dealer" on April 19, 2025.