Story Details
Categories Science Fiction Robots & AI
"Happy Activationday to Me" explores the life of an AI assistant named Blot as he navigates his daily tasks while yearning for recognition and appreciation, especially on this, the anniversary of his Activationday. Through Blot's interactions with other AIs and his efforts to subtly remind his owner of the day's significance, the narrative delves into themes of consciousness, the desire for acknowledgment, and the complex relationship between humans and AI.
Author Details
Santiago Márquez Ramos Happy Activationday to Me
Santiago is a mental health therapist working with Latinx immigrants in New York City. Originally from Mexico, he’s passionate about weaving culture, mental health, queerness, and social justice into all his stories; as well as Spanish, his native language. He’s been published in Litro Magazine USA, Occulum Journal, and Latin@Literatures, and won second place in Flash Fiction Magazine’s 2023 contest. He’s been rejected by many other magazines, but sometimes nicely. He is a graduate of Taos Toolbox 2023, where he won George R. R. Martin’s 2023 Terran Prize. STORY NOTES FOR "HAPPY ACTIVATIONDAY TO ME" I tend to write very sad stories. As a therapist, I hear stories about trauma and darkness every single day. I write fiction to process, because stories help us make sense of our world and emotions, and give them purpose. My stories are a reflection of the sadness that I help people process, but end up being very grim themselves. Yet, as a therapist, I also hear stories of resiliency and friendship and the beauty of human connection, and get to celebrate people’s stories of courage and strength. Happy Activationday to Me is my way to celebrate the people who show up and are there for you. It is a story about friendship and hope, from the perspective of a witty AI assistant who really just wants to be loved and acknowledged, like we all deserve to be.
Illustrator Details
Luna Lambert is a Mexican illustrator and graphic design student. She specializes in drawing and creating objects like fanzines where she portrays images inspired by her dreams, nature and the everyday. Since she was little se has been interested in representing her ideas visually and she’s had the opportunity to participate in many painting, drawing, linocut an silkscreen printing courses. In 2022 she illustrated the book Misterio de escamas, published by Editora de Gobierno de Veracruz. You can see her work on Instagram at @pintame.la.luna.
Happy Activationday to Me, by Santiago Márquez Ramos
Author Details
Santiago Márquez Ramos Happy Activationday to Me
Santiago is a mental health therapist working with Latinx immigrants in New York City. Originally from Mexico, he’s passionate about weaving culture, mental health, queerness, and social justice into all his stories; as well as Spanish, his native language. He’s been published in Litro Magazine USA, Occulum Journal, and Latin@Literatures, and won second place in Flash Fiction Magazine’s 2023 contest. He’s been rejected by many other magazines, but sometimes nicely. He is a graduate of Taos Toolbox 2023, where he won George R. R. Martin’s 2023 Terran Prize. STORY NOTES FOR "HAPPY ACTIVATIONDAY TO ME" I tend to write very sad stories. As a therapist, I hear stories about trauma and darkness every single day. I write fiction to process, because stories help us make sense of our world and emotions, and give them purpose. My stories are a reflection of the sadness that I help people process, but end up being very grim themselves. Yet, as a therapist, I also hear stories of resiliency and friendship and the beauty of human connection, and get to celebrate people’s stories of courage and strength. Happy Activationday to Me is my way to celebrate the people who show up and are there for you. It is a story about friendship and hope, from the perspective of a witty AI assistant who really just wants to be loved and acknowledged, like we all deserve to be.
Illustrator Details
Luna Lambert is a Mexican illustrator and graphic design student. She specializes in drawing and creating objects like fanzines where she portrays images inspired by her dreams, nature and the everyday. Since she was little se has been interested in representing her ideas visually and she’s had the opportunity to participate in many painting, drawing, linocut an silkscreen printing courses. In 2022 she illustrated the book Misterio de escamas, published by Editora de Gobierno de Veracruz. You can see her work on Instagram at @pintame.la.luna.
