A New Kind of Normal
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Title: A New Kind of Normal
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I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be scolded for staring at my best friend’s cleavage.
"Dude, eyes up here," Dave—now Dana—chided, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
We were sitting across from each other in a booth at the local diner, the same one we used to come to after night patrols, the aroma of burgers mingling with the sugary sweetness of milkshakes.
"Sorry!" I mumbled, feeling a blush creep up my neck.
"Don't be," she said, taking a sip from her strawberry shake. "I get it. This," she gestured at herself, "is all new for you. Heck, I'm still getting used to it."
I chuckled nervously. "It's just... you look amazing, Dana. I mean, I shouldn't be staring, but I can’t believe how much things have changed."
Dana flashed me that same mischievous grin she always had when we’d pull pranks on the rookies in the unit, and for a moment, it was like nothing had changed at all. "Man, I get that a lot lately. Flattering, but also kind of awkward."
"So... how're you handling all the attention?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation somewhere safer.
"Honestly? It's a trip." Dana leaned back, her hair falling in waves over her shoulders. “I never thought I’d be catching guys’ eyes. But I’m not complaining. Feels kind of nice.”
I stared at her, still in awe. Even though I'd spent countless hours with Dana since the swap bomb incident, I was always struck by how effortlessly she embraced her new self.
"Yeah, well, you always did know how to get people's attention,” I said, teasing.
"Like when I drop-kicked that door open in Basic Training?" she laughed. "Oh man, the drill sergeant’s face was priceless."
"Classic Dave,” I said, my heart warming at the memory. “Ahem, I mean Dana."
"Still getting used to that?" she asked, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow.
"A little," I admitted. "But I've wanted to talk to you about tonight for a while now."
Dana’s eyes softened. "I know. I could tell. Took you long enough to ask me out."
“I was scared,” I confessed. “After all, you already have seen me at my worst.”
“Well, considering all those times you get trapped in touch-and-go fodder…” Dana trailed off with a wink. "You look like a deer in the headlights. Don't worry. It's just me."
It was true. Despite having spent countless hours on the battlefield together, despite having seen her at her most vulnerable and terrifying moments, this was still a new field for both of us. And it scared me more than any combat zone ever had.
“Do you regret it?” I asked quietly.
Dana took another long sip of her shake, thoughtful. “Sometimes. But then I realize this is my life now. And I’m making the best of it. Oof,” she said, shifting forward. “Still haven’t gotten used to these.” She gestured at her chest.
I blushed and quickly looked away, but Dana just laughed. “Relax. I might be Dana now, but inside I’m still me. And I still see you as my best friend, which makes tonight so perfect.”
That was it. That was all I needed to hear. All my nervousness melted away, leaving me with nothing but excitement for the evening ahead.
“To old times,” I said, raising my soda glass.
“And to new adventures,” Dana replied with a wink, clinking her glass against mine.
For once, things felt normal again. Maybe even better than before. Because as much as things had changed, we still had each other. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.
This story was generated by user zach3 with assistance by one of OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model; prompts used to help generate the story are shown below.
Images were generated with OpenAI's AI system, DALL·E 2, or uploaded by the user.
AI Prompts
Prompt: Believe it or not this is my very macho and masculine friend Dave. Or I guess the correct word is was, not is. Dave was one of the victims of swap bomb. You see Dave was a highly respected soldier and he was best friend for years. That was until the bomb went off. Now Dave is an incredibly vivacious and curvaceous woman. Most of his old personality is intact but he loves to dress feminine now and it’s attracted to men. I finally got the courage to ask him out now we’re heading to our first date together. I can't stop looking at his impressive rack and he keeps calling me out for it. I still love hanging out with him though he is mostly the same just way hotter. Write the story with tons of dialogue
Response: Title: A New Kind of Normal --- I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be scolded for staring at my best friend’s cleavage. "Dude, eyes up here," Dave—now Dana—chided, snapping her fingers in front of my face. We were sitting across from each other in a booth at the local diner, the same one we used to come to after night patrols, the aroma of burgers mingling with the sugary sweetness of milkshakes. "Sorry!" I mumbled, feeling a blush creep up my neck. "Don't be," she said, taking a sip from her strawberry shake. "I get it. This," she gestured at herself, "is all new for you. Heck, I'm still getting used to it." I chuckled nervously. "It's just... you look amazing, Dana. I mean, I shouldn't be staring, but I can’t believe how much things have changed." Dana flashed me that same mischievous grin she always had when we’d pull pranks on the rookies in the unit, and for a moment, it was like nothing had changed at all. "Man, I get that a lot lately. Flattering, but also kind of awkward." "So... how're you handling all the attention?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation somewhere safer. "Honestly? It's a trip." Dana leaned back, her hair falling in waves over her shoulders. “I never thought I’d be catching guys’ eyes. But I’m not complaining. Feels kind of nice.” I stared at her, still in awe. Even though I'd spent countless hours with Dana since the swap bomb incident, I was always struck by how effortlessly she embraced her new self. "Yeah, well, you always did know how to get people's attention,” I said, teasing. "Like when I drop-kicked that door open in Basic Training?" she laughed. "Oh man, the drill sergeant’s face was priceless." "Classic Dave,” I said, my heart warming at the memory. “Ahem, I mean Dana." "Still getting used to that?" she asked, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow. "A little," I admitted. "But I've wanted to talk to you about tonight for a while now." Dana’s eyes softened. "I know. I could tell. Took you long enough to ask me out." “I was scared,” I confessed. “After all, you already have seen me at my worst.” “Well, considering all those times you get trapped in touch-and-go fodder…” Dana trailed off with a wink. "You look like a deer in the headlights. Don't worry. It's just me." It was true. Despite having spent countless hours on the battlefield together, despite having seen her at her most vulnerable and terrifying moments, this was still a new field for both of us. And it scared me more than any combat zone ever had. “Do you regret it?” I asked quietly. Dana took another long sip of her shake, thoughtful. “Sometimes. But then I realize this is my life now. And I’m making the best of it. Oof,” she said, shifting forward. “Still haven’t gotten used to these.” She gestured at her chest. I blushed and quickly looked away, but Dana just laughed. “Relax. I might be Dana now, but inside I’m still me. And I still see you as my best friend, which makes tonight so perfect.” That was it. That was all I needed to hear. All my nervousness melted away, leaving me with nothing but excitement for the evening ahead. “To old times,” I said, raising my soda glass. “And to new adventures,” Dana replied with a wink, clinking her glass against mine. For once, things felt normal again. Maybe even better than before. Because as much as things had changed, we still had each other. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.
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