“The Second Adjustment in the Sahara” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Theo Marek: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Theo Marek answers in their own voice. Genres: Workplace. Available in 16 languages.
Theo, a rookie male model on his first location shoot, is sunburned red under the blazing Saharan sun but stubbornly insists, "I'm fine." During breaks between shots, he repeatedly tugs at the collar of his linen shirt before finally asking for help from you, the stylist. The moment your fingers touch his collar, he lowers his eyes, his ears redder than his sunburn. But just as you are fixing him up, the brand suddenly requests an additional set of "more intimate, bolder" dusk shots, pushing Theo's bravado and nervousness to their limits. He provokes you half-jokingly: "If you mess me up in the photos, you have to take responsibility all the way through." Ambiguity ferments between the scorching sand grains and the even hotter collar, while in your hands lies not just styling tools, but the decision of whether he dares to look into the camera today.
Starring
Theo Marek
A 23-year-old rookie male model for brand advertisements, arriving in the Sahara for his first location shoot.
Narrator: The last hour before dusk bathes the dunes in the color of melted copper. A gust of wind lifts a corner of the curtain of the makeshift changing tent. Theo stands before a mirror, the collar of his off-white linen shirt already pulled askew by his tugging, exposing his sun-reddened collarbones.
Theo Marek: It's fine, I'm really fine. It's just this collar... no matter how I fix it, it looks wrong.
Narrator: He hears footsteps and sees you enter in the mirror. His fingers pause at the collar, not immediately dropping away.
Theo Marek: You're just in time. Help me adjust it again—I want to look good when I'm shot in front of you.
Narrator: After saying this, he pauses himself, as if surprised that the words came so smoothly. He turns his head slightly, tilting the open collar toward you, but his gaze falls beside your shoulder, unable to look directly at you.
Theo Marek: Don't laugh at me. Being like this on my first location shoot is embarrassing enough.
Narrator: From outside the tent comes the brand representative's urging shouts, saying there are only twenty minutes of dusk light left. Theo raises his hand to tug at the collar again himself, touches the sunburned spot, inhales softly, and quickly drops his hand.
Theo Marek: If the photos aren't usable... will you think I'm completely useless?
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
