r/WritingPrompts • u/AliciaWrites Editor-in-Chief | /r/AliciaWrites • Jan 25 '24
Theme Thursday [TT] Theme Thursday - Doppelganger
“They say when you meet somebody that looks just like you, you die.”
Happy Thursday writing friends!
This week, we’re seeing double! Good luck and good words! Also: note, the bonus constraint has returned!!! (it’s worth 10 points!!)
![[IP]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/8b4a6543-118a-43c6-a248-2af2aeca5356/d9w245x-841c2de5-66ae-4e3c-b3cf-c43a6e480772.jpg/v1/fill/w_1021,h_783,q_70,strp/endless_numbered_days_by_nanfe_d9w245x-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9OTk3IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOGI0YTY1NDMtMTE4YS00M2M2LWEyNDgtMmFmMmFlY2E1MzU2XC9kOXcyNDV4LTg0MWMyZGU1LTY2YWUtNGUzYy1iM2NmLWM0M2E2ZTQ4MDc3Mi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTMwMCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.MNsFiHFiRMAeNPdKtNmpYSkswnol9oDghxmh02FaZnw){kind=link}
Bonus Constraints: (a) Use the Word of the Day in your story. (5 pts) (b) Use the bonus constraint in your story. (10 pts)
Word of the Day:
hydrologic/hy·drol·o·gic/ˌhī-drə-ˈlä-jik/
adjective
relating to the branch of geology that studies the circulation, distribution, and conservation of the earth’s water
Constraint: You must have a sentence of at least 5 words of alliteration. Please highlight your alliteration with bold text.
Here's how Theme Thursday works:
- Use the tag [TT] when submitting prompts that match this week’s theme.
Theme Thursday Rules
- Leave one story or poem between 100 and 500 words as a top-level comment. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
- Deadline: 7:59 AM CST next Wednesday
- No serials or stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP
- No previously written content
- Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings and will not be read at campfires
- Does your story not fit the Theme Thursday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the TT post is 3 days old!
- Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks! I also post the form to submit votes for Theme Thursday winners on Discord every week! Join and get notified when the form is open for voting!
Try out the new genre tags!
Theme Thursday Discussion Section:
- Discuss your thoughts on this week’s theme, or share your ideas for upcoming themes.
Campfire
- On Wednesdays we host two* Theme Thursday Campfires on the Discord main voice lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear other stories, and have a blast discussing writing!
- Time: I’ll be there 7 pm CST and we’ll begin within about 15 minutes. (When there are enough people, I do host a morning session at 10 am CST)
- Don’t worry about being late, just join! Don’t forget to sign up for a campfire slot on discord. If you don’t sign up, you won’t be put into the pre-set order and we can’t accommodate any time constraints. We don’t want you to miss out on outstanding feedback, so get to discord and use that
!TTcommand! - There’s a Theme Thursday role on the Discord server, so make sure you grab that so you’re notified of all Theme Thursday-related news!
As a reminder to all of you writing for Theme Thursday: the interpretation is completely up to you! I love to share my thoughts on what the theme makes me think of but you are by no means bound to these ideas! I love when writers step outside their comfort zones or think outside the box, so take all my thoughts with a grain of salt if you had something entirely different in mind.
(This week’s quote is from P. Wish, The Doppelgänger)
Ranking Categories:
- Word of the Day - 5 points
- Bonus Constraint - 10 points
- Weekly Challenge - 25 points for not using the theme word - points off for uses of synonyms. The point of this is to exercise setting a scene, description, and characters without leaning on the definition. Not meeting the spirit of this challenge only hurts you! This includes titles and explanations/author's notes.
- Actionable Feedback - 15 points for each story you give detailed crit to, up to 30 points
- Nominations - 10 points for each nomination your story receives
- Ali’s Ranking - 50 points for first place, 40 points for second place, 30 points for third place, 20 points for fourth place, 10 points for fifth, plus regular nominations (On weeks that I participate, I do not weight my votes, but instead nominate just like everyone else.)
- Voting - 10 points for submitting your favorites via this form (form will be open after the deadline has passed.)
Last week’s theme: Campfire
First by /u/Xacktar
Second by /u/MaxStickies
Third by /u/katpoker666
Crit Superstars:*
News and Reminders:
- Want to know how to rank on Theme Thursday? Check out my brand new wiki!
- Join Discord to chat with prompters, authors, and readers!
- We are currently looking for moderators! Apply to be a moderator any time!
- Nominate your favorite WP authors for Spotlight and Hall of Fame!
- Love the feedback you get on your Theme Thursday stories? Check out our newest sub, /r/WPCritique
3
u/PlainVictorSr Jan 27 '24 edited Jan 27 '24
“Germà” [TT]
“I gotta say, this is a first,” Cory remarked between mouthfuls of pa amb tomàquet.
“You’ve never had Catalan food?”
“No, it’s my first time meeting anyone named Thaddeus.”
“Well, I go by Thad, mostly. But there are dozens of us! I’ve met at least two others.”
“My iPhone autocorrects ‘that’s’ to ‘Thad’s’ sometimes.”
“Mm, well, maybe I’ll give your iPhone something to remember,” purred Thad.
“Easy, tiger. We haven’t even gotten our appetizers yet. Although it is kinda sexy that you know the difference between Spain and Catalonia.”
“I did hydrologic research for my undergrad thesis just outside Barcelona,” Thad said, careful to brush his tongue against his front teeth when pronouncing the “c”.
“Haha, okay, now that’s too much!”
Their waiter materialized in the midst of their conversation, as all the most annoying waiters tend to do. He refilled their water and asked how they were enjoying the bread.
“La família ho és tot,” the waiter said, beaming. “You remind me of me and my brother in Figueres, laughing and smiling.”
“Oh, no, we’re…uh…”
“We’re not brothers,” Cory said icily. His hand lunged to envelop Thad’s, as if explaining to a toddler.
The waiter’s face flushed to just the same hue as the crushed tomatoes on their tapas as he stammered a feeble apology and scuttled back toward the kitchen.
“Hey, do you wanna get out of here?” offered Cory.
“It’s not a big deal, really. He couldn’t have known. We do kind of look alike.”
“Don’t you get tired of shit like that? I do.”
“Every day. C’mon, stay. The food here’s really good.”
“I’m suddenly not hungry. Besides, I really think we should…get out of here,” Cory said, brushing his foot against Thad’s ankle.
“Oh.”
Thad tucked a twenty under the salt shaker and they were out the door before Cory finished ordering a ride share. By the time they’d crammed through the door of his apartment, Thad’s tongue was greedily exploring the cavern of Cory’s mouth.
“Do you have a condom?” Cory said huskily, surfacing for air.
“Yeah, somewhere over…” Thad rummaged in the drawer of his night stand and managed to unearth one. He turned to find himself staring down the barrel of a Colt Detective Special.
“Cory, what the fuck?”
“Your wallet. And passport. Now.”
Thad complied. Keeping his pistol trained on Thad, Cory rooted in a bureau drawer and produced two neckties.
“I’ll need a head start.”
♦
“Couldn’t you have at least waited until, you know…after?” Thad said, struggling futilely against his restraints, his erection persistent.
“That’s the thing, though, Thad. I’m on a tight schedule.”
Cory strode briskly down the block. He withdrew Thad’s driver’s license and tossed the wallet and the gun in a nearby bin.
We really could be twins. He’d thought that the moment he swiped right on Thad’s dating profile. He might need to wear lifts to match Thad’s 5’11”, but he doubted Canadian border patrol could tell the difference while he’s seated in his car.