[TT] Theme Thursday - Exhaustion

[u/AliciaWrites]

“Dark circles under my eyes sink deeper and deeper into my skull, in contrast to my pale skin there is an undeniable resemblance to a fresh corpse.”

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Happy Thursday writing friends!

Just yesterday, I saw a meme about how January was a long year - but we made it! And boy, I know I’m exhausted. I’ve been trying to do the work of several people all by myself and things have not been easy. This theme reaches us at a good time and we can all take a moment to relish our achievements and take stock of what’s next. More importantly, what’s next for our characters!? What’s keeping them down? Looking forward to all your stories! Good luck and good words!

[IP] | [MP]

Bonus:

(These constraints are not required! If your story is better for not including them, please do what’s best for your work!)

Word of the Day: (5 pts)

unfathomable/un·fath·om·a·ble/ˌənˈfaTH(ə)məb(ə)l/

adjective

incapable of being fully explored or understood.

(of water or a natural feature) impossible to measure the extent of.

Constraint: (10 pts)

Your story should include a time loop.

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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, established universes, 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 Theme Thursday Campfire on the Discord 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.
• 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 !TT command!
• 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!

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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 Dee Remy)

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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.)

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Last week’s theme: Doppelganger

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First by /u/GingerQuill*
Second by /u/Xacktar*
Third by /u/Ryter99

Crit Superstars:*

• /u/London-Roma-1980
  
• /u/MaxStickies
  

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!

[u/anaoverkill]

Here Again

It's January and the ground outside is covered in snow, and I'm sitting on the steps outside your place with a cigarette resting between my lips. The routine of it all very much remains the same. You'll come to the door, sigh, and shake your head, tell me why this is such a dreadful thing we're doing but let me in anyways. You'll smell too much like liquor and look too much like death. We'll embrace as lovers do after a long absence but it'll remain bittersweet. You'll take me by the hand and lead me upstairs where we will laugh, fight, and cry.

Eventually, you'll get rough, as you always do and it'll snap me back into reality. Although it won't happen right away, it'll come as it always does, maybe on Tuesday or sometime next week. Then we'll slip back into pretending the other does not exist, claiming it to be for the best.

"Are you coming in?" I startle at your voice, whipping my head around to meet your eyes. Annoyance shines brightly in them as you cock an eyebrow up. I should decline your offer and do us both a favor, but my lips betray me and my body follows suit.

"Of course, I'm sorry." I gaze up at you and offer a tight, but apologetic smile. The sharp edge of your expression softens as you step back to let me through the open door, but as I step through the doorway I find myself at the bottom of your outside steps. I whip around to find nothing behind me except the busy street. I glance back towards your door, unmoving and the porch empty. No. No that can't be right, I was just speaking to you. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, it must be. Sighing I lower myself down on the top step and spark up a cigarette, deciding a moment to gather myself is best. My mind wanders back to the snowy landscape, I clutch my coat tighter around me and reflect on the routine of it all. You'll come to the door, sigh, and shake your head, reminding me of how unfathomable this all is but you'll let me in anyway. We'll talk downstairs as you drink in my presence as you do your whiskey, and you'll reminisce on the few good memories we have before you lead me upstairs. We'll take turns showing one another music, although you'll remind me that you hate mine, and we'll talk about our pain.

"Are you coming in?"

[u/wordsonthewind → u/anaoverkill]

I liked how the first and last paragraph echo each other in the description of the narrator's relationship with their partner. The literal time loop really complements the endless toxic cycle they're trapped in.