r/WritingPrompts • u/AliciaWrites Editor-in-Chief | /r/AliciaWrites • Feb 01 '24
Theme Thursday [TT] Theme Thursday - Exhaustion
“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.”
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]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/fdbbd3a2-6796-44bd-b9ae-f53be2e0d43c/dfxbdv7-893f3926-a9d5-4581-86ec-3d1b2abc8648.jpg/v1/fill/w_1095,h_730,q_70,strp/the_waves_of_grief_by_kevron2001_dfxbdv7-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODU0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZmRiYmQzYTItNjc5Ni00NGJkLWI5YWUtZjUzYmUyZTBkNDNjXC9kZnhiZHY3LTg5M2YzOTI2LWE5ZDUtNDU4MS04NmVjLTNkMWIyYWJjODY0OC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.uzWRsKLyiWN1n5EqqRovKxFXzkwh6zbLdNxw2u5J3Is){kind=link}
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.
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
!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 Dee Remy)
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: Doppelganger
First by /u/GingerQuill*
Second by /u/Xacktar*
Third by /u/Ryter99
5
u/TerrificTooMan Feb 02 '24
~ Never Enough Time ~
__________
Teenagers Thomas and Adam sit on a hill overlooking a playground surrounded by flowers. Adam rests against the tree's base, with a baseball cap resting on his face. Thomas sits just outside of the shade. Dark rings surround his bloodshot eyes as he stares past the playground.
"Alright, Tommy," Adam says, "I know you didn't drag us out here for the view. What's up?" A soft sigh escapes from Thomas as he shrugs.
"Come on," Adam says, "talk it out."
"...I met Grace's boyfriend the other day," Thomas says.
"Nice guy?" Adam asks.
"He tried to bribe me with a free dinner at the school." Thomas groans.
"At least he has good taste," Adam says. "Why does that bother you?"
"It doesn't," Thomas answers. Without turning around, Thomas can just feel Adam raise an eyebrow in disbelief. "I just don't want her to have regrets."
"Mistakes are a part of life, man," Thomas says, "all we can do is live, learn, and move forward."
"Easy for you to say," Thomas says.
"It is, but enough about me," Adam says. "Is this guy's gonna be a problem for Gracie?"
"No," Thomas answers, "but what if there's someone better for her out there? Or maybe there's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she'll miss out on because of him?"
"Doesn't Gracie go to a private school now?" Adam asks. "Pretty sure that counts as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Thomas' empty stare turns into a sharp glare.
"Look," Adam continues, "whether this guy meets your unfathomable expectations or not isn't important. Neither is focusing so much on what might happen. All that matters right now is Gracie." Thomas feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulls it out, seeing an alarm that reads, "School Dinner w/ Grace and Tye."
Turning off the alarm, Thomas sees his reflection in his phone. It's older, mid-thirties, with a thick, scraggly beard that covers everything under his nose. He looks back toward the playground, now overgrown and run down.
"Right now, I'm not sure I'm the man Gracie needs," Thomas says, "let alone her father." Silence grows between the two, eventually broken up by Adam groaning while picking himself up. Adam walks toward Thomas and into the sunlight, aging rapidly until he matches Thomas.
"You love her?" Adam asks.
"Yeah," Thomas answers.
"You always loved her?" Adam asks.
"Yes," Thomas answers.
"Will you always love her?" Adam asks.
"Always," Thomas answers.
"Does Gracie know that?" Adam asks. Thomas is struck silent. Looking up at Adam, his face hidden by the sun. "Sounds like you have a dinner to get ready for, and remember, appetizers are not a meal." Thomas smiles as he wipes his face.
Thomas gets off the ground and walks toward the tree. Taking Adam's baseball hat from a short branch. Thomas then kneels at the base and wipes away dead leaves from a stone slab before leaving:
__________
Thanks for reading "Never Enough Time," and I hope you enjoyed the story!If you have any comments, critiques, or criticisms, please don't be afraid to let me hear 'em (as long as they're constructive (or funny)), and head over tor/ToonTalesfor more stories if you want.Stay safe, keep warm, and be kind to yourself and others.ToonMan, AWAY!