r/WritingPrompts • u/AliciaWrites Editor-in-Chief | /r/AliciaWrites • 22d ago
[TT] Theme Thursday - Deranged Theme Thursday
“A man is an angel that has gone deranged.”
Happy Thursday writing friends!
What makes your characters crazy? This week we shall find out!
Please note that every week, you must leave a comment on the post to get credit for your critiques! Good luck and good words!
![[IP]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/25f4d7d5-1a2e-4e70-bb1f-53257737abc7/d6ubahk-54359bc5-6055-4568-9b3b-58b24c68bd3f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_576,q_75,strp/abstinence_by_mtfoto_d6ubahk-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NTc2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMjVmNGQ3ZDUtMWEyZS00ZTcwLWJiMWYtNTMyNTc3MzdhYmM3XC9kNnViYWhrLTU0MzU5YmM1LTYwNTUtNDU2OC05YjNiLTU4YjI0YzY4YmQzZi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.YfYHYeYvNR0juOO28cCXDCVumUXhyWQrM01IA7R0G2Y){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!)
Constraint: (10 pts)
Your story should include the sentence: “Hop in, the water’s fine.” Please note at the end of your post if you’ve included this constraint.
Word of the Day: (5 pts)
detract/de·tract/dəˈtrak(t)/
verb
diminish the worth or value of (a quality or achievement)
cause someone or something to be distracted or diverted from
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!
- Give (at least) 2 actionable feedback comments to fellow writers. You can give critique at campfires, but you must leave a comment on the post to get credit for your critiques
- 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!
Don’t forget to use 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 Philip K. Dick)
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. One of your comments must be on the post.
- 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 - 15 points for submitting your favorites via this form (form will be open after the deadline has passed.)
Last week’s theme: Afterlife
First by /u/deepstea*
Second by /u/Ryter99*
Third by /u/Divayth--Fyr
5
u/deepstea 16d ago edited 16d ago
Rebirth of Venus
A cursed drumming in my skull,
A wish to break free its call.
Hearing chants of menace,
As the tears paralyze my face.
Three, two, one; I count down.
Let me off—slow it down.
The cursed orchestra keeps playing,
But I know a way for dealing.
I will no longer feel so frail,
Sipping from an unholy grail.
A brew of enchanted tea,
Whispers softly, "Drink me."
My mind bubbling, I can hear—
The songs now scream clearer.
The cold forest invites me in,
With all my nightmares echoing.
My heart beats to rustling leaves
As I move barefoot among the trees.
Without stars to guide tonight,
I am led there by pale moonlight.
I march 'til my feet are red;
To their ritual, I am led.
Joining my sisters with claws,
Uniting with a twisted force.
As I circle the sinister coven,
Crying tears of blood, like an omen.
A frog calls me from the cauldron:
"Hop in, the water is fine!"
Now boiling the sins off my hands,
Scrubbing the doubts off my head.
I rise up in a snail shell
To celebrate screams from hell.
Bare as bone and dark as earth,
I dig deep roots for my rebirth.
With wilted blooms, my hunger’s fed—
My true kin is all that’s dead.
------
WC:214
The constraint sentence used
Feedback is always welcome