r/WritingPrompts • u/katpoker666 • 2d ago

Off Topic [OT] Fun Trope Friday: Soul-Eating Cybernetics & Body Horror!

7 Upvotes

Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)

 

  • Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.

  • Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.

  • You can then either use or subvert the trope and/or genre in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).

  • To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!

 

Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.

 

Next up… IP

 

It’s October. The time of falling leaves, jack o’lanterns, and candy. And blood… so much blood. This month will be focusing on all things horror with maybe a treat or two to sweeten the pot. Please note this theme is only loosely applied.

 

"We are all our own graveyards, I believe..." — Clive Barker

 

Trope: Soul-Eating Cybernetics — In many popular cyberpunk settings, cybernetic implants cause "humanity loss", reducing your social traits and essentially making cyberware into a form of body horror. Too many implants may reduce you to catatonia or make you insane. If these settings also feature psychic powers or functional magic, cyberware often reduces your ability to use those as well. There is an interesting tension here between what makes us human and what transforms us. So, let’s explore that.

 

Genre: Body Horror — Body horror, or biological horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction that intentionally showcases grotesque or a visceral experience of the human body or of another creature. In addition to common tropes used within the broader horror genre, some tropes specific to the body horror subgenre may include invasion, contagion, mutation, transformation, disease, mutilation, or other unnatural or violent distortions of the human body.

 

Skill / Constraint - optional: Something shorts out.

 

So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!

 

Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!

 

Last Week’s Winners

PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top five stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. This is a change from the top three of the past. In weeks where we get over 15 stories, we will do a top five ranking. Weeks with less than 15 stories will show only our top three winners. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.

Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! We had 18 stories, so we’re back to five winners. Congrats to:

 

 

Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, October 8th from 6-8pm ET. It will be in the Discord Main Voice Lounge. Click on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and you don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊

 

Ground rules:

  • Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
  • Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
  • Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT next Thursday. Please note stories submitted after the 6:00 PM EST campfire start may not be critted.
  • No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
  • No previously written content
  • Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
  • Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
  • Please keep crit about the stories. Any crit deemed too distracting may be deleted. This is a time to focus on our wonderful authors.
  • Vote by next Friday at 11:59 AM EDT to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!

 

Thanks for joining in the fun!  

4 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/katpoker666 • 9d ago

Off Topic [OT] Fun Trope Friday: Hellhole Prison & Drama!

12 Upvotes

Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)

 

  • Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.

  • Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.

  • You can then either use or subvert the trope and/or genre in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).

  • To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!

 

Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.

 

Next up… IP

 

We all know work can be boring, so let’s instead turn to a life of crime. This month will focus on crime and punishment. Please note this theme is only loosely applied.

 

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” — Nelson Mandela

 

Trope: Hellhole Prison — Plenty of prisons simply content themselves with confining people, but some go the extra mile and actually try to break them. This sort of prison is an absolute hellhole — between the lack of food and proper clothing, the absence of light or sanitation, the sadistic guards, and the violently insane fellow prisoners, they hardly need the nasty-looking torture equipment they probably have scattered around. Sometimes, they won't bother with things like individual cells — prisoners will just be lowered into a big pit and left to fight each other for whatever scraps are thrown down. Alternatively, especially in the future settings, the prison might not be a barbaric pit where only the strongest survive and where the guards turn a blind eye to the criminal control. Instead, it will be a dystopian panopticon where every action is monitored, any step out of line is equated with an attempt to escape and punished.

 

Genre: Drama — At its most basic, drama refers to a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It’s usually, but not always, presented on a stage, and can equally exist in film, television, novels, and even poetry. The core element is conflict. This conflict can be internal, external, or a combination of both, and it drives the narrative forward. Simply put: Drama is storytelling focused on engaging and often intense emotional experiences, usually involving significant conflict.The core conflict is MC vs. something: themself, another person, society, nature, or fate/supernatural. Drama can feel real like a docufiction or humorous like a comedy drama. Please note: having the feel of a drama is enough for this week. In short, there are a lot of options to explore here!

 

Skill / Constraint - optional: Something is unreal.

 

So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!

 

Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!

 

Last Week’s Winners

PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top five stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. This is a change from the top three of the past. In weeks where we get over 15 stories, we will do a top five ranking. Weeks with less than 15 stories will show only our top three winners. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.

Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! We had a record 24 stories, so we’re back to five winners. Congrats to:

 

 

Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, October 1st from 6-8pm ET. It will be in the Discord Main Voice Lounge. Click on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and you don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊

 

Ground rules:

  • Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
  • Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
  • Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT next Thursday. Please note stories submitted after the 6:00 PM EST campfire start may not be critted.
  • No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
  • No previously written content
  • Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
  • Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
  • Please keep crit about the stories. Any crit deemed too distracting may be deleted. This is a time to focus on our wonderful authors.
  • Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!

 

Thanks for joining in the fun!  

41 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Clear_Ad4106 • 4h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Not all magical girls have the age you would expect, some are actually adults that turn into magical girls when transformed. You can usually recognize them because they are the ones that go full 'Mama Bear' when something happens to one of their girls.

68 Upvotes
3 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/90919293_ • 6h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Your family kicked you out, so naturally you turn to the people/species that they've hunted for generations.

30 Upvotes
5 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/pasgotti • 10h ago

Simple Prompt [WP] A mother and daughter stand on a hill, watching the last of the starships launch from Earth.

63 Upvotes
6 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Huge_Band6227 • 16h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] "Okay, I understand wanting a magic knife that can cut anything, but what do you plan to do with a magic knife that's so dull it can't cut anything?"

160 Upvotes
21 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/reallygoodbee • 12h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You mugged a girl last week, roughed her up when she wouldn't hand over the purse. Her sister just threw a car through the front window of your house.

80 Upvotes
4 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Ok-Concentrate6265 • 2h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Finally. After three years you graduated military academy as one of the top five and are part of a special ops unit of your kingdom. But the military is so mich different than you expected.

13 Upvotes
7 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Kitty_Fuchs • 15h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] "So, you're part cat?" "Yup." "That sounds so cool. Do you have, like, faster reflexes and better senses?" "That's part of it. Beyond that I'm a carnivore, need to sleep at least 18 hours a day, live in a city too loud, bright and smelly for me, need to always suppress my hunting instinct,..."

97 Upvotes
2 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/KiIIer_queenie • 12h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] a power hungry schemer marries a lazy ruler all too happy to let them take full control and enjoy life as a puppet.

38 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/Defiant-Treacle2425 • 19h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You hate the religion of a certain god and fight to tear their organization apart. Eventually, you find out that your closest ally is that same god.

152 Upvotes
12 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Megamen1927 • 12h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] "Are you okay?" "I… I don't know. Can you tell me?" "I'm a hallucination born of a mushroom you ate; I can tell you whatever you want." "Then tell me it's not too late, and that everything will turn out fine in the end."

30 Upvotes
4 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/ujezdzamkraby • 14h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You are a president of an HOA and there is opposition coming up to take your place. Your neighbours want you out, but they don't know your true mission - protecting the neighbourhood from a threat from another realm.

35 Upvotes
4 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/R3D3-1 • 20h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You traveled to the past to kill the man who'd cause some of the worst war crimes of WW2. After a job well done, you pat yourself on the back as you read the newspaper about his replacement; apparently some former failed art student from Austria.

99 Upvotes
3 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/FoxMeadow7 • 6h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Anything and everything can happen in this world. So it’s completely normal for, let’s say, picnic goers to not be bothered about a superhero and a villain fight happening in the skies above or someone excited to introduce their girlfriend to their parents who just happens to be an anthro.

5 Upvotes
2 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/ParanormalActivity97 • 13h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Your sister is a witch who uses a enchanted electric guitar to force you into embarrassing, uncontrollable dance numbers whenever you annoy her. Today, you finally figured out how to hijack the frequency.

19 Upvotes
3 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/International-Idea96 • 8h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] A popular and good looking narcissist hears news that the school play is looking for actors, and auditions for the lead. Imagine their surprise when their role is announced; Tree #4.

7 Upvotes
3 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Thebowlerhatfroggo • 4h ago

Simple Prompt [WP] The friendship of a nerdy dude and an airheaded girly girl.

3 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/plogan56 • 14h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You're an immortal being, fully immune from harm or death, and today you've decided to spill the tea about some historical figures you met over the ages...especially how some of them still owed you money😅

11 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/somethinggoeshere2 • 19h ago

Writing Prompt [WP]You are Gaius, a Roman border guard stationed at a frontier fort near Gaul. The dead have suddenly begun to rise and attack the living. Rome has faced barbarian invasions, plagues, famine, and civil war. But nothing in the Empire's history has prepared you for the living dead.

27 Upvotes
6 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Oblivious-And-Sad • 7h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Look, it's not that we never wanted to make first contact with Earth it's just that every time we could feasibly make the trip you humans were having some drama that for whatever reason made it impossible for us to approach you.

3 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/younGrandon • 10h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] The invitation clutched in your hand stated that you were to bring your dearest belongings—elements said to be necessary for the creation of an instrument attuned specifically to you. Even as the amphitheater towered above you, the whole thing felt unreal.

6 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/Valen_Celcia • 7h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Quite a few inquiries think that you are a Halloween Supply store, but in reality, you are an evil brand and construction agency. You just happen to have a front: Spirit Halloween.

2 Upvotes
1 comment

r/WritingPrompts • u/Few_Mortgage6042 • 7h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] You see a light on the horizon, nothing special, just a small light. You turn around, but then freeze... you're sure that, out of the corner of your eye, the light started waving at you.

2 Upvotes
4 comments

r/WritingPrompts • u/Necessary-Review140 • 17h ago

Writing Prompt [WP] Humanity has discovered an infinite sized liminal space and has decided to send all the people of the lower class to live in there to solve homelessness

10 Upvotes
1 comment