r/WritingPrompts • u/katpoker666 Moderator • 11d ago
Off Topic [OT] Fun Trope Friday: Bad Influencer & Bad Romance!
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
Out with the apocalypse, in with working 9-5. Most folks work in some format, averaging 80-90,000 hours in their lifetime. That’s 12-14% of your life–straight. Add on sleep and weekends, and it’s at least a third! Sounds riveting doesn’t it? Please note this theme is only loosely applied.
“Would you enthusiastically recommend that a friend purchase something you'd never tested yourself? Probably not. But you may be unwittingly doing this with information every day.” — Dan Ariely, ‘Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things’
Trope: Bad Influencer — Becoming an influence is such a popular goal now that even colleges are offering degrees in it. But not all influencers are good. The grownup sibling of the Phoneaholic Teenager and the cousin of the Sleazy Streamer, the influencer is often the prime example of why Social Media Is Bad and/or New Media Are Evil. Expect them to be image-obsessed, deceitful, manipulative of their audience and those around them, to be shilling bad (if not actually illegal) products, to live under Social Media Before Reason, and to be prejudiced, self-absorbed, and bitchy.
Genre: Bad Romance — A romantic and/or sexual relationship that is truly destructive, breaking down at least one of the lovers, probably both. Looking for further inspiration, can’t post this without Gaga.
Skill / Constraint - optional: Someone has a valley girl accent.
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 16 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, August 27th 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!
6
u/Morose_Prose 7d ago edited 5d ago
Take Two: Electric Boogaloo
Various assistants scurried around the meticulously crafted living room set in the modest-sized Simi Valley studio. Lights, microphones, and cameras were tinkered and toyed with to ensure a clean, professional production. This video would make or break the burgeoning career turn for the Smiths, pivoting to shilling 'traditional values' after their previous influencer space banned them for: corruption of the youths and violation of multiple site-wide rules regarding 'questionable content.'
Five fingers flew above the camera lens. "Five minutes, everyone! Let's get it right!" bellowed the director on set.
Mr. Smith adjusted his denim shirt and settled into a large, cushy, floral-patterned armchair. He turned to his partner and smiled. "How do I look?"
The rolling of Mrs. Smith's eyes could be heard on the boom mic hovering above the couple. "Like a prick," she purred. "What about me, hubby?" her voice spilled like smoke on the water across the gap between them.
"That floral dress and tight bun make you look like a prude. Just how we planned. I think this will work, but we need to commit to the bit. So sit up straight and try to look soulless."
Always the performer, she spun her head quickly, staring directly into the camera lens with a thousand yard stare. "Like this?"
Five fingers were replaced by a single thumb up. "Looks great, Jane!" The director checked the viewfinder to ensure proper framing. "No time like the present, people. Let's shoot this!"
CLACK!
"Hello there! My name is John Smith, and this is my lovely wife, Jane Smith. We're here to talk to you today about the key to true intimacy. Isn't that right, darling?"
"Yes, dear. I'm so happy to share—" A stiff gag cut Jane off, her body stiffened like a plank, and her eyes crossed.
"Our patent-pending program providing pre-and-post marital management and motivation! What's the secret, you ask? Well, I tell you! The key to any good—" Choked croaks crawled from John's throat. Every limb spasmed like a fish out of water, his eyes clamped shut.
"Relation... ship is comm... uni... cation!" Jane chimed in, her voice and knees both shaking. Her ample chest heaved trying to suck in wind. "The women... out there... know that... men struggle with... it... from time to time." She winked directly at the camera, taking a deep breath. "No more with the bedrock of our program: the 'Cut It Out Collar!' This humane and sa—" Like a plastic bag caught in an updraft, Jane thrashed in the armchair.
"Safe device... is for when your... significant other starts... what the kids would call..." John paused, rivulets of sweat dripping down his broad forehead, his lungs burning and his heart racing. "'Acting a fool', or being 'whack' around the house. Communication is not always verbal, and as the old saying goes... silence can be g—" A cresting shock through every nerve sent John crumbling into the fetal position, nearly falling off his chair.
"G-g-golden." Jane gulped for air. "Trust is also... tantamount. That's why the device is... biometrically protected and only once both wearers' unique IDs are entered will they activate." Jane struggled to speak through a massive moan. "Their sleek design can be easily concealed und—" As if struck by Mjolnir itself, Mrs. Smith flopped to the ground, writhing like she was being barraged by divine lightning bolts.
"Under... neath..." Groaning gasps gnashed naught but empty air. "Even the sheerest item of clothing. For only three payments of—"
"Cut! Cut! God damn it!" screamed the director, causing the Smiths to flinch, expecting another jolt of juice. "Wardrobe! Clean up on the set!"
Heavy boots hit shag carpeting, clomping with thunderous steps to center stage. The director shook his head in frustration. "Slow it down you two! Both of you are covered in flop sweat down to your crotches, fucking up your makeup, and my lighting!"
Director's direct, and this director directed the duo down the doldrous hallway to wardrobe. Actors improvise. The two ducked into the stairwell, embracing each other tightly, bolts of passion crackled from their gazes.
It took thirteen more takes to finally get the project in the can. In the end, the Smiths lost everything. Their device never made it to market for what court records called 'An obscene affront to the fragile moral fiber of all mankind.' The current whereabouts of John and Jane Smith, are unknown.
Word Count: 730
Bonus Constraint: The Smiths are from Simi Valley, thus Jane is a valley girl, but not the kind you're thinking of.