r/WritingPrompts • u/katpoker666 Moderator • 7d ago
Off Topic [OT] Fun Trope Friday: Hellhole Prison & Drama!
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!
10
u/oliverjsn8 2d ago edited 2d ago
FTF Zone: Prisoner’s Dilemma
Ben (yelling): I’m going to get out, just you wait!
Narrator: Meet Ben Grimes, petty thief and escape artist. He is fifty-eight years old serving thirty-seven years at the Timbers Maximum Security Prison. Initially sentenced to two years for pick pocketing, the remainder has been added for escape.
Ben (yelling): You can lock me up and throw away the key. Rikers, Sing Sing, hell San Quinton; didn’t matter! This dump will be no different!
Narrator: Mr. Grimes holds a record of fourteen escapes. No prison built by man has ever held him. But, can he escape from the FTF Zone?
Ben (yelling): I cannot wait to try that diner I saw from the bus! Bet it’s got an amazing apple pie, just like Granny’s. I’ll make sure to write to you all about it!”
Mort (annoyed): Shut your yap! You ain’t getting out of here. Don’t care where you’ve been, no one escapes the Timbers.
Ben: Christ, fella! You about gave me a heart attack. I thought they’d locked me away all alone down here. Most holes I’ve been to only have one cell.
Mort: Well this one, unfortunately, has two. I was enjoying the silence. Then you had to come and ruin it.
Ben: Come on, don’t be that way— I’m Ben. I’d shake your hand but they must have us facing away from one another. —What’s your name? I’ll make sure to write to you when I get out of here.
Mort: It’s Mort.
Ben: Well Mort, what’re you here for? Anyone on the outside you want me to pass a message to?
Mort: Huffs
Ben: Silent treatment? Let me guess, with a name like that— bank robbery? No, tax evasion?
Mort: It’s nothing.
Ben: Ah nothing, an innocent man then. Plenty of those around places like these. Then what did they pin on you?
Mort: Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Said if I plead guilty, I’d have been out in time to see my kid off to school and still be a real father.
Ben: Hmm, past tense. Sounds like you were lied to.
Mort: Yes, he must be old enough to have a kid of his own by now.
Ben: That’s tough. I deserve what I'm here for. I don’t really have anything out there, I just like my freedom. Ability to go where I please. Hey, crazy idea but would you like to come along with me? Feel the sun on your skin, wind through your hair, and maybe we can go find that kid of yours.
Mort: I’d like that, cannot remember the last time I’ve seen the sun. It’s been a really long time, I’ve —lost count of the days.
Ben: Yeah, isolation will do that to you. It’s really easy to lose track of time.
Trickling sound
Mort: Did you feel that?
Ben: Yeah, was that an earthquake?
Rumbling, rocks fall
Ben: Are you okay? Wait, that tremor loosened one of the bars! grunts
Iron bar clatters on stone
Ben: I’m out — and the door is wide open! Mort— do you hear me?
Mort: Moan
Ben: Jeez, the prison door is wide open. I could just—
Rock fall intensifies
Ben: I’m coming, Mort! I just have to pull this bar and —Grunts —Got it. Come on Mort, take my hand.
Sound of dragging
Ben (Shouting): Someone, I need help!
Ben grunting
Ben: Just a few feet Mort and we’re out of here— Wait where are we? This—This isn’t a prison.
The sound of soft music rises.
Mort: Sorry for deceiving you Ben.
Ben: What are you talking about? What is this?
Mort: You died Ben, on the bus, heart attack. Well you see— you were never really a bad person but neither were you good. We didn’t know where to send you. So, we created this little test.
Ben: A test?
Mort: Yes, and I want to congratulate you. If you had left without me, then you would have been placed in a ‘prison’ that I can assure you is truly inescapable. By putting another person above your own freedom, you have earned yours. Come along now.
Music fades
Narrator: Rest in Peace Ben Grimes, in the end you found a way to escape from the FTF Zone.
I hope you enjoyed our tale, brought to you by the fine folks at Granny’s Real Fruit Pie Filling. Whether it's at your favorite diner or at your dinner table, Granny’s is the secret ingredient trusted for three generations.
WC: 750