Some brief administrative fol de rol:
Last week’s worldbuilding challenge, wherein I exhort folks to write new myths and gospels for the invented gods and goddesses of Blackbloom is live — I will casually note that, entries so far are quite low. We need more, if possible (elsewise I’ll interpret it as a sign that it’s time for the worldbuilding experiment to end). Have you tried your hand, yet?
The prior week’s fiction challenge — “An Affliction Of Alliteration” has plenty of entries, and is in fact why I’m being so slow to pick a winner. Reading fifty-one 1,000 word stories is like reading a short novel. In other words: holy crap. Expect an answer later today, which will be posted at that page.
Now.
This week’s is a doozy.
A link that recently whirled and pirouetted its way around the Internet is this one:
50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos.
They are equal parts hilarious, absurd, abstract, disturbing, and downright creepy.
Your job is to choose one.
And write a story about that photo. In this way, you are “explaining” the “unexplainable.”
Any genre. Up to 1,000 words.
You should identify the photo you’re choosing both by description and by the photo’s numerical identification found at that Buzzfeed link above. Post the story at your blog. Link here. Point the way.
You’ve got one week.
Friday, December 23rd. Day before the day before Christmas. Ain’t that sweet?
Jump in, get weird, start writing. See you on the other side.
Jim Franklin says:
“I’ll interpret it as a sign that it’s time for the worldbuilding experiment to end.”
Don’t even say such things. Wash your mouth out with erm… whiskey? whiskey should work, right?
I imagine the entries to this weeks challenge are certainly going to be interesting’, image number 2 is leading me to some very grim thoughts.
December 16, 2011 — 9:03 AM
Ryan Jassil says:
Chuck! Put the gun down, and step away from the Blackbloom. Do it now! I’m writing, OK? See? Look at my fingers fly! Just put. The gun. Down.
Great choice of picture for this post. Crystallizes the unexplainable nature of the photos very well.
December 16, 2011 — 9:23 AM
Darlene Underdahl says:
Joy and Sorrow:
http://darlene.underdahl.net/?p=112
December 16, 2011 — 11:08 AM
Marlan says:
I have been wanting to jump into the Blackbloom thing but I have just been mired in too many other projects. I promise to try and throw in some thoughts next round.
As for the pictures…. I think I understand David Lynch a little more now.
December 16, 2011 — 11:17 AM
jkeller says:
so, if i don’t have a blog or website?
December 16, 2011 — 11:39 AM
terribleminds says:
@JKeller —
Can post here in comments or use something like Tumblr or G+. 🙂
— c.
December 16, 2011 — 12:38 PM
MC Zanini says:
“Put the gun down, and step away from the Blackbloom.”
I couldn’t have stated it better. Thanks, Ryan.
Pretty please with sugar and aminiotic fluid on it, Chuck, don’t terminate Blackbloom. I need something to get me anxious.
December 16, 2011 — 1:16 PM
Samantha Stein says:
Forgive the blog-challenged here, stupid question incoming:
Tried to post a comment and it didn’t show, thought it maybe didn’t go through so i tried once more (so sorry if i double did something somewhere) Am I not doing something right or is there a delay between submit comment and it showing up or something?
December 16, 2011 — 1:46 PM
terribleminds says:
@Samantha —
Sorry, you got spammified!
You are rescued from that spammy oubliette.
— c.
December 16, 2011 — 4:22 PM
Jamie Wyman says:
I love this. There were so many I wanted to play with, but #2 stood out as particularly fertile. Here’s my contribution: “Stitch and Bitch”. http://jamiewyman.blogspot.com/2011/12/black-and-white-flash-challenge.html
December 16, 2011 — 1:54 PM
Gergana says:
I will be very laconic due to lack of time.
A kid with chicken phobia and nightmares is trying to hide from a homicidal zombie-rooster. In a parallel universe this is how the end of the world starts – the rooster ate a crop out of a mad alchemist’s farm and became ill and evil – even more evil as roosters go – then he pecked the kid (who obviously is not very good at hide-and-seek) to almost/death and then.. Well, we all know how the zombie apocalypse goes.
The picture was delivered to our universe by one of the last people from the other universe who could time and space travel (because in That universe they could do that on daily basis) as a warning.
So, Be Warned!
December 16, 2011 — 3:26 PM
Ashley says:
Thank you for getting me into the flow of writing again! http://thepantslesswonder.blogspot.com/2011/12/flash-challenge.html
December 16, 2011 — 3:48 PM
Samantha Stein says:
Woot! Rescue from an oubliette, always perks up the day lol
Posting my Blackbloom entry while I think on this one and hoping not to feed the spambot anymore today *fingers crossed*
December 16, 2011 — 5:00 PM
Theodore J. Rice says:
Can anyone here not think of the movie Labyrinth when they see/hear the word oubliette? Maybe its just me.
I really hope Blackbloom doesn’t get shot down, its got so much going for it, and I think the idea of world building as a group is fantastic.
Anyways, Dance magic Dance!
December 16, 2011 — 5:19 PM
Josin says:
I played this week!
Less than 300 words, but here it is – MOUNTAIN MAGIC:
http://josinlmcquein.blogspot.com/2011/12/flash-fiction-unexplainable-photos.html
December 16, 2011 — 9:25 PM
Kathy O says:
I was inspired by Photo #48. You can find my story, JUST RIGHT, here:
http://katherineowens.blogspot.com/2011/12/when-just-right-is-just-wrong.html
December 17, 2011 — 6:11 PM
Marina Bridges says:
I came up with an explanation for photo #41, basket boy. You can find my story here… http://horrorshortstories.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/367/
Thanks for the fun challenge!
December 18, 2011 — 9:32 AM
Kelly says:
OK…my first person-I-don’t-know-but-whose-work-I-enjoy challenge. I hope I am worthy enough to be here, lol! 😉
http://kellyashew.blogspot.com/2011/12/perfection.html
December 18, 2011 — 9:39 PM
Samantha J. Mathis says:
So I did #39… It’s called Ruminations on Death and Betrayal by a Slightly Dramatic Ten-Year-Old.
http://samanthajmathis.tumblr.com/post/14451429266/ruminations-on-death-and-betrayal-by-a-slightly
December 19, 2011 — 5:46 AM
Josh Loomis says:
#27. Woof, motherfuckers.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2011/12/19/flash-fiction-the-unexplainable-photo-challenge/
December 19, 2011 — 7:44 AM
Jim Franklin says:
Here is mine. I based it on #46. I call it ”Food for Thought’.
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2011/12/19/flash-fiction-food-for-thought/
December 19, 2011 — 10:09 AM
Jo Eberhardt says:
Those photos are… interesting. I went with number 14 for my story: Solsitce Magic.
http://wp.me/p1teED-jM
(It’s nice to be back after missing a few of these challenges!)
December 20, 2011 — 2:34 AM
Sean Samonas says:
I find it odd they included the ones with the kids smoking. Most of those are likely attributable to Tom Thumb. He apparently enjoyed dressing in kids clothing and acting like an adult around people who didn’t know.
December 20, 2011 — 3:42 AM
Jamie Wyman says:
Couldn’t help myself. Did a second one that also coincides with Thomas Pluck’s challenge. For #43 – “A Man of Discerning Character” http://jamiewyman.blogspot.com/2011/12/twofer-tuesday.html
December 20, 2011 — 9:25 AM
ChrisWhiteWrites says:
Remember the Safe Word for Safe Fun everyone!
https://chriswhitewrites.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/308/
December 21, 2011 — 3:26 AM
Ben K. says:
Another great challenge, Chuck. Thank you.
My offering is a story around #14. It’s called Little Mike Billy. Enjoy — and thanks again, Chuck
http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/clintonaut/2011/12/little-mike-billy.html
December 21, 2011 — 8:04 PM
JivaFang says:
okay.. so pic #28 screamed “me me me me” and I had to “explain” it.
I hope you’ll read it before looking at the picture again.. but that’s me.
Title: Interchangeable.
My site is down (i’m a lazy web designer), so I used Issuu… requires Flash to view.
http://issuu.com/ansatsusya/docs/interchangeable
December 21, 2011 — 9:19 PM
MC Zanini says:
#48.
Wishful Thinking.
http://metagamers.com.br/2011/12/the-unexplainable-photo-challenge/
December 22, 2011 — 12:46 PM
Casz Brewster says:
Solstice Ball #28:
http://www.casondrabrewster.com/?p=324
December 23, 2011 — 11:25 AM
GL Kimber says:
Penguipocalypse #8
http://epenymous.com/2011/12/23/flash-fiction-challenge-50-unexplainable-bw-photos/
December 23, 2011 — 11:39 AM
Paul Tevis says:
Inspired by #26: http://paultevis.com/blog/2011/12/23/sjdbeck-farm.html
December 23, 2011 — 12:01 PM
Lesann says:
I missed the deadline, but thought I’d offer my contribution regarding #45: http://lesannberry.com/2011/12/blind-mary.html
December 23, 2011 — 1:52 PM
Denise says:
My contribution to the fray:
http://pdhinson.com/?page_id=123
December 23, 2011 — 8:45 PM
Patrick O'Duffy says:
So hey, I know this is a couple of days late, but I wanted to put it on on Christmas Day as a present to my blog readers.
So here’s ‘Black Veil and Gloves’, a story of boxing and love gone wrong as inspired by image #15:
http://patrickoduffy.com/2011/12/25/black-veil-and-gloves/
December 25, 2011 — 8:36 PM