Flash Fiction Challenge: The Who, The Where, The Uh-Oh

Last week’s challenge: “Roll For Title!”

Yoinks.

Last week’s flash fiction challenge was easily the most visited challenge I’ve ever run — also with the most participation. That’s bad-ass, and it’s amazing to see such energy and talent on display. Pat yourselves on the back. Eat some ice cream. MAKE OUT WITH YOURSELF IN A MIRROR.

Or something.

Anyway, this week, we’re back with another randomized challenge —

And, this week, I’m letting you have 2000 words instead of 1000.

The way forward is simple: pick (randomly or by hand) one element from each column below (Who, Where, Uh-oh) and smoosh those three together to concoct a single story. For bonus points, you can actually randomize the Who column twice — either to make a combination protagonist (PSYCHIC CELEBRITY! ASSASSIN ACCOUNTANT!) or to choose a second character to go into your tale, either as a supporting character or as an antagonist.

Post this story at your online space.

Link back here.

Due by Friday, the 24th, noon EST.

And the categories are…

The Who (Protagonist)

Detective
Ghost
Bartender
Dirty Cop
Psychic
Assassin
Accountant
Celebrity
Android
Waiter/Waitress

The Where (Setting)

Nuclear Wasteland
Amusement Park
Chinatown
Far-Flung Space Station
Mad Botanist’s Greenhouse
Virtual Reality
The Underworld
Trailer Park
Pirate Ship
Casino

The Uh-Oh (Problem)

Betrayal by best friend!
Left for dead, out for revenge!
Encounter with a nemesis!
Trapped!
Something precious, stolen!
Lovers, separated!
Warring against nature!
An unsolved murder!
A conspiracy, revealed!
Besieged by supernatural enemies!

45 Comments

Add yours →

Benjamin Adams says:

Finally got around to this. Bad Cop Assassin Trailer Park and you can guess the Uh-Oh. Here it is: http://write-first.blogspot.com/2014/01/bad-cop.html

January 21, 2014 — 6:06 AM

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mckkenzie says:

I did the ultimate randomization of choice by allowing one of my teenagers to pick my Who/Where/UhOh for me! This got me An Accountant, in a Mad Botanist’s Greenhouse, Beseiged by Supernatural Enemies. The result was…

http://mckkenzie.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/highland-feud-more-flash-fiction-from-chuck-wendig/

As always, critique, criticism, and comments are more than welcome…encouraged even!

January 21, 2014 — 11:51 AM

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- C.M. Simpson says:
  
  Not bad! You packed a lot into a small space. You going to work with these characters some more?
  
  January 24, 2014 — 12:46 AM
  
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  - mckkenzie says:
    
    Thanks! You know, I think I probably will. Invented them just for this challenge, but now I kinda like them…
    
    January 24, 2014 — 9:14 AM
    
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- J D Wiley says:
  
  Nice job! I really enjoyed the humor throughout.
  
  January 25, 2014 — 2:33 AM
  
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Rick Cook Jr says:

Ghost, Casino, and Something Precious Stolen! Here’s “Whispering Luck” and a little first sentence tease:

“The day they killed me was the day Lucky Joe’s stopped being so lucky.”

http://panningforclouds.com/2014/01/21/whispering-luck-2500-words/

January 21, 2014 — 2:21 PM

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Fatma Alici says:

1: Assassin
2. Trailer Park
3. Something precious, stolen!

I went for a somewhat campy thriller – Trailer Park Ninja

http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/flash-fiction-trailer-park-ninja/

January 21, 2014 — 6:23 PM

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caszbrewster says:

Bartender, Mad Botanist’s Greenhouse, and Besieged by Supernatural Enemies.

I give you: Down At Shaggy’s Pad

http://www.casondrabrewster.com/?p=1564

Love it when my fellow Wendigo’s come and visit and drop me a note. I try to do the same back.

January 21, 2014 — 7:36 PM

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- mckkenzie says:
  
  Nice one! We shared two out of three elements…funny to see the parallels! But my characters’ poison was scotch! 😉
  
  January 21, 2014 — 10:50 PM
  
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Lois Spangler says:

I honest-to-goobers got Psychic Celebrity. That, and Casino, and Something Precious, Stolen. It’s not what I would have picked on my own, and that’s why I’m going to use the bits as rolled. Hmmm. If it’s not stupid deathly hot when I get home, I’ll start the draft.

January 21, 2014 — 10:05 PM

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C. Jai Ferry says:

The Dead End

http://www.cjaiferry.com/the-dead-end/

An assassin and a dirty cop walk into a greenhouse…(stop me if you’ve heard this conspiracy). 🙂

January 22, 2014 — 1:30 AM

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Jim Franklin says:

I rolled and I got an accountant, the trailer park, and a revenge/left for dead uh-oh. Writing 2000 words was a little out of my comfort zone, but hopefully it worked.

Here is ‘Accounting for Revenge’ (Snappy title, eh?)

http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2014/01/22/flash-fiction-accounting-revenge/

Hope you like it.

January 22, 2014 — 4:33 PM

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J. Lannan (@jLannan) says:

My random numbers got me Android, Nuclear Wasteland, and Left for dead, out for revenge!

I titled it after the main character’s name because I’m lazy like that, and all the other titles I came up with had the feel of “annoying yoga instructor/self-help guru.”

Niloufar
http://sordidstoryteller.blogspot.com/2014/01/flash-fiction-niloufar.html

January 22, 2014 — 5:41 PM

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C.M. Simpson says:

Random numbers: 7, 10, 10: an accountant in a casino, besieged by supernatural opponents.
Result: Show-Down at Shadow Lake
This was a fun challenge, even though I found it hard to reach the 2,000.
Enjoy

http://cmsimpson.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/flash-fiction-challenge-result-show.html

January 23, 2014 — 4:59 AM

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- mckkenzie says:
  
  That was great! Had me on the edge of my seat!
  
  January 23, 2014 — 12:08 PM
  
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  - C.M. Simpson says:
    
    Thanks, it wasn’t an easy one to write. 🙂
    
    January 24, 2014 — 12:38 AM
    
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andreaspeed says:

Random rolls: Dirty cop/ghost/trailer park/ besieged by supernatural enemies. Under 2,000 words, but just barely. And despite the title, it isn’t dirty: http://andreaspeed.com/2014/flash-fiction-challenge-bottom-fishing/

January 23, 2014 — 6:29 AM

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Brandon says:

I got Detective, The Underworld, Betrayal by Best Friend. And somehow it turned into this, which I like a lot:
http://pensandperil.tumblr.com/post/74271181621
I hope you all enjoy it.

January 23, 2014 — 7:14 AM

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- The Sweary Scientist says:
  
  It’s funny how such similar prompts lead to such different stories and settings. I really enjoyed seeing what you did with the ideas.
  
  January 23, 2014 — 7:39 AM
  
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The Sweary Scientist says:

Detective, The Underworld, Left for dead, out for revenge!

“The river sucks at the rotten pier supports; the greasy slap slurp noise makes my stomach roll. Another Friday night, another case that ends with a sock in the mouth. When they handed me the P.I. license they shoulda knocked my teeth out with a wrench at the same time and have done with it. My laugh sounds hollow as the darkness takes me.”

http://quantumofthought.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/downriver/#more-307

Thank you for the Chuckspiration, Wendigo!

January 23, 2014 — 7:16 AM

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bethraymond says:

My options: an assassin and an accountant, an amusement park, and something precious, stolen!

http://bethraymond.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/flash-fiction-challenge-response-the-who-the-where-the-uh-oh/

January 23, 2014 — 11:56 AM

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- R. A. Opp says:
  
  Nicely written, and concise. I enjoyed reading your story.
  
  January 24, 2014 — 10:21 PM
  
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sjhulett says:

I ended up with a detective, mad-botanist’s greenhouse and an unsolved murder (used a d10 and still managed get detective and unsolved murder in the same lot, what’re the chances… it’s rhetorical). Anyhow, here it is;

Carnivorous Vegetation
http://inksmudgesamuel.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/carnivorous-vegetation/

January 23, 2014 — 2:26 PM

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- R. A. Opp says:
  
  That was inspiring and vaguely Wellsian. Nicely done.
  
  January 24, 2014 — 10:39 PM
  
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L.J. Glover (@theLJGlover) says:

I got a dirty cop, a celebrity, a nuclear wasteland, and stranded–left for dead! I immediately knew the premise when I got that conflict, and it pretty much wrote itself:

JACKSAW
http://ljglover.blogspot.com/2014/01/flash-fiction-challenge-2-jacksaw.html

January 23, 2014 — 2:44 PM

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- dangerdean says:
  
  That was excellent. Natural and conversational.
  
  January 23, 2014 — 3:38 PM
  
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  - L.J. Glover (@theLJGlover) says:
    
    Thank you! I quite enjoyed yours also 🙂
    
    January 23, 2014 — 6:46 PM
    
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- L.J. Glover (@theljglover) says:
  
  I got a new blog address! Same story is up at http://ljglover.com
  
  January 23, 2014 — 8:33 PM
  
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Mira Day says:

I was *blessed* with psychic, far-flung space station, unsolved murder and detective. Sounds fairly easy… except that’s completely out of my realm of thought! ha! Anywho, enjoy and let me know what you think 🙂

http://www.miramichelleday.com/flash_fictions_and_short_stories

January 23, 2014 — 8:32 PM

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Rebecca Douglass says:

Bartender, Pirate Ship, and encounter with an old nemesis. I tossed again and made the bartender a detective of sorts as well.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2014/01/flash-fiction-friday-bartender-and.html

January 23, 2014 — 8:48 PM

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- Jemima Pett says:
  
  I loved it!
  
  January 26, 2014 — 1:24 PM
  
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S. Czerny says:

First time participant. Rolled up psychic, dirty cop, nuclear wasteland and left for dead, out for revenge. This was a fun challenge.
http://sczerny.blogspot.com/2014/01/gavotte-beneath-wasteland-willow.html

January 23, 2014 — 10:27 PM

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R. A. Opp says:

I changed my uh-oh, because the story didn’t want the random pick, but otherwise I took what I got: accoutant, android, nuclear wasteland. Here’s the link! http://ideasandinkstains.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/marc/

January 23, 2014 — 11:36 PM

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momdude says:

I scored a “DIrty Cop” in a “Casino” who is experiencing “Betrayal By Best Friend!”. I wrote “Pit Boss” here:

http://pauljwillett.com/2014/01/23/flash-fiction-pit-boss/

January 24, 2014 — 1:27 AM

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Rebecca Martin says:

I went with:

bartender
far-flung space station
an unsolved murder (aka left for dead/trapped)

http://thereallydivinemissm.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/briony-and-the-kachera/

January 24, 2014 — 1:38 AM

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Courtney Cantrell says:

I enjoyed the ever-loving sex-wombat crap out of this. Thanks, Chuck. : )

The random number generator thingy gave me:

Protagonst: Dirty cop ghost

Location: the Underworld

Uh-Oh: something precious, stolen

So, my dirty cop is a dead guy on the run from demons in the Assyrian Underworld as he tries to get his precious back. A romp-and-a-half. I could frolic.

http://courtcan.com/writing/short-story-george-and-the-babylonian-field-trip/

January 24, 2014 — 2:19 AM

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Jodi Lee says:

A ghost, a psychic in a trailer park with a nemesis… it’s Just Business! 😉

http://jodilee.sacredtriskele.net/?page_id=3305

January 24, 2014 — 9:45 AM

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john freeter says:

Detective James Rollins looks for evidence against a serial-killing mad botanist in the confines of his sinister greenhouse…aided by the ghost of his first victim.

Ok, this is the first time I try one of these challenges. It was really fun; hope you like it:
http://johnfreeter.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/clues-from-beyond-the-grave/

January 24, 2014 — 10:24 AM

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Christine Reyes says:

Android, trailer park, warring against nature. I made the deadline, right? Just barely?

http://thisiscompletetruth.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/the-old-android/

January 24, 2014 — 10:26 AM

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K. Nicole says:

Waitress, casino, nemesis and unsolved murder.

http://www.glintoflightblog.com/2014/01/jackpot-kyra-walker-flash-fiction-piece.html

January 24, 2014 — 10:58 AM

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J D Wiley says:

9, 1, 6. Android loss of love in the nuclear wasteland. And before you say it, no, it’s not Wall-E. 😉 Enjoy!

http://www.thejdwiley.com/2014/01/eternal-sunset-flash-fiction-friday.html

January 24, 2014 — 11:07 AM

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- mckkenzie says:
  
  Sweet…sad…very good!
  
  January 24, 2014 — 1:39 PM
  
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Abraham Wolfgang says:

Apparently I didn’t post mine… though I did finish on time. Better late than never! There’s always next week!

The who: Assassin
The where: Amusement Park (though I took some liberty…)
The uh-oh: Warring against nature

Link: http://www.abewolfgang.com/blog/a-conversation

January 24, 2014 — 4:15 PM

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- mckkenzie says:
  
  What a lovely story. A pleasure to read!
  
  January 24, 2014 — 4:47 PM
  
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Smoph says:

I had fun with this but it really wanted to be a longer story.

The who: Detective and Ghost
The Where: Chinatown
The uh-oh: Unsolved murder

I hope you like Chinatown Rebels! http://prose.smoph.org/2014/01/25/chinatown-rebels/

January 25, 2014 — 5:15 PM

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