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Blackbloom: The First Ten Things

Remember the “Blackbloom” worldbuilding challenge?

With 120 comments, I’d say it was a total success.

It’s a good time to pick my ten choices from that challenge, choices that help cement the true nature of Blackbloom — this is Blackbloom’s genesis, when order is forged from chaos, reality birthed from raw void. I’ve got no interview for this week — still waiting on some to come in and I’ve further got to send more questions out — and so why not jump the gun by a day and get this thing going?

First, some comments.

Picking the choices was incredibly difficult for a few reasons.

For one — and you’ll forgive the caps, won’t you — SO MANY SUBLIME CHOICES. Really. Seriously. Lots of compelling little narrative tidbits and fictional factoids. So hard to narrow it down.

Thing is, once you started to narrow them down, it became like a game — or, rather, a troubling puzzle. Because many of the items contradicted one another. Pick one, and five others are blacked out as they cannot exist in simultaneity. Further, some built off of others — so, if the primary entry isn’t chosen, then those that are piggy-backed to it conceptually also fall out of possibility.

A great many of you wanted to define the nature of the term “Blackbloom.” Many saw it as an actual flower, others had some very creatives reasons as to why the planet was named. But, like I said, you pick one of these and the others — in this case, a whole cosmic bowel-load — cease to be options.

Fascinating! And fun. And frustrating, all in one.

What else?

Some entries were more than the pre-defined 100 words.

Some entries were fictional and fun but did not present concrete information — the creative flourishes are appreciated, but also make it hard sometimes to discover exactly what’s being determined.

Some entries were concerned with apocalyptic or otherwise wretched scenarios — all of which I’m a huge fan of but were entries that in many cases felt limiting, as if we’ve already jumped to the awful part. It removes a piece of the potential future equation, when we opt to take the world we’ve built and invoke a brand new apocalypse for it. Further, in defining the “status quo” it felt like leaning apocalyptic flew somewhat in the face of that — as if “flux” was somehow part of that status quo. Finally, going with a world-ending scenario seemed perhaps to undercut the notion of world-building.

So, that being said, let’s get to the ten choices, shall we?

Oh! I should note — one of the choices, by DeAnna, built off another choice but exceeded 100 words. I didn’t know quite what to do with this because I loved it so — thus, the choice became, what was more important? The rules of 100 words, or the power of the story element? Story is obviously king, and yet, rules are in place for a reason. So, I robbed her portion of a single paragraph and kept the rest to keep it to 100 words.

* * *

There is not one God, but several. They all have god-like power over their various dominions. They alone hold the keys to salvation both for the creatures and the planet itself. But no one believes in them anymore.

* * *

In the world of Blackbloom, there is no death, there is life and there is unlife.

Upon death, the rare flower is placed in the mouth of the deceased. Three days later, brain function has returned and the person is alive once more, though they no longer grow older.

Those that can afford to pay for the Blackbloom may go about their lives again as they once did. Those who can’t afford the flower are revived to a period of indentured servitude until they can earn their freedom once more.

* * *

Nobody–human or any other race–who has been bloomed may leave the planet. Their faces (and any area that visibly flushes or blushes, like upper chest and genitals) are marked with a fine black lace that comes from staining of the blood (or other bodily fluid, in non-humans).

The Unbloomed, or people in their first lifespan, are often used as surrogates if a Bloomed needs to conduct personal business offplanet. This often is used to pay for the Bloom.

Blackbloom is sought by the dying and smugglers. The flowers won’t grow elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for the pollen across the universe.

* * *

In Blackbloom Gods walk among men, but are never recognized. In their wake there is chaos.

* * *

There are vast desert areas where the sands are like oceans, and people can ride the sand in specially designed boats.

* * *

Blackbloom has three seasons:
– A rainy, humid hot season that spurs the growth of an algae-type organism which feeds most of the lower life-forms
– A dry, temperate season
– A dark season when the planet enters into a synchronous orbit with its moon, which blocks out the sun (much like an Earth eclipse) for three Blackbloomian months.

* * *

Blackboom’s central civilization is built around a stringent caste system. Everyone knows readily where they stand in station compared to those around them. However, it is not an entirely rigid caste system. Every year there are great Games in which one can win elevation of their caste, find entrance into one of the great vocations, or through penalty of disgrace lose station. Thousands enter, and less than a percent actually attain actual glory. Those few who gain reward through luck and skill are handed over to the royal surgeons for modification, each caste being represented by a dominate physical trait.

* * *

Blackbloom is the kind of place where nobody would look twice at a fedora-wearing trench-coated fellow knocking back martinis with a crumpled face slugbear draped with jewels. And if they decide to take a flitter down the vacuum boulevard, out past where the moneyed citizens build their compounds, nobody here would be inclined to go searching for them after a couple of cycles have passed. You don’t have to be running from something on Blackbloom, but it seems like most individuals are.

* * *

Blackbloom is a place where the technologies and magics of various ages and lores compete for supremacy.

* * *

Eighty years ago, an experiment returned some unusual results. Sounds, of a sort, that we could not detect normally. They were rhythmic and varied, like a whale’s song. It was clearly a language.

Six years ago, a bright young student cracked the code of the language. For the first time, we could hear what was being said, and send a message in return. The content of the speech was shocking, and overturned our ideas of what “life” was.

The cities were pretty surprised to realize we could talk, too.

* * *

(Choices by: oldestgenxer, Joshua D,  Miranda Cardona,  DeAnna,  Palex,  Amy,  John Vise,  Rich Mahagiz,  Anthony Laffan,  Lugh. Thanks to them for helping write this first proto-chapter!)

* * *

So, there you go.

Ten things we now know about Blackbloom.

We’ll be back tomorrow to think up some more, if you’re willing to join in.

Thoughts so far?

Worldbuilding Challenge: Welcome To Blackbloom

Last week’s “three-sentence challenge” is ready for your eyes to behold.

This week’s challenge is a little different.

You’ll note that it does not say “flash fiction.”

It says “worldbuilding.”

Here’s the deal. You and me, we’re going to build a world. Out of scratch. This is tabula rasa, and by smashing our faces against the screen and leaving upon it a gooey streak of blood and brain matter (aka “imagination grease”) we are going to birth a world out of zippity-zero-nada-nichts. From nothing to something, from chaos comes order.

We’re not going to do it all today.

We will, in fact, do it once a month. Every last Friday of the month for one year, or… until this thought experiment fails miserably and crashes into the mountains where it’s forced to eat its friends.

Sometimes we’ll be doing some straight-up worldbuilding, other times we’ll dig deeper and start telling stories set in this world. But before the stories, the world itself must be made.

What are the aims of this weird little experiment? I don’t even know. Part of it is just to see if we can build a world that is a place where fiction can live — can a series of strangers collaborate on a world in such a way to generate a seed bed where stories can grow and thrive? I don’t know. But I’m here to find out.

We’ll play in this crazy generative playground, see what happens.

Let’s begin.

These are the only things you know about Blackbloom.

First, that is its name. Blackbloom.

Second, it is a place where human and non-humans alike dwell.

That’s it. That’s all we know. Everything else is up in the air. Everything else is suspect. Nothing is canonical. All is apocryphal. Like I said: chaos. From chaos we shall draw a deep syringe filled with truth.

Today’s mission is for each of you to provide one aspect of the world in under 100 words. This aspect is a point of status quo: it defines the world as it is now. Not as it will become.

You might say: “It has two suns.” Or, “Water is a precious resource.” Or, “Two warring factions fight over the world’s largest city.” Define the reality as it is now. Define Blackbloom’s current existence.

You can say whatever you’d like. Given that so little is defined, you’ve nothing to build from — but also, nothing to hold you back. This is the act of creation, the weird Genesis of a made-up world.

Thus, feel free to be as creative as you’d like. As weird as you must be.

I will pick… we’ll say 10 of these, but if I see more that are really awesome, I’ll up to… let’s say “20.” That’s my job in all of this: to serve not as deity but rather as adjuticator.

I’ll pick those by the time the next Worldbuilding Challenge rolls around.

Which will be…

October 28th.

Now, get your pick-axes and encyclopedias.

Go nuts.

Create a world.

And welcome to Blackbloom.