Last week’s challenge: “Bad Dads.”
Once again, get out your d20s and d10s (or just click on over to the random number generator) because it’s time to randomly choose the aspects of your flash fiction. The instructions are as follows:
On the subgenre table below, pick two subgenres. Mash them sonsa-bitches up into one story. Then, roll once from the subsequent two lists (Must Feature and Must Also Feature). Then, write 1000 words or so of your flash fiction story. Post at your space. Link back here.
Due by next Friday, June 28th, noon EST.
Subgenre
- Grimdark Fantasy
- Post-Apocalyptic
- Techno-Thriller
- Paranormal Romance
- Alternate History
- Superhero
- Comedy
- Southern Gothic
- Nanopunk
- Haunted House
- Dying Earth
- Conspiracy Thriller
- Sword & Sorcery
- Noir
- Grindhouse
- Magical Realism
- Picaresque
- Erotica
- Dieselpunk
- Occult Detective
Must Feature
- A dead enemy’s revenge
- A hidden compartment
- A bottle of rare liquid
- A powerful weapon
- A mythological bird
- A locked door
- A disturbing diary
- An ancient book
- A dying wish
- A forbidden love
Must Also Feature
- A mysterious stranger
- A perilous journey
- A key made of bone
- A troublesome dog
- A dual personality
- A pool of blood
- A secret room
- A broken heart
- A tremendous reward
- A massive feast
John says:
Cool. I have a Conspiracy Thriller with Magical Realism. Must feature a dead enemy’s revenge and a massive feast. I have a week to come up with something…
June 21, 2013 — 7:34 AM
jreinmiller says:
Urgh, Nanopunk Erotica featuring a disturbing diary and a troublesome dog… Sure… No problem… I’ll get right on that…
June 21, 2013 — 7:55 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Heh, harsh. I’m looking forward to seeing how THAT plays out. 😛
June 21, 2013 — 9:41 AM
DisastrousCreations says:
I have Grindhouse (whatever that is) and Sword & Sorcery featuring a locked door and a troublesome dog. I’ll see if I can find some time to mash this up this week.
June 21, 2013 — 8:10 AM
DisastrousCreations says:
I’m not feeling Grindhouse so I spat in the face of destiny and changed my fate; I am swapping Grindhouse for #7 Comedy.
June 21, 2013 — 8:26 AM
Wanderer says:
Oh good, someone else who didn’t know what grindhouse was! I haven’t decided if I want to change it yet…
June 21, 2013 — 9:43 AM
Mozette says:
Ooohh… I love it when you challenge us like this. However, I picked out Occult Detective, A bottle of a rare liquid, a mysterious strange and/or a key made of stone… and then put them all into the story. 😀
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/the-key-to-avalon.html
June 21, 2013 — 8:52 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Tried to comment on your site but it’s frozen the browser window, so I don’t think it’s gone through 🙁 Anyway, I said: Interesting! I didn’t expect Daniel’s revelation. And enjoyable story.
June 21, 2013 — 11:21 AM
Mozette says:
Your comment went through – yay! – weird how it froze the browser window though… 🙁
I’m glad you enjoyed the story. I saw the choices and picked out only three of them – as we were supposed to – and then spotted the ‘key made of bone’ and just knew a story about mystical Avalon would be wonderful! I’ve written a couple of books just like this in my past, and they’re wonderful fun as I don’t plan stories like this, I just let them take me along their own road. So, this flash fiction is 108 words over the limit; but really I couldn’t help that. I tried to edit it, but it would have take a lot from the story. :/
June 21, 2013 — 9:07 PM
Mozette says:
I’m actually not long out of hospital – only about 4 days. I had day surgery performed on Tuesday and now it’s Saturday and I’m travelling well. However, I wrote this late last night and thought it wasn’t going to carry well; but it did from your comment! 😀
June 22, 2013 — 1:24 AM
rebeccadouglass says:
I had a similar problem. Just wanted to say I liked the story and especially the ending. It does need more polish, though, in my opinion.
June 26, 2013 — 1:29 PM
Brian says:
Wait, he said roll *once* from the subsequent two lists. Is that once each? I interpreted it as roll once and take that number from both lists.
June 21, 2013 — 9:05 AM
Wanderer says:
I believe he meant roll once for *each* of the subsequent two lists
June 21, 2013 — 9:44 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Courtesy of RNG: Magical Realism & Erotica. Must include A locked door, and A key made of bone.
Courtesy of me: Talon — http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/talon-flash-fiction-piece/
June 21, 2013 — 9:39 AM
jdsfiction says:
Just wanted to re-comment here what I said on your site. Good show and you always do a great job! Impressive how you (and your monkeys) hammer these out so fast!
June 21, 2013 — 5:55 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Cheers!
June 22, 2013 — 2:59 AM
jreinmiller says:
Nice story. I thought it had some great visuals and depictions, especially at the very beginning, and flowed well. I also hate writing (don’t really write) but I thought you did work it into the story without focusing on it.
June 23, 2013 — 10:48 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Thanks, it was definitely a tricky one for me, and outside my comfort zone. But if we can’t be challenged by writing, why bother writing at all, eh?
June 24, 2013 — 3:45 PM
Jasmine Stanford says:
Wow. I like this very much. I myself, generated erotica as well, and I am envious of how you handled it. It didn’t at all seem forced or awkward. The story was so interesting that I barely even noticed the erotica. Very well done.
June 24, 2013 — 10:15 PM
Trine Schmidt says:
Again, Mr. Spaceman, you whip out a fantastic piece of fiction. You managed the erotica well, it didn’t seem forced at all. Great story.
June 24, 2013 — 11:43 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Thanks Trine, I’m glad the erotica worked for you. I didn’t want it to be too overt, but I was a bit conscious about down-playing it TOO much. Not sure if I hit the right balance, but it’s a good start to work from!
June 25, 2013 — 4:27 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Sorry to interrupt your scheduled programming.. I got grind house, occult detective, an ancient book and a dual personality.. I am going to mull it over until Sunday.
June 21, 2013 — 10:00 AM
j. tapeslinger wolf (@jayxwolf) says:
Postapocalyptic Dying Earth, with a rare liquid and a broken heart. I don’t want to say this story is going to write itself, but… I’m pretty excited to give it a shot.
June 21, 2013 — 10:21 AM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
An erotic techno-thriller with a mythological bird and a key of bone: http://dwcoventry.com/fiction/2013/6/21/bad-people-iii-russian-secrets
June 21, 2013 — 11:01 AM
jdsfiction says:
That’s quite an interrogation! I’m not sure if she’s lucky or screwed…well probably screwed either way, heh. Well written piece though. I’m not much for erotica but it was good, also glad that fate hasn’t given me that genre yet. Curious what will be done with the Strix virus.
June 21, 2013 — 10:10 PM
jreinmiller says:
I thought you worked both genres in well, the writing style and content fitting both to a tee. And your use of the items was especially clever. A good twist on both to match the genres you were given.
June 23, 2013 — 10:55 PM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Great story, precise and to the point. Loved it
June 25, 2013 — 11:39 AM
Brian says:
Well done! A really creative take on the key made of bone. I missed the mythical bird at first, had to take a guess and look it up on Wikipedia. Kudos for using something less obvious than a phoenix or a roc.
June 25, 2013 — 1:50 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Great read, and like Fatma said, excellent and inventive use of the bone key. The pacing was very good, and the erotica was not too in your face. Nicely played!
Sorry for the late review, but I’m catching up on biz from two weeks ago!
July 5, 2013 — 11:31 AM
Rebekah Loper says:
*cackles* I can do this… and it’s definitely going to tie-in with the flash fiction challenge from a while back (the sub-genre mash-up one where I had to write a space opera set in the center of the earth, lol..)
So, the criteria:
My two sub-genre pics: Dying Earth, and Erotica
The two rolls: A mythological bird, and a broken heart.
This is practically going to write itself…
June 21, 2013 — 11:11 AM
Rebekah Loper says:
And mine is up! Posted under a pseudonym to make it slightly less likely that my family will stumble across it…
http://archiveofourown.org/works/858417
June 26, 2013 — 12:09 AM
Brian says:
(6) Superhero and (11) Dying Earth. Featuring: (6) A locked door and (6) a pool of blood.
https://archive.org/stream/Flashfiction_20130621/2013-06-21.txt
June 21, 2013 — 11:15 AM
Wanderer says:
That was such an unexpected take on the superhero aspect. Great story!
June 21, 2013 — 4:01 PM
jdsfiction says:
Dang man. That’s an interesting turn for super heroes. Great job! I enjoyed the writing and the “super time bomb” that seemed to have shaken everything to its end. I really enjoyed the read. Keep it up! 🙂
June 21, 2013 — 10:18 PM
Chris Mackey says:
This is great, man.
June 23, 2013 — 10:11 AM
Brian says:
Thanks for all the positive feedback. This is the first time I’ve ever gotten feedback on my writing from anyone I’m not related to, so thanks! Definitely encourages me to keep going.
June 23, 2013 — 1:43 PM
jreinmiller says:
Really great stuff. Strong tone, and a really great spin on what you were given. Keep it up.
June 23, 2013 — 10:59 PM
DisastrousCreations says:
I thought it was terrific.
June 24, 2013 — 10:11 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Amazing story!
June 25, 2013 — 11:46 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Very enjoyable story with a grim, macabre twist. I really liked how you worked the locked door into this as a sort of metaphor, rather than an actual object. Well done!
July 5, 2013 — 11:37 AM
Paul Baughman says:
This is what I RNGed:
16 magical realism
18 erotica
10 a forbidden love
7 a secret room
but I may tweak it. It seems I’m always rolling for erotica. I’ll let you know what I finally decide on.
June 21, 2013 — 11:20 AM
Paul Baughman says:
I changed erotica for Occult Detective, but left the others as rolled.
Here is: The House of Love and Murder
June 23, 2013 — 3:03 PM
Paul Baughman says:
I forgot to mention that I can never seem to stick to the target word count. This weighs in at about 1,570
June 23, 2013 — 3:15 PM
Paul Baughman says:
As I said, I find it hard to stick to WC targets here. I’d appreciate a comment on the following from anyone who has read this story. I think if I started right where they enter the bedroom, I could hit the target. Would that make a tighter story, or is the previous scene important enough to keep?
Thanks.
June 25, 2013 — 5:28 PM
jreinmiller says:
Good use of all the items and it felt like you sort wound up with all three of the genres you mentioned. I thought it worked well.
June 23, 2013 — 11:05 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Thanks. I was considering calling it MagicalRealism-OccutlDetective-Erotica but I thought that might be excessive. I felt what erotica appeared was a side effect of the story, rather than a main point.
I appreciate your comments.
June 25, 2013 — 5:22 PM
Lynna Landstreet says:
For those trying to figure out “grindhouse”, it’s basically trashy sex-horror exploitation films. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindhouse
I rolled a few different combos, looking for inspiration – just have to decide which one sounds like the most fun!
June 21, 2013 — 11:50 AM
Wanderer says:
Thanks! I read the wikipedia article earlier, but I have’t seen any of the films/examples they listed so I was struggling with a frame of reference.
June 21, 2013 — 12:09 PM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
Starting to suspect that the RNG is rigged to always display “erotica”
June 21, 2013 — 12:29 PM
Scott Zachary says:
A Grimdark Alternate History Fantasy featuring an ancient book and a massive feast? I smell satanic cannibals in the catacombs under the Vatican. Eat your heart out, Dan Brown.
June 21, 2013 — 12:40 PM
rebeccadouglass says:
No, DW, I didn’t get erotica. I did get “grimdark fantasy,” and on looking up just what that is, I think I have to cheat. Occult detective I’ll interpret to my own ends, and can blend it with a dead enemy’s revenge and a pool of blood. But let’s try another sub-genre. . . .picaresque. That’s more up my alley.
You know, since I normally write children’s, humor, light fiction, I have to wonder if Chuck’s Challenges are just all wrong for me. But it’s good to stretch our boundaries, right?
June 21, 2013 — 12:42 PM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
Grimdark fantasy can easily turn into parody without trying too hard (Think troll detective Blood McKillerson and his undead partner Skully).
June 21, 2013 — 12:53 PM
John E. O. Stevens says:
Alt-history & noir, a disturbing diary and a perilous journey. Apparently I must condense Lavie Tidhar’s OSAMA.
June 21, 2013 — 12:54 PM
jdsfiction says:
Okay, so I took out the old analog number generator (that’s my twenty plus years old gaming dice…) and when I rolled I couldn’t be sure if it was kismet or a cruel joke.
I got the Comedy and Occult Detective for my sub-genres. My must have: An Ancient Book. And must also: A Dual Personality.
I’ll have something on this a bit later today, when my brain stops bleeding and I have replaced the loss with coffee.
June 21, 2013 — 1:02 PM
jdsfiction says:
Perhaps my brain bled out too much on this one…
http://jdsfiction.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/flash-fiction-june-21/
June 21, 2013 — 5:02 PM
jreinmiller says:
Haha, well I enjoyed it. I thought the back and forth was quite well done.
June 23, 2013 — 11:09 PM
jdsfiction says:
Thanks much, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I had a lot of fun with it. Though I didn’t get as much comedy in it as I would have liked….
June 24, 2013 — 12:24 AM
Gary Henderson says:
This is the first one of these I’ve decided to participate in, so whee?
I got Southern Gothic + Magical Realism.
It must feature a locked door and also a tremendous reward. Hmm.
June 21, 2013 — 1:36 PM
Wanderer says:
Well, grindhouse certainly took me somewhere I wasn’t expecting. Read “There is a House in New Orleans” here http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/there-is-a-house-in-new-orleans/
June 21, 2013 — 3:33 PM
jdsfiction says:
I loved it! A truly incredible tale!
June 21, 2013 — 6:24 PM
jreinmiller says:
Wow, dark indeed, but it definitely fit the genres and was well written. Good job.
June 23, 2013 — 11:15 PM
Wanderer says:
Thanks so much!
June 24, 2013 — 9:36 AM
Fatma Alici says:
The dice gods have rewarded me this week. Dying Earth, Paranormal Romance, Forbidden Love and a Massive Feast. Yeah, I can’t complain this week.
June 21, 2013 — 4:31 PM
Fatma Alici says:
http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/i-fade-into-you/
Okay, here we go. I never write romance, but it was fun to stretch my writing muscle. Didn’t turn out all that bad either. I’m happy it wasn’t an utter failure.
June 25, 2013 — 4:22 AM
Jason Sandeman says:
Nice! Grindhouse, A bottle of rare liquid, and a pool of blood. Should be super interesting…
June 21, 2013 — 4:59 PM
Jason Sandeman says:
Okay, so here is my entry into this madness! I’d say go easy on me, but I don’t deserve it. Ha Ha http://wp.me/p3vXqe-5p
June 28, 2013 — 3:14 AM
Lauren Roland says:
This is going to be interesting. Thirteen, Two, and Six. Sword & Sorcery, a Hidden Compartment, and a Pool of Blood. I think I’m going to like this.
June 21, 2013 — 5:58 PM
Lauren Roland says:
Oh, and a sixteen, I forgot. Magical Realism.
But I think I handled it pretty well, even though I’m not sure if I followed the rules all that correctly:
http://talesofnottingham.blogspot.com/2013/06/flash-fiction-challenge-1.html
(And pardon the title. I can’t ever think of titles. I suck at it.)
June 25, 2013 — 9:51 AM
agincourtdb says:
Since I have an ongoing superhero character, I cheated, and picked rather than rolled….
Superhero/Nanopunk… and added ‘a broken heart’ and ‘a powerful weapon’. All because this challenge had provided me an angle.for a story idea I’d been kicking around for a while. This is called “Rapture”.
http://www.agincourtdb.com/2013/06/rapture.html
June 21, 2013 — 6:19 PM
awkwardtreed says:
I really enjoyed that, cheating be damned!
June 23, 2013 — 12:55 AM
agincourtdb says:
Thank you! 🙂
June 23, 2013 — 2:43 PM
jreinmiller says:
Great superhero tale. Had just the write tone and flow. Thumbs up.
June 23, 2013 — 11:21 PM
agincourtdb says:
Thank you very much! 🙂
June 24, 2013 — 5:37 PM
Serena Saint-Marceaux says:
Ooh, sounds fun!
I did not actually roll for my subgenres – I was talking to a friend about the challenge before I started my rolls and she said she wanted to see what I could do with a particular combination, so I wound up taking that as an additional kind of challenge. XD
My criteria:
Haunted House, and Erotica
A dying wish
A pool of blood
This is going to be such fun! *cackles* *darts off to write* Such gleeful fun indeed. . .
June 21, 2013 — 7:22 PM
Serena Saint-Marceaux says:
My story is now finished! I was right. It was lots of fun. 😀
Long-Awaited: https://fontofrandom.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/long-awaited-story-for-a-flashfiction-challenge/
June 25, 2013 — 9:53 AM
ilerya82 says:
Genius abounds in a genre smash-up good time!
I think this will be interesting with Sword & Sorcery, Erotica, a forbidden love and a broken heart as my requirements.
June 21, 2013 — 9:18 PM
Coryl says:
Post-apocalyptic nanopunk featuring an ancient book and a mysterious stranger. This is definitely going to be a challenge for me, because I know next to nothing about nanopunk.
June 21, 2013 — 9:45 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Superhero and paranormal romance with a secret compartment and a dual personality. Well. It begged for the realm of the vulgar, which is relatively uncharted territory for me.
I blame the random number generator for me.
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/flash-fiction-challenge-another-roll-of-the-dice/
June 21, 2013 — 9:47 PM
jdsfiction says:
Took me a second to get used to the narrative style, but it worked great! I liked the twist with the symbiotic Harold. Good times! And I thought you pulled the vulgarity off well. Thanks for the read! I had a good time with it. Keep it up! 🙂
Also, a quick side note: your comments below look like they should be for other peoples flash pieces? Not sure whose work you were complementing there.
June 24, 2013 — 4:10 AM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
yeah, they were. I was on a work computer and it did something funky… that’s what I get, I suppose!
June 25, 2013 — 1:27 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Awesome. As always. Just so you know.
June 23, 2013 — 1:07 AM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Very nicely done! And just a little bit creepy.
June 23, 2013 — 1:45 AM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Adore the take on the dual personality. Also the journal… very clever. Hope you do write a longer version!
June 23, 2013 — 1:51 AM
Matthew Leach says:
A Post-Apocalyptic comedy with a forbidden love and a troublesome dog. Here we go…
June 23, 2013 — 5:17 AM
Sam Cuddleston says:
Magical realism and paranormal romance with a locked door and a secret room. It’s my first time, so please be gentle!
http://yourhonesteyes.tumblr.com/post/53662837836/the-third-door-flash-fiction
June 23, 2013 — 5:21 AM
Matthew J. Hockey says:
Afternoon all! Well its afternoon where I am anyway. Good stories all round. I rolled for Occult detective and Haunted house, with extra helpings of disturbing diary and troublesome dog. Hope you enjoy:
http://no-coffee-no-news.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/transcript-of-tape-found-in-stomach.html
June 23, 2013 — 8:49 AM
Matthew Leach says:
Ok, here it is. A Post-Apocalyptic comedy with a perilous journey and a troublesome dog. I hope someone likes it.
http://thewriter78.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/my-horrible-orgy-of-nightmares/
June 23, 2013 — 12:56 PM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
As mentioned in a previous comment I drew Grindhouse, Occult Detective, An ancient book and a dual personality out of the RNG hat. This is the resulting story… (contains sex and nakedness)
http://www.trinetoftschmidt.com/2013/06/flash-fiction-mash-up-again/
June 23, 2013 — 12:59 PM
jreinmiller says:
Heh, you did deliver on the warnings, that’s for sure. I would have guessed Occult Detective and Erotica from the story, but Grindhouse is pretty close so that fits. Well written either way.
June 23, 2013 — 11:27 PM
Tribe Toft Schmidt says:
Thank you. When I read the description for Grindhouse all that came to mind was Russ Meyer, and I think I only ever watched a few clips of a couple of movies. So big quivering breasts were forefront in my mind when I wrote, and I think you areright. I took it too far as explicitity (is that even a word?) goes. Oh well if I’d given the story a couple of days rest I probably would have changed it.
June 24, 2013 — 12:38 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Interesting story! Feels like the start of something much bigger. Perchance we’ll see more of this story, in future challenges?
July 6, 2013 — 4:24 AM
Trine Schmidt says:
Hmmm… I haven’t really given it any thought, but you are right, it could very well expand into something more. If the current Last Line challenge spits something suitable out maybe 🙂
July 6, 2013 — 7:40 AM
andreaspeed says:
I got Dying Earth/Occult Detective/Ancient Book/Secret Room. Which worked together almost too well. Here is The End Is The Beginning: http://andreaspeed.com/2013/flash-fic-challenge-the-end-is-the-beginning/
June 23, 2013 — 4:55 PM
Shelton Keys Dunning (@SheltonKDunning) says:
I’m back this week. I don’t think I followed the rules, but I’m participating anyway! Thanks for letting me play.
http://sheltonkeysdunning.blogspot.com/2013/06/roll-dice-terrible-minds.html
June 23, 2013 — 8:29 PM
jreinmiller says:
As done as it’s going to be. I won’t claim it’s Erotica, as that’s not a genre I have an interest in writing, but I think I utilized all the themes in the story. After much editing and chopping, I’m pretty happy with how it came out.
https://www.jqpdx.com/2013/06/24/new-tricks/
June 23, 2013 — 10:35 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Great not-erotica story you’ve got there. Move over E.L. James 😛 Don’t worry, I jest. I thought the take on nanopunk was well played, though at first I didn’t clock Sam as being the dog. I probably shouldn’t read before my first coffee of the day. Anyhoo, fun story, well written and well handled with the erotica, which wasn’t in-your-face.
July 6, 2013 — 4:40 AM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Right. Apologies to all for the comments below. Those were meant to be on indiidual stories and somethind went horribly awry. Punishment for using a work computer, apparently. Know not to do that in the future…
June 24, 2013 — 1:32 AM
andreaspeed says:
Got Dying Earth/Occult Detective/Ancient Book/Secret Room. Pretty much did write itself. http://andreaspeed.com/2013/flash-fic-challenge-the-end-is-the-beginning/
June 24, 2013 — 3:27 AM
Fatma Alici says:
That story rocked. I like the banter between York and Fury a ton. You painted a pretty good picture of the world without lingering to long on any one thing.
June 25, 2013 — 11:30 AM
Jemima Pett says:
Mine’s Dying Earth-Erotica with a powerful weapon and a broken heart. Quite a challenge for a PG blog! See whether I managed it on Friday. http://jemimapett.com (posting early in case of internet difficulty)
June 24, 2013 — 6:36 AM
Jemima Pett says:
I give you “The Last Ice-cream” http://jemimapett.com/2013/06/28/the-last-ice-cream/
June 27, 2013 — 7:16 PM