Flash Fiction Challenge: It’s X Meets Y Again!

I did this challenge back at the start of the year and kinda adored it.

Therein I described it as follows:

I love that some writers describe their stories — usually in an elevator pitch or to sell the story to an agent, editor or reader — as “THIS STORY meets THAT STORY.” Right? “Oh,” the writer says, “It’s like CATCHER IN THE RYE meets SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.” And you’re like, whoa, what the fuck does that even mean.

Today, we are going to find out.

Below, you’ll find two columns, each of 20 different fairly well-known properties.

You will randomly choose one from each column either by d20 or random number generator.

Then you will literally fill in the variables of the equation:

IT’S LIKE X MEETS Y.

And you will write the resultant story.

Note: your goal is not to literally mash these up in fan-fiction (though I suppose if that’s where your head goes, hey, I can’t stop you) — the goal is to take the idea, the spirit of the combination and make them into a story all your own. What is the theoretical mash-up look like and feel like? Diggit? So, what’s the story like if you get: “It’s like HARRY POTTER meets INDIANA JONES?” Or, “It’s like GAME OF THRONES meets SCOOBY DOO.”

So, get your random number generator or d20.

Pick one from each column.

Mash them together. See what kind of story squishes out.

You’ve got 2000 words.

Due by next Friday (5/1) at noon EST.

Post at your online space. Link to it here in the comments.

Ready? Steady? Go.

Column X

1. Paranormal Activity
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Terminator
4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
5. War Games
6. Hunger Games
7. Batman
8. Goodfellas
9. Pokemon
10. The Wheel of Time
11. Robocop
12. Dracula
13. The Princess Bride
14. Dirty Harry
15. The Great Gatsby
16. Josie and the Pussycats
17. Ender’s Game
18. Guardians in the Galaxy
19. Twin Peaks
20. Dungeons & Dragons

Column Y

1. Pulp Fiction
2. The Silence of the Lambs
3. Toy Story
4. Die Hard
5. Pacific Rim
6. Back to the Future
7. To Kill A Mockingbird
8. Ghost In The Shell
9. Se7en
10. The Wire
11. Sherlock Holmes
12. True Detective
13. Monsters, Inc.
14. Doctor Who
15. The Matrix
16. Groundhog Day
17. The Lord of the Flies
18. The Stand
19. Mad Max
20. Minecraft