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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#131: First Impressions

On the 28th of January 1813, Pride and Prejudice was first published. Originally titled First Impressions, Jane Austen’s most famous work has gone on to be a genre-defining classic — and one of my personal favorites.

To celebrate the anniversary of its release, this week’s prompts explore the themes of Pride and Prejudice, and the slipperiness of first impressions.

This week's prompts

Write a story about two characters whose first impressions of one another are wildly inaccurate.

Fluff – 55 stories

Write a story that includes (or subverts) the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Romance – 25 stories

Start your story with the arrival of a new person in a town full of gossips.

Adults – 41 stories

Write a story about a group of sisters, or a group of brothers.

Vampire – 35 stories

Set your story in a drawing room.

Fiction – 29 stories

Stories

“The Butcher in the mist” by Michaela Davis

Submitted to Contest #131

The man who is known as the butcher was not loved by his neighbors, the only encounter he has with people is those who come to his shop and order sliced ham or lean meat. The butcher was an odd man some people might say. On a cloudy day, there was a knock on the butcher’s front door, he opened it only to discover a small girl with two braids and a white floral dress with small daisies on it, she did not move nor did she make any sound, she stood there and stared at him. The man comes around her holding out his hand only to see the butcher’s...

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“Sister & Sons, Bar and Grill” by Jordan Williams

Submitted to Contest #131

Sensitive Content warning - Domestic Abuse, Violence & Substance Abuse Ford sighed and slammed the ice machine closed. "Sorry Pablo, it's playing up again." He said. There was a crack, followed by static before his brother replied. "Just rewire the sub-power to the freezer and I'll rerun the OS from here." Pablo said. "Yeah dude, I have no idea what that means. I'll just go to the motel." Ford said. "Leave Sister's & Sons! For ice! Are you crazy!? Can you get me a Penguin bar‽" Pablo said. "Sure," Ford said. He lifted ...

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“ESM: Emergency Sister Meeting” by Jethro Pili

Submitted to Contest #131

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Anne McBride’s fingers flew all over the keyboard, typing as fast as she could, à la Clark Kent, the Daily Planet’s fastest typist. Currently, there was a party at Chloe Higgins’s palatial house and she was invited, along with her younger sister Katherine, but she declined. She had more important things to do. She was focused on homework—always have, always will. Their youngest sister Mary was at the Silver Spatula, eating burgers and fries, drinking shakes, and studying with her study g...

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“Secret” by Tzesa Palo

Submitted to Contest #131

He was my bestie….the one I could always rely on. My secrets he kept treasured, my childishness he loved and he accepted me for what I was. I was among those who knew his emotional side. Our parents knew our bonds and if one didn’t find me at my house they knew whom I would be with and vice-versa. We never compromised our friendship with any other thing. I had grown very strong feelings for him which I never understood when they converted into love but I closed all the doors of my heart fearing to lose him forever. We often exchanged ‘I love...

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“The intuitive girl and the unusual boy” by M.J Saganski📚

Submitted to Contest #131

Terra When I first saw him I thought he looked odd. He was very lanky, with just too long of arms and just too long of legs. He was about a head taller than everyone else in the room, with high, sharp cheekbones. But the thing I thought was the most off was the air around him. it just felt off and wrong in the quiet little coffee shop in our small little town. The normal people that come in are, well… let's just say they are no longer as young as they used to be. I come into this shop every day at noon. so I know almost everyone that comes ...

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“The Secret History ” by Keshia Nowden

Submitted to Contest #131

This wind was howling for a quiet night.Vivianna and Count Antonin Belisari were sitting at the fireplace, facing one another. Vivianna couldn't understand the man she had come to spend a year with, after her shooting, would try to kill her.Vivianna wanted to understand Antonin so much. The haunted, bloody look in Antonin's icy blues that came with being... One of them. Antonin always had trouble saying the word.Vampire.Such a modern word for an antiquated Byzantine to utter.Antonin watched Vivianna watching him. He could hear her thoughts. ...

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“The Flood” by Jonathan Sadler

Submitted to Contest #131

The whispers seemed to begin even before the horizon betrayed the arrival of the Stranger. Before certain cataclysmic events, such as earthquakes, they say all kinds of animals will start to act strangely. Birds may fly in unusual formations, rats and snakes will abandon their homes, cows will cease to produce milk. Humans also have the capability to sense impending catastrophe, but it manifests in us through disrupted thought patterns. We may tend to be highly irritable in situations which usually cause us no distress; we may find ourselves...

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“Behind the face” by Madhurima Giri

Submitted to Contest #131

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Bright curly red hair looked like on fire as the yellow rays from the window behind her gave her a light halo around her. Her once bright live blue eyes were now dull and dead. She didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. She strode towards her wardrobe, pulled out a pair of skinny jeans a tank top, and a hoodie. She also wore her glasses rather than sunglasses, she refused to hide her eyes. They were the only thing that was left of her now. She jumped from her first-floor window as graceful as a c...

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“A Bug in Your Ear” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #131

Danny rolled his eyes as Peter and Bjorn rolled out the latest gossip about the new kid, Ramone. Daily, his schoolmates came up with more dirt that they slung around the yard like runny poop. The three huddled under the maple tree, sneaking glances at Ramone who sat alone on a bench by the monkey bars. Some stuff was creepy. One day, Peter had covertly hissed to the others, “He hears ghosts in his head, that’s why he always knows all the answers!” Danny thought to himself, ‘Maybe he’s just really smart.’ Some stuff was gr...

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“Saturday Morning” by Rachel Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #131

CW: references to alcohol, mild swearing, and infidelity We all have matching yoga mats, gifted by mom’s ex-husband. Marie rolls hers out, laboriously straightening the rectangular foam to make sure its edges are perfectly flat. Her blocks are stacked right beside it, a tower that would make the parent of any toddler proud. Mine is curled up at the back, and I can’t help but want to kick it a little to the left so that the space between hers and mine is uneven along the length of them. Katie won’t be here until the sessions at least ten mi...

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“Sisters” by Anisna Unscripted

Submitted to Contest #131

It's a Friday night, the sun is setting and it's my favorite time of the day. I don't mind driving in rush hour traffic just because I know I won't mind the view. Just enough for clouds to be noticeable, but the orange and pink painted across the sky is my favorite. It reminds me of days me and Janice would play manhunt outside all day until we knew mommy was on her way home. By then we were dashing across the lot trying to beat the streetlights. Macy was usually in the house reading over her essence magazines or walking in around the house ...

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“The Price of Courage ” by Matty Roberts

Submitted to Contest #131

Knocker stirred the pot with the concentration of a man seeking knowledge in the broth. He hummed softly as the ladle dipped, and the familiar smell of stale carrots made my stomach whine. The scar on my left leg complained against the cold as I shifted position on the bench. The trenches ran from the foot of the Alps, to the English Channel and I doubted I’d find a comfortable spot if I walked the entire crooked length. My bench was a broken crate leaning against the back of a dug-out hollow. Five of us squeezed into...

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“Draw what you see” by Jesus Nieves

Submitted to Contest #131

Jesus Nieves word count:2793jnieves6556@gmail.comDRAW WHAT YOU SEEBY JESUS NIEVESIt's 3 am and Trevor can't sleep. He sits in his drawing-room; thinking of what to draw, for his next graphic novel. Trevor turns on his TV, hoping to get inspiration. He watches a documentary about serial killers. A light bulb goes off in his head, what if he created a character who is a serial killer. This killer is an artist, his art does the killing for him instead of using his bare hands. The killer draws out the murder scene of how he imagines killing...

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“The Sentinel” by Paul Brown

Submitted to Contest #131

The Sentinel.Engineer required; Location Dock 23. Ship; Black Griffon.Captain Mikhail Conrad Heikkinen commanding.Please be available for an interview if you are successful in your application, Thankyou.The printed hard copy now in her shaking hand, the break she needed looking straight back at her.She was early, not taking any chances with so important a meeting, jumping at the chance to escape Purgatory Station. The name like something unpleasant you eat from a very unsavoury food vender and let me tell you! there are plenty of them here o...

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“First Impressions Soaked In Whiskey and Poor Words” by Aasha McQueen

Submitted to Contest #131

There was nothing special about the bar that Melony was sitting in. It was a quaint place. Shiny red counters and red walls covered in photos and newspaper clippings that had been there since before Melony was born. She was sitting atop a wobbly barstool, her favorite one with the chipped legs, writing on some wine-stained paper with a thin black ink pen. Melony had decided to dawn a low cut yellow dress that night. It was hot outside, mid-July in the middle of Los Angeles. She was feeling the effects of the heat. It was the time of the...

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$250

Prize money

185

Contest entries

128

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 04, 2022 EST

Won by Zack Powell 🏆

Title: Love Ain't Blind, Grief Is

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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