Last week’s challenge: “The Random Fantasy Character.”
Right now I’m neck-deep in the next Miriam Black book, which of course features the aforementioned Miriam: a psychic girl who can see how and when someone is going to die just by touching that person. She’s angry and vulgar and dangerously proactive and — well, she’s a lot of fun to write.
Psychic powers are a hoot, really.
Hers is pretty subtle — lots of psychological horror.
It’s not like she’s setting people on fire with her mind.
But maybe you want to write about that.
So, here’s how this works. I’m going to list 20 psychic powers at the bottom of this post. Feel free to roll a d20 to pick a random one or just grab the one you think it most awesome (though let’s be honest: random is more fun). If you need to know what it is: well, Google is your best friend. And your prom date.
Your story must include one — and only one — of the psychic powers mentioned.
You have one week, as always. Due by May 31st, noon EST.
Write ~1000 words.
Post on your online space.
Link back here.
Ta-da.
And now, the list of psychic powers:
- Clairvoyance
- Pyromancy
- Cryomancy
- Telepathy
- Psychometry
- Faith or Psychic Healing
- Precognition
- Telekinesis
- Mediumship
- Levitation
- Astral Projection
- Bilocation
- Teleportation
- Aura Reading
- Divination
- Retrocognition
- Past-Life Regression
- Mind Control
- Dream Control
- Psychic Empathy (aka an Empath)
185 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Must Contain Psychic Powers”
This’ll be fun! I got 11, Astral Projection. Here goes nothing.
Here it is, enjoy. 🙂
http://jdsfiction.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/flash-fiction-challenge-may-24/
I love your flash fiction challenges… and I was waiting for this weeks’ challenge to come along! What fun we’ll all have! 😀
Here you go! Worked on it until late… and you know, I’m working from experience with this one; so if you don’t believe me, that’s up to you. 🙂
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/ambers-unpaid-work.html
I didn’t dream this exactly, but I have dreamed some really crazy things that have ended up coming true within a week or two – sometimes days – of me dreaming them. And Death? Yeah… he’s creepy-ass.
Almost hesitate to comment, in case you dream about me! Was that #19? Good story!
Ohh… no… close, but no cigar… 😛
It was precognition… #16 😀
Gah! I’m having a crappy day! It was #7….
Good shot, that was fun. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for you cool comment. Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Interesting story! I never would have guessed that Amber worked for Death. I do feel I have to mention your incorrect use of the word ‘isle’, though. I ignored the first one thinking it was a typo but when you did it again I suspected you might not know the difference between isle and aisle. Easy to confuse, but just be aware in case you use them again in future. 🙂
Oh, crap! I’m forever getting words like that confused! Blame it on my comprehension problems from decades of having brain damage (from an incident from when I stopped breathing aged 2 for 5 whole minutes… long story short, it happened, I scared the crud outa my folks and I started breathing again and my comprehension, co-ordination took holidays and my maths vanished permanently – think George Lucas got it to make Star Wars… hehehe). But yeah, I’m always getting things’ spelling confused… thanks for the pick-up. 😀
Don’t worry about it, homophones trip me up on occasion too!
I got Bi-location. Not exactly sure what that one is.
Well, I didn’t leave this until the very last moment which I usually do, so yay for me. Anyway, this story is a cautionary tale for all those who think they can take advantage.
I bring you… ‘Falling for your boss’
Hope you like it.
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2013/05/25/flash-fiction-falling-for-your-boss/
Well played, Sir. I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks! 🙂
Inventive way to deal with a perverted boss, and she was totally justified (at least I think so).
Thanks, I figured it was a fairly apt response as well.
I loved it!!
I landed Aura Reading. I’m not fond of it, but I’ll think on it for a day or two and see if anything promising shakes loose.
My Aura Reading response, which I’m relatively happy with. I’m really happy with the opening lines, though.
http://panningforclouds.com/2013/05/26/shortstories-the-last-ride-1700-words/
Fun stuff. Good on you for using a device you don’t like much. Thanks for the read! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! My response to the subgenre mashup was a combination of two genres I don’t like, so I’m sensing a pattern to how my writing prompts will go in the future, but that’s part of the promise that writing prompts have: to push you out of your element and see what happens.
Nice story Rick.
Thank you, Trine! Part of me was pretty worried that I’d get a lot of flak for having a main character who has some sort of mild mental illness or anxiety disorder without going into great detail about it, but so far it hasn’t come up.
Pretty cool story, with a very sympathetic character. It was interesting to see how somebody else handled Aura Reading—I enjoyed it!
Thank ya kindly. I was hoping to see a few more Aura Readings than I think we ended up getting, so it’s nice to have at least one more.
I got pyromancy for my random pick. Right, ok.
[…] Friday, another Flash Fiction Challenge courtesy of Chuck Wendig. This week our topic was psychic powers. With a random number between 1 […]
RNG reveals: 5, Psychometry. So …. *googles* aha, cool. Should be fun.
[…] Friday Flash-Fiction challenge by Chuck Wendig. 20 ‘psychic’ powers were listed, random number generator picked me […]
I was generated #14: Aura Reading. And I admit, I rushed this one, because my computer network is being taken offline in T-minus 35 minutes. Also, sorry I went over the word-limit a tiny bit; haven’t had time to edit it down.
Mirror Image: http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/mirror-image/
Oooooh! I like this one! It’s great! 😀
Thankya kindly!
Wow, man! Nice work Spaceman, you always give us something good. Thanks! 🙂
Cheers!
Not bad, not bad at all, Urban Spaceman.
I particularly liked the Dexter-ish quality that Langley can be perceived as having.
Thank you! Although I’m aware that Dexter is a TV show, I’ve never seen it, so I hope that my nearly comparable protagonist is a good thing!
A bit eerie. I liked it.
I’d actually argue that if you DO know what a d20 is, Google is your prom date. It’s okay, I’m not a writer, so somebody write me a book. Now. Write, write, write!
I’m taking Psychometry. Should be fun!
Great take on psychometry, and an enjoyable story. Kennet is an intriguing character!
My d20 gives me 2. Pyromancy. *giggles madly* This should be fun. . .
And my story is complete!
Fire Sight: http://archiveofourown.org/works/820990
I enjoyed this–especially the name symbolism. The ending was chilling. Well done!
Thank you! I will definitely take chilling as a compliment. 😀
Very fun. I always appreciate a nod to the Gaelic language and the Celtic people- it’s my ancestry. Great read. Thanks!
Thank you! My ancestry as well, actually. 🙂 Gaelic is such a lovely tongue, and Celtic histories and legends are so fascinating, I couldn’t resist.
Really enjoyed that! In fact, I enjoyed it so much I’ve gone to look for more of yours to read.
I’m glad, thanks! I hope you enjoy my other stories, too. 🙂
Past-life regression…. hmm I think I need to think about this one a bit.
Spent all of my day working on this one. If I never hear the words Past-LIfe Regression again I will be a happy woman.
http://www.trinetoftschmidt.com/2013/05/psychic-powers-flash-fiction/
Creepy! I have shivers now.
I take that as a compliment since I was going for creepy 🙂 Thanks.
I agree with Amy, it’s pretty creepy. I’d have probably rolled the d20 again, for this “power” seems more like a curse than a real power.
Stephanie.. actually I did 😀 Twice more, but by that time my story idea was already taking root. So I figured that I’d just get it out of my head before it became something more than a 1000 word story.
Very entertaining, a touch disturbing. I liked the transcription style you chose to write in. Made for a very interesting read.
Thank you JD 🙂
Very interesting transcription! The emotions were very raw, and I could actually hear the voices in my head. I must admit, I started off reading Antoine as a woman (I have a friend named Antoinette, so my mind just automatically goes to female at that point) which really made it all the more chilling, and I was surprised when I realised I’d misinterpreted the name.
A very chilling but entertaining tale, and an enjoyable read that kept me engrossed until the end.
Telepathy…. I have an idea… hope its my own…
The computerized d20 gives me 19: Dream control.
So I give you The Dream Weaver
This one made me laugh… very cool. 😀
Thanks!
Nice story Stephanie. I think I want to be a dream weaver as well 🙂
It didn’t occur to me, until I began writing the story, that one could make a crap-ton of money as a dream weaver.
I loved how this story progressed, and how your protagonist used his skills. Enjoyable tale!
Thank you!!
Cryomancy, baby!
Here’s my offering… at 809 words, but I don’t know if it really counts. I continued last week’s story from last week’s challenge…
http://reggielutz.blogspot.com/2013/05/psychic-powers-flash-fiction-challenge.html
Yay! Princess is back! Love the hula hoop bit.
Firstly I have to admit that I haven’t read the prequel to this story, but that said, I enjoyed your story very much. I love the slightly quirky feel to it.
Interesting take on the power. I’ll admit, I didn’t get chance to read your story from last week (barely had time to read anybody’s stories, alas) but this instalment wasn’t bad and I don’t think it breaks the rules. It did have a little too much ‘telling’ for my likes, but I suspect that would be more natural if I’d read the prequel. If I get time, I’ll go back and read that too!
[…] My Fiction, this too stems from a challenge from Mr. Chuck Wendig (you can suss out the challenge here). This time the task was to somehow incorporate psychic powers into the story, and there was a list […]
So my random pyschic power was faith healing (which turns into dur helping if you’re not paying attention to the keyboard). There’s a bit of a preamble about the seasons on the blog post, so just ignore that if you like and find the juicy stuff half-way down.
The piece is called Atticus Saint: The Anti-Faith Healer.
http://awkwardtreedstrikesagain.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/this-is-a-story-all-about-how-i-stole-the-opening-lyrics-from-a-famous-tv-show-and-made-them-into-a-bad-title/
Wow…. um… just …. wow! o.O
Shucksticles.
Stunning work. And I enjoyed the preamble, as well.
Definite wow. I like what you’ve done with this.
That was a creative and well written way of turning the ability on its head.
The preamble was enjoyable but the story, the way you twisted it was great. nice work, and over the word count… I forgot to count as I was drawn in.
I’ll just join the choir of people liking your story. Great one!
Thank you everyone for all the lovely responses, it’s making the fight against the monkey of crippling self-doubt a lot easier this week…
That was intense. I loved it – not what I was expecting at all.
[…] is for Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenge. The prompt? “Must contain psychic power.” There was a list of abilities and bilocation was the one that stood out most. The rest sort of […]
Done! I did bilocation, but I haven’t written flash fiction in a while so I’m worried it sucks. But it was interesting to write. http://elisanuckle.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/flash-fiction-illusion/
Don’t worry, it doesn’t suck. 🙂 I liked it.
Thank you! Glad to hear it. 😀
[…] his challenge this week was to randomly choose something from his list of psychic powers and write yourself a bit […]
Oo-er, newbie, dream control. Don’t hurt me..
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14ivoQivkfsfYt1_lktL7huUyrzQqLpKHCEkz0ZYh27g/edit?usp=sharing
DSM 6, good one!
This is my first entry into one of these challenges, although I’ve been meaning to enter one for a while now. A number generator gave me 18, so I wrote about mind control. My story is called “The Demigod.”
Go easy, this is the first time I’ve tried 2nd person!
http://notesfromanightstand.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/the-demigod-a-flash-fiction-challenge-entry/
Cool story! I don’t normally like 2nd person, but I thought it really worked. You handled the twist really well and kept me guessing.
This is my first attempt at one of these. Here goes nothing. I rolled a D20 and got a power that I thought would be pretty boring, so I tried to do something different with it. Not going to say what power I got though. Its supposed to be a surprise.
http://mtrox.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/stage-fright
[…] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/05/24/flash-fiction-challenge-must-contain-psychic-powers […]
Psychometry it was, so here’s what I came up with: http://www.jqpdx.com/2013/05/25/the-client/
Maybe I shouldn’t comment until I’ve read the whole thing and I swear I will later, but what I did read, very nior. Loving it. I like the way you bring the personality into it.
Very nice! I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end. I spotted a tiny typo (to instead of too, after ‘clever’) but it was only a tiny distraction from the flow of the story. I’m intrigued by the characters you’ve created, and would definitely like to read more about them. As mentioned, it has something of a ‘noir’ feeling to it, with some subtle dystopian undertones.
Thanks. I was glad to see the tones I was going for came through.
I liked it — a lot!
[…] This weeks TerribleMinds prompted flash fiction: “Must Contain Psychic Powers.” […]
Psychometry for me as well!
The Pen: http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/the-pen/
I love what you have done with this, the irreverence to the Norn and the Norse mythology. Great story!
Thanks, Trine! I’m a little behind on my reading but I’m going to catch up tomorrow and I can’t wait to read yours!
[…] This is another writing prompt response, this time for Chuck Wendig’s Psychic Powers. […]
[…] it is flash fiction time again. This time the piece had to contain a psychic power, chosen, either randomly or […]
[…] flash fiction challenge – over word count by a bit but I wanted to run with this thought and work with some new […]
Dream Control – http://mechanicalghosts.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/flash-fiction-challenge-virtual-control/
Muwha-ha-ha! I love it!
Thank you!
[…] This story was triggered by another prompt from Chuck Wendig. Thanks, as always, Chuck. Share this:FacebookLinkedInTwitterGoogle +1 This […]
It’s been a long while since I’ve jumped at one of these prompts! But here’s mine for this week, called “The Other Side”.
http://narratorium.com/2013/05/27/the-other-side/
Wow, that was excellent. The descriptions were great, and a twist ending. I do love a good twist ending.
The ending definitely caught me off guard, Great job!
Great story! Loved the ending.
[…] Flash Fiction challenge ending 31st May – power randomly assigned was dream […]
I got Psychometry as well. The twist at the end is from another plot I’ve been kicking around, but I thought they fitted together nicely.
http://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/flash-fiction-challenge-must-contain-psychic-powers/
I violated the rules: I took two powers and used two thousand words. I couldn’t help myself. (Pyromancy and Mediumship) – Cryptic: Clifford Engram, Paranormal Investigator: http://wp.me/p1UgIB-tb
The list is so awesome, I am going to take it and write stories based around them using this character. It should make for some interesting investigations. Thanks again!
[…] Write a Flash Fiction for this week’s challenge, which has to do with psychics and what not. I chose Divination… I’m not going to lie, […]
I liked the twist at the end. Cool idea.
http://eccrouse.blogspot.com/2013/05/fiona.html
Oh, yeah. I chose bilocation because who wouldn’t want to be in two places at once?
[…] week’s Terribleminds challenge is Must Include Psychic Powers, and the d20 of Destiny chose […]
The d20 of Destiny chose psychometry, and I wrote this: http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2013/05/28/flash-fiction-the-dagger-of-mcnally/
Here’s my take on pyromancy: What Lies in Flames
http://www.writerscarnival.ca/what-lies-in-flames/
Really liked the story, Matt. Great descriptions and the element of mystery was well written.
Thank you!
[…] Another Flash Fiction Challenge from Chuck Wendig, this time the story must contain psychic powers selected randomly from a list.* […]
I got bilocation and this is what happened: http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/purge/
Nicely done!
Thank you!
There were roughly four or five entries on that table that I was afraid I’d get because I’d have no idea what to do with it. Bilocation was one of them. 🙂 Pretty cool what you did with it.
Thank you! It was definitely a stretch for me.
Just to record the most important fact,
ANYONE claiming to be psychic is in one, or noth, of only two states.
1) A CON ARTIST.
2) MENTALLY UNWELL.
Join the campaign to change our stupid laws which actually condone LEGALISED THEFT!
Protect the feeble-minded.
Email your M.P. (or gov rep) to raise the issue to probit these thieves from advertising or performing.
I rolled a 17 – past life regression. Besides remembering that wonderful line from Red Dwarf when Rimmer announced that he was Alexander the Great’s chief eunuch in a previous life, I didn’t have many ideas. Isn’t it amazing how many people who say they have previous lives were always someone rich and important?
http://amgray.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/sceptics.html
Great story 🙂 glad to see you found past life regression to be a power not a curse as I did.
Quick and dirty. Lots of powers mentioned, but only one used. Can you see it coming? http://andreaspeed.com/2013/flash-fic-challenge-conclusions/
I liked it 🙂
Well done! The twist was really excellently written.
[…] no one goes to jail, which is one of those universal rules that is just awesome. This week over at Terribleminds we were told to pick a random telepathic power and write a story about it. ‘Randomly’ […]
Angry writing therapy. A whole room of people die. There’s DnD references, too.
http://accessoriesnotincluded.com/2013/05/09/wanted-must-use-fire/
The write up had me intriqued, what happened to the link?
I changed the date on the post and the link went all screwy. Sorry about that!