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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#263: Heroes and Villains

If you’re an avid cinemagoer, you’ve probably seen trailers or posters for the recently released superhero comedy film Deadpool & Wolverine. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing two beloved characters set aside their differences to save the world — and potentially start an unlikely friendship along the way.

Inspired by Deadpool & Wolverine, this week's prompts center around protagonists and antagonists. Create a new kind of hero or villain, parody a character who already exists, or go totally off script and interpret the prompts in a creative, unexpected way… the choice is yours!

🥇 Winner

“Petrified” by Eliza Entwistle

🏆 Winner of Contest #263

You would never have noticed it if you weren’t looking for it. That was precisely the point.The instructions given in my embroidery group had been clear enough: After nightfall, take a stroll on the second lane past the bakery, look for the unlit lamppost and turn down that dark alley, they said in hushed voices, as the pianist began playing in sudden loud fervor, by coincidence. Then you will see a mossy stone staircase, which you will descend, and at the end of it there is a dim hallway. She lives through the set of green doors on the left...

104 comments 104

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Ex” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #263

One thing people often miss about life is that preparation is key. It’s all about planning. Getting each detail right. It makes all the difference. If you plan carefully, you succeed. It’s that simple. Whether it’s a big project or just a daily routine, being ready sets you apart. "One venti brown sugar oat milk iced latte," she mutters, her eyes shackled to her phone. Bad-mannered, I think. It's a glimpse into the core of someone's soul- how they treat those serving them. It separates her kind from mine. She flicks her phone over the card r...

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“Monochrome” by Mira Sharma

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #263

I used to have these dreams. They all started the same. I’d start off on my rooftop, under a midday sun, and feel my weight kind of flow through me. Like it was leaking out the top of my head. Then, when it was all gone, the last gram leached from the ends of my hair, my feet would lift. And I rose, and rose, and rose, up past the tree, the telephone wires, the three-storied behemoth on the other side of my block. The roads would shrink. People became ants. I’d rise into the clouds, feel their clammy embrace, drift past them. The world...

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This week's prompts

Write a story from the antagonist’s point of view.

Character – 84 stories

Start or end your story with a hero losing their powers.

Character – 41 stories

Write about two mortal enemies who must work together.

Character – 29 stories

Center your story around someone facing their biggest fear or enemy.

Character – 71 stories

Write the origin story of a notorious villain.

Character – 89 stories

Stories

“Petrified” by Eliza Entwistle

🏆 Winner of Contest #263

You would never have noticed it if you weren’t looking for it. That was precisely the point.The instructions given in my embroidery group had been clear enough: After nightfall, take a stroll on the second lane past the bakery, look for the unlit lamppost and turn down that dark alley, they said in hushed voices, as the pianist began playing in sudden loud fervor, by coincidence. Then you will see a mossy stone staircase, which you will descend, and at the end of it there is a dim hallway. She lives through the set of green doors on the left...

104 comments 104

Read story

“The Ex” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #263

One thing people often miss about life is that preparation is key. It’s all about planning. Getting each detail right. It makes all the difference. If you plan carefully, you succeed. It’s that simple. Whether it’s a big project or just a daily routine, being ready sets you apart. "One venti brown sugar oat milk iced latte," she mutters, her eyes shackled to her phone. Bad-mannered, I think. It's a glimpse into the core of someone's soul- how they treat those serving them. It separates her kind from mine. She flicks her phone over the card r...

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“Bernice” by Derrick M Domican

Submitted to Contest #263

Theme parks are the best, the roller coasters rule, but I didn’t want to go into the House of Horrors. It looked dark and creepy and I knew it was full of dead things and madmen, like the pictures on my dad’s scary videos. That kind of stuff made my insides squirm and threaten to erupt buckets of puke, but Bernice had the tickets and me by the hand, and she was dragging me along and wouldn’t stop.What was I supposed to do, sit down and cry? I’d look like a baby and Bernice would laugh. It was the first time she’d talked to me, so I didn’t wa...

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“A Craving For Toxic Waste” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #263

Where can I find some toxic waste? This stupid city has to have some somewhere. I’ll show them! But first, I need an incredible superpower. Wait a minute! The old plastic factory. It’s bound to have some lying around. Perhaps it will give me the ability to stretch. No, not that. It could make me a super powerful plastic surgeon. That would be so much better. I drove to the abandoned factory. It looked like a mangy old dog that needed to be put out of its misery: windows broken, doors removed from hinges, and car-sized holes in the roof. Deco...

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“Royal Blue” by Yuliya Borodina

Submitted to Contest #263

Roy couldn’t stop staring at the green banners flapping atop the tower crenelations. Tossed by the angry winter wind, they seemed too bright, too festive against the white backdrop of the snow-covered roofs, trees, and roads; too crude for the first hesitant hours of the twilight that still rang with the mournful echo of the church bells. Dun-dong-din-dung, the bells had wept. The king is dead. Dong-dong-din-dunnn. The king was murdered.And only an hour after, his brother had already replaced his banners with his own.“Bastard,” Keldrin, the ...

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“The Greatest Competition” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #263

John Fisher saw his rival in the bathroom before the contest and knew he would lose again. His stomach dropped at the the other's aura of invincibility, standing ramrod straight, and a lean, fit physique.John did not know if he could beat him today; he still had the headache, and an vague imbalance from his poor sleep last night. John kept his head down, maybe he wouldn’t be noticed.“Hey.” The Man spoke as John washed his hands. John stopped, then looked up to catch his eye, reflected through the mirror. The Man wore all black, his coun...

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“The Devil's Rebuttal” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #263

Author’s note: Long, long ago (contest #238), in a land far, far away a lady was debauched by the Devil. Today Mr. Devil asks, nay demands, equal time. Who am I, a mere author, to deny him.To all my female readers, please remember he is taken. To my male readers, I am willing to share his techniques, at a price, of course.Though it pains me to be beholden to a female, even though she conceived of me, I do appreciate to have been given the chance to clear my name. I assume you have read Lady Gwendolyn’s side of our story. She’s not known to b...

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“The Woman Who Was a Beach” by Bruce Carrington

Submitted to Contest #263

Sounds of chops and clicks of knives at work, the business of pans underneath the makeshift fire pits. The air smells of grilled skewers of lamb and chicken marinated in lime, soy, and garlic. Everything fades when a cloud of steam blows on my face and mutes all my senses. I bravely walk across it and see a young Thai man standing behind a steel cart. He is hard at work despite no clients in sight. I see the smile on his face as he greets me, exposing his teeth, yellowed from the number of cigarettes he passionately consumes, even while cook...

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“Monochrome” by Mira Sharma

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #263

I used to have these dreams. They all started the same. I’d start off on my rooftop, under a midday sun, and feel my weight kind of flow through me. Like it was leaking out the top of my head. Then, when it was all gone, the last gram leached from the ends of my hair, my feet would lift. And I rose, and rose, and rose, up past the tree, the telephone wires, the three-storied behemoth on the other side of my block. The roads would shrink. People became ants. I’d rise into the clouds, feel their clammy embrace, drift past them. The world...

Read story

“Charming” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #263

I knew it was gone when she didn’t leave the key. My talent had always been present under very specific circumstances, but I was well aware of what they were. When all the boxes were checked, so to speak, I never failed to achieve my goal. Some called it seduction, but that implied a relationship to sexuality. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, in the wrong hands, a power such as mine could be used to take advantage of all sorts of people, but I never used it in any such way. For me, charm was a responsibility. That didn’t mean I ...

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“RETRIBUTION AND REDEMPTION” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #263

Billy Matthews was a delicate child. Thin of build and sensitive of soul, he was just the kind of young person sought by bullies. And, as one would expect, bullies did find him. His tormenter, Scott Russell, was a hulking, aggressive boy with a huge chip on his shoulder. With the advantage of having older and younger brothers with whom to fight and play, his personality, confidence and physical skills were forged into a powerhouse. Boys like Scott tended to be charismatic as well, attracting a coterie of followers who feel empowered by being...

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“The Whole World Smiles” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #263

It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t me. I never wanted this. He made me do it. He made me… This city wakes up to its own darkness. During the day it lays dormant and brooding. It’s pulse is barely audible as it crumples into a waking coma. The day-walkers spill in on the trains and the underground, acting like this is real. They do their jobs, they buy their lunches and then they flee from the awakening of this dark titan. Oh, some stay for dinner and drinks. A little walk on the wild side to provide them some excitement. A brief escape fro...

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“His World is Rocked” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #263

Algernon Forbes' office entrance had locked, double steel doors and high frosted and barred windows. The perfect place for online surveillance and spying. Forbes sat at his desk in this dim basement office, scrutinizing his computer screen. With his cold eyes, square jaw, and hollowed cheeks, he commanded a mixture of fear and respect. Before him, a dozen staff worked diligently, staring at their computer screens - a cacophony of clicking and clacking on keyboards, the only sound until Algernon spoke loudly and imperiously."That Melissa, our...

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“Death in the White Room” by Greydon Blight

Submitted to Contest #263

In the white room, always clean and full of light, Death had made itself at home. It lingered like an unwelcome guest, curling up in the dark recesses behind doors, or lying in wait beneath the bed’s shallow. Its ghastly form remained unseen, its wheezing breaths unheard, yet its presence was unmistakable, marked by the foul stench that clung to the air. It was a scent of old blood mingled with lye, and human refuse tinged with a sharp, lemony undertone. Arthur abhorred the lemon smell most of all — it was a poor parody of the fruit, all the...

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“Big Bad Wolf” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #263

It’s me, the big, bad wolf. Or Wolfie, as my friends call me. Not Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, that swing jazz band from the last millennium. They were cool. But they’re not me. I’m cooler.Me. The big, bad wolf. Real and scary. Legend of story and song. Source of under the bed, childhood nightmares the world over.I’m everyone’s favorite baddy. Heard it all my life. Though it has had certain benefits, it isn’t a fair description of who I truly am.Granted, I haven’t always behaved like a lap dog. But you have to believe me when I tell you I got a bad...

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$250

Prize money

314

Contest entries

109

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 16, 2024 EST

Won by Eliza Entwistle 🏆

Title: Petrified

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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