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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!

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

“Friday Night Chat with a Supervillain.” by Rozmarin Ideas

Submitted to Contest #263

Friday nights are supposed to be relaxing. Linda Brown would usually spend them watching a movie, or having a couple of drinks with her mates at the pub. Dangling from barbed wire was decidedly not the best way to start the weekend. She managed to wriggle out of her jacket, somehow avoiding the countless shredding razorblades, and faced her next problem: a ten foot drop. This, at least, solved itself.Linda was no acrobat, as the concrete was all too happy to remind her. “Oof,” went the air that left her lungs.Her bag had cushioned her fall. ...

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“Shades of Gray” by Joshua Petty

Submitted to Contest #263

A standard roll of 35 mm black and white film holds 36 shots. He twists the lens, defining the repetitive strings of chilies marching along the tent's edge from the minutiae of the crowds milling through the Hero’s Day festival behind them. Click. “Property of Aaron Corvide” printed in stark, black, all-capital typeface on the glossy white label facing the crowd on his left. Someone tripped, tried desperately to avoid falling, and failed. Click. Aaron suppressed his grin. He saw a preppy teenager palm some jewelry at another booth. Click. Th...

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“The Beacon ” by Jessika Sims

Submitted to Contest #263

There were people like us, and then there were people like her.She was their so-called 'hero'. She came in to save the day. Looked good in the media too.Everyone loved a pretty endorsement. They gave her a stupid name too; Beacon, I think it was? Their 'shining light'. Well, the light only shines so bright when it's illuminated by big spotlights and cameras. I saw plenty of times when it flickered in the shadows, almost faltering. Beacon.I snorted at how patriotic it all was. And here she was, drinking in the stars b...

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“The Weight of Shadows” by Samantha Red

Submitted to Contest #263

In the heart of a land where shadows whispered secrets and winds howled with stories untold, two figures stood, their bodies tense with barely restrained hatred. They were the last of their kind, bound by destiny and a cruel twist of fate to save a world neither cared to protect.Rafe, the Shadowmancer, was a man shaped by darkness. His black cloak billowed in the wind, a living extension of the abyss that thrived within him. His eyes, sharp and cold as polished obsidian, held within them the mysteries of the void. His every movement was a th...

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“The Weight of Ignorance” by Giorgio Gandellini

Submitted to Contest #263

Anna Fletcher sat at her desk, the glow of her computer screen casting a pale light over her face. It was late, and the office was nearly empty, save for a few other night owls working silently in their cubicles. The quiet was a stark contrast to the whirlwind in Anna's mind. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the endless rows of data on her screen, each line a reminder of her growing fear.For Anna, numbers had always been a comfort. From a young age, she had been drawn to mathematics, finding solace in its logic and precision. ...

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“Little Red” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #263

Willa would never forget that day. She was coming home, carrying the new kill, with the fine jackrabbit fur tickling her nose, and the iron taste of blood still warm in her mouth. She planned to show the kill to her three cubs, Winken, Blinken, and Nod. She planned to use her razor-sharp teeth to tear the skin away, letting the blood sprinkle in their quivering little noses. She needed to wean the growing cubs off her milk and onto good, life-giving food. Fresh prey. Rabbits, mice, voles. She arrived at the rocks and bramble that concealed t...

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“New Discoveries on the History of Dracula ” by Lena Solomon

Submitted to Contest #263

The scientific tale of the origin of the worst villain of Transylvania, Count Dracula The search for Count Dracula’s precise place of birth, his actual birth, and his preconception records, led the story tellers to pursue historical and archeological explorations on these subjects. For millennia, efforts were invested in going back in time, researching antique findings and producing interesting scientific-fiction (or better called fictional-science) about this villain’s mysterious origins and past. The quali...

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“My Villain” by Amelia Corbeau

Submitted to Contest #263

(contains sensitive language, allusion to violence/sexual violence)Life had been kinder to Jason than he found pleasing. The years had floated by with an unhindered ease, and it irked him. No great tragedy had marred his adolescence, there had been no fire or famine to hamper his growth. He had been popular enough, smart enough, handsome enough. Naturally endowed with the appropriate appendage to most aptly navigate the world, and yet, he felt woefully deprived. Trapped amidst a late-thirties he found hopelessly wanting and wanting hopelessl...

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“Bernie Madoff's Slush Fund” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #263

It was a warm August afternoon, a gentle sun blessed the immaculate fairways of the Long Island Country Club, an oasis of tranquility and temporary shelter from the violent storm raging on Wall Street. Lehman Brothers was in trouble. Four elderly men, dressed in polos, colorful slacks, were ambling toward the club house, heads down, pensive.“My God, Bernie, your chip shot on 17 was a doozy”, said Danny Solomon the suave Gold Coast realtor. It had been an unusually subdued round of golf, opportunities for small talk few a...

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“Shadows Of The Soul ” by Rob Taylor

Submitted to Contest #263

Shadows Of The Soul In a dimly lit kitchen, a disheveled little girl sat at the table, surrounded by remnants of a violently disturbed breakfast - a torn box of corn flakes, an empty bowl, and a carton of spilled milk dripping off the table. A tall, hardened monster hunter named Ethan Gunn, clad in old military gear, stood firm at the kitchen door, his gaze locked on the child with cautious vigilance. Ethan's voice carried a mixture of exasperation and disbelief as he uttered, "When I got up today, all I wanted was my bowl of corn fla...

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“Hearing What Is Not Spoken” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #263

What Tom would come to call his ‘gift’ came to him when he was just a boy of ten. At first he thought that it was just his imagination running wild with a voice it did not have before. But over the passage of a few days, he began to understand it for what it was. He knew what people were thinking by hearing the words that emerged from their minds, but did not through their tongues. .He remembered his grandfather George telling him when he was a little younger that a few generations back, members of his family were thought to be wiz...

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“The Last Radiance” by Samantha Bull

Submitted to Contest #263

The once-glorious Starspire, a towering structure of gleaming crystal, now loomed ominously in shadow as its protector, Saliria, traversed the night. Her luminous powers had once infused Hargren with vitality, serving as both a beacon of hope and a barrier against the dark forces encroaching upon their land. The menace threatening Hargren was not merely an elemental force; it was a malevolent entity pressing against the fringes of Saliria’s light. With each fleeting moment, her ceaseless battle drained her energy, causing her light to dimini...

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“Never Really Over” by Evelyn Greyson

Submitted to Contest #263

“Stop staring at me like that, woman. Bloody well let me in.” Admittedly, he looked pathetic; soaked to the bone from the downpour, his ginger-blond curls clumped together, the tips beading droplets onto his broad shoulders. He cradled his right side, the scent of blood ebbing off it in delicious wafts. Crimson accompanied it, staining his torn shirt and seeping through his fingers from his attempt to stop the bleeding. His jaw tightened at my silence. The rage in his piercing blue eyes was palpable, but his gaze was quick to fall to my feet...

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“A Mother’s Haven” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #263

I was your hero when I let my body break open and bear you screaming into this world. My power was the cord that threaded between my legs and into your stomach, beautiful and vivid evidence of the gift I gave you. For six beautiful moments you lay on my deflated stomach and screamed life into my swollen breasts, begging to sustain you. Every move you made I felt reflected with a tug in my own abdomen, ghost memories of when you tumbled through my womb, and not a hiccup could go unfelt. I was your hero until the midwife turned you on yo...

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“Death Machine” by Jenny Benavidez

Submitted to Contest #263

The rattling of metal on metal shook my skull as the car passed over my head. Screams of joy filled the air as the cart climbed to monumental heights and then dropped throwing the passengers back into their seats. My stomach flipped just watching the cart speed along the rail. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and a chill ran down my spine even as I stood there sweating in the summer heat.“I can’t do this.” I turned to make a not-so-elegant exit.“Sis.” My younger brother looked at me with knowing eyes. There would be no excuse for...

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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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