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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

“Sprouting a New Superhero: Chloro Phil” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #263

Journal Entry 236: Winter’s Day, 1347 I think that will do it. The last injection should be the correct formula to introduce plant cells into the human body. Hopefully this will allow me to use the infernal sun’s power as a food source to survive in this accursed winter wasteland. Journal Entry 237: Winter’s Day, 1353 It’s been almost a week, and I’ve been terribly sick. I can definitely tell that the bio serum I injected myself with is working. It’s changing my very genetic structure. I’ve noticed that my eyes are turning yellow, and my ski...

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“Last Will and Testament” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #263

Last Will and TestamentThe man screamed and sobbed, burying his face in his hands, pacing around the small, dimly lit metal cell. "No, no no, no, no,.NO!!'", he yelled out, banging his fist uselessly against the wall. He threw his his head back and let out a yell that probably would have brought a normal guard running to shut him up; however, this was not a normal cell and his guards wouldn't care how much noise he made. To them, he had already served his purpose and his usefulness had ended.The man stopped screaming and sat d...

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“The Peculiar Warrior Origin of D.B. Cooper” by Gregg Voss

Submitted to Contest #263

I swear, if I ever get out of this, I’m going to make sure I’m a rich man. Seattle or no Seattle, I’m going to be rich, rich, rich. Filthy rich. Come to think of it, maybe instead of Seattle, I’ll live in an apartment in Manhattan, or a mansion in Palm Springs. Wherever the hoity-toity reside. England had been so close. But no way that cratering Flyi...

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“Some Memories Live in Shadows” by Elton James

Submitted to Contest #263

— Present Day — “I’m sorry” I say the words aloud, facing the place where I’ve just seen a flash of a reflection atop the Bode Museum. I’m sure that glint of light is you. The scope of a rifle? I feel you staring at me. I wish I could say more. There are so many things I would like to say. But this is far from a moment of redemption, and you can’t hear me. I wish I could tell you how strange it is to be the villain in someone else’s story. I turn and stride away. Towards the safety of the U-bahn. My path tracing the river Spree offers you a ...

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“Envy is a Dangerous Shark: The Little Mermaid: Ursula's Version” by Fatima Aladdin

Submitted to Contest #263

“Unbelievable!” Athena dove into my cavern. “This is unbelievable, unprecedented, and unacceptable! You can’t marry a guard!” “That’s up to the elders to decide tomorrow.” “Even if the vote is in your favor, it won’t be unanimous. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble that might start?” “If the majority of the elders approve, nobody will dare cause any kind of trouble.” I assured my younger sister. “Approve? The elders being strong-tailed into granting you permission doesn’t mean that they approve!” She yelled back. “You are royalty, Urs...

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“THE RISE OF THE BLACK ROSE” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #263

The story of The Black Rose begins in the town of Aurora. A small town of 3,000 people. There lived a family of six. Father, Declan. Mother, Ava. Daughter, Gracie. Sons, Connor and Nolan and the youngest daughter, Bryanna. The family of six are the greatest superheroes in the world. They are called The Unity Six. Together they fight the forces of darkness, protecting Aurora and the world from evil. By day they are the O'Brien family living a normal life. At night the O'Brien family transforms into The Unity Six taking to the skies fighting e...

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“The Rise of Divine Nightingale” by Madeline Scott

Submitted to Contest #263

TW: Contains execution Divine Felt the ball of rage in her stomach explode as Mr. and Mrs. Vajda told her the news, "Aliyah as left the Rebellion for The University of Magical studies.""what do you mean she left?" Divine asked.Mr. Vajda sighed, "she told us she was leaving and just left, we thought she was joking and that she would be back within a couple of days, but its been 5 days, and she hasn't returned."Divine couldn't believe the words she was hearing, her best friend, Aliyah Vajda just left the Nightingale Rebels, to join the enemy. ...

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“The Unwritten Villain” by Amari Jayce

Submitted to Contest #263

The local hero swept the city line, patrolling the streets from above. I observed from far below, considering the situation. He was quite the comic book superhero, the classic “save the day” college kid juggling his schoolwork with being a hero. Not a day would pass when he wasn’t seen flying around, performing quite mundane tasks such as saving kittens from trees or chasing the occasional mugger. What he lacked, in practical terms, was a truly evil villain. Behind him, a large billboard loomed, displaying an image of the city with his silho...

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“A Crush, or, The Contents of a Ribcage” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #263

Dad holds up the mangled school bus, eyeing me expectantly.‘Be careful. Be controlled.’I bite back a retort. My last few tries were controlled, and I’ve hardly damaged the bus at all. I clench my fist tighter this time, then I swing as hard as I can, the slightest of jolts shooting up my elbow. BOOM. The bus rockets out of Dad’s grasp, swatted into the distance with the momentum of an artillery shell. The junkyard around us thunders with the impact. Car windows crack and shatter, glass tinkling as it hits the ground. A few stray sh...

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“My Nature” by Kirk Nelson

Submitted to Contest #263

My Nature He is stubborn. Stubborn like a brick wall blocking a room full of reason. It is one of his most defining traits. And, oh yeah, he is insane. “No,” he says with absolute certainty. “Then we’ll both die.” He laughs. He does that a lot. Obnoxiously. Just laugh and laugh at nothing really. Just because he can. And probably because he is insane. I keep coming back to that. How do you reason with someone that is insane? There’s no common point of reference. Nothing to build on. “And that’s okay with you?” I ask, still being hopeful I ...

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“History Lesson” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #263

We have history, but that’s all in the past. There’s a car crash at the end of that history and she was in the driving seat. Only she wasn’t driving at the time. She was somewhere else. I see that a lot these days. It’s the modern-day dog in a manger. They sit in that driving seat, but they have no intention of driving. Their attention is elsewhere.She was elsewhere when it ended, and I thought I’d forgiven her that betrayal, but now, as I force my head around an intransigent neck, I still can’t bring myself to look beyond what went wrong. W...

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“Waterfall” by Cath Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #263

The waterfall falls,Yet I can only hear its sound. I sit by the small waterfall, just ten minutes away from my two-story house. The third week, fifth day, and the tenth hour of summer break feel like three years, five months, and ten weeks with empty eyes. Graduation feels like it’s long gone in my history, and the only thing I can look forward to is Brown University in just a few weeks. I’m a rarity, a one-in-a-million phenomenon. A medical miracle, but gone wrong. A cloud followed wherever my gaze went, from paragraphs of my final essay to...

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“The Napoleon of Crime” by Rebecca Hurst

Submitted to Contest #263

Sing Sing, New York: Thursday April 23 1914 ‘Professor Moriarty, thank you for agreeing to see me today. My name is Ted Pilsworth from the New York Tribune.’‘Time is of the essence. Tomorrow will be too late’ said Moriarty. Pilsworth took a hard seat in the Death Room of Sing Sing, swiped the pencil from behind his ear and opened his notebook to the first page. Moriarty was gratified to note that a new book had been procured especially for him. This was quite the assignment, he thought. Pilsworth must be go...

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“The End” by Christina Miller

Submitted to Contest #263

I circle Eldrid, my sword held high. Everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve done for the past two years, was for this moment. When it’s just the two of us. He smirks, lifting the scar jutting across his temple closer to his chestnut brown hair. I’d given him that scar on the day I’d discovered his lies. And he’d given me the scar on my chin the same day. His stunning, icy blue eyes hold no trace of the amusement twisting those lips. They rarely did. “Lyria, did you really expect to waltz i...

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“And Then He Killed My Minion” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #263

The hall is wide, with a high ceiling, flagstone flooring and two dozen torches lining the walls. On the dais at one end stands the Lord of Night, appropriately shrouded in black velvet, with his skull adorned throne behind him and his hordes of undead flanking him. Halfway down the hall stands the plucky band of heroes, their battered armour gleaming with internal righteousness and smugness. How melodramatic. Who doesn’t love a showdown? “You fools!” the Lord of Night laughs. “You’ve walked right into my trap! Now I will destroy you, and ...

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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.

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