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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 – 42 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

“Leave ” by Chloe Pierce

Submitted to Contest #263

If the pain is as temporary as Connor McCall himself, Dylan might survive. But there is nothing fleeting about Connor except the man himself. He is, by design, flawed. His smile, despite its compelling nature, sits lopsided to the left and a complicated relationship with himself leaves an arrogant stain on his personality. But somewhere between the perfectly styled hair and the expensive ties that suffocate him into designer suits, Connor is a disaster. “You should feel lucky,” Derek says, voice soft with understanding. Drinking in the sh...

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“Cracked Under Pressure” by Ellie Northrop

Submitted to Contest #263

I could hear the footsteps as my father climbed up the stairs. Each step was like thunder clapping, echoing across the house. Following each step was a drunken groan from the owner of the footsteps.If I focused hard enough, the smell of liquor could reach my nostrils from where I lay. I twitched my nose in disgust as cold shivers ran down my spine. Fear and anticipation were filling in the pit of my stomach as I waited.'Drunken bastard.' I thought, watching my bedroom door closely.There was no lock on my bedroom door. My father got rid of it...

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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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“The Origin of Mr.Riddles: The World’s Greatest Thief. ” by Alex Solomon

Submitted to Contest #263

The Origin of Mr.Riddles: The World’s Greatest Thief. I am Ian Query, better known as Mr. Riddles. When I was eighteen years old, I was struck in the head by a bolt of lightning, and my mind was split into two parts: The Wanting and the Question. The Wanting was a kleptomaniac, it appeared on my shoulder as a green fox with a bushy tail and beady eyes, urging me to steal anything and everything. The Wanting gifted me power, "Look at anything, then picture any place and it will be taken there!” It was incredible! I could t...

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“THE ARTIST'S CHOICE” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #263

Gage sat in the window seat of his cabin and fidgeted with the pad of paper and pencil beside him on the dusty old cushion. He had picked them up at least half a dozen times in the last half hour. He had started to sketch the view from the window seat but hadn’t made more than a few half-hearted lines. Usually, his creative juices were working overtime, but today he felt like a parched lizard sitting by a cactus in the desert. He had nothing, zilch, nada. One big fat zero. He loved art, drawing, painting, and sculpting. It was his raison d’ê...

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“Layla and the Dream Competition” by Kathryn Minicozzi

Submitted to Contest #263

It was Friday evening, and she hoped to ace tomorrow’s competition. Layla Mancini sat at the piano and let her fingers glide over the first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata. This piece was second nature to her by now. She had nothing to worry about. However, pre-competition nerves prompted her to practice the sonata until she was sure she could play it even if she zoned out, which was always possible. Layla was on the older side of the competition’s age limit at fourteen years of age. This year w...

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“Replay” by Christine Richardson

Submitted to Contest #263

Sensitive content. Some Christians may find the distortion of classic religious themes disturbing. This is a work of fantasy, not a theological statement. It is intended to entertain and provoke thought, not to offend. +++Lord Beelzebub, aka Prince of Darkness, Asmodeus, and Father of Lies, threw back his head and let loose a boisterous guffaw.“God … the Almighty, omnipotent, omniscient and altogether perfect deity of the universe … God is asking a favour from me? What could he possibly want?”Gabriel pulled his dark cloak closer around ...

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“Mere Woman” by Lonnie Russo

Submitted to Contest #263

The placid waters, glistening with grit, lay sullied only by mud, not yet reddened by blood one day to spill. She trod through them, disturbing the surface with well-balanced footfalls. A mother long-gone had once called her Godgyfu—her gift, her gift of God—a god that himself had treated them with fury alone, more harshly than even these wilds’ most unforgiving days. Today, at least, was not such a day. The slumbering fens heaved around her, tranquil with the humid breath of life. A shallow inhale, a swallowing of the damp air in the s...

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“The Voice of Hate” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #263

This story contains some profanity and bigotryIt’s going to be the fight of the century. That f***in’ kike doesn’t have a chance. They set up a ring on the south side of Chicago. The money is pouring in even though it’s not, what’s the word, sanctioned. Those Jews think the war just ended. Well, I’ve got a message for them. It’s just starting here in the states. We’ll finish what Hitler started. To think my dad lost his life fighting to liberate the camps in Germany. I would have been alongside him if my birthday had been just a few months e...

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“A Matter of Happenstance” by David Elkind

Submitted to Contest #263

A MATTER OF HAPPENSTANCE By David L. Elkind delkind8@gmail.com Sam Benson and Scott Ferguson hated each other from the moment they met on the second day of high school. Sam was playing lacrosse for the first time in gym class but quickly felt comfortable catching the ball and running while cradling it in his lacrosse stick. Sam was racing to the goal when Scott, with a crazed look on his face, slammed his stick on Sam’s wrist. Sam screamed as he writhed in pain. He wanted to hit Scott when the pain subsided but when he saw Scott’s size...

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“"Broken Heart of Red"” by Stephvon Dames

Submitted to Contest #263

While revenge might provide a temporary sense of satisfaction, it often leads to feelings of bitterness and emptiness. You may be unable to heal emotionally if you are focused on negative emotions. You may end up compounding your grief instead of alleviating it by seeking revenge.One who understands this idea well is Marco Prince, a baby left at the hitman guild Dragon Tail and taken in to be raised. Despite being trained in a world of vengeance and violence, Marco learned that true healing comes from forgiveness and moving forward. His stor...

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“The power of time” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #263

Penelope had it all: a good family, a cute house, and a satisfying job. But she also had a secret she had never shared with anyone: she was able to bend time and space. She had always seen people around her struggling daily to reach the end of their days and do everything they wanted at work, school, and in their private lives. Time seemed too little for family and friends. People ran continuously, restless, to meet their ends, enjoy their lives, and spend time with people they liked, but not her. She had time. She had love. She had everythi...

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“TRADITION” by Josiah Mporampora

Submitted to Contest #263

With only a snap from my mighty fingers, the final enemy stronghold would fall in a “pillar” of flame. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!For centuries, my kingdom, the powerful and imposing kingdom of Ragnus, battled with the feeble and pompous kingdom of Numori. No longer would we allow them to raise their noses at us. No longer shall we be forced to adopt their “modern way of living.” What matters most in this world is power! I will admit, there was a time where their military was a threat. Their ability to control and manipul...

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“The Ashen Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Alara Thorne” by Yanna Khaleel

Submitted to Contest #263

In the kingdom of Valthorne, the name Alara Thorne was whispered with a mixture of awe and reverence. Known far and wide as the Ashen Phoenix, she was a beacon of hope in a land plagued by darkness. Her powers, a gift from the mythical phoenix, allowed her to control flames, to summon and manipulate fire with a mere thought. The people believed her to be invincible, their last line of defense against the ever-growing shadows that threatened their world.Alara’s rise to power had been meteoric. Born into a family of warriors, she had always be...

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“The Door” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #263

Joseph clumsily pushed open the door to his apartment after noisily fiddling with his keys, his arms laden with shopping bags. From outside the hum of traffic and cars seeped through the walls, and he could hear his next-door neighbour shouting at his kids. After closing the front door, he shuffled into the kitchen and put his shopping bags on the counter. His job – forklift driving – had been stressful this day. He had gone back and forth around the warehouse, frantically shifting pallets around trying to bring some kind of o...

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$250

Prize money

315

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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