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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#48: Superpower

The faces of superheroes have long emblazoned everything from our t-shirts to our lunch-boxes. For over a decade, the Marvel movies have dominated box offices, and for almost a century, superhero comics have remained prized possessions.

A Smithsonian article describes the broad appeal of superheroes: "At their best, superhero origin stories inspire us and provide models of coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our strengths and using them for good purpose. (Wearing a cape or tights is optional.)"

This week's prompts are for anyone who's ever wondered, "If you could have one superpower, which one would it be?" And as always, our prompts are open to interpretation! Whether your entry includes familiar superhero tropes, or ends up being a piece of literary fiction about someone who just so happens to move faster than the speed of light is up to you.

🥇 Winner

“Primum Nil Nocere” by Jeff C. Carter

🏆 Winner of Contest #48

The big day had finally arrived at the School for Gifted Children, and the dean practically kowtowed from his own office. The staff and a coterie of New York’s most influential parents were ecstatic to host their esteemed guest, the one and only Dr. Warren Albright. He looked as though he’d stepped out of the glossy author photo from one of his best-selling books. His hair was chestnut brown with frost touched temples and his voice had the nourishing warmth of a fireplace in winter. He used his power to diagnose latent super-abilities to ...

204 comments 204

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“A Little Bit Off” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #48

1We all knew there was something a little bit off about Hugh. He was a single man who collected comics, for a start. He called them his “research”. He also had black silvery skin, purple eyes which he kept perpetually hidden behind a pair of oversized pink glasses, a ridiculous fake white moustache and no nose. Oh, and the glasses he tried to hide his eyes behind? They were regular glasses — not sunglasses, not the kind with mirror lenses, just plain old glasses. Hugh didn’t seem to be aware of his error, however.I’m not quite sure exac...

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“TOP 6 TIMES I STOPPED TIME ” by Jean Racines

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #48

TOP 6 TIMES I STOPPED TIME (arranged according to my proximity to bodies of water) 6) When they were pulling my wisdom teeth out I’m 19. The syringe is huge, as if it was meant for an animal way bigger than myself. “It doesn’t hurt. You’ll just feel some pressure, champ.” Pressure deep inside my jaw, against flesh and bone. So much pressure. My mouth feels numb. My face feels heavy. The doctor asks me if I’m ready. How should I know? Yes? I pull up my thumb. He gets comfortable and maneuvers his tools inside my mouth. “Pres...

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“Bouquet of Lies” by Estelle Bookwalter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #48

Oliver always smiled. He always smiled, and he never said a word. He sat there with his grin lighting up the room and his eyes sweeping over the other people inside, listening to conversations whether or not they were directed towards him, and silently smiled. Amaranth had always found it a bit disconcerting. She had never spoken to him, personally, but she had seen. His desk was in her direct line of sight after all, so she was able to clearly see everything he did. And one thing he had never done was stop smiling, at least while at school....

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“Waiting for the 201, Notoriously Unreliable” by Natalie Rarick

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #48

“Is that yours?” Her eyes are wide, so big they might look like they were bugging out of her head if they weren’t so beautiful. I guess, technically speaking, she could be referring to the sketchbook. Is that sketchbook yours? Or the charcoals. Or even my shoes, for that matter, almost the same shade of dingy gray as the sidewalk beneath. But I know she’s referring to the drawing, which of course no one is ever supposed to see ever, and yet she’s looking at it like it’s nothing. Well, she’s looking at it like it’s something, whi...

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This week's prompts

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Middle School – 334 stories

Write about someone who always comes to the aid of others.

Teens – 108 stories

Write the 'origin story' of a person who goes on to achieve great things.

Fiction – 128 stories

Write about a person who collects superhero comics.

Middle School – 89 stories

Write a story that features a protagonist with an archnemesis.

Character – 112 stories

Stories

“Primum Nil Nocere” by Jeff C. Carter

🏆 Winner of Contest #48

The big day had finally arrived at the School for Gifted Children, and the dean practically kowtowed from his own office. The staff and a coterie of New York’s most influential parents were ecstatic to host their esteemed guest, the one and only Dr. Warren Albright. He looked as though he’d stepped out of the glossy author photo from one of his best-selling books. His hair was chestnut brown with frost touched temples and his voice had the nourishing warmth of a fireplace in winter. He used his power to diagnose latent super-abilities to ...

204 comments 204

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“The shape-shifter.” by Batool Hussain

Submitted to Contest #48

She radiated light just like her name. Her beautiful skin glistened in the neon light coming from the paved court through the slits in the blind, her soot-black lashes matted, and her gray beady eyes mischievous more than ever. Her long jet black hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, with a few black peekaboo strands. “Haya. . . .?” called her mother. She quickly hid her diary under her pillow and marched off to her mother, anxious to see what came next.Dear diary,Ma still doesn’t know of my shape-shifting. It has been three days...

166 comments 166

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“The Taste of Lies” by Angelina Valencia

Submitted to Contest #48

It’s been four years since I found out who I really am. It took me awhile but eventually I got there and it's not such a bad thing. The only thing that’s hard is not telling my best friend.Her name is Niut Parsons, and her name actually means nothing, no one knows what it means. It's a mystery for all of us, which is why she stands out so much. Me on the other hand, my name is Aletheia Greene, my name just means ‘honesty’ and I guess it kinda fits since I am a very honest person. I’m not the type of person to lie. Too bad everyone else isn’t...

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“Dad vs. the Squirrel ” by BeInspiredAbstracts/Etsy SarahGreenwood

Submitted to Contest #48

It was the first time Dad hadn’t worked in 59 years. He didn’t want to retire but the doctor encouraged him to at least only work part-time and find some relaxing hobbies, for his blood pressure’s sake. He already exercised. He walked around the block every morning. So I made a few other suggestions. Meditation? “That is for California hippies.” Journaling? “That’s for wimps with mommy-issues.” &n...

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“The Girl Who Believed” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #48

She was a girl who believed. A girl with freckles, and a spark that no one could put out. She started out small, like all people do. In the 7th grade, she had her first art class. She learned to draw 3D shapes and paint landscapes. The lines flowed easily through her hands, her inspiration from the world around. Then came 8th grade, where she was in pottery class. Her hands, small and delicate, shaped the clay with ease. High School was next, and with a bigger school, came bigger inspiration. Her fingers itched to dra...

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“Tell Me...” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #48

“Look at me and tell me how you feel.” “Right now? How I feel right now?” “Yeah. Tell me.” “I feel like a million different things and also like I’m whole for the first time since I knew left from right. I feel like you’re the sun and I’m the moon and everything else is the stars in the sky that hold us together. I feel like I love you more than the ocean loves the shore. I feel like time has stopped for me and I could stay in this moment forever. Just you, just me. Just us, and that’s all we need to be.And. I feel like ...

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“The Sad Tale of French Fry Girl” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #48

There was a certain way that the moonlight hit on the box of french fries that made Elinor want to eat every single one of them, but they were made of cardboard, and they were also part of a movie prop table. Therefore Elinor would be frowned upon if she ate even one of them. So she sat back down in her chair and looked up at the skylight in the roof, hence the moonlight. It was night time, obviously, and she was the only one backstage. Everyone else was still getting dressed. There was still some time to take a risk. “I should just e...

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“What Is A Superhero?” by Deborah Angevin

Submitted to Contest #48

What is a superhero? It is a title given for those having the superpower and using it to represent hope, opportunity, and strength for everybody. Because when you only have a superpower without the right attitude, you are not a superhero. You are just someone with a superpower. --- I was nine years old when I realized that I have a superpower. When I was five, I walked near a TV, then the screen turned blurry and then blacks out completely. Since then, my Mom blocked my way near the new TV in the house. When I was seven, I touc...

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“A Super Christmas Party” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #48

Diana was late to the Christmas party. She had been super busy with work lately, and then had to stop at the store for cookies before heading over to Bruce´s house. The party he was throwing had been planning a long time and Diana had heard rumors that it was going to be the best party since, well, forever. Diana fixed her hair and got ready to leave. Her phone rang and she looked down. Bruce was calling her. Whatever he had to say could wait. She put the phone in her bag and left. Bruce was nervous about the party. He had always liked ...

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“A Mysterious Black Mask” by Niveeidha Palani

Submitted to Contest #48

Stephanie grinned at her brother. "You're not even half close to doing it," she smirked. Matt whined. "How do you do that? I wanna learn how to wear a cape like that too!" he wailed. Stephanie shrugged. "I learned myself, Matt. If you really want to know where I learned how to do it, it's in my favourite superhero comic, Batman." she batted her eyelashes dreamily. Matt rolled his eyes dramatically, "You and your romantic Batman. I don't want to read your stupid comics. They don't even make sense." he poohed, fluttering his pink tongue ...

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“Geek” by Lata B

Submitted to Contest #48

He was living in a world of his own. I could tell because every time I went into the ice-cream shop, he would be there licking the brown cream off the cone, and dozing off into his comic book. Sometimes he would be so lost in his comic all the ice-cream would melt down his fingers. He would read the same comic every day. The odd thing about him was that he would only have ice-cream once a month. Watching him would be like watching the younger me flipping through the pages. He had dirty blond hair just like me and his shoes would always ...

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“Anpanman...” by Imane Sah.

Submitted to Contest #48

I awoke, my feet cold under the sheets. The room was strangely quiet as I slipped out of bed and looked out the window. I saw the world covered in a sea of white snow. I hurried to get dressed and started for the back door. "Today, I will walk through my snow-covered yard" I screamed. I stopped at the door, silently watching the snow fall. The tiny ice crystals drifted peacefully down from the sky, covering the world in white. The door creaked as I opened it, and I carefully stepped onto the back porch so as not to slip and fall. I now had...

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“The Saviour and Its Stars” by 𝐋𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚

Submitted to Contest #48

One... Two... Three...The girl stared at the dark street, vaguely noticing how the streetlight flickered on and off.Four... Five... Six...The streetlamp the girl had previously observed gave a final long flicker of light before completely shutting off, leaving the girl encased in the darkness. But the girl barely noticed, and so she sat down, continuing to wait.Seven... Eight... Nine...“I knew you would come,” the girl whispered, knowing that even in her soft tone her words would be heard. Ten.A soft sigh escaped from the shadows, confi...

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“Pharaohs’ Last Wish” by Evgeniia Makeeva

Submitted to Contest #48

In the green and muddy water, deep under the bellies of the crocodiles, was laying a ruby stone. Covered in sand and slime, surrounded by thousands of tiny fishes, it was peacefully resting on the bottom of river Nile.For centuries, not a single soul has touched this elegant beauty. Only one time before, there was a queen, who possessed this ruby and in her fist it had power beyond one’s imagination.***Cleopatra was seating in the yard, under the shadows.“Alexandria is incredibly hot this summer. Don’t you think Caesar?” she smiled. “Yo...

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“Ninjago Fanfiction___ Part-2” by Cam Croz

Submitted to Contest #48

CHAPTER 2: Gone MissingJay sure was happy to get his bed back.“Yippie!” he shouted the moment he saw Lloyd walk into the living area where all the others were gathered.And then he immediately ran off to the ninja’s room with a handful of his blankets and pillows. Mystery laughed and told Lloyd she was going to go to the bathroom, then left down the hallway.“So. what made you want to leave the room.” Cole asked him.“Uh. Bored I guess.”“Bored?” Nya said with a frown, directed at Lloyd. “You know your such a-”“Pile of trash?” Lloyd su...

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$50

Prize money

771

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 03, 2020 EST

Won by Jeff C. Carter 🏆

Title: Primum Nil Nocere

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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