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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.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Middle School – 333 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

“Man or Wimp?” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #48

What makes one man a MAN, another a wimp? Choice, I guess. Well, it was a choice with me, I decided upon a wimpy life if it meant fewer bruises and broken bones. Was I successful, not in the slightest? I thought hanging about with girls would best achieve my aim and it did, and didn’t. The girls tolerated me, the boys beat me up. By the time I was fifteen years of age I was able to make my own plaster casts for the small breakages. Actually, it led me to my unconventional and unofficially recognised status as Do...

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“The Nobody” by Ethernia Thiadi

Submitted to Contest #48

Look at that pig. What a slob. Can't even take care of himself. Societal trash. You are unneeded. You will never amount to anything. What a nobody. Call it a superpower if you'd like, but after years of living in this monstrosity of a vessel we call the human body, it had become quite natural for me to hear the voices of the people around me from their stares alone. They won't say it out loud. They may try to mask it with a genial smile. But, I know. I know better than anyone who, what I am. I am... whatever they said I am. You needn't s...

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“Dennis the Menace Goes to Wicklow ” by Sarbjeet Kaur

Submitted to Contest #48

It would only take a second. A slight slip of my fingers underneath the shiny paper, a firm but gentle grasp so not even the faintest crease would damage the value of it. Philip probably wouldn’t even notice it was gone, but then again his brain was full of muck and he didn’t notice his own mother half the time. The bright red block of text popped out from the page like it was going to jump up and run away anytime Philip would swarm around it. My knees were becoming sore from kneeling on the couple inches of brick the window ledge provided...

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“And Then Everything Changed” by Kristine Murdock

Submitted to Contest #48

He was poor and he was rich. He was loved and he was hated. He was a woodworker and a fisher, a realist and sought after ideals. He freed slaves and healed the sick. People called him crazy, they called him a liar. They said he was mad, that no one should listen to him. Yet people still came, and then everything changed. He wasn’t born in a hospital or at home, he was born on the road with only his mother and father. His mother loved him and rejoiced at the sight of the stars that shone then for him. His father knew in his heart that th...

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“For Once, A Believable Superhero!” by Kavya Manoharan

Submitted to Contest #48

I am going to be stating the obvious, Aishu has a superpower. But she just doesn't know it yet. Now, you might want to ask me, "If she doesn't know it herself, then how do you?". Well, that's because I've seen it, felt it.Once, when the newsreader was reporting an incident of gun violence from the television in the neighborhood cafe, I could see Aishu shifting uncomfortably in her seat. I turned to look outside the window, had a sip of coffee while watching the traffic and when I turned back, Aishu was gone. After half an hour, the very same...

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“THE MIRACLE OF THE THREE SISTERS,” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #48

(Write about someone who has a superpower.) In a time near forgotten, in a place few have been, in a world ever changing there came a special girl! No one could conceive the word “plenty” when barely enough was considered a good year. No one knew how to fix the world or improve how things were. And yet beings existed, they eked out meager existence and survived. There was never a thought of future, only of present and how each day could be the last for any one of their small enclave. ~~~~~ In her first...

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“Lady Luck” by Raven Quill

Submitted to Contest #48

Tieflings are not looked upon with kindness, nor sympathy. Rather, they are scorned for actions that were not their own, actions committed by their ancestors who existed in a simpler time. Via covenants and curses, they bear varying levels of their demonic descent. Signifiers to society that they are different, born with a predisposition to evil.Supposedly.Tafn- a word meaning orphan, one who has been left behind by those supposed to be a constant in one’s life. Our Tafn, earned her name from the many folk that ignored her cries as a ba...

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“The Use of Power” by Lyric Monroe

Submitted to Contest #48

"C'mon Toyo, hurry up!" Toyo's brother, Sutton, called. "I'm almost ready!" Toyo shouted, running down the stairs after his brother. He was right, they were going to be late. Toyo needed to get to school nearly an hour before class started to avoid his bullies. "Sorry," he muttered to his brother as they walked out the door. "Don't be," his brother smiled and ruffled his hair. Sutton had a much better time in school, his powers were average, he could read auras and feel emotions. On the other hand, Toyo could see other peop...

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“Perspective” by Noelle Palmer

Submitted to Contest #48

Way up above the bright lights of a bustling city a villain stood. Her outline was illuminated by the last rays of the dying sun, a striking difference against the purple sky. She stood on the top most balcony of a battered apartment building, her voice echoing off her surroundings. Her scarred face was visible to the people crowding the streets, a pleased expression stark against her mangled features. It had come time to tell her story. The news stations stood on the crowded streets, cameras pointed at the woman. With her voice amplif...

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“Just for Pranks” by Y N

Submitted to Contest #48

Many people become heroes because they want to fight for justice and to save others from the villains of others. Other people become heroes for the glory and the riches. Or perhaps, people become heroes because they want to defeat the villain. As for me, I am both the hero and the villain. However, my reasons to become both are different than most. I became the hero and the villain simply because of the fun of it. That probably confused you. Maybe I should clarify myself a little bit. Maybe I should just explain what it’s like for me on an...

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“White Gold” by Zainab Jagani

Submitted to Contest #48

Her rocking chair creaks as she pierces the needle through the white lily petal making a flower crown for all of her grandchildren. Her sweet lavender scent has overtaken any other smell in my house. Her face is as smooth as a new pot in the process of being made in a pottery wheel, making anyone forget she was a ninety-year-old woman. The sun falls on her silver curls flawlessly and her laugh tickles mine to join her in unison. That’s my observation of my grandmother, however, the townsfolk see her as a dead lady and her granddaughter as ...

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“Golden Bat Cigarettes” by Nancy Reece

Submitted to Contest #48

He showed up the moment she set foot into her hotel room in Naha that Monday. At first, she thought she was seeing things like she always did. “Why are you here?’’ he asked, his voice low. He wasn’t angry, at least he didn’t seem angry. She recognized him not as an old man; but as a young adult. “Why are YOU here?’’ he repeated causing her to stare. “I’m on a bit of a vacation. What are you doing here?’’ she repeated. He frowned for a second. She smiled at him, hoping to lighten the mood. “The wars over. It’s been over for a long time.’’ s...

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“The Telepath” by Kalina Atanasova

Submitted to Contest #48

Loud screaming cuts through my dream and I’m plunged into a pitch black room. No sound. No audible one anyway. I turn my head sideways and there is Alex, not so soundly asleep. His head goes left and right and left and right. Fists clenched, sweat dripping down his temple. Scream splits my head in two. A familiar one, sadly. Alex whimpers in his sleep. Another scream. The scream belongs to a 10-year-old boy who I’ve known for 7 years now. Who has become a sculpted man with midnight skin and moon-lit black hair. Alex screams again but his li...

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“Nightshade” by Sadie Black

Submitted to Contest #48

The handwriting is mine, the notepad is mine, but I have no recollection of writing this. My penmanship is jagged and hurried. The notes cut off mid word, ending with a smear of ink. Yawning, I review the sparse notes I’ve apparently scrawled in a hurry.Tall woman. Blue cape, covers face. Sleep ch--I rub my bleary eyes and search for my ever-present thermos. The bitter brew is tepid, but I distinctly recall heating it up - again - just moments ago. I check my watch and it’s much later than I expected. I must have fallen asleep on the job. I ...

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“I Will Not Leave” by Sarymar Pérez Carrero

Submitted to Contest #48

My mom left because she was tired of dealing with a crying baby, seems like the perfect solution to that problem. Well, it is not like you need both parents once you are born. *** Papa came home with blisters and bruises on his hands again. His boss wouldn’t give him breaks during his long night shifts. I had prepared a warm soup as this is his favorite type of dinner to eat. “Wow, seems like you should open your own restaurant, Delilah” “And seems like you are the only person that I would trust with the finances and ...

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$50

Prize money

770

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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