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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

“On the Other Side of the Glass” by Stephanie Victoria

Submitted to Contest #48

Let me tell you a story. Listen closely. Rain pitter pattered on the roof that night. Far away, a storm brewed, though I didn’t know that yet. My mind was focused on anything except the dinner table spread out in front of me. See, there was this portrait on the wall of my family that my eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to. My mother front and center, blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and brilliant blue eyes, took your focus away from the creases underneath. There was no room to notice the thin, nervous smile that brought about w...

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“Salesmanship” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #48

“I am Timothy LaFontaine-Johnson and I am not a man to be taken lightly. I am a force of nature. There are men who enter into a room and make no noise. Quiet, weak, men who tremble at the thought of a conversation and run from danger. I am not a weak man. My bloodline is strong and my responsibilities are many. I will not fail those who depend on me. I will not shirk my duties. I will sell. I will win. I am Timothy LaFontaine-Johnson, and I will not be denied.” Tim stared expectantly at the woman in front of him. Her face was hard to read ...

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“The Bejeweled Key” by Skye Corbyn

Submitted to Contest #48

One rainy spring day, Felina was taking a walk around the downtown with her fairy wings tucked up inside her jacket. Her ferret, Ferentina, was hiding in her hood. She had just gotten back to Swanfeather a week ago. When she had gotten out of the car, she had rushed in and given a hug to all the mentors, then immediately rushed upstairs to her dormitory to place her belongings on her bed to claim it before her stepsister Nivea got up there. Ok, now you're probably wondering why someone would be walking around in the rain. The answer i...

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“Dick Wydoo, the Real Wooden Boy” by Bill Osuch

Submitted to Contest #48

Dick Wydoo, a boy I went to school with, was walking home from our final class of the evening early, because a huge log was dropped on his arm during woodshop, so he was excused. He winced at the pain in his right arm, and dared not to look at the crippled limb, for Dick had a weak stomach. His home was empty besides his cat; on the kitchen table a note taped to a frozen tv dinner read "My mother had a stroke, will be home in a week. Plenty of these in the freezer. -Mom." He shoved the packet into the microwave and sat down, ready to se...

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“Our Little Secret” by Hxmda A.A

Submitted to Contest #48

Tonight would be the night Mor would bring down the small gang that ran the main club in her town, killing whom they pleased and whenever they pleased. It had been ages since she had felt the rush of the wind as she scaled the rooftops of houses, jumping effortlessly from one to another, her hair flying and her heart pumping. The scent of fresh air after hours of sitting in her dorm studying for her final was the best break she could ask for. It was open and inviting, the sky empty and vast. Sometimes Mor wished that she could fly, let her ...

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“Power of light! ” by Sheryl Reddy

Submitted to Contest #48

I guess you could say she lived alone, but she didn't. She had a roommate. He gave her so much space in a comfortable way that it felt like a little of both living alone, yet with a roommate/friend. It was a new life for her very different than the one she had before. She had been removed from the life she once had, away from friends and family that she had always known. At first she wasn't used to it, but she was slowly getting used to less company around her. The familiarities of her life were not the same, but had changed in different way...

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“DUPLE” by Confused Director

Submitted to Contest #48

Jack once again wakes up from his nightmarish dreams and sees in the clock that he is already late to reach his office and so without any further delays he reaches office as soon as possible completing all his stuffs and fortunately he has reached office before CEO and hence takes his seat but soon he is informed by peon that CEO has arrived and is calling him in his cabin and soon he too reaches in the cabin of CEO and as soon as he enters in he starts hearing some kind of voice which he ignores and as soon as CEO sees him , he starts shout...

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“Leo's Blues” by Dafne Flego

Submitted to Contest #48

Léonie didn't consider herself a superhero, even though she had a superpower. The reason she had never put any thought into devising a secret identity and stitching up a costume was that she didn't consider her ability extraordinary at all. It was just something she had learned from her grandfather, and what other grandparents must have taught other grandchildren, surely. She didn't speak of it with anyone because there was no need to share all the details of one's household routine with one's friends. Like whether you put trousers or a shir...

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“What, me worry? My SUPERHERO” by Judith Veder

Submitted to Contest #48

MY(SUPER) HERO What? Me? Worry? I was born in 1943 in New York City housing projects with that worry gene- no one knew about genes then- but do not know why me. Maybe it was the threat of the big war. Bomb shelters and signs for them all over. Ration cards talked about. Maybe it was because my father was drafted and my family constantly worried about him being sent overseas. Maybe money and poverty. Maybe who knows why? As a tiny thing, I’d sit and twirl my curly h...

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“Fireballs Suck” by Ethan Jarmush

Submitted to Contest #48

Wow I can shoot fireballs out of my hands. Isn’t that so cool! Oh wait. It fucking isn’t. When would that ever be useful in daily life? My select friends and family who know about it think it's the cat’s pajamas though. So I got something going for me. Let me clarify some things. It is a literal ball of flame that appears out of nowhere in my palm and shoots forward. When it makes contact with something, it straight up explodes. Like a missile. I practically get thrown back every time. And the worst part is, I can barely control the d...

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“False” by Josefina Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #48

Living in a big city is boring, you either try your hardest to fit in or insist on being different, the line between is thin and almost confusing. I consider myself to be a very gullible and easy to impress person, and typically a small display of talent can turn me into a devoting fan; however i listened to the same very popular song four times in a row and i couldn't decide if i liked it or not, the lyrics were generic but the voice was average, almost boring average. I got tickets to her concert by mistake, they were sent to my house on a...

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“When Time is a Girl ” by Philip Carlisle

Submitted to Contest #48

Time is a girl. Did you know that? She’s a young girl but not in the way you’re probably thinking. For one to be considered old, time needs to have passed. Of course, to say she is young is to say only a little time has passed which doesn’t fit her either. Needless to say, I’m still figuring her out and I’ve spent a lot of time with her. I say she is young because of how she...

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“The 4 siblings ” by The 3 Siblings Li

Submitted to Contest #48

Ka-boom! Run for your life..... Hi I’m Lit. I am a adopted child along with my other 3 siblings. It was hard enough living in the orphanage, with the discrimination because of how we looked. Our parents worked in the nuclear industry. But one day, everything went wrong. The day was sunny and beautiful as our adopted farther (as our professor) said. That day as they just finished the brand new automatic bomb, something went wrong. Suddenly as they were about to check the engine of the bomb..... Ka-boom! The bomb had malfunctioned and caused ...

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“I Can Feel It” by Henriette Meerson

Submitted to Contest #48

Prompt: Write about someone who has a superpower.it is 7am and we need to get up, we always get up at 7am. I make sure of that. Then we take a walk and when we come back, we eat breakfast, or I eat breakfast, she usually just drink something while I eat. After that, she will go to the bathroom and do her thing. I try to follow her, but she insists that I wait outside the door, so I do just that, every day since she took me home. I like to sit and wait for her because I know that she will be safe. When she is done in the bathroom, I take a qu...

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“Superheroine Emily” by Tanja Cilia

Submitted to Contest #48

My real name is Emily Ħaġar; my Superheroine name is Emilymaltija.I am not the only Superheroine, you know – there is a whole camaraderie (good collective noun!) of us… Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Olga Mesmer, Natasha Irons, Gertrude Yorkes, Jean Grey, Anna Mercury…We all have different superpowers. Some of us can fly; some of us can read people’s minds; some of us can move things with our thoughts, and some of us are incredibly strong.Some of us can breathe underwater; some can fight fire with fire, or water with water. All of us can c...

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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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