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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

“The Leopard ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #48

The superhero known as Leopard stepped carefully through the undergrowth. With no path to follow he looked through the misty air for broken branches or the acrid smell of scorched bark. Tracking a dragon took experience. Not that hard, once you’ve survived a few, he thought. How do you track something that flies? The question struck him as silly but he didn’t laugh. Too much at stake. An impossibly large bird rose before him. It flapped its broad wings in languorous fashion. Leopard envied the ease with which it maneuvered through the jungl...

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“I'm Your Archnemesis, Goddamnit!” by Prakhar Mishra

Submitted to Contest #48

Knightfall leaned on the cold wall next to him, his arms crossed and his trusty sword on his side, observing Neon city from the roof of a large skyscraper. The stars shimmered faintly due to the bright glow of the buildings. E-trees littered the roads with their fake glowing green leaves, neon billboards hovered next to many buildings, giant holograms floated around the city, hovercars raced through the streets... Knightfall took a long breath, and absorbed the sights for one last time. He wouldn’t admit to anyone, but he did enjoy his three...

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“Regret ” by Lily Rebecca 🐰🐾

Submitted to Contest #48

Chapter 1 “All of those people are alive right now because of her, not you! You caused this whole situation! You aren’t a superhero and you never will be! Just leave this city all you do is cause trouble!” Tears spring to my eyes. Is it true? Do I help no one? Does no one think I at least tried to help? I guess not. Well if I’m leaving here I’ll at least leave with my dignity. Picking myself up off the floor I start walking to the door. Not crying, no, but taking it all in. If everyone already thinks I’m bad then why not go bad? I’ll teach t...

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“A Blizzard's Blizzard” by Leya Newi

Submitted to Contest #48

Cara was staring at the broken finish line. Her heart thumped and she breathed heavily. Her hair was dripping, hanging limply over her shoulder. She smiled, then hurried off to change, dragging her eyes away from the broken finish line. Katie and Angelica, twins with identical dark hair and eyes, ambushed Cara as she came out of the locker room, clutching her wet towel and swimsuit. “What were yo...

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“I Will Stand” by Sierra Butler

Submitted to Contest #48

"I don’t want this. I want to eat melting ice cream on a hot summer day. I want to complain about homework and tests with my friends. I want to learn how to drive with my dad. I want to embarrass my little sister on her first date. I want a normal life, not this. Anything but this."The dim light from the setting sun glinted off the tears that were running down her cheeks."Here we go again," Liz said with an exasperated sigh. "Haven’t we already been through this? Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.""No," Ty shook his head. "She’s right. Sh...

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“Colours” by Felicity Edwards

Submitted to Contest #48

Elspeth Hully was a quiet child. She doted on her Dad and loved to help him in his workshop. He, in turn, loved fixing things and woodworking. She would stand beside him, like a surgeon he said chisel and she slapped it into his waiting hand. Their time together was not silent, though. She chattered about school and things that happened to her. Then one day, she said something which made him stop and look at her closely. “Daddy, can you see colours?” “Yes Ellie, of course, I can see your dress is red, my overall is a dirty white, what brough...

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“The Pannapictagraphists ” by Blane Britt

Submitted to Contest #48

I thought that the title of this short story would grab your attention. People who are into collecting comic books are called “pannapictagraphists”. These people buy rare comic books for various reasons that include personal interest in popular comic book characters, completion of comic book collections and most especially for financial gain. I have a friend who has been collecting and selling comic books ever since we were in the 3rd grade. I can clearly recall us going to the cigar store with our weekly allowances to check out the latest ...

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“The Refractor” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #48

Even as a small child, I was obsessed with Superheroes and the incredible feats that they could achieve. Now, as an adult, my love for the Super Powers still exists; in fact, it may be stronger than ever before. My name is James MacAvoy, a simple suburban-living chemist with a keen sense for numbers. I had been working on several formulas over the years which would allow me to develop my own superpowers. Unfortu...

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“My Only” by Elaina Goodnough

Submitted to Contest #48

Dear Aaron,You told me you went to the doctor for a simple yearly checkup. With that special glint in your eye you smiled a cheeky grin and waved as you shut the door behind you.I miss your smiles.It had started a month before. You were silently crying in our bedroom. You, like any other man I know, never cried. As a woman I cried about minuscule things here or there. I tip-toed in and asked you what happened. You shrugged and said the allergens were out of control. I knew you were making up pseudo excuses, but I didn't want to pry or cause ...

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“It's the Thought That Counts” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #48

Second-hand stores are uniquely magical places, especially for teenage boys like Benjamin, who fancied the endless shelves of discarded junk, the boxes of dusty books, and the racks of ancient clothing might just conceal hidden delights and secret treasures, just waiting to be discovered by anyone with the time and the inclination to search, such as he. For this reason, Oddz ‘n Endz was Benjamin’s second favorite place in the world, after the library, of course. Both held for him a mysterious allure; a sense of impend...

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“By what name do I call my Superhero?” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #48

Your shoulders are bowed by the responsibility you carry, Yet compassion is all we see.Your hands are rough and calloused from all your hard work. Yet we don’t notice as you wipe away our tears.Your body aches and your arms are fatigued, Yet your lap is always open as we run to you for hugs and cuddles. ...

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“My Worst Nightmare - Not so Bad” by Ella Kinnett

Submitted to Contest #48

First day of school. A.k.a the first day of the worst nightmare anyone could dream of, at least for me. Some kids look forward to school. Some look forward to the social part, and learning enthusiasts look forward to the actual material, but let me tell you. I look forward to none of it. We are only ten minutes into the first period and Mrs. Gibson will not stop talking. “This is my first year teaching here and I'm very excited." When is this period over? These kids are giving me nothing but blank stares. I need to make something up to distr...

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“Fire and Ice” by Amelia K

Submitted to Contest #48

Fire and Ice By: Amelia K Lily McArthur awoke to a bright yellow sun shining through her curtains. Lily was an orphan and lived in an orphanage. She never really knew what had happened to her parents except for the fact that they had abandoned her at birth. All she had left of them was a tattered photo of her mom and dad on their wedding day. 11 years earlier “Donald guess what,” exclaimed Hillary....

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“The Unspoken Voice” by Erick Morin

Submitted to Contest #48

Crowds of people exit the stadium, screaming and cheering. An aura shrouds the area, an enchantment of ecstasy. The voices streaming out onto the parking lot and streets expel a sense of gratitude, a sense of happiness. The whole city can feel the brilliance being poured out of the stadium like an overwhelming surge of electricity energizing the souls of everyone living there. As the stadium empties, the hero of the night stands alone on the stage. Being unable to speak, he instead bows to the remaining cluster of concert-goers. After they a...

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“The Masks We Wear” by The-Burrowing-Owl- Author

Submitted to Contest #48

The strongest deceptions are based on truth. Even so, it was remarkable just how flexible the human mind is. It was surprisingly easy to make someone believe in the supernatural. It wasn’t a problem for me to conjure an imaginary spider big enough to face off against a car, and it was even easier to make people scared of it. I only had to show what they were most likely to believe in, and these two men, it would seem, were slightly arachnophobic. I watched the unfolding scene from a perch on the base of a fire escape. I didn’t want to...

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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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