Last week’s challenge: @YouAreCarrying
Next week is SDCC — San Diego Comic-Con. Which means this week is a lot of comic booky superhero-flavored stuff. News bits in particular (including my own bit of good superhero news with author Adam Christopher). As such, I’ve got superheroes on the brain.
Which means this week, you will have them on the brain, too.
I want you to write 1000 words of superhero fiction. Except — except! — I also want you to mash it up with another genre. So, superhero fantasy. Or superhero horror. Superhero romance? Whatever. Pick another genre, smash it into the superhero one. Go nuts. Post it at your online space. Link back here. Due by next Friday, noon, EST.
Pavowski says:
YESSS. Is it my birthday?
Oh, it was my birthday yesterday. Thanks Chuck! It’s just the right size!
July 18, 2014 — 3:10 PM
Pavowski says:
Superhero is an idea that’s on a low boil in the back of my mind; I may be using it for a novel one of these days, and if so, I’ll definitely be using some of the characters I’m working with here. My genre of choice to smash up with the Superhero tack: buddy comedy. And maybe a bit of that college frat-party feel. Is there a genre for that? …Whatever.
Came in at 975 words for this one, and, if you can believe it, this one isn’t dark OR depressing.
“Prank Politics” (…yeah, I’m not sure about that title) is here: http://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/prank-politics/
July 21, 2014 — 12:35 AM
Catkins says:
wicked, great characters 🙂
July 21, 2014 — 10:46 AM
Pavowski says:
Thanks! This isn’t the first time I’ve used Terry… she may be a bigger fish than I planned when I finally get around to writing the novel that features her…
July 22, 2014 — 12:45 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I’m not sure I added enough butter when mashing my genres together… my story’s come out a bit lumpy. This one calls itself: Grimner, P.I.
http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/grimner-p-i-a-flash-fiction-piece/
July 18, 2014 — 3:11 PM
Catkins says:
I loved this, it appealed to my endless obsession with dry-wited noir detectives.
July 18, 2014 — 6:09 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Thank yah! Superheroes (and Super-anti-heroes) are totes my favourite thing to write about at the moment, so I’m glad I could scratch your Noir itch whilst indulging in my own gleeful scribblings.
July 18, 2014 — 7:07 PM
Hannah says:
You and I were on the same wavelength this week with Noir! Loved the idea of a PI who saves souls and swindles at the same time. This was a fun read and Lolita was quite an intriguing broad.
July 24, 2014 — 3:11 PM
Ryan says:
This piece could be classified as steampunk, but has more of an old western feel.
Ladies and Gentlemen… The Clock Worker.
July 18, 2014 — 4:41 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Nice! I like that you don’t tell as much of the story as you do tell. Rather than weighing the whole thing down with exposition about Steven and his relationship to your protagonist, you let the action speak for itself. Also, kudos on the Western and Steampunk vibes.
July 18, 2014 — 5:25 PM
Ryan says:
Thanks buddy
July 18, 2014 — 6:19 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
Great narrative style. Got the slo-mo gunfight feel without dragging it down in pointless description.
July 19, 2014 — 8:31 PM
Ryan says:
Did I? Shit, I was only going for an obsessive timing feel more then anything else. That’s his thing; he’s a genius engineer and autistic savant obsessed with time. He creates AWESOME machines, but with limited funds and technology, they can only run for so long. So he puts a timer on everything and schedules their use and operation with careful prep and optimum precision.
He’s kinda like Casey Jones; he drives a powerful engine and is always on time.
Also, a fun fact; it never actually made it into the story, but the engine armor doesn’t just run on steam. He can adjust it to run on combustibles(wood,gasoline, whiskey), biofuel (basically grinds food into the furnace) and electricity (just pops out a lightning rod and a hand crank). Plus he can do other cool things, like connect his feet to rails and run like a locomotive and dispense gadgets out of his armor-when the time is right.
Annnd I am now approaching Dork Factor 9.
Reducing speeds.
Revert power to communication systems.
July 20, 2014 — 3:14 AM
Mike Berkey says:
I would totally read this if it were a comic book.
I think it’d be pretty great if he actually got annoyed that he was now ahead of schedule. Strikes me as the sort of character who thinks any sort of unexpected deviation is bad, even if it benefits him.
July 20, 2014 — 1:35 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Or, for that matter, a book-book. More, I command!
July 20, 2014 — 1:37 PM
Ryan says:
I’m juggling a lot of projects right now, including a book completely unrelated to this story.
Also, I do plan to have him be a stickler for precise timing. He just preferrs to be one step ahead of both the law and the evil men he fights, and the best way to do that is to be “ahead of schedule”. Like Clockwork 🙂
If you share this story with enough people, I might get a big enough following to kickstart a book based off this.
Or a comic.
Or a video game.
We will see 😀
July 20, 2014 — 4:35 PM
Hannah says:
This was interesting! The clock ticking and the idea of him encased in this metal suit lent a sort of claustrophobia to his time in the bar–and I mean that in a really good way (claustrophobia is probably not the best word). It ratcheted up the tension as I read, which made the story move quickly.
July 24, 2014 — 3:20 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I wasn’t sure how to do the challenge this week. I read comics when I was younger and even found myself in one or two of them. I hadn’t thought of ever writing a superhero story, but once I started, I knew I would have to finish this. Consider this the origin story and keep an eye out for me to finish it at a later date.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this in less than 1000 words, so I didn’t even try. At 1,170 words, I give you Sixteen sunsets:
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/sixteen-sunsets/
July 18, 2014 — 5:33 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Doh, I forgot to ask when I commented on your site… what was the other genre? I couldn’t figure it out, so I guessed it’s so subtle it’s eluded me, or it’s a genre I don’t have a clue about.
July 18, 2014 — 5:54 PM
Catkins says:
tragedy maybe, the poor bastard’s dying of cancer……. Loved the story by the way 🙂
July 18, 2014 — 6:00 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Yeah but ‘superhero dying of cancer but can’t actually die’ is already a comic. So I wondered if it might be parody 😉 I guess it could be tragedy though…
July 18, 2014 — 6:06 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Tragedy could work, but I was thinking adventure. The race to see sixteen sunrises. Anyone else have an idea?
July 18, 2014 — 6:09 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
What about Mystery? It sure is mysterious how he’s been pronounced so many times and yet keeps coming back. The continual reference to the sun makes me think of the ancient Egyptian sun-god, Ra (or Amun-Ra or whatever sun-god you might wanna go with from whatever culture) as the sun does suffer a death of sorts each day, vanquished as it is by the evil night-serpents.
Sorry, got rambly there. Tragedy for sure if it has the sad ending. Otherwise Adventure or Mystery could work just as well!
July 18, 2014 — 6:15 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Pretty cool. I can think of a few characters who are like this one. Wild Cat in DC’s comics has nine lives, for example.
I like how it flips the doctor’s prognosis on its head: “The doctor gave me fifteen days and I intend to use them.” Takes something passive and turns it into a plus. I like it.
July 20, 2014 — 1:40 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Thanks, Mike. I continued the story in another Flash Fiction prompt:
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/sixteen-sunsets-continued/
July 20, 2014 — 2:24 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
I’d sure like to see what he can do with the fifteen days remaining. Well done!
July 19, 2014 — 8:24 PM
Mark Gardner says:
You just may get your wish. I have ideas for more chapters…
July 20, 2014 — 12:01 AM
JP Juniper says:
Super heroes! High school! Noir-ish-ness! Beth returns in a story with my longest title yet:
http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/7/18/how-i-got-kicked-out-of-the-12th-grade-before-first-bell-a-novel-by-ba-jameson
Her previous appearance (which, timeline-wise, occurs about 2 years after this one):
http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/05/23/hefty-heros-foul-mouthed-rant-caught-on-tape
July 18, 2014 — 5:34 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Nicely done! I love the jaded, cynical tone of your protagonist, the sweeping descriptions which never loose sight of the original point, the juxtaposition of Noir coming from a teenage girl’s POV, and the subtle contradictions woven throughout your narrative.
In short, I thought it was super-cool.
July 19, 2014 — 4:18 AM
Catkins says:
I love Beth. She’s amazing!! And so funny – great stories 😛
July 19, 2014 — 4:45 PM
Pavowski says:
The more of your work I read, the more I enjoy it. Fantastic voice on that character — really well done!
July 21, 2014 — 12:26 AM
JP Juniper says:
Thank you! She’s a joy to write. Too much so, sometimes, say the residents of my large stack of non-Beth-related projects. 🙂
July 21, 2014 — 4:00 PM
Hannah says:
So much fun!
July 24, 2014 — 3:25 PM
Hawk says:
Hawk here, with super-heroic self-help.
http://apromptripost.com/post/92201292114/a-scared-kids-hidden-bookmark
July 18, 2014 — 10:49 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Wil Wheaton *snicker*
I thought this worked really well, and introduced an interesting take on how one inherits super-powers. Loved the wry tone throughout. I’ll definitely be recommending this for all my newly super-powered friends.
July 19, 2014 — 4:52 AM
Hawk says:
Excellent. And don’t forget! Registration SAVES.
July 20, 2014 — 1:38 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
Hate those cold-metal-slab mornings… Thanks for sharing!
July 19, 2014 — 8:18 PM
Hawk says:
You think arthritis is bad? Try neuroplastic static. It’s like needles in your flesh, but the needles are made of acid and a lifetime of your worst decisions.
July 20, 2014 — 1:39 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Oh, that’s brilliant. It’s never occurred to me that superheroes would probably need to get their head on straight every once in awhile and maybe need a motivational speaker or self-help book. 🙂
It’s probably 33% Chicken Soup For The Soul, 33% tedious parables about rich people at fishing villages in Mexico and 33% living in a VAN down BY THE RIVER.
July 20, 2014 — 1:44 PM
Tof says:
Superhero / Domestic Drama. Ibsen with capes.
http://www.tofeklund.net/?p=1364
July 19, 2014 — 12:08 AM
Mari says:
Still on my monster kick, but I was really feeling this one today. Superhero + ?? [some inspiration from Nietzsche – “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster . . . when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”] Good stuff.
“He Who Fights Monsters…” – http://wp.me/p4oEkv-21
July 19, 2014 — 12:14 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I tried replying on your site but it went wiggy and I’m not sure if the reply went through (it said awaiting moderation, then threw up an error message). So, here it is again:
I like the dark tone of this story. Maks is certainly one messed-up superhero! Reminds me a little of The Witcher, with the battling monsters and the like, only in a more real setting. You manage to give an already super-powered individual magic, without making it seem OTT or overpowered, which I think makes for an interesting combination. The story starts off a little slow, but as it’s just a short piece it’s not too distracting. If it were any longer I’d suggest shaking it up a bit, maybe starting in the middle of combat to avoid three paragraphs of exposition and hook the reader.
(on a technical note, crossbows fire bolts, not arrows)
(Sorrysorry, this should have replied here, instead of to the main section. STOOPID WORDPRESS!)
July 19, 2014 — 4:31 AM
Mari says:
Thanks so much for your great feedback! I did receive the comment on my site – wordpress has weird glitches sometimes. (Clearly.) I’ll definitely take your comments into consideration if I decide to expand and/or rework this.
July 19, 2014 — 6:24 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I tried replying on your site but it went wiggy and I’m not sure if the reply went through (it said awaiting moderation, then threw up an error message). So, here it is again:
I like the dark tone of this story. Maks is certainly one messed-up superhero! Reminds me a little of The Witcher, with the battling monsters and the like, only in a more real setting. You manage to give an already super-powered individual magic, without making it seem OTT or overpowered, which I think makes for an interesting combination. The story starts off a little slow, but as it’s just a short piece it’s not too distracting. If it were any longer I’d suggest shaking it up a bit, maybe starting in the middle of combat to avoid three paragraphs of exposition and hook the reader.
(on a technical note, crossbows fire bolts, not arrows)
July 19, 2014 — 4:30 AM
angelacavanaugh says:
Alright, a little hard-boiled noir-ish superhero story:
https://angelacavanaugh.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/flash-fiction-friday-hero-needed/
July 19, 2014 — 5:05 AM
underastarlitsky says:
Here’s my attempt at superhero/mystery… Up, Up and Away: http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com/ i had fun writing this one!
July 19, 2014 — 6:04 PM
Mozette says:
I have always loved Super Heroes….
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/hes-my-superman.html
July 19, 2014 — 7:38 PM
Allison Maruska says:
Interesting perspective. Nice job.
July 21, 2014 — 9:25 PM
Mozette says:
Thanks… I’ve always wanted to know what went on behind the Man of Steel’s home doors… you know, the woman who kept the home fires burning so to say… 😀
And now we do. 😀
July 21, 2014 — 9:52 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
Brace yourself for a Superhero / Legal Thriller. I present… “Captain Fantasy vs Bureaucratic Reality”
http://www.jdstoffel.com/2014/07/flashfiction-captain-fantasy-vs-bureaucratic-reality/ (990 words)
July 19, 2014 — 8:15 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Okay, that’s hilarious. Now I’m picturing him trying to get into Canada. “So, you say you’re from LA, but you weren’t even born on this planet?”
July 20, 2014 — 1:52 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
Oh! the paperwork! Oh! the copies-in-triplicate!
July 22, 2014 — 3:40 PM
Catkins says:
wonderful, I just love how annoyed he gets…
July 20, 2014 — 3:27 PM
Pavowski says:
Nicely turned, and I loved the ending. Great job!
July 21, 2014 — 12:45 AM
Allison Maruska says:
Awesome. I love how the clerk isn’t buying it.
July 21, 2014 — 9:21 PM
Hannah says:
This was great–especially the very last part! Driver’s Ed can scare the best of us.
July 24, 2014 — 3:33 PM
Adan Ramie says:
I ran into the same thing recently when I wanted a library card. Who even asks for a piece of mail with your name and address anymore? Apparently, a lot of places.
Kudos. I never dreamed of going in this direction with the superhero challenge. Very funny!
July 25, 2014 — 8:08 AM
Mike Berkey says:
Crap, someone hit the law angle ahead of me!
This one’s about serving legal papers and ran WAY THE HELL OVER the limit. Seriously, just under 2k words, so a big fail there.
So, I know a ton of professional wrestlers in real life–not the guys you see on television. More the guys who do the warm up shows for the bigger shows. People who play school gyms during the weekends when they’re not working customer service somewhere. Deeply weird people and I’ve been desperately wanting to write some of that into a story sometime, which is why I’m jumping in this week.
Everything I write about superheroes in this story is equally true about pro wrestlers. I think they think I’m just as weird as they are when I hang out with them because I tend to cackle a lot and write things down every time one of them tells a story.
http://billionmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/to-serve-unservable.html
July 20, 2014 — 1:30 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Also, I think some Anthony Bourdain snuck in there somehow.
July 20, 2014 — 2:36 PM
Catkins says:
Ho-Lee-Schit. It’s amazing, can you write a whole book about this please? Or a proper comic? Or can you just stand still while I tell you how brilliant that was? I’m so glad you went over word limit 😀
July 20, 2014 — 3:58 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Breaking the word limit just feels so dirty. 🙂
July 22, 2014 — 6:41 AM
Jon Stoffel says:
To be fair, yours is probably the more law-oriented. 🙂 (and someone needs to talk to the Iron Chef about getting a P.O. box…) Thanks for sharing!
July 22, 2014 — 3:46 PM
Hannah says:
This…was…FANTASTIC. So clever! I have a friend who is a pro wrestler like the one you described and I could totally see that–what a great twist on taking something from everyday life and putting it into a story. Loved it!
July 24, 2014 — 4:05 PM
antipelican says:
This is JUST over the limit at 1089 words. It’s also probably not as super-heroey as it should be (my sister is the one who likes the comics and films and things) but I had a go at…
King Arthurian legend/superhero mashup. Random, but what’s not here? I’d love some feedback if you’ve got the time and inclination. Or hurled potatoes. Or cricket-punctuated silence. Whatevs, really.
http://booksishouldhavereadalongtimeago.wordpress.com/other-stuff/flash-fiction/knights-of-the-round-table/
July 20, 2014 — 5:46 PM
Catkins says:
Here’s mine, getting it in early(ish) this time. It’s neo-victorian superhero I suppose. It came out grimmer than I expected 🙂 – Persephone in Perpetua, enjoy.
http://the-room-of-lost-things.tumblr.com/post/92420358284/persephone-in-perpetua
July 21, 2014 — 6:11 AM
Allison Maruska says:
I was hooked! Your sensory details are fantastic!
July 21, 2014 — 9:12 PM
Catkins says:
Oh wow, thank you so much 😀 That means a lot.
July 22, 2014 — 8:52 AM
Reginald Sampson says:
Superhero/Crime comedy about a supervillain and his archnemesis.
July 21, 2014 — 12:00 PM
Allison Maruska says:
How about superhero + YA romcom? I’m still new at this short story thing, so I welcome comments and critiques.
http://allisonmaruska.com/2014/07/21/flash-fiction-karma-boy/
July 21, 2014 — 12:17 PM
ellsimp says:
My first one of these. I ended having a lot more fun doing this than I expected. Superhero/Crime: ‘Cold Case’.
http://ellsimp.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/short-fiction-cold-case/
July 22, 2014 — 2:17 PM
Nikki says:
How excellent is it that the short story I wrote a couple weeks ago for the genre mashup challenge fits into this week’s challenge? Very excellent, since I didn’t post it there because I missed that deadline. So here it is, Skylar’s superhero dystopia short story, ‘Cease and Desist.’
http://nixdesk.wordpress.com/stories/cease-and-desist/
July 23, 2014 — 8:56 AM
ktread20 says:
A bit late to the party with this one. Took days of revision and I’m way over the limit. Sigh. At least I’m happy with the result. 🙂
Superhero/Police Procedural: “Cops Don’t Wear Capes”
http://kevintreadway.blogspot.com/2014/07/short-fiction-cops-dont-wear-capes.html
July 24, 2014 — 12:37 AM
Hannah says:
Superhero-Noir–not sure it technically fits either genre, but it was fun to write.
http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/in-the-cards/
July 24, 2014 — 2:14 PM
Adan Ramie says:
I went a little over the limit, and merged this challenge with one from Thain in Vain. It’s superhero(ine) horror. Not for the faint of heart.
“Flesh-Fly”: https://adanramieblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/flash-fiction-challenge-flesh-fly-by-adan-ramie/
July 24, 2014 — 3:03 PM
momdude says:
I’m so, so sorry. I blame it on my bad, bad brain.
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/07/24/flash-fiction-second-rate-superhero-in-five-line-anapestic-meter/
July 25, 2014 — 12:50 AM
lacolem1 says:
I can’t BELIEVE I only found this today after I did a ‘superhero flash fiction’ google search. Too late for me to write something brand new, but here’s something new-ish that I tweaked and edited for the occasion.
http://superfictious.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/the-primary-color-superhero-flash-fiction/
It’s a superhero/horror mash-up.
July 25, 2014 — 10:21 AM
Ben Adams says:
Little late to the party but I threw something together. I’m not sure what it is or if I even did add another genre or whatnot….But there is a superhero! He just doesn’t really do anything….well take a look if you’re interested. Sort of a what if piece.
July 25, 2014 — 3:10 PM
Ben Adams says:
Silly me, here’s a direct link: http://write-first.blogspot.com/2014/07/super.html
July 25, 2014 — 3:11 PM