Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

Flash Fiction Challenge: Superheroes Plus

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.

terribleminds

88 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Superheroes Plus”

    • 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/

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  4. This piece could be classified as steampunk, but has more of an old western feel.

    Ladies and Gentlemen… The Clock Worker.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

        • 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 😀

          Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  5. 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/

    Reply

  7. […] 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. […]

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  10. 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

    Reply

    • 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!)

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

  12. 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)

    Reply

  18. 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

    Reply

    • 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 😀

      Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  19. 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/

    Reply

  36. 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.

    Reply

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