Onc2024 Stories

Hope is as rare as water in a kingdom of sun-scorched sands and ancient walls. Princess Ilaria of Sigyn is poised to secure peace for her desert kingdom through an arranged marriage to Prince Godred, the ruler of a rival land. But when a shadowy assassin nearly takes her life, her plans-and her trust in those around her-crumble like desert dust. Forced into hiding on the distant island of Zospery, she finds herself under the protection of Lord Alaric Voss, a man as cold and unyielding as the sea cliffs that guard his home. Alaric is known as the Devil of the Spire, a relentless warrior with a reputation for cruelty and a heart as closed off as the fortress he commands. Yet, beneath his rigid exterior lies a past scarred by loyalty and loss, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep the princess alive-even if it means standing against the forces that seek to silence her forever. As enemies close in and the line between duty and desire blurs, Ilaria must confront a harsh truth: her greatest danger may not be the assassins lurking in the shadows, but the man who stands beside her, guarding secrets that could shatter everything she's fought to protect. But the more she learns about the unyielding knight, the more she sees glimpses of a depth that calls to her, even as her own resolve hardens into something far less forgiving. In the shifting sands of war and whispered betrayals, two souls clash-one desperate to keep hope alive, the other burdened by a past he cannot escape. And as threats loom from all sides, Ilaria and Alaric will have to decide whether they can truly trust one another... or if the secrets they keep will be the very things that tear them apart. -- COVER BY @-deeisdead- ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER

A Princess longing to prove herself to be as brave as any prince, a sorcerer hired to save an ailing kingdom by spinning straw into gold, and a spinning wheel. A fairytale unlike any you have heard before. * * * When a magical mishap leads to Rumpelstiltskin and Princess Rosa switching bodies, a dangerous misunderstanding leads to them being separated and thrust into each other's lives. Trapped and forced to navigate an unfamiliar world, they must find a way to switch back while not raising suspicion from those closest to them. They say you can only know a person once you've walked a mile in their shoes. Rumpelstiltskin and Rosa will learn more than they ever dreamed about the other...and maybe discover the kind of person they are each meant to be. Submitted to ONC 2024: Prompt 45: "Keep your happily ever after, it ain't mine." Supplementary prompt 3: Your greatest fear is monsters in the dark. The last thing you expect is to become the Monster in the dark.

[EDITING] ONC2024 Longlister❤️ Using Prompt number 14 "My love, believe me, waiting for you has always been a form of freedom." Alexandra Vasiliu" A guy and a girl have been best friends since childhood, but their destiny parted them. The little girl had to move away with her parents. Years later, they meet again, but the bond of friendship still remains the same. But the young lad has realised that his affection has developed into love, but, he's scared to express his feelings. However, he also feels that the girl has changed a lot. She cares more about money and herself than before. His love remains unwavering and he proposes to her, but she rejects him. He decides to wait for her, letting her take her sweet time. In the meantime, he's always there, supporting her, and scolding her for her bad deeds. He's continually showing her the path of truth, but she's not looking back. He also learns about her past, which has changed her personality. He wants to change things for her, only if she is ready. Slowly, with time, things happen and she realises that she's been trapped in her own net. She realises her mistakes and her best friend forgives her, as they walk through the aisle, starting a new life.

**ONC 2024 Shortlisted** **Featured on @Fantasy Reading List** Pristine Marvin, a shy sophomore harboring a secret crush on her classmate Andrei, finds herself unknowingly entangled in a web of mysterious events after a fateful encounter at an eerie shop. As the case unravels, Alan Alteiner, the manipulating hero of Caperwood, embarks on a quest to uncover the truth surrounding his friend, Andrei's demise. At the same time, Avril Alteiner, a distraught son with no possibilities of attaining supernaturalism, gets overshadowed by his family members, making him seize a risky opportunity that leads him down a perilous path. With Pristine on the run from a falsely implicated crime and Alan on the trail of a startling revelation, the entangled mess begins to unveil it's powers. Will Pristine navigate her route through the treacherous forest and clear her name? Can Alan untangle the twisted threads of the truth before it's too late? Or will Avril succeed in his evil conquest?

[Original Story] In the dreary, short days of late January, 1970, strangers arrive at the Paradise Hotel in Arkansas. Some are here for respite. Some for work. Some for trouble. The holidays may be over, but the murders aren't.

Katara dislikes being confined to the home of her father, the head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, after her mother's death and eventually sneaks out in disguise and meets and befriends the nephew of the local tea merchant while remaining unaware of the ramifications of her actions. Disclaimer - I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is one of my ONC projects for 2024 and a giftfic for my friend Kelsey Alicia. For this story I am using prompt fifty-five, "you're a young royal in disquise who befriends a villager with a scarred face. One day they are arrested for stealing something you gave to them." Note - While I choose to ignore anything from LoK or the comics that retcons AtLA content I'm not against using content that doesn't, hence the use of existing Southern Water Tribe characters from the comics in addition to creating new ones, but certainly none of this strange idea of a tribe being a colony of another tribe or a tribe voting their chieftain(s) in instead of the tradition of heredity and/or earning the position through ones own merit. As such, the Southern Water Tribe is reverted to an actual sister tribe to the Northern Water Tribe, aka an actual tribe rather than a colony and Hakoda is back to being the head chieftain as implied by what Sokka says about being the equivalent to a prince in his tribe to Princess Yue which, on top of the fact there's no way Hakoda would have gotten that many boats from a single village, indicates Hakoda was always head-chieftain.

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 A young journalist must navigate a war-torn country and the intricacy of first love in order to save herself and her family. ⋯⋯⋯ In 2042, invaders crossed Philippine waters and marked the start of the war. Two years later, Maian Dizon, a displaced Metro Manila journalist, navigates the war-torn streets in search of a way out of the country. However, when her path crosses with Kian Lucero, a reservist medical doctor, doubts creep in. With the guilt he carries, the foreboding loss on her shoulders, and the pressing needs of her family, her calling points her back to her homeland with no promise of salvation. But the attacks crawl closer every day, and Maian must devise a plan to save the people she loves, even if it means sacrificing herself. From the award-winning author of 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘥 comes a story of love and life, and how they fade and thrive at the face of war. There is an end to peace, memory, and glory, but there are things that will live forever. We only have to find them. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2024 (First Edition) [30,000 - 35,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] C/TW: Some scenes in this story contain graphic physical violence, disturbing themes, or character introspection that may upset or trigger the reader. Please read at your own risk. 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024

This book is written for the Almost Perfect Getaway Contest and with the provided Writing Prompt below: "Moving to your favorite summer home is a perfect getaway... except for your neighbor who is hellbent on finding creative ways to annoy you." This is a short story of 2,050 words and my entry for the contest.

William has been in the entertainment industry for as long as he can remember. A has-been child actor for small commercials to taking on ensemble roles in community theatre, William knows that his big break was never meant to be. Instead, he remains behind the scenes, assisting his old mentor's son and latest hotshot actor, Gavynn Withers. While the stress and paparazzi frenzy should be enough to steer him away, William can't help but push for Gavynn's success. Being a celebrity is rough, but for Gavynn Withers, being the latest nepo baby to come under media fire has put a damper on his dreams of being an under-the-radar mediocre actor. But more than just being on the face of the tabloids, Gavynn just wanted to surprise his favorite personal assistant and long-time crush, William Hyland, with a long overdue vacation and possibly tag along for the ride. - an ONC 2024 Novella- Prompts 9 and 85

[ONC2024] Everyone can read minds except for Ethan Langdon. And Ethan Langdon has the dumbest (and cutest!) thoughts Lukas Hoffmann has ever heard. ____ Part one complete. Part two updating every Friday until completion (but already fully complete on my Kofi!) ____ Lukas Hoffman's life in Brambleburg is about as boring as you'd expect for a town where everyone can read minds. He's used to his routine of dusting the LPs at the record store where he works and helping out his grandma around the house. Nothing in Brambleburg changes. No one in Brambleburg changes. Until Ethan Langdon stumbles in with the soggy remnants of a paper map, asking for the quickest route to Berlin. Ethan, it turns out, doesn't have telepathy, and as aggravatingly inane as his thoughts are, Lukas hasn't felt the excitement of meeting a stranger since.... well, ever. And the more Lukas listens, the more he starts enjoying Ethan's cute thoughts about life, the universe, and Lukas's dimples. ____ Might bring to mind: "Cherry Magic" but set in a fictive European town where everyone except the love interest can read minds. ____ Written for the Open Novella Contest 2024 using prompts 8, 75, 82, and 85. 8. You start singing along to a movie soundtrack late at night forgetting that your window is open. Someone from the outside starts singing with you. 75. You awake in the middle of the night to a voice saying loudly "May the force be with you..." 82. You wake up on a seemingly ordinary day to discover that your thoughts are not private. There is someone else in your head with you. 85. "If you do that again, I'll throw you out that freaking window. What are you doing?" "Checking how high the drop is to see if it's worth it."

Alora was supposed to die, so when she ended up in a place in the middle of heaven and hell with an old classmate who should have lived, the universe knew something had gone wrong. Due to the glitch, she is given a chance at life again as long as she stays bound to the man who futilely gave his life for her. My ONC 2024 submission :) AI Transparency: All words in this work are my own and have NOT been generated or improved by AI. The cover was generated via AI provided through Canva, but I hope to create my own original cover when I get time.

"Like a gem, her yield was strong. Like a bird, I fell into her trap. She's "Jezebel". Might as well add an 'hell (L)" to her name for the warning bells were loud..." - Nike Ekin, Just One Jezebel(L). ~ Boggled by the sibling therapy session he has with his sister, Nike decides to escape through work. As an investigative journalist who wants to make a name for himself, he sought to cover the secrets underlying the grassroots elections. A new project requiring commitment? He was up to the task. Unfortunately, he wasn't informed about the violence that comes with it. Nor the heartache. ~_~ Genre: Romantic thriller

The library is haunted., not to mention the whole school That much Lindsey Eden figures out on his first day as he listens carefully to the students gossiping about the previous librarian and some of the other staff that have left. Not that principle cares because none of the information is public knowledge - yet. His not caring as long as the parents don't know-- Disclaimer - I don't own Lockwood & Co. This is one of my ONC projects for 2024 and a sequel to my Lockwood & Co. project from last year. The prompt I'm using is prompt ninety-seven. "It is your first day at your first job, and you discover the library you'll be working in is very haunted.." I am also using prompt sixty-two, "There is something creepy about the new librarian at school.."

Attend opera concerts. Run a few errands. Enjoy a luxury apartment, wardrobe, and car, all expenses paid. Sounds like a dream job, right? There's only one catch. After nights of haunting musical messages and retrieving strange, pulsing items for her eccentric employer, Cleo unravels a conspiracy she definitely isn't getting paid enough to be involved in. As time goes on, she glimpses a fantastical realm of individuals that prefer to keep their powers a secret, and will do anything to remain unseen. Once unveiled, there is no going back to blissful ignorance. It all started with a paycheck. But in the end, Cleo may be the one paying - with her life. ~ cover by Laine from @avadel sticker by @SuVida777 *ONC 2024 Honorable Mention and Shortlister *Open Door Awards 2024 New Adult Winner *8CC participant January-February 2024 Completed Word Count: 31,180 Featured: @mystery 100. In a concert hall filled with hundreds of people, only you are hearing different lyrics to what everyone is singing. 27. Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge.

[ONC 2024 Round 2 Ambassador's Pick & Longlister] Zjahn Zjmit, AKA Sean Smith, AKA Psycona. Alien refugee from a destroyed world. Peacemaker. Superhero. The life of a superhero isn't everything Psycona thought it would be. He feels unappreciated, undervalued, and sits in the shadow of other heroes. Heroes that he could beat with little trouble. Though he remains committed to the life of a hero, something is missing. When the world's greatest hero, Principle, must go off-world to save his loved one, Psycona takes the opportunity to prove to the world that he is its greatest hero. All he needs is a villain only he can defeat. As a plan formulates, Psycona will become the world's greatest hero, even if he has to become its greatest villain to do it. ONC 2024 - Based on Prompt 49 - Being a superhero is just too boring. Let's be a villain! Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture and text through Logokit

2024 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2024 Book #4 of the Face saga - spin-off [COMPLETED ON 30/4/2024] *** Sometimes, words speak louder than actions. But, in other cases, it may be the other way round. It's been forty-seven years since Sim Daejung arrived in New York from Seoul, South Korea, stirring trouble wherever he passed by, whether with a simple gesture or a whole rant on his existential questions. He passed his daredevil personality and creepy curiosity to his sons and daughter, who see him not only as a role model, but also as the force driving them to their goals. That is, if they can pass the tests life poses for them.

Marc Williams started having some financial problems after his dad's job was cut short, he decided to get a part time job where someone gives him a life changing offer. Daniel Ferreira A rich boy with some anger issues who gets a new assistant who he totally hated at first, but as time goes on these duo gets even more closer than they expected.... 'We stood together in silence staring into each other's eyes, his beautiful ocean blue eyes were so captivating, He cane closer to me and I moved closer to him too, we were only inches apart and my heart beat became faster each passing second....' • i only publish my books on wattpad and no other website/app • - Achievements - #1 - lgbtfriction #1 - richboy #1 - mxm #1 - onc #1 - onc2024 #1 - pride #1 - bxblove #1 - gaylove #2 - bisexual #2 - wattpad #2 - highschool #3 - gay #4 - bisexual #5 - richboy #5 - romance #6 - teen #6 - wattpadcontest #6 - boyxboy #6 - bxb #10 - gaylove (out of 1,000+ stories) #10 - wattys #18 - teenromance #23 - boyslove Started - 23 | 7 | 2020 Completed - 31 | 3 | 2023

[ONC 2024 longlister!] The Midnight Moon...or according to Hereward Slaine's case files...The Case of the Missing Witch Hereward Slaine is a puzzlesolver in the town of Morteton. When the town witch, Mistaria Heath, disappears, it seems he isn't going to be given a moment's peace until he takes the case...which he doesn't really want to do... Written for ONC 2024

A vampire named Citlali receives an email from an old lover who broke her heart centuries ago. The message says the immortal is dead and she left a key for Citlali in a bank in New York. But the same message had been sent to two other persons whose identity Citlali ignores and the safe can only be opened if the three of them are present. Dear Citlali is a queer polyamorous paranormal romance. This story is set in the For Centuries Universe but can be read as a standalone. Cover by Bartholomé Girard

[5X FEATURED STORY] A boy born with Serpentblood. An exiled dwarf in pursuit of his destiny. A she-elf guided by a religious prophecy. Together, they must rise to find the coveted Light of the World, a saviour who promises to tip the scale of waging Spiritual War in their favour before the Dragoness and her serpent army condemn their kingdom to eternal damnation. *** After years of enslavement by the Dragoness, a witch set on converting his home to worship her dark lord, sixteen-year-old Heran, a half-dragon, embarks on a quest to find the Light of the World, the answer to a mysterious prophecy that promises the kingdom of Roxundam's freedom. Allied with the unpredictable alchemist Zonis, a young dwarf charting their course across the seas in his boat, The Lillycove, and the alluring Ackie, a she-elf holding the vital location to their destined saviour, Heran traverses the beautiful yet harrowing world of the Southern Isles and beyond. With a political uprising threatening to tear Roxundam apart in his absence and a dragon army hunting him, Heran's journey will invite consequences and sacrifices that will forever change his company and the fabric of their world. To defeat the darkness, he must become the light. *** (V1) - Participant in the 2024 Open Novella Contest | Round 1 Qualifier | Round 1 Winner | Round 2 Qualifier | Round 2 Winner | Longlister | Shortlister Featured by @Fantasy in their Epic Fantasy Reading List ✨June 2024 ✨ Featured by @ShortStory in their Novelettes Reading List ✨September 2024✨ Featured by @ShortStory in their Short Story Spotlight Reading List ✨March 2025✨ Featured by @Ambassadors in their Shorts and Poems Reading List ✨September 2025✨ Features by @Fantasy in their Mythical Creatures Reading List ✨October 2025✨ Prompt #21 - A Dragon, an Elf, and a Dwarf embark on a quest to find the lost heir to the kingdom. First Draft - February 2024 - April 2024 Cover - Designed in Canva (Wattpad Use Only)