After another mission gone wrong, young superhero Phia wakes up with a problem that seems strange, even for people in her line of work. Her burnt fingers are telling her that she's the only person who can rescue her teams leader, the long lost Penelope. While trying not to fall any harder for her roommate, keep up in classes, and stop failing at missions, can Phia also untangle the mystery of her fingers and find Penelope before the Young Empowered People's Program catches wind of her strange new power. *ONC 2023 From the ONC prompt 23) They were not real, everyone told me they were not real, but why are they here? Why are they trying to talk to me? What are the calling me the ONE? Why are they staring at me like that?

~*ONC shortlist*~ It's up to a climbing enthusiast, and the local jaded doctor to find out what's going on when a mysterious hole appears in their town's park at the same time that a strange new illness starts ravaging the community. *ONC 2023 From the ONC Prompts: 38) A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. 54) As townspeople are overcome with a deadly sickness, it's up to you, the only one not afflicted, to find the cause and cure. 69) I had a marvelous time ruining everything - Taylor Swift.

ONC 2023 Shortlister & Nano Watt 2023 Shortlist Novella Inspired by the prompt: 28: Stumped on a history assignment, you stumble across a time machine that will bring you back to the time period you're studying. ↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹ It all began with an assignment... Why? Why did I pick Cleopatra?! All I wanted to do was to submit my History in English Literature assignment, so how is it I woke up in the time of Cleopatra VII? Not only that, I am Cleopatra. ↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹ After receiving a distressing text from her best friend, Thea finds herself in the location where he was meant to be working on a secret science project. However, upon arriving, she discovers that the project may have been more revolutionary than she realised. However, with great progress comes even greater betrayals and she finds herself stuck in a time she couldn't even formulate a simple essay on. ↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹↹ Started: 3 February 2023 Completed: 10 April 2023 Edited by: @TheRebeccaBlake NB: Word count excludes A/N and banners

| 𝟳𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 ·|| HUNGER GAMES x CINDER || ONC 2023 Honorable Mention Amidst the escalating unrest between the windborne utopian city of Lighthaven and its seedy, oppressed underbelly Fumedge, the Grand Duke of Lighthaven, Lucius Sextus, comes up with an ingenious solution. To provide much-wanted respite from the brewing conflict, and achieve the apparent-if-temporary unity, he organizes Gaslight Trials - a highly entertaining panem-et-circenses combat event in the Pits. The combatants may use all steam and thaumaturgy powered augmentations at their disposal, and there is only one rule: defeat, or be defeated. The reward for the last one standing? A chance to start their life anew. A brass key to the city of Lighthaven with a luxurious mansion to call their own within, as well as an aeroship to command. When eighteen-year-old Veda Igglesden steps forward to take her timeworn adoptive father's place in the fight, she might as well be signing her death-sentence. With her eyes fully set on the prize, act-first-think-later Veda must harness the power of technology to try and win for her Papa Otto. Decades of breathing in the toxic air of Fumedge did a number on the old inventor's lungs, and being able to live in the air-filtered Lighthaven would sure come in handy right about now. A high-flying adventure full of gadgetry and intrigue; a pleasing blend of steampunk and postapocalyptic. See Veda unravel the mysterious ploy behind the game's organization, and uncover the truth about her secret origins. Can she cope both with the trials of physical and intellectual prowess, as well as with the trials of life itself: those of love, loss and regret? © 2023 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 49! Which is (I shan't leave ye hanging :P): "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Michael Scott, "The Sorceress" Get ready for steampunkish tinkering,

Legend speaks of a man with crows in his hair and stitches in his lips who will teach you his greatest trades. Some call him a monster. Most call him the Needle-Mouthed Man. But only the shadows know his true name, and they call him Master. As one of the dead, Minseo Park is a creature of the night, doomed to eternal darkness. However, refusing to accept his fate, Minseo turns to the shadows to give himself a second chance at life---all to get his sister out of the whorehouse where he himself died. Desperate, Minseo seeks out the Needle-Mouthed Man for guidance. But the Needle-Mouthed Man brings company: his protégé Nikolas, who both makes Minseo's blood boil and sets his heart aflame. In order to find his murderer and save his sister, Minseo must walk the balance between life and death and decide whether to embrace his inner darkness---or to let it consume him. Because the shadows are hungry, and the only food they want is revenge. [ cover and banners by inmyxikey ]

🏆ONC 2023 || Ambassador's Pick 🏆ONC 2023 || Round Two Qualifier One night is all it takes to change a life. There's something wrong with Felicity Farr. It's how she can't seem to do her job right no matter how hard she tries, and how she's still under her parents' thumb years after moving out, and how she looks at girls the way she should look at boys. So even though she can't fix anything, she tries to fix herself all the same. But when a blind date ends with her in an attractive stranger's bed, Felicity is forced to question everything in her life. Especially when said attractive stranger asks her to run away with her for a week. Clover Chai is beautiful, confident, and everything Felicity should avoid. But she captures Felicity like the drag of the tide, and as the week drags on, Felicity finds herself having to choose between her head and her heart---especially since she can't imagine her summer fling remaining a fling anymore.

Born the son of a lowly hunter and abandoned as a child, Zhenxing never expected to be brought to Heaven and become the most treasured attendant of the mighty Tiger Immortal, one of the twelve Zodiac Guardians appointed by the Jade Emperor. But the world is tumultuous and not even the Heavenly Realm resides in peace for long. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a dreadful discovery is made. The Tiger Immortal is found dead and a grieving Zhenxing flees Heaven, blamed and pursued by the remaining eleven Zodiacs. Abandoned and bewildered, Zhenxing seeks refuge in the one place those of the Heavenly Realm are loathe to tread: the Demon Realm. While in hiding, he discovers shocking evidence that the one who killed the Tiger Immortal was not his most beloved servant, but one of his fellow Guardians! With the help of a sinister and charming demon prince named Lixin, Zhenxing digs further into the mystery hoping to clear his name and avenge his beloved Tiger Immortal. Beautiful cover made by my lovely friend @AriaofStorms