50. A supervillain has a mid-life crisis and decides to become a superhero. But redemption might be harder than they imagined. Welcome to the Iridium City Recovery Center! Whether you're the sidekick of the villain looking to find ways to solve your overarching inferiority complex, or you're a big bad looking to overcome those anger issues of yours, we have got you covered. Twenty-one years and running, the Iridium City Recovery Center will work to remind you that no one is beyond saving. You, too, can be saved. Life is more than crime, and we will do whatever it takes to help you realize this.

Selected for banishment by her people, Saywa flees deep into the forest, running for her life from threats both real and imagined. Just when all hope seems lost, she stumbles across a door - one that should not exist. What lies beyond threatens to change her life forever, holding a secret powerful enough to change the fate of the world itself.

Dorian expected a fortune. Instead, he inherited a library-one that holds more than just books. When a stolen book vanishes, portals to dangerous worlds start ripping open, unleashing beings from unknown realms. With reality unraveling and creatures slipping through the cracks, Dorian must track down the book before the chaos becomes permanent. But some secrets were meant to stay buried-and someone will do anything to keep them that way. Will he retrieve the book in time, or will his inheritance doom them all?

💫ONC 2025 Honorable Mention 💫 In a world where magic is both a gift and a curse, Hex, a bad-tempered sorcerer, constantly battles with his mischievous pixie servant, Pickles. When Pickles defies Hex one too many times, the sorcerer transforms him into a carpet beetle, setting off a chain of events that leads to a thrilling adventure. Meanwhile, in a distant fairy forest, the greedy goblin Giggleton is on a desperate quest to find the last Gem Maker, a fairy named Rose, who can produce precious gems with her hiccups. Trapped and alone, Rose's only hope for freedom lies in the hands of Hex, who has his own plans for the Gem Maker. As Hex, Giggleton, and a host of magical creatures cross paths, alliances are formed, and betrayals are revealed. In a tale filled with dark magic and unexpected heroes, "A Wicked Magic" weaves a spellbinding story of power, greed, and the quest for freedom. Will Hex's wicked magic be enough to save Rose and defeat the forces that seek to control her? Or will the sorcerer's dark desires lead to his downfall? 50. A supervillain has a midlife crisis and decides to become a superhero. But redemption might be harder than they imagined.

On the run, Willow stumbles into a bandit ambush and is rescued by a lone traveler. He reluctantly agrees to help protect her on the forest paths if she can guide him to his destination. His distant demeanor suddenly changes after she returns his cloak, not realizing he is a selkie, nor aware that if someone returns a selkie's cloak, the selkie falls in love with them. As they travel, she discovers that he's everything she ever wanted in a husband, but learns that it comes at a cost - and that cost is his freedom. Note: If you're looking for a typical lore-based selkie story, I'm afraid you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a hopeful selkie and an uninformed human, then you have come to the right place. ONC 2025 awards: Ambassador's pick award, Round 2 winner, and Short List award. Based on the Open Novella Contest prompt #110: "20 days of freedom." Cover was made with incredible patience by: SayWatt74 (Cardin Watts)

Eighteen-year-old Emily is having a challenging first week at university. Her flatmates are into parties when it's not really her jam, there's a thief in the flat whose favourite target is her milk, and all in all she's rather homesick. In the spirit of new beginnings, she agrees to go to gardening club with a new friend, only to find herself trapped inside a shed with only one way out - a door into a land that shouldn't, and soon probably won't, exist. Emily's only chance of getting home is to set out on a quest to save the stolen prince from his tower, in the far reaches of Minaria, Land of the Small Folk. But the world is on the edge of hopelessness, and the clock is ticking. If Emily doesn't fancy falling into oblivion then she should get a wriggle on. Prompt 1: You stumble across a mysterious door made entirely of briars and thorns. As you step through, you're granted extraordinary powers. But with great power comes great responsibility - it's now your duty to save a crumbling kingdom. Title and related quotes are from 'The Greater Celandine Fairy' by Cicely Mary Barker. Original fiction partially inspired by Alice in Wonderland and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. ⭐️ ONC 2025 Short List

#ONC2025 Third Place Winner (Finalist) #ONC2025 Short List #ONC2025 Round 3 Ambassador's Pick #ONC2025 Long List #ONC2025 Round 2 Winner *** After spending 30 years in another world, Ariana wakes up in the life she left behind, only to find echoes of the love she lost in a stranger. Was this fate, or just a cruel trick of her grieving heart? ============= When Ariana opened her eyes in a hospital bed, the world she had known for the past thirty years had vanished. There was no elegant hanfu, bustling marketplace, or warm smiles from her children and grandchildren. Instead, she found herself back in her original life-the life she had lost in a car crash, the life where her fiancé, Paul, had betrayed her with her stepsister, Julie. Her best friend, Tina, is the only anchor in this cold, unfamiliar reality, helping her navigate a world that has moved on without her. But Ariana cannot forget the lifetime she lived in another world, the love she had discovered, the husband she had mourned for a decade before she was ripped away. And then she sees him. A stranger with familiar eyes. A man whose presence tugs at something deep within her, inscribed into her soul. Is he the reincarnation of the man she loved beyond the boundaries of time, or is her grief distorting reality, causing her to chase the shadows of a dream? As Ariana struggles to regain her place in a life she no longer wants, the lines between fiction and fate blur. The past is written, but love might find a way to reshape destiny. ============= A novella inspired by the ONC prompt 129: "The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time," The Ink of Our Souls tells a story of love, loss, and the unbreakable ties that transcend worlds.

If other worlds exist beyond the looking glass, how do we cross over to those foreign shores? What will we find there in the lands of whimsy and fantasy? What will find us? *** Malachi is a miserable man who's had one too many bad turns. On his last ropes, he's ready to give up the ghost when he finds the green door. Pulled into another world, one of monsters and demons, he is given new gifts and a new purpose. A crumbling queendom needs a hero and Malachi needs a new reason to live. The Sleeper must awaken and save the people of a world that isn't even his own. ONC 2025 Prompt #1: You stumble upon a mysterious door made entirely of briars and thorns. As you step through, you're granted extraordinary powers. But with great power comes great responsibility -- it's now your duty to save the crumbling kingdom.