Onc2022 Stories

George, a transgender man, begins writing in a journal to stave off loneliness as he tries to survive in the zombie apocalypse. After he finds a stash of food, his paranoia only makes his loneliness more intense. When he runs into strangers he taunts them, "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the ginger beard man!" What will happen when he runs into a foxy lady that he can't run away from?

☆ Featured on Science Fiction and ONC Longlist ☆ Earth's orbit is broken, sending the planet soaring into the depths of space. ~ A horrific miscalculation by scientists had predicted a rogue star passing by Earth ten thousand years late. Instead, the star blasted past Earth and its gravity snagged the planet much too early, dragging it off of its orbit around the Sun. As the days pass, the Sun gets further and further away. Light dims. Warmth seeps away. The snow began within a month. Three months later, and it's a constant blizzard. There's no hope for survival on the planet's surface. As time passes, the cold will only get worse. However, there's rumors of a place where there is heat. Heat means life. Logically, there is a capacity limit for this haven, and everyone knows it. It becomes a deadly race to see who can get there first.

🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2022 🏆 Mersem Wess, a town boy in the wintery kingdom of Solon, is content with his life collecting timber and admiring Leara Madris, the darling Lady Knight, from afar. His sister, Silke, a girl with a short fuse and way too much time on her hands, thinks otherwise. When a plan to raid the palace's armory goes awry, Silke may just get the adventure of a lifetime...with Mersem in tow. Now that all the Palace Knights, the lone mercenaries, and even the bounty hunter guilds are out for Silke's head, Mersem must ditch his rural lifestyle in favor of adventuring in the harsh lands to get to his sister before everyone else does. He must survive the great unknown, get Leara Madris to fall for him, and bring his sister back home before fate, duty, and truth catch up to him. From Exequinne, the author of the high fantasy series, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢, comes a story of adventure, buried secrets, and a bond flowing thicker than blood yet as fragile as frozen thorns. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2022 (First Edition) [25,000 - 35,000 words] [All graphics are made by @Exequinne] 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2022 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2022

Whether it's your first time or your sixth time, writing a novella in 12 weeks isn't easy. As a 2021 ONC Winner and two-time Honorable Mention (2023/2024), I totally understand. After years of participation and reflection, I have lots of advice to share on how I did it. Inside this guide, you can find everything from insider tips to craft chats to contest commentary. So grab a cup, get your notebook, and settle in: it's time to start writing! Copyright © 2022 Elle Chaika

Seventeen years ago Tyreek (T-Rex) Crews lost the love of his life during a pregnancy complication. Though his wife was pronounced deceased his son was given life. Seventeen years have passed and now Tyreek's son Ty can tell his story. Ty struggles to control his emotions due to Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). For his sanity Ty tends to isolate himself from others. This has proven difficult time and time again, due to his father being a legendary retired boxer. Ty's world gets turned upside down when he meets who possibly could be his father's biggest fan. Using ONC Prompt 51: Life hasn't been easy, but it has taught you about all the different variations of what family can really mean.

It's been seven years since the outbreak of the zombie virus that nearly wiped out planet Earth of human existence. Millions either perished in the chaos, turned, or fought back. Trying to change the world back to the way it once was, a scientist created an antidote called the ZCure, bringing the dead back to life. Now living in a prejudice gated community with two factions, the Stiffs and the Luckies, ex zombie infected Leona, struggles to cope with that second chance as she tries to survive yet again. Only this time within herself. But things quickly turn for the worst when there's a massive threat against both sides of the district. Will she help and join forces with the other faction, or let her past consume her? #ONC2021 | Prompt 30 | ‼️Content/Trigger Warning: Contains gore, violence, some strong language. ✨Round One Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Two Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ All rights belong to the author and no reproductions are allowed without the permission of @Renaissance1111. Please respect the author's copyright. 😊❤️ ©2022 C.S Marie

Rachel took on the job of limo driving to pay for college. She learned within the first few months that sometimes meant taking on challenging clients. More often than not a too good to be true payout meant a challenging client, and the higher the pay, the more challenging. Of course, the fact she'd not gotten any real details should have been a clue this one would definitely be a challenge. Disclaimer - I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender. This is written for ONC 2022 and is written for prompt four. "You're hired as a temporary bodyguard/driver for a high-profile client visiting your city for a week. It is very important you make sure the client sticks to the itinerary you are given. Only when you arrive are you told the client's identity - a celebrity known for being wild and always getting into trouble!"

Keith hated school, and while having Shiro in his life now that he was enrolled in the garrison program was a plus, being seen as Shiro's favorite wasn't. And then, one day a new kid transfers in from the Japeanse garrison, one the other kids joke looks like Keith's identical twin brother, but the fact Keith looks like Ryo Shirogane - Shiro's younger brother - becomes a laughing matter, one Keith isn't to keen on. Disclaimer - I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender. This is written for ONC 2022, prompt 95. "They say that everyone has someone out there that looks like them, but what happens when you come face to face with the new kid in school that could pass as your identical twin?"

Ever since Death got trapped in the mortal realm three years ago, nonstop famines, wars, and plagues have ravaged Earth. Shiori, a budding scientist with a love of snakes and a loathing for small talk, doesn't really care. She can deal with the constant pandemics, bombs, and spider/iguana/fruit fly/crocodile plagues, so long as it doesn't involve socializing with strangers -- the thing she hates most in the world. Too bad her new roommate is hot, suave, and super chatty. Even worse, he seems to have decided Shiori is the only one with the power to send Death back to the underworld -- and he'll stop at nothing to make it happen! **First place in The Punk Rock Awards 2022, Paranormal*** **Grand Winner of The Punk Rock Awards 2022**

Jenna struggles to balance her parents' impending divorce with her terrifying and seemingly unallowed feelings for the new girl at school. ~*~ After her dad moves out of the house, Jennavieve Nass refuses to accept the possibility of her parents divorcing and blames her mom for not even making an attempt to make things go back to the way they were. Attempting to distract herself from all of it, Jenna falls into music more than she ever has before, coming to rely on her carefully curated playlists to get her through each day. It's all fine - Jenna has her music, and the animals at the animal shelter she volunteers at, and, to an extent, school (because of her friends and her on-and-off boyfriend of two years). And she also has her dad, even though he may not be living with her anymore. Then Aislinn Garcia moves into town. Aislinn, a girl who is pretty and smart and friendly, a girl who carries a camera everywhere and takes pictures of practically everything, and a girl who makes Jenna's heart race in a way she desperately tries to ignore. Suddenly, everything Jenna thought she knew about herself - and her parents - gets upended in a dizzying spiral until she's left floundering for a foothold in a cliff that's constantly transforming, changing shape before she can even begin to understand it. To Jenna, the solution is simple: Ignore everything she doesn't want to deal with (which turns out to be a lot of things). But that, as she's quick to find out, proves harder than she'd originally thought. --- [ trigger warnings: homophobia, both internal and displayed by side characters ] All Rights Reserved © 2022 ( Cover credit goes to @Lueur_laVespine )

When a grandmother is declared the Chosen One, she abandons her rocking chair to challenge the Dark Lord who plots to destroy the world. -- Formerly a single mother, now a devoted grandma, Granny Thayer has never left her hometown before, let alone slayed a demon. But she'd better learn fast; she's just been selected as the Chosen One, the only hero who can defeat the nefarious Dark Lord of Devnia and avert a zombie apocalypse. Accompanied by a devastatingly handsome prince, a failed bard, and a werewolf with a dangerous secret, Granny Thayer embarks on a quest full of intrigue and love triangles to save her grandson. This is a collaboration for ONC 2022/2023, written by SophieKestrel and Spelunkadunk. Prompt: "It's always what/who you least expected that blows your mind away."

Saya just wants to enjoy a lazy Sunday with her wife and ten year old son. But what happens when her one good deed of the day comes to bite her in the ass. Because in her short trip down the block, fifty years have passed. And everything she's known is gone. What does she do? What can she do? Open Novella Contest 2022

10 year old Poppy White is excited to be in fifth grade. What's even better? Her tooth is loose, which means the tooth fairy is coming soon! But instead of the three golden dollar coins Poppy was expecting, she gets a seed instead. Not knowing what the seed will grow, Poppy gives the seed to her mother, and they plant it together in the back garden. That night, when Poppy is coming home, she sees a new tree in the backyard. One that grants wishes. But the trolls that were looking for the seed want the wishes Poppy is hogging for themselves, and Poppy must team up with the tooth fairy to stop them, before the trolls can use the wishes to steal the tooth fairy's golden coins. ~~ ONC 2022 Prompt 11 cover credits to the amazing @azalyme featured on the children's fiction profile under ONC 2022 Participants

~ turning point (noun) a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, especially one with beneficial results. ~ Morgan Lin has spent the last four years trying and failing to move on from a devastating loss. Settling into a comfortable rhythm of working from home and spending time with those closest to her, the last thing on her mind is romance. Her life may not be 'exciting', but it's safe and steady. The two things she needs as she attempts to recover. When Gabby Vásquez moves in across the hall, sparks fly - and not the good kind. Gabby's dealing with her own heartbreak the only way she knows how, with loud music and kickboxing. The former of which drives Morgan crazy. The latter of which may just be the key to helping her move on. But the more time she spends with Gabby, the more Morgan realizes that, not only is her heart starting to knit itself together again, it may just be opening up to new possibilities. If only she would let it. One apartment block, two souls in need of healing and a turning point that will change everything.

A ghost on the archaeological excavation of a Roman cemetery sounds like a perfect opportunity for Sandrine and Matt, founders of Ghost Guard Inc., to showcase their talent. But when they arrive on Vic's dig site to investigate, the ghost already disappeared - only to pop up in the museum's depot the next day. What should have been a piece-of-a-cake case becomes complicated when the police turns up to investigate a break in. And what is the connection to the mysterious lead tablet found 33 years ago across town? A Ghost Guard cosy mystery This story was originally written for ONC 2022, following the prompt #67: While working on a case, you come across a newspaper dated 25 years ago, and when you start reading it, an article catches your attention.

*entry for ONC 2022* prompt seventy: his [her] eyes were cold and lifeless as he [she] stared at me. "you have no idea who i am, do you?" - It's only been three weeks since Vera Watson and her father moved to Goldhurst Lighthouse. She's trying her best to settle in, but it's hard when they're the only non-white family living on the property. And to make matters worse, she's never worked at a lighthouse before. But when a storm rolls in--the first one Vera will experience since moving here--everything changes. In the middle of the raging tempest, Vera finds a strange girl by the rocky shore. Wearing a white dress, her skin pale white and her hair as dark as the night, she looks like a ghost. Thing is, she is. And she's asking Vera for help. © myrawritess 2022. all rights reserved.

A ranger, pirate, thief, herbalist, mage and knight walk into the forest... The King's only male heir has been poisoned and his best options to retrieve the cure is a ragtag group of misfits from the dungeons. They only need to retrieve a rare magical flower from a wyvern's gift and they'll earn their freedom. Shouldn't be a problem...if they can stay on task and don't kill each other before the monsters in the forest have a chance.

This is a book club specifically created for ONC 2022 entries. We aim to help you make your entry the best it can be through peer review and feedback.

"May God have mercy on my enemies. Because I won't." ~ England. 18 year old Lyra disguises herself daily to pass as a boy to fulfill her duties as Sir Grummore's squire. Content where she is, Lyra doesn't have anything to wish for. When Grummore goes to the Stone Tournament, Lyra follows. The tournament surrounds the sword in the stone, the legendary kingmaker. So when Lyra pulls the sword, chaos ensues. She must balance learning to be the king, plotting to stop the Saxons' invasion, and her confusion over the wizard, Merlin, and his intriguing apprentice, Arthur, as she fights for the rights to rule her kingdom. ~~~ ONC entry 2022 ONC Longlister ✨ ONC Shortlister ✨ ✨featured✨ ~HistoricalFiction under Historical Fanfiction, Historical Fantasy, & Alternate Universes! ~MythandLegend under Legends and Heros! ~Fantasy under Medieval Magic and Mythology! ~Stories Undiscovered on Historically Inaccurate! ~Teen Fiction under Supernatural! ~Stories Undiscovered under Feast on Fiction! Prompts 52 and 96 amazing cover by meha-k

ONC 2022 Longlister! After years of dreaming of a different world and being visited by a bird that defies identification, Miriam Rogers embarks on a mysterious quest to repair something she doesn't understand. Along the way, she meets the crown prince of her dream world who claims she is his soulmate, the prophesied key to saving his world and her own from destruction. Can they reverse the curse from his land and find love for themselves, or are they doomed to watch their worlds disintegrate along with their fledgling bond?