Onc2025 Stories

**ONC 2025 LONG LIST** Eros (Cupid) gets rejected by Psyche for a newly-revived Narcissus. Convinced he is a failure who does not live up to his job description, Eros quits in anger and embarrassment, breaking his bow and his vows and retiring to Florida. -- After Hell's major overhaul, Kelsia-a repentant succubus and a hopeless romantic-finally gets a chance to earn her angelic wings back. That chance? Find Cupid a match and bring him back to work. -- Will they bring love and fireworks back to humanity, or will they doom all life to fizzle out like a sad, loveless, deflated balloon? This story contains strong language but no planned explicit scenes. Please do not skip the introductory chapter for trigger warnings.

** 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉. The young widow Rebecca must choose between her old love or the chance of a new beginning. ** "You're still here When I close my eyes I still see you I still feel you And we'll never be apart You're still here Still here in my heart" - Natasha Bedingfield - Rebecca and Aiden live a perfect love story - until a plane crash ends their happily ever after. Overwhelmed by grief and the loss of the love of her life, Rebecca reaches for her cell phone in a moment of despair and writes a message to Aiden's old number. To her great shock, she receives a reply with Aiden's typical vow of love: "Forever yours." Touched by the comforting messages, Rebecca soon clings to this mysterious connection to her deceased husband. It is only when she meets Ian, another mourner, at a grief therapy session that she slowly begins to open up to life again. But while Ian tries to help Rebecca escape her grief, his desperate attempts collide with the mysterious messages of a past that Rebecca simply can't - or won't - let go of. Will Rebecca find the courage to fall in love again, or will she remain trapped in her longing for Aiden and continue to cling to the messages from the afterlife? "𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 - 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠" 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑓, 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. *** READING SAMPLE

** 𝑰𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇? To prevent the downfall of Avalon, the young priestess Morgana must retrieve the magic sword Caliburn and save the mysterious man from her visions. ** "Fate is a mysterious thing. It can carry your soul upwards like the wind or guide you through the darkest night as the stars. But it can also end differently. Then fate can shackle you more tightly and relentlessly than any iron chain in the world ever could." Since childhood, Morgana has felt a deep connection to the legendary Avalon - the ancient trees, the holy waters, the voices of the Mother Goddess and the Sidhe. Beyond the mists, she seems to have found her destiny. Yet on the day of her sacred initiation, when Morgana must cross the veil between life and death and return as a re-born priestess, she witnesses terrifying visions of a dark future: the bloody end of Albion, Avalon and all those she loves. And who is the stranger she sees in the mists, whose face she cannot forget? Determined to avert this dark fate, Morgana defies the laws and boundaries of Avalon - and the high priestess Nimue herself. At the side of the mysterious Myrrdin, the young woman leaves the isle in the mists to prevent the impending tragedy. Can fate be outwitted? Is it possible to determine a person's destiny? Or will each step Morgana takes only push Avalon and herself closer to the edge of an abyss? **** Cover by Thinkerling Prequel to the 2026 upcoming AVALON trilogy

2025 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2025 [Book #5 in the Face saga - spin-off] [COMPLETED ON 12/4/2025] *** Another chapter, more trouble for the infamous Sim siblings: Himchan, Daegwang and Seju. As Himchan finds a box that spells danger, he asks for Daegwang's help to uncover the secrets behind its content. Unity of intentions come in handy when it comes to facing the inevitable changes this discovery brings. However, the picture can't be complete without Seju, who gets dragged in external drama from apparently unsuspecting people, all when she's supposed to enjoy a rejuvenating holiday with her longtime boyfriend. Trouble has come for the three siblings once again-it's time to get out of it.

Mrs. Z, the eternal Mother of the Zodiac. 12 Zodiac children run away through time... Chaos ensues. What happens..? *All Zodiacs represented are based on their characteristics, research, and the people in my life. All other information in Author's Note and Aesthetics Chapters.* (ONC LONGLIST 2025 🎉) (ONC SHORTLIST 2025 🥳) *CURRENTLY BEING EDITED OFF APP, FINAL EDITIONS WILL HOPEFULLY BE MADE AVAILABLE BY NOVEMBER 2025*

Deep within the mists of Tír na nÓg, Morrigan has been trained in the ways of the fair folk. They are a powerful, ageless people, far removed from the bloodshed of mortals. Life is simple. Quiet. But no length of silence can go unbroken. When a human hunter stumbles upon her home in the otherworld, Morrigan is confronted with a new way of life-one that is beautiful, strange, and endlessly harsh. Morrigan now faces a choice: stay sheltered within the safety of Tír na nÓg, or venture to learn all she's been hidden from. Truth is a dangerous thing. She can only hope it will not shatter her. ☽◯☾ ~ Standalone prequel to The Sun Sídhe ~ (Originally) ONC 2025 ~ Prompt 118: You're feeling trapped in your current relationship and can't shake the urge to break free. ~ Prompt 31: Next time, ask yourself if your integrity can withstand the truth.

Eliora May, a lifetime citizen of Maplemaw, is something many women are not. Literate. An activist. But these become hard to complete as all is stripped away from her with the coming of unexpected news. Marriage and war between the faeires and elves of Ilkaphene. A land of magic, where flowers and fungi grow as tall as their castles. Where forest creatures live in harmony. A land of peace. A land where a fairy married an elf. A fairy princess marrying an elf princess at that. Eliora begins to hear rumors of the war. How it was destroying an ethereal land. And, worst of all, how women were being silenced to prevent more "corruption". As the war and its standards begin to seep into Elvangmort, changing Eliora's home into one of constrictions, hushed whispers, and worst of all, a hatred toward women, she knows that she must do something to save her freedom and the freedoms of those around her. *** This is my submission for ONC 2025! Main prompt: 33. In a time when same-sex marriage was still a stigma, two kings defy convention and marry each other-igniting a conflict that threatens to spark a world war Secondary prompts: 43. During a wartime book ban, a young woman discovers love letters hidden in the margins of a historical book. As she reads, she unravels a mystery about her family and finds love of her own. 96. The road you've traveled almost every day of your life begins to change-transforming it into a dark, terrifying place right before your eyes. 109. In secret, a group of women forms a book club during the ban on reading. As they sneak around town exchanging books, they form unexpected friendships, navigate their love lives, and uncover hidden strengths and passions. Story playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qRA9ENIMuYf6UuYmtXlkd?si=6yrjpvyWSwWC9nz-URZq3g TW: Abuse, homophobia, violence, death The beautiful cover and banner were created by @sulkytae! Featured: (x1) @fantasy

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

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 Two teenagers embark on a cross-country music tour to outrun the threat of war and curtailed creative freedom. ⋯⋯⋯ As Ash finishes identifying his parents' remains from a full-blast attack, he should have stopped writing silly songs. With rebels controlling the country bit by bit comes the diminishing right to express themselves, so when a boy with a lopsided grin and penchant to chase trouble convinces Ash to perform his music, he only has one answer―no. But Jet has a way of getting what he wants, and there is no way Ash can let a golden boy run off on his own. With only a beat-up neon-pink car, a patched guitar, an obnoxious red pen, and a battered polaroid, Jet and Ash embark on a cross-country tour to make a name for themselves, outrunning authorities, and maybe even Fate itself. What can go wrong...right? From the award-winning author of 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, comes a story of young love, the fight for freedom, and the eternal struggle for meaning set in a world of oppression and violence. There are many ways to the end, and it is up to us to choose which path to take. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit actress must give a performance of a lifetime before her true identity gets uncovered and her hidden empire crumbles down. ⋯⋯⋯ Alyson Gardner, the misfit daughter of the Ocalira chief, is a master of disguise. It is not easy controlling the largest pleasure district in Hylsa Lyllan behind a curtain, so when a student from university goes missing in her turf, she must do everything she can to clear her ties to it even if it means shedding her masks bit by bit. But with an impatient perpetrator out for her ruin, she must turn to friends and foes alike to star in the greatest performance of her life, one that will shake her empire's foundations down to the last brick. From the author of the award-winning novella, 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, comes a story of privilege, wealth, and the divide between the elite and the common. Ideals are a salvation for many, but in the quest for freedom and power, sometimes, they are the first to go. AN INSTALLMENT OF THE LYLLAN UNIVERSITY OF MAGIC AND MISFITS SERIES ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

This work is under reconstruction. Come back next time! :)

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit witch must find her missing twin before everyone finds out about her heritage and her family's deception. ⋯⋯⋯ Agatha Fairbard is a mystery. Having lived in a mirror dimension all her life, she was an enigma no one can solve other than who always accompanies her―herself. So when her twin goes missing without a word, Agatha must step into the wide unknown with only a borrowed name and face. That is, until a dark force surfaces and demands her power. In a world of betrayal, greed, and conquest, she has to discover her truth before others with vested interest do it for her. From the author of the award-winning novella, 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, comes a story of privilege, wealth, and the divide between the elite and the common. Ideals are a salvation for many, but in the quest for freedom and power, sometimes, they are the first to go. AN INSTALLMENT OF THE LYLLAN UNIVERSITY OF MAGIC AND MISFITS SERIES ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [20,000 - 25,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

In Imperia, power is a delicate, all-consuming game. So when young Lady Sylnavi's father commissions her to quietly destroy a political rival, she's thrilled. Impress, and she earns her place as her powerful father's right hand. Fail, and -- well, there is no such thing as failure, is there? But when the rival turns out to be the first person she's ever met who can match her own ruthless cunning, the plan gets more complicated. After all, if he's smarter than her father... wouldn't it make more sense to switch sides? As her father and his rival vie for her loyalty, she must decide what is most important: family, love, or her own unending ambition. ~ * ~ Shortlister in ONC 2025 Prompts 52 and 123 Main: Let's play the game of colors: you paint me red because you love me, and I'll paint you black because I want you gone. Secondary: »I'm unstoppable. I'm a Porsche with no brakes. I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game« - Unstoppable by Sia ____________________ Cover © 2025 Avadel Ink Authorized solely on wattpad.com/avadel

THE DISSONANCE OF FORMS - That every alchemical change creates a resonance between what has been and what is to be. And in that space between, anything is possible. Vael has spent her life fighting for a place among the elite alchemists of the Society. Branded a thief and a criminal, it was a losing battle-until she stumbles upon a rare magical ingredient and brews a potion unlike anything the world had seen. But then the side effects start. Strange symptoms are spreading across the city. Someone is selling dangerous counterfeits of her potion. And if the Society of Magic traces it back to her, Vael can kiss her dreams-and possibly her freedom-goodbye. To fix things, Vael is stuck working with the one person more explosive than the potions she brews: a disgraced, trigger-happy sorcerer with a penchant for chaos. Their mission? Find the shady merchant behind the counterfeits before the Society finds them. But magic is unpredictable, and Vael needs to learn to master it if she's got any chance of fixing this mess. And as the web tightens around her, Vael realizes something far more dangerous is unfolding-something that could shatter the very fabric of magic itself.

🏆 Round 1&2 Winner - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 🏆 In a world where every citizen's lifespan is predetermined at birth, Liora receives an unprecedented message - she has been granted 20 days of freedom before her scheduled expiration. Confused and terrified, she escapes the surveillance state that has controlled her every move, determined to uncover the truth behind her unexpected reprieve. As she navigates a world she's only known through censored screens, she meets rebels who claim the system is rigged, a scientist who might hold the key to extending life, and a government agent determined to bring her back. Each day reveals more secrets-about herself, her past, and the society that dictates who lives and dies. With time running out, Liora must decide: will she fight for a future beyond her 20 days, or accept the fate she was assigned? ----- Written for the Open Novella Contest 2025 Prompt 110 - 20 days of freedom ----- Cover by @devarsh_yagnik (the prologues at the end because of the prologue ban 😭) ----- Copyright © 2025 by Sani Cybele All rights reserved.

"I never loved anyone more than dance." "Not even me?" "Not even myself." Kadijah Meadows is an Inglewood born renowned ballerina (and social media princess) who clawed her way up the classical ballet scene. After a traumatic injury ruined her chances of touring with the American Ballet Theatre, Kadijah is up aganist the scrutnity of the world -- yet again. But when that door of opportunity is reopened by her ex, well, everything, how can she say no to the terms and conditions? Sincere Williams needs a rebranding. He has the opportunity of a lifetime, a lifetime, to play his idol in a biopic projected to bring millions. However, while he's the perfect actor, his idol doesn't find him.... authentic. Luckily, he has the perfect opportunity to prove that he's just that - assuming she says yes. So here's what these Inglewood-born/Agoura Hills-made exes will do: Spend 3 months pretending to be engaged, film a television series following their little charade, and absolutely not fall in love. Because that's how everything got messed up the first time, isn't it?

The city of Queensrest has been besieged by attacks from the nearby Mysterious Woods. The cityfolk know only rumor and children's tales of the Woods, until Maeve Riverborn, a young woman of enigmatic origin, arrives to protect the city from the monsters of the forest. Maeve quickly wins the admiration of the cityfolk, though she finds the newfound fame a difficult adjustment. But are her motivations pure? Or does she serve a master more sinister than any monster she's yet killed? Written for ONC 2025, using prompt #9.

Regulus knows he opened Pandora's box, that his actions harmed someone he cared deeply for, yet in his madness from opening Pandora's box he turned to Pandora Rosier rather than simply trying to fix the evil he unleashed on his own, and in doing so she gives him hope. Flee and be free for twenty days, something he doesn't understand beyond knowing Pandora inherited seer abilities, but her seer ability should never be questioned. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is one of my entries for Open Novella 2025, prompt 110, "20 days of freedom."

In Halloway City, love isn't forever-it's licensed. AI companions are programmed for affection, rented out, and erased when their contracts expire. No attachments. No regrets. No memories. Dex Raines makes a living enforcing that rule. A washed-up PI with a failing business and a drinking habit, he takes under-the-table jobs for The Recall Bureau, tracking down lovebots that refuse to forget. Find them. Wipe them. Move on. Until his latest case. Her name is Sora, a high-end LX-9 companion bot flagged for deletion. Standard job. No complications. Until she looks at him and calls him by a name he hasn't heard in years. That's impossible. She shouldn't know him. She's never met him before. Bots aren't supposed to remember. Bots aren't supposed to lie. And bots sure as hell aren't supposed to know secrets about his past that he buried a long time ago. Now, Dex is a wanted man, tangled in a conspiracy that stretches from the slums of Halloway to the boardrooms of Hyperion Systems, the megacorp that controls the city's AI industry. Someone wants Sora erased for good. And if Dex doesn't start running, he's next. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes: this isn't just about one bot. Because if lovebots can remember-what else has been wiped? ONC 2025 Entry

My ONC 2025 Entry - Main prompt: 40 Time has one job: making sure Kain writes Winter's Wonderland, no matter what. So when - in a fit of despair - Kain deletes the story, it is up to Time to find a way to bring it back, but how do you recover something that has been wiped out off existence? Will Time succeed with the help of Destiny and Hope? Or will the inevitable happen and will the Future - as Destiny created it - crumble apart?