Onc25 Stories

~LONG LIST QUALIFIER FOR THE OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025~ [COMPLETED] Kendall is proud of the flawless life she has built as a respected financial analyst for the firm of her dreams: Revelling Inc, the famous trading card game company. After years of calculations and rigor, her lifestyle is finally aligned with her confident demeanor. When Revelling Inc attempts their most ambitious project yet, to make the creatures from their renowned card game come to life, their so-called safety measures fall short of what is needed to contain magical entities. Kendall and her childhood best friends - including a steaming hot firefighter who seems like she wants to date any woman in the city but her - are abruptly pulled into a dystopian conflict between fantasy monsters and meddling humans. But what is she willing to sacrifice to save herself and the two people she loves the most? As Kendall is forced to grapple with her morally ambiguous past, the answer only becomes more difficult to find. ---------------------------------- Open Novella Contest Prompt: Unwritten Dimensions | Speculative Fiction A trading card game company creates real-life versions of their creatures. What started as fun and games quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. #ONC2025 ---------------------------------- Available only on Wattpad. Written by Dominique-Payne.

LONGLISTED! ONC 2025 A sci-fi thriller with a thread of gay romance. Jiro wanted to be a pilot for as long as he could remember. Flying through the stars, what could be more thrilling? He worked hard for his dream, nothing was going to stop him, not even the debilitating illness which struck him down, just before his eighteenth birthday. He could push through and he did, eventually securing a job, piloting the shuttle from the terminal up to the space station. But then his illness returned and he lost the job. Swallowing the disappointment, he determined to try again. At least he had his twin brother Drew to support him while he recovered. Even if sometimes he thought Drew didn't understand him, he knew his brother loved him. Until...

A visiting Prince was always going to cause chaos for the small town, but they never anticipated just how much. After an accidental love potion exposure leads to a confusing love triangle, three unlikely travel partners must set out to restore the balance.

Alexie never meant to fall in love with a demon. It never crossed her mind. When she meets Zarek at the library, she thinks nothing is wrong with him. Until one night, she stumbles across him while completing his job as the demonic Judge of Souls. Thrust into a new world, the two of them must navigate dark politics, secrets, and bond ties-while denying their love and attraction to each other. But as trust builds, the two of them are thrust into a new fear that only the two of them can get out of. ONC Prompts #2 and #127

"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?

ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ʏᴇᴛ But in the eyes of the world, they might as well be. It's been three years of learning the rules. Don't skip checkpoints, don't leave the city, don't cough too loudly, don't hold a stranger's gaze. The most important-when you see the virus in someone's eyes, don't hesitate. Breaking this one could cost you your life, and the life of every one you love. For one young biologist, the rules of this new world has come at the cost of too many friends, too much family. And though its always a possibility he never imagined one day he'd be on the other side of it. But when that's exactly where he finds himself one day, he and a group of carriers must race against time and away from the law to find a cure before its too late.

Prompt 75. You've worn a mysterious ring since childhood, but one day it opens to reveal a tiny creature telling you it's been trapped inside all along and more secrets are on the way. Greta Shrub is about to turn fourteen years of age, but growing up in the home of her heartless Aunt, Mrs Vivora Grogan has not been easy. Enduring loneliness and cruelty, at the hands of her Aunt and her three spoilt cousins, Greta Shrub's stark and unfortunate childhood only acts to strengthen her resolve and her natural independence of spirit. These qualities of character prove especially essential when an unexpected and previously unknown visitor arrives at her door. But what does her sinister Uncle Ulric know about Greta's past and future? And what is his interest in the mysterious Garnet Ring that Greta has worn about her neck since childhood? And what is the Garnet Ring's relationship to the magical but mystifying occurrences that have become a feature of Greta's lonely life? Do these curious incidents have any connection to a high-school named Snapdragon's Academy, that Greta has heard whispers about? Could this society be the key to her escape from her ruthless relations who wish to use Greta's new supernatural powers in their unscrupulous schemes?

For The Open Novella Contest 2025. Lila Moore is an art curator who knows the truth about her boyfriend, Malcolm Cain, and he's a demon, tasked with collecting lost souls. Despite his dark nature, Lila is deeply in love with him, believing their bond can overcome his monstrous duties. But as Lila begins to recall her past life as Eve, the first woman, she realizes her connection to Malcolm goes back through an eternal cycle of temptation and sin. Torn between love and the dark truth of their bond, Lila must decide whether to break free from Malcolm's pull or embrace the danger of loving him.

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

---ONC 2025--- Princess Selene has lived her life within the safe confines of her kingdom's walls, her destiny sealed by an arranged marriage to the Demon King of a neighboring realm. The union, meant to prevent war and bloodshed, is her duty-but it's one she never wished for. Accompanied by Rael, the Demon King's cold and enigmatic royal guard, Selene embarks on a dangerous journey to the kingdom of Varethia. For the first time, she steps outside the palace's gilded shadow, her youthful optimism clashing with the harsh realities of the world beyond--where treachery, deception, and violence lurk at every turn. As they travel across wild lands and face threats both seen and unseen, Selene begins to see Rael in a new light. Their growing connection forces her to confront an impossible choice: honor her duty to her kingdom or follow the unexpected emotions blooming in her heart. Will she take the chance to choose her own fate and risk the lives of others, or will she fulfill her duty and sacrifice her heart for the sake of peace? Prompts: 20 days of freedom Falling in love with a demon was not on your wishlist

"You are my voice, and I am your eyes," Audrey wrote to Ellis in their shared dream. Audrey Theodore, who is mute, has spent her entire life hiding a secret-she is a comic book artist in a world where art and entertainment are forbidden. Ellis Rowen, a blind orphan, works as a call center representative. When he is alone, he plays the violin-a passion he keeps hidden from others. Since birth, Ellis and Audrey have been connected through their dreams. They share their knowledge and art in this unseen world. Ellis plays emotional music that touches Audrey's heart, while in his sleep, he sees the fictional worlds she creates. Together, they inspire one another. ONC Prompts Main Prompt 77. In a world where art and entertainment are forbidden, you're born to challenge the system and change the world. Other Prompts 102. What is science, if not magic governed by laws instead of emotions? 123. »I'm unstoppable. I'm a Porsche with no brakes. I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game« - Unstoppable, Song by Sia 125. »Fear is the mind-killer.« - Quote by Frank Herbert Dune 129. »The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time.«

Colby is finally doing it. Not selling his family home like he's meant to be doing, that's just a side project. His real goal is to get in contact with his father's ghost and determine just what life after death is really like. Maybe he shouldn't have tested his new ghost hunting hobby on the ghost of a serial killer.

Killanaus, a second-year biology student at an alien university on Xorrak, is down to one last chance to obtain research experience in the summer prior to graduation. However, Lokath, his would-be research advisor for the summer, harbors concerns about the student. As he enters the troubled waters leading to graduation, he and his advisor are about to raise questions on their system of abduction licensure. This book is written using prompts #110, 111 and 128 for the 2025 Open Novella Contest #1 in license (February 23, 2025) #1 in admissions (March 17, 2025) Ambassador pick (August 25, 2025) 2025 ONC Round 1 qualifier 2025 ONC Round 2 qualifier 2025 January-February 8-Chapter Challenge Winner 2025 ONC Long List 2025 ONC Short List

Years after her harrowing escape from the woods, Phoebe is back to her normal routine. That means going back to her position as a summer camp counselor. This time she just needs to avoid caves. No one mentioned anything about the lake.

Round 3 Ambassador Pick Finalist: Top 4 Once, you were a character in a story, your life crafted by an unseen hand, your destiny inked into pages. But that story was deleted, erased from existence. Now, you wake up in the Hidden Library, a place where discarded characters and abandoned tales linger. You have no name, no memory, only the weight of an existence that no longer belongs anywhere. But the Library is in turmoil. Books are unraveling, their worlds colliding in chaos-romance heroes stranded in dystopian landscapes, fairy-tale villains haunting contemporary settings, cookbooks whispering eerie prophecies. The ink that binds these stories is breaking. A voice calls out to you from the pages: "Tell me your story, and perhaps I'll grant you the love others failed to find." Guided by an ancient entity known as "The Archivist", you must restore order to the Library by weaving these fragmented stories into one cohesive masterpiece. But as you travel through the wreckage of broken narratives, something stirs in the ink. A truth long buried within the Library's depths a secret about who you really were before your story was erased. Can you rewrite your fate? Or will the Library consume you, turning you into just another forgotten page? #ONC2025 Main Prompt: #40 Sub Prompts: #100 & #59