Opennovellacontest2025 Stories

K-pop idol Minjae and eccentric home chef Hana meet at a cooking competition, sparking a simmering rivalry that turns into a recipe for romance - and potential disaster for Minjae's career. ___ As the golden voice of the K-pop group Starlight, Minjae has the world at his feet - adoring fans, sold-out concerts, and a life most people only dream of. Behind the glamour, he craves something more: a chance to be himself. To show off his passion for cooking. But the pressure to conform to his family's wishes and continue as an idol means pushing that aside. When the chance to show his passion literally smacks him in the face, Minjae, under an alias, finds himself in uncharted territory, swapping the familiar stage lights for the stovetops of a local culinary competition. When quirky, fiercely talented Hana turns a friendly rivalry into an unexpected connection, Minjae finds himself drawn to her passion and ability to be true to herself; qualities he has long lost. Worse, as the heat of the competition ramps up, Minjae's schedule becomes difficult to keep up with, and he must decide whether his love for cooking is enough to risk shattering his status as an idol. Can Minjae handle this newfound connection while juggling both the cooking competition and his duties as an idol, or will he fall under the pressure of it all? ____ Prompts: 31 and 36 ONLY AVAILABLE ON WATTPAD Cover by TaeTaeGinger

Fame, fortune, and millions of followers can disappear as quickly as they come, especially in an era where getting ''cancelled'' is just one viral scandal away. Hollywood's former golden boy, Finnegan Braxton, knows this all too well. Once a beloved teenage heartthrob, he's now branded as a notorious player, arrogant, and a lying cheat. With his career hanging by a thread, his PR team scrambles to salvage his image. Their solution? A reality dating show where Finnegan must prove he's not the heart-breaker the world thinks he is, but a man searching for true love. Everything takes a turn when Finnegan crosses paths with Aurelia Winslow - a recently fired librarian - who is unimpressed by him. After their public altercation goes viral, she's thrown into the contest. For Finnegan, it's a chance to rebuild his reputation. For Aurelia, it's merely a paycheck. Will Finnegan face the truth and reclaim his integrity, or will the spotlight expose him for good? Can he prove he's more than just a tabloid scandal, or will this love experiment be the final nail in his Hollywood coffin? ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ | ★ | ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ Open Novella Contest - main prompt 31, secondary prompts 126,128 130. © 2025 minsari // all rights reserved

If Sirius Black had his way, the Black family would remain long-lost relatives he had nothing to do with, including Grimmauld Place which he managed to inherit, yet Grimmauld Place is unfortunatly a place he can easily hide as he remains a wanted man for something he didn't do. The last thing he expected was to encounter the ghost of his younger brother, but something feels off. Or perhaps, it's just the unresolved feelings regarding Regulus' death, particularly when he's the only one able to see Regulus from what he can tell. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC 2025, prompt 19, "You inherit a house from a long-lost relative, only to discover it's haunted by a ghost from your past. How do you deal with what you once knew?"

#ONC round 2 award winner 🏆 #Bewitching awards runners up 🏆 What's the worst that could happen when a socially anxious nerd crosses paths with Paramount High's golden boy quarterback in a game of Fear Pong? Spoiler alert: Everything. °*° Clark Alderman has always kept his distance---from parties, from chaos, and especially from Ethan, the effortlessly charming demon quarterback with a habit of turning everything into a spectacle. But after a magical dare at a party gone wrong, Clark finds himself bound to a new weekly routine: being picked up by Ethan every Tuesday. What starts as a reluctant arrangement quickly spirals into something much bigger. A wrecked convertible, a levitating bunny, and a looming school documentary competition throw Clark into the center of attention he never asked for. To fix what's broken, he'll need help---from his friends, from himself, and inconveniently, from Ethan. As tension gives way to trust, Clark must navigate magical mishaps, hidden truths, and emotions he's spent years trying to avoid. But with each passing Tuesday, the line between enemies, allies, and something more begins to blur. #ONC2025 Prompt 2: To be in love with a demon was the last thing on your wishlist. Prompt 110: 20 days of freedom. ©Liam McMarsha 2025 2k - Round one qualifier 🎖️ 8k -Round two qualifier 🎖️ Nano Watt 2025 longlist 🎖️ Most impressive rankings: Novela: No 4 out of 3.5k YAFantasy: No 24 out of 1.39k LGBTQpride: No 401 out of 20.3k Sarcasm: No 163 out of 12.7k Humour: No 447 out of 34.7k Road trip: No 74 out of 9.44k

Sirius knows Regulus is dead, yet finds Orion's belief that this isn't true just as contagious as what his grandfather said, that Regulus challenged a magical being without finishing what he started. The contagious thought leads to a different boy-who-lived, and... At the end of the day, Regulus needs to finish what he started, and for that to happen, Sirius realizes eventually, he needs to find Regulus, because that is what will keep his godson safe, right? Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC 2025, prompt 13. "When you challenge a magical being, the rules are simple: you must finish what you started, no matter the cost."

After a horrible accident that kills their parents, two young brothers Jesse and David are separated. 10 Years later, they find each other and start to reconnect. But with a traumatic past weighing on them and another accident threatening to separate them for good, it is up to the brothers to fight against the odds and their own demons for a chance to stay together. Written for the ONC 2025 contest prompts 'A single night can change everything. Even someone you thought you knew- like your closest friend' and '20 days of freedom'.

| Round 2, Ambassador Pick | When media mogul Richard Langley demands his children declare their love to inherit his empire, the refusal of his youngest daughter sparks a bitter family feud, forcing her to choose between healing old wounds or securing her place in the business world. ✦✦✦ The year is 2025, and the world of family legacies is as ruthless as it is glamorous. When Richard Langley, a powerful titan of the industry, announces his retirement, he demands his three adult children-Gwen, Riley, and Cora-profess their love for him in exchange for their share of the family empire. Gwen and Riley fall in line, but Cora, the youngest, refuses to bow to her father's demand and offers only brutal honesty. Enraged, Richard disowns her, casting her out of the family. As his mental state unravels, Gwen and Riley fight tooth and nail for control of the Langley legacy, manipulating their father and each other in a battle of wills and ambition. Meanwhile, Cora, heartbroken but determined, builds her own path to success in the media world. But when Richard reaches out, desperate and broken, Cora must decide whether to heal the rift or walk away for good. ✦✦✦ ✦ A modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear x Succession ✦ Cover design by @TheWildCyde ✦ Open Novella Contest 2025 | Prompts 31, 110, 111, 129 ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ © 2025 ʙʏ ᴀᴜᴅʀᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴏꜰ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛꜱᴏᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙʀɪᴇ

28. On a beach vacation, you dive into the water, but it turns purple and suddenly you're pulled under the sand. What's waiting for you beneath the surface? 34. Your new job requires an out of town overnight orientation, but when you check in, you run into someone from your past that you never thought you'd see again. Casey (Cas) Galanis doesn't know whether to say she is a burn victim, or was, as it had been over a decade. While her body bore the evidence of her past, she was more than ready to leave every bit of the trauma from recovery and society behind her. Unfortunately, anyone back home that was still cruel about her looks wasn't going to change. They didn't want to see her as capable of caring for herself. The lowest point was her sister refusing to have her in her wedding photos, citing aesthetics. The out she found was in the hospitality industry, specifically an older, privately owned hotel. True, people would continue to be cruel to her. Even if they brought up her looks, they would be more concerned that their room was clean, the TV worked, the pool was warm, and they made it in time for the complimentary breakfast. And most of that, as a maid, wouldn't be her problem. That, and it came with a room that they couldn't be rented out. Which was odd for a hotel a short walk from the beach. The first hurdle would be the Tuesday night orientation. The second would be if she could learn to love the beach and all it's exposure. But there would be more surprises in store-the doctor who helped heal her and the dead Egyptian god who consumed any free time she had. Because of the possibilities in two men, life wasn't lonely anymore. Cover Art: Photo by Austin J. Best from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-smoking-1205388/ Other elements are Wikicommons, mods are mine.

In the aftermath of a long and bloody war, the daughter of a king, no longer a princess, Mussumi, has to bend the knee to the man who has defeated her father. With only a small escort to lead her back to her homeland, Mussumi soon realises that the warlord does not intend for her to reach home alive. Only the intervention of a skilled warrior, who identifies herself only as 'Duty', allows Mussumi to escape, but a desperate chase ensues and only 'Duty' can get her to the ship that will carry her to safety. With the enemy sniping at their heels at every turn, Mussumi and Duty have to face dangerous paths and deadly creatures to reach the port. But can Duty be trusted, or is she only another assassin waiting to strike? An ONC novella, based on Prompt 31: "Next time, ask yourself if your integrity can withstand the truth."

2025 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2025 (based on prompt #35) [COMPLETED ON 29/4/2025] *** The TV show "Turning Point: Room to Stardom" has selected ten contestants from different areas of South Korea to take part in a number of challenges that will be converted into points. The contestant who, at the end of the show, earns the most points will be crowned the winner and will receive several prizes, including a makeover. Cha Saesom, a 26-year old from Daegu who still dreams of becoming an idol after years of repeated attempts, auditions and busking performances, thinks this show is her one-way ticket to stardom. This is only the beginning of her journey... That is, if she can keep up with intricate challenges, a nosy host, and a few fellow contestants who'd do anything to make her look bad in public...

Captured as a pup by a ruthless hunter, Rowan has spent years fighting for survival in a cruel zoo on the outskirts of Silverbrook. With no pack and forced to perform for the hunter's sick entertainment, he's lost touch with the life he once knew. But everything changes when Oleander, a fragile Omega werewolf from a prestigious pack, is thrown into his world. Will this be the spark that ignites Rowan's fight for the need for freedom he never knew burned in his heart? ------- This is my entry for the 'Open Novella Contest 2025' #Prompt 92: A love story unfolds between two werewolves, now trapped in a zoo by a ruthless hunter. With their powers lost, they must escape and return to their pack, before it's too late.

After a long journey to "find herself" (Steph's still not sure what that means, but that's what she's been telling people), Steph is back in town, on the hunt for a secret EP her favourite band put out before disappearing forever. But things have gotten weird while she was away. There's a new modern art exhibit causing chaos, an urban legend roaming the streets with a vendetta, and a new forbidden arcade game she can't stop playing. Her old best friend is almost certainly up to something. And her Spotify daily mixes have started...telling the future? As she digs deeper, things just get more complicated. Steph needs to connect the dots, and fast. She might not have found herself out there, but she sure found something. And now? It's coming for her.

2025 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2025 (Spin-off to "The Burden of Broken Hearts") [COMPLETED ON 30/4/2025] *** The infamous "Burden of Breaking Hearts" club is still up and running in spite of most believing otherwise. It's been six years since Rynn Heins found it out and shook it to the core. Now, the club is even more secretive. It won't leave a single trace. Entering has become even harder. So, how has Rieleigh Colson managed to get into it purely by chance? Does she have something "more" than others? Or is she simply bored?

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.

🏅Shortlist 2025 🏅 Detective Michael Wulfe has solved every case that has come across his desk--with a little supernatural help. However, a recent string of unconnected murders leaves him stumped and the people of Keirwood Heights nervous. On top of everything, the police chief is getting dangerously close to Michael's own secret that could end both his career and his life if he doesn't close the case soon. ONC Prompt 87: A skilled detective has solved almost every case that has come across their desk. But one case seems to elude them, with no apparent connections between the murders. That is, until something changes everything. Rated T for violence, but there's no swearing or smut.

2025 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2025 [COMPLETED ON 30/4/2025] *** Difficult family situations, a dead-end job with an overbearing boss sucking his employees' liveliness, near impossibility to enter a stable relationship. This is why, to Silla Pierce and her friends, being chosen as the winners of the special "20 Days of Freedom" package is an honor. They realize they can do a lot more than they thought they'd do.

** 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. *** English Version of my WSC Story

[ONC2025] | [Shortlist] Marlot and Ké live in the slum of Cyberion, where they belong to the lowest level of society due to their individual flaws. They fear, but also looking forward with excitement to the 'twenty days of freedom' that will determine their adult future. Outside the gates of Cyberion, they discover that things are very different than they thought. They must choose whether to return to the suffocating tech city or embrace their new - unknown - life. ... Prompt 110: '20 days of freedom'

Ava was rude, then ended their friendship the night before the aliens came. Chloe Diaz and Ava Greenfield have been best friends since they were 4 and in preschool. Suddenly, she doesn't want to be friends, and now aliens want to enter a treaty with Earth, something Ava would love to talk about! What happened?