Onc2021 Stories

[Shortlist | Ambassadors Pick] Alicia DuMont is telling the truth. Unless you count lies of omission, which she decidedly does not. Twenty-four and finally standing on her own two feet as a hairstylist, she is surprised when she and her friends receive an invitation to the prince's Coming-of-Age Masked Ball. Knowing they are right out of the running for marriage to the prince won't stop them from having a little fun, though! Prince Alejandro has a truth he can't share: his country is weaker than it seems. At nearly twenty-one, his dream of marrying for love is tied up in somehow falling for a down-to-earth woman who can strengthen the monarchy. Hoping his Coming-of-Age Ball will throw such a girl into his path, he's determined to make the most of it. And when he meets the mysterious Alicia, he is immediately drawn to her. When Alicia and Alejandro decide to begin a relationship, royal conventions throw them straight into an engagement. They may be the epitome of poise and grace in public, but behind the scenes questions of Alicia's suitability mix with the threat of national unrest. Every day their connection grows deeper, but if they can't find a way to quiet the growing discontent, they risk losing not only their relationship but also their country. *** This story was written for the ONC 2021 based on prompt #87.

➵ With his days anything but numbered, Legolas finds himself the keeper of far too much time. ➵ As his dear friend Aragorn has passed at the age of 210 and all reason to remain in his kingdom has followed, the immortal elf ventures away from his lands, trying to understand what it means to die and if it is good that he will presumably never do it. ➵ His soul confused and his quiver always feeling a little emptier, Legolas begins to question what truly has worth and meaning as he sails with the dwarf Gimli and a hitchhiking cat westward to Aman. - Written for the Open Novella Contest, taking from fantasy prompt number twenty-three: "Under the blue moonlight, the elves come out. For a transient moment, let there be peace and harmony."

(ONC 2021 Shortlisted) Lenny Legend works for the Intergalactic Government's Anti-Vigilante Agency. He's the best in the business, but he may have bitten off more than he could chew when he gets mixed up with the notorious and certifiably insane Captain Marmalade and his crew of misfits. *** ONC 2021: Prompt #6 "Your job is to track down vigilantes and infiltrate their groups, with the aim of gathering information and turning them into the authorities. You're successful at your job, until one day, a group of vigilantes changes everything."

Sam was having a bad day when he got the letter from the IRS. You'd think his day would get better after realizing it wasn't from the IRS, but you'd be wrong. *** Sam Walker considers his biggest problems in life as his coursework for his engineering major and his lazy roommate Jake. But when Sam receives a letter from the Grim Reaper Services, Jake winds up dead, and the Grim Reaper himself tells Sam he's not supposed to be alive, his problems get bigger. In order to prevent his life from being terminated, Sam must take on a job from the Grim Reaper to catch a notorious serial killer before October 31. With the help of Death's sister and Sam's other two roommates, he must face dangers and watch his back if he's to stay alive. Or the serial killer might just get another victim. Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2021 - Prompt #57 Round One Ambassador's Pick Round Three Shortlist ONC Honorable Mention in Fun Summer Reads Awesome cover designed by @Saskatchewan7

Claire, Georgia, and Danny aren't your average ghost hunters. Their hit livestream channel "Creep It Real" rakes in thousands of viewers each time they go live. But what their fans don't know is that the trio fake the hauntings they come across at each location. And their next haunt is supposed to be no exception. While streaming at Grimwood Manor, the "haunted" estate their top donor suggested they visit, they begin to experience strange things. Things they never experienced before. Things that aren't natural, and that will undermine everything they thought they believed. The trio comes face-to-face with real ghosts for the first time, but these aren't regular ghosts. They're something vicious, and they aren't willing to let go. Not until all of their victims' hope is drained and gone. Claire and her friends will have to fight to get back what they had, even if they have to face their pasts and worst fears in the process. *Open Novella Contest IV Shortlister and Ambassador Pick! Copyright © 2021, Heather Dianne Cover and other graphics made by me

⭐Featured on OpenNovellaContest 2021 Round 1 Ambassador Picks|| Bea, Ali, and Sez travel far across the Pacific ocean with their parents to live with their sick Lolo who owns a mango farm in the Philippine province. The siblings--foreign to the new land, language, and customs--find it difficult to adapt to their new home. One dewy morning while following a trail of ants in Lolo's small mango shed, the younger child Sez discovers a peculiar insect and catches it, but to his surprise, the insect screams. A tiny human girl scream. But the fairy was hurt and cannot walk nor fly. With the help of her new friends, the children decide to help the fairy find her way back home before she misses her coronation and her fairy family realizes she's missing or else something bad will happen to Lolo's mango farm. ONC prompt #7 Children's Fiction

[completed] With his finals only six months away and his goal to complete thousand practice papers, remained unaccomplished, the last thing Yohan wanted to come his way was a distraction. A distraction that would make him feel guilty for doing something he was not responsible of and feel sorry for someone, he had not even spoken to in person! When her online class got bothered by constantly incoming messages, Anuthi decided to leave a message in a public WhatsApp group asking them to stop bothering her. And the last thing she wanted from that was to get cyberbullied. At first she did not care much about it! The upcoming exam was depressing her enough and she did not want anything else to worry her at the moment. But once she got to know the person that bullied her, her teenage heart was crushed in to pieces! It was her old crush with whom she lost ties with! Who knew such a nice boy could be that nasty! Feelings kept at bay and her suspicious mind awake, will Anuthi open her heart towards her crush that crushed her? Even if she did would Yohan accept her? Open Novella contest round 1 qualifier! Rankings ~ #8 in onc2021 #25 in firsts #1 in econ #1 in supporter

Vita hates being a demigoddess. Especially now that Barnabas, the love of her life, is locked up in the Underworld, while she is stuck in an endless cycle of resurrections and new lives. Worst of all, with every resurrection Vita loses a piece of her past, as her memories slowly fade. To break this never-ending cycle, she decides to steal her own records from the Underworld. After all, without records they won't know to send her back to Earth, so she can stay and search for Barnabas. But to get those records, Vita will have to get past Hades, his three-headed watchdog Cerberus and all the guards of Tartarus. Credits to @roguehopes for the amazing cover!!

What do you do when your favorite video game turns into a death game? Kanda is a normal college student, plotting her way through the darkness of undergrad for a breath of fresh air. With the pandemic in tow, she's stuck at home with her overbearing mother and absent twin brother as her country locks down for the second time. But on Melting World Online (or rather, MWO), she is Moon - a lethal gun-wielder, known for streaming her tactics on the popular streaming site, Watcher. As the highest level human gun-wielder ever known, she streams her tactics in an attempt to help others surpass her. On one fateful day, she spawned into MWO to find a peculiar pair of wings protruding from the square of her back, all of her equipment gone, and her level zeroed. When she thought it a trick, however, the "Exit Game" button has disappeared. + ONC IV Novella! Prompt 31: "Just curious, how do I exit this game?" Prompt 45: "The war has begun and soldiers are needed. You have two choices: serve as a soldier, or defy the call and disguise yourself as a shepherd." **"Gunmetal Wings" is the creation of W.L. Ink and is legitimately posted to Wattpad. If this story is present on any site other than Wattpad, it was plagiarized and the author cannot guarantee the quality of the story or the safety of accessing it outside of Wattpad.**

after a tragic accident, two elves embark on a life-changing quest to win each other's hearts · fantasy, ongoing · ONC 2021 SUBMISSION · © voiucris 2021

Prince Leif could not have imagined that the Princess of Aradanas would be kidnapped at her own ball, but that's exactly what happened. Without question of his own safety, Leif and three other prospective suitors, dive blindly into a rescue mission. The way is not easy by any means, and wrought with battles- fought with brawn against soldiers, and with brain against the magical creatures of the wilds between the kingdoms. Their fears are tested, and bonds are formed; something Leif did not expect when he dove into the tunnels under the palace in a race to save the princess and hopefully prevent a war. But what happens when the princess does not need saving after all, and the enemy they chase is not the right one? When secrets are revealed, can Leif trust that the men he's bonded with are who they say they are? -.-.-.- ONC 2021 Prompts #87 and #67 -.-.-.- Highest rank #23 in Masquerade

"who do you think you are, some sort of Robin Hood?" "No someone who wants to do the right thing." Join Etornam, a girl whose whole life has been turned upside down. This is a story of strange discoveries and betrayals. Enjoy 😊😊.

With the appearance of a mysterious eye statue, strange things began to happen in the town of Eden Hill. Rumors spread like a wildfire, with many refusing to help the town for angering the Maker and supposedly worshiping false gods. However, when word reaches the Montgomery Daemonology Department, Charlie and Adan are sent to disprove the claims of people and their daemons being sacrificed to an evil deity. __________________________________________________________________ This is my entry for ONC 2021

|WATTYS 2022 WINNER - HORROR| Shawn, a convicted criminal, never thought she'd see the sun again, let alone call another star system her home. When she's offered an out from her prison sentence, she embarks on a dangerous interstellar expedition along with 18 of Earth's most intelligent criminals. Their task is to set up a base on a supposedly habitable planet and prepare it for colonization. Although the planet has liquid water and a breathable atmosphere, it is believed to host only microbial life. However, upon arriving, Shawn and the rest of the colonists learn that assumption was grossly incorrect. In a brutal attack from rampaging wildlife, everyone but Shawn and four other colonists are killed. The five survivors retreat to the cavernous network beneath the ground seeking safety, but they soon come to a terrible discovery. These caves aren't ordinary caves, and they are no safer down under than they were on the surface. [][][] This was originally my entry for the 2021 Open Novella Contest, and it received an honorable mention! It has now been expanded into a full length novel. I used prompt number 53: "When wildlife starts rampaging, all the humans are forced underground. However, they come to a terrible discovery that being underground is no safer than being on the surface."

When newly 'orphaned' Zyla is sent packing to her strict god-family in a town called Candor Wood, she becomes reserved and quiet as she battles her understanding of death, all the while forging new bonds and fighting new bullies. Then, a set of mysterious notes start ending up in her locker with words of encouragement printed on them, all signed with a little drawing of a paper plane. But who is the writer of these mysterious letters and will their words help her find the sun behind those clouds? Read this modern take on Cinderella to find out. Based on ONC prompt 29

Most people in the human realm have lived comfortable lives with little to no interactions with supernatural beings aside from the occasional ghost activity. However, across the whole world, people and supernaturals, have lived in fear of the Black Dog Murderer. It is said that when someone encounters the infamous black dog, they soon die.

"Its this way or the highway", he extended his hand from a hay truck he had climbed on. I contemplated on grabbing his hand and waiting on the highway for the next bus. "I don't have all the time of this world miss!", the driver shot back. "You heard him right?", he was grinning from ear to ear. "This is that last time, I swear!", I held his hand and he pulled me up into his embrace. The truck started moving but my heart had stopped beating for a moment. *** Meet Rhea, a simple Indian girl who has completed her education from a prominent college and is now working in a MNC. She is a obedient student and daughter all her life. Her role models a are her parents and she always want her life to be like them. She is the perfect daughter in law material in every parents eyes. Nachiket on other hand is a guy who swings on both sides of the scale. He is a bisexual and he has known it for a long time. He is a very free spirited person who loved to travel. He is also a rebel when things aren't his on side. He got along well with his parents as they always supported him in his dreams. He is a kind of person whom every parent would say: who will marry this guy? Rhea's and Nachiket's life get tangled unexpected ways. While they sort out their tangled life, Vihaan, enters their life to make things more complicated. ~~~ I hope you guys enjoy this story of a simple Indian girl looking for direction.

Getting married is not on Imogen Kaiser White's bucket list. She'd be more likely to want to jump off a cliff then to ever get married. So, when her parents tell her must get married she does what any rational teenager would do, she runs away and joins the outlaw academy, a school known for producing some of the best of the worst villains, including her mother's enemy the Evil Queen. It starts out as all fun and games but when she must decide if she wants to lead on with this new life or go back to being a high and mighty princess she's stuck in the crossroads. What will she choose? And will the villains be okay knowing a princess is walking amongst them or will she be kicked out? Prompt 84: This academy isn't a typical boarding school. No, it's where kids train to become villains - if they pass the entrance test, that is. Nobody at the academy knows you're descended from heroes, and that's the way you'd like it to stay. Previously Outlaws academy

After being accused of witchcraft, a young girl is forced to run away from her hometown. ( ((o)) ) Aubrey Delacourt was able to keep her magic hidden for fifteen years. But when rogue Wardens invade her town, her powers are revealed to everyone. Charged with witchcraft and forced to run away, Aubrey finds herself completely alone. Beyond the safe bubble of her town, Aubrey is left chasing legends to try and survive. As her magic becomes harder and harder to control, she struggles to hide from the Wardens who draw closer every day. With no other option but death, Aubrey sets off on an epic quest to try and neutralize her abilities. Aubrey knows what happens to wayward souls. But as she starts to drift away from reality, she wanders closer and closer to where the lost things go. ONC Prompt #22 Cover by @Alexan629

Dive into this novella as we follow Thanatos, the Greek god of death as he's trapped in 2020. In a desperate bid to get back to his routine, he deploys a young demi-god to set things right. Things are not so simple as Thanatos beings to realise the gravity of his entrapment. You wouldn't want him knocking at your door but fourteen-year-old Giorgio isn't so lucky. When Thanatos comes knocking at his door his world is about to change as he's given his first quest as a demi-god to stop the world from ending. Nothing could go wrong, right?