Onc2024 storie

~The Wattys 2025 Shortlist~ ~ONC 2024 Honourable Mention~ ~~~ Alaric, the King of Silmarea, recently married to his beloved husband, needs an heir of his own blood to secure the throne. With the help of Emrys, his court magician and best friend, he recalls his youthful escapades and discovers a daughter he once had with a woman he had loved in The World Beyond The Stones (our world). He sends an unlikely but trusted trio on a quest to find her and bring her home-- a brooding dragon shifter and Highlander who owes him a favor, a dashing elf whom he loves like the son he never had, and a loyal, kindhearted dwarf, the elf's best friend. Alaric, the last scion of the old gods, weary of ruling the country and ready to retire and enjoy his love life, doesn't know that this quest will bring much more than he ever bargained for, setting in motion events plotted by the destiny that will challenge his kingdom and legacy. ~~~ Cover: My own picture.

🏆 HONORABLE MENTION - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 A witch has to pretend to be the wife of the Prince of the Dead in exchange for resurrecting her lover. ⋯⋯⋯ Mavyn of Krauss has everything under control until her rich and influential fiancé keels over and abandons her. Now with no place in society as a witch, she moves to the next best option―summon an immortal from the Land of the Dead and strike a deal to resurrect him. Enter Valen Nox, a prince of the Underworld, bringing along an irresistible deal to the table. She will have a chance to comb through the Underworld's domains for her fiancé in exchange for being Valen's date for his sister's wedding. But when the truth comes out with the promise of a conspiracy, Mavyn is thrust into the wicked world of the Kathari, the Underworld's immortal rulers, and their schemes for dominion. Now, she must play by their rules while crafting deadly plans of her own―plans that may endanger more than what Valen bargained for. After all, the most logical thing to do in a court deep in chaos is to use it to one's advantage. From the award-winning author of 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘥 comes a tale of the deadly and the wicked, set in a world where life and death are not so simple, and there may be more to lose at the edge of the void than at the end of memory. AN INSTALLMENT OF THE WICKED DEATH SELECTIONS. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2024 (First Edition) [22,000 - 27,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] 🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 R1 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024

🏆 WINNER (2ND PLACE) - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 A misfit of an aristocratic family must find out who is behind the murder at his university before he is disowned and falls victim to the murderer. ⋯⋯⋯ Arlo Crowhaven, a student of the prestigious Lyllan University of Magic, is poised to uphold his family's elite status. That is, until a classmate is murdered, and all of the clues point to him. With little time to clear his name, he must take the investigation into his hands, find the killer, and stop an even bigger secret from leaking out. After all, while Arlo likes keeping his hands clean, he may be entangled in a scheme even his family is not privy to. Now, Arlo must pull all the strings he can to foil the murderer's plan and save his skin. From the award-winning author of 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘥 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 ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2024 (First Edition) [20,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] 🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 ROUND 1 WINNER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 A young journalist must navigate a war-torn country and the intricacy of first love in order to save herself and her family. ⋯⋯⋯ In 2042, invaders crossed Philippine waters and marked the start of the war. Two years later, Maian Dizon, a displaced Metro Manila journalist, navigates the war-torn streets in search of a way out of the country. However, when her path crosses with Kian Lucero, a reservist medical doctor, doubts creep in. With the guilt he carries, the foreboding loss on her shoulders, and the pressing needs of her family, her calling points her back to her homeland with no promise of salvation. But the attacks crawl closer every day, and Maian must devise a plan to save the people she loves, even if it means sacrificing herself. From the award-winning author of 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘥 comes a story of love and life, and how they fade and thrive at the face of war. There is an end to peace, memory, and glory, but there are things that will live forever. We only have to find them. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2024 (First Edition) [30,000 - 35,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] C/TW: Some scenes in this story contain graphic physical violence, disturbing themes, or character introspection that may upset or trigger the reader. Please read at your own risk. 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024

In which I give tips and journal about my own writing journey for Open Novella this year.

**ONC 2024 Shortlisted** **Featured on @Fantasy Reading List** Pristine Marvin, a shy sophomore harboring a secret crush on her classmate Andrei, finds herself unknowingly entangled in a web of mysterious events after a fateful encounter at an eerie shop. As the case unravels, Alan Alteiner, the manipulating hero of Caperwood, embarks on a quest to uncover the truth surrounding his friend, Andrei's demise. At the same time, Avril Alteiner, a distraught son with no possibilities of attaining supernaturalism, gets overshadowed by his family members, making him seize a risky opportunity that leads him down a perilous path. With Pristine on the run from a falsely implicated crime and Alan on the trail of a startling revelation, the entangled mess begins to unveil it's powers. Will Pristine navigate her route through the treacherous forest and clear her name? Can Alan untangle the twisted threads of the truth before it's too late? Or will Avril succeed in his evil conquest?

Beth Kennedy has her whole life ahead of her, with her mother generous enough to plan out every single step from the perfect college, to the perfect obituary. But unfortunately, Beth can't get herself out of the past. A past she's sworn to take to the grave or otherwise face a life of being called crazy. At least, that's what Beth's delusions have always told her. Until one rainy day, she crosses paths with a beautiful stranger who she starts stalking. Incidentally, she becomes the target of malicious pranks by someone who seems to know more than they should. Lies are exposed, secrets revealed and uncovering the answer behind it all, might cost her the end of a peaceful future before it can even begin.

After getting in a car accident a young reserved plant enthusiast must embrace reality in order to make amends with family and be there when his loved ones need him before it's too late. - - - When reserved and plant obsessed 14-year-old Oren Spalding flies down to Georgia to see his other dad for the holiday season, he could have never predicted the trouble that ensues. Still not certain he wants to see the other half of his old parental body, he goes anyway, scarcely embracing the experience. Everything changes when the renuinted family gets into a car accident. He finds his brother hanging to life by a thread and his head spinning like never before, literally. As Oren navigates this alien situation, tensions between he and his dad come to a crescendo. Forgotten words are remembered. Untold knowledge is revealed. He wants to pretend this is all a dream, but he can't deny the truth, of what was said, what was done, and what he can't change. He needs to accept the reality as it is, but life might not wait for him to catch up. ONC 2024 entry Main prompt: #1 - Sometimes words speak louder than actions. Completed: April 26, 2024 Word Count: 20,000 - 25,000 Cover credits to the lovely @BlueStarrySky1 💜

Stories say that the Witch rained curses down on Devil's Corner, that she made the woods grow strange and wild, made shadows leap and dance and snatch up stray children for supper. In a small town on the edge of a dangerous forest, stories are never in short supply, and they are held dearer than truth. Thea lost her hand to the things that live in the wood, and she can't shake loose the voice that lured her there. But her Pa fed her tales of magic and heroes, and promises that even the darkest things have hearts. When her brother is attacked by the Witch's gruesome creations, Thea breaks into her cottage, determined to save him from a fate she knows all to well. In Devil's Corner, stories are true, and Thea knows the greatest one of all: the only way to break a curse, is to kill the witch. --- COMPLETE - 20,000 words Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER 2025 AMBY AWARDS ROUND 3 QUALIFIER

[Disclaimer: This book is a first draft and is currently on hold as it's in the process of transitioning to a full novel.] How many friends do you have? When a stray thought forces Will Marte to notice the oddities in his everyday life, what follows is a reflection on the friendly relationships he has and had and a contemplation on the question: what is a friend? Having had an unconventional upbringing, he still feels its effects as an adult. Now, everyone around him is aging normally in their conventional life, and he doesn't know how to be rather than to seem. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Published in February 2024 for Open Novella Contest 2024 Copyright © by CrownedMadness (Maddy Alson) 2024

Others call me blessed, but I know I'm cursed. The day I got my powers was the day I realised all magic comes with a cost. Nature loves its balance. I never asked for this, but this is the burden I now have to carry. I was use to the solitude of travelling alone, just my animal companion by my side for these past few years. But then I met them; this ragtag group of individuals in need of a Druid to complete a job. And they came with Boro. An egotistical, over dramatic Elven bard that taught me I might actually have something worth living for. That is if we survive this next job. *** ONC24 entry Prompt 48: 'The curse of magic is that for every reward, there is a great loss. For every spell that goes right, there is something else- in the real, natural world- that goes terribly wrong. Nature loves its balance.' ***

This is an entry for the Open Novella Contest (ONC) 2024! Dragons and magical beings. A bond like no other. In a town in the middle of the continent, Silver City is home to some of the most powerful magic wielders. Layla Arclight, an ambitious young magus, who possesses the unique trait of being able to wield two elemental affinities instead of one, learns her way around this magical world, accompanied by her ever-present, ever-nagging Azure Dragon companion Notus who steadily helps her one nag at a time to become the strongest magus in the capital However, Layla shoulders a heavy responsibility beneath her adolescent persona. She guards over a strange magical object. A box that contains the power of divinity that could tip over the power balance of every nation permanently. -- Credit to @Farleykins for this amazing cover!

Aleksander Atwood, an omega with a life full of hardships who just applied for the job of his life, and actually got it! But, what if he becomes the reason his bosses divorce? What if he finds out the father of the kid he is supposed to nanny is actually his fated mate? Rowan Madden, an alpha with a beautiful family and a beautiful marriage, at least that's what it looks like on the outside. What is he hiding? And why is he kind of an ass to who is meant to be his fated mate? Only time will tell in this, thought to be, unrequited love story of broken hearts beating for each other. ONC Prompt #33: a broken heart beats with all its pieces, and it still wants the same person. 🌈I currently upload BONUS CONTENT for this story on Patreon and Ream, linked in bio🌈 ‼️COMPLETE‼️

[ONC 2024 entry; Round 3 Qualifier] An alluring physique, innocence that draws the beasts of desire in; A one-of-a-kind flower that blossoms through the soil blanketed with snow and stained with crimson. She is the predator and they are her prey. Blood and tears mixed on her face because there was no escaping this perilous fate. [Ikemen Vampire fan fiction / Reverse Harem]

Based on ONC Prompt 53 - The co-worker who irritates you the most just asked you for a big favour. They're not who or what they appear to be. And they know you're not either.

[COMPLETE] ONC2024 Longlister❤️ Using Prompt number 14 "My love, believe me, waiting for you has always been a form of freedom." Alexandra Vasiliu" A guy and a girl have been best friends since childhood, but their destiny parted them. The little girl had to move away with her parents. Years later, they meet again, but the bond of friendship still remains the same. But the young lad has realised that his affection has developed into love, but, he's scared to express his feelings. However, he also feels that the girl has changed a lot. She cares more about money and herself than before. His love remains unwavering and he proposes to her, but she rejects him. He decides to wait for her, letting her take her sweet time. In the meantime, he's always there, supporting her, and scolding her for her bad deeds. He's continually showing her the path of truth, but she's not looking back. He also learns about her past, which has changed her personality. He wants to change things for her, only if she is ready. Slowly, with time, things happen and she realises that she's been trapped in her own net. She realises her mistakes and her best friend forgives her, as they walk through the aisle, starting a new life.

King Uther of Forland is old and failing. His grandson and heir, Prince Richard, lives the good life: anything that gives him an adrenaline rush. He gives cursory attention to his duties and means to keep living the life he enjoys. The prosperous Duchy of Westmere can only be inherited by a male. The Duke of Westmere, Prince Sean, despises the Royal Family for shunning his parents when his father married a commoner they called unacceptable. Richard dies unexpectedly. Sean, now King against everyone's wishes, is the one man who can keep the Kingdom together. And he wants to break Forland in two. With no choice but Sean, the Royal Family and Government plot to keep Sean in line by marrying him to a cousin. He has other plans for his country and his heart. He wants to marry Isobel, twice-divorced, beautiful, scandalous and ambitious. She wants the advantages of being Queen. Sean is forced to meet any number of hopeful young women but plays the field. He decides to force the Family and Government to allow him to marry Isobel by selecting the least suitable girlfriend he can find. Pam is a clerical temp, a foreigner, and the opposite of princess material. She's no Cinderella, beautiful under her rags, but a tired young woman who lives paycheck to paycheck. They have nothing in common. Sean tries to hire her to pretend to be his girlfriend. She says it is deceitful. Her mother's financial troubles lead her to accept. He arranges generous compensation for her help that will relieve her financial quandary if she can make Isobel look good. Their relationship is platonic despite appearances. He starts to depend on Pam more and more. He misses her when she is away. Sean is pushed to choose his cousin by the Government, Isobel by his desires and Pam by his heart. The Family demands he marry his cousin and the Government begins to favor Pam. She wants to return to the US. Sean must choose between his heart and his country or find a way to unite them.

The Fire Nation understands the need for a male heir to Crown Prince Iroh after the death of his son Lu Ten, yet they're far from thrilled with the choice being Prince Zuko, the son of the man who tried killing Fire Lord Azulon, forgetting the boy's father tried killing the young prince as he might be just as unhinged as not only his father but his own sister. Disclaimer - I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This was written for Open Novella 2024 and is a giftfic for my friend Kelsey; it's also an alternative universe to my fanfic series To Lose or To Gain where the Fire Nation doesn't know how unhinged Ozai is and instead thinks he willingly gave his first-born son to his older brother. As for the prompt, I'm using prompt ninty-nine which resulted in this AU popping into my head, "The royal family needs a male heir to the throne, and they're willing to accept any boy, even if he's born to their least hinged relative."

WE WERE LIARS meets SALTBURN. The Seymour girls are beautiful and blessed: skin like porcelain, hair kissed by fire's breath and privilege without recompense. They were named fir their parents' mothers. Juliette for their mother's and Josephine for their father's. I am the last Seymour girl. But I am a bullet shell. A complete outrage of a human being. My entire existence reads like a Shakespearean insult -- clod of wayward marl. You could say lust is what got me in this mess in the first place. The thrill of wanting something off-limits. And then I burned everything to the ground. If I'm being honest, you shouldn't read any of this. I'm serious. Don't. ➤ Open Novella Contest 2024: Prompts #95 and #60