Onc2024 Stories

Everyone can read minds except for Ethan Langdon. And Ethan Langdon has the dumbest (and cutest!) thoughts Lukas Hoffmann has ever heard. ____ Lukas Hoffman's life in Brambleburg is about as boring as you'd expect for a town where everyone can read minds. He's used to his routine of dusting the LPs at the record store where he works and helping out his grandma around the house. Nothing in Brambleburg changes. No one in Brambleburg changes. Until Ethan Langdon stumbles in with the soggy remnants of a paper map, asking for the quickest route to Berlin. Ethan, it turns out, doesn't have telepathy, and as aggravatingly inane as his thoughts are, Lukas hasn't felt the excitement of meeting a stranger since.... well, ever. And the more Lukas listens, the more he starts enjoying Ethan's cute thoughts about life, the universe, and Lukas's dimples. ____ Might bring to mind: "Cherry Magic" but set in a fictive European town where everyone except the love interest can read minds. ____ Written for the Open Novella Contest 2024 using prompts 8, 75, 82, and 85. 8. You start singing along to a movie soundtrack late at night forgetting that your window is open. Someone from the outside starts singing with you. 75. You awake in the middle of the night to a voice saying loudly "May the force be with you..." 82. You wake up on a seemingly ordinary day to discover that your thoughts are not private. There is someone else in your head with you. 85. "If you do that again, I'll throw you out that freaking window. What are you doing?" "Checking how high the drop is to see if it's worth it."

Whether it's your first time or your seventh time, writing a novella in 12 weeks isn't easy. As a 2021 ONC Winner and two-time Honorable Mention (2023/2024), I totally understand. After years of participation and reflection, I have lots of advice to share on how I wrote a winning novella and look forward to writing every year. Inside this guide, you can find everything from insider tips to craft chats to contest commentary. So grab a cup, get your notebook, and settle in: it's time to start writing! Copyright © 2022 Elle Chaika

A vampire named Citlali receives an email from an old lover who broke her heart centuries ago. The message says the immortal is dead and she left a key for Citlali in a bank in New York. But the same message had been sent to two other persons whose identity Citlali ignores and the safe can only be opened if the three of them are present. Dear Citlali is a queer polyamorous paranormal romance. This story is set in the For Centuries Universe but can be read as a standalone. Cover by Bartholomé Girard

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Kristen Reese at the age of 22 finds a sudden interest in writing. However, that only increases her level of frustration because she couldn't write more than a line. So, to ward off her anger, one night she sings her favorite movie soundtrack - Waiting On A Miracle. And maybe, a miracle really does happen. Could it be the new chapter of her life? Could she really find a worthwhile story disguised as her life? ~~~~~~~~~ Based on the ONC prompt #8 You start singing along to a movie soundtrack late at night forgetting that your window is open. Someone from the outside starts singing along with you.

As the saying goes, 'Not all heroes wear capes,' and in the case of Chloé Godoy, the statement had never been more true. The promiscuous, twenty four year old intern finds herself with supernatural abilities one morning after a night out and she thinks why not try to put them to good use and fight crime? There's one problem though. Her powers only work when she's drunk off her ass. ** That only turns out to be the tip of the iceberg when roped into a mugging case, Chloé's life is catapulted into chaos after every turn; there's conspiracies within the police, she's caught in the crossfire of warring mob groups and headhunted by a cult. To make matters worse, her only means of help is her psychotic childhood frenemy who's sex on a stick, and a shifty private detective with ties to the underworld who constantly gets under Chloé's skin. And her skirt. On second thought, she probably might be better off not doing this sober.

Being the most doted child of all regal family members in the Pang empire, Haoran was born with access to the spiritual world and was granted authority to venture out of the castle grounds alone at the age of twenty, breaking all the sovereign laws designated for royalties. Amidst his adventures, Haoran's kindness saved the life of a witch who, unbeknown to him harboured uncanny curiosity towards his background after she possessed the jade pendant left among the blankets during one of his overnight stays. Preternatural occurrences befell him one by one, tempting him to unveil the layers of chronicles from both the Cui family and the Pang empire. To cope with the losses and ensure his survival, Haoran had to make fortuitous choices that could burn or save his soul. 💜 Featured on ONC 2024 | Longlist 1 on 23 May 2024 || This story is written in conjunction with the ONC 2024, and can only be found on Wattpad.||

The Horcades and the Horcanes are family names in a fairytale. Nobody thinks the present Horcades have any connection with it. People don't even believe the tale. The idea that the tale is based off a true story is only a speculation by few. However, the truth is scarier than people think. And when this tale turns out to have some truth in it, the Horcades realise that some stories are best when fictional.

The Fairtane family have ruled a small, cursed island for generations - until the night before Rowan Fairtane turns sixteen, when a too-successful attempt at usurping them leaves him the last surviving member of the family. With no plan for how to proceed, he assumes the morning will bring his death. Only for his twin brother to be the one standing at the door. Soren Fairtane disappeared five years ago, on the eve of his eleventh birthday, and was presumed drowned. Everyone knows that. His return to the island, though, isn't Rowan's saving grace at all. If anything it's about to spell disaster for them both, because Soren has a plan and five years have not really changed the insanity of his plans all that much. With nowhere else to go, though, Rowan finds himself joining forces with Soren in his attempt to find a way to break the curse keeping everyone trapped on the island. But even if it has been five years since Soren vanished, it's not hard to tell that some things about him have changed... and the longer they spend searching for answers, the more Rowan begins to wonder. What happened over the last five years? And is the answer to the island's curse right in front of him?

Embark on a spellbinding adventure alongside two young witches and their familiars as they set out on what appears to be a simple quest for hidden treasure. But when they stumble upon an ancient artifact, their journey takes a perilous turn. As they unravel the artifact's secrets, they find themselves ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse with dark forces intent on claiming its power. Amidst the looming threat, the bonds of friendship are tested, and sacrifices must be made to protect their own. Who will emerge victorious, and who will fall prey to the darkness that covets the artifact's ancient magic?

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!

Detective Molly Rayne finds herself in the midst of a high-stakes murder case with two strangers and must uncover the truth before her hidden past is revealed and the murderer strikes again. -x-x-x- It was supposed to be a quick business trip. but the minute the train pulled out of the New York station, things started to go wrong. In the bustling journey to Chicago, a murder in Cabin 7 shakes the train. High-profile private detective Molly Rayne takes charge of the investigation, but no suspects emerge, and it seems the killer vanished into thin air. As Molly delves deeper, she discovers intriguing connections between the victim and a mysterious individual known as Mr. Bingo. Her resolve to uncover the truth is tested as she navigates a web of lies, deception, and hidden agendas. It was like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, only with a lot more blood and sarcasm. With danger closing in from all sides, will she be able to piece together the truth before it's too late? -x-x-x- Revision under the guidance of @MermaidAriel13

A dragon, a dwarf and an elf walk into a bar... But only because that bar is on their way to tracking down the lost heir in a last-ditch quest to save the kingdom from a very long list of very bad things. And also, quite possibly, because the more of the kingdom they see, the more they find themselves in need of a drink. So, grab your halberd and your mead and buckle up - it's time for a road trip, fantasy-style.

ONC 2024 ENTRY |ONC 2024 LONGLISTER| |Nanowatt 2025 SHORTLISTER| |Ambys awards 2025 favorite| |2× featured| - |mystery|, |teen fiction| The holidays are over but the murders aren't. *** Deep in the city of Ikoyi, blood has become a daily alarm. With the amount of people being killed rising and the numerous calls to fight against this insurgency, the residents are doused with fear as the city tips between peace and utter chaos. Zara, an ever anxious and over thinking teenager, has come back with her family from their vacation to the United States, finding their hometown ablaze with all these news of murders that have suddenly become an epidemic. But with her goal to pass her external exams in flying colors and still keep herself together despite her family's many abuses, the murders are little more than stories that cause a stroke of anxiety before she is once again swamped with her own problems. But when Zara's mother is murdered in cold blood, she is suddenly thrust headfirst into this epidemic that has ransacked her home. Nothing ever happens without a reason and whatever killed her mother may be coming for her too. Beautiful cover by @ReynaBennett

Alora was supposed to die, so when she ended up in a place in the middle of heaven and hell with an old classmate who should have lived, the universe knew something had gone wrong. Due to the glitch, she is given a chance at life again as long as she stays bound to the man who futilely gave his life for her. My ONC 2024 submission :) AI Transparency: All words in this work are my own and have NOT been generated or improved by AI. The cover was generated via AI provided through Canva, but I hope to create my own original cover when I get time.

[ONC 2024 Longlister] The heir to the kingdom has been kidnapped! Many great and powerful adventurers have tried to find him and bring him back to the loving arms of his father. Unfortunately, though great and powerful, they are also very much pitiful failures. When Luthiriensis, an elven tourist, and Mott, a perpetually aggrieved dwarf, are recruited by a mysterious patron to find the child, they soon find themselves in far more trouble than they could ever have imagined. Also, their recruiter is a dragon. So there's that to deal with too. An ONC novella based upon Prompt 21 - A dragon, an elf, and a dwarf embark on a quest to find the lost heir to the kingdom. Formerly "A Tale of Three". Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture and text through Logokit.

Co-written by: @MisfitRonnie and @NiaHoutson ✨ONC 2024 Long-list Star✨ Mia Richardson, a quiet woman who enjoys her mundane routine, comes face to face with a new world to tackle as reality and fantasy clash. Mia and her friend, Skylar, learn to take on the new world in different ways. But after a run in with a charismatic stranger, Mia finds herself tackling the world in a way she never thought possible.

In a ruined world, what traces of humans remain? In an overgrown corner of a once-intact room, nestled in the roots of a young tree, a barely functional camera watches over the decay. Maintenance calls go unanswered, leaving it to conserve power, turning on its lens only when things get within its proximity range. Its largely monotonous world gets disrupted when a family of birds make the tree it rests on home. Mysteriously, their presence stirs a torrent of memories within its circuits, some intact and others corrupted. However, recalling memories comes at a cost, and its power, gleaned from the sun, gets drained faster than it can recover. Despite the risk, the camera cannot cease. It is compelled to observe and document the intertwining of past and present unfolding before its lens. As it continues it realises why the family of birds recalls seemingly unrelated memories. ? It was bound by a promise of the past, one that was corrupted beyond repair until an overlap between its owner and the birds were found. Now, repairs of core memories are underway and soon, the bigger picture reveals itself. The battery falls, and the past gives way to the present. *Longlister of the 2024 ONC*

Mortal races rise and fall at the whim of the gods, immortal beings transcending the bindings of the mundane. They have not been seen in the last century, not since the Great Fall, when mortal races bound together to fight their tyrant rule at the battlefield called Desolation. Their hand has been felt through the eons, however, shaping the world to their pleasure with wars, plagues and cataclysms. Especially among the humans. The mad goddess Endra, personification of a power that struck the other gods with fear, was struck down from the heavens, bound to the earth. Centuries passed, and by chance encounter she was freed again. Vengeance would be hers. Jayne cannot remember much of anything, her memory stripped from her, leaving only troublesome, chaotic dreams with no meaning. All she remembers with certainty is that she has been running from the powerful men who hunt her across the mortal realm, hiding from the mad deity haunting her every step. But she has run long enough. She will face whatever comes at her, be it the gods or monsters from the underworld. Or the truths of her past that begin to resurface. For in the end, only she can determine if she will triumph... or fall. Cover created by myself using Dream.AI Written for the 2024 OpenNovellaContest. (Core prompt) Prompt 18: With powers they said were a shame, a goddess is tamed into submission and fears her own destiny. Prompt 3: Your greatest fear is monsters in the dark. The last thing you expect is to become the Monster in the dark. Prompt 51: A band discovers that their songs has the power to control minds, and they are determined to discover how this power works... and how to use it. Prompt 94: I will become as monstrous as I must. © Kevin Cross 2024 If you find this book anywhere other than wattpad, then it is a pirated copy. Please leave this site immediately and if possible, report this to the author. Visit @moonlight-blade on wattpad to get the original version of this book.