Onc2025 Stories

• academic rival novella • The Structural Biology Lab has three rules: 1. Document everything. 2. Follow protocols. 3. Don't fall for your junior. Mr. Madhava Kamat, a fourth year grad student, is about to break one. Warning: Contents are under extreme academic pressure! --- The characters mentioned in this book belong to the "Pyar Paradise Universe" This is a stand-alone book in the "Fine As Wine" collection. Daily Updates! --- ONC 2025 submission. Exclusively Available in Wattpad. © 2025 Suganthi Lakshminarayanan.

*Borusara AU* Boruto is the next in line to the Uzumaki Empire but with his new mission to get a wife in 60 minutes seems impossible, until he bumps into his high school enemy, Sarada Uchiha - now a famous celebrity. Famous actress meets Mafia Don...?

After six years in a progressive French boarding school, eighteen-year-old Lady Alice returns to her family's estate in Surrey, dreading the fate that awaits her-- debutante balls, an arranged marriage, and a life she does not want. She would have preferred to stay in France, teaching and writing love tales rather than living one dictated by others. Once cast aside by her own father and a stepmother, Alice finds their sudden desire for reconciliation hollow. Only her childhood best friend, Michael, Marquess Lovelace, seems like a true comfort. But as she settles back into her former home, something strange begins to happen. A black rabbit, eerily familiar, appears in the shadows-- just like the one that belonged to Edmond, her long-forgotten imaginary friend. And then she meets Count D'Arcy, the enigmatic and elusive neighbour whose presence unsettles her. His eyes, his voice, his very being remind her of Edmond. Could it be him? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? As the social season unfolds, Alice finds herself tangled in a web of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. The past and present blur, forcing her to question what is real, what is illusion, and whether love can exist beyond the bounds of reason. In the haunting halls of her childhood home and under the watchful gaze of Count D'Arcy, Alice must uncover the truth before she loses herself to the unknown. ~~~ My entry for the ONC 2025 based on the prompt 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

ONC Longlister || Shortlister || Round 3 Ambassador Pick When the sacred Wind Scepter is stolen, the elven kingdom of Everdaile is plunged into chaos. Varelor, a disgraced prince, must uncover the truth behind the theft but his quest unravels a conspiracy that might paint him as the world's greatest threat. ❥๑━━ In a world on the brink of ruin, two elven brothers are bound by heart but torn by destiny. Varelor, the shadowed one, craves a throne that was never his and a legacy slipping through his grasp. Livian, the golden prince, fights for honor, blind to the darkness growing beside him. Caught between them is Kaelira--her touch, salvation; her words, poison. As kingdoms fall and betrayal cuts deeper than any blade, Varelor must face a devastating truth: to save the kingdom, he might have to destroy the one person he loves most. What makes a villain--the choices we make or the truths we can't outrun? ❥๑━━ ONC prompts used: 121. Unstoppable by Sia 125. Fear is the mind-killer. 126. Because you're you, and I'm me, and we just don't fit. 129. The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time.

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 Two teenagers embark on a cross-country music tour to outrun the threat of war and curtailed creative freedom. ⋯⋯⋯ As Ash finishes identifying his parents' remains from a full-blast attack, he should have stopped writing silly songs. With rebels controlling the country bit by bit comes the diminishing right to express themselves, so when a boy with a lopsided grin and penchant to chase trouble convinces Ash to perform his music, he only has one answer―no. But Jet has a way of getting what he wants, and there is no way Ash can let a golden boy run off on his own. With only a beat-up neon-pink car, a patched guitar, an obnoxious red pen, and a battered polaroid, Jet and Ash embark on a cross-country tour to make a name for themselves, outrunning authorities, and maybe even Fate itself. What can go wrong...right? From the award-winning author of 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, comes a story of young love, the fight for freedom, and the eternal struggle for meaning set in a world of oppression and violence. There are many ways to the end, and it is up to us to choose which path to take. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit witch must find her missing twin before everyone finds out about her heritage and her family's deception. ⋯⋯⋯ Agatha Fairbard is a mystery. Having lived in a mirror dimension all her life, she was an enigma no one can solve other than who always accompanies her―herself. So when her twin goes missing without a word, Agatha must step into the wide unknown with only a borrowed name and face. That is, until a dark force surfaces and demands her power. In a world of betrayal, greed, and conquest, she has to discover her truth before others with vested interest do it for her. From the author of the award-winning novella, 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 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 ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [20,000 - 25,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

🏆 ROUND 1 WINNER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A young witch must team up with a banished demon to reverse the curse on her village before she is persecuted. ⋯⋯⋯ Rakida of Apilsha has her life in order until a mysterious fire broke out and the townsfolk fell ill overnight. With fingers pointing towards her as the rumored village witch, she must find a cure before they burn her at the stake. Enter Tam Sinnasi, a demon stuck in her mother's antiques, with his devilishly charming smile and a hidden past, offering a shot at success. Having made a deal with the devil, Rakida now must balance mystery and magic as she is thrust into the deadly world of the wicked battling blood-thirsty beasts, deranged witches out for blood, a mad Queen of the Dead, and a vengeful goddess who surely had business with Tam. But as her journey takes her to Ganzir, the sprawling palace of shadows and ice, dying may be the least of her worries. From the award-winning author of 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 comes a tale of blames, bargains, and betrayals, set in a game of life and death where losing is not an option. After all, to save one's skin, sometimes, death may just be the answer. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit actress must give a performance of a lifetime before her true identity gets uncovered and her hidden empire crumbles down. ⋯⋯⋯ Alyson Gardner, the misfit daughter of the Ocalira chief, is a master of disguise. It is not easy controlling the largest pleasure district in Hylsa Lyllan behind a curtain, so when a student from university goes missing in her turf, she must do everything she can to clear her ties to it even if it means shedding her masks bit by bit. But with an impatient perpetrator out for her ruin, she must turn to friends and foes alike to star in the greatest performance of her life, one that will shake her empire's foundations down to the last brick. From the author of the award-winning novella, 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 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 ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

When a cursed bangle binds Sea Drifter Ninnette to a dangerous demon, she only has three days to break the curse before it claims her life. °:•.🪸.•:° Ninnette is a Sea Drifter with the power to command water, dredging shipwrecks, and salvaging lost treasure. When she braves a sunken ship no one else dares to dive, she finds a strange clockwork bangle that binds her to an ancient curse and to the infuriating Kazi, a demon who leaves destruction wherever he goes. The moment the bangle is activated, they are hunted by a secret order led by a relentless Priestess who believes the armlet is a key to something far greater than treasure. But the true danger isn't the order. It isn't the demon Kazi. It's the curse. When Ninnette puts on the bangle, a countdown begins. If she doesn't break the curse in three days, she will die like every wearer before her. °:•.🪸.•:° She commands the sea. He is a demon who has lived for centuries. They are both bound by a curse. Only three days to survive. °:•.🪸.•:° Set in a Maritime Steampunk world, and inspired by Filipino cultures, from Spanish influence to the seafaring Sama-Bajau. This story weaves dangerous magic, high stakes, and heart-aching romance. °:•.🪸.•:° ONC 2025 Honorable Mention Round 1 Winner Round 2 Ambassador Pick Round 3 Ambassador Pick °:•.🪸.•:° Romantasy High Fantasy Fantasy Adventure SciFi Steampunk Fantasci Young Adult

Rael has no choice: to find a cure for a mysterious illness, he must seek out the hermit in the Shadow Forest. His pack is doomed. But the Omega knows that the dreaded Shadow Forest Pack lives there, and they have a deadly feud with the Blood Moon Pack. But he is not alone. A mysterious stranger follows him and helps him when needed. When he arrives at the hermit's hut, Rael realises that she is a special witch - and that the disease is much more than anyone could have imagined. - - - Prompt 85. A sickness descends upon your pack, and you're the only one immune. As the Alpha succumbs to the illness, it's up to you to find a cure before it's too late.

(ONC 2025 Shortlisted) It's been more than twenty years since Dwayne last saw his childhood imaginary friend. But in a sudden hail of bullets, explosions, and car chases, Mr. Foo Foo comes roaring back into his life in a major way with trouble hot on his tail. Dwayne's boring and mundane life is about to get upended in a serious way, and the bonds of friendship will be put to the test like never before in this wild and action-packed adventure. This story is based on prompt number 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

Shortlisted on ONC 2025!! Archaea wakes up in a Library with no memories of her past. She does what is natural to her people and shouts out her lungs drawing the attention of the Librarian. From them, she learns the truth of her past or rather, how she supposedly does not have any. Well, if she was not supposed to have one, how did she remember the name of her advisor and knight? Sensing something amiss, she coaxes the Librarian to help her discover her backstory but will this path lead to a happy ending? Or are some stories better left untold?

Liam Reynolds' best friend Greg passes away, and he misses him dearly. Or he would if Greg left, but unfortunately, Greg has unfinished business and decides to become Liam's ghostly roommate. Greg believes their incomplete bucket list is the reason he can't move on. Thus, he leads Liam and Liam's neighbor, Valerie, on a journey of self-discovery, fun, and possibly love as Liam sets out to do all the things they wanted to do in life. **** This is my entry for the 2025 Open Novella Contest. I am using prompt #8.

Agness Brillantes isn't your typical cheerleader- the one who quietly fades into the background after a breakup. After ending her relationship with Blake Sullivan, the star athlete, she decides to rewrite her story. She doesn't want to be the cliché ex. No more clichés. Agness takes control and becomes a self-made matchmaker, helping others navigate love while trying to avoid it for herself. When her older sister Eliza struggles with confessing her feelings for a co-worker, Agness steps in, ready to make sparks fly. But she's not the only one with a crush in her family. Her younger sister, Riley, has her own secret crush on a classmate, who she can't stop talking about and Agness can't help but try to play matchmaker for her too. Just when Agness thinks she has everything figured out, David Cross; a charming, mysterious guy; enters the scene, making everything more complicated than she ever imagined. As he becomes more involved in her matchmaking adventures, Agness starts to question whether love is really something she can control.

In the crowded, jazz filled streets of 1925 Chicago, Margaret Malone is a flapper with dreams of becoming a journalist. One day, when a tea shop seems to appear out of thin air, Margaret cannot help but investigate and is pulled further into the mysterious magic of Madame Lila's special brews- and the secrets lurking within the floral patterned teapots.

***(On hold. Got distracted by life and didn't finish in time to submit for the next round... oops! 😄 Maybe I'll come back and finish sometime 🤷🏻‍♀️).*** Renata Rossi has had to keep control for as long as she could remember. Ever since the accident. Whatever she does, she mustn't write anything down. It isn't safe. But it's Giorni Della Merla. And strange things happen during 'The Days of the Blackbird'. Can Ren keep it together as her life is flipped upside down? Open Novella 2025 ©️ Copyright A. Parramore 2025

When the mysterious teashop suddenly appears, one can't help but hear its call and wonder-what's its true purpose? *** Alicia Ward's ordinary life takes a fantastical turn when she encounters Aidan, the elusive boy once believed a figment of her childhood imagination, now real and impossibly intriguing. Following him leads her to The Crooked Kettle, an enchanting teashop hidden from ordinary eyes. But curiosity leads her astray when she steps into a corridor filled with endless doors, each one offering glimpses into magical realms where reality is fluid and the impossible becomes possible. Where each door leads somewhere and nowhere, anywhere but her world. Trapped now in this place where reality bends at whim and magic comes alive, Alicia must navigate this bewildering place and find her way back to The Crooked Kettle's parlour if she ever wants to return home. And with the help of her once-imaginary friend, Aiden, and charmingly chaotic vampire, Harley Hatter-Sinclair, who has an uncanny ability to make her heart race and cheeks turn red, Alicia might be able to do just that. Or not. Will she be forever lost in a world where dreams and magic intertwine with reality? Everything and nothing is possible within the magical worlds of The Crooked Kettle. ______ All graphics were created by myself, with their subsequent credit and rights reserved for Andre Di Rosa (me).

When young Nevae loses her grandma to the hands of the Big Bad Wolf and kills him in self-defense, she doesn't expect the shapeshifter's children to kill the rest of her family as payback. Orphaned and alone, she takes refuge in the house of a witch, becoming the old woman's apprentice and vowing to kill all the shapeshifters. Nevae becomes a powerful witch and starts taking revenge, until there's only one shapeshifter left, the youngest son of the Big Bad Wolf. However, something happens that stops her right when she's about to kill him, and she hesitates. Will she fulfill her vow to extinguish that race, or will she let her heart lead the way for once? And what will she do about the two abandoned kids that show up at her door shortly after, and the wedding party of princess Ella, and the mysterious icy woman that freezes the heart of men when she kisses them? ❄❄❄ Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and some other fairytales. ❄❄❄ Open Novella Contest 2025 ❄ Prompts: #2, #54 and #126

-Onc prompt 33. Love always has a cost. Dreams aren't simply dreams. They can be so much more. A seat for the future. When a king of the north and the biggest enemy to the empire gets married to the southern king in a world where being queer is still strictly looked down upon a war is far closer then meets the eye. To survive and ensure the survival of their people and themselves, Alexander and Firmin have to make choices that will change and define their future. Can this all end well, or are they doomed to fail ?