Historias de Onc2025

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 °:•.🪸.•:° Romantasy High Fantasy Fantasy Adventure SciFi Steampunk Fantasci Young Adult

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

Gorgeous Cover by @BreanneLHeureux | Long Listed ONC 2025 | Summoned to another world through a mysterious door, college student Silver Wolfe discovers a realm of witches who want nothing other than to lock him in a dungeon until the day he dies because of a prophecy claiming he would be the 'Destroyer of Worlds'. He is broken out of the dungeon by not a person, but a stray cat who holds a strange likeness to a man he hates from his homeworld. Now that he is free, will he follow the prophecy or find his destiny in the paws of others? #ONC2025 WC: 21.3K Genre: Fantasy-Adventure Copyright© 2025 short_flame

Livy barely escaped a war he never wanted, only to stumble into a secret that could unravel everything, his past, his identity, and the fragile peace he fought for. A hidden chamber, a cryptic riddle, and a syndicate that wants him dead. The deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes: his bloodline is not what he was told, and someone went to great lengths to keep it buried. Now, every step toward the truth threatens to expose him, and the wrong move won't just cost him his life, it will set the world on fire. After all, some legacies aren't meant to be inherited.

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.

ONC2025 Round 2 winner, Ambassador Pick and Long List Selection Entry based on Prompt 110. 20 days of freedom and Prompt 77. In a world where art and entertainment are forbidden, you're born to challenge the system and change the world.

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.

When Elliot and his kid sister go hiking together, he's expecting typical problems like blisters and rain. He's not expecting the deluge of fantastical problems that await him on the second day of his hike. And he's not happy about it.

My writing experience for ONC this year.

A woman seeking vengeance A detective chasing truth Death and secrets of the past following their every step † † † 1920s, Prague Milana has lost her home twice. The first time, when she was forced by her husband to leave St. Petersburg. The second, when the last shards of fragile affection between them died in their exile. Slowly suffocated by his obsession to become a grand author, his extremist associates, and his abuse, no day passes without thoughts of escape. Finally, the chance is presented to her. But in a horrible way: When Milana's best friend and lover, Jasna, is found murdered, she learns the one investigating is none other than Matěj Graf-nothing more than a faint memory of secret notes exchanged through a copy of "Anna Karenina" until one day ago. But now, he is back in her life, and Milana might hold the key to the only case he cannot solve. And other than their favorite novel's heroine, Milana is determined to break free alive. A once novella about crime and forbidden love, in which 'Anna Karenina' meets 'Babylon Berlin', following prompts 87, 118 and 57

Tristram Wald likes to spend his days daydreaming about all of the magical things that he wishes would transpire in his lowly, humble and mundane existence. As an orphan, he was taken in by his Uncle Giacomo and forced to endure hardship and cruelty, and is eventually put to work in his Uncle's celebrated shoemakers shop. But now Tristram Wald is eighteen years and he has big ideas of his own Tristram wants his own success and fortune. A chance encounter with the beautiful Princess Oriana Aureum cements the idea of escape from his humble beginnings in Tristram's mind. Desperate for riches, so that he will be eligible to marry the princess, Tristram allows himself to be coerced by a mysterious Goblin named Grimalkin who claims he can weave straw into gold. But Tristram will soon find out that putting his trust in a renowned trickster can have sinister consequences. The Gold Weaver of Goblin Wood is a dark fairy-tale, horror.

When international superstar, Laila, decides to ignore all warnings and fly to her next gig in a storm, she finds herself lost on a mysterious tropical island with no hope of rescue. With only her uncompromising pilot for company, both women must learn the secrets of the island in order to escape back to the modern world. Preferably without killing each other. As the mystery deepens, however, the two find common ground and learn that certain others may be trying to stop their escape. But why? A gag romance mystery for ONC, using Prompt 47: "A famous singer and their pilot crash land on a tropical island. With no-one else around, survival isn't their only challenge."

Not all that glitters are gold and things that are graceful should be flowers. ⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️ The golden sands of Navapuri was getting ready to celebrate Theerthankara Mahadeepam. People had come from afar to witness the majestic festival of its times. But when he arrives, the entire place would be taken by a storm. To him, it was merely an assignment, until the path twisted into a maze of shadows. To her, he should have been nothing more than a stranger. Yet, fate seldom abides to the rules of quests. As choices tighten like a noose, could she hold firm to her purpose, or would the battle between heart and mind lead her astray? One goal and countless paths must be feared. Sometimes what seems simple comes with a deceptive price. NOTE: A fusion of Sasthras, living traditions, and imagination-Rathnalaya is a perceptional historical fiction that reimagines the past through the layers of the present. Not a periodic tale, but a journey through the veiled truths of time and mystery weaved in the land of Navapuri. Plot: Formed from ONC prompts and fascination Dedication: To all my Gentle readers ONC milestone: Round 1 and 2 Qualified

As first princess of Horizon, Lumen Ensign II has an easy life. Too easy. Time slips past her as she searches for anything to distinguish each day from the one that came before or the one that will come after. So when the opportunity to break free of the confines of her tedium arises, she takes it. But she soon realizes she might not have been ready to leave her sheltered life behind. As Lumen takes her first steps into the world, she feels a change. A shadow of fear hangs over kingdom. There exist people able to manipulate reality with their minds. When her own powers manifest, she realize she one of them. The ultimate enemy of the kingdom: Espers. With her very existence a crime, Lumen abandons her crown and tries to make a new life for herself. She begs her way onto the crew of Black Coat Morgan, a legendary criminal once hailed as the Pirate Queen. Life at sea is hard, but she feels drawn to it. Or perhaps it is the company of her new captain that has captured her heart. Either way, she is finally happy. At least until the kingdom put a bounty on their heads. Now Lumen has to fight for everything she cares about: her life or adventure and her precious captain. Will she be able to hold onto them or will the law finally catch up with the Outlaw Princess and the Pirate Queen?

10. Your best friend, whom you deeply care for, asks to switch lives with you for an entire year. Are you ready to step into their shoes? walk a mile - to be added

Last Carrier is the origin story of a superhero from Mumbai, India. The sole infected survivor of a deadly pandemic, gifted with a unique ability: the power to evolve and become indestructible. Desperate attempts to recreate his power unleash a parasitic virus that enslaves the population. The only cure lies within the very body of this man which cannot be extracted. But can he make the ultimate sacrifice to save a dying world?

Dr. Elara Voss and Dr. Niall Renton are close colleagues, working together to get humanity to live on the moon. But all goes wrong If Niall makes a big mistake. Now Earth and its population are doomed. Can they fix it? Or is this truly the end of the world?

Lucia Jennings never believed in reincarnation; until she choked on spicy noodles and woke up as Lin Xi, the tragic heiress from the drama "Whispers of the Heiress". The problem? She hated the show and never finished it. Armed with her corporate experience and an unhealthy number of short drama binge sessions, Lin Xi refuses to follow the script. Everything is going perfectly-until the supposed "real heiress," Bai Lian, waltzes in with a paternity test, claiming Lin Xi's life as her own. Lin Xi worked too hard to let some imposter take everything away. If Bai Lian wants a fight, then she just walked into the wrong drama. ~ Brace yourselves; it's a fast ride. ~~~~~~~ This short story is based on Prompt #48 of the ONC 2025. 48: A fake paternity test threatens to tear apart the family you've built, as an imposter seeks to claim your rightful place as heir. ~~~~ Cover by maskedinthelight (myself)

On the run, Willow stumbles into a bandit ambush and is rescued by a lone traveler. He reluctantly agrees to help protect her on the forest paths if she can guide him to his destination. His distant demeanor suddenly changes after she returns his cloak, not realizing he is a selkie, nor aware that if someone returns a selkie's cloak, the selkie falls in love with them. As they travel, she discovers that he's everything she ever wanted in a husband, but learns that it comes at a cost - and that cost is his freedom. Note: If you're looking for a typical lore-based selkie story, I'm afraid you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a hopeful selkie and an uninformed human, then you have come to the right place. ONC 2025 awards: Ambassador's pick award, Round 2 winner, and Short List award. Based on the Open Novella Contest prompt #110: "20 days of freedom." Cover was made with incredible patience by: SayWatt74 (Cardin Watts)

[CLOSED FOR 2025] Astania's ONC book club dedicated to supporting participants with a stress-free, supportive environment. Anyone participating in the ongoing Open Novella Contest is eligible to enter! You can choose any member's book to read, and receive engagement on your own book in the process! Every month, the most engaged member will receive a shout-out from the profile. For 2025, there is no minimum reading requirement. See our profile for year-round book clubs!