Shortlist Stories

ONC2026 Short List/ Round 1 Embassadors Pick Summer Peterson and her best friend Whitney are both pulled into their unfinished script, a romanticized 1932 crime noir. In the script world Summer and Whitney are pulled apart. Though a series of accidents, Summer pulls an unconscious man into a shack. When he comes to he mistakenly thinks he's been kidnapped. He is none other than Sabastian Lorenzo the powerful Don of the Black Orchid Syndicate! So what does a frightened modern girl do when trapped in a 1932 crime word? She becomes a mafia boss herself! And she bootlegs too! Not whiskey, but modern movies turned into money making theater productions! She's not your average crime leader. And he's not your average villain. All Summer wants to do is find her friend Whitney and return home. Yet everytime she meets with Lorenzo, they cannot help but be drawn to each other. Romantic Comedy / Crime Noir / Meta‑Fiction

[Watty's 2021 Shortlister] Two girls. Separated. Connected. For Anna, her world is one of privilege and safety. A lonely prison. Ken lives with complete freedom, but her world is one of darkness and danger around every corner. When their worlds collide, neither knows if the other is real or only a dream. To find out, each must undertake a journey that takes them far from the worlds they know, into the unknown. 🥇1st place in the Sci-Fi category of "The Temeraire Awards"! (1 Mar 2021) 🥇1st place (tied) in the Sci-Fi category of "The Rainbow Awards"! 🥈2nd place in "Hello 2021 Awards"! 🥈2nd place, Sci-Fi category, of the "One In A Million Awards"! (11 Oct 2021) Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture.

Writing saga ....

Aled is a gay man in a soldier's uniform. Unhappy with the turn his country is taking, Aled seizes the opportunity to enter a mysterious portal into the strange, primitive world of Thera. Finding himself trapped there, Aled discovers Marius, a man left to wander blindly in the wilderness. Surrounded by intrigue, Aled and Marius must find a way to trust each other, to save both themselves and Thera's Lady. 2022 AMBY AWARDS Winner for Alternate Universe stories. Finalist for the Open Novella Contest 2017/8. Sci-Fi and LGBT ♥ **Edited version now available on Amazon etc with the title PORTAL**

A story loosely based on a dream I had that takes place where everyone are trolls from homestuck. (Similar to them)

In Imperia, power is a delicate, all-consuming game. So when young Lady Sylnavi's father commissions her to quietly destroy a political rival, she's thrilled. Impress, and she earns her place as her powerful father's right hand. Fail, and -- well, there is no such thing as failure, is there? But when the rival turns out to be the first person she's ever met who can match her own ruthless cunning, the plan gets more complicated. After all, if he's smarter than her father... wouldn't it make more sense to switch sides? As her father and his rival vie for her loyalty, she must decide what is most important: family, love, or her own unending ambition. ~ * ~ Shortlister in ONC 2025 Prompts 52 and 123 Main: Let's play the game of colors: you paint me red because you love me, and I'll paint you black because I want you gone. Secondary: »I'm unstoppable. I'm a Porsche with no brakes. I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game« - Unstoppable by Sia ____________________ Cover © 2025 Avadel Ink Authorized solely on wattpad.com/avadel

*wattys 2018 shortlist* *writer's awards sci-fi winner* It all started with an accident. Through vast consolidation begets a single empire bordering on the mere idea of war with an enemy threatening to destroy its entire existence, starting from the inside. Many call it tyranny, others, vengeful menace, but it's taking them down. One by one. A series of events follow, including a spy, a plan destined to fail and a desperate offer that puts everything on the line. She wasn't what they were hoping for. But they take what they can get. Once rejected by the place they called home, five estranged teens jump at the opportunity for an escape. Thrust into an unknown underwater society at random, it's a gamble for life and death, win or lose. Fast forward to friendship, rivalry, loyalty, borderline sorcery, and a second home that'll change their lives as they know it. But as the days grow by, and the game of cat and mouse breaks its final straw, blending in a world not meant for them is not as easy as it seems. Especially when you try to save a colony whilst saving yourself. *this story is/will be rewriting. [minimal changes] The plot will generally be the same, I'm just removing some plot holes and grammatical inconsistencies* #974 dysotopian - out of 1.8k stories #442 science fiction - out of 5.9k stories

[WATTYS 2018 SHORTLIST] 125 years after the total collapse of society and government, North and South America unite into a singular technologically sophisticated Continent. Their once closed doors now open to the rest of the world, the Continent is a safe haven for asylum seekers from other war-torn countries across the Atlantic. However, the Continent hides secrets behind smiles, and deceit behind decency. A short, one-part story about a young refugee in seek of utopia, and instead discovers not everything is as it seems once you look beneath the surface.

*A Watty's 2021 Shortlister* Three months and twenty-five days. The last time Hadley Brown saw her brother alive. When Tanner commits suicide, the entire town is shaken but no one is more lost than Hadley. Grief-stricken and aimless, Hadley's life seems likes it's stuck in a never-ending replay of her brother's death. But when Tanner reappears in the form of a series of tasks inside of thirty-one carefully constructed letters, she is forced to confront her fears of living life without her brother by her side. With a goal to finish all of the letters by the end of summer and the help of a boy who just can't seem to stay away, Hadley embarks on an epic path of healing and love. ________________ *Note: this novel discusses themes around suicide, grief, healing, love, and personal growth. While the main intention of the novel is to focus on the grieving and healing process that occurs after losing a loved one, aspects of mental health and suicide are prominent throughout the entirety of the novel. This could be triggering for some readers so please be advised of these themes before reading this novel. *Cover made by the fabulous @aneonsky*

In a world of fractured magic and hidden truths, one girl's forgotten past could be the key to saving everything-or destroying it all. Tajana Pomoći has no memory of the first seven years of her life. Her foster father claims it's due to trauma, but a long-buried secret threatens to shatter her entire reality. Just as she successfully completes her Joint Trial with Chadwick, the Code Keeper sends her on a perilous mission to rescue her Mentor, Savannah Tully. But this task is merely the beginning of a journey that will unravel everything Tajana thought she knew about herself. As Tajana completes her rescue mission, disaster strikes. The Code Breaker launches an attack on Blackthorn and Burtree, endangering her Protégé Chadwick and her mysterious friend Thea. With hundreds of Alchemists and Chemists now in danger at Blackthorn, Tajana resolves to join the Giver and make a difference in the Alchemical war. Her choice to join the Personas sends her on a path to uncover the truth of her own past. Reunited in Verdandi, Chadwick and Thea agree to join the Giver's Fledgling Squad with Tajana, only to face a harrowing Trial of Entry-a rescue mission back in the Code Breaker's stolen stronghold. The stakes soar as they navigate this dangerous territory, complicated further by Chadwick's mysterious Affliction, a result of breaking an Oath to save Thea's life. His corrupted Spirit now threatens to unravel their plans and his very existence. As Tajana fights to keep Chadwick alive and complete their mission, she must confront her own past-but will unlocking her memories save them all, or unleash a power that could shatter their fragmented world forever?

Marithyda Skyelorn has learned the hard way not to trust royals, but to defeat the wicked King Harlan she may have no choice but to turn to the ruler of a mysterious kingdom across the Sea. ***** With the help of an unexpected ally within the castle, Marithyda and Sabin have barely managed to escape imprisonment following the disastrous Royal Exposition. Racing against King Harlan's forces, they aim to discover the truth once and for all about the kingdom of Magus Opté. Meanwhile, Princess Taileen Winship, the newly-appointed Commander of the Karvothian military, only has two directives: continue to hide her powers from the rest of the Kingdom, and recapture Marithyda Skyelorn. In the long-awaited sequel to Shadow Witch, powers will be tested, unlikely romances will blossom, and allegiances will be changed forever. (Book Two of the Skyelorn Chronicles trilogy) [[2022 WATTYS Winner, Sequel]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: Some scenes contain violence and mentions of self-harm that may upset sensitive readers [[Word Count: 90,000-100,000]]

Willow Beck would do anything to prove that the Westbury Faery exists, but Willow's desperate hunt for the truth might cost her everything. ⭐️This is a short story WINNER for the Westbury Farey writing contest. Now published by Tiny Owl Workshop. The full book may be purchased on their website.⭐️

Watty's Shortlist: Wild Card! All Forty knows is blood. It's what she drinks, what's spilled from her. The life of a Chupa, a person infected with the Chupacabra virus, is not easy, especially for a damaged one like Forty. Unlike her brethren, Forty has a low drive for blood and relatively undeveloped predatory features. Thirty-Seven is everything Forty isn't. He's loud, angry, and a top specimen. When the two clash, a series of unfortunate events lead to a strained partnership and many questions. How far will humans go to save themselves? What will you do for the one you love? How can you grow in a world that so badly wants to hold you back? It will be bloody, but Forty will answer for herself. *not Beta read* *currently under heavy editing*

Shortlist Finalist in 2024 Nano Watt. Iron Man's plan to build an Iron Man legion upsets Count Dooku and many United Republic Senators. In addition the increasing reliance Chancellor Palpatine has on Iron Man and Shield is the catalyst for the formation of a new government called the Confederacy of Independent Nations. The Confederacy of Independent Nations seperates from the United Republic. Deemed Seperatist by a suspicious pro Republic media, Shield declares war along with the United Republic against the Seperatist. To expedite what is projected to be a long war; Shield Director Nick Fury reveals Agent Phil Coulson is alive. Coulson is ordered to lead an elite squad of Shield Agents: Melinda May expert field agent and pilot, Grant Ward an elite espionage agent, Leopold Fitz engineer, designer, and physicist, Jemma Simmons Biochemist, and medical expert, and a hacker named Skye who was hired by Dooku's apprentice Asajj Ventress and is conscripted by Phil Coulson to join Shield. This group will work with Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and Skywalker's new apprentice Ahsoka Tano to stop Count Dooku's quest for data related to the secret project Iron Man is working on to strengthen his powerful Droid army. The new team's first lead is a mysterious agent of Dooku's named the Clairvoyant. The Clairvoyant seemingly can predict Coulson's moves and evade Kenobi and his Jedi allies. Coulson soon learns that his mysterious resurrection from death is connected to the Clairvoyant and could be the key to ending the Clone Wars.

|Round 2 Winner| |Round 3 Ambassador Pick| |Shortlist| Rhiannon "Banjo" Hart is a professional thief working her last ever job. The Hawk has promised a massive payout if she can steal data from Concorda International and Banjo needs the money to help her Mum get hospital treatment, but she is not sure The Hawk will stick to the adage of "honour amongst thieves". In her escape, she meets an android that adds complication after complication to her already complex life. Banjo needs to outrun the authorities, Concorda's security and The Hawk.

Shortlist Story

In a world where the majority no longer dream, and happy thoughts are easily lost, nineteen-year-old Eli sells memories. With no family or home, the young man travels the country dealing to those in need. When he runs out of memories to sell, Eli heads to the town of Los Demonios hoping to find someone to harvest from. Ashlyn carries dreams which others have lost inside her. Her thoughts are filled with recollections belonging to people she's never met. Haven is an albino Kadisin, a half-mortal, half-angel who must kill in order to survive. He is a man plagued by seventy years of things he's seen and done. Welcome to my entry for the 2021 ONC! I'm using prompt number 29 "I am in the mood to dissolve in the sky." -Virginia Woolf ONC Shortlister 2021. Added to The Badass King reading list on @BadassReads. Second place in the @PrettyInPunk Mystery and Thriller awards. Warning for typical Christine darkness, swearing, some sexual and romantic themes.