Onc2025 Stories

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

Some roads aren't meant to be traveled alone... because they can kill. | On her way home after a long day of work, the most talented basket weaver in Sitio Sanstorya clashes with her childhood bullies. Luckily for Mila, an eligible bachelor from the same village comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, Lucca also happens to be the neighborhood's most notorious flirt and sweet-talking cadger. Before she could shoo him away, the road she travels almost every day of her life transforms into a dark and terrifying place. Now Mila has no choice but to rely on her equally frightened yet surprisingly protective companion. She will have to resist Lucca's rapt stares and constant flattery until they find their way home. And until they escape the monsters hunting them down.

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.

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.

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.

How would you feel if you suddenly woke up one day with no memory? Annoyed? Frightened? Or maybe anxious? To make matters worse, you are on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, with strangers who also have no recollection of who they are. When Daisy finds herself on the Titanic, knowing nothing more than her own name - thanks to a picture on her night stand - trusting oneself proves to be much more difficult than one would think. A newspaper from 1912 makes it feel like the present - until others insist it's actually 20XX, leaving her trapped in a whirlwind of confusion and doubt. Is this reality... or reverie? ------------------------------------------------- Based on prompt 42: A group of people wake up with no memory and find themselves adrift on an old steam passenger liner. The name? Titanic.

A successful lawyer meets a carpenter through an AI (artificial intelligence) software, hoping to find love. But what they find is more than what they bargained for. __________________________________________________________ Ursula has all the book smarts and not an ounce of social skills. After a year of loneliness, she decided to take matters into her own hands and completes the creation of Adelaide--a brilliant AI meant to help people like her make real life connections. Looking for potential clients to test her theory out, the librarian hoped that Adelaide would function properly. But as the AI came to life, this matchmaking scheme of Ursula's might not end up as well as she once believed. The Clients: Erica Cresswell, a single mother who works hard to make a living for herself and her son, happens to be a successful lawyer. Most would say that Erica was doing well, but all that was missing in her life was a man, as her fiancé passed away a few years ago. Yet, her best friend, Claudia, played matchmaker to keep her friend happy. Although, all of Claudia's attempts failed, the women meet Ursula, an uncanny librarian, who might have the answer to Erica's problems. Halfway around the world, Esteban Novicio wasn't having much luck in life either. After being dumped by his girlfriend and losing a client over a rival, he didn't know what else to do. That is, until his best friend, Commodore, introduced him to an AI dating site, which led him to meet Erica's avatar. ~ ~ ~ ~ Written for the 2025 ONC & using the following prompts: Prompt 40: You were once a character in a deleted story, now lost and memoryless in the library. All you recall is your former importance. To rewrite your backstory, you must first outwit the ghost librarian, who won't stop offering unsolicited advice. & Prompt 131: "This girl is on fire!"

• 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.

🏆 ONC and Ambys 2025 Round Three Qualifier 🏆 Ivy Rosewood - or Ivonne, as her parents call her - never wanted to be a princess. Her role always fit her beautiful and charming older sister Eloise much better, but now that they are both receiving marriage proposals from foreign kingdoms, she's forced into that role as well. Unruly and with a tough attitude, her parents never loved her that much, waiting for the best opportunity to marry her off and send her to a backwater country. On the other hand, her precious sister gets to be married to Maximus Anderson, the dashing heir to the throne of Gloria, the perfect fairytale kingdom. Ivy doesn't mind it, though. She never envisioned a happy ever after - only a mundane, comfortable life where she can truly be herself. But what happens when Maximus fails in love with her, and she reciprocates her feelings? The whole world, including their beloved Eloise, will stand in her way and write her as the villain. She won't accept that. She'll write a story of her own, no matter what it takes. And it all begins with the spin of a spindle. *** Based on Prompt 61.

125. "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer." Stumbling upon a note with the New Year's resolution she made at the beginning of the year, Nova resolves to try and honour it. There are six days left until the new year. Can she bring herself to overcome her fear and 'make 5 friends' before the year is through? *Slice of Life *Roughly inspired by my having watched Komi Can't Communicate recently, dealing with the same themes of social awkwardness and anxiety. And I took some inspiration for the chapter titles ^^

onc 2025

Prompt 75. You've worn a mysterious ring since childhood, but one day it opens to reveal a tiny creature telling you it's been trapped inside all along and more secrets are on the way. Greta Shrub is about to turn fourteen years of age, but growing up in the home of her heartless Aunt, Mrs Vivora Grogan has not been easy. Enduring loneliness and cruelty, at the hands of her Aunt and her three spoilt cousins, Greta Shrub's stark and unfortunate childhood only acts to strengthen her resolve and her natural independence of spirit. These qualities of character prove especially essential when an unexpected and previously unknown visitor arrives at her door. But what does her sinister Uncle Ulric know about Greta's past and future? And what is his interest in the mysterious Garnet Ring that Greta has worn about her neck since childhood? And what is the Garnet Ring's relationship to the magical but mystifying occurrences that have become a feature of Greta's lonely life? Do these curious incidents have any connection to a high-school named Snapdragon's Academy, that Greta has heard whispers about? Could this society be the key to her escape from her ruthless relations who wish to use Greta's new supernatural powers in their unscrupulous schemes?

"You are my voice, and I am your eyes," Audrey wrote to Ellis in their shared dream. Audrey Theodore, who is mute, has spent her entire life hiding a secret-she is a comic book artist in a world where art and entertainment are forbidden. Ellis Rowen, a blind orphan, works as a call center representative. When he is alone, he plays the violin-a passion he keeps hidden from others. Since birth, Ellis and Audrey have been connected through their dreams. They share their knowledge and art in this unseen world. Ellis plays emotional music that touches Audrey's heart, while in his sleep, he sees the fictional worlds she creates. Together, they inspire one another. ONC Prompts Main Prompt 77. In a world where art and entertainment are forbidden, you're born to challenge the system and change the world. Other Prompts 102. What is science, if not magic governed by laws instead of emotions? 123. »I'm unstoppable. I'm a Porsche with no brakes. I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game« - Unstoppable, Song by Sia 125. »Fear is the mind-killer.« - Quote by Frank Herbert Dune 129. »The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time.«

**ONC 2025 LONG LIST** Eros (Cupid) gets rejected by Psyche for a newly-revived Narcissus. Convinced he is a failure who does not live up to his job description, Eros quits in anger and embarrassment, breaking his bow and his vows and retiring to Florida. -- After Hell's major overhaul, Kelsia-a repentant succubus and a hopeless romantic-finally gets a chance to earn her angelic wings back. That chance? Find Cupid a match and bring him back to work. -- Will they bring love and fireworks back to humanity, or will they doom all life to fizzle out like a sad, loveless, deflated balloon? This story contains strong language but no planned explicit scenes. Please do not skip the introductory chapter for trigger warnings.

Life hasn't been easy for Emilia. She's bullied at school and her sister recently died. But her life might get better when a store shaped like a dinosaur appears that only Emilia can see. Or it might get much worse and considerably more dangerous. She is the Chosen One, after all. Not like anyone knows what that means. Join Emilia and her unlikely new friends as they try to save her town from creatures that no one else can see. There's a trend of not seeing stuff here, isn't there. Oh, there's aliens too. 👽 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm doing something new this time and creating a playlist for the story with a song for each chapter. I have a feeling most of the songs will be quirky and poppy since that will probably reflect the tone of the story. If that's not your jam, feel free to skip the videos. Just choosing songs that I feel fit the vibe of the chapters. Also, I've seen other people were doing playlists and I can't be cool unless I do one too. ____________________________________________________________ Written for the ONC prompt #138- "Hello, I would like one of these," you said, pointing to the shelf, only for the shopkeeper to freeze, their eyes narrowing. "Oh, so you can see this shop?" ___________________________________________________________ TRIGGER WARNINGS: Bullying (If reading about this is upsetting to you, you may want to skip Chap 2) Divorce/Separation Death of a sibling

Assassin Clubroom- a secretive clubroom formed by a group of mysterious students at Acebridgeton. Unaware of this club activities and closed-door group talks. Rhea Hart decides to join this club and gets involved with the members. What started as an innocent curiosity of her made her follow the unknown path of dangers ahead. ♤ Participating for onc 2025 with this book! Support your author!

As a princess takes her final steps towards her inevitable sacrifice, her only thoughts circle around the idea of death. A death predetermined by a prophecy. One that will grant her brother king his victory in war. Cast into the depths of the sea, Princess Anthea must confront her brother's betrayal and everything her new world entails. As ancient forces stir and her body begins to change, Anthea's destiny becomes entangled with the fate of her kingdom and the looming battle against her brother's ambitions. Will she reclaim her place, or will the prophecy drown everything she once knew? ONC2025

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?

-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 ?