✨On Hiatus✨ ONC 2023 Shortlister {HUNGER GAMES meets EMBER with a dab of 5TH WAVE vibes} From the moment Star drew her first breath, the unending conflict between humankind and extraterrestrial forces had been an inescapable reality. For as long as she could remember, she had called the subterranean depths home, honing her skills in the art of survival within the clutches of the dark. As the relentless war wages on above the earth's surface, Star finds herself ensconced within the underworld labyrinth of three distinct factions, each vying for power and influence. Amidst the ceaseless destruction that threatens to consume everything she has ever known, Star is confronted with a daunting choice: to participate in this Decades games, a ruthless and unforgiving competition that promises absolute dominion for the victor. With resources dwindling and time running out, Star finds herself faced with a harrowing choice. Will she take up the challenge and risk everything to participate in the legendary games? For the victors, the ultimate prize awaits: the power to rule over all. ✨Round One Qualifier in 2023 Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Two Qualifier in 2023 Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Three Longlist in 2023 Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Four Shortlist in 2023 Open Novella Contest✨ #ONC2023 | Prompt 67 | Prompt 6 ‼️ Content/Trigger Warning: Contains gore, violence, some strong language. All rights belong to the author and no reproductions are allowed without the permission of @Renaissance111. Please respect the author's copyright. 😊❤️ 2023 C.S. Marie

When his vampire blood begins to poison him, dhampir Elio Starling falls into hallucinations. As the delusions get darker, and the line between reality and dreams blurs, he believes he is losing his mind. There is only one soul he can confide in, a mermaid and part-time lover named Lux who suffers from an intolerance to the cold. Unable to live in open waters and fearful of the outside world, she refuses to leave the villa she shares with Lio. When Elio meets Zillah in a bar he frequents, he is instantly captivated and will do anything to get close. But the young stranger plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse and pulls Lio into a world of wicked delights, opium dens, prostitutes, and violence. Prompts used: 43. You have waited a thousand years to find your true love, what's one more day? 51. The problem with red flags is that I'm attracted to them Welcome to my ONC entry! Following tradition, the title of my story has a name/nickname in it. This is my 6th year entering and my 8th story! I've been short-listed 3 times and have enjoyed every year, every story, every new friend made. I hope you'll enjoy My Dark Beloved. Comments and feedback are more than welcome. Now for the disclaimer: dark stuff involved ( drugs, alcohol, cursing, sex, violence, murder, blood, mental health issues, etc.). This story is rated Mature but stays within the guidelines. This tale has been influenced by Lost Souls, Velvet Goldmine, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and a whole bunch of other amazing, dark, and deep stories and movies I've read and seen over the years. My story is only available on Wattpad. If you see it elsewhere, know I haven't put it up or OKed it. Updates whenever. Happy reading!

An ONC 2023 Entry. For many centuries the Kingdom of Nivaria only knew peace. However, when an unstoppable monster from the past resurfaces, the mages are put to the test. Marla, a once confident descendant of the powerful High Elder Estarosa, begins to wonder if their power will be enough to stop it. Nightmares have begun to plague the minds of the people and they have started coming true. Are these signs warning of a dangerous future or are they the monster's power? With no choice but to stand up and fight, Marla embarks on a journey to locate a famous Wizard for help. Prompts used: 64 64. You come from the first bloodline that has produced powerful magicians for centuries to keep the world safe. So what does it mean when you, the xxth descendant, are born with the power to nullify the magic? Will update as the contest goes on. I plan to post the first chapter soon. Stay tuned! **Contains occasional swearing and some scenes of violence & blood.** Book Cover made by myself through Canva (2/7/23)

Talk about fish out of water... Last week, Marlon was just another mailroom clerk. This week, he's a diplomat on a mission of national security. He didn't train for this and he he's not equipped. Saying things are going to get interesting is an understatement. *** Marlon Smalls has been chosen as one of a handful of ambassadors to pass beyond the veil and into the LM, Land of Monsters. The goal is to see if us, humans that is, and them, the monsters beyond the veil, can coexist peacefully. If he succeeds, he'll be a hero and a pioneer. If he fails, he'll likely start a war.

He's an introverted romance-loving writer. She's a heartbroken girl who no longer believes in love. What if you were caught up with your polar opposite in the most tragic love story of all time? What if you had to help Romeo and Juliet fall in love again? What if Cupid and Aphrodite entrusted you with the mission of giving them a happy ending? Would you be able to resist love? A retelling of Romeo and Juliet's original script by William Shakespeare.

Five ordinary people. One risqué art exhibit. Many, many secrets. * * * This novella contains the stories of five individuals interweaved around a fictitious art exhibit called 'Kink: Attitudes Toward Sex, Then and Now' inspired by two ONC 2023 prompts: can we go back to the start when we were all strangers in the dark (#6) and three women, three secrets, three tangled lives (#15). * * * ONC 2023 Shortlister. This story is marked Mature for adult themes, language, and light erotica. It has been written under a pseudonym, but it is my original work.

The mission - colonize the slopes of Olympus Mons on Mars before the Pacific Alliance lands. The challenge - something isn't quite right with the site foreseen for the colony. Explorations reveal a cave where the support struts for the home dome are supposed to go. It gets worse - not only does the cave move, but it contains the impossible: a human skeleton. And there's a writing on the wall. What starts off odd, soon descends into total madness. But the next shuttle back to Earth doesn't launch until next year. ONC Prompt 59. The year is 2042. The first astronauts landed on mars. They find a cave with a single human skeleton and four words written on the wall.

Until recently, Mia's biggest challenge was attracting visitors to a province whose unsolved crime rate keeps climbing. After her Bear Claw Lake ice fishing tourism campaign gets axed because a body was discovered, an unusual stranger offers her unconventional help to catch a potential serial killer. Even with his help and that of her childhood friend from the affected community, the clues leave Mia with more questions than answers. But she must discover the truth to keep the province safe, get justice for the victims and save her job. Trigger warning: This story is related mature because there are brief mentions of the suicide of a family member having an effect on a supporting character as well as one scene that flashes back to child abuse in the form of neglect resulting in a near-death experience. Cover photo by Simon Wijers (from Unsplash)

Ethan Wong, an ex-prodigy violinist, thinks it's not meant to be. After his latest mental breakdown at his last violin competition, where he placed tenth out of ten contestants, he's not sure why his music professor appointed him the soloist for their New York concerto. Cameron Langley, the star college baseball athlete, believes it's meant to be. After being completely ghosted and shut out of Ethan's life after high school, he's finally found the man at a chance encounter at an overbooked hotel. More determined than he is to win his college's first championship, Cameron is desperate for answers and another shot at love with the guy who stole his heart. Will they face the music or strike out from each other's lives for good? -An Open Novella Contest 2023 Shortlister-

- ᴄᴀʀʟɪꜱʟᴇ - I've never been the type to get serious and settle down. Yet, whenever I see Esme, I always consider it even when it daunts me. A drunken night with the boys doesn't help when I'm suckered into a coin toss dare that flips all of my romantic intentions, and fears, up in the air. Now, for six weeks, I'm stuck with the girl who lives in the shadows. The girl no man pays attention to. The girl no man wants. - ᴊᴏᴅʜᴀ - I've been in love with him for over a year yet I've never made myself an object of attention to Carlisle - much preferring to admire every aspect of him from afar. When clubbing with the girls somehow lands me on his radar, I'm swept away by his charm. His humor. His relentless passion. Now, I'm with the man who lives in the limelight. The man every girl fawns over. The man every girl wants. But there's a part of me in disbelief because there's no way a guy like him could be into a girl like me. Right? ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀᴜ • ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ • ᴄᴀʀʟɪꜱʟᴇ × ᴏᴄ (Open Novella Contest 2023 Participant)