Hiya Fam!
After dedicated reading through your amazing submissions, our team picked these following stories. It was not an easy decision at all and we hope you will like them.

>Parasite by pixelmum

"I like the world building of this story and the idea from the prompt is just amazing, pure creativity."

Q: How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

A: I've been here since covid lockdown in 2020, and I stay because of the amazing community of writers that I've met here.

Q: Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

A: This was a story for ONC 2024, inspired by the prompt "You were cursed to crave love, but those who love you suffer the worst of fates".

Q: Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

A: Heems is kind and caring as a doctor, but xyr rare vampirism renders xem guilt-ridden for draining the energy of xyr patients, though xe takes only tiny amounts while they sleep. Heems and desperate for any human connections and its extremely vulnerable despite being an apex predator. I connect with xem because I'm non-binary and wanted to explore a future where Earth is not hetero-, amato- or cis-normative.

Q: What makes you keep going with this story?

A: The ONC camaraderie and festival atmosphere made me eager to keep writing even though the final few chapters were like pulling teeth!

Q: Looking back at the story you wrote so far, is there anything you would have done differently?

A: The book is very fast-paced with cliffhangers at each chapter end. When I edit it I'll let it show a little so that the world can be taken in more steadily by the reader.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a writer?

A: I write to navigate my queerness, and also to exercise my plotter mind! I adore setting up foreshadowing and using symbolism in my books. 

Q: Do you want to share a message with Wattpad?

A: Live every month like it's Pride Month! The best thing that you can be is yourself!

Q: Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

A: I would like to tag everyone at @FreeTheLGBT and their Rainbow Bookclub for supporting my books. Before I joined the club I had very few readers. Now I feel like my work is enjoyed by dedicated readers and supportive fellow writers. It's a wonderful community. 

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

>Echoes of the Reach by Oxviola 

"The world building is super awesome and the characters are very lovable."

Q: How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

A: I've been actively reading and posting on Wattpad for about two and a half years now, though my account's a little older. Like many people, I keep writing here for the community aspects. Not only does interacting with my readers bring even more fun to every story I create, but there's so much advice and support available here too. No matter what you write, there's a community here to help you grow and keep you motivated during the long process of bringing your story to life!

Q: Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

A: Echoes of the Reach' draws a lot from the fantasy adventure games of my childhood. Its core plot follows a similar micro-to-macro escalation common to roleplaying games such as 'Final Fantasy', while retaining the character-driven drama found in tabletop gaming campaigns. Bringing those senses of questing and freedom to an atypical, scrap-punk fantasy setting was a big motivator for me to write this story.

Q: Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

A: The main character, Talwyn, is a quiet, mellow individual. A childhood spent growing up alone on an isolated ranch, she's learned to be independent and deal with her discomforts (both mundane and magical) by herself. As such, family and friends are rare and precious relationships for her, which is something that really resonated with me and those past times where I also felt like an outcast for my interests, my emotions, or my identity.

Travelling with Talwyn is her one close friend, Kerensa, who is very much the opposite to her companion. Kerensa is a bubbly, confident extrovert, ready to embrace new friends and come to Talwyn's defence at a moment's notice, often to the neglect of her own concerns. This eagerness to put off my own issues to help others is also something that, looking back, I recognise a lot from my own life, and it's a difficult habit to break. 

Q: What makes you keep going with this story?

A: There's a fun to crafting a living, breathing world filled with colourful and complex characters that never fades, not even in the gritty work of editing and rewriting. Talwyn and co feel like old friends at this point, and working to bring their individual stories to life alongside this grand, dizzying narrative brings me so much satisfaction even now. Plus, sharing them with others and seeing readers invest in the characters and their world provides a motivation unlike anything else.

Q: Looking back at the story you wrote so far, is there anything you would have done differently?

A: I'd definitely have introduced the villains sooner! The early chapters focus on following the loose threads of a faceless conspiracy, yet the distance between Talwyn and co and the threats they face turned out to be much, much broader than I anticipated. Combined with time spent bringing two disparate groups of heroes together, there's a lot of reading involved before the story's central evil is revealed, and looking back, I could have made that revelation a lot sooner. Still, it's a fun journey regardless!

Q: What is your favorite part of being a writer?

A: I love having the energy and ability to turn my stray ideas into tangible stories. There's no joy like sharing my strange daydreams and seeing them bring joy to others - and, of course, getting to hear their stories in return!

Q: Do you want to share a message with Wattpad?

A: Keep supporting each other! Connecting with other writers and sharing your stories isn't just the best way to improve and promote your writing, but it's also an invaluable source of guidance and motivation. There are always going to be times when writing feels difficult, and having real support networks to lean on in those times is such a big help.

Q: Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

A: I could tag so many people, but I shall limit myself to a select few. To @MiniMoxx @-DeeIsDead- @allrenwrote @sandydragon1 @AnnamitaMuscaria and @AtheinaVismark - you all have gotten me through so many tough times, and you've helped me both improve as a writer and come to appreciate the skills I have and the things I've created. Without you (and countless others), I probably wouldn't still be writing at all, so thank you all so so much!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

> Roots by starrylovee

"I love the way the writer expresses their emotions with those words."

Q: How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

A: I've been on Wattpad since 2010 unofficially reading fanfiction, and officially made an account in 2015 when I started posting my own writing. I've stayed ever since, because I grew up on it reading and writing, and I think it's the best place to post one's writing. It's near and dear to my heart

Q: Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

A: I buddy-wrote it for the ONC this year with my fiancee. I wanted a small project like a novella I could write since I didn't have a lot of free time on my hands so a challenge like the ONC seemed perfect. I read through their prompts and one of these, prompt #94, struck me. It stated 'I will become as monstrous as I must.' I found it very inspiring and I wanted to build a story around it that facilitated characters becoming monstrous in their actions and personalities because they must, physically and/or emotionally. My story wound up containing both, one with each of the MCs.

Q: Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

A: Umirin is an anxious overthinker who struggles with self-esteem and self-expression, and ultimately has a deep and somewhat obssessive attachment to his husband because Shanirin is all he has in life. He is prepared to do anything to protect him, and he does, including ultimately giving up his metaphorical humanity at the end. Shanirin, on the other hand, is a very gentle, loving and open person that always tries to look for the positives, full of faith in the goodness of others. He adores his husband and feels like he must take care of him because of his husband's emotional struggles. He, too, is prepared to do anything to stay with his husband, up to and including doing horrible things and burning all bridges (literally lol) and giving up his own physical humanity in the end. They're meaningful to me because they represent character types I enjoy reading, but mostly because my lovely fiancee loves them, and so her infectious enthusiasm has me sharing in that love even more.

Q: What makes you keep going with this story?

A: I often struggle to finish my WIPs and Roots was no different, but my fiancee's support and encouragement made all the difference in motivating me to reach the finish line.

Q: Looking back at the story you wrote so far, is there anything you would have done differently?

A: Roots is a novella so I had a word count limitation, which means that there was only so much depth I could go into into without violating the limit. If I had the freedom to let it be as long as I wanted, I'd go into more depth and detail developing all the aspects of it, but especially the worldbuilding, which is my favourite part of storytelling.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a writer?

A: Worldbuilding. I love worldbuilding. I'm a huge nerd for science, history, geography etc. and worldbuilding allows me to indulge all those nerdy passions freely.

Q: Do you want to share a message with Wattpad?

A: Unrelated to writing but I want to express love and support to anyone struggling with anything in their life right now. Things suck sometimes but do your best to be kind to yourself all the same, because the world often won't be, so it's down to you to give yourself that grace

Q: Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

A: @dragonthusiast My biggest support and inspiration, my muse, my love. You make every moment worth living, and I would be in shambles without you. I love you so

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

> No Strings Attached by MultiFandomLunatic

Q: How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

A: I've been on Wattpad since May 2023. I've never connected with a writing community as much as this, and I adore the engagement I have with my readers, many of which I'd consider my friends.

Q: Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

A:It came like a flash of lightning; it was sudden and it struck me. No Strings Attached is a soulmate AU, red-stringed lovers and everything - with a twist. Nico cuts off his string, jeopardising any fate he was once given. 

I love playing around with AUs and tropes, and putting a spin on one that I love to read about is definitely something I enjoy doing. So, it made perfect sense to write No Strings Attached.

Q: Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

A: Nico di Angelo is the main character, and I really do relate to him in so many ways. He is quiet but sassy, allowing for quick quips but most only shared between him and the readers. I find myself in the same situations often. It felt like I was writing my own experiences through Nico. 

The story also goes out of it's way to show Percy as Nico's friend, but also someone who enables transphobia. But Nico likes Percy, and even though he is absolutely not a transphobe, he can still be friends with Percy... right? I had a similar situation a little before I published a story, where someone I once considered a friend proved to be a bigot. And while the decision to leave behind my (ex)friend was a tough one, I'd do it again a million times.

Q: What makes you keep going with this story?

A: I adored the concept of the story. The simple, yet brand-new twist to such a well-loved trope is very like me, and I can only describe writing the twists as satisfying. I felt like I was a reader too - waiting to get to the good parts. And concluding the story the way I did also felt like the right decision. Also... I have a philosophy that the best stories have epilogues, and I definitely couldn't leave without one.

Q: Looking back at the story you wrote so far, is there anything you would have done differently?

A: I would've written the death of one of the characters in the story, Jason, differently. Honestly, I think it came a little out of left field, and I would've liked to hint at it much more, as well as flesh out the subplot. It had an enormous impact on the characters and their emotional journies, so I would definitely say that the death of Jason is something I would've done differently. Though, I still love the story for what it is.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a writer?

A: My favourite part of being a writer is being able to string together words the way I do. It's an art form, just as vivid and moving, and I find I appreciate the narrative aspect of it. I could delve a lot deeper into my love for writing; probably write a book about it!

Q: Do you want to share a message with Wattpad?

A: I would like to say that wattpad has changed the way I look at writing and helped me discover my passion for it, so I suppose the only appropriate message is "thank you!"

Q: Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

A: I would like to thank all my readers because they are a large part of what makes writing and posting here enjoyable. I love all of you, and I'll continue writing for as long as I can. Mwah! Mwah!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

To be continued in the next chapter...

Meanwhile, did you check out our Bingo? It's available right here. We'll give the winners a shoutout on our message board <3

A sticker for BOTM will be available in the next chapter.

[Disclaimer: Please note, this event and its rules are the creation of a team of Ambassadors (volunteers) and is in no way affiliated with Wattpad or its staff. Selection of said stories is entirely run by our team and is not the responsibility of Wattpad or its staff. This title is not a contest or a challenge, it's just a monthly event to support writers.]

Warm vibes,

The LGBTQAIP+ Family