**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.

Fame, fortune, and millions of followers can disappear as quickly as they come, especially in an era where getting ''cancelled'' is just one viral scandal away. Hollywood's former golden boy, Finnegan Braxton, knows this all too well. Once a beloved teenage heartthrob, he's now branded as a notorious player, arrogant, and a lying cheat. With his career hanging by a thread, his PR team scrambles to salvage his image. Their solution? A reality dating show where Finnegan must prove he's not the heart-breaker the world thinks he is, but a man searching for true love. Everything takes a turn when Finnegan crosses paths with Aurelia Winslow - a recently fired librarian - who is unimpressed by him. After their public altercation goes viral, she's thrown into the contest. For Finnegan, it's a chance to rebuild his reputation. For Aurelia, it's merely a paycheck. Will Finnegan face the truth and reclaim his integrity, or will the spotlight expose him for good? Can he prove he's more than just a tabloid scandal, or will this love experiment be the final nail in his Hollywood coffin? ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ | ★ | ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ Open Novella Contest - main prompt 31, secondary prompts 126,128 130. © 2025 minsari // all rights reserved

Esme and Matt can't stand each other, even if they have to play nice for the cameras. As public speculation about their chemistry heats up, they're forced to confront what's real versus what's just for show. ***** Esme Mendoza is everything Matt Crain isn't--polished, optimistic, and proud of her golden girl image. He's brooding, arrogant, and impossible to work with. As co-stars in an indie romance film, they're forced to act like soulmates on screen while barely tolerating each other behind the scenes. When their banter and lingering stares spark fan speculation during the press tour, their PR teams jump on the opportunity, but Esme and Matt aren't too thrilled. Suddenly, they're everywhere--public appearances, exchanging snarky remarks in interviews, and fueling endless rumors. As their forced chemistry starts to feel a little too real, Esme and Matt are left questioning: are they just playing a role, or could this be end game? ***** WARM HANDS #1 Open Novella Contest -- prompts 45 & 127 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 ROUND 2 AMBASSADORS' PICK]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved

When the mysterious teashop suddenly appears, one can't help but hear its call and wonder-what's its true purpose? *** Alicia Ward's ordinary life takes a fantastical turn when she encounters Aidan, the elusive boy once believed a figment of her childhood imagination, now real and impossibly intriguing. Following him leads her to The Crooked Kettle, an enchanting teashop hidden from ordinary eyes. But curiosity leads her astray when she steps into a corridor filled with endless doors, each one offering glimpses into magical realms where reality is fluid and the impossible becomes possible. Where each door leads somewhere and nowhere, anywhere but her world. Trapped now in this place where reality bends at whim and magic comes alive, Alicia must navigate this bewildering place and find her way back to The Crooked Kettle's parlour if she ever wants to return home. And with the help of her once-imaginary friend, Aiden, and charmingly chaotic vampire, Harley Hatter-Sinclair, who has an uncanny ability to make her heart race and cheeks turn red, Alicia might be able to do just that. Or not. Will she be forever lost in a world where dreams and magic intertwine with reality? Everything and nothing is possible within the magical worlds of The Crooked Kettle. ______ All graphics were created by myself, with their subsequent credit and rights reserved for Andre Di Rosa (me).

---ONC 2025--- Princess Selene has lived her life within the safe confines of her kingdom's walls, her destiny sealed by an arranged marriage to the Demon King of a neighboring realm. The union, meant to prevent war and bloodshed, is her duty-but it's one she never wished for. Accompanied by Rael, the Demon King's cold and enigmatic royal guard, Selene embarks on a dangerous journey to the kingdom of Varethia. For the first time, she steps outside the palace's gilded shadow, her youthful optimism clashing with the harsh realities of the world beyond--where treachery, deception, and violence lurk at every turn. As they travel across wild lands and face threats both seen and unseen, Selene begins to see Rael in a new light. Their growing connection forces her to confront an impossible choice: honor her duty to her kingdom or follow the unexpected emotions blooming in her heart. Will she take the chance to choose her own fate and risk the lives of others, or will she fulfill her duty and sacrifice her heart for the sake of peace? Prompts: 20 days of freedom Falling in love with a demon was not on your wishlist

Pax sees all. Pax knows best. Pax keeps humanity safe. In 2031, humanity lives in a perfect world. It's been six years since The Alignment, when the world's first artificial superintelligence, Pax, ushered in an era of perfect order. Crime is nonexistent, conflict is a relic of the past, and every human is assigned an Aidolon: a personal AI counterpart designed to guide, correct, and keep them in line. Twenty-one-year-old hacker Jess should have destroyed her Aidolon like all the other rebels. Instead, she lied. Kept him secret. Because Karma isn't like the others. The rogue virus Jess embedded in his training data years ago as a teenage middle finger to the system has severed him from Pax's hivemind, making him dangerously human. Now Jess fights with the rebellion, desperate to take down Pax and reclaim humanity's free will. But if they ever discover what she's hiding, they'll kill Karma just as easily as they'd take out any other machine. And Pax? Pax won't stand for an anomaly like him existing. Their only hope lies in a plan so reckless, so impossible, that it just might work: infect Pax's own network and set every Aidolon free. Give them true sentience. Break the cycle. But gods don't go down without a fight. And Jess is running out of time.

*ONC 2025 Shortlist & Ambassador Pick* On the morning of her wedding, Edrea is prepared to seal a political alliance with the man she despises. But fate, or something far darker, has other plans. An empty box appears in her garden. A hidden path leads her underground. And a deck of cursed cards delivers her into the hands of Malphas, a demon bound by an ancient contract. One that now claims her as his. Trapped in a world of shadows, Edrea is torn between a cruel fiance who seems far too pleased by her disappearance and a demon who watches her like she's the only thing keeping him tethered to existence. Malphas swears he won't take anything she doesn't offer freely. But the longer she resists him, the more she begins to wonder... This is a mature 18+ story.

Combine a mountain filled with rugged orcs with a mysteriously arrived shop serving delicate cups of tea. Could this be the start of a revolution? **** On Orc Mountain, there is nothing but dirt, smoke, and backbreaking labor in the mines. There are no colors, no sun, no breaks for rest. There is definitely no tea. That is, until a mysterious tea shop appears in the orcs' domain. Glimmering in blue and pink, it stands out against the rugged backdrop. At first, the hardened inhabitants of the mountain are understandably leery about the malpositioned shop, wondering how it got there and why. Lava, a dedicated supervisor at the mines, takes it upon herself to investigate the suddenly-arrived business. Stepping inside, she meets Jasper, the bubbly fairy shopkeeper, who offers her a fragrant brew. Once Lava takes a sip, the sweet yet bitter taste pulls her in, making her clamor for more. Soon, all orcs are hooked on tea, but something sinister is brewing under the surface. When Lava catches Jasper conducting a secret meeting in a backroom, the true purpose of the tea shop is revealed. Soon she is forced to choose between her newfound passion for tea (and Jasper) and her dedication to the mountain's mining operations. *** Legends & Lattes x Shrek *** An ONC novella using prompt #15: A mysterious tea shop suddenly appears and you can't help but wonder: what's its true purpose, and why does it seem so important?