(ONC 2025 Longlist) "A missing woman. A chain of murder cases where the corpses refuse to stay dead. A cryptic phone. And an infuriatingly vague mystery texter." Superintendent Inspector Ahsan Kabbo has faced superhuman criminals, underground conspiracies, survived Freadmin's tyranny, and-most terrifying of all-Nishi's cooking. But nothing prepared him for this. Nishi Eumireqa-the woman who drove him insane, saved his life, and then disappeared without a trace after their final battle with the Head Father. No body, no farewell, just... gone. Everyone insists she's dead. Kabbo refuses to believe it. Then his phone starts acting possessed. Creepy messages. Random glitches. A mysterious informant who keeps dangling clues in front of him like a carrot to a very skeptical donkey. "Solve this case," they say, "and I'll think about telling you what you want to know." Kabbo would love to politely decline. Really. But he's bad at ignoring puzzles. Even worse at convincing people he's not crazy for chasing after a woman the world has already buried. Now, he's following cryptic songs, investigating a tea shop that shouldn't exist, and chasing the one woman who may not want to be found. And if he does find her? What's next? What awaits them after that? Will Kabbo outwit the world's most annoying informant? Or, for once in his life, will he have to accept defeat? (Mystery? Check. Thrills? Check. Chaos and comedy? Double check. And a detective who'd rather fight a chocolate mascot than his feelings? Check ♾️. If that's your vibe-welcome home, my dear!)

[ONC 2025 Longlister] One Valentine's Day gone wrong causes a college girl to make her own reality; one where she can finally be loved. No one warned Amara how dangerous love could be though, and after fiddling around with the latest cutting edge technology, she soon finds herself trapped, both physically and mentally, in a realm between reality and fantasy. Living a life fueled by dreams, will Amara ever find her way--or satisfaction--in the real world again? ~ONC 2025~ Prompt: 60. The magic of the library takes its toll-a love story so powerful that its echoes span eternity. But as you write, you fall in love with the character you've created. What happens when the line between fiction and reality begins to blur? *~*~*~Beautiful cover made by avadel at Avadel Ink!~*~*~*

| ONC ROUND 1 WINNER | A much-needed, relaxing afternoon listening to music becomes complicated and potentially dangerous when a burnt-out young woman receives unexpected company - two bands from her playlist. Their discomfort at this sudden temporal displacement is nothing compared to what she'll discover. 26-year-old Sadie Matthews is stuck in a less-than-ideal bakery job where the percentage of genuinely decent customers is only marginally greater than her pay - and that excludes tips. Luckily, coming home, putting in her earbuds, and pressing "Shuffle" on her YouTube Music playlist is the ideal cure for such a nasty case of burnout. After all, when it comes to '80s rock n' roll, it's impossible to lose a game of audio roulette. Right? When a freak electromagnetic shockwave unexpectedly ups the ante, Sadie finds herself hosting Mr. Midnight and London Boys Gazing, two glam metal bands from opposite sides of the pond notorious for their unique, fantasy narrative-driven lyrics and legendary feats of onstage - and offstage - prowess. While acclimating to the liminal discomfort of being in the modern-day, they reveal the startling truth about their music that threatens their careers - and lives. Sadie faces the complex challenge of helping the bands return to their time to overthrow the powers that be. This novella blurs the line between time and space and the roles of musician and manager like never before. So, what are you waiting for? A wild, rock n' roll ride awaits! Cover Credit: @thatwomanlywoman321

What happens when Li Yueming, a kind and outgoing figure skater, is accepted onto the team of her dreams-albeit at the end of the season when everything has already transpired? Now, Yueming must figure out how to spend her summer. What better way than to embark on her first international trip to South Korea, a place she has always dreamed of visiting but never actually planned to go? Park Minjun, the most popular member of the K-Pop boy group IGNIT3. From humble beginnings, IGNIT3 gained fame and built a dedicated fanbase through the hard work and effort of all its members, two of whom are from outside South Korea. However, now Minjun has to face the reality, is everything as an idol actually that perfect? Or is the image created by his fans just an illusion? ----------------------- cover created by the wonderful Daffodil @xdaffodilexmain prompt #38 used ----------------------- all characters belong to me, please do not take without permission, if you want to use please contact me, thank you

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

Elio Blume had it all. Power, wealth, good looks, and a successful career as a mafioso to boot. But when his long-term friend and guardian angel, Anpiel punishes him for his crimes by swaping his body with a woman, the gangster longs for nothing more than to return to his old life. With the help of his new roommate, Valerie, and Anpiel, Elio must manoeuvre his way through his life of crime whilst dodging constant cat-calls, pervy pics, and the hell on earth that is period cramps. Cover art by the amazing TheWildCyde

In the realm of Vellara, books are not just stories-they are living worlds, inked into existence by the hands of ancient scribes. For centuries, the Grand Archive has safeguarded these enchanted tomes, ensuring that no one disturbs the delicate balance between fiction and reality. Kael Dain is a young scribe apprentice burdened with an ability he was never meant to have-the power to "unwrite," to alter the words of any book and reshape the worlds within. It is a talent so rare and dangerous that the Grandmasters have forbidden its use. But when the legendary Codex Eternis, a book capable of rewriting existence itself, is stolen by the rogue scribe Orion Vale, Kael is the only one who can track it down before reality begins to unravel. To retrieve the Codex, Kael must step beyond the library's safety and into the very stories that have shaped his world. Journeying through magical realms-each with its own treacherous laws-he faces living myths, ink-born creatures, and a power far greater than his own. At his side is Riven Calder, a mercenary with secrets inked into his very skin and a past he refuses to reveal. Bound by an oath he won't explain, Riven becomes both Kael's protector and his greatest mystery. As Orion's rewrites twist reality into something unrecognizable, Kael begins to question his own role in the story. Why does the Codex seem to call to him? What truth has been erased from its pages? And as his bond with Riven deepens, Kael faces the most dangerous rewrite of all-one that could alter fate itself. With the world crumbling around him and the line between reality and fiction blurring, Kael must make an impossible choice: restore the book and preserve the story written by those before him or take up the pen and rewrite his own destiny.