At the height of her fame, Haerin Moon has everything-wealth, talent, beauty, and a name that opens every door. Then she wakes up with a strange mark burned into her skin after a night she cannot fully remember. By morning, the world has begun to forget her. Invitations vanish. Cameras turn away. Indifference replaces recognition. What should be impossible becomes terrifyingly clear: Haerin has been cursed, stripped piece by piece from the socialite throne she fought to build, condemned to fade into irrelevance. The curse traces back to a first date she never meant to accept-and the man who sat across from her, elegant, enigmatic, and unmistakably peculiar. Yoru Tsukishima was never just a patron of the arts, nor merely a charming eccentric. He is a doorway into a hidden world. Now, caught between vanishing influence and growing power she doesn't understand, Haerin must navigate a web of secrets and a romance that feels as dangerous as it is irresistible. Because in a world where magic is real and attention is currency, losing everything may be the price of becoming something more. And the question is no longer whether Haerin can break the curse-but whether she still wants to. ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙☾°̩̥☽·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ Participant of the || Open Novella Contest 2026. Main prompt: 99. You wake up with a strange mark on your skin after a late-night encounter you can barely remember, and its meaning grows more unsettling by the hour. Secondary prompts: 44. »May I have this dance?« »Seriously? Right now, in this situation?« 52. You're on a first date when you suddenly realize the person sitting across from you isn't entirely human. 39. After being cursed, you go from being the most popular socialite to becoming a nobody. 2026 Umi Moriko Original

Cordelia Green is a spirited and temperamental nineteen-year-old with a deep devotion for music, living in Philadelphia at the dawn of the year 1905. Her carefully ordered world collapses in the most humiliating and distressing manner when, by a cruel mistake, she sends a letter that was never meant to see the light of day. One in which she confesses her forbidden love. By fortune or misfortune, the letter does not reach its intended recipient. The true calamity begins when Cordelia receives a reply. The sender should not exist. What follows is a tale of unexpected romance and tangled emotions, of hearts drawn together and torn apart, bound and released by the quiet, inexorable hand of destiny. ⭑*•̩̩͙⊱•••• ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑ Participant of the || Open Novella Contest 2026. Main prompt: 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist. Secondary prompts: 24. Staying as friends feels safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take. 2026 Umi Moriko Original

Laufey Valerie had just broken off her engagement to one of the realm's most brilliant bachelors. On vacation in a little town known for its wonderful parks, where she reconnects with something she had thought lost. Together with her newfound 'companion' she crosses paths with twisted creatures called Discorn, that threaten the World's Harmony. She would come to discover a dark secret that will shake the foundations of her Rhythm magic. Cover by mysticariumch on IG Prompts 17. You fall in love with someone whose heartbeat matches a song you haven't heard since childhood 36. You are told to choose a weapon before battle but when you approach the table, the only weapons laid out are musical instruments. 45. "Kings have honour, soldiers are brave, poets have heart and all I have is rage!

When Brie lands a spot on Cheese Whiz, a cheese-themed cooking competition, the last thing she expects is to run into Colby Jackson, the man who left her heart with more holes than Swiss cheese. ~~~ It was supposed to be simple. Enter the contest, win the prize money, open her own restaurant. Easy peasy, extra cheesy. So of course Colby freaking Jackson and his smug, entirely too sexy face just had to come back into Brie's life like an extra stinky wheel of limburger cheese. Surrounded by fierce competitors and legendary amounts of dairy, Brie and Colby exchange barbs sharper than any cheddar. Yet, as the competition heats up, Brie quickly discovers the mozzarella isn't the only thing melting. Against her better judgment, Colby is once again worming his way into her heart. Will Brie find a whey to make things work between them, or will he leave her feeling bleu? 🧀 Rivals to lovers 🧀 Second chance romance 🧀 All puns are fully intended Using prompts 29 and 89 for ONC 2026! Cover by @-DeeIsDead-

Unlike her master, who was one of the very first witches to ever exist and even pioneered the study of magic, Evelynn Kerubin was simply a witch-in-training who did menial tasks. These ranged from helping a child find their missing toy, or going down to the town and refilling the dried well. Which is exactly why it surprised her when Asa Luciferis, heir to one of the most powerful families in the continent, came to their cottage to ask for help. His job for them isn't simple, either; evil spirits and ghosts are haunting the Eden Estate, and it has gotten to the point where his father has locked himself in his room due to his paranoia. It was one thing that Evelynn has to deal with powerful spirits, but going to the manor was a different story--she once lived there as a child and had to escape. If she were to return, it might open unhealed wounds. But whether she wants to admit it or not, Asa was the only friend she made as a child. And if she wanted to help her friend, it means she has to face the ghosts of her pasts. Figuratively, and perhaps even literally.

No one ever dreams, until one day someone does. Filippa's world is turned upside down when she dreams for the first time ever. She doesn't know what her cryptic dream means but something tells her it's important. Then her cat leaves like usual, and she realises that her dream might not be a dream at all but a vision. When she meets Emory, a vampire with a lot of keys, and Merrick a necromancer who can hear the stars whispering, she realises that this vision was aligned perfectly for her, and she has one job only, to find the key that opens all the doors. But when the stars start disappearing, and Fillippa meets Alodia, just how far will she go to find the key, and who will be left behind when the world ends?

Ten years ago, Eimi was found guilty of killing her parents. Now, released from prison she has no choice but to return to the home where it happened. Across town, Dyne wakes with a strange mark on his skin, and no idea how it got there. He can barely remember the night from before. He blames the alcohol. When out walking with her dog Rover, Eimi finds a message from the sea, one she's waited a decade to hear. "You aren't alone." Downloading the app said to cure boredom, Dyne and Eimi have no idea what they're getting into. But somewhere out there is the ordinary world and a world that shouldn't exist, and the two of them are about to be thrust into the center of both. How far would you go to find your prophecy, and why can Rover suddenly talk? And what does the one-eared black cat have to do with any of this?

[Right person, wrong lifetime.] Damien never got to confess his feelings, not before the world stole his love away. But death isn't the end. For them, death is the beginning. When Damien dies and finds himself stuck in the afterlife, he comes face-to-face with the boy he's loved his entire life... except Lucas doesn't remember anything. He doesn't remember dying, his own name, or Damien. As they navigate through a world woven from memories and starlight, Damien must decide: schould he help Lucas rediscover the bond they once had, or protect him from the truth of how their lives ended?

So... Riven kidnapped the magnanimous King of the Aer Folk because a magical book containing the soul of his cheating ex-boyfriend told him to, but that does not make him crazy, not at all. After all he only wants to revive Jesse, so he can kill him again. Where does Vlad land in all of this, you ask? Well he is that poor, kidnapped King who is now curse-bound to a freaking lunatic. But our wonderful King Valadrius is not sad, not at all. And he is definitely not falling in love with his kidnapper, or kissing him, no matter what the curse tells him to do. #ONC2026 Genre: Fantasy-Romance Copyright© 2026 short_flame

For the Open Novella Contest, based on Prompt 65: On the way to collect a soul, the Grim Reaper is distracted by a stray puppy. Instead of completing the task, he decides to find the puppy's owner, much to the frustration of his assistant. ***** The Grim Reaper has seen everything, really. From the beginning of humans living in caves, all the way to modern-day humanity. These days, he's mostly a figurehead, going through a handful of cases a week that no other reaper wants. While floating through the mortal world, unseen by anyone, he comes across a dog that seems to be able to see him. Despite his over-achieving assistant begging him to return to his duties, Grim decides to seek out the puppy's owner, and in doing so meets Jeremiah. Miah is an accountant who loves numbers but hates the monotonous tone his life is taking. The rescuer of Miss Trixie, his dog, is an unusual but interesting man that he decides to strike up a friendship with... although is it just him, or is Grim a bizarre name for a person?