For Centuries Grim has been collecting souls. It's what he does, it's his purpose. One day, while collecting a soul in the park, he comes across a lost puppy. For reasons he can't explain, the urge to return the small dog to his owner is overwhelming. He soon finds the animal's owner, a woman in her mid-twenties named Maria. He is struck down by her beauty and realizes that he had once claimed the soul of someone she loved. He becomes even more conflicted when he realizes he has just one year to claim her soul.

Every afternoon, at the same time, her cat slips out of the house. One day, 12 year old Keiko follows it into the woods and finds a small temple that only comes alive at night, when blue lights appear, animals gather, and the stars begin to whisper. With the help of a strange boy who watches the sky through a telescope, she learns the truth: each disappearing star carries the last words of someone who died unheard. But the boy is tired. And to listen, someone must take his place. · · ─ ·✶· ─ · · Prompts: ⚝・┆5. Every day at the exact same time your cat slips out of your home. One afternoon, curiosity gets the better of you and you follow, only to discover it's living a secret life you never imagined. ⚝・┆69. The stars are disappearing one by one, and only you can hear their whispers. ⚝・┆78. You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems.

{2026 Open Novella Contest - Round 3 Qualifier} {Ranked 1 in #bandmembers (5/1-5/21)} {Ranked 1 in #songwriting (4/22-4/25)} {Ranked 2 in #opennovellacontest (5/5-5/15)} {Ranked 3 in #drummer (5/1-5/2)} {Ranked 4 in #guitar (5/12-5/16)} {Ranked 9 in #onc2026 (4/29-4/30)} "𝘔𝘴. 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴" 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 - 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰. Althea has always considered herself unlucky in love. What she never realized was that love had been circling her for years, just slightly out of step. On her thirtieth birthday, the four-man band who shaped her youth arrive late (as always). One confession breaks the careful silence they've kept for years, forcing the past into the present and cracking open a decade of almosts. They chose friendship because it was safer. They stayed professional because it was necessary. And sometimes... life, simply and tragically, got in the way.

Nakeeta has spent her entire life training to enter the healer division of the army, but when initiation day comes around, she is assigned to the hunters; an elite group of fighters that are gifted the ability to shapeshift in order to fight the spreading corruption. Left with no other choice, Nakeeta must either adapt, or die. This is an entry for #ONC2026.

Valentine never had a lick of magic to his name, but that didn't stop him from becoming high society's darling in the enchanted land of Stellamaris. Until one cunning witch takes it all away... Valentine wakes up five years in the past as a backwater bookseller in Greater Moss-on-the-Wold, stuck in the drab place where he started. Robbed of his status, his looks, and his charmed life, Valentine is determined to find the legendary witch Lilivere and be freed from this horrible curse. Except Lilivere is out of town... and the only witch who can help him now is her taciturn daughter, Luciana. Who doesn't have a single drop of magic. Stoic, brooding Luc couldn't care less about high society, the art of spellcraft, or a sullen has-been cursed to return to his humble past. Outcast and misfit, she lives alone in the woods, preferring solitude to the villagers' scorn. But as they work together to break Valentine's curse and set things right, Luc and Valentine realize there's a greater scheme at play. And that magic, like so many things in life, is never as simple as it seems. Written for the ONC 2026. 39: After being cursed, you go from being the most popular socialite to becoming a nobody. 11: The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother. 73. You wake up in a body that isn't yours, living a life almost identical to your own, and soon discover you're bound by an ancient curse forcing you to relive your past until you finally get one thing right. (Slightly modified.)

The lord of the Under Realm decides to bet with the Overlord of the Celestial Realm about a mere mortal who has committed crimes that must face consequences. The bet? Who can turn the mortal to their side first. In the guise of aiding Halen Avder, Lucilius―lord of the Under Realm, tasks the mortal to do his biddings to pay for Halen's previous sins. On the other hand, Velanten, one of the Overlord's Angels, challenges Halen to repent from his sins, showing him ways to do good. As the challenges blend together, Halen soon battles between good and evil―right and wrong, stuck with a Devil and Angel on his shoulder. Which side will he turn to? Or will he be consumed by his own human instincts? #ONC2026 > - Cover by @nadzzsam

𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗘!!!! It's just another day for Howard and Vince until their friend Naboo receives shocking news from a shadowy government authority on his home planet of Xooberon - he must get married or be executed. When Howard volunteers to marry Naboo and save his life, there's just one problem: Howard and Vince have been avoiding each other ever since that one night when they kissed. Now they're travelling to an alien world together, forced to pretend their complicated feelings don't exist. Naboo's mentor Dennis is suspicious, the wedding trials are perilous and keeping up the charade is getting harder by the minute. Can Howard and Vince survive preparations for the big fat intergalactic wedding without confronting what's really between them? A space fantasy queer romance absurdist comedy about fake relationships, second chances, and the things we do for the people we love. 🌈🪐💫💜 MAIN PROMPT 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist. ADDITIONAL PROMPTS 25. (modified) Four flatmates live together, and one of them is an alien passing as a human. 24. Staying as friends feels safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take. °︵‿︵࿔.♡.࿔︵‿︵° 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝑴𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒙, 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒌 '𝒏' 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍.

~ a Vikings meets Pride & Prejudice fanfiction ~ He is crippled. He is unlovable. He is ruthless. Together with his brothers and the Great Heathen Army, Viking warrior Ivar the Boneless has been wreaking havoc on England for the past two years. Some of his brothers think it has been enough, but Ivar is just getting started. While quarreling about their next move, Ivar makes one mistake too many and accidentally kills his brother Sigurd. Heartbroken, he retreats to the forest to indulge in one vulnerable moment, convinced nobody can see him. Elizabeth Bennett is intelligent, free-spirited, and sharp-tongued. Together with her mother and sisters, she manages the Bennett estate while her father takes up his seat in King Aethelwulf's council. She did not plan on stumbling over a weeping Viking in the woods and much less on getting scolded for it, but here she is, wrestled to the ground by a son of Ragnar, the most broken, yet most beautiful man she has ever met. He'd better polish up his manners if he knows what's good for him. The problem is that perhaps he doesn't. 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 An ONC2026 entry Prompt 46: We love broken people, beautiful people. And it doesn't get more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than you. 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 🪓❤️‍🔥⚔️💋❤️‍🩹 Content Warnings Violence, swearing, perhaps some smut, perhaps not, I'll update smut warnings as I go along and tag upcoming smut in the beginning of a chapter if it should come to this 😬 I can also say that if there will be smut, it will be consensual.

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

The creator of a 26th century matchmaker is anti-romantic, but when an analyst challenges her views, she relives painful memories, exposing her technology's flaws and threatening her identity. ｡ ✴︎ ⋆⚛ 🤖 ⚛⋆ ✴︎ ｡ Kayla Lacson believes that love is a biological equation that can be solved. She is the brilliant mind behind Dorothea, the most advanced AI dating application of the 26th-century, designed to calculate compatibility with extraordinary precision. Kayla's world is crafted in data, logic, and predictable outcomes. That is, until Mathew Matel, a Behavioral Analyst whose brilliance matches hers, joins her team and challenges her views. When Dorothea's latest revision loses public trust and corporate pressure mounts, he becomes the catalyst that forces Kayla to confront buried trauma, uncovering the flaws of her creation and fracturing her carefully structured reality. Despite Dorothea's calculation of their incompatibility, Kayla finds herself drawn to Mathew. Flashes of his face begin to haunt her as she tries to unravel his unexplainable familiarity. And when her very identity is threatened by tangled feelings, she must decide whether love is something to manipulate or something to surrender to. ｡ ✴︎ ⋆⚛ 🤖 ⚛⋆ ✴︎ ｡ ONC 2026 Round 1 Winner and Ambassador Pick Round 2 Winner and Ambassador Pick ｡ ✴︎ ⋆⚛ 🤖 ⚛⋆ ✴︎ ｡ Genres: Romance SciFi Speculative Fiction Unconventional SciFi Hard SciFi Slow Burn Romance