One year ago, the children of Hamelin disappeared in the middle of the night. With no clues about their whereabouts save a trail of footprints leading to the riverbank, their families believed them to be lost to the raging current. On the day of their memorial, the children return as suddenly as they left, but they are no longer the sweet kids the town lost. As the youngest person who was left behind, fourteen-year-old William is equal parts overjoyed and terrified to have his little sister back. With his father's temper as hot as his forge, William must protect Emma from the cruel treatment he has faced, but it soon becomes apparent that even greater horrors plague the children. Haunted by an alluring song that echoes in his nightmares, William must unravel the secrets of the Pied Piper's music before the rest of Hamelin falls victim to the same fate as the children. Trigger warning: This story contains physical and emotional abuse, animal abuse and death, child endangerment, suicidal thoughts, and mentions of a failed suicide attempt. Cover by @AriaOfStorms

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 and banner by @-DeeIsDead-

|| 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚 || After a flagrant display of cosmic irreverence, 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘀 is left adrift. With no place to call home or plan for the future. Only a useless degree, unmedicated anxiety disorder, and a penchant for burnout. So when a lifelong friend offers her a chance to start fresh in the sleepless city, Ellie does what any hopeless soul with nothing left to lose would do; she takes it and doesn't look back. Life in NYC is more complicated than a small town girl could have imagined. And it would seem the universe still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Ellie finds herself torn between two worlds. Between her forbidden feelings for two enigmatic men. Between her wanton desires and her lifelong ambitions to finally make something of her sad, little life. The scales must be weighed. Between lust or power. Between desire or reason. And she must also ask if those are really the only options. What if she wants more? What if she wants it all? And what is she willing to do to get it? Ellie must confront not only her past, but the deepest parts of herself. Neither the city nor these two annoyingly handsome men are going to make it easy. And only two things are certain; the universe has a sense of humor and... 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨.

Madelyn Chung is one of the best clinical psychology PhD students Harvard has ever seen--the most controversial, too. After discovering academic fraud conducted by Harvard's star faculty, Dr. Charlotte Shelby, her future career seems uncertain as whispers accuse her of being a burdensome whistleblower. With a potentially groundbreaking research project in the line, she is appointed to work with Dr. Alex Manning, Harvard's young neuroscientist and professor who revolutionized several research in his field. A life-changing opportunity for Maddie--but she must deal with the fact that Alex was one of Charlotte's past collaborators, and his career was at stake because of the scandal. Maddie has always been careful when trudging through endless hours of clinical shifts and research. But when she doesn't know if the longing stares from Alex every time he tries to make her life harder are an indication of hatred, or if they mean something else, she starts to feel unprepared. Because Maddie knows she is a falling star, and if she holds onto the fragile trust between her and Alex too tightly, she will only fall harder.

╰┈➤ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆. ── Twenty-eight-year-old 𝑫𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 has wished for one thing in her life. More. As a reclusive author who dedicates all her time to the books she publishes, Detta feels something is missing. Writing was supposed to be an escape. A way for her to leave the bland life she was living. Detta never meant to be a part of it. After falling asleep on an open document, Detta finds herself in a world so foreign, yet so familiar. It's the very same world that she created. Though, unfortunately for Detta, the novel is no breezy summer romance. There, a ruthless tyrant is raiding the lands in search of his fated bond. With the author's unexpected appearance, he believes that it is her. His revelation derails the novel's plot, and it's up to Detta to make sure that it gets back on the right track. This tyrant has no idea that he is meant to die. Or so the story goes.

Opal Mailo has a plan: climb the corporate ladder, perfect her appearance, and finally belong in the elite world of high finance. Fixing her teeth is next on her list. Dr. Apollo Merrill is the orthodontist she's paying to make it happen. He's a sunbeam in a white coat - kind, maddeningly unreadable, and far too observant. He notices the things no one else does, sees past her careful polish, and looks at her in a way that feels a little too personal. As Opal's teeth straighten, the rest of her life begins to unravel. The burnout is blinding. The pull towards Apollo is inconvenient. The "perfect" version of herself is starting to look like a stranger. Caught between who she's becoming and who she's always been, Opal begins to wonder if perfection is worth the cost - and if maybe she doesn't need to be flawless to be worthy of love.

Genesis de Valois has been cursed from a young age, one that constantly reminds her of the wretch that she is. Every morning, she wakes up to the catastrophe of trouble she's caused her whole life. Every night, she sleeps to the suffocating smell of her wrongs. When a man appears on her flower field near dead, Genesis knows that this could be her chance. This could be her chance to do something good, something right for once. But healing and helping this man would prove harder than it seems. Especially when he seems so intent on dying. Graphic by caralogues/seertostar/ @toruinagod -------------------------------------------------------- Main prompts: 10. Every time you've failed something, a flower appears in your yard. You now have the most spectacular flower garden in the neighborhood. But all you want is grass. 28. Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will grow. Sub-prompts: 7. One morning, the ocean washes up a message. One you've been waiting for your whole life. 29. You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart.