Congratulations to our winners!

Hello, dear readers! It's been too long. It's your girl, Faye, here with what you might call the climax of our own short story. Reading all of your wonderful and unique stories every night has been my distinct pleasure. I may have found myself sneaking in a few at work as well, but don't tell my boss.

You're not here to read about when or where I read your stories though-- you want to know what I thought! We received 65 marvelous submissions, spanning all the genres and settings you can think of, from modern day, to high fantasy, to science fiction. Our protagonists got down to business with strangers, next-door neighbors, and everyone in between. Fitting to our contest, everyone kept it short and sweet.

Well, a few kept it a little too short, but a lady doesn't tell. I am, however, wagging my finger at you!

Everyone who participated will be getting a lovely badge on your profile to remind you of our time together. But who came out on top? Not that there's anything wrong with being on the bottom...

This year's bronze prize goes to In Line for Coffee by newbeforeold! Haven't we all found ourselves wondering what it would be like if we could make our coffee runs a little sexier? Would you be the one making the changes, or the one being changed? Thank you for this tale of transformation!

This year's silver prize goes to Terminal Velocity by Papas_Liebling! The magic to be found in this story is the warm and romantic connection between a train-goer and a stranger. I'll have to see if I can book a ticket myself and get just as lucky!

And finally, the gold prize for 2025 goes to Smutty and Spooky Encounters at Dreadwood Manor by MegaMarshmallow! This story follows a lovely group of gals who encounter some very handsy ghosts. Maybe the Dreadwood Manor fireplace would make a nice setting for reading next year's stories? The reading would be even better with some ghostly assistance! Girls and ghouls just go together.

For more details on the sweet, sweet perks for the winners, please see our opening chapter. I'm getting a little breathless and there's still a lot more to get through. Before I run out of stamina, I want to offer a handful of special mentions.

Our runners up by voting: Sex Cult Initiation by Miss Nix, The Love Loop by Mr Nice Guy, Split Second Decision by Swallows999, Blue Daisy's by Whitey_V, Mr. Minotaur's Energy Drink by thewolfby, Tea with Eleanor by Daemony, Calypsa Station by entropic, Everything Can Change in a Night by BimboMegan, The Size Queen by Kore, Mia's Cruise of Desires by Meister_U, A Single Night of Corruption by JohnFlow, and Tales of An Akritai by BlueKnight.

All unique stories with their own personal flair. Why not take one for a spin? Cults, ghosts, and subliminal messages await you! Or perhaps you'll take a sweet spin with the bartender at Blue Daisy's? Follow the misadventures of a dick-crazy girl or the sprawling saga of a man tossed by the whims of fate in a foreign land. There's something for everyone!

Our judges' special mentions: My First Time in Rome by Dansak, which one of our judges found oh so sweet and tender... No One Can Love You Better by Lexifire314, which is best enjoyed by oneself, ha ha... and Goblin Flesh by Tosapine, with a protagonist that one of our judges found very relatable.

I couldn't have asked for a better turnout or a better month spent reading. If you participated, you have my dearest thanks. If you're a reader, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you were a judge, thanks for making the contest possible in the first place. No matter who you are, perhaps these brief-yet-saucy tales have inspired you for your next great contribution to CHYOA! I don't sleep just because the contest's over. Your characters could be the next ones keeping me company on stormy nights!

Keep those fingers busy, friends! Ciao for now!