Keep your happily ever after - it ain't mine. Evan, a chronically underprepared college freshman, is forced into a magical journey to save his school from the Corvidae Conspiracy. If he can't, this could be the end of life as he knows it. Background image by Эльвина Якубова from Pixabay

As water is depleted for its magic, a vigilante uses a cold heiress to infiltrate high society and steal their water before the world--and her family--burns. 🜄 After washing up in the desert, nearly dead and with no memories, twenty-something-year-old Lana had a feeling she was involved in something dangerous. "Vigilantes targeting the wealthy" fits the bill, especially when the main perpetrator is still at large. Not that she would blame her past self, for the rich are intent on destroying the world, draining water of its magic and leaving behind its toxic remains. So Lana's surprised to learn she's the bodyguard for one such wealthy heiress. Virre Averten lives up to her fearsome reputation, despite only recently inheriting her fortune at twenty-three. Harsh and cold-hearted, Virre hoards water's magic just as much as her family's trade secrets, and she throws Lana back into her employment to protect them all. Lana has no idea how she tolerated the woman, but she's certain it was for a good reason. For instance, gaining access to the most exclusive events in the city. Thanks to each extravagant gala and lavish feast, Lana dissolves not only the facade of the wealthy, but that of Virre as well. Except she's not the only one fishing for secrets. With their enemies closing in and the world's magic running dry, the women must work together to reveal the truth before they, and all the water, burn for good. 🜄 INCLUDES ✓ Sapphic bodyguard-heiress romance ✓ Magical fight scenes ✓ Environmentalism and sociopolitical commentary ✓ Secret spy stuff ONC 2025 LONGLISTER Word Count: +39k Genres: High Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Romance Written: 05 FEB 2025 - 28 FEB 2025 Narrative: Third Person Limited, Past Tense ★ This story is only available on Wattpad by @laurendoubleu.

Stranded on Earth with no way home on a desperate quest, Blanc will do anything to return to Mehor Prime. Unfortunately, the humans confiscated his ship and his princess and took it somewhere impenetrable. While scouting to get it back, Blanc meets only humans on Earth who seem to have any knowledge of aliens. He knows they are thieves, but they are his only chance. Drafted as the muscle into their crew, Blanc must help them complete their mission to complete his own. All Blanc has to do is help their crew succeed where he alone has failed. Their goal: break in and expose the most classified and impenetrable place in America, Area 51. Open Novella Contest 2025 Prompt 72: An alien stranded on Earth for the first time is led down dangerous paths by criminals promising a way home. What they discover along the way may change everything.

"No one believes you. But you're the only one who can solve this mystery-for all of them." I only told a story. An eerie story that felt unsettlingly real. My wife's face went pale, her eyes filled with terror. That night, she locked herself in the bathroom and called the police. I tried to explain, but it was useless. Hours later, sirens pierced the night, and I was taken away. But the story... was it really just a story?

Five years. That's how long I've been sentenced to wait. Calliope comes from a long line of assassins, her "best friend"? Ophelia, crown princess of The Isles of Primeria. Completing this mission will finally earn her parents approval, but can she kill her first and only friend? The absolutly beautimistical cover was made by moi. This novella is an active participant in the Open Novella Contest for 2025. [PROMPT 111.] A single night can change everything. Even someone you thought you knew-like your closest friend. Start Date: February 17th, 2025 Completion Date: [April 10th, 2025]

After six years in a progressive French boarding school, eighteen-year-old Lady Alice returns to her family's estate in Surrey, dreading the fate that awaits her-- debutante balls, an arranged marriage, and a life she does not want. She would have preferred to stay in France, teaching and writing love tales rather than living one dictated by others. Once cast aside by her own father and a stepmother, Alice finds their sudden desire for reconciliation hollow. Only her childhood best friend, Michael, Marquess Lovelace, seems like a true comfort. But as she settles back into her former home, something strange begins to happen. A black rabbit, eerily familiar, appears in the shadows-- just like the one that belonged to Edmond, her long-forgotten imaginary friend. And then she meets Count D'Arcy, the enigmatic and elusive neighbour whose presence unsettles her. His eyes, his voice, his very being remind her of Edmond. Could it be him? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? As the social season unfolds, Alice finds herself tangled in a web of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. The past and present blur, forcing her to question what is real, what is illusion, and whether love can exist beyond the bounds of reason. In the haunting halls of her childhood home and under the watchful gaze of Count D'Arcy, Alice must uncover the truth before she loses herself to the unknown. ~~~ My entry for the ONC 2025 based on the prompt 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

A battle trading card company creates the ultimate battle game, and people of all ages flock to play the new, immersive game of monsters and tactics. When Charli finds her new game board and limited edition card set destroyed by bullies, a friend steps in to help her out. Only, he can only give her a beta test version of the battle board and a children's card set. With the inaugural battle competition set to begin, Charli must use her wits to make her weak card set work well enough to enter the competition, but she faces people with more experience, more cards and better battle boards. Can Charli make her way through the stages with only a children's card set and a basic battle board, or will the competition prove too much? An ONC novella, based on Prompt 67: "A trading card game company creates real-life versions of their creatures. What started as fun and games quickly spirals into something far more dangerous."

[ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴏɴᴄ] [ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ǫᴜᴀʟɪғᴇʀ] [ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ ǫᴜᴀʟɪғᴇʀ] 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔. 𝑨 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒍. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍. 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕... 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. ✷✷✷ Alvine is a college girl with a crazy obsession with webtoon comics-so much so that she dreams of becoming a webtoon artist herself. Her life is as normal as it gets: attending college, reading webtoons, sketching, and hanging out with friends. But everything changes when a webtoon she's reading starts mirroring her real life. The story follows a girl who unknowingly falls in love with a boy-only to discover he's a demon. Sounds like a typical fantasy romance, right? Except this time, it's not just a story. Now, Alvine's life is unfolding just like the webto

At nineteen everyone receives a power that reveals their true self except you. When you finally do you're even more different than everyone else now. Books become gateways to living magical realms as a scribe you're tasked with retrieving a stolen book that has the power to control reality itself. To stop a dangerous rival from rewriting the world the scribe must journey through these fantastical realms facing unimaginable challenges and untold dangers along the way. Book cover: Courtesy of @PreshyO_

There was a kopitiam at the corner of the street in Ipoh. It was located in a quaint little street, away from the tourist area. One day, with the ghost of your dead friend, yes dead and keep on lingering beside you, who stayed quiet for most of the time, unable to talk, pointed you to this place. You opened the little green door and went inside and was hit by the smell of white coffee, the roast of the coffee beans, sugary sweet yet so uniquely delicious. . "Hello," but there was no one there until an old uncle, in his fifties walked out in his white apron stained with coffee and said, "Hello, and welcome to Ah Huat Kopitiam. What do you want?" And you noticed that he was not addressing you as his eyes were looking instead not at you but at your ghostly friend who finally said, "One white coffee please." . Original Story for Open Novella Contest (ONC) All rights reserved. *If you see this in another site, please let me know.