**ONC SHORTLIST 2024** Heems is an energy vampire, a parasite draining xeir hosts' energy with a single touch. That is until xe meets handsome thief Shiro, the only person immune to Heems's parasitism. ---- Working as a doctor on dwarf planet Eris, Heems drains the energy of xeir unknowing hosts -- Eris's sickly hospital patients -- to survive. Heems's rare parasitic condition doesn't seem to have a cure until xe attempts to make a host out of an injured smuggler. Heems's touch has no draining effect on the handsome vagrant, Shiro, possibly the only person in the Solar System immune to Heems's parasitism. Galvanised by the hope of finding a cure, Heems is lured by Shiro into a world of criminality and obsession, setting them both on a collision course with powerful organisations desperate to keep hidden Eris's biggest secret: that parasites can be hosts too. ☉ Energy vampirism ☉ LGBT+ romance ☉ Non-binary main character ☉ Cyberpunk ~~☉~~ ☆ No sci fi knowledge is needed to understand this story. Basically Eris is cold, has no atmosphere (literally and figuratively), and everyone's broke. I will put some sci fi comments inline for those who are interested, or if you don't understand something, just ask me. I'm happy to help! ☆ Notes on gender: Heems uses xe/xeir/xem pronouns. This book is written in first person so don't worry if you're new to these pronouns since there aren't so many instances of them being used in the book. Content Warning: This book is rated mature. It contains potentially triggering topics such as extreme hunger, chronic debilitating illnesses, suicide ideation, drug misuse, sexual intercourse while under the influence of recreational and medicinal drugs.

Albanian nurse Alexandra Martinaj doesn't hesitate to follow a dark, handsome stranger to safety when her mother is abducted during a violent shootout. He introduces himself as local gang member Liam Cavanaugh, but instead of running from him, Alexandra finds herself drawn to his gorgeous looks and charming personality. When Alexandra discovers she is the daughter of Liam's boss, notorious crime lord Kieran "The Knife" Murphy, they strike a deal - Liam will help Alexandra rescue her mother, and in turn, she will help him bring Kieran's criminal empire down. The more time Alexandra spends getting caught in the whirlwind of the mafia, the more she finds herself falling for Liam. But when the lines between the coalition and fatal attraction begin to blur, and Liam's plan threatens to fall apart, can the two find a way to honour their promises, keep each other alive, and protect the love that blossoms between them? Season 1 of Emerald Eyes WARNING: This story contains mature themes including strong language and violence. Reader discretion is advised.

AMBYS FAVORITE 2024 What happens when Joan of Arc and the Archangel Gabriël break the most important law of the Heavens and declare their love for each other? The divine plan set in motion hundreds of years ago has at long last reached the endgame. *** There is one absolute law all angels must abide by - never fall in love. After she is burned to death, Joan of Arc becomes an angel of the Vale to fight for God. But even after 600 years, Joan continues to rebel against the Lord Protector, Michael, unwilling to forgive or forget that her mortal life ended in flames. The only one she still listens to is the Archangel Gabriël, who does all he can to protect Joan from Michael's judgment. When an old enemy gravely wounds Gabriël, he and Joan are confronted with their feelings for each other - and the risks of banishment if they dare to cross this line. Yet, with a demon slowly taking hold of Gabriël's mind for the sake of personal vengeance and Michael's growing suspicion of their closeness and his own deep, unanswered affection for Gabriël, how long can their secret possibly last? As Joan and Gabriël are threatened by both friend and foe, they learn that everything they believed and fought for, everything that they thought they were, was a lie. *** [[This story is complete; total word count - around 240K]] IMPORTANT; please read the author's note for all trigger warnings. I do not go easy on my characters. Advised for mature audiences only. FEATURED ON @Fantasy - DARK FANTASY @Paranormal - PARANORMAL PARAMOURS @lgbtq - PRIDE AWARDS CATEGORY WINNER and GRAND WINNERS @WattpadESL - FANTASTICAL, MAGICAL & MYSTICAL/ FANTASY & SUPERNATURAL @WattpadAfterDark - FANTASY, MYTHICAL BEASTS, PARANORMAL AND SCIFI ROMANCE @StoriesUndiscovered - CAN YOU SEE ME NOW (September 2022) @WackyWriters - OUR JUDGES FAVORITE (March 2022) @newlywrittenbooks - ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN GO FANTASY Banner by @-xaurora Cover by @lavendareyes

An ONC shortlister! The long-forgotten god of chaos awakes when a small child drops a piece of candy onto his altar, unwittingly becoming the high priest of chaos. The god is beholden to his priest and his priest's people--AKA: his kindergarten classmates. The children are all-too-delighted to serve the whims of mayhem until the chaos becomes too much, even for them. They forbid the god from using his power. But when disaster strikes and the whole school is in danger, a bit of bedlam might be the only thing that can save the children, the town, and the god's budding romance with a schoolteacher. Based on the Open Novella Contest 2023 prompt: #73 - You are a long-forgotten god. A small kid leaves candy at your shrine and you awaken. Now, you must do everything to protect your High Priest/Priestess, the kid, and their entire kindergarten class, your worshippers. #ONC2023 #OpenNovellaContest

❖ ''ZF 16 Ariomma to unknown vessel. Please identify yourself. Over.'' ❖ Farah and Kazem are twins working aboard the Ariomma, a trading airship that sails the edges of a flat world. Out here is a frontier far from civilization: a place known as the Tideless, where water lifts from the surface of the sea, and great creatures rise with it. Only some of them are known. This is not a sailing path known for its safety, but the crew of the Ariomma have rarely feared their work. That is, until they find the carcass of another ship hanging in the Tideless, decimated by an unknown enemy. Soon, their flight to safety becomes a fight for their lives, as the monster turns its attention on the Ariomma... and them. ❖❖❖ Written for #NONC2022, a community-run novella festival operating in parallel with Wattpad's 2022 Open Novella Contest. Complete. Marked mature for violence and other dark themes. Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)