|| ONC 2026 Round 1 Winner || Martin Marvingale lives by two rules: work hard and put others first. So when a baby dragon rips a hole in reality above his freshly planted petunias and the desperate fairytale land inside begs him to step in as their king, he says yes. Turns out, their old king got cursed with zombie-ism, and now a horde of undead nobility are ravaging the countryside. The castle is suffering from a bad bout of slime, the peasants are one more cancelled festival away from revolting, and none of the local lords (who aren't brain-eating monsters) seem to be interested in lifting a finger to help. His only hope at putting things back to rights is to make nice with a princess who hates his face -- and the fact that he might have accidentally just stolen her job. Undeterred, Martin plans to win her over by being the best king anyone could ask for. Which would be a little easier if he knew what a fairytale king was supposed to do exactly. Or how he was supposed to look. Or... anything about his kingdom, really. In retrospect, maybe he should have asked a few more questions before taking the job. ____________________ Cover © 2026 Avadel Ink Authorized solely on wattpad.com/avadel

| 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 • 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 | RUTHLESS POLITICS Aster Jacques' predecessor is dead, his capital ruined, and his people struggling to fight back against their most hated enemy. Determined to save the country he loves, he prepares to take the throne he fears. Upon returning home, though, the Ladies of the court connive to make him more puppet than prince. DEADLY SECRETS As he fights to untangle their web of lies, he finds a far more frightening truth-someone in the castle hides a traitorous secret. Unsure who to trust, he swears to forge his path alone. But when a vengeful witch offers him a deal and the girl he cares for tangles herself into the danger, he'll be forced to befriend darknesses he'd rather run from than face. A LAND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNCONQUERABLE From within and without, Aster's world teeters on the brink of collapse. When lies, love, and war collide, even magic won't be enough to save everyone. WELCOME TO MORINEAUX ~*~ Book 2 of the Lost Roads Quartet. See Of Caverns and Casters for Book 1. Published on Amazon. Cover Art © 2021 Avadel Ink Animated Banners by @Lazybrew

Wesley Davis has no interest in becoming a beta tester for his friend's new language app, PollyGot. But when he's introduced to the alluring Livia Spencer, she challenges him to a bet: she'll learn more French than him in two months. His competitive side can't resist. What begins as a playful challenge soon turns sinister after the app's adaptive AI, Polly, integrates with his smart home. As the inexplicable injuries and accidents pile up, Wes begins to question his sanity. Is he just imagining things, or is Polly manipulating him in a twisted attempt to master a new language at any cost? - - - ꒰ঌ( •ө• )໒꒱ - - - Author's Note and Trigger Warning Thanks for checking out my entry for the Open Novella Contest for 2025! This story was inspired by the prompt below. 88. Lately, your phone feels ... off. It seems like it's watching you. At first, you dismiss it as paranoia. But one day, each message on your phone reads, »I'm watching you.« This story is rated mature due to language, violence, gore, sexual content, mature themes, and general chaos. Thank you so much for reading! Don't break your reading streak... or else.

In a world hidden from ordinary humans' eyes, a rift exists where supernatural beings, creatures of nightmares, reside. This realm remains shielded from prying eyes, accessible only to those captured and forced into servant training. Once inside, individuals are reprogrammed for absolute obedience and trained to fulfill their Master's every whim until they are deemed expendable. Escape is impossible. Madelyn Vagen lived her life blissfully unaware of this hidden world. Orphaned at three and with no memories of her early years, she was adopted by a loving family who nurtured her with the belief that she could achieve anything. After a failed date, Madelyn's everyday life shatters, and she becomes a victim of this dark trade. Captured and stripped of her identity, she is prepared to be sold to the highest bidder. Her fate seems sealed until the royal family abruptly interrupts her auction. As she is thrust into a world of secrets, Madelyn uncovers truths she never imagined. She learns about her mother's past, follows in her footsteps, and is pulled into a life where she must navigate the treacherous waters of royal blood. Madelyn finds herself fighting for her own survival and those who cannot protect themselves. All because she was born with a gene that caused her to do the one thing her former handlers never expected. Defect. •―•❖•―•❖•―•❖•―• 🏆First Place [Vampire] in the Winter 2022 Awards 🏆 First Place [Vampire/Werewolf] in the Gems Book Awards 🏆Third Place [Paranormal] in The Strawberry Shortcake Awards 🏆 Best Blurb in The Strawberry Shortcake Awards 【This story is intended for Mature Audiences and has content unsuitable for those of a young age or people who have triggers relating to abuse, sexual themes, and violence. Please read with that in mind.】 New chapters are every Wednesday! Chapters are fully uploaded, and this story will be completed on June 4th, 2025

𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍. But Aiden has never had any of that. Born with the rare gift of healing, the world sees his magic as a blessing-but to him, it's nothing more than a curse. His magic is draining, painful, and endlessly exploited by those stronger than him. In a realm where magic is a weapon and kindness a weakness, Aiden survives by keeping his head down and his heart closed. But the fragile balance of his life shatters when he crosses paths with an enigmatic prince. What begins as pure hatred between them slowly twists into something far more dangerous and consuming-desire. Driven by a restless need to uncover the true nature of the power running through his blood, Aiden is thrust into a year-long journey that challenges everything he thought he knew about survival, friendship, loyalty... and the cost of a forbidden love. "𝑰𝒇 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆... 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆."

For the Slates, demon slaying is the family business. And eighteen-year-old Perrin has fully embraced her chosen profession. But when her sister, fifteen-year-old Ace, declares she's ready to join the cause, Perrin has her reservations. First of all, the case she's picked involves not one, but three demonic foes. A tricky proposition for any new slayer. Second, something eerily familiar lurks at the heart of the infested town. A red-eyed presence that may or may not be the demon who murdered their brother a decade ago. Third, Ace refuses to listen. To reason, to orders, to sense. And in this line of work, one false move can get you killed. Along with their exasperated father and an overeager grocery store clerk, Perrin and Ace set out to raise a little hell and bag a trio of baddies. But demons aren't the only ones to fear. And as enemies close in on all sides, the Slates will need to trust each other and their training to stay one step ahead of the coming storm. Featured on: @Fantasy @CelestiaCove @CitifiedFantasy @HalosAndHellfires @JustWriteIt @PrideReads @Project_Athena @QuickFantasy @StoriesUndiscovered **Trigger Warnings for Language, Violence and Gore**

[WLW] An ambitious scientist won't let anything get in the way of her dreams--not even death. ⚓︎ When Malia set out to sea, she expected to make a life-changing discovery; instead, she received a life-ending doom. But death isn't her end, and she's granted another chance by the very ocean that she died in. That's according to Beatrice, a thousand-year-old water spirit that shows her the ways of their kind. After all, Malia isn't the first to be reborn, and countless souls lost at sea still live underwater, tasked with saving mortals from the same fate. It's a tough job, but if Malia does it right, she can win back her life on land. However, vengeful souls lurk in the waters, determined to destroy the mortals above them. These ghouls were the ones that killed Malia, but if she wants to return to the surface, she'll have to face them in a fight for her mortal life or eternal death. ⚓︎ SURVIVAL KIT ✓ Sapphic romance ✓ Magical "mermaids" ✓ Underwater adventures ✓ Science (specifically physics) FEATURED: ★ For AAPI Heritage Month and Pride Month ★ @FreeTheLGBT Pride Awards 2024 Grand Winner ★ @TheAmbys 2025 Grand Favorite ★ @Fantasy, @adventure ★ Former Amb profiles @talesofthedeep, @CitifiedFantasy, @ReshapeIt, @mythandlegend, @QuickFantasy, @YAFantasy, @The_Reading_Room ★ @AstaniaCommunity, @PrideReads ONC 2023 ENTRY Word Count: +33k Genres: Fantasy/Low Fantasy, Adventure, Romance Written: 05 FEB 2023 - 24 FEB 2023 Narrative: Third Person Limited, Past Tense ★ Cover and graphics made by the amazing @MoranaInDesign! ★ This story is only available on Wattpad by @laurendoubleu.

For the fae, magic is everything: status, power, wealth, honor. For Vera Reite, a fae born with no magic, it is a shameful reminder that she will never amount to anything. Whispers of a fae-killing monster begin to circulate the Moon Court. It lurks in the woods, feeding off the mana of its victims. Those that go missing and find themselves at the mercy of the beast are never seen or heard from again. Fear quickly takes hold of the fae court; it's only a matter of time before their whole world is destroyed by this creature. However, it offers Vera a glimmer of hope. When she learns of it, she ventures into the wood to kill the beast, believing that she will be able to absorb the magic it has stolen. But the woods are as dangerous as the beast, and Vera soon finds herself lost. In a stroke of luck, she comes across an old manor deep in the forest where a strange boy is sealed away. If Vera wishes to slay the beast, she will first have to uncover the secret of the manor and its prisoner before it's too late. 𝐀 𝐟𝐚𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. 𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝. ||Completed: 8/15/24 Word count: 90,000 - 100,000|| Sample, getting published fall 2026!

𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗬𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥 · 28x FEATURED · An Asian sci-fi retelling of The Little Mermaid that steers the tale you know in a whole new funky direction | An ambitious teen mermaid must venture beyond her guarded underwater city and brave the polluted, climate-ravaged wilds of the Indian Ocean, in order to find her human soulmate and forge a better future for her people. *** Calliathron is the epitome of modern sea life--a bustling mer-city contained within a coral atoll in an alternate Indian Ocean. Yet, the ripples of a changing world beyond have begun to seep in, bleaching color and darkening minds--but not Dea Rhodoreef's mind. Who said life's easy for a teen about to graduate high school? Even more so when one is a pastel goth gamer mermaid trying to scrape by in a mobile home with a grumpy grandmother who's always complaining about the "human infestation". Maybe the troubled city-state will embrace a new dawn when merpeople and humans coexist--a future that Dea is determined to work hard for. Noble causes aside, just getting to see a notorious human is number one on her bucket list. Now, as if school, a part-time job and building a political career aren't enough, a chonky sea cow has been following her for days. It's time to return him to the wild--not like she'd swim into a human. Right? © 2022 Su Vida | Exclusively on Wattpad *** FEATURED @Anime @ScienceFiction + 26 more WC: 105,000 Genres: Sci-Fi (Oceanpunk) x Cli-Fi x Adventure x Romance x Retelling This tale comes with mammalian mermaids who breathe air. Strap in for a roller-coaster ride of adventure, fun twists, feels, kawaii, exotic biomes, sci-fi battle, realistic tech and slowburn romance! Might bring to mind the Netflix movie Okja!