To Be, Rather Than To Seem
- Reads 1,039
- Votes 155
- Parts 9
Ongoing31m
Last published Sat, Jan 3, 2026
[Disclaimer: This book is a first draft and is currently on hold as it's in the process of transitioning to a full novel.]
How many friends do you have?
When a stray thought forces Will Marte to notice the oddities in his everyday life, what follows is a reflection on the friendly relationships he has and had and a contemplation on the question: what is a friend?
Having had an unconventional upbringing, he still feels its effects as an adult. Now, everyone around him is aging normally in their conventional life, and he doesn't know how to be rather than to seem.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Published in February 2024 for Open Novella Contest 2024
Copyright © by CrownedMadness (Maddy Alson) 2024
All Rights Reserved
#119
aging
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Lost
'A 17 yr old girl's visit to a town which she does not quite like. A new neighbouring boy who sneaks into her backyard quite often. A friendship based on just conversations. How does this new thing go for both? How far can it go? Will life allow any progress?' Completed. ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ THERE ARE MENTIONS AND DEATH OF CHARACTERS. ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ MENTION OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠' Hey! This is Annie cuz y not... This is the first time I am writing so I really hope you appreciate my attempt. But more importantly I hope you enjoy the story. 😊 I won't be able to give regular updates but I will try to put up on a weekly basis (Saturday or Sunday) Hope you enjoy the read!! Thank you very much. ☺Complete![Hug Me When It Rains [18+]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/375833939-256-k992673.jpg)
Hug Me When It Rains [18+]
We all have fallen hopelessly in love with someone in our young tender age of innocence. Except few who get through it happily others get heart broken experiencing the bittersweet pain which remains in the life till the eternal sleep. Some choose to confess while some choose to keep it to themselves. No matter what it's a sweet part of life. ✿♡♡✿ Looking outside at the rain I badly wanted a hug from him. I just miss this human so much always like never before. Looking at one of the 3 pictures he had sent me I just couldn't help from noticing those lips and exposed neck. "You know you have got a kissable lips and necks" I sent the message nervously waiting for a reply with excitement. A minute a has passed and I'm regretting it. Maybe I shouldn't have said that at least not now that we are talking again. But a smile made to my lips when I saw his reply. "Oh really?" It was a simple response yet I couldn't help myself from smiling like a teenager. He has always been reserved except for a few instances but I simply love it. I didn't want to make him wait for too long so I typed a response immediately. "Have I ever lied to you?" Seeing the purple heart reaction from his side I couldn't help just smile more and calm down my racing heart. ✿♡♡✿ Two hearts torn apart due to differences but what happens when destiny brings them together in life. To the world it was a forbidden love but to them it was the beautiful comfort they could ever find in each other. This book is about a love that developed between two hearts when they never planned for it. With a pinch of reality and fiction it's a love story between a 20 year old boy and 22 year old girl. He was reserved with his words while she was expressive. He was a mature person while she was a little kid to him. She was ready to fight the world but he was confused.
Ready For More
Being a young girl with everything ready to go in life is what we all want. And it was what Clair wanted, college, a boyfriend and plans for her future. But life has a way of screwing us and it wanted to screw her. Because of one traumatic night, a night that took her pride, friends, happiness and worth. And she was left with depression, loneliness and no one to call a friend. And ya know what? She didn't want them. Because when you get thrown through the fire, you burn. And that was exactly what she was doing. But when a family emergency flops in her lap she realizes she needs to be there for them and it puts her in a gear she wasn't expecting. She reconnects with a man she didn't realize was there for her. And finds a path to the place she wants to be the only question is will she accept it and rise above the flames? 🔹trigger warning this book has traumatic scenes with violence/sexual conductComplete
Discovering Mack
"Not screwing as in ongoing. It was a one time... or two time thing," I cringe at how slutty that makes me sound. "I was a little drunk... the second time. Whatever, the details aren't important because it's not going to happen again." "Twice? Honestly Mack, I thought you were better than to fall for his shit. I've watched him churn through women, fuck em and dump em. I know he's my boss but he isn't a good guy! And you work with him too! Scarlett was one thing, but now he's got you both in his bed!" Note to self, don't tell Tristan that neither time was in a bed and we only had sex once. You know what, let's just keep the details to the bare minimum, he can fill in whatever blanks he wants to. **** Mackenzie has been living a life for everyone else, mainly her long term high school boyfriend. She doesn't seem to know who she is anymore, what she wants, or how to stand up for herself. When she starts a new job she never expected to meet people like Tristan, Scarlett and Alex. People who changed her life, encouraged her to be herself and chase her own dreams. These friendships help to heal her heart, but could they turn to something more?Complete
Hunting the Fairy Tale - Re-Writing
When Willow Mayfair's life falls apart, her mother brings her to Briar Cove, the coastal town where she grew up. Living with Rebecca's childhood friend, a new world filled with love, excitement, and friendship opens up for both of them. This story is for everybody who also dreams of a fairy tale and won't care if the "knights" were a little dirty. "Grab a bunch of broken misfits, chuck them in a tribe, add some glitter and loads of weird-ass garbage, voila, you've got yourself a fairy tale... kinda... just... you know... minus the fairies..." Paisley Davenport This story is my happy place; I do not plan on ever finishing it. It will go on and on like a soapie. I might break it up into volumes later. This book is ideal for forgetting the world and becoming best friends with the characters. Please Note:- I'm currently rewriting this story to edit and enhance parts. I'm also breaking up long chapters. Though the reading flow will not be broken, the chapter numbers will become out of sync at the border between old and new. ♫ Genre: Slice of Life/Romance/Humour This is a slow-burn journey through love and life, filled with an array of beloved characters, their sad moments, happy moments and a multitude of bat-sh#t crazy moments. P.S.: This is not a fairy tale... ♫ This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. TW: Please be advised that this story contains references to violence (sexual and other), drugs, anxiety, mental health issues, abuse and other possibly upsetting themes. Reader discretion is advised. I reserve all rights to my stories. Please do not copy or use my work anywhere without my permission. Thank you.![Welcome Home Age Regression SFW :) [Requests Open]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/356769658-256-k532387.jpg)
Welcome Home Age Regression SFW :) [Requests Open]
To anyone who added this book to a reading list that seemed to be NSFW or a reading list that has NSFW books in it; Please remove it. Now. This is SFW, not NSFW. I have boundaries. Please remove it. I can see who adds it to their non-private reading lists through my notifications, and I look through whatever reading lists my book was added to. I've already blocked someone like this by noticing there were clearly NSFW ones in there. Maybe they like both, or maybe they didn't notice. I'm not taking any chances. This is strictly SFW. I don't want this book to be viewed as anything other than SFW. - I haven't seen too many books like this, so I'm making my own! SFW (Safe For Work)! This is not and will never be NSFW (Not Safe For Work)! Age regression is a completely sfw coping mechanism where someone (an age regressor, also known as a "Little") reverts their mind to a younger mindset known as "little space". A caregiver is someone who cares for a Little while they are in Little Space Ships: Eddie x Frank That's- yeah, that's it. I'll take requests for two people to be together for something, like you wanting them to be together to be caregivers of someone else, but they don't have to be together for that. I may change my mind and add new ships, specifically if any become canon. Also, you can change the ships for a chapter if you'd like. No romantic situations during regression, at all. I take requests, and would love it if you all requested! There is a chapter specifically for doing so. That's basically it! Read info for more info, and enjoy! (I am both an age regressor and possible caregiver myself, by the way.) Upload schedule: Inconsistent, as I have other books in the making. Welcome Home does not belong to me, I only own this story and my OC, Samuel Smith. Welcome Home was created by Clown. 3/13/26: Yes, this book is still open. I'm just working on a lot of other books that haven't been published yet.
Extra Credit
"Why do you always avoid my questions?" "I'm not, it's just that there's nothing to say. Who would ever want to date someone they can't even talk to? It's not rocket science. My eyes are weird, and people get tired of me eventually. There's your one-page essay. Now please don't snow me to death .-." "What? All that you just said is a lie. And I should snow you to death for even saying that! I would definitely date you." "...Thanks." 🍒｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍓｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡ Dallas Addison had it all; being a talented swimmer and dating the star of the football team, she didn't think she lacked anything in any capacity. Sure, she and her boyfriend had minuscule issues, but which logical relationship didn't have their occasional ups and downs? After landing in Extra Credit class due to a series of mishaps with her grades and attendance, Dallas's turmoil became despair when she became paired with one of the most eccentric people in the entire class. Seriously. Who wore sunglasses to school, much less indoors? When weeks turned into months of working together, series of back-and-forth message threads started to hit closer and closer to home. Suddenly, Dallas realized that maybe her life wasn't as idyllic as she was previously led to believe. || Completed 2023 ✔️ || ©ReeseTory2022Complete
The unnaturals book 1
Old wounds.. Sometimes they are the hardest to heal. Sometimes they fester inside, They spread, darken and throb like a familiar friend that refuses to leave your bed. The friend who's now an unwelcome guest. Stuck, stuck in the rut of a such deep lesion, the blood stagnates. Until a new cut is made. A path emerges when blood is spilt. Sometimes the path through an old wound is the wound itself. The bridge that forms when healing comes only from within. What happened to the generations of the RoyChowdhury clan? What happened to Duke and Piku's family 85 years after their story began? Prejudice, lies and violence still spin a dark web in their lives. Patty and Avi meet in the monsoons of 2025 after two missed opportunities. Sparks fly once again. But Avi seems to be headed towards complications yet again. Avi's inner struggles are resolved only to plunge the couple into the mire of violence and the confusion of their mutual history. Can Avi repair the breach in his fractured life and heal himself? Can he overcome all his past trauma and embrace a new future with the love of his life? A story that began in 1940 will finally find its conclusion in the hearts of these people nearly a century forward in time. This is a story of love and acceptance, both romantic and filial. For true healing starts with one's roots.Complete
Life, Love & A Little Coffee
Graduation is right around the corner for Ada Sinclair. She's spent all of high school saving up for her dream college and skipped high school traditions to keep her grades up for scholarships. When the acceptance letter came in the mail, every ounce of her effort felt worth it. She's spent her life being a small fish in a small pond, but eagerly awaits September so she can spread her wings and move on to big things. When her mother comes home to reveal she is in the early stages of Huntington's Disease, a disease passed down from her own mother, she can't hide from the truth she may be next in line. It is then that her plans and dreams for her future shatter. Nothing is more important to her than her family, people who need her and her strength more than Ada needs her dreams. Not knowing how much time she has left with her mother, she makes the choice to remain at home and has no regrets. Only the fear of uncertainty. Feeling like the world is crashing down on her, Ada turns to the man who's been there for her for the last four years. He'd given her the confidence she needed to become the woman she is now, held her while she cried and has been there through every struggle she's faced. He seems fully willing to be there for her again, even if that means risking his career as a teacher; her teacher. As their friendship grows stronger, they find strength in one another and a connection they can only ignore for so long, a connection that comes with life-changing consequences for them both.Complete
What is Home
Some people are born into a home that was made for them, others have to spend years fighting for their place in this world. Charlee spent sixteen years thinking she was home only to realize she never understood what a home should feel like. Will she be able to find her place in this world? Will she ever be able to understand what home is? // this story does include sexual and physical abuse, eating disorders, mental health issues and other triggering topics. here is your first and only warning. \\Complete
'A 17 yr old girl's visit to a town which she does not quite like. A new neighbouring boy who sneaks into her backyard quite often. A friendship based on just conversations. How does this new thing go for both? How far can it go? Will life allow any progress?' Completed. ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ THERE ARE MENTIONS AND DEATH OF CHARACTERS. ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ MENTION OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠' Hey! This is Annie cuz y not... This is the first time I am writing so I really hope you appreciate my attempt. But more importantly I hope you enjoy the story. 😊 I won't be able to give regular updates but I will try to put up on a weekly basis (Saturday or Sunday) Hope you enjoy the read!! Thank you very much. ☺
More detailsContent Guidelines