The Dark Lady’s Guide to Villainy [Book 1 Complete] [Dark Lord, School, Romance]

Mo Nightshade thought surviving a few months at Umbra Academy (a ridiculous school for future dark overlords) was the hard part. She was wrong. After turning her treacherous advisor into a portal anchor and revolutionizing goblin rights (because apparently, that's what passes for villainy these days), Mo was finally on the brink of figuring out how to be a Dark Lady on her own terms. Her crumbling empire was on the right track, her found family of misfits was solid, and she'd even managed to make some actual progress toward changing villain society from within. Then, her research partner Julian decided to "democratize magic" by imposing a magical system on unsuspecting humans across multiple dimensions (most humans didn't have any magic, you know). When this reality-breaking ritual went catastrophically wrong, Mo found herself dealing with the interdimensional chaos he'd unleashed—all while the Umbra Tournament loomed ahead, promising to test everything she'd learned about power, loyalty, and what it truly means to be a villain. The only problem? Julian's dangerous experiment had left rifts between worlds, her relationship with shapeshifter Nyx got more complicated than ever, and someone very familiar might have not been as gone as everyone thought. What to expect in this completed dark academia fantasy series? • Female MC navigating power and identity • LGBTQ+ representation, including a gender-fluid shapeshifter exploring authentic self-expression • Enemies-to-allies dynamics with a twist, slow-burn romance, and morally complex characters • Villainous politics, strategic betrayals, and revolutionary leadership • A found family of misfits challenging societal expectations • Sharp humor, dimensional chaos, and a protagonist redefining what villainy means • Soft magic system focused on character growth over mechanics, elements of progression, elements of LitRPG (all that Julian drama, you know) • Book 1 complete (28 chapters), Book 2 starts in June 2025 • Chapter length: ~2,500-3,500 words