Santiago Alverio is torn between family expectations and his own internalized fears from homophobic relatives. As he enters a casual fling with Diablo Delgado, he discovers that love, patience, and acceptance might be the blueprint to healing and embracing his true self. *** Santiago Alverio has always lived by the rules of his family, peers, and a silent world that tells him who he should be. As a civil engineering student, he hides behind toxic masculinity and the fear of being noticed because of expectations and a homophobic upbringing. Then comes Diablo Delgado--fearless, affectionate, and unapologetically himself. What begins as a no-strings "friends with benefits" arrangement slowly converts into something deeper. With every touch, every unguarded smile, Diablo breaks the walls Santi has built around his heart. But love is never simple. Santi is caught between family pressures, societal judgment, and his own insecurities. Will he ever realize that happiness was never about meeting expectations but about choosing the person who makes him feel whole? DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Rayne Mariano ILLUSTRATOR: Ri Ot

[PUBLISHED under LIB] #1. "If pleading guilty means protecting you, I will."

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They say that happy-go-lucky people bury their deepest pain behind smiles. For Maverick Evander, an architecture student, was entangled in a web of uncertainty by his parents' decision to separate. Beneath his playful image and a well-known loud circle, he was able to carry a facade-a mystery no one could ever decipher. How can you read someone when they are just black pages in the book? That's how engineering student Rade Archiel Tejano sees Mavric: a blinding sun you could only graze upon. And the more he tries to solve the puzzles in Mavric's mind games, the more Mavric's wall thickens. Will Rade be able to crush someone who is already broken? Will Mavric top someone when he's the one who's falling? In a play where one had to win, both of them fell...hard.

In a society where blue is classified for boys and pink for the girls, Shiloh Ching Escarra struggled during his childhood when he discovered his fondness for the toys and colors that were only labeled for the girls. Despite confining himself in the darkness, Brent Matthew Jarsdel, his roommate and the son of his mother's friend, gradually peeked through his thick walls and found a way to paint his world according to what color he genuinely prefers. In the midst of those unexplainable feelings, confusions, and judgements, Brent was willing to risk it all; to fight for the love he unexpectedly found; to build him a home where his true colors would finally be accepted.

"𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞." - 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙖 ⟡ 𓆩♡𓆪 ⟡ Maybelline Thana "Baby" Andrada has spent her life praying for a prince charming--a man strong enough to free her from the terrors of her life. Each day, she kneels, hands clasped, whispering her plea to the universe and to every god watching her, hoping for salvation in the form of a tall, handsome stranger. With less than a year until she's forced to marry a man she despises, Baby's obsession consumes her. Every sign, every omen tells her he's near, but when a fire traps her in its deadly heat, she nearly laughs at the irony. As smoke fills her lungs and her whispered prayer fades, a figure breaks through the flames--an enigmatic man named Arson who pulls her from death's grasp. But when she wakes, he's gone without a trace, leaving her haunted and desperate to find him again. And when she does, he turns her away, his indifference chilling her. But rejection only deepens Baby's obsession. Bound together by a web of secrets, missing people, and dangerous threats, Baby is determined to make Arson hers. Because for her, Arson is no mere savior--Arson is her twisted salvation. And Baby will stop at nothing to make him the key to her escape. ⟡ 𓆩♡𓆪 ⟡ TRIGGER WARNINGS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Language: Taglish (Tagalog and English) ⟡ 𓆩♡𓆪 ⟡ Writing: October 30, 2024 - April 24, 2025 Published: November 11, 2024 - April 25, 2025 arson, my twisted salvation™ the hades folder: file no.2 NEKO

"You haven't met her, have you? That is my wife, Sonya." My husband gestured a hand at me. "Sonya, this is my uncle, Karma." 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙'𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙚? ☘☘☘ After three years of marriage, Sonya Cecilia's husband had already given up when they still couldn't have a child. Being the wife, Sonya was blamed for it. His husband hated her, as did his family, who had been waiting for their first grandchild. Sonya's husband then started seeing a younger girl that his family approved of just to achieve what Sonya cannot do - bear a child. Sonya cried and cried while her husband slept with his mistress in their bed. But eventually, Sonya had enough. One night in a club, she met a beautiful, tattooed older man who, despite his intimidating look, treated her gently the way she wanted her husband to treat her. For one night, she decided to forget about her husband and sleep with that stranger named Karma. It was only one time for Sonya, and she's ready to forget everything. But how will she be able to forget about him when, the next day, he is in front of her again? Only this time, he's not a stranger she met in a club. This time, he's Karma Del Castro, her husband's uncle. ☘☘☘ TRIGGER WARNINGS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Language: Taglish (Tagalog and English) ☘☘☘ Writing: January 26, 2024 - June 19, 2024 Published: March 3, 2024 - June 22, 2024 karma, my husband's uncle™ the hades folder: file no.1 NEKO