When Alistair Melek gave his life to the sea, a various degree of things changed. For starters, his love for bloodshed was exemplified. Bolder. He was drawn to the clash of a sword, blood spiling below to floorboards, like a moth drawn to a flame. And this love was damned to spread through his crew as some treacherous disease, claiming any and all who joined. But he knew this was the price he'd pay. The price for the sea itself. So when his crew completes another standard loot and pillage from a merchant ship, he allows his men a bit of fun. He liked to give them an audience, rounding up those who didn't fall victim to the blade during battle, and forcing them to beg for their lives. To prove how much they really wanted to live. Alistair had ruled the sea for some years now. Killed thousands, maybe tens of thousands. Destroyed hundreds, maybe thousands of vessels. And yet, each feeble human was all the same. There was not one man he threatened that didn't beg for their lives with all they had in them when faced with the wrong end of the sword. Each feeble human was always the same. Or so he thought. And yet, he also thought that this would be one standard job. A treat for his men after a night of good work. But this particular survivor, the one with long white hair and dead looking eyes... He wasn't a merchant. He couldn't have been. More important, there was no hesitancy when Alistair asked the fairly built man whether he wanted to live, and the man replied with a simple no.

COMPLETED [boyxboy] After his religious mother kicks him out for being gay, Elijah Ellis moves in with his father, where his step-mother, step-brother, and half-sister also welcome him. Elijah aspires to continue doing what he loves and play hockey for his new school, but his past hookup with the closeted hockey captain, Fox Ridley, complicates things. While Elijah just wants to get through the season unscathed, Fox is hellbent on hating him. Elijah is unsure whether he will ever overcome Fox's hatred, or if he will remain on thin ice. ~171k words

Xander is a writer - a wordsmith by nature and training. He's an upcoming talent that people are sure will receive future success. Despite his way with words, Xander finds himself unable to speak to his crush, Maxwell, who's a music student in the same college as him. Due to his lack of confidence, Xander does away with trying to talk to Maxwell and writes about a fictional reality where he's not so shy and he's able to date the man of his dreams. What happens when Xander losses his journal with this story? And what happens when it's returned to him by no other person but Maxwell himself? - Cover by @EPrescott

With his career on the line, Ashton takes a blockbuster role-only to find himself starring opposite his longtime rival, Ryker Cohen. But as tension turns to sparks, hate might not be the only thing burning between them. *** With Ashton's dying career, his last lifeline was accepting the lead role in a sureshot blockbuster. But the new role had a catch, and the catch had a name: Ryker Cohen, Ashton's sole archnemesis. Can Ashton act alongside the man he has spent years despising? Will he give in to the hate? Or will Ryker's soft touch melt Ashton's stone cold heart? *** "You're crazy," Ashton whispered. "Yes," Ryker continued. "For you." "No. You're just crazy. Period." *** [mxm] [marked mature for sexual content]

COMPLETED [boyxboy] Mason Maloney has lived his whole life in the shadow of his twin brother, Nathan, star quarterback of the football team. While Nathan impresses everyone in town with his athleticism, Mason spends his afternoons working at the local bakery. His rather mundane life becomes more interesting when his brother's rival quarterback, Sam Knight, gets a job along side him at the bakery. The rivalry between their two schools should keep them apart, but does it? COVER BY: @Grand_ ~166k words