The Pile on the Nightstand
38 stories
Willow Hills by DaniBrull
Willow Hills
DaniBrull
  • Reads 45,504
  • Votes 3,172
  • Parts 33
When the sun goes down, the gravestone statues in Willow Hills Cemetery come to life--including Gretta. As a granite guardian of the dead, it's her job to make sure her charge--the snarky, hot-headed, lesbian spirit Quinn Rivera--crosses over and finds spiritual peace. But that's a little hard to do when Quinn's twin brother Jason blames himself for her premature death. And for Quinn to agree to cross over, he must learn the truth of her accidental passing and the bipolar episodes that led her to shut him out beforehand. But reaching out to the living is against the rules, and to break them would mean facing the most power-hungry and terrifying spirit of all: Death. *** Inspired by 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘰 (but not a retelling), Willow Hills is a southern gothic story with paranormal/horror elements. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥) C/W: Gore, some violence, and light to moderate swearing. Neurodiverse and LGBT #ownvoice rep.
Static Crush  {M/M}  ✔ by kataraqui
Static Crush {M/M} ✔
kataraqui
  • Reads 443,285
  • Votes 46,156
  • Parts 59
WATTY 2019 WINNER Hale, a state of the art android, can do nearly anything a human can. He cooks meals, cleans and organizes the house, repairs broken appliances, and runs errands. He can even provide for the more carnal needs of his owner. None of these tasks should present any challenge for Hale, and they don't-until he meets his next door neighbour, Rayner. Rayner seems like an unassuming gardener, but he asks Hale a lot of questions. Does Hale wish he could smell or taste food? What would he look like if his appearance hadn't been chosen for him? From the moment they meet, Hale runs into errors in otherwise simple tasks. He experiences bizarre sensations that none of his diagnostic tools can explain, and struggles to appease the people in his owner's social circle. As the errors in his programming begin to wear on his owner's patience, Hale faces the most difficult decision yet. If he can't evolve to meet her needs, he'll be returned and recycled into parts for future androids. If he does evolve, is he still just an android? Or something more? In all this, Rayner is the only man who can help him, and Rayner only has one question left for Hale. What does he want? Hale wasn't designed to want anything, but perhaps he can find the answer in the man with all the questions. TOP RANKINGS #1 in #freethelgbt #1 in #android - UPDATES WEDNESDAYS Story and artwork by Alistair Reeves This story is edited by Lyra Evans; she has amazing books on Amazon, so check her out if you like fantasy and mxm romance! I always love hearing from readers! Your time, votes, reviews and comments keep me constantly motivated. If you're interested in supporting this story even more than you already do by reading, please check out my Patreon (linked from my profile)! You can find me @kataraqui on Twitter/IG/Tumblr - Content warning for emotional/sexual abuse (not between MC and LI). Sexual abuse at the end of chapter 2 if you want to skip it.
Cut To The Bone by druidrose
Cut To The Bone
druidrose
  • Reads 768,287
  • Votes 37,917
  • Parts 50
Azima Rousseau, a demon hunter destined to save her world from the denizens of the Underworld, has to venture through the Seven Levels of Hell in order to face its Prince and close the rift between their worlds once and for all. ***** Ever since her eighteenth birthday, Azima Rousseau knew she would die battling the forces of Hell just as her mother had, and every other Rousseau before her. So when her destiny delivers her to Death's door, it is not the Devil who answers, but the Demon Prince Malecoda. Instead of ending her fated existence as his sworn enemy, he decides to bind her into a pact that challenges not only the intensity of her will to survive but also the integrity of her soul to persevere. Together they soon discover who the monsters truly are- Azima's own people. [[ 2021 WATTYS SHORTLIST ]] ---------- Cover designed by Stefanie Saw
The Masked Murderer by KellyBlack_20
The Masked Murderer
KellyBlack_20
  • Reads 143,542
  • Votes 6,682
  • Parts 15
🏆2017 WATTY AWARD WINNER 🥇 Olivia Chastain's life was seemingly perfect until she was violently thrust into a nightmare that would haunt her for years to come. Kidnapped by a sadistic murderer, Olivia is subjected to atrocities she'll never be able to erase from her memory. When she's inexplicably released from his grip, horrifying flashbacks plague her every waking moment, but that's not the worst of what she's forced to contend with - the masked madman roams free, preying on other unsuspecting souls. As the days pass, the deviant's reign of terror grows more and more grotesque. As the only surviving victim, Olivia fears he'll find her and finish what he started. Will the authorities catch the elusive psychopath before he strikes again?
(MOVING TO TAPAS MARCH 31) Bad Moon by WeHoardCats
(MOVING TO TAPAS MARCH 31) Bad Moon
WeHoardCats
  • Reads 1,781,113
  • Votes 112
  • Parts 14
Narrowly escaping an attack by wolves, Jaylin Maxwell is driven towards the alluring Quentin Bronx. Together, they unleash the beast inside Jaylin's heart. ***** Jaylin Maxwell has a strange relationship with wolves. They've saved his life before, but they're coming after him now. Attacked again, he only survives with the assistance of Quentin Bronx, a handsome man who brings his own wolf to the battle. Quentin is drawn to Jaylin, and despite their romantic tension, Quentin reveals a dangerous truth: there is a monster inside Jaylin, a monster that the wolves of the East are coming for. Under Quentin's guidance, Jaylin learns of his monstrous nature. Struggling to gain power over his body, and over his heart as he falls for the alpha protecting him, Jaylin prepares for the ultimate battle against the monsters coming for him-and the one inside himself. [[Winner of the 2018 Fiction Awards!]] [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]]
Heart of the Sky by GavGav7
Heart of the Sky
GavGav7
  • Reads 504,755
  • Votes 16,417
  • Parts 34
Brando Hallward is stuck on a transatlantic flight with his ex when he meets the suave Daxten Lowe. Maybe his luck is about to change. ***** Arriving desperately late for his flight, Brando Hallward discovers it's delayed but still manages to make a fool of himself in front of his ex. His luck changes when he scores a dinner with the suave Daxten Lowe. The two bond before climbing onto the same flight, where they continue their flirtation through the planes onboard messaging system. Brando is nervous, but soon Daxten brings him up to the first class lounge where their romance begins to blossom. However, dangerous blocks of turbulence rock the plane, causing injuries throughout it. Plus, Brando's ex is becoming increasingly jealous. Something is wrong, both with the plane and with Brando's life, but will these moments with Daxten be enough to make everything alright? [[2018 Watty Award Winner]] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]
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Mimesis by NickBlakeslee
Mimesis
NickBlakeslee
  • Reads 2,454
  • Votes 93
  • Parts 8
Do we inspire art, or does art inspire us? One man asks the question, while the Other searches for the answer. This cat and mouse hardboiled noir follows Detective Cooper Gianopulos and Detective Sarah Reyes as they stumble onto a case that will be unlike any other they've solved. What will it cost them to find their criminal?
THE END OF WAR (Watty Award Winner) by BenSobieck
THE END OF WAR (Watty Award Winner)
BenSobieck
  • Reads 101,915
  • Votes 8,733
  • Parts 88
A secret program in the United States seeks to replace human militaries with artificial intelligence-driven machines, but the machines aren't so willing to play along. *** Picture a world where humans no longer fight wars. No more families missing loved ones. No more veterans with lifelong mental and physical scars. No more conscription. For the super-secret End of War Project inside the United States government, such a reality is already here. The project models out how artificial intelligence can overcome dangerous and morally sensitive war scenarios with algorithms and automation. The centerpieces are "autonomous combat machines," or ACMs, that look like humans but function like supercomputers. After a string of brilliant successes in the field of combat, the End of War Project is preparing to reveal itself to the public, but something unusual stands in the way. Against their programming, the ACMs start exhibiting all-too-human signs of apprehension, guilt and compassion as they're pushed to perform ever more extreme tasks. The human leaders of the End of War Project race to find who "hacked" the ACMs, but what they find is even more startling--and revealing--than they could ever imagine. ***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction***
Ursula's Beginning by RachelShubert
Ursula's Beginning
RachelShubert
  • Reads 51,321
  • Votes 4,760
  • Parts 59
2018 Wattys winner and Belle Ame Award winner in the Fan Fiction category. Reached #1 in thelittlemermaid, backstory, and Ursula; #3 in headcanons; #7 in Disney. [To be edited.] Prepare to see "The Little Mermaid" in a very different light. If you grew up loving the Disney classic, this is your chance to be part of that world again--a world darker and more complex than you remember. Trace Ursula's descent into villainy, and decide whether this is a prequel to "The Little Mermaid"....or if TLM is merely a sequel to Ursula's tale. Cover by the amazing Sophia Lamons.
Sex and Death in Skeleton City by Jazzua
Sex and Death in Skeleton City
Jazzua
  • Reads 522,917
  • Votes 11,589
  • Parts 29
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld. ***** When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying! [[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]] [[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]