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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.

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

(Game Series # 9) Mauro Eugenio dela Rama's life revolved around school and work. At times, he felt like drowning pero hindi siya pwedeng magreklamo kasi pinili niya naman 'yon. For him, he'd rather be exhausted with his 9 to 5 and 5 to 9 kaysa humingi ng pambayad ng tuition sa tatay niya. He was doing fine kahit nahihirapan siya. Akala niya hindi niya kailangan ng tulong... Then he met Atty. Achilles V. Marroquin. Mauro thought that he was just being nice to him dahil abogado na 'to ay siya ay 'di hamak na struggling law student lamang. Kahit nahihiya siya, humingi siya ng tulong dito. Kakapalan niya na ang mukha niya kaysa bumagsak siya sa subjects niya. He thought he was just being regular nice to him... hanggang isang araw ay napapatanong na lang siya sa sarili niya kung normal pa ba 'to o nilalandi ba siya ng abogadong 'to?

(Game Series # 6) Assia dela Serna's dream was to become a lawyer. Ever since she was little, she had dreamt of becoming one... But from a young age, she knew that her family wasn't financially capable of sending her to law school. Kaya naman bata pa lang siya, sinigurado niya na magiging maayos lahat ng grado niya. She made sure that everything in her transcript was perfect. She needed to get a full ride scholarship to the best law school in the country, St. Claire's Academy College of Law... But things do not always go according to plan. She didn't make it to SCA, but she made it to Brent. It wasn't the best school, but she met a lot of good people. She was happy. She felt like everything was going according to plan. She's gonna be a lawyer. She's gonna go home to her province and help the people in her town. Everything was great... until her last year in law school. That's when shit started to happen.

(Game Series # 5) Lyana Isobel Laurel never wanted complication. She never dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family-a family that's way out of her league- but Sean Denver Cuesta came into her life like a hurricane. She kept on convincing herself that it's not gonna happen, but every step of the way, she falls. Sean's everything she never thought she wanted... but love makes people do crazy things. She fell in love, and she fell hard. One day, things were perfect... But little by little, shit began to happen.

(Game Series # 4) Charisse Faith Viste believes in working hard. She does not believe in luck, only hard work. Bata pa lang siya, nasanay na siya na pinaghihirapan lahat ng meron siya. Being the only girl in a family full of guys, nasanay na siya na kung gusto niyang makuha, kailangan niyang pagtrabahuhan. And because of this, she grew up tough. She already accepted the fact that guys are just too intimidated to even give her a second glance. She'll always be too smart, too confident, too much for everyone. One day, she had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. She looked around and saw that everyone around her has someone by their side... Everyone has someone to embrace... Siya? Libro lang ang kayakap. She used to be fine with the idea of being alone... alone, not lonely. But not anymore. She needed someone to stop her from feeling so lonely.

(Game Series # 2) Aurora Marie Floresca just wanted to escape their house. Ever since her father re-married, palagi na silang nag-aaway dalawa. She wanted her father to be happy, of course, but not with that evil step-mother wannabe. Unang pagkikita pa lang nila, masama na ang kutob niya sa babae. She wanted happiness for her father, but definitely not with that woman... But unfortunately, the witch won. She managed to get her father to throw Rory out. She was forced to stay in Manila for the meantime. She didn't know what to do in Manila! Wala naman doon ang mga kaibigan niya. Wala siyang pamilya. The only consolation she got was the condo unit from her father--well, at least hindi naman yata gusto ng tatay niya na sa kalsada siya matulog. She'd probably get a job or study again, she wasn't sure yet, but she's certain that everything would be fine... until she realized that her next door neighbor would be keeping her up all night with all the banging against the wall.

(Game Series # 1) For as long as Katherine could remember, Juan Alexandro Yuchengco has always been her dream guy. He's smart, kind, and could be funny when he wanted to... but the problem was, he never saw her as more than his sister's friend. And she's determined to change that. She followed him to law school. She made sure that he's aware of her presence... and thankfully, her efforts paid off. Finally, Jax was looking her way. But life is never simple. Life is a game. It's either you win or you lose. It's either you get it all or you lose it all. Kapag akala mong nandyan na, biglang mawawala pala. Kapag akala mong iyon na, may iba pa pala. But how will she play if all the cards are stacked against her?