♱ WHEN LOVE REFUSES TO STAY DEAD ♱ Felix Harper, an indie filmmaker with his career on the rise, has always processed grief through horror. His new project is no different: an intimate retelling of Dracula meant to exorcise feelings he'd prefer to see dead and buried. But in his search for the perfect lead actor, the person he's least expected to see again walks into the audition room. Raphael Montrose is Felix's ex-best friend, the person who once knew him better than anyone. The person he hasn't spoken to in years, not since Felix sacrificed their friendship in a desperate attempt to protect what he loved. The person who still makes Felix's heart beat in his throat. Casting him would go against any sort of common sense. But when it comes to Raphael, Felix has never had any. As the two navigate filming a potential cult classic and rebuilding the fragile trust between them, old feelings resurface and the lines between past and present, performance and reality begin to blur. But when the ghosts of their past return to haunt, will they be able to face them, or will they be forced to bury their feelings for good? For readers who enjoyed If We Were Villains, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a gothic second chance/friends-to-lovers romance spanning years of yearning, tenderness, betrayal and artistic obsession. ♱ cover by the amazing @raizelrose3

Fabio Costa has plenty of talent, a sharp tongue, and unlimited energy to burn, but his forehand could be improved. Enter Julian Foster, a retired Wimbledon Champion with a bad knee and zero patience for Fabio's antics. When the two of them team up, their unexpected bond takes them from the gruelling Challenger circuit to the glamorous world of Grand Slams. But as their connection deepens, amidst intense training sessions, press meltdowns and far too many shared hotel rooms, their feelings for each other threaten to bring down everything they have ever worked for. cover art by the amazing @aphedragonfly CW: Language, Alcohol, Injuries, Mentions of past emotional abuse. +++ All tennis players featured in the story are completely fictional. All similarities to existing players are due to there being only so many ways you can hit a ball with a racquet. +++ Featured by WackyWriters [Judges' Favorites March 2025]

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.

Harlan has a unique power, one that makes him see things others cant, and therefore got him thrown in an asylum when he was only a child. Now he's a reluctant hero, thrust into the profession since he lacked any other option. He's amazing at his job, and six years into his work, is the sidekick to one of the most notable heroes of his generation: Lavina. Unfortunately, he also hates being a hero, but there's one thing that makes it worth it. The numbered. A series of villains who appeared out of nowhere and have an exceptional skill at avoiding the law, heroes, and just generally winning or evading consequences. Consequences, which are the only part of Harlan's job he enjoys. Harlan wants to find the root of it all more than anything, and he's beginning to get close. He intends to find out at any cost. He intends to win at any cost. That, he's sure of. His drive is unmatched. Until something entirely foreign to him gets involved: Feelings. [WARNINGS: smut, gore, swearing, some heavy topics, morally grey characters (the usual)]

*ONGOING - Bi-weekly on Thursdays* A meet-cute LGBTQ+ rom-com based in The District of Columbia. Skye, a homoerotic writer who pens his stories under a pseudonym, meets a stranger named Ros while working on a novel at a local café. Intrigued by their brief encounter, Ros leaves his phone number for Skye to call him. After much hesitation (and a very strong push from his closest friends), Skye eventually calls Ros, only to find out that the man he met is a doctor at a prestigious hospital, and is trying his best to convince Skye to go on a date. Some strong language will be used throughout the story.

Mahe was once renowned as passionate, virtuous, and delicate. He was the favored son of the King, even if he was only adopted. These things would only make it more shocking when Honorary Prince Kaliya manages to make him lose his composure. More than once. MUCH more than once. To the point where Mahe begs to be put in a prison cell in order to avoid the shameless prince and his handsome smile. But the shameless prince has a way of sticking to him like glue, and that handsome smile follows closely behind. •O•O• A tale of princes, magic, gore, political intrigue, and a whole lot of hopeless pining. Includes some illustrations. TW : Mild Gore, Kidnapping

Sometimes, I wondered if there was ever a time when I hadn't cared about others' opinions, either the subtle ones that I'd heard through hushed whispers... or the harsher ones I'd fabricated within my own mind. If there was a way to appease the vicious hounding of my own worries as they nipped at my heels, it felt far beyond my reach. I longed for the peace of hearing something unpleasant and allowing it to rush through me without it tearing me apart. --- Bennett Oden had long ago grown accustomed to the numbing coldness of reality. He led a miserable existence at the hands of his father, but starving was all he knew. He understood how to navigate it... and how to survive on having just enough. On being just enough. Then, he crashed into Mason Locke-warmth incarnate. [Book 1 of The Rapture Series. Stand-Alone.)

"You're bruised," the boy came up to him slowly. His calculated demeanor melted as he walked and for once, Jett saw the eighteen-year-old behind the princely mask he always hid behind. "It'll heal," he assured him. "You look a bit beat yourself." "I took it too far," he gently held his arm where the bruise was. Every touch left a tingling sensation. "I'm sorry. My father. He..." he trailed off. The brown eyes that Jett had quickly fallen for wandered off into the distance. Jett wished he could read them better. "What's the matter with your father?" "I don't want to talk about that," he shook his head. "Then what do you want to talk about?" "Us," those dark eyes met with his again, showing Jett something he hadn't seen before in him. "What about us?" Jett grinned. The boy caught him by surprise. He kissed him with a passion that Jett hadn't known he had. Oh Shiro, the next in line to the Reverence Pack. What was he going to do with him? *** BlackCreek was a beautiful city well-known for it's foggy weather, amazing scenery, and the werewolves that guard it. Four packs surround the city, but none compare to the mysterious Reverence Pack and their secretive ways. The only thing that sparks Jett's interest in them now is a new coming-of-age Alpha. The princely young man was as quiet as the forest that surrounded them. And he finds himself pulled to the man in a way he can't describe. Shiro's spent years preparing to take leadership of his pack. He trained both his body and mind to their greatest potential. He prepared for it all. Except for his mate being the Alpha of the Valor pack. Shiro was a master at keeping his secrets hidden to the world. But there was only so much time before the Alpha found out; before the news would spread. Only so much time before the curse took its toll on them. With so much against them, and secrets that most took to their grave, can a love between two Alphas be strong enough to last all the hate that's sure to follow? COMPLETED

Warning: RWB spoilers ahead. Some say the best love stories often take time. Emery Chernychevsky has had a crush on Cameron Brooks since he can remember. Watching him date different girls all throughout high school was nothing if not pure torture, especially when he knew he didn't stand a chance against any of them. Safe to say, he spent his single years in a long-term ache he did not once divulge to anyone, but even that did not come close to the night Cameron confessed. The night Cameron confessed his undying love for someone else. Realizing that he was hopelessly and irretrievably in love with Cameron wasn't easy, and finding out that Cameron was hopelessly and irretrievably in love with his best friend was no picnic either. Things weren't certainly made better when their friends decided to spend the entire summer holed up together in Blake's summer house, putting Emery's initial plan of getting over Cameron before he starts college into a ten-week-long agonizing pause. Of course, be that as it may, fate has had a nick of testing Emery's patience... as it only gets a little worse━then, a little better━and right back to irremediable worst of worst from there. Spin-off to Rage With Benefits. Can be read as a stand-alone but a number of references will be made from the first book.

Warning: This book is NOT suitable for people who can be triggered by: - VIOLENCE - SEX - BLOOD - GORE - NOT VANILLA SCENES...KHMM, children please leave - Sexual relations between two men After 18 rough years, Seth is finally living on his own, in college and with a paying job, yet the shadows of his past do not let him rest. Devoured by his need for vengeance and justice, he attracts a demon to his side, who tricks him into selling his soul to him. Jude's seductive and controlling nature quickly turns Seth's life upside down, and though the boy is strong-headed and thought himself to be dominant, he finds himself enthralled by the demon more than he would like to admit. Follow the steamy and twisted story, as the two pair up to get Seth's revenge, and fight over the control above one another.