Being the forgotten middle child has taught Heruna how to observe, make people feel seen, and uncover others' secrets. But she craves an opportunity to show her family she is the daughter who should have been praised. So when the much older and unmarried Duke of Rivborg pays the family a visit, Heruna is determined to become his wife. She does not care that her parents wish her sister to marry him. Nor does the secret she uncovers about the Duke deter her. ----- Warnings: Parental neglect, discriminatory laws, some strong language

It's autumn of 1962 in the town of Gorey in County Wexford, Ireland. Sister Mary has lived here for almost eleven years, sent to the Lorretto Convent and Roman Catholic Church after giving birth to her daughter, Imelda, out of wedlock. One evening, she plans to meet her daughter one last time before she heads off to boarding school, but when Imelda doesn't show, Sister Mary bears witness to another kind of meeting altogether. Two men awash in moonlight, one chasing after the other, a brutal encounter that ends in murder. Or does it? Sister Mary doesn't know that she can trust her sin-addled mind. When she rushes back to her church to seek the guidance of her holy namesake, the Virgin Mary, she finds the good Father Colin, to her great relief. But as she seeks his holy advice, she begins to wonder whether he is really as good as she once thought him to be. This is my entry for the Shortys, inspired by the following prompt: You watch in disbelief as their fangs descend, revealing the truth they've been hiding. Content warnings: Depictions of violence, explicit sexual content, blasphemy, religious trauma, purity culture, explicit language.

Clive believes vampires are behind a string of mysterious deaths in Perlientas City. Kieran, his skeptic best friend, thinks he's chasing nonsense. But on a moonless night, Clive discovers the truth is closer than he ever imagined.

Ondina Flameheart's only crime was being born with magic in her veins. In the righteous Kingdom of Viasti, being Mageborn is enough to receive a bitter death sentence. And even worse, the sentencing is pronounced by the King she once harbored a secret love for. A king that never knew she existed. However, her mentor has found a way out. Her best friend Soren Dreamhollow has promised a plan for her freedom. They will be able to live out the rest of their days in Eversea together. But when the daring escape plan goes wrong, Ondina finds herself somewhere far more dangerous than King Tristan's Hall of Valora. Cover image content credit to Alice Alinari on Unsplash.com

AS OF SEPTEMBER 2026 - OPEN to new members! ˙⋆✮⋆˚࿔ A permanent pairing book club that aims to have your entire book read by your partners.

"𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄" (n.) a state of being pleasantly lost in one's day dream. °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Alexios Vasilakis prefers silence over people. Transferring to Halstead College was never meant to be anything more than a clean escape; a place to play football, keep his head down, and stay far away from anything that might crack the control he's spent years building because control is the only thing he's ever had. Back in Greece, love came with conditions, and silence was safer than speaking, safer than feeling. Then there's Sienna Hartwell, loud in all the ways he isn't. Stubbornly kind and impossible to ignore. She slips through his carefully built walls without trying, without even realizing she's doing it and somehow, she becomes the one complication he can't seem to avoid or walk away from. °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Sienna Hartwell has always believed love is worth the risk. Even after years of holding onto feelings for someone who never saw her the same way, she refuses to let disappointment harden her heart. So when the quiet, guarded Greek transfer student joins Halstead's football team, she doesn't see distance, she sees someone worth understanding and when Alex, against his better judgment, agrees to help her win over the boy she's always wanted, it should've been simple. It wasn't. Because somewhere between stolen glances, quiet moments and everything left unsaid. The lines begin to blur.

Madelyn Chung is one of the best clinical psychology PhD students Harvard has ever seen--the most controversial, too. After discovering academic fraud conducted by Harvard's star faculty, Dr. Charlotte Shelby, her future career seems uncertain as whispers accuse her of being a burdensome whistleblower. With a potentially groundbreaking research project in the line, she is appointed to work with Dr. Alex Manning, Harvard's young neuroscientist and professor who revolutionized several research in his field. A life-changing opportunity for Maddie--but she must deal with the fact that Alex was one of Charlotte's past collaborators, and his career was at stake because of the scandal. Maddie has always been careful when trudging through endless hours of clinical shifts and research. But when she doesn't know if the longing stares from Alex every time he tries to make her life harder are an indication of hatred, or if they mean something else, she starts to feel unprepared. Because Maddie knows she is a falling star, and if she holds onto the fragile trust between her and Alex too tightly, she will only fall harder.

║18+║ Expedition 33 ║ From the day Cyd was born, she already knew the exact day she would die. With only five years left to live, she joins Expedition 33. The goal was simple... at first. Until the memories began to resurface. Until she met the stranger with eternal youth he never asked for. Cyd may not remember the truth of who she really is. But Verso does. "Hello again, little Writer spy." ━━━⊱●✤●⊰━━━ Alicia stayed safely at home and an ex-Writer joins E33 instead. Gestral armies will be raised, Verso will get his heart ripped out (literally), and Writers threaten to take the Canvas. The story leading to that fateful day in Paris and the love story that fed flames/sparked wars. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Fanfic ║Mature scenes + Heavy themes ║18+ ║Also available on AO3 as "Une Vie Enverso"

ONC 2026 Round 1 Winner ONC 2026 Ambassador Pick In 1897, Charlotte Moreau has been in an abusive marriage for years and the only solace she has is in the quiet moments when her husband and children are asleep. She often spends time by the lake and usually finds it a place of solace until one day when she receives a message in a bottle from her former best friend Marie who passed away. She encounters a friend of her acquaintance, Julien Deroche, a man she despises. She begins to argue with him, telling him to leave her alone. She begins to argue with him, telling him vicious things and to turn the other way when they cross paths. When she goes to the woods to find a new place to escape from her daily hell, she encounters Julien and must come to terms with what happened to Marie because Julien knows the truth. And because of their connection to Marie, she begins to soften toward him until she begins seeing him every day in this isolated place. But then Charlotte realizes that she has fallen desperately in love with him. And her husband begins to suspect something when she has dirt on her dress nearly every day. She must choose between her heart and her duty to her husband and children.