Started: 04/27/2021 Ended: 08/24/2021 Ang hirap palang tumanda. Ang hirap magbayad ng bills. Ang hirap suportahan ng pamilyang akala ay isang milyon ang suweldo mo. Ang hirap ngumiti sa nanay na mataas ang tingin sa'yo pero hindi ka kayang ipagtanggol. Ang hirap tabihan sa hapagkainan ng tatay na pinag-uubusan mo ng pera pero hindi ka maalala. Ang hirap mag-abot ng tulong sa kapatid na baon sa utang. Ang hirap intindihin ng hipag na nakakapagpa-rebond pa kahit kapos na kapos na. Ang hirap pakisamahan ng bunsong halos ilahad ang mga palad tuwing makikita ka. Ang hirap ngitian ng mga taong tanong nang tanong kung bakit hindi ka pa nakakapag-asawa. Ang hirap humarap sa mundong isasampal sa'yo na mag-isa ka. Tulong, bigay, utang. Isang iling mo lang, madamot ka na. Kasama mo sila kapag may maibibigay ka, pero hindi mo sila mahahanap kapag wala na. Ikaw ang kakayod, sila ang tutuka. Ikaw ang iiyak sa pagod, sila ang magtatamasa. Iyon ang summary ng buhay ko. Sobra-sobra ang naririnig na paghingi, kulang na kulang ang naririnig na pasasalamat. Sobra-sobra ang pagpapasensya, kulang na kulang ang natatanggap na pagpapahalaga. Sobra-sobra ang binabayaran, kulang na kulang sa kasiyahan. Kaya nang dumating sa buhay ko ang nag-iisang lalaking hindi ako nakita bilang naglalakad na alkansya, ang nag-iisang lalaking nakinig sa mahabang listahan ko ng problema, ang nag-iisang lalaking nagbigay sa akin ng kakaibang saya, ipinangako ko sa sarili na sa gitna ng hirap ng pagtanda, magtitiis ako basta't siya ang kasama. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay pagtalikod sa minahal na pamilya. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay paglaban sa mundong pinatatakbo ng kapangyarihan at pera. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay ang pagdurusa't pag-iisa. Siya ang ginhawa, pahinga, at kasiyahan ko. Dumating man ang araw na tanaw ko na ang dulo. Dumating man ang araw na wala na kaming sagot sa lahat ng bakit at paano. Dumating man ang araw na pareho na kaming talo.

THE LOSERS' CLUB SERIES #4 How does it feel to live with tons of what ifs and should-have-beens? Knowing that under different parameters, you could have worked it out. Knowing that if you only weathered the storm together, you could have built a home in each other's arms. Napakaraming sana--ganiyan ang naging takbo ng buhay ni Ysabelle Katana Montecer. Sana mayaman siya. Sana mas maganda. At sana may kapangyarihan siyang ibalik ang oras. If only she had listened to the little voice in her head, she could have been in a relationship with the only man who ever caught her attention--River Mattias Fuentabella. But it was too late for her. She was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. A heartbeat away from silence. Kahit ayaw niya, kailangan niyang tanggapin ang hatol ng tadhana. River would always be out of her reach. He was close, but not too close enough for her to hold. They could have happened. They could have been together. But sadly, they never were.

WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2023 Stuck in the never-ending responsibilities as one of the breadwinners of the family, Calisse Abigail Guillermo, an Iska from UP Manila, seeks to find true comfort between drinking and smoking. But she never does. Her desire to find consolation in everything is not found within the consumption of toxins. When she meets fellow smoker Chance Luy, a UP med student, in the bustling street of Pedro Gil, she thanks the heavens for a chance to meet him. Chance is your worn-out med student who is stingy. As they ponder about life, would they find solace as they share a moment of smoke?

Knight Velasquez would willingly and silently sacrifice himself in order to protect the people he cared the most about, even if it meant endless trouble and deceit. But his life soon took a quick turn when he fell for the woman who saved him from his world of pain. ****** To ensure the safety of his beloved brother and friends, Count Knight Velasquez would willingly suffer through his domineering father's punishments. However, just as he reached his limits and desired to give up, a certain Sweet Monday Lopez unexpectedly came into his life and saved him. Before meeting Knight, SM can be said to be living an ordinary life with a fair share of painful past but they soon realize that ordinary is an understatement and their love comes with a price. DISCLAIMER: This is a Filipino language story. WARNING: WITH MATURE CONTENT COVER DESIGN: Ren Tachibana

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THIS IS A BL STORY!

Love Trilogy #1 This work of fiction may include potentially disturbing readings, scenes and discussions around topics such as sexual, self-harm, physical violence, emotionally triggering materials, death and suicide. Please engage in self-care as you read this work. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

(Game Series # 10) Tali coursed through life with ease. Coming from a family full of lawyers, she knew that getting a job would not be a problem. Kailangan niya lang pumasa sa school at pumasa sa BAR exam. Madali lang naman iyon lalo na kung wala ka namang ibang iniisip kung hindi ang mag-aral. Hindi niya kailangang isipin kung may pambili ba siya ng libro o pambayad ng tuition. Life had been really good to her. But one night, she met this guy named Lui... She had heard stories about him, but has never really met him. And when she finally put a face to the name, that was when she understood the stories about him. Nakaka-baliw nga pala talaga iyong lalaki na iyon. There's just something about him that makes you want to say yes... So, she said yes. Yes to kissing him. Yes to making out with him. Yes to everything. Tali told herself that it was just for one night, but she found herself wanting for me despite all the protest of the people around her. She kept on convincing herself that he's not worth it... but she knew the moment his lips touched hers, it was already game over.

(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?

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 10/07/2020 Ended: 11/18/2020 Elora Chin Valencia grew up in a toxic Christian family where she was viewed as the black sheep. Araw-araw ay ipinaparamdam sa kanya ng mundo na wala siyang lugar sa sarili niyang tahanan. She was a consistent dean's lister and an obedient daughter, which left her wondering what she had done so wrong to be disregarded as a speck of dust in the wind. They made her feel like she was just dirt, filling up the empty space. The one who would never have her own safe place. Feeling all of this contributed to her endless suicidal ideations. Baka nga tama sila. Baka nga wala siyang halaga at kailanman ay hindi na sasaya. She almost believed that. She almost held onto that notion. Not until she met the man in his BS Civil Engineering uniform and gorgeous grin, Troy Jefferson Dela Paz. He kissed her forehead, and her loud thoughts were silenced. Her demons calmed down. Her foes were defeated. For the first time in her life, she had proven her family wrong---a happy Elora Chin was possible. She was loved and well-taken care of. Troy embraced her sharp parts, not minding the wounds he might get. But fate had a lot of cruel things in store for her. Because when she thought she had reached the peak of happiness, she found myself drowning alone in the ocean she now called home, alone in her shame, alone with the waves she couldn't tame.