SELF PUBLISHED UNDER IMMAC Axel Jiane Sanchez, a sophomore lead guitarist in a local band had only one regret and that was running away from his most hated neighbor, the guy he liked in his teenage years. Moving forward, Jiane decided to move to Manila to pursue his studies and escape his own feelings. However, contrary to his envisioned peaceful and quiet life, Jiane had to share his apartment with a transferee student. Rielle Enzo Lee, smart and athletic, Jiane's roommate and his... first love. Started: June 13, 2025 Finished: August 31, 2025

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

ARTS BY: CWISELIGHT ARTS Where Blades And Hearts Collide, new title: "Blades Against The Heart" He stalked him. He was obsessed with him. He loved him so much that he would do anything to make him his own. ____ Mavros never thought that a simple kiss in a parking lot would shake his world. This jerk named Haru kissed him so suddenly. Mavros saw him as innocent and kind-until that kiss happened. He hated Haru, despised him to death, hurling words that pierced Haru's heart like daggers. Until the tables turned. He fell-deeper than he ever imagined. He found himself chasing him back, desperate to claim him as his. But then, he discovered Haru's dark little secret.

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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.