#CFWC Female Characters Week

[thequeenofpixels]

You didn't ask me

Book: The Royal Heir   Pairing: MC x Drake/Max/Hana Summary: What happens when Liam shows up on Milena (MC)’s honeymoon with a request, but she is not so eager to the idea as much as her spouse? Word count/Warnings/Rating: 1075 / None / G Author’s note: ❥ This is a late submission to @choicesficwriterscreations CFWC Female Characters Week prompt Day 4. Motherhood ❥I had this idea after playing Max and Drake’s route, and how it bothered me Liam’s ask >.< (I know PB is the guilty one, ok? But I had to write it anyway).  ❥Thank you @ladylahela for helping me with review and grammar, and how eager you were when I told you about this idea 💗 ❥I used the pronouns they/them and spouse to indicate the LI instead of use their names, because I think this one fits all of them. ❥ English is not my first language / The characters belong to Pixelberry. / Feedback would be very appreciated.

After a whole day with only one thing on her mind, Milena was leaned on the window of their room, at night, thinking about what happened earlier that day. When she had seen everyone arriving. At first she thought it was only her friends surprising her on the last day of her honeymoon, but it was only Liam throwing cold water on her plans.

She closed her eyes remembering his exact words after everyone had their greetings: “There's something I need to ask the two of you.” He looked between Milena and her spouse seriously before continuing. “I hope you'll consider it an honor, even though it may very well also be a burden.” Liam’s face fell a little. “As you know, I've yet to marry. This flies in the face of Cordonian tradition. At one point, I would have settled for any political marriage that Cordonia required me. But now, I've dared to dream my marriage might also one day be for love... Since I have no potential bride, and yet Cordonia needs an heir, to ensure the stability of Cordonian's future. There's one way around it... I'm allowed to appoint a newborn child of noble lineage as Cordonia's eventual heir, as long as the court approves. But external powers are pressuring Cordonia, and internally, the royal court is pushing for this to be resolved without further delay. This is why I'm here..."

And how eager her spouse quickly answered smiling, "To ask us... if our future baby will rule Cordonia? It would be an incredible honor."

Her fists clenched. How could they? She thought.

She took a deep breath and started packing her things, this was not gonna be something she would accept. A while later, she was lost in her angry thoughts she didn’t even notice when her spouse entered the room, she only felt when their arms came behind her encircling her waist. 

She pulled herself out of the embrace and said in a cold way. “I’m leaving.”

They smiled and added, “Of course we’re leaving, but not until tomorrow, babe. We still have tonight.” 

“No, we don’t.”

Her spouse was clearly alarmed by her tone and short answers, and looked at her with confusion in their eyes

She knew by that look in their face that if she didn’t say the word they would never realize why she was so frustrated and so mad with them. She took a deep breath and tried to say her piece as calmly as she could, “Let me remind you about two things.”

Their spouse waited apprehensively for what she was gonna say. What have they done wrong? So soon? They thought.

“First: do you remember how we used to say we’re going to do everything together?”

They nodded and added. “Always.”

She snorted at that answer but continued. “Secondly, since you forgot, let me remind you that before we married we only had a brief conversation about having kids on the balcony that night in Valtoria, but we have never settled a decision. And today you made a decision. You, and only you.” 

She approached her bag in the bed and when she was almost grabbing it, her spouse asked: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand…” 

Milena looked them in their eyes, anger that could be felt leaving her nostrils, in a way they have never seen before. “Have you thought about asking me, for a second, what I was thinking about Liam’s proposal? He asked and you just accepted it without even blinking! Not even a ‘let US think first’, Liam. You see? US, like you and me, but no, YOU just accepted it! Not for a moment thought about what I thought about the whole situation.” 

Without realizing she was yelling at them, out of breath, but she couldn’t stop now, she had to say everything that was on her mind the whole day, that was the time and she was not going to have a second chance to say it. 

“Milena-”

She kept going and didn’t let them finish. “If you were so eager to accept this proposal, find another woman who’s eager as you are. Because I’m not this woman.”

“Mi, please, I’m so sorry! Please-”

“No, you are not sorry!” She approached the door, put a hand on the door handle and looked back. “You know what?” She said more calm. “Don’t ever think I’m doing this because I don’t love you. Because I do. But I love me more. Have a good night. And in a few days you’ll receive the annulment’s papers.”

“No! Let’s talk about it, don’t leave like this Lena! Come on, we can solve this-”

Before they could finish, someone knocked at the door. “Is everything ok in there? We heard some yellings from downstairs.”

Milena clenched her teeth and opened the door. “No Liam, nothing is ok. And it’s great you’re here, so I’ll let you know already.”

Liam looked at Milena and the bag in her hands and her spouse with shock in his eyes. “What has happened? Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. And just so you know, Liam, my answer is no. I’m not going to have a baby to be your heir. Maybe they could have accepted.” She pointed towards her spouse inside the room. “But I was never really taken into consideration before they accepted your proposal. I’m not your heir production machine, and my uterus and ovaries are closed to have babies. I have never wanted to be a mom or a parent and this is not going to change now. So, if you want an heir, go and have your own heir or ask some of the other nobles.” 

She left the room and when she was descending the stairs she heard that Liam and her spouse were after her saying things she couldn’t understand, but probably trying to change her mind somehow. 

She looked back again, and there was Liam and her spouse looking at her still not believing she was really leaving them behind. She stated: “Oh and as a matter of fact, I’m also abdicating the duchess title. Give Valtoria to someone who really wants to be a noble, Liam.” 

She didn’t know what they were saying anymore after that, and honestly, she didn’t care, the same way they didn’t care about her opinion earlier. And with those last words, she left the house towards her new and unknown future.

Tagging: @lorirwritesfanfic @missameliep @julia-highstorms  @nanieuniverse @bardiniwalker​ 

#TRR fanfic #TRH fanfic #TRH MC #drake walker #liam rys #maxwell beaumont #hana lee #TRH AU #fanfic #choices fic writers creations #CFWC Female Characters Week

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Female Characters Week

Welcome to CFWC Female Characters Week! To celebrate International Women's Day, we encourage you to write centered on female characters during the first eight days of March.

How to participate: choose one of the prompts from this list, pick a female character (or more than one. Your call!) and go write. When you post, mention @choicesficwriterscreations​ with the tag #cfwc female characters or send it to @cfwcadm​.

Prompts List

Day 1. Fierce women: write stories about your favorite strongest female character(s)

Day 2. Not your delicate flower: they're sweet and kind, but don't you dare test them. Write about your favorite female character(s) who are the sweetest but might totally kick anyone's ass.

Day 3. Girl boss: write about the powerful self-made female characters of Choices.

Day 4. Motherhood: write about female characters and their own views about becoming or being a mother.

Day 5. This is (not) a man's world: sexism is everywhere but these female characters don't bow their heads for anyone.

Day 6. Proud to be: allow your favorite female characters be proud themselves of (LGBT+ / characters of color related theme).

Day 7. Women in love: are your favorite female characters in love? Write about it.

Day 8. The future is female: let your imagination run free writing whatever you want about this theme.

Guidelines

CFWC Rules

Fics We Don't Promote

Why You Shouldn't Play The "It's Just Fiction" Card: Sexism/Misogyny

We hope you join us celebrating these wonderful characters! Happy writing!

#choices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #cfwc events #cfwc female characters

[eleanorbloom]

First Date (Aurora Emery x MC)

Disclaimer: The characters of this story, except Rosalía, belong to Pixelberry.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Aurora Emery x f! MC (Rosalía Muñoz)

Warnings: Fluff, discussions of coming out, maybe some slight homophobia Rated: T

Word Count: 2.9k

Prompts: Day 7 of CFWC Female Characters Week, "Women In Love". Also, Day 14 of @choicesmonthlychallenge "Moonlight".

Summary: Aurora and Rosalía go on their first date after both confessed their feelings.

Author’s Note: This story follows the events of my first fanfic Until I Met You. This is not intended to be a series, but probably all my Aurora's fics will revolve around this premise story. Maaaaybe one day I'll do some rewrites, maybe not. Either way, I hope you enjoy this!

PS: I didn't proof read this, so forgive me the mess, probably I'll fix it later.

Taglist: @romereadingshop @starrystarrytrouble @penda-bear @queenelianar @openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations @julia-highstorms

______

It was dark when Rosalía got out of bed, and beautifully quiet. Just a murmur of some cars passing by a few blocks from there, and no major movements in the apartment.

She had woken up early to leave for the hospital with Aurora, just as she used to do before starting to avoid her.

Rosalía couldn’t help but smile as she remembered the night before. Aurora confessing her feelings, reciprocating hers. Their first kiss and all the kisses that followed after. All the sweet words, the words of reaffirmation, the promises, the doubts.

Even the unknown didn’t seem so scary now that their affections were mutual.

The lights in the kitchen were on when she approached with her bag on her shoulder, ready to leave for the hospital. Aurora was there, at the counter with two travel mugs in front of her, putting a teabag in the purple one before carefully pouring boiling water on it.

Rosalía smiled, relishing in the beautiful view she had in front of her. How lucky she was for being able to do this freely now.

When Aurora noticed her staring from the corner of her eye, she glanced up and blushed instantly, “Oh, hey.”

"Good morning," Rosalía said, leaving her bag in a stool before approaching Aurora.

"Morning Rosie, I have your coffee ready," Aurora replied and pointed to the white floral mug next to the purple one.

"Thank you. Glad to be back on this routine,” she whispered, looking intently at her.

Aurora gave her a shy smile before putting the kettle back on the stove, “Yeah, me too.”

As Rosalía sensed slight nervousness in her words, she walked toward her and took her hand in hers, "Having second thoughts?"

“No. Why do you ask?”

“You seem… Nervous.”

The taller woman released a shaky breath before responding, “Well, I am, a bit."

“Why?”

"Because I…"Aurora bit her lower lip, pondering her words. This was never easy for her, but somehow it was a lot simpler with Rosalía. To open up. "Because I like you so much and I don't wanna screw it up."

“How could you screw it up? We're just starting.”

She shook her head, "It's just… I'm not used to this. It's not personal, with James it took me some time to… get accustomed to the idea of dating someone after not doing it for years. And with you is completely different because I've wanted you for so long and I have actual feelings for you so… This really feels something new to me, besides the whole 'I've never been with a girl before', it's… Scary not knowing what to do."

Rosalía gave her a sweet smile before caressing her cheek with her thumb, "Oh, gorgeous, you're not going to screw it up just because you don't know what to do or you're new to this. I bet most couples don't have a fucking idea what to do when they start, and then just figure it out with time. And in this case, we have each other to sort it out, alright?"

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s okay you feel that way, and if then you feel like I am or we are going too fast, you just have to say it, okay? You can be completely honest with me."

With a warm smile on her face, Aurora nodded and then leaned down to Rosalía and pressed her lips softly on hers, "Thank you."

Rosalia didn't take long to wrap her arms around Aurora's waist, deepening the kiss, lips caressing more eagerly.

Both sighed after a few seconds.

"We should get going,” Aurora breathed an inch away from Rosalía.

"Should we keep making out in your car?"

Aurora chuckled, “Not a bad idea.”

“Maybe in the elevator too, and the lockers…”

“Mmm, greedy much?”

“Can you blame me?”

Aurora stared at her deep in the eyes and bit her lip as she tucked a strand of hair behind Rosie’s ear “No. Would be very hypocritical of me.”

Rosalia chuckled and kissed her again, “Let's go, then."

Both residents took their mugs and bags and left the apartment still in complete silence.

As Rosalía anticipated, they kissed in the elevator, in the car, and every other red streetlight they stopped before they made it to Edenbrook. And then when she parked, they leaned to kiss again.

They were completely drunk with the new blossoming love.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Rosalía asked, parting after another breathtaking kiss, “We'll wait some time to tell the others?”

Aurora stared thoughtfully at her before answering, "Personally, "I'd like to wait for a while, maybe a couple of weeks? This is all too new to me, to you, and until yesterday I was dating someone else, so… We should talk about us first. If that's okay with you, of course. If-if you think I'm being too forward or going so fast, just tell me."

”I’d love to talk about us.” Rosalía said, “What is it?” she added as she saw Aurora fidgeting her hands and then bit her lips, nervous.

"Maybe we could go… on a date? Or not a date, just… going somewhere quiet to talk, just the two of us."

“That’s definitely a date, Emery,” she chuckled, amused with her strange denial.

Aurora smiled, "Okay, yes, a date, but… not a fancy thing, not with the paraphernalia of dressing and going to a fancy dinner, maybe going somewhere after work, if that's okay to you?"

“Yeah, I like that. We can do fancy anytime, right?”

The next two days were so challenging and stressful that none of them managed to end their shift before 10 pm, and by that time they were completely wiped out to even think about going somewhere else but their beds.

"Where are we going? Or is it a surprise?” Rosalía cheerily asked leaning against the wall in the emergency staircase, when both confirmed they could clock out on time that evening.

"No, it's not a surprise," Aurora assured, smiling at her excitement, "I was thinking about this place, Club Café that is… queer-friendly."

“Oooh, interesting.”

“I thought maybe both will feel a lot more comfortable in a space like that, free of prying eyes and more… Like… Like us, maybe it will help us to get… Used to this.”

“Oh God, Aurora Emery stuttering? You look adorable, you know that? All doe-eyed.”

“This isn’t easy for me, so don’t mock me, Rosie!” Aurora reprimanded, cheeks profusely blushed.

“This isn’t easy for me either, why do you think I’m laughing like an idiot? Why am I saying these things? I’m nervous as hell!”

Aurora shook her head, and arched an eyebrow, “So, what do you think?”

Rosalia placed her arms around her neck and kissed her before replying "I think it's perfect. You couldn't have picked a better place for our first date as members of the queer community."

"You just can't stop kissing and touching me, uh?”

Rosie kissed her again more deeply, “No, I can’t. There’s something about you... about your lips… that just… pull me, you know? And I’ve been restraining myself for so many weeks, that I don’t intend to stop anymore.”

“Oh, I think you’ll have to tell me about that.”

“Of course, anything you want. Tonight. I bet you have a lot to tell me too.”

“Indeed.”

After work, Aurora took Rosalía to the aforementioned cafe in Back Bay.

Despite the cafe being packed with lots of people, groups of friends chatting, couples talking, and live music being played, the atmosphere there was really pleasant and intimate. Perfect for a first date.

Aurora and Rosalía hadn’t had the time to feel particularly worried about being seen in public together, because they’d only been at the hospital and at the apartment the last three days, and all their affections would be private until they were ready to tell their friends, but the fact that they could show their love for each other in public felt absolutely liberating and somehow reassuring. It felt right.

While they were waiting for their orders, both took a moment to appreciate the soft piano melody a woman was playing on the other side of the room.

“I’ve never been much into jazz, but the melody is beautiful,” Aurora stated.

“What music are you into? I’ve only seen you listening to classical music.”

“Some pop, rock, instrumental. I’m not much into music actually, but when I do, it’s mostly for focusing.”

And that was just the first of many questions that night. They spent the following hours talking about them, but under a light, they never knew before. They were friends first, they had shared personal stuff, some interest in career paths, food, movies, etc, but when there is romance involved, every single detail seems suddenly more interesting and necessary to learn than before. Favorite place to have a coffee, to have a drink, best spots to go hiking. Favorite song. Favorite color. Favorite movie genre.

Anything that could involve future plans between them.

They also spend the evening talking about how everything happened, how Aurora realized she liked Rosalía, with more details than what they shared a few days ago, and Rosalía told her about how she felt about their first date with James, and how that night she realized she liked her. How much she tried to forget her and how difficult it was for her to avoid her in order to get her out of her mind and heart.

“And here we are,” Aurora stated, taking her hand over the table.

“Did you have any problem with the fact that you liked me, I mean, a girl?”

Aurora stood in silence for a moment, thinking, "Not really. It felt strange that after years of liking men, I was liking a woman now. I know I'm young, and there are people who are in their fifties that realize their sexuality isn't what they thought, but… it felt really concerning the fact that you were my friend and you wouldn't reciprocate me. That I'd do things that could probably ruin our friendship, that you'd realize I like you and you'd push me away, I don't know, that sort of things."

“Exactly what I thought when I realized I liked you.”

Both laughed.

“Is kind of weird but funny how it happened the same to both of us, right?” Aurora questioned, before taking a sip of her glass of water.

“Yeah, but I’m glad it happened this weirdly, lucky way. I was worried it would take me too much time and effort to forget you. But you got the worst part, around five months.”

“Yeah, but at least I didn’t see you dating another person under my nose.”

Rosalía closed her eyes and teasingly shook her head, as if she was trying to forget those painful moments, “At least you were dating a great guy. Like, damn, you dumped James Woods for me?”

“He is great, but you’re greater,” Aurora stated, serious, “Besides, I don’t like him as I like you.”

“Oh, and how much is that?” Rosalía asked, leaning to her, and stopping just a few inches from her nose.

“A lot,” Aurora answered and then cut the distance and brushed her lips on Rosalía’s, tasting the sweetness of the chocolate mousse she had been eating. “Mmm sweet.”

After a few moments of silence, both digging in their desserts, Rosalía glanced at her with a serious expression, “What do you think will happen to you when we tell everyone?”

“What do you mean?”

"I don't know, if you have family members that may not support you in this? Considering you always identified yourself as hetero."

“Mmm well, my parents will be surprised, that’s for sure, and maybe it will take them some time to get used to it, but they won’t kick me out of the family or anything.”

“And your Aunt?”

“Aunt Harper couldn’t care less as long as I don’t lose sight of my career.”

“Cool. Good to know you’ll have the support of your family, sort of.”

“Yeah. I know this will be a surprise for everyone, that my aunt will be very surprised but she won’t judge me. It’s just that... “ Aurora paused for a moment, considering her words, “Maybe… doing something no one expected from me is what worries me. I know it’s stupid, but I’ve been acting this way for a long time. And this is something clearly no one could’ve anticipated.”

“Aurora, it’s not stupid. It’s totally understandable that you feel worried about that, you’ve always lived with so much pressure on your shoulders, that obviously you wouldn't want to add more. ”

“Precisely, but it’s not just that. I’m also afraid that… I don’t know, something that feels so natural to us, won't be to everybody, that maybe some people won’t like it. I honestly don’t care what we might have to face but it’s a shame this won’t be as easy as it is… with straight people.”

"That's true. That's maybe the only thing I fear about this. The… hate we could receive, but I'm sure it will be minimal because we'll have our friends to support us. And as long as we're together, I think we can face anything."

Aurora watched as Rosalía slid her hand over the table and took it on her own, giving it a squeeze in agreement, “What about you?”

“Well, I think my mom will take it fine, but my dad won’t see me the same again in a long time. He’ll try to ignore it.”

“Oh.”

“He’s not a bad person, but it will be really disappointing that I won’t have the life he always dreamed for me. Marrying a good man and having children. Well, I’ve known since long ago that I will disappoint him because that never was something I was particularly interested in.”

“His loss, then.”

"Yeah, but eventually he'll align his dreams with reality, and he'll find out I am happy the way I am and doing the things I do. Well, that's what I hope."

“I hope so too. I hate the idea of you suffering because your dad doesn’t accept you.”

Aurora gave her a worried look to which Rosalía tried to reassure instantly with a wide smile, “Me too, but I’m kinda used to receiving the cold shoulder for not meeting his standards. I’m the black sheep of the family, after all. This just confirms my place even more.”

Aurora arched an eyebrow “You’re the best resident of our cohort, you have the job of your dreams, and you’re the black sheep of your family? What are your other siblings, CEO of Forbes 500?”

Rosalía cackled, amused with the irony of her life, "Nothing of the sort. Actually, I'm the most successful of the five, but the only lefty that rebelled against my dad’s desires and escaped from his authoritative wing.”

“Your father really needs to sort out his priorities.”

“Yeah, I keep thinking it’s never too late for that. Let’s hope I’m not being too optimistic.”

After a few minutes, Aurora paid the bill and both left the cafe to walk around the busy streets of Back Bay. Somewhere in the middle of rustled streets and the chill of the night, Rosalía extended her hand to intertwine her fingers between Aurora's.

Aurora simply smiled and gave it a squeeze before keeping walking until they reached Boston Public Garden.

"Wow, I don't think I remember seeing it this beautiful," Aurora sighed, taking in the view of the park when they stopped in the middle of the lagoon bridge.

The streetlights and the moon were softly reflecting in the water, and a few grouped ducks were sleeping by the lagoon bank.

“Yeah, but it certainly isn’t as beautiful as you,” Rosalía whispered, looking at her deeply in the eye.

“Flatterer.”

“Just stating facts.”

Aurora chuckled, and when she realized Rosalía was serious, her brows furrowed in concern, "What is it?"

“Is it too soon to ask you to be my girlfriend?”

Her eyes widened in amazement and despite trying to articulate a response, nothing could get out of her mouth.

"I know it's our first date and we said we would take things slow but…"

Somehow, seeing Rosalía nervous and blushing gave her the strength to speak, but maybe not in the way she used to do it, “You’ve been clinging to me like a limpet since we first kissed, I don’t know how much different from being a girlfriend you’ve been behaving..”

Rosalía arched a brow, baffled by her reaction “Oh I’m sorry Miss-I-Hate-Kisses, I won’t disturb you ever again.”

“Oh, so you’re the only one that can tease when the other is nervous?"

“You called me clingy while I was asking you something serious.”

"I did. But that doesn't mean I don't like you clingy. In fact, I love that you're clingy. Maybe I like you even more because you're clingy."

Rosalía's eyes illuminated as Aurora placed her hands on her hips, pulling her closer to her body.

“What I meant to say is… it’s not too soon. Whatever doubts I could have before, now I have none, so… I’d love to be your girlfriend, Rosie.”

"Oh," it's the only thing Rosalía could say. For the first time in ages, Rosalía didn't know what to say.

“Do you wanna be mine?” Aurora asked, completely touched by her sudden speechlessness.

“I am already yours, but yes, I do. I wanna be your girlfriend, Aurora Emery.”

#cfwc female characters #choices #opean heart #open heart choices #aurora emery #opne heart fanfic #open heart fic #playchoices #choices stories you play #oph choices #oph fic #aurora emery x mc #aurora x mc #oh choices

[lorirwritesfanfic]

A Letter To The Future Queen

Author's note: Last submission to CFWC Female Characters Week. It's really late, my hands are starting to hurt, so forgive me for any typos or grammar errors (I mean, more than the ones you usually can find in my fics 😅) [Leading characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios and original characters are creations of the author] 

Book: The Royal Heir Characters: Crown Princess (Elise), Liam Rys, MC (Jade), F!OC (Sophie), M!OC (Louis) Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Jade) Rating: T Word count: 1764 Summary: The Crown Princess is ready to rule Cornodia for the first time. Based on the prompt: CFWC Female Characters Week: Day 8 - The Future Is Female

"Here you go, Lil Bunny," Liam smiled softly as he gave his twenty-five-year-old daughter a tall glass of detox juice and took a seat on the stool next to her.

The young princess wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You know you'll feel better…" The king said then took a large gulp of the greenish drink.

"How do you drink this thing unsweetened?" Elise made a face as she reached for the honey.

"It isn't that bad. And if you really didn't want to be hungover after a Beaumont Bash in your honor, you should've done as your mother always does."

"I tried! But after the sixth shot of Cuervo, I forgot to drink more water," the princess whined and rested her head on her father's shoulder. "I shouldn't have trusted Uncle Leo and Ava."

Liam chuckled softly, caressing Elise's long hair with one hand. "It happens to the best of us, my darling."

"It doesn't happen to you. Or to mom."

"Well, I wasn't their target this week. And everybody knows Leo would never mess up with Jade again."

"You're right…" The young princess stared at the glass of juice and sighed. "When I grow up, I want to be just like mom."

"When you grow up?" Liam asked with an amused look.

"You know what I mean…" she nudged her father playfully. "Mom is fearless, smart, passionate about what she believes in. And she's fifty-four and looks as hot she was when you first met."

"Yes, she is..."

"Gee, Dad! Can you stop worshipping mom for five seconds and give me some encouragement?" Elise nagged.

The king couldn't help but laugh.

"Daaaaaad!" Elise whined, pouting just enough to get her father's attention.

"My darling, do you really believe you need encouragement? You were chosen by the Royal Council to be the regent while we'll be away. Jade and I didn't even cast our votes and you already had the majority of the votes."

"But isn't that what some of the counselors want? To test me and see if I'll fail and tarnish our family name?"

"Perhaps some of them are expecting you to fail. But most of us believe in you, my darling. You are the future of Cordonia. Besides, your mother and I will be one video call away."

"But what if there are problems I can't solve and you're busy taking care of mom? I don't want to bother either of you."

As a small line appeared between his daughter's brows, the king shifted in his seat so he could stare into her eyes."

"Elise, you are as strong as your mother. And I know that because every time I look at you, I see her. You have her boldness, eloquence, quick thinking, sense of humor. I know you'll make us proud."

The young princess gazed at her father in worry. "I'm scared."

"I know…" Knowing her fear was more than just about ruling the kingdom, Liam took her hand in his and lifted it to her lips. "But you'll be fine. Both of you."

"What are you two whispering about?" Jade called from the doorway. The ends of her green satin robe flew into the air as the wind blew against her body while she walked into the kitchen.

"I bet it's politics again," Sophie, the youngest of the Bourbon-Rys family chimed in with her brother in tow.

"Never been so glad not to be the firstborn," Louis joked as he took a seat next to his father.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Louis. Dad was the spare to the throne and look where he is now." Elise gave her brother a knowing look.

"But this time the firstborn in this family actually is the responsible one," the young prince smirked.

"Hey! What happened to 'good morning, dad', 'I can't believe you'll be abroad for four months, dad", 'I promise I won't turn Valtoria estate upside down'?" Liam asked.

"I'm not sure he can promise that, dad." Sophie teased before planting a kiss on her father's cheek. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, sweetheart." Liam smiled softly.

"Excuse me?" Jade approached the kitchen island. "Why am I fetching ingredients to make myself green juice when there's a glass untouched right here?"

The queen grabbed the glass and drank everything in a few gulps. While Elise and Louis grimaced, Liam and Sophie chuckled.

"It's a bit too sweet for my taste, but whatever."

"You're welcome."

Jade smirked at her husband, knowing the juice wasn't prepared for her. As she blew him a kiss, he replied with a smile.

"Alright, who wants waffles?" The queen beamed.

When Liam and Jade stepped outside the Royal Palace, a cacophony of shutter sounds and clicks took over the main entrance as the monarchs waved to the crowd, reporters, and photographers. As far as everyone knew, the king and queen were leaving for an extended vacation to celebrate their upcoming wedding renewal ceremony on their private island and left Crown Princess Elise as regent in the meantime. Of course, only the ones close to the Royal Family knew the real reason. And as expected, they were all there to support them.

Once Jade said her goodbyes to her loyal friends, she turned to her children with a smile, giving them long hugs. As she looked at Elise, the queen cupped her face. "Chin up, my beautiful girl. If you need anything, call me, okay?"

The Crown Princess took a deep breath to fight back tears as her mother hugged her. "Please come back soon."

"No promises… Your father still owes me a second honeymoon." The queen smirked.

Elise chuckled. "Okay. Just take care of yourself and come back to us."

"I will." Jade kissed her daughter's forehead and moved along.

When it was time to say goodbye to her father, instead of curtsying first, Elise ignored the protocol and held her father tightly. The king didn't mind the public display of affection. The whole Europe knew Cornodian Royal Family members were affectionate people. The king's departure to France wouldn't be any different. Yet, this time, he hoped no one would notice what he was about to do.

"Call me tonight?" Elise pleaded.

"Of course. Take care of yourself, my Lil Bunny."

"Yes, sir."

After one last kiss on his daughter's cheek, the king finally joined his wife and waved to the crowd.

As she watched her parents climb into the king's Rolls Royce, Elise shoved her hands into her coat pockets to fight the cold weather and found an envelope inside. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she looked at her parents and her father winked at her.

Nodding in acknowledgment, the Crown Princess waved to her king and queen and to the crowd before entering the palace.

As soon as she returned to the palace, instead of going to her study, she asked her assistant to hold any appointments for a few minutes and went back to her suite. Elise sat by her vanity dresser and reached for the envelope sealed with her father's personal wax seal stamp. Inside it, a small note and a crumpled paper.

"My Lil Bunny,

I know you're still unsure about ruling Cornodia on your own, but I assure you: you can do this. Don't forget you have your uncles and aunts as Royal counselors and they'll do anything to help. But if you still need more encouragement, you can read your mother's letter.

All my love,

Dad

P.S: Jade wrote this letter then found it too dramatic and tossed it in the trash can. So as far as she's concerned, this letter no longer exists and you never read it. If you wish to keep it, you're at your own risk.

P.S 2: I'm kidding. Keep it in your safe or we'll have huge problems with your mother in the future."

Chuckling at the thought of her father stealing the crumpled letter from her mother's office, Elise picked it up and unfolded the paper.

"My dearest Elise,

By the time you read this, I must be on my way to France with your father while you take your rightful place as Princess Regent of Cordonia. I'd give anything to see you ruling our country, but unfortunately, we'll have to postpone that moment for now.

I know the circumstances aren't ideal. I certainly didn't wish to leave you concerned about my health and you must feel like everyone is watching, waiting for you to fail. Believe me, I know the feeling. However, I must remind you that you are a Bourbon-Rys. You are the descendant of powerful leaders such as Queen Kenna Rys of the Five Kingdoms, Queen Kendra of Cordonia, and Queen Sofia de Borbón of Calenvia. All those monarchs and fierce women must be proud to see you sitting on the same throne many of them did.

I also can't remiss to tell you how proud I am. Unlike many of your ancestors, your existence isn't a consequence of a political alliance. You're the fruit of the love of two people who yearned to share everything they have with you. Liam and I wanted more than an heir to rule Cornodia one day. We wanted to raise a child that could carry all of our best traits and be their own person. And much like your siblings, you are everything we hoped you would be.

Now that Cornodia is under your power, don't be scared. You were born and raised for this moment and you are more ready to rule this kindom than I ever was. I have no doubts you'll do your best and succeed.

And before I finish this letter, rest assured that I'll be fine. After the mastectomy, I'll come back home healthier and I hope to have many years ahead of me, so I can witness my beautiful girl become the legendary queen I know you will be.

Stay strong and wonderful, my darling!

Love always,

Mom."

Tears rolled down Elise's cheeks. Her parents have always been supportive, still, she had no idea how much faith they had in her. And, despite the uncertainty of her future as regent, she was determined to fulfill her life mission.

"Your Royal Highness?" Her assistant knocked on the door.

"Yes, Sabrina?"

"The Royal counselors have arrived and they're waiting for you, ma'am."

"Alright. I'll be at the conference room in five minutes."

Squaring her shoulders, Elise looked at herself in the mirror and reached for her beauty products to do a few quick retouches on her makeup and leave for her first Council meeting as Princess Regent.

#choices fanfic #the royal heir fanfic #liam rys #liam x mc #crown princess #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates #cfwc female characters

[mod-queen]

Gently reminder about submissions

Hi people, how’s everyone today? Just stopping by to remind you about one of the Rules to submit your work, wip to CFWC:

Any submissions without basic information (book, characters/relationships, rating and warnings) of the fanfic will be ignored;

And this goes to the gender of your characters too! I’m noticing more and more works and wips are being submitted without this information, I usually go after the writer to ask about it, but I can't go after ALL WRITERS to ask this, at every submission and at every event on the blog, every week!

So, just remember that if the book has a gender option for the main character (MC) or the love interests (LIs), not everyone plays as the same gender as you. So, put the information about which gender you are writing in your fic, be them Female, Male, Non Binary, Trans.... or even if you don't want to choose a gender you can put 'gender not specified' if you want too!

Think about your readers and give all the information needed for them! 

Yeah, when we ask for information about your work, we aren’t asking for us (adm and mod) IT IS FOR YOUR READERS!  

Edit: RULES ARE RULES, period. If you're not following the Rules  your work will not be posted. I have been too kind going after every writer to know the information missing, because I didn't want to miss any submission and even so, give all the information to readers, but I realized that by doing that I've been condescending with everyone who is not following the rules.

AGAIN: When we ask for information about your work, we aren’t asking for us (adm and mod) IT IS FOR YOUR READERS!  

#mod advice #mod message #reminder

[write-baby-write]

Writing LGBTQ+ Characters

The idea for this post came to me when I was constantly writing Fanfiction 101 posts. It’s no secret to anyone that TV, movies, games claim to support diversity and being LGBTQ+ friendly, but keep the spotlight on straight characters and relationships. And as a consequence of living in society and consuming these forms of entertainment, fanfic authors end up reproducing some of the misconceptions and stereotypes created by society in their stories.

One of my biggest concerns while hosting events is how fanfic writers treat characters who represent a minority group. I know most of the writers who make mistakes don’t truly mean to offend anyone when they write something usually seen as a joke, a quote they saw somewhere or a song lyric. But they still do. And this post is my way to help fix this issue.

In case you’re not familiar with a few LGBTQ+ terms, let me introduce you to some of them. First, there’s sex. It can either mean the biological classification as male or female and the practice of sexual activities (solo or with others). To make it easier, whenever I talk about sexual activities, I’ll either say sexual activities or sexual relationships. The second term is gender, which is a social construction based on what cultures and societies associate to the biological differences among people.

The third one is the umbrella term or spectrum. Whenever I mention either of them, I’m talking about a term used to cover various other terms that fall under the same category.

Lastly, we have sexuality and gender identity. Sexuality is about sexual feelings, thoughts and attraction to others. It’s about who we want to have relationships with (whether they’re sexual, romantic or both). This term used to be known as sexual orientation, I personally don’t like it because it can give an idea that sexuality is a choice. It isn’t. Gender identity is the internal perception of oneself. It’s the core idea of “look in the mirror and see how you feel about yourself” cliché. This is the concept that says if a person is cisgender, transgender or non-binary.

Even though all these concepts are part of human nature, most of them are new to many of us. The world still believes and passes along misconceptions and stereotypes that are being fought against as I write this post. Until the nineties, being gay and lesbian was associated to being mentally ill. Last time I checked, being transgender still is considered a mental condition described with “symptoms” and "forms of treatment” in psychiatric textbooks because no one bothered to change it. These are just a few of many reasons why this post is necessary in this blog.

To write a decent post about this subject, I asked fellow LGBTQ+ writers and readers to share their opinions with me about the problematic things they’ve seen in fanfics and suggestions they could give to authors writing LGBTQ+ characters/relationships and here’s a compilation of what I received from them.

OBS: This is merely an attempt to have a guideline on writing LGBT+ characters at CFWC. Yes, I do realize this is a really long ass post for a guideline. It took me weeks of reading, researching and collecting info and I know I still might have missed something. But bear with me. I’ll make it worthwhile.

(A huge thanks to @aaronthe8thdemon​​, @homeformyheart​​, @itslaniquelove​​, @lilyoffandoms​​, @milo-the-goat-stan-account​​, @parkdoesthings​​ and @ukermane​​ for sharing articles they’ve read and their own personal knowledge, thoughts and suggestions ❤️)

Sexual and Romantic Attraction

Attraction is a consequence of different aspects (emotional bond, gender, intelligence, etc) because human beings have their singularities and personal preferences when it comes to finding a partner. For an author to describe attraction properly in a story, it’s important to understand some concepts that are common for LGBTQ+ characters, but also have some interesting stuff related to straight characters.

The most relevant components are sexual and emotional. The sexual component of attraction is determined by how often sexual attraction happens, if it becomes sexual desire (as in the need to engage in sexual activities) and the influence of other aspects that elicit attraction. So we have: allosexuality, demisexuality, sapiosexuality, grey-asexuality and asexuality.

Allosexual is someone who feels sexual attraction regularly. Characters written as allosexual can often engage into sexual activities (solo or with others). They are open to venture into casual relationships with strangers or someone they know, but it doesn’t necessarily involve any other aspect of attraction.

Demisexual is someone who only experiences sexual attraction to people they have a deep emotional connection with. In this case, demisexual characters usually don’t engage into sexual activities, unless their sexual partner is someone they know really well and have a meaningful relationship with (whether it’s romantic or platonic). They might not have a high sex drive. Can they have one night stands? Yes. But it’s mostly with someone they know. Can they have sex with someone they don’t know really well? It can happen, but chances are that they do it in hopes to develop a stronger bond with whoever they’re having sex with.

Similarly to demisexual, sapiosexual is someone who only experiences sexual attraction if they’re attracted to the intelligence and/or mind of another. However, the emotional connection isn’t mandatory.

Grey-asexual is someone who experiences sexual attraction infrequently. The emotional bond also isn’t a requirement. Grey-asexual characters might not often engage into sexual activities since their sex drive is low.

Asexual is someone who experiences little sexual attraction to other people. Every ace person has a different experience, which means they might feel sexual desire and engage into sexual activities eventually. But don’t hold your breath waiting for it. The romantic component isn’t a requirement, so asexual characters still can fall in love, get married, have children, etc.

Much like the sexual one, the romantic component of attraction is determined by how often it happens, if it becomes a desire to have a romantic relationship and the influence of other components. In this case, we have heteroromantic, homoromantic, biromantic, panromantic and aromantic.

Heteroromantic, homoromantic, biromantic and panromantic fit into the alloromantic spectrum because all of them experience romantic attraction toward others, but gender is a key component in it. Hetero and homoromantic only feel attracted to one gender (opposite and same sex, respectively), while biromantic feels attraction to two genders and panromantic to multiple genders.

Aromantic are people who feel little or no romantic attraction toward other people. Since it’s also an umbrella term, it includes different terms for romantic attraction such as demiromantic, greyromantic, frayromantic, aroallo, etc.

Demiromantic is someone who only feels romantic attraction with someone they have a deep connection with. Does it mean they’ll only have a romantic relationship with friends? No. It also includes sexual partners and other people they have a bond with.

Greyromantic is someone who experiences infrequent romantic attraction. In many cases, they only feel it a couple of times in their lives. They can be unsure when their feelings are romantic or platonic and they might not feel the romantic desire or engage into romantic relationships.

As I said before, we all are influenced by these components of attraction on different levels. A straight character can be demiromantic and/or ace, a bi character isn’t necessarily biromantic, a transgender can be aro and/or ace and so on. All of them are valid and deserve to be appreciated.

Now that we understand these concepts about attraction, we can dive into the subjects related exclusively to LGBTQ+ characters.

Gay/Lesbian Characters

(Based on @aaronthe8thdemon’s answer to Fanfiction 101: LGBTQ+ characters guide post and the many things I learned with real life friends)

I think this is the most common LGBT+ representation in fanworks. Since the concept of having a relationship with someone from the same sex has been discussed for a longer period of time, it’s certainly “easier” to write lesbians and/or gay characters.

One of the first fandom discourses I witnessed here was about straight authors writing men loving men or women loving women. There are many claims about objectification of the characters, poorly written sexual scenes and, of course, queerbaiting. These complaints didn’t come out of thin air. There are writers who don’t care to give depth to the characters or their relationships. Many add a scene here and there with a gay character just so their MC can have that funny friend who only exists for the sole purpose of helping the protagonist. The gay character is constantly described as loud and effeminate, lesbians equal agressive women, men haters, tomboy or butch. And of course, there are the clichés sexual scenes (by the way, I’m being really nice when I say this).

I do believe anyone can write any character if they do some research that goes beyond Wikipedia articles and how the media usually represents LGBTQ+ characters. So here are things we all should avoid while writing gay and lesbian characters:

Gender identity and sexuality aren’t the same thing: remember the first concepts of I mentioned before. Apply those ideas to create and/or describe the characters. Gender envy isn’t a thing for gay men and lesbians. Gay men don’t want to be women and lesbians don’t want to be men.

The effeminate gay: that is one huge cliché. And though there are real life effeminate gays, it’s really important to point out that in this godawful world we live in, it takes a lot of courage for anyone to be the flamboyant effeminate gay we see in fiction. So if you’re going to write a character as effeminate, the least you can do is to be respectful. Don’t make them a joke, don’t write them flat and please don’t kill them just because.

Writing hurt/comfort or angst isn’t a synonym of writing homophobic acts of violence: Write characters fighting for dumb reasons, breaking up, having a bad day (because hey! Everyone has one.), seeking comfort from friends/relatives/partners because they miss someone. You can skip the scenes with homophobia content. There’s enough of that on TV, movies, etc;

And If you want to write smut, you must remember that:

Sex is more than penetration;

Women can do more than scissoring;

Sex toys exist for a reason;

Nobody enjoys anal sex on the first attempt;

Penises don’t need to be huge (the prostate is about three inches long. There’s no way it porn star cocks can fit in completely)

Humping on someone’s knees or legs doesn’t do anything for people who don’t have clitorises;

Nothing replaces lube. If your characters don’t have lube with them, there are other ways they give each other pleasure (like handjobs, blowjobs, fingering);

Condoms and other forms of protection during oral sex exist and they should be used (especially when the characters don’t know each other that well to know if their partner is STD free).

For more info: one | two

Bisexual characters

(Based on @itslaniquelove’s and @lilyoffandoms answers to Fanfiction 101: LGBTQ+ characters guide post and personal experience. You can read Lanique’s post about it here)

This is the topic I’ve seen more mistakes about in this fandom because we have a lot of bisexual characters being written by straight people. And oh, my sweet summer child… *deep sigh* This bi author writing this post has so much to say about it:

Bisexuality isn’t just about liking men and women: bisexualty is an umbrella term for several other concepts (pansexual, multisexual, omnisexual and polysexual) that involve different aspects of attraction and they share one big similarity: attraction goes beyond sex and gender.

Not all bi characters want a threesome: this is something that must be stated right away so we can overcome this stupid and very old fetish. Yes, it can be a cool thing to write. Kudos to you if you managed to write sex with three or more characters because I know it’s not easy, but bisexual aren’t obsessed with it. Straight porn created for men is. So, unless you have characters in an open or polyamorous relationship, you can move past it.

Not all bi characters engage into polymorous relationships: If you scroll past the sexual and romantic attraction topic or in case it isn’t clear, bisexuals might not experience romantic attraction very often if they fit into the aromantic spectrum. And yes, some bisexuals are monogamous too.

And to emphasize the “bisexuals can be monogamous” idea, bisexuals cheat as much as anyone else does: Sexuality doesn’t determine who cheats more. Betrayals happen for a multitude of reasons that I’m not going to list because motives change from one character/person to another. Also, remember the sexual and romantic topic? Some bisexuals might not even have the sex drive and/or romantic desire necessary to engage in one romantic/sexual relationship, let alone in two or more relationships at once.

Bisexuals aren’t 50% straight + 50% gay: This is a very concept based on Kinsey study and though it has its relevance historically speaking, it’s outdated and it fails in many aspects such as not including attraction to non-binary individuals or the influence of romantic and sexual components combined with other factors (eg. intelligence and lifestyle). Forget the math. Bisexuals aren’t math equations to be solved.

While I’m still talking about the sexual/romantic components of attraction, allow me to talk about something that causes so many misconceptions and it’s deeply hurtful to many of us. Bisexuals aren’t equally attracted to different genders: Again, forget the math. Bisexuals can be demiromantic, demisexual, biromantic, heteroromantic, homoromantic, panromantic, sapiosexual, aromantic, asexual… The list can go on forever.

The discourse about bi erasure has happened many times in interactive fiction fandoms, so let’s clarify something. I’m sure you’ve witnessed people saying a character is lesbian because they mostly or only date women in canon. Or that they’re only gay if MC is male. Those people are wrong! If a character is written to be attracted to MC regardless of their gender, they’re bi. If they mostly or only date one gender, but still feel attraction to other genders (regardless of engaging into sexual/romantic relationships), they’re still bi. Even if the author of a character that you don’t own doesn’t know squat about sexuality *coughcough*TRR writers*coughcough* but stated their character is bi, they’re still bi. Oh, before I forget: bisexual men aren’t unicorns. They exist.

Bisexuals aren’t confused, they don’t decide which gender to like best at some point in life. They’re just attracted to people of different genders and if they choose live with someone of the same gender or different gender, that choice has nothing to do with becoming gay or straight. Bisexuals are bisexuals. Period.

For more info: one | two

Non-binary characters

(Based on @parkdoesthings’s, @milo-the-goat-stan and @lilyoffandoms answers to Fanfiction 101: LGBTQ+ characters guide post. You can read their posts about it here: one | two)

The concept of gender identity is still new for many of us because it’s rarely explored beyond notions of feminine and masculine. Binary gender identities on their own do nothing, but spread more stereotypes and misinformation for those who attempt to “fit” into these labels. But when it comes to non-binary genders, things take a whole new level of ridiculous. So here are a few tips to avoid problems in the future.

It’s important to know which gender identity will best describe the character: there are several terms associated to non-conforming genders. I know seven of them, but chances are there might be more. You must do your proper research to figure out how to present your character well to the reader.

Don’t try to make them fit into the binary box: just because a character is assigned female or male at birth it doesn’t mean they should be described as women or men. Non-binary characters can be more feminine, more masculine, both and/or neither. This is something you’ll figure out while studying/creating their characterization.

Clothes mean everything and nothing at all: yes, you can describe your character expressing themselves through clothes. I believe it will work really well for some gender identities, but this isn’t an essential part of the characterization. Non-binary characters can also use vocal training and their body language to express how they want to present themselves.

When using pronouns, you can go beyond them/they: One of the writers I talked mentioned that a reader pointed it out they weren’t writing their own character correctly because they used the pronouns they and he. But what this reader probably doesn’t know is that a person can use any pronouns they want. Some use he to express more of their masculine side, same goes for she, others choose neopronouns and multiple pronouns or never ever change them. So, yes, our fellow writer can give any pronouns they want for their character because it’s their original character.

Anything related to secondary sex characteristics should be handled carefully: It can be sensitive topic for many non-binary people to read detailed descriptions of a non-binary character genitals, too much emphasis on binders, tucking, surgery scars.

Gender dysphoria (feeling of discomfort toward their sex and how a person perceives themselves) can be an important topic to write about, but you have to proceed with caution if you’re going to do it.

For more info: one | two | three | four

Trans characters

(Based on @aaronthe8thdemon’s answer to Fanfiction 101: LGBTQ+ characters guide post and articles listed at the end of this topic)

All LGBTQ+ characters have their own misconceptions and stereotypes, but for transgender characters, it must be one of the most cruel ones. As far as I’ve seen, transgender characters are the villains (J.K. Rowling says hello from hell) or a side character that is either the victim or the laughingstock. It’s about time to move past that. Here are a few things to avoid:

Respect the character’s preferred pronouns. Don’t dead name the characters. Avoid giving them a name similar to their dead name: They may be fictional, but it can be a sensitive subject to a real life person who took some time of their day to read your story. Don’t be rude to your readers.

Trans male characters have completely different life experiences from trans female characters: They’re both trans, but they can’t be written the same way because they go through different issues in terms of transition and how society feels about them.

Though non-binary is under trans umbrella, transgender and non-binary aren’t the same thing. It simply means both non-binary and transgender are not cis.

Support is appreciated, but trans characters don’t need a savior: Cis characters can be powerful allies to fight transphobia, but trans characters don’t need a cis character help to understand their own struggles, to come out or to defend themselves. The fight is theirs.

Don’t fetishize their bodies: describing a trans character body in too many details (especially secondary sex traits such as chest and genitals) may across as insensitive and rude.

Gender transition might be a fascinating topic for cis people because of the many awfully romantized metaphors about becoming who they truly are, but it can be associated to painful experience in their lives. Careful with how you handle this topic.

When writing smut, be mindful about how you describe the scene. Some descriptions can be unrealistic and don’t take under consideration sensitive themes like gender dysphoria, sex reassignment surgery and effects of hormones in the body.

For more info: one | two | three | four | five

The “It’s Just Fiction” Card

If you read this post until here and you still think you’re not hurting anyone because you made a homophobic joke or any LGBTphobic quote from a movie, a series or whatever, stop. Just don’t.

Don’t dismiss this matter as if we’re talking about problematic ships. This is serious. Nothing comes easy for LGBTQ+ people. Coming out is hard, feeling alienated is the worst and we deal with the jokes, the subtle threats, the hate every single day. When we turn to fanfiction, we just want to have fun like everyone else. But people rarely add trigger warnings related to hate against LGBTQ+ characters so we can avoid this sort of content. And in case you didn’t realize it, mocking someone can be a form of hate.

So I beg you. Please be mindful while writing homophobic acts, avoid queerbaiting and take a minute to look this list of slurs in other to avoid them in the future: one | two | three

Advice from real life LGBTQ+

Every character is so much more than their gender and sexuality. They have personal lives, careers, family, friends, opinions on so many different subjects. I highly recommend making a character profile so you explore this idea;

If they’re side characters, give them backstory: all you have to do is create a basic character sheet for them. What’s their favorite food? Favorite song? Do they get along with their family? What’s their fashion style? What’s their astrology sign? Bonus points for you if you research sun, rising and moon signs. (Don’t like astrology? Choose one of the results from 16personalities test or a Hogwarts house for them).

Yes, you can write fluff, friendship stuff, family stuff, happy endings for LGBTQ+. We want everything you can offer;

Give relationships more depth: and when I say give more depth, I mean write anything other than smut. Describe your characters doing normal stuff together, weird stuff, funny scenes, horror scenes, dramatic scenes, write them in alternate universes, use one of those OTP question prompts and create different scenarios for them;

Do your goddamn research: Go beyond the articles on Wikipedia, read books, research on awesome websites like GLAAD and The Trevor Project;

Talk to LGBTQ+: If you know someone in real life or online, talk to them. Ask them not just about that one specific subject you have in mind, but also about how kind of stories they would like to read/listen/watch involving LGBTQ+ characters;

If you can, find yourself a LGBTQ+ alfa or beta reader (I’m available to help out and I’m sure other people in the fandom can help you too).

Did I miss any topics? Do you have any suggestions? Let me know by commenting, reblogging or sending me a message/ask.

Happy writing/reading!

#creative writing #writing advice #lgbt+ characters #fandom critical #fanfiction #fanfiction 101 #long post

[lorircreates]

Coming to the conclusion that I am indeed too old to lose sleep. If I make any mistakes while editing/posting CFWC Fics of the Week and/or Female Characters Week lists, forgive me and don't hesitate to let me know.

#lori rambles #half of me is still sleepy #and the other half never woke up #😑😴😴😴

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC One Year: Ask The Mods!

Hey everyone! We're celebrating CFWC one year of existence on Wednesday! And besides encouranging to you join Nerd Week, we're opening the blog askbox right now for random asks all week. Just choose between Choices or General asks and send us a number. You're also free to ask anything else you want to know about us.

OBS: If you like these questions and wish to start an ask game in your blog, we recommend you reblog from the sources (Choices asks: 1, 2, 3, 4  | General asks: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Choices Asks

1. What book have you replayed the most?

2. Do you play your MCs as yourself or as a character?

3. What book do you think is overrated?

4. What book do you think is underrated?

5. Is there a book you haven't played yet? If so, why?

6. Is there a book you thought you’d hate but like after playing it?

7. Is there a book you thought you’d love but disappointed you?

8. What book would you most like a sequel to and why?

9. What’s your top 5 male characters?

10. What’s your top 5 female characters?

11. Who are favorite Choices family members?

12. If you could live any character’s life, whose would you choose?

13. Who’s your favorite best friend(s) in Choicesverse?

14. Which character do you wish was your best friend irl?

15. Which characters do you think they deserve better (from PB writers and/or the fandom)?

16. You’re living in the Choicesverse. Which characters are in your ultimate squad?

17. What is your favorite ship (that doesn't include MC)?

18. Who was your first LI and would you still choose them now?

19. Have you ever had a hard time choosing between LIs? Who were they and why?

20. Have you ever changed your LI along the story? Why?

21. Create a ship name for you and your favorite character.

22. Choose five of favorite ships and tell us one headcanon you like best for said ships.

23. Name a LI that is not popular, but you still really like.

24. Which characters do you wish they could be love interests?

25. Which characters would you like to date in real life?

26. Which villain/antagonist is your favorite?

27. Tell us a character you’ve never really paid attention to and why.

28. What’s an unpopular opinion you have about [insert character, book, plot, etc.]?

29. Have you ever abandoned a ship? Why?

30. Do you like any problematic ships? If so, which ones?

31. Fuck, Marry, Kill: [Insert Choices Characters of Choice Here]

32. Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

General Asks

1. When is your birthday? Zodiac sign?

2. Do you have a nickname?

3. How many languages do you know?

4. How many pillows do you sleep with?

5. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

6. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

7. Sunrise or sunset?

8. How do you like to dress?

9. What's in your bag?

10. What was your stuffed animal as a child?

11. What was your favourite show as a child?

12. What did you get on your last birthday?

13. Do you want or have any tattoos or piercings?

14. Do you believe in aliens?

15. What was the last book you read?

16. What’s your top 3 favorite songs at the moment?

17. What are your favorite TV shows at the moment?

18. What’s the last thing you watched on Netflix?

19. When and why did you first join tumblr?

20. What fandoms are you part of?

21. Have you ever played other interactive novels? Which one are your favorites?

22. What was the last fanfic you read?

23. What traits do you value most in friends?

24. Describe a moment when you felt free.

25. Where would you go if you could time travel?

26. What would you do with $3 million?

27. You get to marry one fictional character. Who is it?

28. If you didn’t have to worry about money or a job, where would you live in the world?

29. What’s your weirdest pet-peeve?

30. Which do you like more, a great book or a great movie?

31. Do you think it’s important to keep up with the news or do you not care?

32. You can have one superpower – and only one. What is it, and why did you pick it?

Thank you for sticking with us!

Love, Lori and Tammy

#choices fic writers creations #ask game #cfwc one year celebration #ask the mods

[lorirwritesfanfic]

The Order of The Five Kingdoms: In His Honor

Author's note: A long time ago, my dear friend @myclevernamehere​ asked me to write a Superheroes AU for Leo x Madeleine. So here I am, several months later posting it for CFWC Nerd Week. It took me forever to finish but I hope you all have fun reading. [Leading characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios and original characters are creations of the author]

Book: The Royal Romance x Rules of Engagement Pairings: Leo Rys x Madeleine Amaranth, Liam Rys x MC (Jade) Rating: M Word count: Summary: Dark Ivy (Madeleine) is on a mission to save Black Dragon (Leo) from making a reckless decision to seek revenge from his father’s death and avoiding a natural disaster that can destroy the duchy of Valtoria. Based on the prompt: CFWC Nerd Week - day one: Superheroes / AU-Gust Writing Challenge - day eight: Superheroes/Superpowers AU

Warning: This piece contains adult material (violence and unhealthy coping mechanisms to handle grief) that may be disturbing/offensive for some people. Reader discretion is advised.

County of Fydelia

Birds chirped inside the nest on the biggest laurel oak of the main sqaure while Madeleine sat on a large branch with her binoculars. Stakeouts hardly were an activity she'd do willingly, though she was proud to be known for her abilities to be an excellent spy. Disobeying her new leader's orders, however, would mean not to be in his good graces, which wasn't something she wanted. So she acquiesced. Besides, given how complicated things were after her former leader's death, she knew somebody had to keep an eye on Black Dragon and patrol the city.

Pearls of sweat ran down her face as she scanned her surroundings. Everything seems just the same as it has always been in the capitol, despite the slight changes on the weather, nothing seemed unusual to her. The tremors in the area near the castle on the same night King Constantine passed away may have raised suspicions about seismic activities in different places of the kingdom, but most likely it was just a natural reaction of nature to the loss of its leader. On that particular morning, nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

"Horde, report to the Tower." The new leader's calm voice rumbled on the earpiece.

"Yes, sir," she replied at the same time as the others.

"I need status update of the kingdom."

"North is calm, sir," Hawk answered.

"South is calm too," Grey Wolf replied.

"Sea cost is clear, sir," Squid Master added.

"And the mountains?" Golden Dragon asked.

"Temperature is still high, but it has dropped four degrees. Scarlet Fox hasn't reported any new seismic activities in Lythikos. No smoke is coming from the Mountain Greaves," Lotus Tiger informed.

"Good. Dark Ivy?

"Yes, sir."

"Any news about him?"

"No, sir."

"Dammit..." The Golden Dragon grumbled.

Nobody else said a word. The members of Five Kingdoms Horde knew their leader was still struggling with the loss of his father and his job certainly didn't get any easier when his older brother stormed off the funeral to search for Constantine's murderer. To say things were tough in Cordonia would be an understatement.

The Young King suddenly went quiet as a velvet female voice muttered something inaudible in the background. Though Madeleine's usual response to the voice would be to roll her eyes, this time, she sighed in relief. She may not like the future queen nor the fact that she has gained some many powers in such short period of time, but if Jade could use her skills to calm the leader, so be it. The stability of the kingdom always came first.

The king cleared his throat before speaking. "Thank you for the update, everyone. Back to your positions."

"Yes, sir." All five members of the Horde replied in unison.

Madeleine adjusted her binoculars lens when one of the birds landed on it, its feathers blocking her vision. "Shoo! Shoo!" She waved her hand and  pushed the animal away, but it insisted on staying in front of her. "Get out of my sight, you useless creature!" Still the animal wouldn't budge.

She pulled the binoculars away from her face and looked down to see a young boy laughing. With that, Madeleine effortlessly went down the tree and stood before the kid, who tried to run. Using her powers, she unleashed her branches that snaked around the boy and pulled him back. "Lord Devereaux!" She scolded.

"Ow! Let me go!"

"I'll let you go when I see fit." She gripped the vines tighter around him. "What are you doing sending that bird to disturb my investigation?"

The little lord started cackling.

"So you think this is funny?" She pursed her lips. "Does your mother, Countess Cecile of Lykos, know you walk around the city interfering in Royal matters?"

The boy gulped. "N-no, ma'am."

"Then why are you?!" She bellowed.

"I'm sorry, Dark Ivy! I just did what Black Dragon paid me to do. Please don't tell my mom!" The kid begged.

Madeleine shook her head. "Ugh, Leo..." She grumbled. "Where did he go?"

"I- I don't know..." The kid frowned.

"Really?" She produced her phone from her pocket and started tapping the screen. "Let's see what your mother thinks about you using your powers to prank the people who serve the Crown."

"Okay, okay!" The boy pleaded. "I saw Black Dragon taking a path to Valtoria."

"Did he say anything else?"

"No...?"

"Hmm... It's been a while since I talked to Lady Cecile. Maybe I'll give her a call to catch up and keep her up to speed." She tapped the screen one more time and pressed her phone against her ear.

"All right!" The kid yelled.

"What did Black Dragon say?"

"He told me to do this to distract you because he has unfinished business with the Vulture. But I thought it was weird. I don't know who this Vulture is."

"Unfortunately, I do," she said, releasing the kid.

"Horde, I need backup! Is anyone near Valtorian Highlands?" Hana's voice came on the earpiece.

"I'm near the border, Lotus Tiger. What's going on?" Madeleine answered.

"We just detected seismic activity near Mountain Greaves. It could be a regular activity related to nature still mourning the Silver Dragon, but it’s been over a week and the tremors are getting stronger. We think it could be..."

"The Black Dragon," Madeleine concluded.

"Yes," Hana answered.

"Shit..." Drake grumbled.

"Grey Wolf, go meet the Squid Master by the shore. I'm flying to Valtoria with the Hawk to reinforce backup," the King commanded.

"Copy that," Drake replied.

"Lotus Tiger, do what you can to isolate the area. Dark Ivy, can you handle him?"

"Yes, sir."

"Golden Dragon, don't you think maybe The Phoenix could help?" Maxwell asked.

"No," the king replied.

"Sir, but this is her duchy. Maybe with her connection to Valtorian Highlands, we could—"

"I said no." Liam cut Hana off hastily, raising his voice just enough to be commanding, but not rude.

"Copy that, sir."

"I'll meet you all as soon as possible."

Once the Horde and Tower conversation ended, Madeleine scanned her surroundings one last time then glanced at the little boy, who now seemed scared. "Lord Devereaux, go home."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Tell the guards to keep civilians away from the borders and roads that lead to Valtoria."

"Dark Ivy, did something bad happen?" The kid frowned.

"No." She adjusted her suit and stared to the top of the mountain, from where a sheer smoke  escaped from the Heart Mountain. "But it's about to."

Duchy of Valtoria

As soon as Madeleine crossed the borders to arrive in Valtoria, the countess went straight to Highlands, where she found Hana suited up and pacing on the meadow, as if waiting for someone to show up.

"Thank you for coming, Dark Ivy," Hana said after releasing a sigh, probably in relief.

"No problem. I saw smoke on my way here. Are there any new seismic activities here?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Temperature doesn't stop rising and a few citizens felt small tremors last night. But most of the complaints came after this morning's earthquake. The seismology team didn't find anything in particular that could point to natural activity."

"This is definitely Leo's doing." Madeleine shook her head. "Any signs of him here?"

"Not really. You know how stealthy he is. Our best chance is somebody with an emotional connection to him to track him down."

Madeleine made a face as the other lady looked at her expectantly. "What?"

"You were engaged to him. It has to mean something to him."

The countess scoffed. "Don't fool yourself, Hana. That was years ago. I can't feel his presence, which means he probably doesn't even want to see me."

"Maybe he tried to break the connection because he can feel you tracking him down?"

"I don't think so. Leo only has real emotional connections with Liam, Bastien, Queen Regina and Maxwell."

"What do we do until they arrive here? It'll take at least forty five minutes to get here. Who knows what can happen until we find Leo?"

"Call the Phoenix. She can use her connection to the land to find Leo and buy us some time some time until Liam arrives."

"Madeleine, we can't..." Hana grimaced. "You know what Liam said about getting her involved in this investigation."

"But Jade is our best shot. She can teleport here. She can control the Highlands. Liam should have listened to Maxwell or you."

"He has a point. Jade is still in trainment and she got ill the last time she overused her powers."

"But it wouldn't hurt to try..." The queen-to-be approached the ladies as she pushed the hood covering her head.

"Jade! How—" Hana stopped herself then proceeded. "You can't be here. You should be resting!"

"It's sweet of you to worry about me, Hana, but give me some credit. I helped saving almost everyone in the last assassination attempt," the duchess of Valtoria said with a weak smile.

"Do you see what I mean?" Madeleine gestured to the Phoenix. "She's not going to break, Hana."

"Jade, the last time you passed out from exhaustion. You're still recovering. You know how Liam feels about you fighting before you learn how to have full control of your powers." Hana frowned as she tried to reason with her friend.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine. Connecting myself with my own duchy won't do me any harm. Besides, these are desperate times. We can't wait until Liam arrives."

"Thank you!" Madeleine exclaimed in exasperation. "That's what I've been trying to tell everyone on my way here. But clearly I reached out to the wrong members of the Order."

"You'd be surprised to know what I do when I worry about someone I love," Jade implied as she looked down at her engagement ring. "But I see your point. We have no time to waste."

With that, Jade crouched down and placed her hands on the floor. A sudden gust of wind circled the region. Flames sparkled from the duchess's eyes as she spoke in a monotonous tone, lost in trance. "They're here... Black Dragon has the Vulture cornered near the peak of Mountain Greaves."

"I knew it," Madeleine scowled. "We have to stop him."

The Phoenix closed her eyes and inhaled deeply when a hand touched her shoulder.

"Jade?" Hana called, gazing at her friend in worry.

The duchess snapped out of her trance. "Grief is consuming Leo. He wants revenge. And he won't stop. Madeleine, you have to go now."

"On it. Hana, you take the—"

"No." Jade looked up at Madeleine. "You have to do this alone. You still have a connection with him. I can feel it. Appeal to the side of him only you know."

"I—" Madeleine trailed off in shock.

The countess's astonishment didn't go unnoticed by Jade, who continued to persuade her. "You said you were tired of being a second class member of the Order. Well, this is your chance to prove you're better."

"Madeleine, go. I'll stay here with Jade to gather strength to reduce the effects of the earthquakes until Liam and Horde arrive." Hana then glanced at the top of Mount Greaves, from where more smoke escaped.

"Alright," Madeleine nodded to both ladies and ran as fast as she could, hoping it was too late  to stop a possible disaster.

Ashes slowly fell on the dark soil at top of Mountain Greaves. Anton struggled to steady himself as Leo pushed him forward, towards the peak of the mountain. Yet, he didn't see it as a defeat. He hit a nerve on the former crown prince. Even if he died, he was sure his mission to take Rys family down still would be accomplished.

"What are you smiling about?!" Leo snarled and tightened the chains around Anton's limbs, binding him from using the Vulture's powers.

"I don't think you have the guts to kill me, Your no longer Highness." Anton smirked. "If you wanted to, you would have done it when you found me in the cave."

"Just killing you isn't enough." Leo pulled the chains once again, making his nemesis wince. "I had to torture you, watch you contort in pain, then I'm going to do it all over again until you beg me to push you into the same volcano you got your powers from."

"Funny how pathetic someone can be when they're led by emotions." Anton snorted. "Constantine was a corrupt leader, a terrible father and an awful human being. But you still want bloodshed just because your daddy got what he deserved."

A thick smoke came out of the crater when Leo scowled and grabbed Anton by the throat, lifting him up effortlessly. "If you say another word, I will break alll your fucking bones, you piece of shit," he hissed.

Just then, a  familiar voice chanted. "I wouldn't doubt him if I were you." Madeleine's voice cut through the thin air. "Leo has a thing for inflicting pain."

Leo's head snapped to the side and his eyes went wide as he stared at his ex-fiancee approaching the top of the mountain. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm hoping you come to your senses before you do something you will regret for the rest of your life."

"You know, that's exactly what I was telling him before you arrived, Dark Ivy..." Anton jeered.

"Shut up!" Leo yelled, tightening his grip on Anton's neck. The floor trembled at the sound of his voice.

"Black Dragon, this isn't you..." Madeleine insisted as she did her best to steady herself. "You're not a murderer. You care about people, you have the gift to lighten up the mood anywhere you walk into. You're so much better than this."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Dark Ivy. After all, you said it yourself I like to inflict pain on other people," Leo replied, taking a few more steps closer to the crater.

Leo's grip on Anton's neck loosened up as Madeleine continued to speak. "Do you remember when you told me about not feeling ready to be king? It was pouring at the capitol and we were watching the rain fall when you said you weren’t running away from your responsibilities like I assumed you were. You just wanted..."

"...The best for the kingdom I was born and raised in," Leo completed her sentence as his blue eyes went glossy.

Suddenly, another gust of wind blew, dissipating the smoke coming from the mountain. Dark clouds began to form near the region, ready to wash away the air still filled with volcanic ashes.

"I was selfish when I yelled at you that day. But you stayed true to yourself. You gave up your birthright because you knew you weren't destined to the Golden Dragon. You did the right thing the whole time and you made your father proud."

Tears fell down his face as he gazed at her.

"I know you're hurt. I still can feel your pain. But your revenge will cause a disaster in Valtoria and you'll hurt the kingdom, your loved ones. And I know you don't want to hurt them."

A drizzle softly touched Madeleine's suit. She looked down the meadow near the Highlands and spotted Liam enveloping Jade into an embrace, giving her strength to avoid another earthquake. She then looked back at Leo still holding Anton.

"Release him," she said, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "The Order is here. They'll handle the Vulture."

Leo put Anton down and released his enemy, who snickered. "How touching... I almost shed a year. Now if you excuse me, I have other things to do."

"You must be really dumb if you think you can escape," Drake called from the back.

"You can surrender now or the Order can chase you down. But it won't take long. As you see, you're trapped." Madeleine pointed to the dome created by Bastien that surrounded the Highlands.

Anton rolled his eyes, lifted up big hands and walked towards Drake, who pulled him by the wrists and dragged him down.

Madeleine turned to Leo, who sat on the floor lost in thought as he gazed at the breathtaking land he almost destroyed. “Are you all right?”

He shook his head. “I can’t believe I almost ruined everything…Maddie, if you didn’t show up, I don’t know...” He trailed off and took a deep breath. “I thought if I killed Anton, I could make the pain go away…”

The countess sat beside him and stared at the clouded sky. “It’s okay to miss your father. You’re not the only one who does. And you don’t have to be alone while you mourn him.”

Leo draped an arm over her shoulder and the two of them remained in silence as they watched the rain wash away the ashes from the sky.

#choices fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #rules of engagement fanfic #leo rys #madeleine amaranth #leo x madeleine #liam rys #liam x mc #cfwc nerd week #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates #tw grief #tw violence

[lorirwritesfanfic]

More Than Queen And Mother

Author's note: This fic wasn't on my schedule, but I kinda like its outcome. [All characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios] Book: The Crown & The Flame Pairing: Raydan Lykel x Kenna Rys Rating: M Word count: 1473 Summary: Kenna is having a hard time to adjust to her new role Based on the prompt: CFWC Female Characters Week: Day 4 - Motherhood

Warning: This piece contains adult material (mentions of anxiety,  pregnancy complications, blood) that may be disturbing/offensive for some people. Reader discretion is advised.

As the sun set on the horizon, the light blended in the blue sky, creating a perfect hue of yellow, orange, pink, and purple. From the balcony of the royal chambers, Queen Kenna watched nature's spectacle unamused as her fingers idly ran on the rim of her goblet. From a very young age, Kenna learned one of her many life missions and accomplishments as queen would be to provide heirs to the throne. According to her mother and all her tutors, a royal baby would bring as much stability to the Kingdom and to her family's dynasty as winning wars.

However, her current condition felt nothing like any wars she has been in before. Ever since the royal physician advised her to abstain from all activities that could cause her any distress, Raydan began to handle all royal duties on his own. She had no doubts her husband would do a great job. But her initial relief to step away from her duties to bear her first child became a succession of boring days.

"Oh, Your Majesty!"

A gasp interrupted the queen's thought. Kenna heaved a sigh and straightened up her posture. "Yes, Clover?"

"By the gods, your Majesty!" Azura's former handmaiden rushed to the balcony. "Don't bend yourself like this! Or lean against the railing!"

"I'm fine, Clover," Kenna replied.

"But what if you felt dizzy and fell off? We can't have that! Allow me to help you get back to bed." The young girl took the queen's hand and guided her towards the royal bedchambers.

Knowing the handmaiden would cause a bigger fuss than the situation was, the queen simply followed the woman and returned to bed once again.

In a few minutes, servants walked in and out the queen's chambers, offering her food, wine, gifts from nobles, and entertainment. She forced a smile and politely thanked everyone, but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

Kenna stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her body visibly changed. Her belly was growing faster than she expected, her rings no longer fit her fingers, she was hungry and get tired too easily. Even her face looked different. If this is the natural course of life, why didn't she feel ready? Would her mind ever adapt and follow?

A soft knock on the door pulled her out of her reverie.

"I don't wish any more entertainment, Clover! Thank you!" Kenna shouted.

"So I've heard…" Annelyse answered, poking her head through the partly open door.

"Annelyse!" Kenna beamed and turned around, meeting her loyal friend halfway as the other walked into the room and rushed to the queen. "It's so good to see you!"

The two queens hugged.

"It's good to see you too," Annelyse pulled away to look at her friend. "You're already showing…You look stunning."

"Thank you…" Kenna smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh no. Is something wrong?" Annelyse held her friend's hand in worry.

"Yes…" Kenna's brows knitted together. "Or not… I'm not sure."

"We should talk about while having these delicious treats brought to you then." Annelyse gestured for Kenna to sit back in the bed while she pulled up a chair closer to the warrior queen and reached for the tray with sweets.

"How are you feeling?" Annelyse asked as she poured wine for both of them.

"Bloated, bored, uneasy…" Kenna twisted her lips in a scowl.

"It happens to the best of us, Kenna. I understand if this situation is underwhelming for you. You got used to practicing sword fighting for hours every day. Now you're only allowed to take walks for a few minutes."

"Did I mention my walks are supervised?"

"The last time I heard, you were training recruits with Val when you began to lose blood."

The warrior queen frowned, averting her gaze. "I didn't mean for it to happen…"

"We all know that, Kenna," Annelyse replied then took a sip of her wine.

After eating a few loukoumades¹ and talking about different subjects, Kenna decided to talk about an important matter. "Annelyse, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How was your childhood like?"

Annelyse looked at the tray filled with sweets covered in honey and reached for one. "It was just the childhood of any other heiresses. Many tutors, nannies, handmaidens, classes to learn dancing, entertaining guests, the art of negotiations, politics…"

"And very little proximity to your parents…"

"I loved my parents dearly and my mother tried to stay as close as she could, but yes." Annelyse nodded.

"How so?"

"Sometimes, she'd take some time to teach me a few things herself. I learned everything I know about taking care of my beauty and etiquette with her. Besides, I was a really polite young girl, so she always took me to tea parties and meetings with her." The Aurelian queen smiled fondly.

"I never really cared for those things when I was a child. I always wanted to run across meadows, play with the other kids and learn how to fight." Kenna looked down at her belly and placed a hand on it. "Maybe I should have paid more attention to those moments with my mother. They were rare..."

"Don't dwell on this, my friend." Annelyse placed her hand atop Kenna's. "You were just a child. And it's a good thing that you knew your true calling since then."

"But do you think a queen can be a loving mother without becoming just a consort?"

"Perhaps… I don't have proof it happened before, but I know how much our mothers tried. It wouldn't hurt to follow their footsteps sometimes."

And just then, hope bloomed inside Kenna's mind.

Kenna was still half asleep when strong arms encircled her waist and soft lips brushed on her shoulder. Her lips curled upwards in a soft smile before her eyes fluttered open. Even if she felt tired, she couldn't help it. He always knew how to make her smile. "My love…" she whispered.

"Good evening, my queen," Raydan murmured, nuzzling her neck. "Forgive me for disturbing your sleep, but I couldn't wait to see you tomorrow. I miss you."

"It's alright…" She replied. "If you didn't wake me up, I'd go to your bedchambers in the middle of the night anyway."

His low chuckle rumbled in her ear, sending tingles down her spine.

"How are you feeling tonight?"

Kenna shifted on her side to look at him. "Bored…"

"I can imagine. You only forget your royal duties when I do this..." Lifting her chin up, Raydan pressed his lips on hers, his tongue running along her bottom lip before invading her mouth to deepen the kiss. After minutes of long heated kisses, the king finally pulled away.

"You're right. I hardly remember where I am when you kiss me."

"That's the idea."

They smiled at each other, but then her face grew serious.

"Raydan, I need to tell you something."

"I'm listening."

"After our child is born, I'll return to my duties as queen regnant."

"Yes. I only agreed to rule the Five Kingdoms on my own because you need to rest. I never wanted to rule without you," he said brushing a few locks of hair away from her face. “You’re not less of a queen because you’re not in the throne room every day. We still talk about politics and your ideas help the kingdom more than you know.”

“Don’t you think I won’t be a mediocre mother if I dedicate my time to serve the kingdoms?”

“No. I am sure our children will be happy and proud to have you as a mother. But I need you to remember you’re more than just a queen and a mother. The woman I fell in love with is a fierce warrior, smart woman, and natural leader. You can be all of those things at once. Your current delicate condition doesn’t erase the fact that you are legendary Kenna Rys. Don’t ever forget that.”

Kenna bit down her lip to stop it from quivering and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he smiled then kissed the tip of her nose.

Just then, Kenna shifted on the bed again, facing away from him to brush away a few tears.

“My queen?”

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine…”

Craning his neck to see her face, his brows furrowed. “Are you crying?”

“No…” She sniffed.

His arms wrapped around her tightly.

“I don’t know why…” She sobbed, placing a hand over his arm. “You know me. I don’t cry so easily.”

“I heard it’s common for pregnant women to get emotional.”

“I heard about it too. But I’m fine.”

“Okay…”

A brief moment of blissful silence passed by when Kenna spoke again. “You’re not leaving me because I said I’m fine, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” he answered, kissing her shoulder again.

¹ Sweet fried dough popular in the  regions nowadays knows as Greece and Turkey since the sixteenth century.

#choices fanfic #the crown & the flame #the crown and the flame fanfic #kenna rys #raydan lykel #kenna x raydan #annelyse adair #choices fic writers creations #cfwc female characters #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates #tw anxiety #tw pregnancy complications #tw blood

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Female Characters Week Masterlist

Day 2: Not Your Delicate Flower

Blades of Lights and Shadow

Toughen Up | Nia Ellarious, Mal Volari, F!Orc!MC - @lorirwritesfanfic

Day 3: Girl boss

Mother of the Year

Girl Boss | Levi Schuler x MC, MOTY daughter - @storyofmychoices

Day 4: Motherhood

The Crown and The Flame

More Than Queen And Mother | Raydan Lykel x Kenna Rys, Annelyse Addair - @lorirwritesfanfic [adult content]

Desire & Decorum

Your Place In My World | Ernest Sinclaire x F!OC - @noesapphic

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire series | Liam Rys x MC - @jessiembruno

The Journey [adult content]

You Didn't Ask Me | Drake Walker/Hana Lee/Maxwell Beaumont x MC, Liam Rys - @thequeenofpixels​

Day 5: This Is (Not) A Men’s World

Desire & Decorum

Unspoken Desires series - @princess-geek

Battle Of The Sexes | Briar Daly, MC, Edmund Marlcaster, Harry Foredale, Vincent Foredale

Mother Of The Year

Thicker Skin | MOTY MC, Guy Ledford, MOTY daughter, Alma Velasco, F!OC - @lorirwritesfanfic [adult content]

The Royal Romance

Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire series | Liam Rys x MC - @jessiembruno

Training Day

Day 6: Proud To Be

Crossover: The Royal Romance/The Freshman Series 

Mia’s World series - @bebepac​

Proud To Be Me: Mia Jones | TRR MC x M!OC, Chris Powell [adult content]

Day 7: Women In Love

Desire & Decorum

Loving Her For Who She Is | Annabelle Parsons x F!OC - @lorirwritesfanfic​

Open Heart

First Date | Aurora Emery x F!MC - @eleanorbloom​

Day 8: The Future Is Female

The Royal Romance/ The Royal Heir

Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire | Liam Rys x MC - @jessiembruno​

The Journey (Part 2)

A Letter To The Future Queen | Crown Princess, Liam Rys, MC - @lorirwritesfanfic​

Love, Success And Women | Olivia Nevrakis, MC, Hana Lee, Madeleine Amaranth - @twinkleallnight​

#choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #choices fic writers creations #cfwc female characters #long post

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Female Characters Week is here!

March is finally here and we're so happy to host this event! But before we start, here are a few reminders:

All stories must be centered on female characters. It can be written from character of another gender’s POV, but it’s ultimately about female characters;

Deadlines can be flexible. Talk to @cfwcadm​ and tell her you’ll need a little more time if you can only finish your story after the event ends;

Submissions will be posted only in a separate list created for the event on March 9th;

To ensure there won’t be fanworks condoning sexism, misogyny and any form of toxic masculinity, @cfwcadm​ will read all submissions before reblogging and adding to the list. You won’t be obligated to edit your story if it doesn’t follow the rules of the blog. However, it won’t be promoted by CFWC;

For more information, read: Fics We Don’t Promote, Sexism and Misogyny In Fanfiction, List of Gendered Slurs

In addition to fanfics, we want to celebrate Female Characters Week by encouraging readers to know your MCs and OCs. So, if you have character profile for your female MC and/or OC, mention the blog or send it to @cfwcadm. We'll create a list just for our writers' characters 💕

We wish you all have a lot of fun creating and reading!

#choices fic writers creations #cfwc events #cfwc female characters #choices fanfic

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Toughen Up

Author's note: Blades Week reminded me a little bit of my favorite things about Nia, a few nice headcanons and a little grudge I held against people who said my girlfriend Nia didn't help the group much. So I wrote this. I apologize in advance if Mal seems a bit OOC (I tried...☹). [All characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios] Book: Blades of Light and Shadow Characters: Nia Ellarious, Mal Volari, F!Orc!MC (Ixora) Rating: T Word count: 1037 Summary: Nia asks a friend to learn to self defense techniques. Much to their surprise, classes will go a little too well. Based on the prompt: CFWC Female Characters Week: Day 2 - Not Your Delicate Flower

The first rays of sunlight crept through the forest canopy when Nia carefully held the long skirt of her gown and followed Mal within the trail. "Are you sure we're going to the right place?" Nia asked, looking around the area.

"Relax, priestess. Your training site is right over there," Mal said, pointing towards a clearing just a few more steps away from them.

She nodded in silence. It has been a few days since she started learning self-defense techniques with the rogue. Despite the eventual sore limbs, it felt good to know she no longer would be a liability to her friends. Besides, Mal was a surprisingly attentive instructor. Those moments alone with him revealed to her a different side of him.

"Alright. What's the first thing to do?"

"Check my surroundings and find possible escape routes."

"Next?"

"Watch the attacker's chest and eyes to figure out when they're going to attack."

“Good. Whenever you sense danger, you must remember those things. With your good reflexes, you’ll manage to escape. Now…” He switched to fighting stance. “Are you ready?"

"Yes!" She replied and changed her body posture to start training.

As Mal worked on helping Nia improve her defense skills, Ixora hid behind a bush watching the two humans with a curious look. It was no secret to her that Nia didn't wish to be just a damsel in distress. Yet, the young orc didn't expect the priestess to ask the rogue for assistance. Now, watching how she reacted when he moved closer and his gazes at her when she's not looking, it made sense.

"Well done." He praised with a smirk. "Ya know, I could make a fighter out of you."

"But I don't want to fight," Nia objected.

"Sometimes, you won't have that choice and you need to be prepared for it," Mal reasoned.

"Okay…" She whispered.

"Let's go over the points to strike."

Nia nodded and cleared her throat before speaking. "To escape an attacker, I must hit sensitive areas. If I can reach their face, I must go for the eyes, and nose; on the upper body, neck, and stomach; on the lower body, groins, knees, and shins."

"Good." He walked around her, studying her posture. "Time to practice."

"Now?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes."

"But you already taught me those."

"I know. And instead of teaching you fighting techniques again, we're going to simulate an attack."

"How?"

His lips slowly curled in a mischievous grin. "You'll see."

With that, Mal walked away.

"Hmm…" From behind thick bushes, Ixora crouched down and observed the priestess quietly scanning the place around her. "I see what you’re doing, Mal Volari..."

"Oh, do you now, kit?" His breath fanned against her neck.

Startled, the young orc gasped. But she was quickly silenced by his hand covering her mouth when Nia looked in her direction.

Once the priestess turned away, he whispered again. "Seems like your stealth skills still have room for improvement, Ixora."

"I could say the same about your flirting skills," Ixora taunted. "Just so you know, Nia doesn't get subtle flirting. You'll have to be straightforward with her if you want some action."

"I wasn't flirting," Mal scoffed. "I'm helping a friend to defend herself from potential enemies and toughening her up."

"By tickling her and bopping her nose during practice?" The orc cocked an eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Maybe I think she's pretty... Especially when her eyes glow like two gemstones and her hair captures the light…" He stopped himself and shook his head, then looked back at the orc smirking at him. "But no need to be jealous, kit. I can handle the two of you," he replied with a wink.

"If you actually manage to make her understand you like her with this little flirty dance of yours, we'll see about that, your magnificence," Ixora teased.

"I'll hold you to it, then," he murmured, toying with the ends of her braid before leaving.

With quiet steps, Mal lurched between the bushes, heading in Nia's direction. But as his arms locked around her slender frame, her reflexes spoke louder. Without hesitation, the priestess kicked his left knee.

Mal winced as he staggered back. Before he could recover, the palm of her right hand connected with his nose, pushing him backwards. "AAAAH! MOTHERF—"

"Mal?!" Nia gasped in shock. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I—" He looked at the blood on his hand. "Ah, damnit…"

Nia grimaced. "Mal, I am so so sorry. When you tried to tackle me, I didn't think—"

The priestess trailed off at the sound of muffled laughter coming from the bushes nearby.

Mal narrowed his eyes. "Seriously, kit?"

"It wasn't me..."

The orc finally revealed herself and gave her shoulders, followed by Imtura and Treep, who didn't stop laughing, while Tyril simply shook his head.

"But anyway… That was great, Nia!" Ixora enthused.

The priestess, who was looking for something to help stop Mal from bleeding, glanced at the young orc with a hopeful smile. "Really?"

"Yeah! You nailed it!"

"Agreed. That was one hell of a strike, Nia! You got him," Imtura added.

"Thank you!" The priestess beamed and turned to Mal, pulling him in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Then, she stepped away and looked back at him, her joy dissolving into worry again. "Oh! I'm so sorry… Mal, please, don't lower your head. Look up," Nia said, guiding his chin upwards.

"How am I supposed to walk around with my head like this?" Mal grumbled.

"I'll help you!" The priestess offered, her pleading eyes glistening as if tears would eventually well up and run down her cheeks. "Please?"

Mal was about to retort, but as he locked eyes with Ixora, who winked at him, he feigned annoyance then acquiesced. "Fine…"

"Here. Let me guide you back," Nia said, intertwining her arm with his and holding his hand as she guided him back to the campsite.

While the two humans passed by, everyone went silent, biting back giggles when Nia frowned. Once they were a few steps away, much to everyone's surprise, Tyril broke the silence. "Well, at least now he can't say the wanted posters didn't capture his nose," Tyril commented.

The rest of the group exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

#choices fanfic #blades of light and shadow #blades fanfic #nia ellarious #mal volari #blades f!orc!mc #cfwc female characters #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates #tw violence #tw blood

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Loving Her For Who She Is

Author's note: Second to last soubmission to CFWC Female Characters. Writing Ann and Vee together because I love my girls. [Leading characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios and original characters are creations of the author] 

Book: Desire & Decorum (modern-day AU) Pairing: Annabelle Parsons x F!OC (Veronica) Rating: T Word count: 1628 Reading time: ~6min Summary: Dinner table is set and the guests are coming. But are Annabelle and Veronica ready for it? Based on the prompt: CFWC Female Characters Week: Day 7 - Women in love

White and pink roses centerpieces, soft lights, the special family china, and silverware were set at the dining table of Dantas women's newest house in Edgewater County. Veronica shook her head but didn't hide a smile. This was supposed to be just an informal dinner. But after Veronica's grandmother heard she wanted to introduce her girlfriend to the family, somehow it became a huge event. Still, she had no complaints. She knew Annabelle's family wouldn't extend the courtesy to her. Yet, she was happy to see the most important people in her life approved of their relationship.

Leaving the dining room, she walked towards the kitchen to take a look at the meals and beamed as she spotted the guest cook finishing the dessert. "Hey, Alli! Watcha doing?"

"You know what I am doing." Alisha grinned.

"Girl, don't tell me you did..." Veronica moved closer to look.

"Yes, I did. Milk pudding with strawberries coulis for dinner and some sweet corn cream in case you need some comfort food later."

"Alli, I love you." Veronica sighed, admiring the desserts. "Don't try to win my heart with food, Alli cat. I have a girlfriend," she teased.

"I know that." Alisha nudged Veronica playfully. "But a little bird told me tonight is a big deal for both of you."

"Was that little bird my grandmother?"

"My lips are sealed." The cook replied with a smirk.

The two of them giggled.

However, Veronica wasn't good at hiding her feelings for too long. "It kinda is…" Veronica said as her fingertips toyed with the kitchen utensils displayed on the island. "Ann hasn't told her parents about us yet."

"What?!" Alisha's head snapped up. "But Annabelle is so fierce! Isn't she a human rights activist at Cornell?"

"Yes… But one thing coming out to the world and fighting not just for your rights. Coming out to her very conservative family, especially her homophobic father, is something else entirely."

"When you put it that way, it makes sense…" Alisha commented. As the other woman's face grew sullen, she reached for Veronica's hand and squeezed it gently. "Maybe this dinner with people who truly support the two of you is just what she needs. Whatever happens, she knows there's always going to be somebody who will have her back."

Veronica nodded in agreement. She was about to say something else when the doorbell rang. "It's her," she breathed.

“Go. Don’t let your girlfriend wait.” Alisha winked.

With a more confident smile, Veronica left the kitchen and headed to the foyer. But before she arrived, she spotted her mother greeting Annabelle at the door.

"Mrs. Dantas, it's a pleasure to see you again," Annabelle replied as she walked in and gave her girlfriend's mother her coat.

"Thank you, Annabelle. It's lovely to see you too," Veronica's mother, Mariana, grinned at the young woman and placed it inside the entryway closet. "Come. Vera has been anxiously waiting for you. She couldn't make up her mind about which shoes she'd wear and bought four different dresses."

"Mãe!"¹ Veronica whined as she appeared in the doorway.

"It's true!" Mariana gave her daughter a knowing look.

Annabelle pressed her lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

"That's an exaggeration. I only bought three!" Veronica threw her mother a side glance as she passed by to greet her girlfriend. "Welcome, Ann."

"Thank you," Annabelle answered, taking her time to gaze at her girlfriend's outfit. "And I'm sure you look beautiful in all your three or four new dresses. You always do."

And for the very first time, Annabelle witnessed her girlfriend's cheek flush crimson.

Mariana glanced at the two young women and smiled. "Shall we go to the lounge while we wait for our other guests?"

"Other guests?" Veronica turned to her mother. "Who else did you invite?"

With a secretive grin, the older woman guided the couple to the lounge. After a few drinks were served, the doorbell rang. Just then five friendly faces appeared by the threshold.

"Good evening!" Daphne walked in, followed by Briar, Alisha, and Annabelle's twin sisters, Cordelia and Constance.

Whilst Veronica greeted her friends in surprise, Annabelle froze. She didn't expect to see her sisters at a dinner hosted by her girlfriend's family.

"Ann, I hope it's okay that we came," Constance said, approaching her sister.

"You always say so many nice things about Veronica. When we received the invitation for this dinner, we couldn't resist," Cordelia explained.

"It's more than okay," Annabelle answered, pulling her sisters into a hug. "Thank you for being here," she whispered.

The twins relaxed and hugged their sister tight as the other women in the room exchanged smiles.

During dinner, the three-course meal prepared by Alisha was just one of the pleasantries. Between exciting and complex subjects, all women at the table engaged in the conversation.

"Mrs. Dantas, you were at Ford sewing machinists strike?!?" Annabelle asked in awe.

"I had to! It wasn't right to see my friends and neighbors earn 15% less when they still had children and homes to look after." Veronica's grandmother, Irene, said as she lifted her cup of chamomile tea to her lips and took a sip. "My parents were scared for me because they knew I wouldn't shut up or bow my head for anyone. So they sent me here. Little they knew I’d find trouble here too.”

Laughs erupted in the dining room.

“But not for long. Protests are a dangerous place for pregnant women. But after Mariana was born, sometimes I found a way to help and be part of the change here."

"Your generation did wonders, Mrs. Dantas. In the sixties, UK had the Equal Pay Act, Abortion Act, Divorce Reform Act, decriminalization of homosexuality between men over 21... Those changes were big steps compared to what was happening in many other countries," Alisha commented.

"Plus you got to see the Beatles, The Liverbirds and David Bowie live!" Veronica added.

"Ah, yes! Good times..."

"Mrs. Dantas, you're such a badass!" Daphne enthused.

"I know, sweetheart. But thank you."

Everyone laughed.

"Well, tonight has been truly pleasant, but unfortunately we must go now," Constance declared.

"So soon?" Mariana asked.

"I'm afraid so. Mum can't stop texting us because it's late. Only Ann has permission to stay out. She is the independent one in our family and knows how to live on her own," said Cordelia in a sullen tone.

"You both should send applications to universities in America then. Studying abroad will expand your horizons," Alisha suggested.

"Oh, I don't know…" Constance replied shyly.

"I absolutely love that idea. Perhaps I should apply to Cornell too?" Cordelia grinned.

"You're going to love it. And I'll definitely put a word for you if you decide to join a sorority," Veronica winked.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Cordelia enthused.

Annabelle gave her girlfriend a side glance, to which her lover replied by blowing a kiss.

"Ooooh… Somebody hit a nerve!" Briar teased.

The women giggled.

"Our opinions diverge on this matter, but we still respect each other's decisions," Annabelle explained.

As Veronica reached for her girlfriend's hand, mother and grandmother smiled at each other in approval whilst the young women still chatted before bidding goodnight to Annabelle's sisters.

"Here you go." Veronica handled a mug filled with sweetened corn cream to Annabelle while she sat on the bed next to her. "Alisha followed my grandma's recipe to the T and this is just mind-blowing."

Annabelle took a spoonful to her mouth and moaned in delight. "You're so right, Vee! This is so good! No wonder this is your comfort food."

Veronica smiled as her lover ate the cream and cleared her throat. "Ann, I didn't know my grandma had invited the girls over. She knew I was concerned about this dinner and she invited them to lighten up the mood, I think…"

"Why does it sound like you're apologizing?"

"Because I am," Veronica insisted. "It was so invasive of them to plan to invite your sisters behind our backs."

Annabelle placed her mug on the end table and took her girlfriend's hand on hers. "I'm not going to disagree on that matter. It was invasive. But, to be honest, I was thrilled to see them here."

"Were you?"

"Yes!" Annabelle's lips curled upwards. "Cordelia and Constance are the only relatives I have who understand and don't criticise me because of my sexuality. But I still didn't have the guts to invite them over. It felt good to know I still have people who support me."

"I know it sucks to be quite sure you don't have the support of those you wished they were by your side. You just met the cool side of my family. Everyone else is the worst."

"Oh, I know. And by the way, same!"

The two of them giggled.

"It's not our fault if some people love the idea they have of us, but don't accept who we truly are. But I need you to remember you still have people on your side. They'll do anything in their power to make you feel safe and loved. Whenever you're ready to come out, we'll be ready to fight for you. But I hope one day they'll be happy for you."

"Me too…" Annabelle replied, leaning her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Thank you for tonight, Vee."

Sighing contently, Veronica whispered. "No problem, darling."

#choices fanfic #choices desire and decorum #desire and decorum fanfic #annabelle parsons #annabelle x oc #desire & decorum modern day au #cfwc female characters #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Sunday Six 03.07. 2021

This is the last piece I'm working on for CFWC Female Characters Week:

Untitled WIP | Liam Rys x MC, Crown Princess

"How do you and mom drink this thing unsweetened?" Elise made a face as she reached for the honey.

"It isn't that bad. And if you really didn't want to be hungover after a Beaumont Bash in your honor, you should've done like your mother does."

"I tried! But after the sixth shot of Cuervo, I lost count," the princess whined and rested her head on her father's shoulder. "I shouldn't have trusted Uncle Leo and Ava."

Liam chuckled softly, running his fingers through Elise's long strands of hair. "It happens to the best of us, my darling."

"It doesn't happen to you. Or to mom."

"Well, I wasn't their target this week. And everybody knows Leo would never mess up with Jade again."

Tagging: @choicesficwriterscreations

#choices fanfic #the royal heir fanfic #liam rys #liam x mc #crown princess #cfwc sunday six #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates

[lorirwritesfanfic]

CFWC Female Characters Week One Shots

The “female characters deserve better” masterlist.

Day 2: Toughen Up | Nia Ellarious, Mal Volari, F!Orc!MC (Ixora)

Day 4: More Than Queen And Mother | Raydan Lykel x Kenna Rys [adult content]

Day 5: Thicker Skin | MC (Ayla Day), Guy Ledford, Alma Velasco, daugther (Stephanie Day), F!OC (Sandra Day) [adult content]

Day 7: Loving Her For Who She Is | Annabelle Parsons x F!OC (Veronica Dantas)

Day 8: A Letter To The Future Queen | Crown Princess (Elise Bourbon-Rys), Liam Rys, MC (Jade Bourbon-Rys)

#choices fanfic #blades fanfic #mother of the year fanfic #desire and decorum fanfic #the royal heir #cfwc female characters