Featured Fictions of the Month - June 2021
There is nothing like being consumed by the blazing fire of an untold story!
In a world of information overload, noise and hype, stories can cut through the clutter, drive the message across, and inspire. People have used stories as effective tools to share learning and knowledge for thousands of years. A good story engages your curiosity, emotions, and imagination. Stories can help build a more benevolent and compassionate world.
Every month, the FF development team selects two outstanding stories that are featured all month in the India Forums Fanfiction section.
But this month, we have something different up our sleeve!
June, being Pride month, what would be more befitting as a celebration than showcasing 38 LGBTQ+ stories published by talented authors right here on India Forums?
These stories were written and/or submitted to us specifically for this event following our announcement back in May, and only those submissions have been included.
Please note that other LGBTQ+ stories published during the Pride month of June will not be included.
We hope you discover some incredible stories to celebrate this month and beyond!
Please show these stories and their wonderful authors some love by reading, reacting and commenting on their stories!
Amphitrite
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
Many factors lead to this. At first, it was the chemistry between two characters and then FF Team came up with an encouraging post about the submission of stories revolving around the theme of LGBTQ+. I had at one point decided to write one story and then the motivation made me explore that part of writing which I hadn't touched but now that I have, I am glad I did. Because love choices and identity differ from person to person and exploring it is definitely a beautiful process.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
To be frank I was kind of nervous. Not being a part of a community and writing about them did make me a tad bit nervous of mistakenly offending someone. But in the end, I went about it. My sole purpose was to show love is the same. It's not something different for anyone. Just like how we love others do too. And that was what my stories revolved around.
Links to stories:
asmaanixx
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
I wrote all the KarMan fics during the summer of 2020 and Looking Pretty during Pride Month simply because the track in the show happened to coincide with the theme. Like with all my written works, I write when the creativity strikes. I don't discriminate as to who I'm writing about or what the subject matter is.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
I simply picked an emotion / idea I wanted to explore and ran with it. This isn't the first time that I've written on the LGBT+ community so it wasn't an alien concept that I was traversing into. Rather, this community is a very critical part of my identity as it has been seamed into my life right from my childhood. In all the formative stages of my life, this community has played a huge role in creating the person who I am. Hence, to me it's not hard work to write on them. It's as easy as writing on a heterosexual couple.In fact I consider this to be the beauty of writing. Like love, it doesn't discriminate against gender or sexualities. It truly is the one space where one can freely explore and express themselves without having to feel ashamed by who they are and what they desire. Literature is where freedom dwells, creativity is nurtured, and the spirit is allowed to soar and fly away to unimaginable places.
Link to stories:
AwaamKiJaan
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
To be honest, it has nothing to do with the LGBTQ+ theme. I just like to write stories and this was just another platform to show my work to the world.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
I had a rough idea about this story in my mind. I had another idea of writing a crossover fanfic on Jessica Jones from MCU and Rani from the movie Queen. But in the end I decided to go with an original story which shows the struggles of LGBT community in India, instead of a regular love story on same sex couple. While writing this piece I had to get into the mentality of LGBT community, thinking how they would react in specific situations which would be different than straight people, which is the result homosexuality being a taboo topic in India. I also wanted to show how the family background and gender of the LGBT plays a part on how they turn out in the end.
Link to story: Friends
beingaditij
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
A tribute to LGBTQ+ class to my level.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
The ignorance of LGBTQ+ in our country was my thought process. I literally wanted them to accept another and prove the world wrong that how big heart they have.
Link to story: Aai
DelusionsofNeha
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
As the "B" from LGBTQIA+ community, I have not read many proper and honest representations about us. I live by Toni Morrison's quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." I use my pen to write my thoughts, feelings and to bring awareness about things I witness as a bi, feminist, woman of colour in a patriarchal world.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
It's my story, highly dramatized yet something that I have lived, felt and imagined. It is loosely inspired by real events and people who generously consented to be a part of this fiction and loved it. Love is all that we need, it's a gift and we have the right to choose who we love and nobody can tell us otherwise.Being gay is not a choice, we only choose how we express ourselves and our love.
Link to story: Spark in Our Bonfire hearts
gurl_enchanted
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
It was completely outside my comfort zone as I had limited knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community and no idea about how to pull off such a character. But when I saw this theme posted on IF, a fantasy story brewed in my mind and I decided to take the leap
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
I wanted to create a strong and fearsome LGBTQ character, who is no less than any swoon worthy hero of fantasy romance stories. The fact that he is missing a body part does not prevent him from being a powerful Emperor.
For this, I researched eunuchs in the olden days of Kings and Queen’s and learned quite a bit about their plight that does continue even in today’s modern world.
Link to story: The Seer’s Revenge
Koeli
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
For a long time I wanted to write an LGBTQ+ story. A lesbian story to be precise. But then Shaurya and Ahir happened in star plus and there were few members who started posting video mixes on them. That really inspired me to write. But ya a gay story. 
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
I wanted to keep it natural and real. Wanted to portray the jealousy not going overboard with the romance thing. It’s a love confession, the dilemma of two characters who thought they love the same girl and ended up knowing that they love each other.
Link to story: Crashlanding on you
LizzieBennett
Well, not gonna lie, it was when we in the FFDT first started talking about celebrating Pride Month right here on IF that I started thinking about writing these stories, so full credit to Appy, Shibz and the rest of the team for the inspiration! 
I began with an Ace story because I strongly felt the community needed representation. There's so much Ace erasure going on in the media! In fact, there was a huge uproar in one of the fandoms I used to be in (Riverdale) at the way the show had completely erased Jughead's Aro-Ace identity from the comics (Archie) seemingly because they'd hired a 'hot' actor to play him! This infuriated me and I wanted to rectify this in my own, small way and hence 'What is my color?' was born. I began writing it as a story of an Ace woman battling societal pressures, then added a second chapter to give a definitive conclusion to the story. I'm really glad I wrote this and am quite happy with the way it turned out!
Link to story:What is my Color?
The heart wants what it wants
The dynamic between Sid, Sameer, and Akash from the movie Dil Chahta hai has always fascinated me. And I found the characters of Akash and Sid especially interesting given how they both live life on their own terms and are strongly opinionated too. I see them as contrasting characters and it struck me all of a sudden when I was re-watching DCH (for the nth time!) that a romantic angle between the two would be worth exploring. And when the idea occurred to me, I was surprised by how well the canon storyline provided the perfect set-up for this one! Writing this was fulfilling in more ways than one!
Link to story: The Heart wants what it wants
Ye dosti hum nahi todenge
What can I say about Jai and Veeru? I grew up watching Sholay multiple times, and the love between these two has always brought tears to my eyes. I still ugly cry each time Jai dies in the movie and it surprises me how these two haven't been written about before as a gay couple! I wrote these little vignettes as comic interludes between VeeJai, always keeping in sight the immense love these two shared. I also wrote this as only dialogue (no descriptions) because I felt that really worked in the context of my stories, allowing me to capture the quick and easy banter between the two! Also, I had written an only dialogue one-shot for another fandom and it went down really well, and I found I quite enjoyed the challenge as a writer!
Link to story: Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge
metacrises
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
Initially, I was looking to get out of my comfort zone in writing, but while researching my interest grew greatly. It felt like a calling to write these two stories, given that there is little to no representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, even in the contemporary interpretations of Indian mythology. I feel elated to have gotten a chance to enhance my understanding of this vibrant community through my works.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
Honestly, it did not feel really different from writing traditional romance. The accounts of two people falling in love barely vary in terms of the emotions experienced by the two persons. In my Shikhandi story, the romance does not really play a great part. However, I immensely enjoyed fleshing out the titular character Shikhandi(ni) and exploring the world through his/her eyes.
Link to stories:
oye_nakhrewaali
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
There are many stories about LGBTQ+ community on other social media sites and other sites. I had posted my Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhaan OS Collection on another site after being inspired by Ayushmann-Jeetu's chemistry. Then, I realized there was no coming back and since then, I try to write stories about the community as much as I can.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
My main aim while writing any piece is to stir emotions, as much as I can/ Emotions see no gender or sexuality. I try to be as inclusive with my stories as I can be. I try to keep my stories as real as I can, with the amount of sensitivity I can emote to the topics. It's a fun challenge to write outside my comfort zone and to take a peep in the minds and the world of the community. I am a pessimist, but like Ayaan in my one shot 'Memories' I want to believe in a better world and so just try to write a world where my characters can be what they are and love who they want.
Link to stories:
Meera and her A-Maze-ing Tale of Finding Love
Shubh Mangal Zyaada OS Collection- Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho
The Married Woman Two Shots-You are my Second Chance
Serpensortia
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
I had been reading articles and journals on LGBTQ+, I found our that many people don’t speak up about it openly. I started reading stories on IF and other platforms, taking inspiration. Luckily, The Pride Month Story Submission was announced at the same time, giving me a golden opportunity to start something new - to write LGBTQ+ stories which I was dying to do.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
To be honest, it was my first time writing on this. I did feel a hesitation before starting, my fingers trembled. It was like I am starting a journey for myself altogether because I knew if I start once, I won't stop writing on this again and again. But as I started writing, I became confident and happy that I pushed myself into working on this. I had a smile on my face when I finished my first OS on LGBTQ+. And then, I decided to write more. And I did, happy with every outcome of my work.
Link to stories:
Unspoken- Things I never told you
stormborn
I can say deep and heavy stuffs regarding my inspiration. But to be very honest, I just went with the flow as the story proceeded. I didn't have any idea or blueprint about what I was gonna write before starting.
All I knew was that I was going to write about grief. And as grief can't reside without love, the theme took the color of love in no time. At the first it was mother's love. But while proceeding, I wanted to give it a tint of romance as well....and I thought, why not a little bit shade of grief to the color of that romance too!?" . The rest came naturally. It being about lgbtq wasn't a conscious decision and I didn't feel like I was doing anything different. I wrote this piece way before this competition was announced and this is my very first piece of writing as well. It's all about love and grief and either has no gender in my opinion.
Link to story: Solace
tournesol
1. What inspired you to write the stories?
When I heard about story submissions for the Pride Month, I was very excited about it. I opened a blank page right away to write my stories. Then I realized my knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community is very limited. Being a romantic at heart, I always believed everyone deserves to follow their heart, to be with the person they are in love with. Most importantly, everyone deserves to be who they are. When I started researching and exploring each component of the LGBTQ+ community one by one, I realized the price our society extracts from them for following their heart. The amount of judgement and discrimination they face in our country everyday, for just being who they are, was enough to cause me deep pain. Their basic rights like marrying who they love or something as simple (and noble) as donating blood is taken away from them. Or in some cases a blatant denial of their existence. When I wrote Breaking Free, I tried to touch each color of the rainbow, to bring out the pain of each community in LGBTQ+, and to seek hope that one day things will change for them for the better. My inspiration was hope, and love.
And of course, since I am a huge Flash fan, the series inspired me to write Yours...In a Flash, about an unsaid love brought to the fore by mortal danger. I am a Beyhadh 2 fan too, the lively characters of Rajeev and Rudra were my inspiration behind Mera Hero. In Beyhadh (both the shows), Maya was always possessive for her partner. In Mera Hero, I tried to explore the love between RuRa behind Rudra's jealousy, and if that jealousy is justified.
2. What was your thought process while writing the stories?
I tried to get inside the head of my characters when I was writing my stories, to grasp their psychology, how they think and feel. It was difficult, because although I am ally, personally I think and feel differently from the people belonging to LGBTQIA community. I watched interviews of people and read about them for trying to understand their emotions, and hopefully I did not misportray them. (I apologize if I did misportray unintentionally). I loved the entire process of imagining and writing, like it was a whole new adventure for me. I would think of a scenario or a situation for each character and let my imagination run wild.
For my two independent OS, they are fanfictions of two fandoms I hold very dear. My thought process while writing was similar, getting inside the thoughts of the characters and trying to understand how they would feel in the given situation. I loved the process a lot.
Link to stories:
Sudharies and ItsJustHrideyy
We will be back with more amazing stories next month! Until then, Ciao!
Write up: Viswasurti and oye_nakhrewaali
Beta reading: LizzieBennett
Tags: Leenaaa
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