#KTAW Day 5: Family

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

We're on our final day of KTAW 2024!! It's been wonderful to see the entries so far - we saw some new faces and lots of fresh stories, and every work we've got so far has shown such love and admiration for a character so often overlooked!

Our final theme(s) tomorrow are pretty simple and straightforward! This day is about exploring how Kiara navigates her relationships with people - Familial, Platonic or Romantic! We all know she is protective of the people she loves even if she may not fully understand their way of dealing with their problems. It would be great to see how our Kiara fans will look at these dynamics!

Any content is welcome!! Just make sure your work centers Kiara, and presents a positive depiction of her. Fic, art, meta, headcanons, edits, icons, interactive media, even simple character appreciation posts!! We also accept WIPs, so if your piece isn't entirely complete by the end of the week, fret not - you can still send us the WIPs!

The themes are simply inspirations. If you bring a piece for one of the days later, it's entirely okay...just make sure you tag the posts with the day you meant it for! We will always be keeping a bonus week in case you couldn't complete the piece during the week itself, so our official deadline for pieces will be June 1st!

We'd also like all of you to know that KTAW 2024 will be open ALL YEAR ROUND. So if you're unable to finish a piece before June 1st, pls do send it whenever you're ready to (and tag us!), and it will definitely be up on our masterlist!!

Be sure to do the following when you send in your work:

1. Use the tags #kiaratheronappreciationweek and #KTAW in your posts. Make sure to tag the day as well (#KTAW Day 1, #KTAW Day 2, etc)

2. Tag @kiaratheronappreciationweek, as well as hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986

Fan Community blogs are super important to our promotion of events, so we'd definitely love for you to check out some of these awesome blogs and their challenges:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic and fanart (no AI allowed). Check out their rules and roster of events!

@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choicesmaychallenge24 - Any and all content welcome! This month's prompts are delightfully Greek mythology-themed!

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome, as long as it centers LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes! They will be hosting this year's pride event soon!

@choicesholidays - Any and all content welcome, as long as it is centered around one of the holidays listed! Currently, they are hosting Spring Fling!

@choicesprompts - Any and all content welcome! Currently no events, but you could check out all the cool stuff they've been up to so far!

@choicescommunityevents - Any and all art welcome as long as it is on-theme! Currently hosting the AAPI Heritage Month!

With Day 5, this week may be officially over, but as we mentioned earlier our bonus week will still be up!! You have time till June 1st to send in entries! The masterlist will also be open the whole year through for entries as well.

[lizzybeth1986]

A Child of Babel

Book: The Royal Romance

Characters: Kiara-centric. Hints of Drake x Kiara (unrequited) and Hana x Kiara.

Word Count: 3, 484 words

Summary: The five times Kiara uttered the proverb of a language under her breath, and the two times she did it to someone's face.

A/N: I really wanted to try out a 5+1 fic format but somehow it became a 6+1 fic instead haha

Tagging @kiaratheronappreciationweek for KTAW Day 3: Languages, @choicesficwriterscreations for FoTW, @choicesmaychallenge24 for Hermes: Travel

Wolof

Princesses Lerato and Lesidi will never forget the exact moment they knew Lady Kiara Thorne would become their friend.

At lunch today, it was hard initially to tell if the meal today was to her liking. She'd made all the right noises, said all the right words. Rich. Meaty. What bold flavours. But how does that count? She's the kind of girl who has likely been coached enough in courtly propriety and gastrodiplomacy (at age 11. Eleven!), that you can't quite tell if she genuinely enjoyed the food or just wanted to please her hosts.

The sisters shift uncomfortably in their plush seats at the dining hall of their palace, their eyes barely leaving the young girl's plate. Benachin jollof rice was hardly for the weak of heart (or stomach) but that never stopped the royal family of Orphys from showing pride in this particular dish. It was, after all, the jewel in the crown of their ancestral Senegambian cuisine.

So it would pierce the Orphysian soul to its core, in very specific ways, if one didn't like their jollof. Probably just as much as it would shatter a Cordonian's spirit, if you told them you thought their Cordonian Rubies tasted vile.

"Ohhh," Lady Kiara mumbled, visibly relaxed at last. "Xifuma wante samay bët suruñuuuuu". The final word comes out elongated by a leisurely moan of satisfaction. I’m not hungry but my eyes aren’t full.

For a moment, the two girls are stunned to stillness in their chairs.

Little Kiara - Lerato is beginning to recognise - is trying to utter an old Wollof proverb about the joys of their ancestral cuisine. It's said so softly you can barely hear her, and both she and her sister can hazard a guess as to why.

Of the five words said, she pronounced three wrong. Kiara knew that, and felt ashamed.

The sisters pass each other a look of knowing affection. Not many in Europe, outside of Orphys, know this proverb that well. It is indeed the kind of phrase you will chance upon only if you've been consistently trying to learn.

She had to have been learning for over a year to get to this point.

Terrible pronunciation be damned. Next time they meet Kiara again, Lerato and Lesidi sure as hell know they're gifting her the recipe.

French

"Dammit," Kiara hisses at...well...no one in particular, and especially not to the retreating figure of her longtime (and forever clueless) crush. Now that he's gone, the urge to kick herself is becoming increasingly more difficult to suppress.

Drake Walker's loose overshirt flaps against his back as he walks out of the stable, in quick, sure, decisive footsteps. There has always been some sense of purpose in his movements whenever he leaves someplace, even if - to Kiara's knowledge - he hasn't exactly had a job as such ever since that stint he took at the stables the summer she turned fifteen.

It's almost as if that is the only thing he's certain he wants to do here. Leaving.

Kiara presses her head against the door of the stable, his fists balled up so she can resist the unnecessarily dramatic urge to bang it against the wood. She's done everything - everything her admittedly-gauche, relatively-inexperienced 18 year old brain could think of - to catch his attention.

Educate herself on horses (for obvious reasons).

Read up on woodworking (Olivia had mentioned once in passing that he adored good carpentry - nothing much was said about whether he liked practicing. Still, not a bad idea for a conversation starter)

Tried to enjoy whiskey. (Didn't get past half a mug, unfortunately. It was...interesting. She treated herself to her favourite bottle of Tempranillo later).

Came to the stables today for what she tried to pass off as a friendly chat about the winning stakes at the upcoming Derby. (She could have been talking to a haystack for all it mattered. He just looked up from his saddle tack set, took off his disgustingly well-disguised earphones, raised his eyebrows and said, "You were saying something??" before leaving without an answer)

(She'd worked so fucking hard to sound like she knew what she was talking about)

Kiara groans again against the door, weakly punching it one final time before she opens it, muttering furiously underneath her breath.

"Just give it up, Kiki," she scolds herself, hands jammed into the pockets of her coat. "C'est comme pisser dans un violon."

"Eww," a high-pitched, rather sweet voice says behind her, "That sounds like an...uncomfortably specific preference for a place to piss."

Kiara tries - and fails - to hide her grimace. On any other day, she'd be proud of Savannah for coming this far in just a few months. She's certain that her dear friend's rather successful attempt at translation is more a miracle of guesswork. A combination of remembering the few words she has been taught so far, and figuring out the ones that sound closer to their English counterparts.

(And that is how it must be. That is how Kiara knows that Savannah is serious about learning this language)

On any other day she'd praise her. But today... today she just wants to erase the last ten minutes from her brain. The last person she wants to know about her deep, tragic humiliation is the sister of the man who had crushed her umpteenth attempt to impress him to dust. With his fucking headphones.

"Forget you ever heard that," Kiara mumbles, "come, let's go see what snacks they have for tea. I'm starving."

Darija

On the day Prince Leo and his fiancée, Countess Madeleine, visit Castelserraillan after their engagement tour, there are only two members of the Thorne family waiting to receive the entourage. Kiara, and her father.

Ezekiel is barely - if ever - noticed and he would rather leave it that way. But Maman...they had to create a story for her.

The official excuse is that she'll be hosting an immensely important international art fair around the same time - one that heralded the work of Cordonia's local artisans. One that was time-sensitive and couldn't possibly be shifted around, Crown Prince or no.

In reality, her mind had been made up, the moment Lady Kaouther - the young woman her parents had sponsored for the social season this year - returned to the province in tears, swearing to never set foot in the Capitol again, reluctant to even tell Maman and Baba what had gone so wrong.

But Maman had found out anyway. The press was loath to criticize the countess' treatment of her ladies-in-waiting, drooling like sick horses over every scrap of charm and quotable quote she threw their way.

But when Ana de Luca is close enough to you to have your number of speed dial, there's no end to the tea that'll be willingly spilled at your table.

Poor Kaouther was still getting threats and harassment from afar. Mostly to keep her mouth shut about her former employer's exploits. Both midly annoying and deeply sadistic. Both sober and rum-fuelled. Some may be impressed at how Countess Madeleine managed to maintain such secrecy, from even the royal family she is marrying into.

Maman cursed and swore she would never entertain a viper like that in her presence, and who could blame her?

Kiara swallows as she sees the entourage approached. Baba knew his relationship with the royal family was already hanging by a frighteningly precarious balance. He couldn't afford any further damage, and he hardly wanted to expose Madeleine's misdeeds without Kaouther's consent either.

So yes. They were going to go through the motions of greeting the royal entourage. They were going to be perfect hosts. But Madeleine would know. Madeleine would hear their words - cascading in waves of poisoned honey - and know. And be unable to tell anyone anything. That will be Kiara's unsaid, unheard promise to Kaouther, and to herself.

The Countess is stopped by the press before she walked over to their manor, her smile perfectly in place and her hand on a rather diffident Prince Leo's arm as she answers their questions. Yes, we are in love. Yes, our economy is strong. Yes, my aim is to build strong relationships with my people wherever I go. To let them know I do it all for them, and them alone. To be the Queen that Cordonia needs, that my subjects can trust.

Kiara has never heard so much horseshit spill out of a courtier's mouth, and she's been part of enough royal courts to see the worst.

"Shakuwn daha fik alhurirat 'aw albalbulat nahar aleid!" Kiara says roughly in Darija as the entourage - led by the Crown Prince and his future consort - approach. She thinks she's so special, but really she's only about as special as a plain harrira soup served at an Eid-ul-Fitr banquet.

Hakim gently nudges his daughter's shoulder with his own. "But ya Babba," he teases, probably to lighten her mood a little before the group arrives, "I thought you liked harrira soup."

Kiara gives Madeleine one last glare before schooling her face to a more neutral expression.

Her next words are going to be quite nasty by Castelserraillan standards, but for all the sacrifices they are making today her father can surely afford her this one luxury. "Not if it wears a face as sour as her's."

Greek

Just a five minute break, Penelope had promised, thirty minutes ago.

Kiara has only herself to blame for believing that nonsense, after being in close quarters with her for an entire month - but there's something about that woman that makes most people want to keep giving her the benefit of the doubt.

('Me,' Kiara wants to say, 'I'm people')

The beam she is carrying for the barn-raising is small, but heavy enough that you'd get tired out quickly if you didn't take help. By ten minutes Kiara has to will herself to move ahead. By fifteen her thighs begin to cramp, and by twenty her head is swimming and she has a brief spiteful thought about making Penelope carry twenty beams as a belated apology. Though knowing her (and it pains Kiara to admit this; she likes Penelope too much) she would find some way to make herself the victim.

Thirty minutes have passed now, and the only energy she has left is wasted in gritting her teeth and groaning "Just...a few more...steps...till I can drop this...stupid plank...Mon Dieu!!!"

Kiara's mind goes blank for several seconds as she feels the weight of the beam falling on her, a dull pain already throbbing on her ankle.

"Ohhh thée mou," she hears a rough, gravelly, rather disgruntled voice above her, its sound causing her heartbeats to pound violently in her chest and its owner already using his strong, strong hands to save her...

"Ópios den théli na zimósi," she whispers, completely drained, "déka méres koskinízi."

It's a proverb Kiara has often heard in the Capitol - specifically for procrastinators - and she has now lost count of the number of times Penelope has left something she doesn't like to do "for later"...often leading Kiara to finish the job alone.

Drake stares back at her, confused. Mentally, she kicks herself. Again.

Of course. She should've known. Drake Walker is familiar enough with Greek that he'll maybe cuss or blurt out a phrase he'd learned from his childhood in the palace, but clearly he has no patience for metaphors, allegories, idioms or proverbs.

"Oh, uh...merci beaucoup," she backtracks, awkwardly.

Drake shakes his head - his eyes, amused, still on her face - and throws the beam away. It doesn't mean much, but that ten-second glance is fuel enough at this point for a month's worth of dreams.

Almost as if from a great distance, she thinks she can hear Esther's voice, low and concerned. "Kiara? Are you okay??"

Kiara locks eyes with Drake, and for once he meets her gaze. Doesn't say anything, doesn't even show a reaction - but at least he isn't looking away like she doesn't matter.

She smiles brightly. "I am now."

Gujarati/Mandarin

Married as they have been for six months now, Kiara can tell by several small, subtle signs when Hana is nervous.

Not that Hana makes observing a very hard task, not at all. She has an immensely expressive face.

Kiara massages the soft parts of her palm - just the way she likes it - while Hana takes several deep breaths.

"This is the first Parsi wedding I'll be attending, ever," Hana says slowly. "The bride is my cousin. This is supposed to be my family, and yet all of this feels as alien as if I never had a mother from this community." She closes her eyes then opens them again, gazing at the wedding sign on the gate. Delnaaz weds Zubin. "What if I mess this up?"

"You won't," Kiara takes both Hana's hands in hers. "And even if you do make a sliver of a mistake, Delnaaz is not going to judge you. And she's the bride; she's the one who matters. She's nothing like your mother or your uncle Cyrus."

Hana lets out a shaky laugh. "God I hope not." Her finger strokes lightly against Kiara's cheek. "One last kiss? For luck?"

Kiara presses her forehead against Hana's after they're done, sighing gently. Mon Dieu, how I love this woman.

"Remember that saying you hear from practically all the nice people in Bethulia," Kiara winds her arms around Hana's waist. "It's so prolific they should start painting it on their coat-of-arms. In Gujarati."

"Khavanu, pivanu, majja ni life." They both laugh gently as they whisper the phrase, hugging each other tighter. Eat, drink and be merry, indeed.

Hana seems to take that advice to heart once they go in, and most of the family (whether enthusiastically, or under duress - the latter perhaps a result of Delnaaz having a stern talking-to with relatives who had rejected Hana earlier) openly welcomes Hana into the fold.

The wedding goes terrifically: Delnaaz appears resplendent in a gorgeous white silk-and-lace Parsi Gara sari (that, Hana informs her, has been the family heirloom for five generations now), her (now) husband looking very distinguished in his white dagli and a black fetah atop his head. Once she finds herself comfortable among people who should treat her like family, Hana practically shines in her interactions - scintillating at conversations, singing and dancing and joking with the rest when she can.

Her Gujarati is a little shaky still, but that's hardly a problem. After all, this is the first language we're going to learn together, ma moitié, Kiara had reassured her once.

A few hours later, when the party started winding down, Hana and Kiara shifted to a smaller, more secluded alcove within the wedding venue. Dinyar - another of Hana's Bethulian cousins - pointed it out to Kiara, whispering conspiratorily that very few in the wedding party noticed this place at all and they could have all the privacy they wanted. Hana made sure they carried a sweet along.

And so here they are, now, inside a romantic little gazebo, sitting together - Hana taking a spoonful of Lagan nu Custard and raising it to Kiara's lips. They close their eyes as they savour. Silky. Creamy. Decadent.

"Look at us, playing hooky at an event when you were so worried about behaving right just yesterday. Yet won't you say this little moment by ourselves was the best one?"

Hana winks. "You know me so well."

"Only as well as you do, darling," she says, cupping Hana's cheek, "My soulmate."

When they kiss, Kiara can taste hints of cardamom and nutmeg on Hana's tongue. She laughs into their kiss.

"Zài tiān yuàn zuò bǐ yì niǎo..." Kiara says, the grin hardly leaving her face when they part.

"...zài dì yuàn zuò lián lǐ zhī!" Hana wipes the last bit of custard on the tip of Kiara's nose, then uses that as an excuse to gently bite it off her.

They tighten their arms around each other. That saying has always been a favourite with both of them.

In heaven let us be two birds flying ever together, and on earth two trees with branches interlocked forever.

Bonus: English (with a tiny side serving of Cajun French)

Queen Esther seems almost transformed when their entourage sets foot in Louisiana. In some ways, she seems even more at home here than she had ever seemed even in New York. And to think, everyone thought that place was her home!

"It is," she'd explained once, when Kiara had asked her, "but NOLA was where I was born. I spent my entire childhood here. A part of me will always remain here."

She takes them to an old favourite of her parents', a mom-and-pop shop that's still miraculously standing and - according to Esther - that still possesses the same incredible flavours. Hana is already all praise for the gumbo and the bananas foster.

"Try the beignets, Hana," Esther suggests, her eyes sparkling at her open joy. "Dip them in the hot chocolate. Best that way!"

She does...and next thing they know, Hana's best friend and wife are treated to a happy dance on a chair.

Kiara's eyes are set on what seems to be a more humble (but moist, glistening, crisp on the outside!) preparation. A croquette of some sort?

"Boulettes de chevrette," the server replies, closely watching her face.

"...shrimp?" Kiara says, after a pause too significant for Esther to miss. The server nods.

"You certainly took a little extra time to mentally translate that," she says. "Is it called something else in French?"

"Yes," Kiara replies, "We call it crevette. But that's not the part I find interesting."

Intrigued, Esther raises an eyebrow, nodding at her companion to continue.

She clears her throat. "I'm beginning to find that certain words in your French have retained their original form from older versions of our language. And with others, they've evolved over time into different words, while in our language that word remained the way it was. Chevrette was what we used to call shrimp before we started using the Norman regional variant, crevette."

"Oh wow," Esther says, amazed, "I had no clue."

Kiara smiles. "Now you do."

Later that evening, the queen confides in her.

"You know...I used to be nervous speaking French in front of you."

Kiara's eyebrows are knit together in confusion. "Pourquoi?? You spoke very well."

Esther sighs. "It's silly."

"Tell me all the same."

Esther laughs, almost as if at the foolishness of her younger self. "I thought you'd make fun of me for "speaking French all wrong". That you'd look down on me."

Kiara's heart sinks to her stomach. "Did I really sound that snotty back then?"

"Oh no. No," Esther reassures her. "Especially not with languages."

Kiara is familiar enough with Esther now to teasingly nudge her arm a little with her elbow. "At least not unless you're asking me to sleep with you. You can't imagine how many people would just say voulez vouz coucher avec moi ce soir to my face, and think they could get away with it. And this was even before Hana introduced me to Lady Marmalade!"

Esther rolls her eyes, chuckling ruefully. "I introduced her to that one."

The laughter doesn't last very long. Lines of humour then dissolve into lines of tension on Esther's face. She isn't quite done explaining yet. "I guess I was just...feeling a little out of place. So I may have projected a little back then."

Kiara nodded. She did remember how hard that season, and the subsequent engagement tour (which she often things of with a little regret), had been on Esther. And she'd never allowed those fears and insecurities to show on her face. "That makes sense," she says, "but you know there's this saying I read a while ago..."

"What?" Esther asks, her curiosity now piqued.

"'We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly.' It's a quote by a Hungarian translator mamed Kató Lomb."

Esther seems to open her mouth to protest the appropriateness of the quote, when Kiara stops her. "For the record, it doesn't correctly apply to your use of Cajun French. That is a dialect. It has its own rules. En vrai, I'd love to learn more."

The Queen relaxes, even smiling at the casual reference to her - something she knows Kiara will only use when she's sure they are friends.

"I'm just saying that even if you did get phrases in a language wrong, that wouldn't be reason enough for me to scoff at you. I'd be a hypocrite if I did that. After all, I wouldn't be this good at ten languages if I weren't constantly making mistakes."

As she often does since that eventful first meeting in Orphys, she remembers the kindness Lerato and Lesidi showed her, despite her terrible, terrible attempt at saying something in Wolof. The recipe for Senegambian-style jollof, that they gave her the next time she had visited their kingdom, still holds pride of place in her personal collection of precious things.

"I think what I'm saying is," she says, taking a deep breath, "when you make mistakes but the result is that I'm hearing a new language come out of your mouth, it's a wonderful thing. To me, it means you want to learn. And everyone's pace is different, so I'm no one to judge if you take more time to learn it than on someone else. There is never anything wrong with that."

Esther smiles again, softer this time, and more admiringly. "Noted," she says softly. "And we should definitely pack some fried alligator and remoulade sauce from here to snack on later."

Kiara grins. Her mouth is already watering. "We certainly will."

--

Translations:

Xifuma wante samay bët suruñu (Wolof) - I’m not hungry but my eyes aren’t full (basically the food is really really delicious). Source: Grace in Senegal

C'est comme pisser dans un violon! (French) - It's like pissing inside a violin! (Used to describe something useless and ineffective, or to complain about not being listened to after asking somebody to do something. Pissing in a violin is ineffective, it won't make a sound.) Source: Untranslatable

شكون داها فيك الحريرة (أو البلبولة) نهار العي

(Darija)

Describing someone who is incredibly pleased with themselves, but in actuality they are like Harrira on Eid al Fitr. Used to criticize someone who thinks very highly of themselves but has no justifiable reason to do so. Kind of like saying "you think you're hot shit in a champagne glass when you are really cold diarrhea in a Dixie cup". To explain the cultural context a little, Harrira is the soup Moroccans eat every day during Ramadan. On Eid, it stays in the fridge and people eat a lot of sweets. Source: Arabic Easy Language blog

Όποιος δεν θέλει να ζυμώσει, δέκα μέρες κοσκινίζει (Greek) - "Whoever does not want to knead, sifts for ten days". It is used to describe a procrastinator who finds every reason not to engage with their assigned task. Source: GreekPod 101.

Khavanu, pivanu, majja ni life (Gujarati) - khavanu refers to eating, pivanu refers to drinking, majja ni life means life is fun/amazing or to enjoy life. So it's basically "eat, drink and make merry". It's a popular Gujarati saying, I think, but it's associated most with the Parsi community.

在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。(Mandarin) - In heaven as two birds flying together, On earth as two trees with branches interlocked forever. Basically a romantic proverb about soulmates. Source: China Plus

Notes:

The full quote from Kató Lomb goes like this:

"We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.

Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan."

The line about chevrette/crevette is something I read from the LSU website, from their Department of French Studies. This is what it says:

"Change is inevitable for living languages. It would be unreasonable, however, to expect change to happen in the same way in places remote from each other. In some cases, Cajun French has maintained words, structures and pronunciations which the French have long ago abandoned. For example, Cajuns have maintained the original chevrette to refer to shrimp, while the French adopted the Norman regional variant crevette as their standard word. In other cases, Cajun words or pronunciations have evolved while the French word remained stable. The French recevoir, for example, has become reçoir in Cajun French."

Source: LSU Department of French Studies

[hanaleeappreciationweek]

We are finally reaching our last day of HLAW!! And we've got such incredible entries - this time also from new people who have sent us such fabulous work! We're grateful to all our contributors - both old and new - for the love and enthusiasm you've shown us so far and hope to see more in store today as well!!

Day 5 is all about the relationships!! Whether familial, platonic or romantic, Hana gives each one her all 🩷 She is also someone who is attempting to learn a new normal - how to continue loving others while also taking care of herself! This is a chance to explore Hana's connections with other people, whether in canon or your OCs, and explore her unique way of navigating them!!

Any content is welcome!! Fanfic, fanart, edits, moodboards, interactive, media, headcanons, screenshots, playlists, meta...even screenshots of your favourite scenes would be great!! Our only requirement is that the content is centered on Hana, and that the depiction of her is positive. You can also send in WIPs in case you don't complete a work!

You can also send in a work on the days following a particular theme - this is no pressure for it to be put up exactly that day! We will also have an extra week for anyone who still needs time 💕 May 4th will be our final official date for entries (to incorporate into our video!) but HLAW will still be open for entries for the rest of the year until the next event!

You'll find all the HLAW 2024 themes here!

Be sure to do the following when you make your posts:

1. Use the tags #hanaleeappreciationweek and #HLAW in the tags (along with the day you made the post for - #HLAW Day 1, #HLAW Day 2 etc)

2. Tag @hanaleeappreciationweek and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts, so we don't miss them!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are instrumental in keeping the fandom alive - with events and fun activities that encourage us all to contribute and create. They have also been amazing in their support towards our character events. Do check them out to see all the new incredible events and prompts coming up!

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic and fanart (no AI allowed). Check out their rules and roster of events!

@choicesmonthlychallenge & @choicesaprilchallenge24 - Any and all content welcome (No AI content)! They have a collection of prompts you can use for the month of April!

@choicespride - Any and all content is welcome, as long as it is centered around queer characters and/or themes.

@choicesflashfics - Primarily fanfic under a 2500 word count. Every week they use new dialogue prompts. The prompts for the coming week will be out soon.

@choicesholidays - Any and all content welcome, as long as it is centered around one of the holidays listed! Currently, they are hosting Spring Fling!

@choicesprompts - Mostly fanfic preferred! You can check out their current Round Robin event here!

As tomorrow will be our final HLAW day, we'd like to remind everyone once again that we always keep a bonus week for entries!! So if you weren't able to finish your piece on time, you still have till May 4th!! We will also be keeping the event open all year round for entries - so if you finish a piece before next year's HLAW, don't hesitate to send it to us and it will find a place in the masterlist! We will be open all year round! 💕💕

We usually make a thank you video for all our contributors and signal boosters at the end of the bonus week! Typically it is put up on YouTube and we share it here. If you would prefer not to feature, do let us know and we will keep your name out of it based on your comfort levels.

@lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes will be hosting Kiara Theron Appreciation Week (KTAW) on the 21st next month! If anyone would like to be tagged on that or knows people who may be interested, let us know!! The blog for that event is here: @kiaratheronappreciationweek.

Happy Hana Lee Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[masked-alien-lesbian]

KTAW Day 5: Relationships

A look into what Kiara is like in relationships be it a platonic friendly relationship, romantic or familial.(Imo anyway)

Platonic: Kiara as a friend

□ As courteous, polite, and well mannered as Kiara is, it's actually takes a little bit to become close to Kiara. She reminds me of an onion, with numerous layers. She keeps her cards close to her chest and isn't naive to trust newcomers at first. She is used to how catty some of the noble women can be and is able to navigate the minefield that the court can be. She is also aware that with her social and financial status, people can and have tried to get close to her to use her in some way. So it takes a little bit for her to trust someone who genuinely wants to get to know her.

□ As she gets more comfortable around you, you find out she is a very observant and witty person. Her humor is a little dry, subtle, and unexpected which is why she's funnier than you expect. She's not a stand up comedian by any means, but if she trusts you, any boring gala or ball is exponentially more entertaining when it's just the two of you.

□ Again, she's very observant, she can tell when you're upset or hiding something. She won't point it out to you in a social setting in case of embarrassing you but when she can get you alone, she'll ask you what is bothering you. If you don't feel like talking about it, she won't pressure you, she'll just let you know she's available if you need anything. If you want to vent though, she's a good listener. And if you want answers, she's very practical to helping you find a solution.

Kiara in Romantic Relationships

🌹 Kiara is a practical person and very duty minded. She had planned to marry someone who would benefit Castelsarrelian and Cordonia, feelings involved or not. So when she fell in love with you, it was not expected. It wasn't what she had planned, so at first she throws herself in her work and tries to ignore her feelings. Eventually though she realizes the feelings aren't going away, she'll try to rationalize her feelings, weighing the pros and cons of a relationship with you. Finally I feel like this when Kiara's mother Joelle, will give her a valuable lesson on following her heart. Joelle saw how her daughter is with you and sees a kind and gentle spirit in you. Hakim just wants his daughter to be happy and trusts in her intuition. With her parents approval, she finds the courage to pursue you.

🌹 Kiara isn't into big grand gestures, it's the little signs that show the depth of her feelings for you. She knows what you like, being an observant person that she is, she'll present you with whatever you're currently into, the food you love and support you in your favorite hobby or activity. She'll give you what is most precious to her, her time. Showing she cares and wants to spend time with you is her love language.

🌹 Courting and being in a romantic relationship with Kiara feels like coming home. She generates the feeling of safety. She's level headed, stable, warm and loving. What you see is what you get with Kiara, she's not into playing games so you'll never have to guess with her, just ask her.

🌹 Overall she's just green flags. She's mature, not clingy or a jealous person. She's a busy person so having someone who has separate interests who can occupy themselves when she can't be there is preferred. Though she can get busy she loves when you leave her little notes, text messages, videos or voice-mails for her to read/see/listen to when things slow down. It helps remind her that she has someone at home waiting for her in the early days of your relationship.

Kiara's Family Life

□ I actually see her being fine without kids. She has a busy fulfilling life with her diplomatic work, her duchess duties, keeping up with her friends and her life with her partner/spouse. But if her significant other really wants children, she's happy to become a mother if her SO wants to carry a child or adopt.

□ She's a loving mother and wife. Originally her work was to better Cordonia but now making sure you and her children are taken care of is at the forefront. You may have to remind her to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the little milestone with her family but she wants to be present in yours and the kids lives so she immediately begins to cut her long hours.

□ She's open to couple and family therapy if you and her or your family are going through a rough patch. But she is open to clear communication and is considerate of your feelings so as long as you're open to the same and meet her halfway, the two of you will be together even when you're old and gray!

@kiaratheronappreciationweek

@lizzybeth1986

@sazanes

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

(this incredible poster is the handiwork of our lovely host @sazanes!!)

Welcome to our third Kiara Theron Appreciation Week! That time of the year when we get together and celebrate this wonderful character (though to be honest, every day is a great day to celebrate Kiara).

This year, we will be holding this event around May 21st, which is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development! Basically, a day specially meant to celebrate all cultures and diversities. And which estate is best known for its rich culture, art and literature? Castelserraillan, of course!

Here are our themes for this year:

Day 1 - May 21st - Culture/Festivals

Day 2 - May 22nd - Character Appreciation/Throwback

Day 3 - May 23rd - Languages/Wine

Day 4 - May 24th - Diplomacy/Nature

Day 5 - May 25th - Family/Friendships/Romance

Any content is welcome - art, fanfic, edits, essays, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons...even short appreciation posts and screencaps! Our only requirement is that the content should be Kiara-focused and depict her positively.

Each day has a theme, and some will have two. For those days, you can choose whichever theme you prefer or you can even combine them! It isn't completely necessary to post the content exactly on the day it's meant for...just make sure you tag it with the day and theme even if you're submitting it on a later day.

We also will be accepting pieces after the event is over, and all year round until the next KTAW! So even if you have your post ready much later, please don't hesitate to tag us! 🤗

Blogs to Tag: @hanaleeappreciationweek, and hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes

Tags to Use: #kiaratheronappreciationweek, #KTAW, #KTAW 2024

There are some incredible fan-community blogs that work tirelessly both to promote creative fandom works and make the experience fun for their writers! Do check them out!!

@choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicespride, @choicesflashfics, @choicesholidays, @choicesprompts, @wordwarriors, @choicescommunityevents

If you know any others who would like to be tagged, please let me know! Here are the amazing works sent in for 2023 and '22 if you'd like to get more inspired!

KTAW 2022 | KTAW 2023

Can't wait to see all our fellow Kiara fans next month!!

✅✅signal boosts are always appreciated!✅✅

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

KTAW 2024: Masterlist

(this delightful poster is courtesy of our lovely host @sazanes!!)

KTAW 2022 | KTAW 2023

Day 1: Culture/Festivals

Culture

Fanfic

Holi: The Festival of Colours, Love and Spring by @masked-alien-lesbian

Laylat al-Henna by @lizzybeth1986

Festivals

Art

A Bouquet at the Flower Festival by @cassiopeiacorvus

Kiara as Rowan Thorn at the Five Kingdoms Festival by @sazanes

Day 2: Character Appreciation/Throwback

Character Appreciation

Art

Très Embarrassant 2.0 by @sazanes

Moodboard

Kiara by @masked-alien-lesbian

Edit

SpreadJoy Quote: Kiara Theron by @storyofmychoices

Video Edit

Character Appreciation by @a-cloud-for-dreams

Throwback

Fanfic

It Takes A Village by @lizzybeth1986

Midterms by @mand-delemonde

Ours by @mand-delemonde

Day 3: Languages/Wine

Languages

Art

Kiara's Passion for Languages by @sazanes

Fanfic

A Child of Babel by @lizzybeth1986

Wine

Fanfic

Wine Aren't You Mine? by @masked-alien-lesbian

Day 4: Diplomacy/Nature

Diplomacy

Fanfic

the art, the science by @exbex

Nature

Art

All Set for the Apple Blossom Festival! by @sazanes

Edit

Kiara the Fae Queen by @masked-alien-lesbian

Moodboard

Bellemere/Castelserraillan by @lizzybeth1986

Day 5: Family/Friendship/Romance

Family

Headcanon

Kiara in Relationships: Platonic, Romantic and Familial by @masked-alien-lesbian

Friendships

Fanfic

Too Little, But (Perhaps Not) Too Late by @lizzybeth1986 (Kiara & Penelope)

Romance

Art

"Every day with you is a priceless gift" by @sazanes (Kiara x Hana)

--

Note: If you still have a piece/idea for a piece that you weren't able to post during the week - fret not!! This masterlist will be open for entries all year! Don't forget to tag this blog or its hosts when you post any content you want to send for KTAW!!

Here are the themes if you want to reference them.

Until next year - thank you so much to all our contributors! To our readers, all the pieces sent here are incredible and we hope you get as much pleasure looking through these amazing works as we did!!

See you all in 2025!

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

KTAW 2023 - Masterlist

(this beautiful poster is the work of our host @sazanes!)

DAY 1 - ART & LITERATURE/WINE

Art and Literature

Edit

Quote Edit by @storyofmychoices

Fanfic

The Stolen Interview by @twinkleallnight

Wine

Art

Funny How People Are A Bit Like Wine by @sazanes

Fanfic

Batalla del Vino by @lizzybeth1986

DAY 2 - POLYGLOT

Art

Kiara's Eclectic Playlist by @sazanes

Fanfic

Loving a Polyglot by @twinkleallnight

Headcanon

Headcanons: Kiara the Polyglot by @lizzybeth1986

The Languages Kiara Knows by @mand-delemonde

DAY 3 - AROUND THE WORLD

Art

Kiara Strikes A Pose On Travel by @cassiopeiacorvus

Beach Extravaganza by @sazanes

Fanfic

Around the (Stamping) World by @twinkleallnight

Moodboard

Moodboard and Character Appreciation by @angelasscribbles

DAY 4 - HOME/FAMILY

Family

Fanfic

Wordlessly by @lizzybeth1986

Second Born by @dcbbw

Ours by @mand-delemonde

Home

Art

Bedtime Reading with Maman by @sazanes

Fanfic

Home Is Where My Family Is by @twinkleallnight

DAY 5 - ROMANCE/FRIENDSHIP/THROWBACK

Relationships

Art

First Waltz: Hana x Kiara by @sazanes

Fanfic

Boxing with God (WIP)/KTAW WIPs (synopses) by @dcbbw

Moodboards

Kiara x Hana: Winter Romance by @lizzybeth1986

Throwback

Fanfic

Fashion Faux Pas by @lizzybeth1986

Once Upon A Time: Rashad, Kiara and Noah by @twinkleallnight

If Only...For the Night by @bebepac

--

Once again, we thank everyone who was part of this week, especially to our wonderful contributors who gave their heart and soul to these amazing pieces we have here. We're so incredibly proud of the content we got, and we urge everyone to check each and every piece on this masterlist. The range of topics here and the number of ways Kiara and her background were explored is unbelievable.

Even though the week is over, we are still open for content. If you'd like to send some that you'd intended for KTAW 2023, do tag us! Here are the list of themes! And here is last year's masterlist: KTAW 2022!

Check out every piece listed here... they're all such beautiful explorations of Kiara as a character, and please do pass on lots of love to our wonderful contributors who made this week so vibrant!!

See you all in 2024!

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

We are on our final day of the Kiara Theron Appreciation Week! So far we have got some lovely entries: fanfic, headcanons, edits...with more to come soon. We will be extending the deadline for pieces by a week (until 3rd March), so if you still have an idea for Kiara that you'd like to send in, please do!!

On Day 4 we covered Kiara's home and family - and on Day 5 we will be covering her relationships! Whether it is a romantic one, featuring a love interest of your choice (be it Hana, Rashad, Liam, an MC or an OC, Olivia, Drake - anyone!!) or a platonic friendship - we would love to see how Kiara expresses her feelings for them or how she interacts with them! So for this day we will be focusing on Romance and Friendships!

Our final day is also a good time to show off your old pieces featuring Kiara, as it includes our Throwback theme! To make it a bit more fun, we encourage you to let us into the process of creating your content - where the idea for the piece came from, what challenges you may have faced, what you enjoyed etc. Here is a possible template you can use.

Any and all content is welcome - as long as it focuses on Kiara, and is a positive depiction of her. Fics, art, edits, moodboards, meta, interactive media, headcanons, playlists, even screenshots featuring her favourite scenes! We also accept WIPs so if you aren't sure you'll be able to finish your piece on time, you can still send us a few snippets!

Be sure to do the following when you are making your posts:

1. Use the tags #kiaratheronappreciationweek and #KTAW, along with the date/theme you're intending for the content (#KTAW Day 1, #KTAW Day 2)

2. Tag @kiaratheronappreciationweek and the co-hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 on your posts.

Fan-content blogs have been a major source of inspiration and promotion for us! We would definitely love for you to explore these wonderful blogs and participate in their events if you can:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic. Check out their roster for weekly and monthly events here!

@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choices-february2023 - Any and all content welcome. Check out their prompts for February!

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome as long as the content focuses on queer characters or themes. They plan to host an Aromantic Awareness Week soon, and would appreciate suggestions for prompts.

@choicesprompts

@choicesholidays

@maxwell-beaumont-appreciation and @drake-walker-appreciation will be hosting events soon.

As mentioned previously, this may be the official end of the week, but we will still be allowing for entries till 3rd March!

Happy Kiara Theron Appreciation Week, everyone!

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

KTAW Masterlist 2022

(This lovely poster has been brought to you by the wonderful @sazanes!)

Day 1: What We Love About Kiara/Throwback

What We Love About Kiara

Art

Très Embarrassant by @sazanes

Character Appreciation

What I Love Most About Kiara by @cassiopeiacorvus

SpreadJoy Quote: Kiara Theron by @storyofmychoices

Fanfic

An Ear to the Ground by @lizzybeth1986

Headcanon

Kiara Theron: Character Sheet by @thecapturedafrique

Throwback

Fanfic

Eleanor's Kitchen: Djaj M'qualli bi Zeitoon by @lizzybeth1986

Melting Moments by @twinkleallnight

The Wallflowers by @dcbbw

Midterms by @mand-delemonde

Headcanon

Hana and Kiara's Wedding by @lizzybeth1986

Day 2: Family

Art

Kiara and her Telescope by @cassiopeiacorvus

Kiara and Hakim by @sazanes

Fanfic

All We Have Is One Another by @twinkleallnight

Headcanon

The Lee-Thorne Children by @lizzybeth1986

Day 3: Diplomat/Polyglot

Polyglot

Fanfic

Common Ground by @thefirstcourtesan

Headcanon

Kiara's Personal Knowledge Management System by @cassiopeiacorvus

Playlist

A Multilingual Playlist for Kiara by @lizzybeth1986

Diplomat

Art

Diplomatic Liaison on The Royal Council by @sazanes

Fanfic

Hidden Agenda by @dcbbw

WIP: Untitled (Cotillion Piece) by @thecapturedafrique

WIP: Untitled by @twinkleallnight

Day 4: Origins/France

Origins

Art

Kiara's Cotillion, ft. the Spirit of Rowan Thorn by @cassiopeiacorvus

Headcanons

The Thorne Family - Origins | Family | France by @lizzybeth1986

The Therons: Origins/Family/France by @mand-delemonde

France

Art

Kiara with Joelle in Paris by @sazanes

Headcanons

Joëlle's (and Kiara's) French Lineage by @thecapturedafrique

Day 5: Relationships/Friendships

Romance

Art

Love is In The Air (Hana x Kiara) by @sazanes

Fanfic

The Arrangement (Liam x Kiara) by @dcbbw

Hidden Agenda (Liam x Kiara) by @dcbbw

Support (Hana x Kiara, Kiara&MC) by @thefirstcourtesan

Headcanon

Relationship Chart: Hana x Kiara by @cassiopeiacorvus

Friendships

Fanfic

The Perfect Gift (Liam&Kiara) by @lizzybeth1986

The Yale Adventures: First Impressions (Kiara&MC) by @thefirstcourtesan

Day 6: Castelserraillan

Art

Kiara's Costume Gala Outfit by @sazanes

Fanfic

It Takes A Village by @lizzybeth1986

Headcanon

Castelserraillan Headcanons by @cassiopeiacorvus

Day 7: Fashion

Art

Kiara's Costume Gala Outfit by @cassiopeiacorvus

Fanfic

Fashion Faux Pas by @lizzybeth1986

--

Once again, we thank everyone who was part of this week, especially to our wonderful contributors who gave their heart and soul to these amazing pieces we have here. We're so incredibly proud of the content we got, and we urge everyone to check each and every piece on this masterlist. The range of topics here and the number of ways Kiara and her background were explored is unbelievable.

Do read these works, pass your love to every content creator here and we hope to see you with more incredible events...in 2023 and beyond!! 💖💖

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

We're now moving towards the last phase of KTAW. Unbelievable how quickly time passes!! And we've gotten some really lovely entries thus far.

We are now going into Day 5. Day 5 is all about exploring Kiara's relationships outside of her family - be it romance or friendship. Give Kiara either a romance of her own or stick to canon's initial pairing...or even explore her friendships! You can even try seeing her dynamic with characters she was never close to before.

Any and all content is welcome. With this event we will be accepting WIPs and older pieces featuring Kiara as well!

As always the theme itself is a prompt for the day, and you needn't rush to finish it that very day. If you do send in something later, you can send them on a later date as long as you tagged it for the day you meant it for.

Be sure to do the following when making your posts:

1. Use #kiaratheronappreciationweek and #KTAW in the tags

2. Tag @kiaratheronappreciationweek, and co-hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes

Optionally, there are challenging from our awesome community blogs that you could be a part of if you want!

@choicesficwriterscreations: Primarily fanfic. Has a roster of weekly events.

@choicesmonthlychallenge: Any and all content welcome. Current events: PICKtober and Naughty and Nice.

@choicesprompts: The blog is currently on hiatus, but you can still submit entries for their previous prompts till January!!

Happy Kiara Theron Appreciation Week, everyone!!