#QueerPrompts 3. MCs resolutions Jynrahd: "Why do people wait 'til the 1st of Canyon Moon to decide what they want to do? If you have a goal, just reach for the damn thing. What, me? Eh, I don't know...I guess I'd like to take up a hobby. Something calming. Gods know I need it."

#JanuaryWorldbuilders 3. Something majestic Deep in the forest of Sintadil, the Tuatha Tribe make their home around the roots of an enormous ancient oak tree adorned with talismans and carved with sacred iconography. The Tuatha clerics are able to speak to the Eternitree. It is as wise as it looks.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 3. Snippet Real men bond over an absurdly uneven duel

I've worked all day on this brand new sketch of my WIP's four main characters, The Cloudrenders. This is the best they've ever looked and best reflects their appearances in the story. Jynrahd is a little too short, but at least he fits on the page for once. #myart #OC #Cloudrend #artbyme #DnD

Baby Tea 🍵 🐉 ❤️

#QueerPrompts 2. Goals First goal of 2026 is to start therapy and work on my mental health. Second is the lose weight. Fat dragon lifestyle. Third is to read one book a month. Fourth is to work consistently on Book 2. Fifth is to find love. I don't need a husband, but a boyfriend would be nice.

#JanuaryWorldbuilders 2. Mystery The Mother Gods are said to have arrived at the lifeless land that they would cultivate into Tsentrin by boat. But...where did that boat come from?

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 2. This year I'm looking forward to finally getting the professional mental health treatment I've needed for so long - it's refreshing to feel good about my future. Also, I will be writing and hopefully completing my first draft of Book 2. I look forward to seeing it through.

#FantasyIndiesJanuary #JanuaryWorldbuilders 1. Hi! Happy 2026, everyone! I'm Phoenix, a dragon sat atop a hoard of stories. My WIP is Cloudrend, a three-part cosy fantasy story of found family, responsibility and magic set in a world inspired by D&D and Legend of Zelda, full of quirky characters.

#QueerPrompts 20. Holiday traditions At Midwinter Feast, it's traditional in Tsentrin to serve a round cake called a Rola, with marked slices. One for each person plus one. Everyone gifts their slice to another at the table, giving a reason why they love them. The last slice is burned for the gods.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 20. Slavery Slavery is illegal in Tsentrin, but in the northern region of Nóatún, there are certain cities where it is normalised. Ledding and Steel Hill practice the enslavement of locsl cave-dwelling peoples, most prominently goblins, trolls and the fungal lichenfolk.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 20. Saturday Snippet Written just today, chapter 7 of book 2 fresh off the press :)

#QueerPrompts 19. Favourite holiday movie Jynrahd would get a real kick out of Die Hard. He'd pretend to not be interested, but he'd be on the edge of his seat within ten minutes. With most other holiday movies, he'd be that one relative who noisily falls asleep in the middle of the room.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 19. Servants/helpers Servants are employed by nobles and businesses alike, and a suite of regulations are in place to protect their wellbeing. It's considered quite a nice career for those in working class families to strive for, though some nobles have poor reputations.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 19. Free Friday Updated dream cast for my Book 2 characters Jynrahd - Will Arnett Trikk - Eddie Redmayne Aurora - Jennifer English Fjorm - Tracy Wiles Kirava - Xanthe Huynh Mìach - Domhnall Gleeson Mux - Ben Kingsley Aoife - Letitia Wright Vice - Danny Dyer King - Joe Pesce

#QueerPrompts 18. Twin day It might be because he is a twin, but Jynrahd has this kind of connection with Trikk. Trikk isnt a twin, so he sometimes wonders if Jyn is hiding unknown magic. Nevertheless, they've both picked up the habit of saying "Varqi." when they part ways. (Draconic for "later")

#DecemberWorldbuilders 18. Regular tasks Trikk is amassing a small library of his own on top of what he inherited from his mentor. He takes it upon himself to clean and maintain the books and put them back in order every night. (Alphabetical by subject matter, then author surname, then colour.)

#FantasyIndiesDecember 18. Favourite holidays Halloween and Christmas. The end of the year is cold, dark and sad. It's a time when holidays are needed and treasured the most. And tell me what's better than copious candy, costumes and cheer alongside family and friends?

#QueerPrompts 17. Gifts As long as they're together, they can take or leave the presents.

#QueerPrompts 16. Day or night Jyn prefers day, because that's when everything happens. When things slow down and get quiet at night, the silence and darkness bring up bad memories. Travelling and adventuring is safest and easiest during the day as well, so he insists on nightly stops on the road.

#QueerPrompts 15. Sweet treats Jynrahd dislikes sweets - sugar is for kids, and he never really got to be a kid. Trikk, however, is a kid at heart and loves sweets. His favourite is custard cake, which the local tavern makes in droves. You could lure him into a box trap with one of those.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 17. Clothes and armour Smithies will always make their gold back in most towns, the number of weapons and armour the guard forces require. They're also in the business of metal implements, like tools and cutlery. Jyn has some smith skills, mending his own armour now and then.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 16. Food-related tasks No one could get his steaks right when the guild first formed, so Jyn took it on himself to cook the meat. Turns out he's quite good at it, and with Aurora on vegetable duty, the two can whip up fantastic meals when on form.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 15. Environmental chores Down in the depths of Ránn, the most common household chores tool isn't a broom but a scraper. Barnacles are quite the household pest and you want to deal with them early or they'll build up. Neglect it for too long, and the neighbours will talk.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 17. New to me authors Read Travis Baldree and Celia S. Friedman for the first time this year. Very different vibes, but similar appeal. Here's to the ever expanding TBR pile!

#FantasyIndiesDecember 16. Prefered elf These guys.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 15. Lows of 2025 The start of this month, honestly... Been struggling with mental health a lot over the last few months, but it came to a head a few weeks ago. I've got medication and therapy on the way, so the only way is up.

#QueerPrompts 14. Book's scent That specific musty inky scent you get when you open a D&D manual.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 14. Elder/childcare Elders are cared for in their own homes by visiting priests, typically of Vatnir, who provide comforting rites and perform the duties of a carer. Children whose parents work are cared for at temples to the Mothers. All priests are trained in childcare.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 14. Comp titles - Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldree - Mogworld - Yahtzee Croshaw - The Witcher - Andrezj Sapkowski - Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb - Coldfire Trilogy - Celia S. Friedman - Dungeons and Dragons I would add LotR, but...y'know.

#QueerPrompts 13. Laughing The big four all have distinct laughs. Jyn's is a loud bark followed by a light chuckle. Trikk's is a cute giggle that transitions to goblin cackle midway through. Aurora's is dignified and delivered through her nose. Fjorm's is a sneering titter that begins with a sigh.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 13. Family crests Kirava comes from Clan Devastryx, whose crest is a blue lotus flower atop a frozen pool. Their ascetic teachings say it represents their clan's survival against all odds and ability to remain calm and logical in the face of disaster. It's called the Rakaar.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 13. Saturday Snippet Feel the burn!

#QueerPrompts 12. Queer holiday reading recs Please send me some! I'm woefully undersupplied with snowy sweethearts.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 12. Inheritance Laws The throne of Tsentrin passes to the eldest child of the sitting monarch. However, if there is no heir, leadership passes to the Noble Council, who either elect a new monarch from within or locate a relative of the deceased, no matter how distant.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 12. Holiday songs I'm partial to Nat King Cole, having spent some time in a retail job that would play his tunes at Christmas. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire is still a lovely, relaxing tune for me. And I've recently grown to love Kelly Clarkson's Underneath the Tree...

#QueerPrompts 11. Dancers Aurora is a dancer by trade, using her unique Northern Lights martial arts style as both mesmerising dance and deadly combat technique. She is flexible and alurring, which makes her great at what she does. Jynrahd doesn't dance. At all. He'd even deny the rope-pull move.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 11. Villain & family King considers the other chessmen to be his 'family', but it's an empty, meaningless title intended to manipulate. In truth, King has no family, but it doesn't concern him. If it ever did, he could simply tell whomever he wanted to be so, and they would.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 11. Bookish gifts It can be hard to buy a book for someone, u less they've asked for a specific one. Instead, buy them writing gifts! I love a good notepad, myself. Or a selection of nice pens in various colours for the fastidious note-taker. Or a nice feather bookmark!

#DecemberWorldbuilders 10. MC and their family Jynrahd left his family for good reason. His mother was a rampaging warlord who raised him and his brother solely to be her strongest soldiers. He loved his brother, but lost him in battle. He left his father to rule in his place.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 10. Books for the end of the year I'm hoping to reach the end of Bookshops and Bonedust, as it's a prequel to one of my favourite books by a fantastic author. I would also add "my own book", but that ain't happening.

#QueerPrompts 9. Favourite toys Fjorm lived the most privileged childhood of the main four. Her toy chest was overflowed with dolls carved from undersea stone, coral and even pearl. She fondly recalls a coral play sword. She would lead her dolls on 'grand revolutions'. Quite the foreshadowing.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 9. Reproductive rights There are no reproductive restrictions in wider Tsentrin, but Azrakia has had a "one child only" law for the entire War of the Mesa. For three centuries, the only siblings born were Jynrahd and his twin, and they were a fluke. A very beneficial fluke.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 9. Santa or Krampus Do you think that in like 100 years popular culture will shift and we'll see hairy, scary men donning horns for the kids Christmas party? I don't think so. Santa's infectious joy and mass appeal is unbeatable. All power to the jolly red man!

#QueerPrompts 8. Pan rep Trikk is pan! He's notoriously chirpy toward everyone he meets as a means of reassurance - people often panic when they see a goblin. That philosophy of showing love to everyone extends to his orientation. Gender would never matter to him if his partner was happy with him.

#DecemberWorldbuilders 8. Family units Dragonborn culture regards the entire clan, which may consist of dozens of families, as one enormous family. You are expected to pledge yourself to the clan's protection and marry and breed within it. Jynrahd plans to shirk that. He just wants to be happy.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 8. Seasons Hidden Face takes place in the time bridging Spring and Summer, the months of Undertow and Blazing. Twin Minds takes place in late Summer into Autumn, the months of Ash, Enervation and Prevailing. I plan for the third book to be very winter coded. Cold and final.

#QueerPrompts 7. Letters Jynrahd's letters would all be businesslike, but in a "caring dad" kind of way that makes it clear he cares about you, but stay on topic. Trikk's letters are rambling ten-page anecdotes, fun facts and jokes until he finally gets to the point at the end. He signs off with :D

#DecemberWorldbuilders 7. Astrology Norne's stars are tied directly to Wind Mother Loftin, who is also the god of magic. Divination rituals involve mapping the path Loftin takes between the stars that were directly between the two moons on a person's birthday. They are notoriously inconsistent.

#FantasyIndiesDecember 7. Naughty vs. Nice Jynrahd: Nice - but he doesn't agree. He's not nice. Not really. Trikk: Nice - he's very happy to be there, he must be the only goblin! Aurora: Nice - well, naturally. The red man doesnt see *everything* Fjorm: Naughty - she hardly needs any approval...