#lgbtq fantasy

[possumcollege]

Den is a Crittertongue short story originally featured in Chicago horror anthology comic, Revenge of Hallowzine.

[tobiasbegley]

Hello everyone! I'm announcing my first novel in a new series, Mana Mirror, by me (Tobias Begley). It's a Progression Fantasy novel with strong influences in Magical Academia, some Xianxia influence, and a huge mage focus! It can be found here, or at the last link below!

This is the novel's description: When Malachi Baker stumbles into an offer of apprenticeship from the esteemed and powerful Occultist Orykson, he's left in shock and jumps at the chance to learn... Even if it means taking out a few loans.

Unfortunately, his new teacher sees him more as a tool than a student, and has set Malachi near-impossible goals before he becomes worthy of Orykson's full attention, and Malachi's innate power is only somewhat above average.

Worse, it turns out that Orykson has enemies more powerful than Malachi had ever imagined – and now their attention has landed solidly on him.

Torn between the mage who can offer him everything, and a strange old woman who offers him the chance to guide his own path, Malachi is left scrambling to find his purpose as a new mage.

What to expect: - Slowburn to Power - Slice of Life - Queer Content

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tobiasbegley

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYHQG7L4

[terrible-eel]

Hey so I am going to be in an anthology! I'm really excited for this book to come out and it would mean the world to me if you sign up to receive an email letting you know when the release date is! Or even just reblogging and sharing this on other platforms would be helpful! This is essentially a Kickstarter and we need to give this as much traction as possible because it may be able to be published in stores if it gets popular enough!

The editor on this project has been wonderful to work with and extremely supportive of my decision to have a trans main character for my contribution which is called "The Witch". The artist working on my story has also been so wonderful but I'm not sure if I can release their name yet.

Just again, please support this work. It's very powerful and pushing for a lot of good things.

[writeblrfantasy]

if you like lesbians who get a little hot from being violent, melodramatic gays, and friends to lovers soldiers, then i've got the book for you!

THE LOVER WITH FIVE NAMES IS AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!

The emperor died six years ago—and all vie for the throne. The last of her line, Herra’s duty is to appoint an emperor. That simple task is made complicated when her past catches up to her, forcing her to rethink everything she knew about herself, the empire, and its future. For years, The Nameless Lover has used his skills of seduction to secretly determine the next emperor for Herra. His latest target is the emperor’s son—a man who threatens to blow open The Lover’s cover. Meanwhile, across the lands, Arthur is a loyal soldier who’s faced with a choice that could determine the fate of the empire. A tyrant seeks the throne. Hidden truths come to light. The empire readies for war. With the future of the empire in their hands, Appointer, Lover, and Soldier discover that they’re more closely entwined than they think.

PREORDER HERE. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE JANUARY 23

LOVER TAGLIST (LMK TO BE ADDED/REMOVED) @magic-is-something-we-create @47crayons @ashen-crest@woodhousejay @transmasc-wizard @worldbuildng @ettawritesnstudies @mcximilians @contes-de-rheio @void-fireworks @extrabitterbrain @pressedpapyrus @willowiswriting @houndmouthed @stormharbors @snowinks

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime @myhusbandsasemni @chayscribbles @magic-is-something-we-create

[the-shattering]

The Shattering - A Fantasy Web Novel

About:

The Shattering is a fantasy web novel about three queer middle-aged warriors banding together to fight an ancient evil that's threatening to literally tear the continent apart. They also semi-adopt a Chosen One kid in the process. Torvola, an old knight who thought her fighting days were long behind her, takes up the mantle of champion once more to fulfill her duty to the queen. Cazan, an archer and a blood mage, fights to protect the kid they took on as a student and prove that there is such a thing as ethical blood magic. Caleste, a countess on an endless quest for fame and glory, throws herself headlong into the battle to save the continent (and finally get the hero title she rightfully deserves).

More detailed summary here.

******

Read it if you like:

Swords

Gays

Sword wielding gays

Honestly just lots of queers in this story

Fantasy

Action

Adventure

Lesbian angst

Somewhat witty dialogue

If it were up on AO3 it'd be somewhere between the Teen and Mature rating.

Content warnings: Fantasy violence (with somewhat detailed descriptions of blood and death but nothing too over the top), exploration of mental illnesses including PTSD, depictions of natural disasters, cussing.

******

Updates Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 pm ET.

[the-modern-typewriter]

Do you have any pictures of the God Key paperback?

Featuring one of my cats, Castor. Vogue, baby, vogue.

[super-ion]

Such Lovely Fur

[Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3]

Chapter 4

I go on alone.

The passage through the mountain winds and branches, confirming my suspicions of a labyrinth. The light from the entrance persists for a time, longer than it would before my eyes were changed, but soon I am enveloped in pitch darkness. I am guided only by the faint sounds of the space, the subtle smells and whispers of breeze.

I make my way ever forward and ever higher until I discover the faintest light once more. The walls become carved in sharper lines and I begin to pass sconces bearing torches with a strange blue fire that gives off no heat. Eventually the stone walls give way to ice. As I proceed, the temperature drops. The chill of this place penetrates even my thick fur coat and my breath comes out in great clouds.

The further I go, the smoother and more ornate the walls become until I find myself wandering a grand palatial space. It is unnervingly empty, the study paws of my feet barely make a sound, but my footsteps still echo ominously.

That is until I hear the music. The music is somehow worse. It means someone is here. This horrible frozen palace is someone's home.

It is true that I have spent the past few days cavorting with a demon, but Rook was a physical presence, something I could relate to. This place is saturated in some primal elemental power that I cannot fathom.

The music grows ever louder as I make my way higher, drawing me ever closer to my goal. I know that when I find the source of the music, I will find my betrothed.

I finally reach a grand hall, grander than any I have passed yet. Every surface of the ice is carved in exquisitely fine details. The music emanates from a pair of mighty doors at the end of the hall.

As I walk, I suddenly spy a figure out of the corner of my eye. I am so on edge that I leap back in animal fright, laying my ears back and fluffing the fur on my tail. My reflection responded in kind.

What I mistook for another parallel hallway is actually a mirror… or at least a sheet of ice polished mirror smooth.

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have been frightened by my own reflection, but in my defense, I have not seen myself since my transformation.

I stare at the thing that I have become.

I had at least some idea of the fur and the paws and the tail, but Rook's final gift comes as a shock. My face is still generally my own, but the leopard features are unmistakable. My eyes are the color of polished gold, with the irises covering most of the visible surface. My nose has flattened and the tip has darkened. Feline ears poke out from snarled hair that has become the same silver grey color as the rest of my. I bare my teeth and find that my canines are larger than I initially thought.

I have become a beast, more animal than human.

Resolute, I walk to the doors and through the translucent ice, I can make out dim figures moving in time with it.

I take a breath and push them open to reveal a grand ballroom. The space is impossibly cavernous, larger and more extravagant than any room in the manors of any of the merchant princes in my home country. The space is filled with hundreds of dancers garbed in finery from every conceivable culture, from far distant lands and ages long forgotten. Each one of them is more beautiful than the last. The court of the Lady of Winter. Her collection.

All of them have a strange bluish cast to their skin and frost rims the edges of their clothes. Upon my entrance, the nearest dancers fall impossibly still to stare unblinking at me with impassive expressions. The stillness spreads out from me like a ripple in water and the music fades away.

The room is absolutely silent, I am distressed to discover that the only sound is my own heartbeat. Terror siezes me as some mysterious animal instinct tells me that these people do not smell alive. Nor do they smell quite dead. They are frozen, kept animated and eternally beautiful by the everpresent unfathomable power of this place.

I hear another sound, a slow heartbeat at the far end of the chamber.

I take a step forward and the crowd parts. They all stare at me. They stare at my torn and filthy clothes. They stare at my fur and my tail and my ears and my eyes.

I want to run. I want to flee this horrible place.

I take another step forward and another and another until I finally reach a raised dais.

A woman sits on a grand throne of ice that gleams iridescently behind her. Her skin is impossibly pale and perfectly smooth as if she were carved of ice herself. Her hair is white as snow and her eyes are the color of the pale blue ice around us. A crown sits atop her head, gleaming silver and studded with diamonds. Her dress is some sort of silvery silk, shining impossibly like a mirror made into fabric.

I have heard tales of her. All children have. Be good or the Lady of Winter will come for you in the night. In some versions of the tales she is a witch who gained the secret of immorality. In others she is a spirit made flesh, a physical manifestation of winter itself. She is a collector of souls, stealing people away from their homes and bringing them here.

I am so terrified by her presence that I only belatedly notice the figure seated at her side.

My betrothed is clothed in the very same regalia he wore on the celebration on the eve of what was meant to be our wedding. His heart beats so slowly in his chest and his eyes are glazed over, surely in the process of being frozen like the rest of the people here.

He blinks and some of the fog lifts from his eyes. He stares at me for a long while before recognition finally sets in.

“Astra?” he gasps. “What happened to you?”

I should be relieved that he recognizes me, but terror and doubt and uncertainty eat away at me.

“I came to rescue you,” I confess. “Along the way I met a demon. In exchange for her freedom she granted me gifts to not only help me survive but to reach you.”

His eyes widen in horror.

“You did this to yourself?” he asks. “You made yourself into a monster?”

A monster?

My doubts and fears crystalize in my belly. A wave of despair floods through me, but to my surprise it is followed by a wave of hot anger. Rook has given me incredible gifts, they are unorthodox certainly, but they are beautiful.

“Is that how you see me?” I snarl. “A monster? I did this to save you!”

He recoils at the heat in my voice. He opens his mouth, but the Lady of Winter silences him with a raised finger.

“It seems you have a choice, my pet,” she says, her voice resonating unnaturally from the very walls. “Remain here, unchanged and beautiful for eternity, or return home with your fiancee and the knowledge of what she has done to herself.”

He casts her a wild desperate look.

“You would simply let me go?” he asks.

“There are powers in this world great enough to challenge mine,” she replies. “This one has shown great devotion in making the treacherous journey here. If it is indeed true love that drives her, I dare not go against it.”

He looks back to me.

“Astra,” he pleads. “Tell me there is a way to break your curse. We can return home, we can have the life we were meant to have.”

A curse?

“This… this is not a curse,” I gasp. “It is a gift.”

“Astra,” he pleads. “A demon has addled your mind. You have dabbled in magic. If we return and you stay as you are, there will be no place for you in civilized society.”

His words hit me like a hammer

He truly cannot see the gift that has been given to me, can he?

He asks me to change for him?

What is it that your heart desires?

Rook's gifts, the changes I have wrought upon myself, they were not for him. They were never for him.

They were for me. Rook has granted me freedom. She saw through to the heart of me. She saw the truth in me that I could never acknowledge.

I have been a fool.

“No,” I say.

“No?” he replies, aghast.

“No,” I repeat. “I will not change myself for you. Not any more. I do not care if you leave this place or not, but I will not marry you. I have seen too much, experienced too much. I will not go back. I cannot go back.”

I turn to the Lady of Winter and bob a quick curtsey. I do not know how far her hospitality and tolerance for my presence in her court will last. I turn and walk away from them. It takes all my willpower to not break into a run until I am well and truly away from the ballroom.

But once I do start running, I cannot stop. I run and I sprint and I fall to all fours and lope easily down the twisting paths. I need to be out of here. I need to be away. I need… I need…

I retrace my steps through the maze of frozen stone until finally I step into the sunlight and breathe in the cold mountain air.

The world is alive. I am alive.

I survey the landscape beyond the cliff. Somewhere out in that rough craggy terrain is Rook. I need to find her. I cannot rest until-

“Forget something?”

The voice behind me makes me jump, which in turn produces a familiar snicker. There, lounging on an outcropping above the passage is Rook.

“I can't help but notice that you're alone, little cat,” she says.

“He didn't want me, not like this.”

“His loss,” she scoffs.

I do not fully know why, but the words make my heart flutter.

“It is probably for the best,” I admit. “I cannot go back to my old life… and there is something else.”

She sits upright and cocks her head at me curiously.

“A demon stole my heart,” I confess.

She stiffens and very real jealousy plays across her face. Her reaction is enough to summon forth a mirthful giggle from within me. She hisses and hurls a clod of snow at me before hopping off her perch and standing before me.

“It's me, right?” she demands. “Because if I need to go murder somebody-”

“It is you,” I laugh.

Before she can respond, I grab her shoulders and pull her to my level. The kiss is wild and frantic and not at all proper for a lady of my station.

But I am no longer a lady, am I? I have become something else entirely. I do not know what I am yet, but I intend to find out.

She makes a soft self satisfied moan against my lips and her sharp teeth nip at me. She pulls me close and spins us around, pressing my back into the stone of the cliff. I gasp in surprise, which only goads her more. I melt into her attentions and forget myself

I only pull away reluctantly. Her eyes open and she gazes hungrily at my lips. She wants more. She wants so much more.

I want so much more.

“Please,” I gasp. “I want this… just not… here.”

She glances upwards towards the peak of the mountain.

“That's fair,” she admits. “Where would you like to go, little cat?”

“Anywhere,” I respond. “Everywhere.”

[luninosity]

Exciting news! The expanded and revised edition of my very first novel, from five years ago - A Prophecy for Two - will be coming out from JMS Books November 25! This version is about 10k longer, including a new bonus story! And look at the lovely cover art by @misspaperjoker <3 <3 <3

It's got...

~friends to lovers, a prince and his fairy-companion

~m/m high fantasy - very Lord Dunsany, Robin McKinley, fairytale kind of setting

~a Quest, and True Love, and a Prophecy

~temporary character death (it's a magic thing! he'll be fine!)

~the use of fairy magic to find missing pigs

~a happy ending, of course!

JMS Books pre-order (where it's on sale!) link here!

[gailynovelry]

The Heralds of Rhimn ebooks are available on Itch.io! This striking dark fantasy series includes;

An annoyances-to-lovers wlw main couple!

Some delicious angst, if that’s your jam.

(You almost certainly did not come for the gremlin child, but you WILL stay for the gremlin child.)

There are gods, they are cool, but some of them should probably be punched.

Tasty, tasty worldbuilding. Cromch!

Some real nice PDFs and EPUBs. (I put a lot of effort into those.)

So if you want to read about a dark messiah lesbian who Does Not Want To Be A Protagonist Please, a love interest who decides to put her brawling problem to work protecting her, and a thiefy baby fey with many issues, give it a whirl! I have a cat to feed.

[fellamarsh]

"Like Twilight, if you took out all the mormonism and replaced it with homosexuality!"

If you're looking for a book with—

queer, adult, POC protagonists

werewolves and vampires who kiss (as all werewolves and vampires should)

prophetic dreams, mortal peril, mysterious magic, and ANGST

complex, realistic characters who tell startlingly bad jokes

—then you should check out Both Sides of The Moon!

It's a queer romantic fantasy novel about Fae, a vampire amnesiac, and Roa, the werewolf who finds him passed out out on his family's ranch. The two are immediately drawn to each other—but Roa's inexperience with romance leaves him awkward and stiff, and Fae's guilt over keeping his one remaining memory a secret from the clan of wolves prevents him from getting too close. After months of living and working together, they finally breach the gap between them—only for a monster from Fae's dark past to reappear, threatening to tear them apart.

Reviewers have described it as "layered and thoughtful, angsty and sweet" — "gorgeously written" and "poetic" — a "stunning world" whose characters will "captivate your whole heart" — and "easily one of the best books I've read in a long while!"

Buy it now in eBook or paperback on Amazon! The e-book is currently on Countdown Sale and will be discounted June 1-7!

[possumcollege]

Like if the chorus of Sweet Caroline had a 40% chance of giving you the 28 Days Later virus.

[tobiasbegley]

The third book in my series has released today!

Hello everyone! I'm announcing my third novel, The Abjurer, by me (Tobias Begley). It's a Queer Progression Fantasy novel with strong influences in Magical Academia, Sword and Sorcery, and Epic Fantasy.

This is the novel's description:

Evan Tailor needs to kill an Archmage.

If he can survive a party first.

With the Silver Queen calling in her debt, Archmage Roark's oaths binding him into assistance and silence, and new classes pulling at Evan from all sides, this year is not turning out to be the peaceful and prosperous introduction to abjuration magic that Evan had hoped for.

"There are so many excellent things I could say about The Enchanter, about how fresh its conflict is, how much fun the magic and setting are, but, in the end, the most important thing I can say about it? I stayed up late reading it until my eyes hurt, and then kept reading it anyways." – John Bierce, author of Mage Errant

"Deeply creative and intricately imagined, The Enchanter is a masterclass in crafting fantasy with a gentle but vibrant heart.” – Phil Tucker, Author of Bastion

"I wish I'd come up with the system of unique arch-stars myself." – Sarah Lin, Author of the Weirkey Chronicles

Art by the lovely Luminita Pham: https://www.instagram.com/luminitapham.art/?hl=en

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTYQ5RT6

[kitvincentbooks]

Hi! I’m Kit Vincent, an author of mostly queer mostly SFF fiction 🌈😄 My first book just came out. it’s called Of Feathers and Thorns. Readers of Witchmark, A Marvellous Light, and Carry On seem to like it 😁 You can check it out here.

I live in New England and have a pet pig and 2 rescue tortoises.

I’m also non-binary (any pronouns are fine).

Glad to be back in Tumblr!

[emrowene]

Looking for a new substack story to read? How about a fantasy detective series in the style of Sherlock Holmes?

Subscribe (for free) to The Case Files of Sheridan Bell and dive into Tamarley, a world with humans and sidhe and magic and murder. Come for the intrigue and for all of the queer characters; stay for the charismatic con artists, stubborn inspectors, grim reapers with puppy crushes, and, of course, for the aloof detective who loves deeply and struggles to show it, who won't rest as long as someone somewhere needs his help.

Still not convinced? You can read the first mystery, Sheridan Bell and the Vanishing Beast, before making any decisions! In it, a strange sidhe woman comes to Detective Bell with an even stranger problem: she's about to be arrested for murder and needs the detective to do something about it. But when a man is killed in a locked room by a monster that appears from nowhere and disappears into the same, how can the answer be anything but magic?

[argentum-in-aqua]

Oh hey, there's an award that remembers web serials exist

So it turns out that the Queer Indie Awards have a Web Serial category, which Argentum is eligible for - specifically, Silver in the Ashes is eligible, since it was updated this year.

I'd also make a pitch for the character awards, if I wasn't a) slightly unsure how Lead Character worked with my crew, and b) very unsure as to whether Sabbat and Archer fit into Friendship (because they are) or Romantic Relationship (because let's face it, we all know where that's going, even if neither of them's yet prepared to admit it out loud). (And here's the bit where I try very hard not to hide under something because awards eligibility posts are terrifying).

[arashisenshi]

The Stones Stay Silent launches on April 14th!

Here is the official blurb:

When a deadly plague sweeps the land, the priests of the Parents accuse those deemed to have incurred the gods' wrath. Leiander, unmarried and with interests unbecoming to the woman people consider him to be, flees for his life. With the Night Demon Kevv'ach by his side and his deepest wish undiminished, he journeys to the Great Lith, said to still channel the magic of the Parents. He will beseech the gods to remake his body in the image of the Father, so the world sees him as his true self: Leiander.

And here’s what you can expect:

- A character-driven medieval-ish fantasy story; - Transgender aroace main character seeking to live his life and maybe bake; - Cinnamon roll Night Demon bestie with partial amnesia (and a sweet tooth); - Steadfast friends turned found family (and occasionally, a pair of mules); - Absent gods who left behind mysterious blue monoliths; - Strict gender roles dictating what jobs people have, what colors they wear, and what tattoos they get + a couple of fanatics hell-bent on enforcing said rules; - Extensive travel through a plague ravaged realm; - A conspicuous lack of magic; or swords; or sorcery; or monsters; - Even more giant statues; - A bunch of recipes to try for yourself, from Romanian, Austrian and... whatever cuisine baked goat cheese in walnut crust comes from; - Named chapters! Pronunciation guide! Maps for each part! Extensive content warnings! Handy reference chart for timekeeping! Cameo appearance by my cat! - Eventually, I promise, a happy end.

You can already preorder the ebook on Amazon and have it synch to your device on Friday, when the paperback will also be available there. If you’d rather support your local indie bookshop, go for it! You can ask them to order a book for you once published, by providing them the following details:

Title: The Stones Stay Silent Author: Danny Ride ISBN:  9783982494906

----

If it’s not up your alley, you don’t want or can’t afford to buy the book, you can still support - it would mean so much!

- share this post - let your friends know - ask your local library to order the book for you! (you and anyone else can read it for free then!) - suggest it as reading for book clubs - add the book to your list on goodreads - mark it as to read on the story graph - upvote it on reedsy discovery - there is a detailed review there from an independent reviewer, and you can also read the first chapter for free!

----

images: 1) promo material of the book featuring the book cover 2) moodboard of the seven parts and the epilogue 3) promo material showing a sample of the book interior