L. Cyrus Whelchel
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lcyruswhelchel.bsky.social
L. Cyrus Whelchel
@lcyruswhelchel.bsky.social
🖋️ Librarian & Fantasy Author || Worldbuilder || Chaotic Library Wizard || Level 37 Gamer
- Current WIP: Ballad's End (Faumen War Chronicles 3)

I write books, play tons of RPGs, & gush about cats.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/lcyruswhelchel
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Welcome to #CreativesConcourse, a new weekly thread for creatives of all types to share their work!

Today's theme: Names! Who's the most recent OC you've named, & is there any deep significance? Artists, you may share an OC you recently did a comm of!

My answer is below🔽
#Novmemeber Day 26

I feel this sums up the Big Bad of Faumen War Chronicles pretty well. They like to present themselves as more elegant and kind than they appear.

The reality, however, is far darker and more savage than the heroes can imagine.
November 26, 2025 at 6:33 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 26

One of the most infamous lies about the Desolation Wars is that Cacovis caused the Desolation out of a desire to destroy.

This couldn't be further from the truth & the discovery of the real events is a major plot point of Faumen War Chronicles.
November 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 26

Many of my titles have two meanings: A more literal meaning along w/ one of deeper connotations.

Ballad's End, for example, is a physical location in Livoria where the final battle occurs. It also refers to the end of Kai & his friends' journey.
November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
#AwesomeCharacters

Fordar Sodefur is a hunter by trade, meaning he’s most at home in the pine forests around his village.

Despite his young age (21), he’s quite talented at his craft & his abilities as a Seeder, able to manipulate plants through magic, make him a deadly predator among the trees.
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

How does your character feel about nature?

Do they like the outdoors? Have good survival skills?

Or do they prefer the comforts and amenities of a city?

Some combination of both?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
November 26, 2025 at 3:49 AM
For this week's #CreativesConcourse, we discuss our heroes!

Who is the youngest protagonist in your main cast, or who's your youngest MC if you have multiple WIPs? Does their youth serve as more of a benefit or hindrance to accomplishing their goals?

My answer below, as usual!
November 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 25

I guess as of now we can officially say the Faumen War is over 😁

However, another recent war was the Fifty Years War between Galstein & Corlati. It began when a heated border dispute escalated & ended once Galstein advanced into Corlati territory.
November 25, 2025 at 7:34 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 25

Love sharing some of my commissioned pieces with everyone. This scene depicting Kai and Maple sharing a dance at their wedding is one of my personal faves. They look so cute together!

Artist is Chiiyaa from Fiverr
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
#Novmemeber Day 25

This could technically apply to the premise of my Originborne series (title is tentative—still have a couple other options I’m considering), which kinda subverts the Prophesied Hero / Chosen One trope:

What if the Chosen One the world looked up to was the wrong pick?
#Novmemeber 25

Anti-tropes: what are some tropes that you've purposefully avoided in your WIP? OR, are there any tropes that you've put a twist on?
November 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 24

Been waiting for this one! Vildrik Arvaldi, the MC of my Originborne series, is among the rarest mixbloods in Nixtral: He can claim ancestry from all 8 faumen tribes.

However, his blood primarily derives from two: the Norzen & Vesikoi. 🧵(1/2)
November 24, 2025 at 5:34 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 24

Not all the time, but I do often listen to music when I'm needing a little bit of extra inspiration. Most often you'll catch me listening to symphonic metal, folk metal, or video game OSTs that fit the mood of the scene I'm working on.
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 23

Ozmarius is known as chief god of the Norzen tribe & its progenitor. While legends of his divinity are exaggerated, he was still a living man.

He united the nomads who would become the Norzen while his son would later found the Kingdom of Hilderic.
November 23, 2025 at 6:43 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 23

The best way to deal w/ imposter syndrome is to remind yourself of this one thing each day:

Your story matters. Not everyone will like it, & that's okay. What's important is your story has meaning to you. Write for yourself & those who lift you up!
November 23, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by L. Cyrus Whelchel
YAP SESSION INCOMING!!

A thread🧵 on marriage & love in Nixtral:

Most civilizations on Nixtral historically have been of the mind that “love is universal” & early humans expressed that via polyamorous relationships known as ‘covens.’ The concept of marriage was, in fact, devised by what were known
I GOT A YAP SESSION WRITTEN UP

Read on to learn more about marriage in Aloutia. A thread🧵

On marriage and partnership in the PD, pre and during the Greed Wars:

The Good Thyme gang has a saying, that “love is free and infinite” which for them means that they love without marriage and they love as
Yessss I look forward to it! (Full disclosure I'm married as well as polyamorous, but also have complicated feelings about the institution/how it's structured in our society, and always interested in different relationship paradigms! IMO "fuck marriage" is a valid perspective even if it isn't mine)
November 23, 2025 at 3:22 AM
YAP SESSION INCOMING!!

A thread🧵 on marriage & love in Nixtral:

Most civilizations on Nixtral historically have been of the mind that “love is universal” & early humans expressed that via polyamorous relationships known as ‘covens.’ The concept of marriage was, in fact, devised by what were known
I GOT A YAP SESSION WRITTEN UP

Read on to learn more about marriage in Aloutia. A thread🧵

On marriage and partnership in the PD, pre and during the Greed Wars:

The Good Thyme gang has a saying, that “love is free and infinite” which for them means that they love without marriage and they love as
Yessss I look forward to it! (Full disclosure I'm married as well as polyamorous, but also have complicated feelings about the institution/how it's structured in our society, and always interested in different relationship paradigms! IMO "fuck marriage" is a valid perspective even if it isn't mine)
November 23, 2025 at 3:22 AM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 22

The Norzen have been around for some time, the oldest tribe outside of Nixtral’s cradle of civilization in the Belomas Highlands.

Considering their rivalry with the vulpine Risbado, it’s impressive their culture has survived for over 2K years.
November 22, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Oh I already know Veldi would be a rock-and-roll girl at heart! She and I would probably be belting out the lyrics to Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi at the top of our lungs 😁

youtu.be/xTTZQp5xKyg?...
November 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 21

After the Faumen War, Whistlevale holds a grand celebration every Remembrance Day.

The festival’s finale is a huge parade on the river, headlined by the Grand Duchess greeting the crowds from a large river schooner bedecked in festive lights.
November 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 21

Some of my comfort anime at the moment are:

- The Fragrant Flower Blooms in Adversity
- Spy x Family
- WitchWatch
November 21, 2025 at 1:20 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 20

Whistlevale, built on the delta of the Great Ardei River, is among the most famous cities on Nixtral. Following the Faumen War, it takes less than 100 years to become one of the five largest cities in the world, a center of innovation & progress.
November 20, 2025 at 12:19 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 20

I get inspired by so many things. Video games, comics, music, anime, movies, books obviously… 😅

The whole world is full of potential stories if you open your mind to the endless possibilities!
November 20, 2025 at 12:13 PM
You folks do realize I could host a class just gushing over the Faumen, right? Each tribe is loosely inspired by various mythical creatures from around the world!

Norzen: Nekomata
Aerivolk: Harpy
Soltauri: Satyr
Vesikoi: Nereid
Wasini: Lamia
Risbado: Kitsune
Hyuljan: Selkie
Maemuka: Yeti/Sasquatch
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Are your characters human?

If not, tell me a little about what they are!

If so, are there any non-human species they interact with regularly? Tell me a bit about them and the type of relationship they have!

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
November 20, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Eh, let’s be honest: Faumen War Chronicles could easy have been renamed The Adventures of Kai and His Band of Merry Misfits 😂
#Novmemeber 19

Give us an alternate title to your WIP. Another title you considered, your working title, or a joke title.

Potential examples:
Of Mice and Men was originally Something That Happened
The Da Vinci Code might've been ScavengerHuntWIP
Frankenstein could be How to Make a Guy in 10 Days
November 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 19

Rivers & the sea heavily impact the economy of towns near them. In OoLaD, Morgan mentions how the war impacted Faith Hollow when the river was sealed off. Without river access, fishermen made for the sea to ensure the local economy didn't collapse.
November 19, 2025 at 6:45 PM
#FantasyIndiesNovember Day 19

I must admit, editing is often my biggest challenge as a writer. I tend to overwrite, though, so I know it's helpful to go back through my work and trim some of the excess and make my prose tighter.

Doesn't make it any more tedious, though. 😅
November 19, 2025 at 6:39 PM
#NovemberWorldbuilders Day 18

Of all my MCs, Ford probably has the best relationship with water. As a hunter, he's at home in the wilds & thus a powerful swimmer. He fondly remembers swimming in the river that runs near his village with his sisters.
November 18, 2025 at 6:53 PM