R.P. Dunwater | Queer Fantasy Author
LightNews LightNews
banner
rpdunwater.bsky.social
R.P. Dunwater | Queer Fantasy Author
@rpdunwater.bsky.social
140 followers 170 following 33 posts
Steph (they/them) & Kim (she/her) • 📖 writing queer fantasy • 🌿 pagan • just two nerdy best friends telling stories
Posts Replies Media Videos
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “practice.” I think I’ve shared this one before but I love it. Always love Nell being ornery.

#QueerBooks #SapphicBooks #DarkFantasy
A quote from The Shadow of Payne, a sapphic dark fantasy with witches and warring gods, “I was well practiced in arranging my features to frighten others. It was a useful skill to have growing up in a village where everyone wanted you dead. As a child, I could settle any argument with only a fierce, unblinking stare. I'm sure it helped that everyone in Blackridge believed my family sacrificed children to the Great Betrayer on full moons. But Hope... Hope knew for sure that I was capable of worse. She shifted back in her chair, and it brought me great pleasure to watch that smile finally fade away completely.”
September 16, 2025 at 2:46 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “other.”
Nell is plagued by guilt and intrusive thoughts that take on a life of their own in The Shadow of Payne.
#QueerBooks #DarkFantasy #SapphicBooms
A quote from The shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater. A witchy dark fantasy. “"Who is it you speak to?" "No one." The pitying look on her face made me want to bury myself in the cellar, never to see the light of day again. "It haunts you, doesn't it?" she asked sadly. "This darkness. I can feel it like an aura around us. It weighs so heavily." I rolled my eyes. Fiddled with the hem of my shirt. "You make it sound so dramatic. It's nothing." There were several other words I should have used: Infuriating. Maddening. Sickening. Horrible, dreadful, awful. But I couldn't have Hope believing-or recounting to anyone else-that I'd completely lost my mind.”
September 15, 2025 at 9:00 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “outside.” Nell returns home and is faced with the horrors of what happened that Harvest night.
#darkfantasy #queerbooks #sapphicbooks
September 10, 2025 at 2:39 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #QueerBooks #SapphicBooks #WitchyBooks
A snippet from The Shadow of Payne by @rpdunwater: "Our visits are often cut short, kept to business. She doesn't say much...to anyone, really." I squirmed, hating the need to push the blame. This dreadful secret was rotting me from the inside, as wholly as Nell's power, turning me into something twisted. "But she spoke to you, I see." "We had tea," Hope confirmed. "And I think we might even be able to call our conversation productive." I let out a breathy laugh. "I'm surprised, considering how deeply she hates-" I cut myself off, regretting my word choice.
July 24, 2025 at 11:36 AM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips word today is “needle.”

#QueerBooks #DarkFantasy #SapphicBooksky #Writesky
A snippet from The Shadow of Payne by @rpdunwater: But Nell's progress felt like a fragile thing, like a fine silk prone to snagging, and such things required careful and practiced precision. One slip of the needle-or tongue -and the damage could be irreparable.
July 22, 2025 at 1:08 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “moon!” Have a sweet little moment for this Sunday 🥰

#queerbooksky #queerauthors #darkfantasy #writesky
A snippet from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater, a sapphic witchy dark fantasy, Those silly tears blinded me again as I recalled the sweet memory Jasper had played for me. It was of him and Nell, seated on the back of their family's wagon, their feet swaying playfully as they bounced down the long dirt road toward home. The glow of a massive bonfire had painted the night sky above them. "He showed me the night Nell and I first met-at the Full Moon Market here in Blackridge. How he teased her when she told him about me." The smile on her face when she'd spoken of me made my heart soar. It had been a while since I'd last seen her light up that way.
July 20, 2025 at 7:05 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “sister,” and Nell and Jasper’s sibling reunion is anything but happy. If you’ve read A Vision of Ruin, then you know Jasper has a few secrets of his own!! 😳

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #writesky #queerauthors
A quote from The Shadow of Payne, a sapphic witchy dark fantasy by @rpdunwater, "Enough, Eleanor!" he roared. Frightened birds took to the sky, fleeing farther east. "I can't-I won't believe it! She loved me, just as much as I loved her." We stood there in silence and seethed-fists clenched tightly at our sides, gazes boring into one another-for an aggravatingly long time. Perhaps he was wondering how his baby sister had come to be so cruel, twisted and gnarled like a stubborn burl. Hardened into this new abomination. I was only wondering how he'd come to be so stupid.
July 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Reuuuuniiiited and it’s weird aaafffffff (you have to sing it).
Nell thought her brother was gone. Soon, she might start wishing she’d been right 👀👀

#sapphicbooks #queerbooks #WIPSnips #queerAuthors
I rushed forward and took him by the shoulders. I squeezed them as tightly as I could. Jasper nearly jumped out of his skin, but at least I knew that he was solid. He was warm and alive. Not a ghost at all. "Nell, what are you doing?" "I don't understand," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "You weren't home that night? The night of the Harvest?" A quote from The Shadow of Payne, the final installment of the witchy dark fantasy Book of Payne series by @rpdunwater
July 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Nell playing the wonderful hostess once again. So trusting.

#WIPSnips #QueerAuthor #QueerBooks #SapphicBooks
The herbs I chose for the tea that evening-primrose, lavender, and thyme-would make whoever drank it feel more open and truthful. I held my breath as I poured Nyla's cup, focusing all of my energy into that intention. Without hesitation, Nyla brought the tea cup to her lips and sipped. She tested it on her tongue before swallowing, and a knowing smile spread her lips wide. "Your mother taught you well." I smiled bitterly. "My mother never got the chance to learn." A snippet from The Shadow of Payne, the final installment of the Book of Payne series, a sapphic witchy dark fantasy
July 9, 2025 at 11:33 AM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is yell. Here is maybe the only instance of Nell controlling her temper haha

#queerbooks #darkfantasy #queerwriters #queerauthor
The SHADOW OF PAYNE • final installment in the Book of Payne trilogy • witchy dark fantasy • villain arc • For fans of Slewfoot & The Year of the Witching "Mariela," I pleaded. She ignored me, busying herself with the senseless task of rearranging the food on the table. I wanted to yell, to demand she stop acting like a child. But then I remembered other moments like these-back before all of this mess. And I remembered the softness required to soothe the unruly fire of her heart. I stepped forward and took gentle hold of her wrist, guiding her back toward me. "You promised you wouldn't lie to me."
July 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “power.” This entire series is about witches with nature-inspired magic so we had a lot to choose from. But here’s a lil somethin’.
#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #bookofpayne
My great-grandmother's old books spoke of intention. That a Priestess's power took its shape in accordance to her will. So as I knelt there, the ache of the opened blisters on my palms forcing me to stay present, I wondered what exactly I'd intended to accomplish that night. Surely, I hadn't /intended/ to wipe Blackridge off the map. A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 16, 2025 at 2:54 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
In this book, our cast are dealing with three different villains: a spy in their ranks, a Prophet they’ve wronged, and an army set on wiping them from existence. Things are looking grim.

#bookofpayne #darkfantasy #wipsnips #queerbooks
"Uh, High Priestess?" I blinked and returned my attention to the room. "My apologies. I was somewhere else for a moment." Samuel offered me a polite smile and began again. But outside, Edmund unleashed a warning bark so vicious that everyone in the room turned to look. Through the window, a group of strangers in dark clothes and tattered old cloaks descended upon the children playing in the square outside. I stepped away from the meeting, ready to intervene. Then a familiar grating voice called out a command, and I froze. A chill raked down my spine. I turned back toward the table. "She's here." A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 13, 2025 at 1:59 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “pant.” Pant>Panted
Poor Nell is haunted by guilt at the start of this book.

#writesky #queerwriters #queerbooksky #darkfantasy
/Wise of them not to heed the counsel of a monster/, hissed a voice to my left. Fury surged through me like a northern wind. I took up the ax and sprang to my feet, ready to cleave those damned shadows in two. But all that I found were a few dead leaves skittering across the forest floor, their scraping hiss like a long, drawn out taunt. My limbs twitched with newfound frustration. "I'm not...a monster," I panted into the stillness of the woods. But there was no one there to listen save the towering pines, the bleached skeletons of the winter birches. A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
#wipsnips the Book of Payne series reads like a villain origin story, and I’m having so much fun exploring Nell’s darker side.
#bookofpayne #queerbooksky #sapphicbooksky #darkfantasy
"I won't ask a third time, Priestess." I leaned forward in my seat and stretched each syllable as menacingly as possible, "Why are you here?" I was well versed in intimidating others. It was a useful skill to have growing up in a village where everyone wanted you dead. As a child, I could settle any argument with only a fierce, unblinking stare. Of course, it likely helped that everyone in Blackridge thought my family sacrificed children to the Great Betrayer on full moons. But Hope... Hope knew for sure that I was capable of much worse. A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 10, 2025 at 1:46 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “force.” 😉 Nell is definitely one with the force, but she’s using it in all the wrong ways.

#darkfantasy #queerfantasy #queerauthor
"You said last night that you were looking for a sigil. Something to help protect Blackridge." She forced herself to meet my gaze. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously. "Could I help you?" So, that was it then. There'd be no more discussing it. Nell was an unlovable monster and I was just the fool chasing along behind her, begging for scraps. "Sure." I frowned, throwing my hands up in defeat. "If that's what you'd rather do." A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “apparent.”
Nell’s rash actions in The Blight of Blackridge have started a war she has little hope of winning. Those around her are frightened, doubtful. But they’ve come too far to turn back. And they won’t go down without a fight.

#queerbooks #sapphicbooks #darkfantasy
"Ever since Ebroth gave me that vision of Nell, I've hoped for this," I told my brother. "When He showed me a High Priestess as frightening and terrible as I wished to be, I knew...I knew what was coming, and I was glad for it." Vonni frowned. "Are you still?" To be honest, I wasn't sure. No one could have predicted the way things had gone-not even Ebroth Himself, apparently. "Oh, it doesn't matter, does it?" I cried, wiping at my eyes. "We're here now, aren't we? And we can't just give up. People are counting on us." A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 3, 2025 at 4:50 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “cup.” Our Nell isn’t a very trusting person, and when she’s forced to work alongside her enemy, she makes sure Hope feels as uncomfortable as possible 😅

#darkfantasy #writesky #sapphicbook #writingcommunity
“Our teacups rattled as my fist collided with the tabletop. Hope stiffened, her gaze settling warily where tendrils of rot snaked through the wood grain beneath my fist. "I feel I should remind you that I am not your enemy," she said firmly. I watched as she blinked away the fear that had blossomed in her stormy eyes, her fingers instinctively rubbing at the skin of her marked wrist. "I am the only ally you have with working knowledge of the ranks of Dienna. I have spent the last two moons by High Priestess Regina's side and it would have been easier for me to remain there. If I were going to turn you in, I would have done so already."” A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
May 1, 2025 at 3:22 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “explode.” Nell Payne’s story follows what could be considered a villain’s arc. She’s haunted by some of the choices she’s made and plagued by shadows that taunt her into self-hatred.

#queerbooks #queerfantasy #writesky #sapphicbooks
/Sleep won't help you forget how much they all despise you, Eleanor./ My jaw clenched tighter, my teeth creaking beneath the pressure, threatening to explode. I wasn't a complete fool. I knew sleep wouldn't fix things. It wouldn't change anyone's opinions on the things I'd done, myself included. But those wicked shadows had been pestering me for hours, whispering the cruelest things they could think up. All I wanted was a single moment's peace. /There's only one way to escape us./ A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
April 30, 2025 at 1:12 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “talk.” Here’s Nell being forced into friendship by the ever-cheerful High Priestess Hope! 😂

#queerfantasybooks #sapphicbooks #queerauthor #writesky
"We could talk. Just for a bit." "And what could we possibly have to talk about?" Hope's smile had the audacity to widen. "I am told my company is far from troublesome, Priestess. You might even come to enjoy it." I doubted that very much, but bit back the scathing remark that danced precariously on the tip of my tongue. A quote from The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater.
April 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Gaining new allies in The Shadow of Payne! Today’s #WIPSnips word is “smoke.”

#writingcommunity #queerauthors #queerbooksky #darkfantasy
Nyla chuckled, and I was reminded of the softer side of my great-grandmother. The one that once taught me how to send wishes to the Gods upon wisps of smoke. "High Priestess, I did not come with the intention of lying to you tonight. I am old, and my journey was long. I would simply like to eat, then I would like to sleep, and then I wish to be of service to you however I can." From The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
April 20, 2025 at 2:07 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips word for today is “wet.” Have a little “who hurt you” moment from our darling Nell. 🥰

#sapphicfantasy #sapphicbook #sapphicbooksky
Mariela met my gaze from across the room. Her black eyes shone like glass, ringed red from crying. I crossed to her, brushing the wet curls from her cheeks. "Are you hurt?" She threw her arms around me without a word, burying her face against my chest as her sobbing resumed with a new vigor. I staggered a bit under the force of it, but held her close and searched for the next pair of eyes brave enough to meet mine. I found Hope, her own eyes glistening with tears. "They took ‹ redacted>." From The Shadow of Payne by R.P. Dunwater
April 16, 2025 at 7:50 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is “appreciate.” And 😬 IYKYK. If you don’t…know that nothing tears a family apart like 🔪🩸

#queerbooksky #sapphicbooksky #bookofpayne
I don't appreciate everyone assuming the worst of him. The Paynes have lived with that their whole lives. And who do you think they turned to when the world was against them?" "Each other." "Exactly. I don't believe for a second that Jasper would ever hurt her. Not intentionally." From THE SHADOW OF PAYNE @rpdunwater • Final book in trilogy • Queer found family • good vs evil • witchcraft and demons
March 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is task.

Nell and Mariela have been torn apart by the secrets they keep to protect each other. But if they want to win this fight and earn the respect of the people they lead, then they’ll need to fix whatever is broken between them.
#queerbooks #lgbtqbooks
“She ignored me, busying herself with the senseless task of rearranging the food on the table. I wanted to yell, to demand she stop acting like a child. But then I remembered moments like these-back before all of this mess. And I remembered the softer words required to soothe the unruly fire of her passionate heart. I stepped forward and took gentle hold of her wrist, guiding her back toward me.” From The Shadow of Payne, the final installment of the Book of Payne series. Features a sweet sapphic romance plot line
March 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Confession time with today’s #WIPSnips word: before.

Who do you think Nell is talking to? 👀

#bookofpayne #queerbooks #sapphicbooks #darkfantasy
"Ask me," I dared him. "I have no reason to lie to you." His question rushed out in a single breath, syllables mashed together and forced out before he lost the nerve, "Did you k.ll the people of Blackridge?" From The Shadow of Payne, the final installment of the Book of Payne trilogy
March 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
rpdunwater.bsky.social
Today’s #WIPSnips word is annoy. A variation of this word has been used 16 times so far in our doc 🤣 who knew war could be so annoying.

#queerbooksky #writersky #sapphicbooksky
March 4, 2025 at 7:44 PM