Friendly Fyre [A Cozy Queer Kingdom Builder]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

NOTE: Books 1-2 of Friendly Fyre are stubbed

Book 3 is ongoing

Reborn as the Dark Lord... Born to make friends.

After living 50 years as a human scientist, being reborn as a fire-wielding harpy is a bit of a shock. Not to mention, Fyre now has the physiology one might expect from someone with two X chromosomes—along with that of a bird. However she's much more concerned about the Role that's appeared at the bottom of her game-like stats sheet: The Dark Lord.

That's probably fine... Right?

Stuck in a freezing cave, Fyre forms a pact with a ravenous and morally ambiguous Dungeon Core, which helps tunnel a path to civilization. Though she now has some semblance of shelter, the community she joins is barely scraping by itself. But with the power of her fire—and science!—she believes she can help build a thriving metropolis.

There's just one hang up: These people were forsaken by the gods for the very power Fyre now wields. She can't abandon the lives of the people who have come to rely on her. But reviving the lost civilization might mean incurring the wrath of the heavens—and embracing her role of The Dark Lord.

What to expect:

- A trans MC (there's the genderbender tag for a reason!)

- Mostly Cozy kingdom building

- A unique take on Dungeon Cores

- Magic approached from a scientific perspective

Post Schedule: T, Th, Sa

Note: This is a spin-off of theGlass Kaninseries, however this book is written as a stand-alone! You do NOT have to have read the Kanin books in order to understand and enjoy this novel - but you might catch some references if you do!

Art byVexDye

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Kia Leep

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 2,021
Views: 125,564

What readers say about Friendly Fyre [A Cozy Queer Kingdom Builder]

“So we have a cursed people trapped underground in a frozen land, with a fire-magic wielding harpy working to get the residents the heat they need to survive as a society. Then we have a sociopolitical situation heating up as the cursed kingdom's old foes be…”
sbdragRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Wha should I say? I like the story, grammar and language are good and fun to read. Like other stories you like it or not. I can only advise to read the tags you get what is listed there. If you don’t like it go somewhere else and leave us alone to enjoy the…”
SalkeanerRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

sbdragRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So we have a cursed people trapped underground in a frozen land, with a fire-magic wielding harpy working to get the residents the heat they need to survive as a society.
Then we have a sociopolitical situation heating up as the cursed kingdom's old foes become aware of their existence - with the threat of the gods that cursed them becoming aware as well.
And then we have a tsundere spider woman who'd probably rather lose another leg than admit she thinks the harpy is cute.
If you're looking for kingdom building with child-like forces of immense power reigned in by an isekai'ed protagonist that's driving motivation is simply being kind, Friendly Fyre has it all! It's fun and cute without shying away from some darker themes, but the overall story is driven by hope and kindness, and who doesn't need more of that in their lives?
SalkeanerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wha should I say? I like the story, grammar and language are good and fun to read. Like other stories you like it or not.
I can only advise to read the tags you get what is listed there. If you don’t like it go somewhere else and leave us alone to enjoy the story.
Surfing DragonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is great! The characters are all incredibly fleshed out, the world feels incredibly large, weaving together a magical tale that feels complete (though leaves just enough questions for you to want to check out the author's other books in the same universe)
Fyre is a wonderful main character, and her grappling with her gender felt wonderfully realistic, though id agree with the other commenter who said having it in bold in the beginning of the title leaves a bit of the wrong impression (I almost didnt click! I hate genderbenders but love this one). Fyre is compassionate in a way that feels realistic, and i really adore her as a character.
Also my fave rock The Dungeon Core. Its hungry. Feed it a rock.
TheShadowofChangeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Honestly, I don't know what I expected. I'm not one for gender bender stories. I honestly don't know why, but I suspect it is for two reasons: The first is that the notion of being gender flopped terrifies me. But that's a me thing. I suspect that if I had spent my entirely gender flopped and only got flopped back to being what I ought to have been from the start (as is typically the case with these stories) I'd feel the opposite way. That said, I think the my second reason for not liking gender bender stories is the stronger one and the one I suspect most people would empathize with: I feel it consumes the story, subverting it with angst and themes that... Well, to be blunt to the point of rudeness: They are themes that just don't impact me as a straight person of a traditional binary gender. And that's okay. Not every story needs to be everyone's cup of tea. If you try to appeal to everyone, you'll end up appealing to no one. Mix too many dreams and the end all you'll create is tasteless, colorless, dream slurry.
All that said, somehow or another the author made a gender bender story that works for me. The trans themes get the screen time they should: It's a big issue for anyone to face. But the protagonist faces the issue and moves on. Also she faces the issue while focusing on other plot matters. So really, I don't feel the trans themes subsume the plot even temporarily. It's done very well, and at the end of the day, done in a way that even I can relate to. Now, moving on with my review:
This seems to really be a story about hope. People like to say: "Oh well the protagonist is just so overpowered things have to work out for them." And yeah, that's the case here, in a way. But it's done so believably and with so much disbelief from our protagonist that honestly it seems more like you are reading an autobiography of a series of miracles rather than a story filled with plot devices.
Disclaimer: This is not a perfect story. No story is. I gave it 5 stars in every
auredRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is a fun read. The characters and setting are interesting. The chapter pacing is well balanced. The writing itself is enjoyable - the prose is engaging and high quality.
The MC is very much a stranger in a strange new world. The internal voice that drives the RPG mechanic and the excitable dungeon core provide a nice foil to the poor confused MC trying to make sense of everything. The lore and current circumstances are revealed slowly enough to keep you wondering about things while avoiding the "wall of exposition" that's all too common in stories like this.
chaozheroRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Good book. Fun read. I enjoy the author universe and I always appreciate multiple viewpoints into a magic system. The focus on non humans helps add as well, making the world feel more alive and vibrant. Well written, feels edited decently as well with no annoying typos. Mc is in a female body but you don't really get a perspective from her previous body, and everything is tame.
CampaspeLlamicornRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just started reading this and I'm hooked.
Overall the writing is really good. I love the characters, especially the Core and Ollie. I am biased (I have a 7yo named Ollie).
The gender stuff is well handled, showing the author is trans or knows some trans folk well. But it's a minor bit of the story.
I am going to enjoy reading more, and I recommend you give it a try too.
GhostwoodsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ultimately, the book isn't for me -- I'm struggling right now, so I need something a bit cozier with all the chaos and stuff in this the Year of our Lord 2025 -- but the writing is great, the characters are interesting, the magitech is fascinating, the setting is very promising, and the author is a good and responsive person.
This review is a replacement for my older one. I had some, ah, reservations about the use of the word 'cozy', but the author has fixed that, and I feel completely comfortable saying that if the premise sounds good to you, you'll love it.
(Shoutout to Xion03 for pointing out that my old review was now, frankly, eccentric at best. Thank you!)
GrimGloryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story follows a good female protagonist that was once a male human on earth. Centered around the characters building up a society, the story takes a slower approach allowing the author develop the world along this the characters.
I give the story 5 stars because the story is well fleshed out, deep and light fluffy problems are given to the MC, and characters and world feel completely flushed out. The gender bend of the character is not a main point of the story but addressed well making you like the character even more. The character isn't all knowing like in most society builders, and is curious but in an almost destructive curious. The author has done a good job balancing world building, plot, and character development. Great read, although not a heart pounding read, but a calming nice hot coco.
JasonILTGRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't generally enjoy LitRPGs. So, I didn't really have much in the way of expectations going into reading this fic.
But it very quickly delivered, and I found myself quickly drawn in. Always appreciate some good queer works :D
Grammar (5):
I didn't notice any typos, or anything similar.
Style (5):
As mentioned above, I'm not generally a fan of this genre; I often find the tropes surrounding LitRPG quite cumbersome. But this story exemplifies the LitRPG I do enjoy: when the tropes of the genre feel seamlessly baked into the story, meaningfully engaged with in interesting ways, and not simply treated as items on a checklist to include.
On a more general note, I loved the writing style - it was a real page turner, so to speak. I especially loved reading anything to do with the dungeon core, and the unique perspective it brings - I'm a huge sucker for alien mindsets.
Story (4):
I really loved how lived-in the world felt, and how we slowly learn more about its history from the main character's perspective.
Still, the story feels somewhat basic so far, if well-executed at that. No complaints here, but nothing special - though of course, it's only getting started. I'm excited for what the future might bring!
Characters (5):
The stars of the show, in my opinion.
Each character feels distinct, with their own voice and personality. I especially enjoyed the main character's journey of self-discovery, as she really comes into her own in this new fantasitcal world she finds herself in.
But of course my favorite character is the dungeon core. Such a good, all-devouring, shiny rock! Deserves all the mana it wants! <3