Sunspot

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Change hurts. Hurt changes. Seven years ago, the Frozen Flame brought magic to Earth—but not to Dalton, who received only scars. Now a lonely shut-in, “Ezzen” has resigned himself to an online life of secondhand magic, dabbling in magitech engineering and fanboying over the Spire and its superhuman Vaetna, the paragons of this new era. So when fate splinters and magic finds him, it’s the best day of his life—and the worst, as he suddenly becomes a resource in the cold war over control of magical power. From paramilitary organizations to Flame-worshipping cults to incandescent magical girls, the forces of the world sense the ripples and close in. Worse, his escape exposes the awful secret of the Flame, the thing quietly omitted from all the theory: that instead of the apotheosis he’s dreamt of, the reality of being a flamebearer is cruel and twisted, the bloody path of monsters. And some of those monsters are frighteningly similar to the Vaetna he idolizes. What to expect:- Genres: Sysapoc without a system, magic engineering, realistic superheroes & magical girls, yuri, hurt/comfort- Inspired byKatalepsis and bits of The Wandering Inn. Frequently compared to Bioshifter though I haven't read it.- Urban fantasy setting on an Earth that recently gained magic- Slow-burn character/relationship driven (in between apocalyptic magical disasters)- Glyph-based magic system & body horror blood magic- Girlcreature secondary cast, including hyenagirls, androidgirls, dragongirls, mechgirls, buggirls? and more! (not harem)- Weak-to-strong and timid-to-brave protagonist General content warnings:- Visceral transgender themes (dysphoria, transmisogyny)- Gore (violent & medical)- Kidnapping- Some NSFWAdditional CWs will be listed at the top of chapters. Sunspot also has its own websitewith a glossary, official art, FAQ, and all the public+advance chapters. Never stubbing.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: yootie

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 3,785
Views: 602,459

What readers say about Sunspot

“Pretty much the title. I started reading this book upon recommendation in the server of another author and caught up to 3.03 within 24 hours. I really enjoy the character work so far and am very excited to see where they go in the narrative. It's a bit earl…”
AlataiiRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Wow! I came here after Pirate's shout out and by God, what an amazing story!I love the slice of life and the style of writing too! Very reminiscent of Wandering Inn.I like how the author approaches controversial topics.The regularity is welcome too.Hope to…”
Dario WurmDRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AlataiiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Pretty much the title. I started reading this book upon recommendation in the server of another author and caught up to 3.03 within 24 hours. I really enjoy the character work so far and am very excited to see where they go in the narrative.
It's a bit early to tell but this is shaping up to be in my personal top five of web serials.
Dario WurmDRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow! I came here after Pirate's shout out and by God, what an amazing story!I love the slice of life and the style of writing too! Very reminiscent of Wandering Inn.I like how the author approaches controversial topics.The regularity is welcome too.Hope to see this story continue for years to come ^_^
ApplRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Rare is it to find a story in which I feel soalivereading it, the scenes and characters translated into raw emotion, the prose and structure perfect in its description of the world and what is happening, and it all forming in my head until I am practicallyrightthere, until it feels like IamEzzen, and for as long as my eyes are on the page there isnothingthat exists except for the story. This review is not an analytical look at how good the grammar is or how well the plot arcs are, but rather an inadequate attempt at describing the emotions and feelings that reading this story causes within me. Ezzen is relatable with his deep knowledge and skill in his chosen field, yet that coming at the cost of other aspects of life that he has essentially hidden away from for years. The uncertainty in what to do in social situations, until your topic comes up and it just becomeseasy.And Hina. Oh Hina. I will not lie, if I were Ezzen then I do not think I would have been able to resist what she offers. It is undoubtedly better for the story this way but to me, what she offers, that choice of existentially terrifying Change, the knowledge that nothing is certain except for the dreadful certainty that you will be Different, and the wonderful terror of not knowing exactlyhow. Ilivefor books like this, books in which the scenes make you break out into goosebumps and a cold sweat, in which it is not physically possible to pull your eyes away from the scene, to just keep reading until five hours has passed by and you never even noticed the first, books that I cannot stop thinking about for the entire day, books that make me feelalive, for which even an hour after finishing what's written so far Istillhave shivers about. If this book is a chicken nugget, I am Hina.
Devin RussellRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story has a unique magic system which is slowly being revealed, but it's always fun to have a bit of mystery.The main character is a former shut-in who is now having to learn how to engage with 5 very strong personalities, while also recovering from a physically and mentally traumatic experience which will inevitably change the course of his life.It makes for some good interactions, and it's enjoyable to read how an inexperienced young adult attempts to navigate such things as attraction, personal boundaries, guilt, morality, and social expectations.Excited to learn more about the magic system too.
Duckfan77Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Sunspot is stunning, one of the best stories I've read in a very long time. The imagery and prose is outstanding, the magic system is deep and fascinating, the characters feel like they could walk off the page, and the world implied beyond the story is detailed and immersive.
The magic system is complex, with a variety of mysteries around it. Some of those where none of the characters know what's going on, but most of those mysteries clearly aren't mysterious to the cast. But this makes sense, the cast are experts on the magic, of course they're not going to be explaining the basics to each other in their conversations, which leaves the reader to theorize and extrapolate from what has been shown and told to us, to figure out the true rules.
And on the topic of the cast, they're all such incredibly vivid and real feeling. The chat room friends all feel very true to just a group of friends hanging out online, and the Radiances are all very clear, and feel realistic, not just a collection of tropes or a single defining characteristic. Any one of them feels like they could step off the page at any moment, and are deeply interesting as well.
And then there's the world outside the immediate confines of the story. From small pieces mentioned throughout the story, just offhand mentions of events that have happened, paint a picture of a world that was once ours, but has diverged in a way that makes it very much no longer ours. This divergence however follows easily and cleanly from the initial changes, everything that's hinted at or revealed is reasonable and makes sense, the entire thing hangs together in a way that means reveals often don't feel like reveals. They just feel like logical extrapolations from our world and the differences we know exist in sunspot's world.
All in all, I highly recommend Sunspot if the concept sounds at all interesting to you.
EquisStenchmanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Genuinely enjoying the narrative so far. The protagonists feel real, and are wrestling with traumas that can make for awkward social dynamics. They're clearly intended to grow overtime, and the first two arcs have made that a pretty clear goal for the future. The protagonist can be frustrating in how withdrawn they can be, but that palpable anxiety at being alive and visible in front of others is well observed by the author. We all enjoy a character we can project onto, but that's not what this is. This is Ezzen's story, and it's going to move at his pace (or, it would if the rest of the cast wasnt constantly moving the goal posts of his comfort zone).
The politics of the setting also ground it as well. Factionalism, deals, and unilateral action by nation states bring a terrifying reality to what would otherwise be a simple slice of life story. Magic is super cool, so long as powerful forces have you on a leash.
Anyone looking for something light and fluffy wont get what they're after here. This is a romance where love has growing pains attached.
GayOnTillMorningRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really adore this so far, about halfish way through arc one. The writing is impeccable, the world building is slow and teasing in the way that makes me want to rip it open and see what's inside (much like sapphire wants to do to ezzen :p), and I'm really excited to see where it goes from here. The queer themes are compelling without being overblown, the characters feel mostly deep and grounded (a couple are a little anime stereotypey at first but there's reason for that and I expect them to flesh out as we go), and every new concept that's introduced is a lovely little treat for me.
Also it's astoundingly well-written. Well above your standard royal road fluff. Where the prose is actually interesting not just passable enough to be invisible.
Highly recommend and excited to see where we go from here (ezzen girl transition already you know you want to).
Speaking of transition, I love love love the queerness that radiates from this book. This is some lived experience transgender times, not just wish fulfillment (although there's some of that!) or wallowing in misery (some of that too!). As a gay person it's so nice to see someone go a step beyond "they're gay and that's normal" without tokenizing to the point of absurdity. I can really see myself and some of my past experiences through Ezzen's eyes and that's pretty rare, especially in online serial fiction.
DemiRapscallionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I was threatened by a Pirate to read this one, but I’m glad I did! Its themes aren’t for everyone I don’t think, but it’s a really enjoyable take on transhumanism, delightfully messy dynamics and more. I enjoy the power system, even if I’m still really struggling to understand it. If this story has missed anything, it’s that I feel like I’m constantly a step behind what the characters know, the context they talk about. Which, to be completely fair, works right now! The exposition, the explanations, are drip fed, and it works, because we’re only at the start of the second arc. Still, I’d like to know what the colors mean…I’ve been liking the characters. They’re… Alien, in ways, and extremely relatable in others. It makes for a cast of characters that I’ve found myself rather invested in! Which isn’t easy. The dynamics, especially. It’s that nice mix of, they work together, care for eachother, but don’t always function together perfectly. There are schisms, and tensions, and it’s a balanced very well.I’ve been enjoying the prose. The fighting moments, the descriptions of the magic, have me on the edge of my seat. Every sexually tensioned scene has me grinning. It feels excellently written, especially for what I take to be this authors first major work.Looking forward to more, and an incredibly promising start!
Jinian DicentraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Love this! Very well written, interesting premise, and I love a crunchy magic system. 3D printing a substrate to weave magic through? Sign me up. The lgbtqia+ characters and themes are also delightful and very well done. I’m looking forward to finding out more about Ezzen’s Flame and its relationship to the Vaetna!
JuliaKyuuRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow. This story scratches an itch that i usually get from books like tuyo or hands of the emperor while being something unique. The special combination of genre and themes compared with interesting and deeply flawed characters who try to make the world better and find to themselves maked this the best story i read this year.