Sunspot

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: Magic engineering, urban fantasy, traumacore drama, superhero/magical girl action, yuri- Glyph-based magic system, blood magic sacrifices, body horror mutations- Girlcreature cast, including hyenagirls, androidgirls, dragongirls, mechgirls, buggirls? and more! (poly, not harem)- Self discovery arc for the protagonist- Slow-burn character/relationship driven (in between apocalyptic magical disasters) Inspired by Katalepsis and bits of The Wandering Inn, and The Culture. Frequently compared to Bioshifter though I haven't read it. 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 website with a glossary, official art, FAQ, and all the public+advance chapters. If you see this story anywhere but that site, RR, or Scribblehub, it's stolen. Never stubbing.