Raptor Reads A Lot

A Booklr? Maybe perhaps even a writeblr...

[hellchilde]

seanan mcguire writing Feed in 2010: there was a presidential election, and a perfectly normal and reasonable human was running against the personification of evil

me in 2010: i dunno that seems like a caricature, surely that would never happen

me in 2024: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[seananmcguire]

I am the holder of the dodgeball.

[kedreeva]

before anything else goes according to plan

[seananmcguire]

Nope. At this point, I have endured four years of the shittiest possible adaptation of my work; I am not putting the dodgeball down until I get my zombies.

[saunteringvaguelydownwards]

Wait, is Feed the book you were researching when you kept calling the CDC to ask "if I did [x] would it make zombies?", and they kept saying 'no' until eventually you got the "...please don't do that" response?

[seananmcguire]

Yup.

[raptorreadsalot]

Fan Covers for Icarus Burning and Rarely Pure

I was reading @ladyinbooks amazing Icarus Burning, and Rarely Pure. Proceeded to finish all that was available and catch the brain rot.

In order to feel like I was doing something I made these covers. I wanted them to look similar as both stories are set in the same universe. Is there a name for the shared universe?

Not to sure about the blue for Rarely Pure. I chose it to contrast with the orange of Icarus Burning. There wasn't really a colour that stood out to me for RP.

Here are some colour variations because I can't be stopped.

Extra spacey ones for RP because I couldn't decided which way to go.

Think the space ones are my slowly becoming favourite though.

[raptorreadsalot]

NaNoWriMo Begins

Somehow managed to get 1700 words today. Which is suprising since I managed to forget my plan...

Thats what I get for not planning better, but hey murderous customer service smile wasn't likely something that I would have come up with earlier.

Win some... lose some...

[raptorreadsalot]

The Sacred Sins of Father Black (Review)

I was provided an E-Arc for the purpose of review

An easy read that can be knocked over in a few days. It is very character focused, with the mystery of the wine forgery being a background plot that gets answered early. However the characters themselves are a treat, each have a distinct voice that makes seeing them each time fun and interesting. The descriptions are great, and help offset the strange pacing. Plus the growing tension between Agent Day’s job and Father Black’s agenda made it hard to put down.

[marksandrec]

Marks and Rec: Misc #2480

(Ych a fi... 🐴💀🚫🫘) (Dialogue from Ursula Vernon and Seanan McGuire's 2021 Mari Lwyd battle on twitter, with a few tweaks.)

part 1

[thepenultimateword]

Secret Santa Snippet

This is my secret Santa for @yourheartonfire , I hope that you like it!

Prompt: A swordfight, between a protagonist with fancy formal training and an antagonist who's a back alleys dirty tricks kind of fighter. It can be friendly sparring or deadly combat, but there should definitely be some suppressed romantic feelings there

“Wooow,” the assassin drawled, spinning their blade lazily in their hand. “Nice uniform. Did they also give you that fancy sword?”

The soldier’s knuckles tightened on their weapon’s hilt, making the leather wrappings creak. “Don’t do this.”

It was not what they had imagined saying to the assassin if they ever met them again. No part of this sick situation had ever intruded upon their many daydreams and curious musings. In their minds eye, their friend was always still back at the orphanage, teaching kids the basic steps of combat like the old swordsman had once taught them. Or if not there, somewhere far and free from this land that hated them. Somewhere warm. And safe. They weren't supposed to be the very type of person that the soldier had sworn to fight.

“Why? Because we know each other?” They still spun their shortsword nonchalantly, as if none of this, their personal history or the soldier’s battle prowess, mattered, but even after all these years, the soldier still knew their tell: the tufted end of their tail lashed anxiously at the earth, stirring small puffs of dust around their ankles. “Gotta say, I heard you’d grown up, but I wasn’t expecting time to be quite so generous.”

The soldier’s cheeks flushed involuntarily. They had to fight the urge to hug themselves as the assassin’s golden eyes roved up and down, hungry and sharp-edged, cutting right through the plating and undoing every link in the chainmail beneath, exposing them to the world. 15 years ago they might have welcomed it. They still would have blushed, and the assassin would have teased their shyness, but they also would have gently guided them through it. A relationship at their own pace, soft and slow as leaves in a late summer creek.

They did not feel that same safety now.

The soldier raised their sword higher. “This is you’re last chance to walk away. One more step and I will consider you a threat to the crown.”

The assassin raised their brows. They stepped forward. “You probably should have considered that a long time ago.”

They lunged.

The solider barely braced themselves in time, catching the assassin’s wicked blade along the edge of their own before it gashed open their face. It was a bold move, if the soldier was a little slower it would have gotten them, but the footing wasn’t firm enough to hold against their strength.

“Sloppy.” They shoved forward, pressing all their weight all at once against the assassin’s weapon.

The assassin stumbled.

The soldier’s sword slid up and free with a light shink.

“You still go right for the throat. No care for how you’re going to hold the position later.”

The assassin glared. “Don’t preach your fancy training to me.”

“Don’t be jealous–”

The assassin scoffed. “Jealous? Jealous? Being jealous would imply that you have something I want, and I would die here, crawling in the mud, before I rolled over as one of their dogs!”

They lunged again, this time nimbler, feigning another blow and ducking the soldier’s return swing. The soldier barely whipped around in time before the point of that wicked blade found itself a home between their shoulder blades.

“You’re really trying to kill me.” As soon as it was out, the soldier bit their tongue.

“Were you not? I’m sorry, sweetie, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Suddenly the assassin was right up in front of them, one hand flat against their chest.

“What are you–” The soldier cranked their head in search of the sword, but then Villain’s tail wrapped around their knee. The end brushed the inside of their leg, sending a traitorous shiver down their spine.

“You still like me,” the assassin said, hand drifting up to their cheek now. Clawed fingers slid into their hair, just gentle enough not to scratch the surface, and their thumb trailed gently back and forth along their cheekbone. “Even after all you’ve done. After selling your soul to see mine damned, you like me.”

They laughed, a musical, hissing sort of sound that showed off the pearly points of their fangs.

“Does your boss know?” The points of their claws sank into their scalp. The soldier winced, attempting to pull back but only earning themselves a tighter grip on their hair. “I’m sure the king would have quite the shock to know one of his precious vassals consorts with demons. Or is it fine because it’s just the one? It is just me, isn’t it?”

They wrenched the soldier’s head to the side. It was almost as if they were on the verge of tearing their hair straight out, even as their face leaned carefully in, breath soft on their cheek and voice oh so gentle.

“It might hurt my feelings if you’ve been playing around with other monsters.”

“Get off me!” The soldier beat the flat of their sword against the assassin’s hip. A sharp, searing pain ripping through their thigh immediately followed. The soldier screamed.

The assassin drew their sword back scarlet, and the soldier collapsed the to the forest floor, a gush of warmth soaking their pantleg.

For a moment the assassin only stood over them, twirling their bloodied blade once, consideringly. “Huh. It seems I don’t want you dead. But don’t think I won’t do it if you press me. Just stay down and let me finish my job.”

They strode for the crashed carriage, dead driver still hanging out of their seat.

“No!” the soldier pressed their palm to their wound and wobbled to their feet. They gritted their teeth against the muscle-tearing agony as they dragged themselves stiffly forward. “You don’t understand!”

The assassin glared over the shoulder. “No, [Soldier], you don’t understand. You think we’re still kids playing games. We just whack each other a few times until we both get tired, call it a draw, and go home, but sorry, dear, we’re not kids anymore. I’ve been charged to kill the prince, and that is what I aim to do. Stay out of my way or die with him.”

“You’d…you’d really kill me?”

“I wouldn’t be killing my [Soldier]. I’d be killing another piece of the putrid infection that took them away.”

The assassin took a couple of steps forward before pausing again. This time they didn’t turn when they spoke. They stayed facing their target, shoulders straight and taught, tail lashing.

“You know they burned it down?” Their voice came out barely louder than a whisper. “Right after they took you and everyone else who benefited them out. They did it in the night while we were asleep. Most of them died.”

The soldier’s stomach clenched, almost like someone had taken their insides in a nauseating death grip. “I…I didn’t know.”

“Of course not. You were busy preening.”

The soldier surged forward furiously, slick hand slipping off their leg. “You don’t know a thing about me! I’ve been doing all I can to save you! All of you!”

The assassin scoffed. “Really? And where are the fruits of your labor? Have you actually done anything?”

“It’s a long road to peace.”

“Not so long as you’d think.”

The assassin wrenched open the door to the carriage.

“No!”

The soldier stumbled on their next step, falling to their knees a few feet away.

The child scrambled back against the back of the carriage, knobby, white breached knees drawn to his ridiculously large cravat.

“What…” In a blink, the uncertainty was gone and the assassin hauled the child out of the carriage by the arm. “What is this?”

“The crown prince.” The soldier dragged themselves a little closer and held up both hands cautiously.

“No. No!” The assassin shook the prince in their fist causing him to whimper. “The crown prince is grown. He’s the pompous, pretty brat who gives all those puff speeches and insipid sneers.”

The soldier swallowed, not taking their eyes off their charge.

“That’s what we would call a stand-in. A double. An assassin deterrent. If you thought he was the prince why did you track my carriage?”

“Because I knew it would be you.”

“What?”

“Who else is good enough to be the prince’s personal bodyguard? I know what I saw when the carriages left, but I knew, somehow, he would be with you.” Their gaze flicked down to the trembling, wet-eyed child in their hand–he was doing a remarkably good job keeping the majority of his emotions on the inside. “I still have to kill him. Child or not. This line has to end.”

“Wait!” the soldier grimaced at their own abrupt movement, gripping their leg once again. “Wait. Just…let me show you something. Please.”

The assassin hesitated. “Put down the sword.”

The soldier dropped the heavy, gilded blade without hesitation.

“It’s about the kid. Can you…can you bring him a little closer?”

The soldier was beginning to feel a little dizzy, but they had to hold on a little longer. For the kid. For [Assassin].

“If this is a trap, I will gut you,” the assassin said, but they still took the few steps between them, transferring the point of their blade from the child to the soldier’s throat.

The soldier made brief eye contact with the prince. “Forgive me, my liege.”

The young royal nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. He must have known what the soldier was about to do. He still felt humiliation over his differences, defects the other royals called them. The soldier was doing everything to cure those notions before they took too deep.

With a strong wrench either direction, the soldier ripped a large tear in the back of the prince’s trousers.

A black, tufted tail slipped out.

The assassin dropped him.

“Wh-what…? What?”

The soldier siezed the child up in their arms, scrambling on their rearend a few painful paces back before looking back at the assassin’s pale and confused expression.

Their mouth moved numbly. “[Assassin] meet [Prince]. The crown prince. His safety is not the only reason the royal has hid his identity with a double. He… He’s not the queen’s, but he is the king’s. That doesn’t make him legitimate, but it does make him fit to rule. And with no other heirs…” The soldier met the assassin’s eyes. “He’s going to change everything. He’s going…he’s going…” Their voice cracked. “Please.”

The assassin stared, predator eyes swimming with something unreadable. Mercy? Regret? Determination?

The soldier fumbled behind them for their abandoned sword. They weren’t getting out of this by running.

The assassin took a step forward. They brought their blade in front of themselves just as the soldier’s fingers caught the end of their sword hilt. The soldier pulled the blade toward them, one arm shaking as they used the other to clutch their charge close. They raised the sword in front of themself, and…

The assassin stabbed their short sword into the earth.

In moments, their old friend was knelt beside them, ripping a long piece of fabric from their tunic.

“Ridiculous, stupid, noble-hearted…” the rest was lost in a spew of unintelligible grumbling as the assassin wrapped the length of makeshift bandage taughtly around their leg. Their fingers moved fast and gruff, but they lingered a moment over the tie.

“I thought you changed. I thought you were like them.”

The soldier took a shuddering breath. “I have changed. But never like that. I’d never betray what I know is right.”

“Why are you such an incessant goody-two shoes?” The assassin chuckled lightly, giving their leg an awkward but playful shove before pushing to their feet.

“One of us has to be,” the soldier joked nervously back.

The assassin yanked their sword free with a small spray of earth and leaves, wiping it briefly on the ground before sliding it back in its sheath.

A beat of silence passed as the assassin turned back toward them.

“I’ll tell the guild the situation,” they finally said. “You…may see me again soon.”

Their tail flicked softly against the soldier’s ankle. It was light enough that it could have been an accident, but from what the soldier remembered, the assassin very rarely made accidents…

They smiled softly. “I’ll…keep an eye out.”

The assassin nodded and turned to the prince, bowing shortly. “My liege.”

The future king opened their mouth to respond, but when nothing came out, they only nodded nervously back.

The assassin chuckled. “I’m not being forgiven so easily, am I?”

The prince huddled closer to the soldier’s chest.

“Yeah, didn’t think so.”

With one last nod, they turned on their heel and began the trek back into the trees. They only got a few steps before stopping again.

“I missed you.” It came so quiet the soldier barely caught it against the wail of wind in the branches. They did not wait for a response. With a last flick of their tail, they were gone.

The soldier stared after them, barely seeing the empty clearing in front them as they murmured a reply to the empty air.

“You too.”

[remnantglow]

i reread A Master of Djinn recently and i’ve gotta tell u. Fatma and Hadia are still the detective duo of all time

[zoe-oneesama]

A New Era of Second Guessing EVERYTHING!

Episode 40 Part 14

First < Previous > Next Season

Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5

Ep 31,  Ep 32, Ep 33, Ep 34, Intermission 2, Ep 35, Ep 36, Ep 37, Ep 38, Ep 39

Ko-fi | Patreon

[journeytomonkiekid]

CH 6 (Momentum) - Page 14 Previous || Next

[broken-risk-assessment-module]

this concept has been bouncing around in my head for a while and thus I give you: feedsonas of Murderbot’s Risk Assessment and Threat Assessment modules. with a bonus Education module in there too. I call them Ah-ray, Ti-ay, and Ed. 

[ID: a page of sketches in a dark teal of feedsonas for Murderbot, Ah-ray and Ti-ay. Ah-ray and Ti-ay have complementary designs, and are both wearing sunglasses. The first sketch is of Ah-ray sitting with one leg over the other and waving cheerily, while Ti-ay stands with its arms behind its back, looking serious. Underneath is a sketch of Ti-ay in the Pepe Silvia theory board pose. The third sketch is Ah-ray, leaning on a sign that says “DAYS SINCE MURDERBOT HAS SURVIVED A 9% SURVIVABLE SITUATION: 0” and looking smug. 

The fourth sketch is Ti-ay, Ah-ray, and Ed all standing next to each other, looking off to the left at something unseen. Ti-ay looks nervous, and is saying “What is that?” Ah-ray responds “Doesn’t matter, we can take it!”  Ed, looking unimpressed, says “That’s a raccoon.” 

The fifth sketch is of Murderbot from the chest up, its fists raised. Ti-ay and Ah-ray float over each of its shoulders. Ti-ay has a clipboard and is saying “I’ve got 7 hostiles on scan, all armed-” while Ah-ray, looking bored, says “You’ll literally be fine don’t worry.” A follow-up sketch underneath has Ti-ay telling Ah-ray “You always do this! You do realise that taking damage is BAD, right?” Ah-ray responds, nonchalant, “Yeah but we won’t die! we can get repaired.” In between them, Murderbot looks annoyed and is saying “I hate you both.”

The final sketch is a two-panel comic of Ti-ay getting interrupted by Ah-ray. In the first panel, Ti-ay is sitting at a table with its fingers steepled in front of it. In the second, Ah-ray is coming in from the right and is waving its hands. The dialogue is:  Ti-ay: A large pentagram on the floor, an alter, a large black kettle, and a black robe. Ah-ray: A pointy hat! A broomstick! Ti-ay: Hey man! Ah-ray: Three newts! A lizard tongue! Ti-ay: That’s what he found! Ah-ray: Eyeballs! /end ID] 

[groovyleviathan]

[CW gore]

Colour theory? Composition? Don't know them <3

Based on this fic:

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

(Your writing is brilliant and fantastic and so I did a thing to hopefully convey that because I cannot Words but I can occassionally Scribble. )

[Image ID: A digital painting, where SecUnit is slumped against a waist-high structure from which tentacle pipes emerge and disappear into the darkness of the ceiling. The wall behind the structure is dark blue. There are three wires connected from the structure to SecUnit via a panel on the inside of its right arm. It's wearing a long-sleeved shirt that is covered in blood from a gaping hole in its chest and three projectile weapon wounds. It is also bleeding from its mouth and nose. Its left hand rests gently on one of ART's drones, which is semi-spherical and has multiple arms with tools. One arm is grasping SecUnit's left sleeve. \END ID]

[naffeclipse]

Your writing packs a punch to it that is SO crazy good and great to read. It makes rereading even more fun because I find details that I missed before. So here’s my question for you that is kinda random but I hope that’s alright. IF bending (à la Avatar style) was possible in the sleuth jesters universe, what do you think each character’s type of bending would be based on their personalities? Do you think animatronics could bend? Or that it would be limited to humans and kept hush-hush?

Oh my, thank you so much!! ♥

Ohhh, this really got me thinking! For the sake of this question, animatronics can bend!

Vigilante!Y/N: Water bender. The element of change is a good theme for them, as well as the fact that they could have used blood bending to an insane degree in their Afton's loyal dog phase. Not to mention *cough cough* a certain animatronic would appreciate their talent with blood blending.

Detective Sun: Fire bender. The energy and drive to achieve want he wants is all him, not to mention drawing power from what he's named after.

Detective Moon: Water bender. He's adaptable and carries a strong although subtle love for the community and his loved ones. Plus, drawing power from the moon!

Eclipse: Fire bender. Power and desire and well are all Eclipse. He already loves fire. It's a bit too fitting to let him wield it in his very palms.

[luminitesky]

Oh, I’m so, so glad I stumbled across this, @naffeclipse. This is about to stay in my head all day now, I can tell.

So I’m just imagining that the vigilante excels in bloodbending and using their ability to hurt and kill. But they were never taught how to heal because Afton saw it as a crutch and didn’t want Y/N to use it for every little thing. Instead, they were only ever raised to believe their waterbending is a weapon, a tool to maim others, an extension of their purpose.

As an aside, I think one bonus Eclipse would see in Y/N’s bloodbending ability is the obvious fact that they, y’know, can’t use it against him. (Insert Y/N trying some incredibly harebrained scheme of freezing his hydraulics and making literal steam hiss out of him as he melts the ice lol.)

So years after Afton, Y/N believes their bending is more of a curse than a gift. Until Detective Moon spends one night healing the nasty bruises on their forearms that are obviously shaped like the imprints of hands, and Y/N dodges the question of where they got those from. Moon uses his waterbending to soothe the ache, remove the pain, which is such a stark contrast to how the vigilante has ever used their bending. It is revealed that Y/N doesn’t know how to heal, and they believe they’re too broken to do so now. That’s when Moon offers to teach them, even if it takes forever, and under the light of a full moon the following night, the lunar detective begins the long, patient process of teaching the vigilante to heal (which could very easily prompt some deep reflection about self-forgiveness).

Also, I’ve been imagining a very heart-breaking scene similar to the fight between Zuko and Azula, but with Sun and Eclipse. I feel like Eclipse would have taught Sun how to fight, back in the beginning. But Sun’s fire never burned with the rage Eclipse’s did, so while his fire is a beautiful golden orange, Eclipse’s is a dark blue that almost identically matches his rays.

[naffeclipse]

Ah, @luminitewrites I'm glad you like it! Highkey going nuts over your thoughts on this because of Detective Moon teaching Y/N to heal with their waterbending, and in that lesson, allowing Y/N to heal themselves. The patience and care it would take on Detective Moon's end but he is so willing to give it to them, and the moments of frustration and fear that slip through the vigilante's careful facade when they struggle because what if this is only confirming what they already believe of their bending, of themselves?

I also like to think that Detective Sun shows Y/N that fire is soft and warm, too. Of course, it can be dangerous and it can burn if one isn't careful, and Y/N has been in the midst of plenty of fiery attacks that end with charred corpses, but that's not all it is. Detective Sun shows them it can also light the way in the dark and can help someone take shelter from a chilly night. Y/N didn't realize how lovely it can be, too, until Detective Sun came along.

Gah, that snaps my heart in two picturing Sun fighting Eclipse, the one who taught him so much about what it means to bend fire ;-; Also, Eclipse having dark blue fire??? 10/10! I love it!

Oh ho, when you describe a fight between Y/N and Eclipse, my mind went to a somewhat darker and bloody place, so I'll tuck that under the read more just in case. TW Blood TW Self-harm

I imagine in the worst-case scenario where Y/N and Eclipse are fighting with their bending, that Eclipse's fire is too strong. It evaporates every wave of Y/N's water and melts through the thickest of Y/N's ice, and soon, there's nothing left but steam and heat and Eclipse's grinning face as he settles his flames for a brief moment to ask if Y/N is finished resisting him yet. There's no more water left for them to use. There's certainly no use for their talented bloodbending here, as much as Eclipse admires it.

But that's not true, at least, not the latter statement.

Y/N grabs something, anything, and cuts their palms. This is what their bending is designed to do. They quickly draw out the blood to form two sharp weapons of crimson ice before attacking ferociously, gaining a second wind. It works, as Eclipse is too distracted by their bleeding hands and how elegantly they arc the scarlet liquid through the air before striking him. He admires them too much to stop their fighting, but he does deflect and defend their attacks, forcing Y/N to draw out more blood and ignore the weakness and dizziness that slowly begins to take over their body.

Their dance begins to cost Y/N too much, and they use the last of the blood on their hands to force an escape, and just barely evade Eclipse's crushing grasp as well as his furious dark blue flames (and his hungry, wild optics).

Then, as it usually goes, Y/N gets to the detectives' apartment, except, Sun and Moon find the vigilante lying on the floor, unconscious, in a pool of their own blood.

[luminitesky]

Yes! Yes to all of this!! >:D

Naff, you’re going to make me cry at the thought of Y/N doubting themself when the healing ability doesn’t come naturally. I think Moon’s endless patience and kindness would play a huge hand in gently guiding the vigilante away from their dark thoughts so that they can work on healing themself. And it could play into how they have to heal their own hurt before they can heal others’. Gosh, that is something I can’t help but feel invested in lol. This AU better not awaken anything in me—my writing schedule has little room XD

Detective Sun showing the gentle side of firebending is actually warming my heart so much (no pun intended). He’s one of the rare examples of how bending like his, while seemingly innately harmful, can be used for good and to help others. I could see him even using it to warm his palms just enough but not too hot, and then he holds Y/N’s chilled hands in his. Or maybe putting on a mini show of sparks and beautiful arcs of fire for the vigilante, and they get a kick out of how he knows how to juggle balls of flame.

And this thought just hit me out of nowhere, and it should not in any way be attractive to imagine Eclipse lighting a cigar with just a flame on the tip of his finger, but I can’t unsee it now. Something tells me that when threatening/flirting with the vigilante, he’d tell them a devastatingly cheesy line like “You’re playing with fire.”

The thought of Sun and Eclipse physically fighting hurts my heart deeply ;-; Sun would have to fight in a way he hadn’t learned from Eclipse in order to even the playing field since they know each other’s moves at that point. And wouldn’t that just resurface even more painful memories in the middle of their fight 💔 Probably leads to an introduction of bending lightning—even more dangerous for animatronics.

Oh, I love the darker tone you went with! That would be such a hauntingly pretty fight between Eclipse and Y/N! The way you describe how it seemingly goes from all hope being lost to the vigilante finding a terrible but efficient way to save themself—I love, love, love it. That would be so intense, and my heart started racing just from the description alone! I know you have probably a million and one things already on your schedule to write, but if you ever happen to revisit this idea, I’ll be all over it. 💜 It sounds like the perfect recipe for a lot of hurt and some comfort thrown into the aftermath.

[pure-plum]

@luminitewrites @naffeclipse If I can add, I had some thoughts. ;v; (putting under a read more because of mentions of scarring/burning)

So Afton, what if he was proficient with lightning bending and as part of that would mark or brand those he took into his gang? Like if the vigilante ended up with twin lightning burn scars around their neck like a collar, which adds to their nickname of Afton's loyal dog? But then THAT leads to Moon teaching the vigilante how to heal with their water and giving them the choice of healing their own scars if and when they're ready. Just silently letting them realize that they're allowed to leave the marks of their past behind them and grow.

Also been thinking about how the vigilante might look at Sun and realize his fire has the comfort of candlelight and fireworks. And how Sun, after living and working with Moon for so long and learning from chasing the Vigilante would have his fire influenced by them too. When he fights Eclipse, his flame flows like water and lets him redirect and absorb the brunt of Eclipse's wrath.

[naffeclipse]

@pure-plum Yes, please do! I ramble about your thoughts below the read more ♥

Oh my gosh, I love Afton being extremely proficient in lightningbending! That would up his intimidation factor, and leave Y/N very skittish around lightningbending though they do everything to conceal that natural flinch. The scars are perfect! Both a brand and a reminder, and something Y/N can't run away from until Moon gives them the hope of one day healing it completely to prove that once and for all, they are not Afton's loyal dog.

I adore the idea of Sun adapting waterbending moves to aid in his firebending, giving him some defense that a firebender otherwise lacks! Likewise, I think the same works for Moon, too! He would be an aggressive waterbending, using both techniques from Eclipse and Sun to craft better attacks that aren't often seen with a waterbender!

Speaking of Eclipse, I see his firebending as very controlled and calculated... until it isn't. He's fueled by rage and hatred and that is an easy recipe for losing control which would lead to his own downfall. On the other hand, Sun is very controlled, and that is something he never lets slip because he understands how dangerous that is. Perhaps, that's the one thing Eclipse taught Sun that he himself sometimes forgets in the heat of the moment, pun intended!

[raptorreadsalot]

The God Key (Review)

The God Key by Simone King was an enjoyable read.

The characters are well developed, and the set ups have the pay-offs you expect. The story itself is very character driven, and while not the kind of narrative I usually read but the world created within the book was so immersive that I managed to binge the entire book over an afternoon.

The shift from the first part of the to the second did have quite a shift in tone, but the characters were alive enough for the different perspective to be interesting and enjoyable.

4/5