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gergthecat · 3 months

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Legacy CH 2 - Lae POV

The singing corpses haunt me, my body gasping, shocked, convulsing in a curled-up ball in my chair. In a moment of procedural clarity, I unclasp my seatbelt and tumble cumbersomely onto the floor, the cool metallicity providing some calm as I lay my cheek against it. I can hear blood rushing to my ears, and I feel wet drip from my face onto the floor, sweat turning into tears as I tremble. Rationally, I know what’s happening. I’m having a panic attack, but the rational part of my mind is having a difficult time peaking through the cloud stupor coursing through me.

In my haze, I hear Dad’s voice calling out to me in the halls; he must be able to hear me.

Coughing raggedly, I rasp his name while I watch through my periphery as he spots my pitying form, dashing up to me.

He grasps my arms and pulls me into an embrace, one I’ve always found comforting and congenial; now utterly lacking. My harsh breaths are marred by the shirt I’m inhaling into, trying with all my gusto to explain why the hells I’m falling apart like this.

Some wild gesture must have worked, though, because I see the blurry figures of two of his operatives stride wearily towards the window at my frenzied request, and keel back when they catch sight of the—

I vomit again, luckily missing most of my dad and adding to the abstract portrait I’ve constructed with my bile.

“HolyfuckingMaker,” the Legionnaire I now recognize as Jayce Krin spurts, placing a tentative hand on the wall next to her head.

My head is clearing, the hysteria seemingly going as quickly as it arrived. Dad hoists me up by my underarms as he used to do when I was young, keeping a hand at my elbow to stabilize me. He cranes his neck, gaping when he catches what we’re all rocked by.

“That would explain the lack of response,” he mutters, stepping over my vomit and placing himself carefully in my flight chair, not bothering to buckle in.

He expertly disables the alarm sirens, and the remaining panic dissipates swiftly, my shoulders slumping in relief. I was taught to always approach a problem from a level-headed and grounded place, and that feels more feasible now that I’m not sobbing on the floor.

“Lae,” he starts, though we both know what he’ll be asking, “Are you—”

I cut him off, “I’m fine, Dad, I swear. I’m coming with you.”

He peers at me for a moment before nodding gravely and turning back to the console, entering a few commands and then standing up, motioning for us all to follow him.

His subordinates eye me carefully, no doubt having heard of my excellence, only to find me rolling on the floor in a rather sorry state. I just roll my eyes; they can think whatever they want, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be correct.

“Docking bay was left open,” Dad explains as we meaner into our pods, me into Dad’s as his flyer.

“By whom, though?” I say distrustfully, strapping into my spot.

I’m sure that, as I look around, there’s got to be some sort of hands-off communication system in here, and my suspicions are confirmed when I hear a crisp voice come from the ceiling, “What the hells does that mean; by who? I’d assume the dead people.”

Dad butts in, “It’s whom, and there’s no reason to assume that. There must have been someone else on that ship at some point, so what’s to say they aren’t still there?”

I don’t hear a response after that, smirking lightly as my dad and I share a look.

Launching out of my Chimera, his Legionnaires pulling behind us into triangular formation.

We shift into the docking bay cautiously, smooth in formation just as I was taught, when out of my periphery, I watch Cassian shoot off into the Fold, leaving our two ships, the only whisper of its remnants; the soft glow of debris in its wake.

Dad notices this, glancing worriedly in my direction before he yells out to Jayce, “Get ahold of him, please!” The little flashing dot signaling its location now vacant from my set.

The response from Jayce comes quickly, verifying what we both already know, that for some stupid reason, that Legionnaire has made some dumb decision, and of himself; an enemy of the Legion. I’ve heard enough of my parents’ stories to know that that is not the most brilliant idea.

As though a thought from the Maker Themself compelled them, the bay doors snap shut ricketily, certifiably shutting us into the deathtrap. Dad does the smart thing, as usual, and radios command, letting them know that this is no longer a silly situation and is now a real conspiracy. I always used to love hearing my dad’s stories about when he was younger, a fresh graduate on the run from every government body everywhere, ragtag group of friends and such. Every time, though, after he’d finish telling me about some close call, he’d remind me that although it seems cool and valorous now, at the time, he was bruised beyond recognition and living off of crackers and spite. That’s kept me on the straight and narrow most of my life.

When he’s done talking with De Stoy, Dad turns back to me and says sternly, “I want you to get out of here, Kiddo. This is real stuff, and your mom would kick my butt from here to tomorrow if anything happened to you. I’m serious.”

“I’ll be fine, Dad, I’m the best flier in my year. I grew up with you, for Maker’s sake. I’m not a little kid.”

He peers at me for a moment more, “You can stay here,” he points to exactly where I’m standing, “No moving at all; you need to be able to get out of here. I’m serious too.”

I raise my hands in surrender, “Deal.”

He just nods once, piercing me with what I can only call a parental warning, and walks out of the port and onto what could very actually be enemy territory. It comes to me, rather embarrassingly late, that he clearly doesn’t think it’s too big of a threat, though, because the damn bay doors are closed.

I’ve waited for ten minutes when Dad’s voice echos in our pod, “Lae? Open the doors, please.”

I do just that, leaning over to the button from my chair, turning my head in the direction of the hall he’ll be coming from when I hear fraught voices speaking in Syldrathi.

“Dad? Is everything okay?” I can hear his calm responses as he links me assuringly. When he pulls around the corner, I see that he is followed by three Syldrathi women, the youngest looking maybe sixteen, and the oldest well over fifty, though it can be hard to tell. The elder one has something familiar about her, which I dismiss when I notice that she’s covered in blood as just the fact that there aren’t many Syldrathi at the Academy. She looks at me for a second, and almost seems shocked, and when I glance at Dad, his expression mirrors hers.

Check me out on AO3 :)

Legacy Chapter 1

Legacy Chapter 3

Masterlist

Sorry this chapter took so long, life has been very hectic lately and writing went to the backseat for a while.

#the aurora cycle #aurora rising #aurora burning #aurora's end #tyler jones #saedii gilwraeth #finian de karran de seel #scarlett jones #aurora jie lin o'malley #kaliis gilwraeth #lae gilwraeth jones #evalie gilwraeth o’malley #dariel jones de seel #fanfic #legacy by gergthecat

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allysonkgirl · 1 year

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My favorite book couple so often ignored

Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley and Kaliis "Kal" Gilwraeth

Commissioned from @softfairies who is the literal best

#Aurora rising #aurora cycle #softfairies #amie kaufman #jay kristoff #aurora burning #Aurora’s end #booklover #book edit #book fanart #ya books #booktube #booklr #lit edit #literature #fan art #Aurora cycle fan art

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ipoxcky · 7 months

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I WROTE AN INFORMAL ESSAY ON ZILA MADRAN FOR MY SEMINAR CLASS—MAJOR AURORA CYCLE SPOILERS!!!!

Tyler Jones is a human who graduated at the top of his class at the Aurora Academy. He is the squad’s “Alpha,” or commander. He was supposed to get first pick in terms of the other people on his team, but because he went to save Aurora, he ended up with those who remained after everyone else made their pick. He is a White-passing heterosexual cisgendered male. We find out later he is also half-Syldrathi, an alien race that is presumably based on BIPOC ethnicities and practices.

Scarlett Jones is a diplomat who knows many languages, handles foreign affairs, and negotiation, otherwise known as the squad’s “Face.” Tyler Jones is her twin brother. She has a long history of exes and is ever longingly sarcastic. She is a white heterosexual cisgendered woman. We find out later she is half-Syldrathi as well.

Kaliis Idraban Gilwraeth is Syldrathi (an alien race in the book) who was born to be a warrior. He is the squad’s “Tank,” whose primary purpose is to fight if need be. Since the age of six, he was trained to defeat his enemies and not tolerate anything less. He is a heterosexual cisgendered male.

Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley is a human girl out of time who was awoken by the squad after centuries frozen in a colony ship, and found herself gifted with dangerous psychic powers. She is Asian-American (Chinese and Irish,) and a heterosexual cisgendered woman.

Finian de Karran de Seel is a Betraskan (another alien race in the book) who has a heart for all things mechanics. He is the squad’s “Gearhead,” and has a crude sense of humor. He is a disabled bisexual cisgendered male who has pale white skin.

Zila Madran is the “Brain” of the squad, a medic who knows the body inside and out and is stellar at all things STEM. In the third book, her work allows her to statistically calculate the probabilities of every ideal event occurring and she is eventually the one (with her wife Nari Kim) who saves the entire galaxy from destruction. She is a Black queer cisgendered woman.

This media analysis will focus on Zila Madran’s role in Aurora’s End, which becomes crucial in the third book and the mechanics of the plot. It will analyze the message that Amie Kaufman, a white woman, and Jay Kristoff, a white man, have delivered to its readers by having Zila, a Black queer woman, be the one who saves the entire galaxy from its demise.

Zila’s character description, thankfully, is one that is not offensive. Unlike the common tendency for white authors to compare Black skin to food, her description in Aurora Rising that we get when we first meet her is simply “dark brown skin and long, tight black curls.”And in Aurora Burning on page 45, there is a conversation between Scarlett and Zila where readers first learn about Zila’s queer identity:

Scarlett: “Yeah. But don't fall in love with me, Zila. I'll just break your heart.”

Zila: “That does seem consistent with your romantic modus operandi. You are also too tall for me.”

Scarlett: “Wait… you like girls?”

Zila shrugs, scanning the crowd: “Not tall ones.”

However, a closer look at one scene in the book will reveal that Zila’s identifiers are taken into account in the overall plot of the story. In terms of sexuality, Zila is the last one to enter a relationship. The readers have watched every other squadmate enter a romantic entanglement in Aurora Rising and Aurora Burning. Their relationships grow to become a large, important part of the plot, with multiple chapters dedicated to their development. In the beginning of Aurora’s End, Zila, Scarlett, and Finian get sent back in time to the year 2177 in a time loop. In other words, they are stuck in a segment of 2177 where, after a certain amount of minutes, they meet some sort of untimely death. Most of the time it’s a quantum pulse hitting the station or angry lieutenants deciding to shoot at them. Once they die, the segment of time resets. Each time the segment resets, it gets shorter, and the squad has to figure out how to escape the time loop before they die in it again. In the time segment, they successfully reach out to Nari Kim, a legionnaire of the academy who they find at the station they are attempting to come into contact with. After Scarlett successfully works her diplomat magic before she can get blasted to pieces, Zila gets to work detonating the pulsar with Nari. Meanwhile, Scarlett and Finian decide to start messing around. Prior to this time loop, Scarlett and Finian agreed to enter a romantic relationship, so when they decide to start messing around, their lack of focus makes Zila a bit irritated, so she shouts: “are you two spending precious minutes in the middle of a heretofore unheard-of temporal paradox engaging in frivolous presexual activity?” To which Scarlett replies, “You’re such a hopeless romantic, Z” (Kaufman and Kristoff 185). In the scene, Zila is angry with their lack of consideration for the task at hand. However, it can be argued that she is somewhat romantically/sexually frustrated with the fact that everyone has found love but her. This argument can be supported as she ends up realizing Nari is “not tall” (Kaufman and Kristoff 98), and “as [Nari] keeps speaking, I let myself sink into her voice” (Kaufman and Kristoff 201) Later on, after many romantic events have occurred like this one, she realizes that Nari Kim is the one that future, probability-calculating Zila assigned herself to fall in love with by giving her past self hawk earrings that match the animal insignia on Nari’s vest (it’s quite complicated—I hope that is clear enough. I’d be happy to explain more if it’s unclear.) Her frustrations are then relieved when she learns that Nari feels the same way. At that point, Zila learns that she is supposed to stay in the year 2177 with Nari in order to calculate the events that make up the most optimal timeline: a timeline where her squadmates save the galaxy.

Arguably, there are a lot of identifiers that shape the scene described above, the one that ultimately is the start of Zila’s romantic journey. The fact that she is the last one to enter a relationship could possibly be due to three identifiers. To start, the eurocentric beauty standard is against her, as she is African American. In 2014, an OkCupid study found that black women were rated the “least desirable” amongst all other races. Second, mainstream society encircles the idea of white queerness being the only queerness to exist. In a paper by the National Library of Medicine, Carmen Logie states that “by representing queerness as white…women of color were rendered invisible in both queer and racialized communities…” and that, as mentioned later on, “women of color were further marginalized by constructions of "real" women as passive, feminine and white, and conversely perceptions of women of color as aggressive, emotional, and hypersexualized.” Due to all of these factors, the ‘dating pool’ shrinks for Black queer women in terms of future partners. Applying this logic, it is quite sensible it would take her a longer time to find the right partner, and luckily, she did. Therefore, the scenes quoted and described above could encompass Zila’s Black, queer, and female identifiers with both their overt statements and what is unsaid by the timing.

Kaufman and Kristoff have successfully established Zila Madran as a strong, self-sufficient, beautiful, bright Black woman who, simply by existing, redacts harmful stereotypes and creates a new image for Black women in the world of science fiction. One stereotype that the Aurora Cycle Trilogy combats with the character Zila Madran is the ‘weird girl’ stereotype. One could argue that the reason Zila is the last one to find a relationship is because she is naturally quiet and not very emotionally available until her character arc near the end of the book. A counterargument is that this is a stereotype which has been romanticized in the media quite often, only that the stereotype requires the quiet stoic girl to be white and heterosexual, and that if she is any other race/sexuality, she’s seen as even weirder. White heterosexual women who fill this stereotype and find romantic interests are Raven from Teen Titans, Detective Jet Slootmaekers in Law and Order, and April Ludgate-Dwyer from Parks and Recreation. Like Zila, they are quiet and stoic, so physical appearance and romantic preference must be the only thing that sets Zila apart from the common narrative. Fortunately, Zila and Nari marry and grow old together once they fall in love. So, Kaufman and Kristoff challenge the ‘weird white girl’ single story stereotype by changing the race of the ‘weird girl’ and writing Zila with a fulfilling queer relationship.

In addition, another stereotype that Kaufman and Kristoff combat is the stereotype that Black women are unintelligent. Black people, women, and especially Black women have been stereotyped as unintelligent for centuries. As Zora Neale Hurston puts it in Their Eyes Were Watching God, “De n----- woman is de mule uh de world,” meant only to sit and do meaningless tasks that don’t let them build any type of real intelligence or skill. Of course, this stereotype dates back to slavery, where most Black people—especially Black women—were unable to pursue any sort of formal education because they were enslaved. A very small percentage were taught to read and write while they were enslaved. Kaufman and Kristoff combat this by designing Madran’s character with astute intelligence, which is evident throughout the story as she is deemed the military squadron position “Brain.”

A third stereotype is that Black women are aggressive. This stereotype originates from slavery and thrives in lots of pop culture and media. Some examples are Sapphire in Amos ‘n’ Andy, and Florence in The Jeffersons, according to the Harvard Business Review. The stereotype has even been immortalized in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture through the addition of Nene Leakes and her famous eye roll. To fight this, Zila Madran is a medic who heals the wounds of all of the squadmates. She is the one who instructs Scarlett on how to save Finian from anaphylactic shock with only the plastic tube in a ballpoint pen, a gift that was, like Zila’s hawk earrings, planned from Zila in 2177 to be given to Finian in 2380. Zila instructs Scarlett remotely through her earpiece while Scarlett is panicking, and Scarlett describes Zila’s state as “calm in [her] ear” (Kaufman and Kristoff 386). In Zila being the medic of the squad, there is also possibly the irony of the poor treatment of Black women in the healthcare system at play here. The first doctors went years before they expanded their studies of the body to Black people, claiming all kinds of things about how different and underdeveloped their bodies are. They have tried to defend their racism and neglect of Black health with eugenics and other harmful pseudosciences, but the root of the predominantly white field refusing to assist Black people is racism, clear and cut. A recent example is Serena Williams and the birth of her child. Even though she is famous and wealthy, she was still treated poorly in the healthcare system while she was in one of the most vulnerable states a person could be in–postpartum. Unfortunately, racism does not stop for those who financially can sit in the same places as their oppressors. And so, in Kaufman and Kristoff choosing Zila to be the medic, they have established her as a helpful and healing Black woman rather than an aggressive one, and they have supplied her with the skill that her oppressors have continued to systematically oppress Black women with—medicine. For Kaufmann and Kristoff to choose Zila Madran, a queer Black woman, to be the one to find her lifelong partner, to be the “Brain” of the team (literally), to be the one to heal her squadmate’s injuries, and to be the central figure in saving the entire galaxy and founding the Aurora Academy is a huge step towards reversing various stereotypes and is a promotion of Black excellence and Black representation.

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queenlovesbooks · 5 months

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Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley and Kaliis "Kal" Gilwraeth

Art by @softfairies

#got permission from commissioner to repost #aurora cycle #aurora rising #Aurora’s end

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writinginstardust · 2 years

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Lessons in Love

Pairing: Kaliis Gilwraeth x Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley

Request: anon asked for prompt 137 - do you know how beautiful you are? - from the prompt list I made

Warnings: me not having written in like 2 years, completely random and inaccurate Syldrathi

A/N: Who thought I’d actually ever get anything written again? I sure didn’t, but here we are! I’m not ‘back’ or anything but I randomly felt the urge to finally finish this after starting it months ago so hope ya enjoy!

Word Count: 910

"Aurora?" Kal's voice was distant, familiar and comfortable but muffled to her distracted senses. She should have been paying attention - she was the one who'd asked for these 'lessons' after all, but her focus was being pulled away. She was studying his soft lips while he spoke, transfixed at how they formed the unfamiliar Syldrathi words. They had a melody that Auri had always loved, especially in Kal's voice and when he'd whisper soft sentiments he'd never translate just to tease. They made her heart flutter every damn time.

"Aurora." Still nothing. Kal smiled a little at the dreamy look in Auri's eyes, realising her mind had wandered somewhere. Auri, for her part, was indulging in a memory of that sweet smile pressing messily against her own last night when they'd snuck out of that fancy party and hid away in a closet just for a little privacy. She'd felt like a proper teenager for the first time in forever and the ridiculousness of it after everything had her in fits of elated giggles. Kal's smile had been brighter then, Auri's own carefree joy utterly contagious, but the one she’d zoned out staring at now was no less beautiful. There was nothing less than perfect about him to her smitten heart.

"Be'shmai, have you heard a word I've said?" Kal chuckled as Aurora's eyes cleared just a little and she shook her head, biting her lip in a failed attempt to suppress her grin. Guilty but not in the least bit apologetic. Kal merely sighed, his voice laced with exasperated affection.

"You have to pay attention if you wish to learn."

"Easier said than done."

"How so?"

“Kal, do you know how beautiful you are? It’s quite distracting.” Colour rose in Kal's cheeks at the compliment and a wicked edge slipped into Auri's grin. It was exceptionally pleasing to fluster her usually calm and composed warrior and Auri had gotten incredibly good at it. "Please, continue. I promise I'll be good and pay attention." Doubtful. And they both knew it. Kal had an idea that might encourage her to focus a little better though.

"Okay, well, is there anything, in particular, you wish to learn?" Auri thought for a moment before remembering a few phrases she'd heard from him several times before. Phrases he'd always blushed at and refused to translate whenever she brought them up. Kal almost choked when she asked about the first of them. She'd been able to take some educated guesses on the meaning since Kal only uttered it in very private moments but she wanted to know.

After several long moments, while Kal gathered his composure and Auri stayed silent, offering no out on him answering, it was her turn to be the flustered one. Kal had decided it was rather unfair to be the only one teased and flustered and quite easily got his own back by swallowing his embarrassment and answering her query. Turned out the words he'd groaned in her ear all those times were surprisingly filthy, adoring beyond belief but absolutely filthy.

Auri sat still, wide-eyed, and flushed in front of him and any embarrassment from admitting the things he'd said in those vulnerable out-of-control moments was quickly washed away at her reaction. Eventually, her eyes cleared once again and she gazed up at him, still a little astounded. Kal decided to press his advantage a little. It was rare for the tables to turn like this after all.

"Anything else you would like me to teach you?" Auri's eyes darkened a fraction and Kal felt his face heating again a little as he realised how suggestive that had sounded. She didn't bother acknowledging it though and simply asked about some of the other things he'd whispered to her in the dark. Some of them were filthy but others so sweet and adoring that Auri swore her heart stopped. Kal answered all her queries with only minor hesitations while a blush raged on his cheeks until Auri was finally satisfied, her memory of Kal's sweet Syldrathi nothings running dry.

"Are you content now, Be'shmai?" Kal asked with an attempted teasing smirk.

"For now- oh!" Auri's eyes lit up at another memory before frowning as she struggled over the words. "ish'la ambres'dai siy Syldra ai'mlent esk somi'sal da'ir selai reis mani'shai."

Kal's pause was much longer and deliberative than before and Auri sat quietly as she watched until finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"It does not translate perfectly, but it roughly means: my love forged eternal by Syldra's light I lay before you, my heart and soul forever bound at your mercy. It's the promise we make when we commit ourselves to our life-love." At Auri's dumbstruck look, worry slipped into Kal's expression and he quickly continued. "You do not have to accept the commitment, I do not wish to pressure you for anything, it is simply the most honest way of explaining the way I feel about you and-"

Auri's lips against his own abruptly cut off his words and he relaxed into the sweet but brief touch before you pulled back a fraction to speak.

"ish'la ambres'dai siy Syldra ai'mlent esk somi'sal da'ir selai reis mani'shai." She stumbled over the words but the message was clear enough and Kal stilled as he opened his eyes to meet her adoring gaze. "I love you, Legolas," her sweet smile took on a hint of impishness. "'Til the stars burn out."

Tag Lists: (Hope you guys are still wanting to be included)

Everything: @wonderfilledness @writingbychelle @adoreyou976

Aurora Cycle: @aurising @an-ironic-pisces @disaster-gay-in-a-nutshell @ireallyshouldsleeprn @disaster-bi-in-a-nutshell

#aurora rising #aurora cycle #aurora jie lin o'malley #aurora cycle fanfic #kal x aurora #kal gilwraeth #kal x auri #kalora #kalora fanfic

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booksandotherpursuits · 6 months

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[Book Review] Aurora Rising by Ami Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Summary It’s 2380 and the graduating students of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Tyler Jones has been a star pupil who hopes to recruit the squad of his dreams but ends up with a mixed and volatile crew.And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem – that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two…

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#bibliophile #Blog #Blogger #blogging #book review #review #romance #writer #writing

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anabelldimitrova · 3 years

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Aurora and Kal

#aurora jie-lin o’malley #kaliis gilwraeth #kal gilwraeth #aurora burning #the aurora cycle

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confusionnoises · 4 years

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"This defeat is a victory."

-Cat Brannock

#aurora rising #aurora cycle #cat brannock #quotes #catherine brannock #squad 312 #tyler jones #Scarlett jones #zila madran #Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley #aurora o'malley #Kallis Gilwraeth #Kal Gilwraeth #Finian de Seel

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shewholovestoread · 4 years

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Aurora Burning (Aurora Cycle #02) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Review

Okay, for those who read Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicles 02) by Jay Kristoff, do you remember the cliffhanger at the end of that particular gem? Well, Aurora Burning very nearly topped it, no small feat. Something to keep in mind in case you're thinking of picking this up.

Aurora Burning begins with a bang, literally, Squad 312 are on the run, only now they're not only running from the Global Intelligence Agency but also the Terran forces including the Aurora Legion, their own comrades. They are fugitives with no allies and an ever increasing horde of adversaries around every corner.

One of the complaints that some had with the first book was that there wasn't enough action. Well, Kristoff and Kaufman turned the notch up to 11 in this, the team barely has any time to slow down and take stock, to mourn, to just be. Aurora Burning feels like one long action-packed adventure. The pace slows down a little towards the third act before the no-holds-barred finale at the end.

The writers also split up the squad, a la The Last Jedi, with Tyler on his own, in the clutches of the GIA and Scarlett and the rest trying to make sure that Auri stays safe. So while Tyler must try to escape their clutches, the others have their own mission, figure out what happened to Auri and what being the Trigger actually means.

Where book 1 was more concerned with slow and small revelations, book 2 builds on those revelations but with greater urgency. I loved that while the plot kept getting more and more intricate, it never got convoluted. There’s nothing quite as satisfying when all the carefully laid out foreshadowing comes together in a big pay off. Kristoff and Kaufman added quite a few twists and red herrings to keep things fresh.

We learn more about the Eshvaren, the ancient race who defeated the Ra'Haam all those centuries ago and are responsible for Auri's powers. One of the best parts of the book was the all the mystery surrounding them, a race so ancient that most didn’t even think that they had indeed existed, instead treating them more like mythological beings. Then there are the Syldrathi and we finally meet the Starslayer. We already know he’s ruthless but he takes it to a whole different level. Speaking of, there are so many antagonists, you have the Ra'Haam, GIA and pretty much all Terran forces, the Unbroken but the Starslayer specifically, these guys just can't catch a break.

As good as Kristoff and Kaufman are with plot, they’re even better where characters are concerned. Aurora Burning gives us a deeper insight into the Squad with some very shocking revelations. Tyler is the captain, the leader of this rag-tag group, a master strategist, splitting him from the team, gave Scarlett the space to really shine. In the previous book, she was kind of relegated to being the caretaker of the group, well she really steps up to the task at hand and she does so admirably.

I’m normally not a fan of the whole “soulmates” romance, too often it feels like a shortcut, where 2 characters meet and immediately fall in love and I was afraid of what the Pull meant for Kal and Auri. But I needn’t have worried. The love story between them felt real and earned. I loved that while Kal experienced the full effects of the Pull, a near physical ache for Auri, he gave her the time and space to make up her own mind. His presence never overpowering but always close should she need any help. I loved their dynamic.

Finian was his usual charming self, king of sassy comebacks, second only to Scarlett but then let’s face it, she has it down to an art. I loved his unashamed sexuality, he is clearly drawn to Scarlett but he also really appreciates Tyler and Kal. But the breakout star of book was Zila. This girl knocked it out of the park. I loved learning more about her. Her past explains so much about Zila, her personality, her behaviour and it’s heartbreaking. She’s also so damn badass. I loved the way she could just blend in with the background, simply disappearing, a very useful talent. And she likes girls!!

There are also a few new characters but the only one of note was Saedii, Kal’s sister. But unlike him, she was loyal to the Starslayer, utterly devoted to his cause, viewing Kal and his team with disdain, disgusted with what she perceives to be his weakness. By the end of the book, there is a slight change in her outlook but it’ll interesting to see where she lands up with the conflict in book 3.

I love the representation in this series, of the squad, Finian is pansexual and Zila is queer (I’m leaning towards lesbian given her obvious crush on Scarlett but we’ll wait for confirmation) and even Scarlett isn’t completely straight if her reaction to Saedii is any indication.

The 2nd books in most trilogies are among the weakest, they have to set up the finale so the conflict, if any, is usually small and contained, making them feel more like fillers than an installment that you could enjoy on their own. Aurora Burning is a great second book, it keeps the plot progressing at an excellent pace while still setting up the final book, raising so many new questions. And that cliffhanger I mentioned at the beginning? It could not have been worse and now I will have to wait, at the very least, till May 2021 to find out how things pan out. It’s worse because book 3 doesn’t even exist right now… the wait will be long and it will be painful.

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ash-and-books · 3 years

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Hello Legionnaires and welcome to Squad 312! It’s finally time to do a read of all three of the amazing The Aurora Cycle Books because this lucky legionnaire was given an arc of the last book! Strap in and get ready! With Aurora’s End coming out in November I thought it would be about time to do a read through of all the books and post my official reviews leading up to the release of the last book! Signing off, your favorite mystery girl ,

Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley or Auri for short 🚀🪐🌌

#bookish #mine #book look #cosplay #Aurora #Aurora rising #Aurora burning #Aurora O’Malley #auri #the Aurora cycle #book #reading #squad 312 #me

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kaseyreeddraws · 3 years

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Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley 💥 A girl wayyyy out of her time!!! I’m super happy with this one!! Auri is from the Aurora Cycle book series!!

#art #digital illustration #illustration #painting #digital art #aurora o'malley #kaliis gilwraeth #tyler jones #Scarlett Jones #finian de seel #cat brannock #aurora cycle #book fanart #character design

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gergthecat · 3 months

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Legacy CH 1 - Lae POV

My alarm is blaring; my head is throbbing, and I can’t find my academy jacket. I’m glad that I set my alarm to four AM, because there is no way I’d make my morning flight call otherwise. I find my jacket on top of my hamper lid in my bathroom, and I pop a few painkillers before heading into the kitchen for breakfast. My dad is humming along to “I Wanna Lick Ya (Lollipop)” and my mom seems to be rolling her eyes out of her head.

“Do you really think that’s appropriate for a father to sing in front of his child?” I say as I slide past him to the fridge.

“Hmm,” I realize my mistake a second too late, “I wouldn’t know. Saeds?”

“Do not involve me.”

Dad constantly tells me about his father, a stark contrast to the menacing silence that falls whenever I mention my mom’s. I suppose it is a touchy subject, especially because she betrayed him just to be with my dad, though I don’t blame her. All I really know about him is what articles and books I’ve found online, which mostly detail him as a genocidal kink in the ribbon that is Syldrathi history. Not an easy dinner topic.

With my golden braids slashing behind my back, I snatch a yogurt cup from the fridge's top shelf and race out the door.

Dad yells from behind me, “Fly safely!”

I roll my eyes. When I chose the Ace path, I thought my dad would be disappointed that I wasn’t following in his footsteps, but he was weirdly happy about it. I’ve asked him dozens of times, and each was dismissed with a different nonsense answer. Mom seems to know, too, though she obviously doesn't like it--one of their many secrets.

I bolt down the Legion halls, taking the same swift turns I’ve been doing my entire life. Just as her door comes into view, Evalie quietly slips out of her home, brandishing her signature Brain Jacket. She turns to me, tucking her bobbed silver hair behind her round ears as she links her arm through mine.

As we walk, she starts with the usual spiel, “Cuz, you’ve got to let me give you a makeover; at least pierce your ears.”

Evalie takes after our Aunt Scar in that when she sees someone needing fixing, she won’t let it go until they yield. I’ve accepted that I inherited my Dad’s signature lack of pizzaz, yet she never has, and it’s led to a decent catalog of skirmishes in the Legion’s battle sims.

“I mean, look at you, you're gorgeous, you look like no other Syldrathi, like, ever, but you are utterly boring.”

“Maybe I like being boring! It’s inconspicuous.”

One thing I did not inherit from my dad, however, was the ability to look pedestrian. On the surface, he seems like every blond Terran ever, save for his eye. If I can reduce my likelihood of being recognized by simply being plain, I’m doing it.

“Yeah, I’m sure Uncle Ty was super apprehensive about being inconspicuous as he was courting Saedii.”

I roll my eyes. My parents are weird.

We slow down in front of Dariel’s door, awaiting his orthodoxically prompt arrival. As we walk, arms bound at the elbow, he details his morning, both his parents half asleep on the couch when he began making breakfast. Dariel becomes more and more like Dad every day, though that is to be expected when he’s the only other Alpha that Dariel knows.

The fork in the hall comes, and Dariel and Val turn left, leaving me to make my way to the flight sim hangar alone. The door guard greets me as usual, standing aside as the door slides open with a quiet whoosh. I strap into my jet and shoot off into my portion of vacuum. Watching the beginners in their Chimeras gives me deja vu, and perhaps recklessly, I shoot off into unregulated space, just as I used to do with Dad when I was a child. Being the child of a galactic chevalier and the scariest woman alive certainly has its perks when it comes to bending the rules, especially because when he was a youth (approximately one thousand years ago), he found Aunt Auri in a random hole and inadvertently saved everyone’s asses.

I think of this as I glide through aerospace, leaving a clean trail of molten asteroid debris behind me, when my scanner picks up a mayday signal. I’ve answered a few before: all young Aces overestimating their competence in space unsullied by our cleaning bots, and change my direction to find them. As I get closer, the signal grows stronger until I can glimpse the outline on one of my twenty-seven screens. It doesn’t look like an academy ship, too angular and bulky, almost like one of the cargos. Only, we are hundreds of klicks away from any cargo port that I can think of; I used to wait by their huge viewing windows when my Dad still did fold-missions.

This ship is massive and looks as though it was constructed entirely with shrapnel and a few pieces of fold-grade platinum here and there, like one of the model ships that Uncle Fin and Valie used to make out of old tin cans and scrap metal when she was younger.

I ease up on the side as quietly as I can, now certain of what I’ve gotten myself into: looters, pirates, probably here to sell my own Legion-Class Chimera for some credits on Sempiternity and then bounce. I’ve never been there—Dad would have a heart attack—but from what I’ve heard from Uncle Kal and the academy’s safety lessons, the folk of Sempiternity are not the type of people with whom I want to engage.

As I’m reaching their port, I expect a few fighters to shoot out, readying my weapons launch for defense, but they never come. The signal just keeps blaring, red light flashing on the display without any means for me to understand what is actually happening.

Regaining my sense of the value of my life, I radio my dad, his face filling the screen in front of me just after the first ring.

“Hey Kiddo? What’s up?” His face betrays worry as he notices the glaringly obvious signs that I’ve done something inadvisable. I can feel it, too; the sweat on my face cools my cheeks, and I feel nauseated the same way I do before an important test.

“Something’s wrong,” I ramble as I attempt to make the most sense out of what I’ve seen, Dad’s eyebrows furrowing more and more throughout my recount.

“Sounds to me like pirates. Send me your location; I’ll be there soon,” I watch as he hurriedly alerts his legionnaires of my situation before ending the call. I drop a quick message his way:

DAD OF DADS

Just outside of reg territory, maybe 200klicks?

Ok, just told your mom, she said serves me right for letting you fly out there. Got back-up on the way. Sit tight.

Only way I CAN sit in this effing shithole.

Don’t swear.

Whatever

Against my better judgment, I decide to get closer. The more I look at this thing, the closer I feel to the realization that something is seriously weird here. The engines are off, and through the plexiglass window, I can see a chaotic display of overturned furniture and smoldering metal. The reason this hunk of metal looks so battered is because it’s taken a serious beating. Looks like the type of vacuum missiles that the ATF uses, which only does to worsen the churning in my stomach. Until, changing perspective, I see a pile of charred Syldrathi bodies. That does it for me, and I swiftly turn around, barely making it before I vomit my yogurt onto the shiny aluminum floor. Their necks are slit just below the chin, and fairly deeply, causing the gaping holes in their bodies to resemble mouths, wide open.

I don’t know how long I’ve been shaking before I hear the docking request alert and see my dad’s flight number. With a shaky hand, I press the accept button and watch through the cams as he pulls in, two smaller ships behind him. As I stare at the open docking doors, the images of all those people flash in my head, necks agape and covered in caked deep purple blood.

Check me out on AO3 :)

Legacy Chapter 2

Legacy Chapter 3

Masterlist :)

#fanfic #the aurora cycle #aurora rising #aurora burning #aurora's end #saedii gilwraeth #tyler jones #legacy by gergthecat #aurora jie lin o'malley #kaliis gilwraeth #scarlett jones #finian de karran de seel #lae gilwraeth jones #dariel jones de seel #evalie gilwraeth o’malley

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