#ignore that idk how to draw a sword under pressure

[neda-epik]

FMABruary day 3: "Snow"

Major General caught patrolling and admiring the scenery!!!

idk i heard snow and i thought of Olivier Armstrong, the Salty Winter Adult

[trensu]

Episode 26: The One where the Rain is Actually the Fandom’s Endless Tears

We start off the episode with the awful reminder that su she exists; it’s terrible, we all hate it

Lwj is the one who reminds us, which makes it both better and worse

At least lwj is looking nice in his pale blue robes

Non-wangxian nonsense happens

Brief moment to admire jc’s fashion 

More non-wangxian stuff happens

Ooooh, now we get to watch jin zixun be an asshole again, but with the bonus of having a little bit of wangxiantics!!

Jz goes to our lan bros and starts talking to them

(how dare he be anywhere near their presence?? YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS HANGUANG-JUN, YOU ASSHOLE)

He tells lxc to take a shot with him even tho everyone and their mother knows lans don’t drink alcohol

Alcohol is Forbidden

But there he goes, peer pressuring the heck out of lxc, like, oh, if you don’t take a shot it’ll be an insult to me and my clan blah blah

And everyone agrees with him?? For some reason??? As if forcing someone everyone knows doesn’t imbibe into taking a shot isn’t rude af??? FUCK YOU JZ

Lxc capitulates way too easily imo and takes the shot

Lwj watches this go down out of the corner of his eye, and when lxc drinks, his eyes flick away (as if ashamed? Disappointed? Idk, but it wasn’t a positive feeling i know i was definitely disappointed)

Then jz goes and does the same to lwj

It’s awful but LET’S TAKE A MOMENT TO ADMIRE LWJ

LWJ looks at the offered drink just long enough to make sure EVERYONE KNOWS HE KNOWS IT’S THERE

AND THEN RETURNS TO GAZING STEADILY FORWARD

like, yes, i’m ignoring you aND I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG-JUN!!!!!!

And just before this becomes a diplomatic incident, we see a hand reach out and take the shot glass from jz!

Wwx: i’ll drink for him. Is that okay?” 

And he downs the shot before anyone can say anything (showing off the lovely expanse of his neck and we all appreciate that or at least I do)!!! He even flips the shot glass upside down to show that he emptied it completely!!!

WWX PULLED AN LWJ-MOVE AND SWOOPED IN TO SAVE HIS SOULMATE FROM HAVING TO SACRIFICE HIS PERSONAL IDEALS

THAT’S ~TRUE LOVE~ BABY

And lwj’s expression, omg. I can’t even describe it?? Awed gratitude bc of the rescue?? Stunned attraction bc of seeing wwx expose his neck so indecently?? I’m totally not projecting that last part, maybe, i think

For real tho, it looks like lwj was walloped with the strength of his love for wwx

As if seeing wwx do that for him gave him an abrupt reminder of how overpoweringly in love he is with him

It’s beautiful

Now there’s a jz vs. wwx showdown

It’s super stressful and Important to the Plot

So we’re glossing over most of it!!

But let's MARVEL how wwx totally owns the jin clan

Jz: you really think you’re so invincible you can overturn the heavens?

Wwx: are you comparing yourself to the heavens? With all due respect, you have a really thick face

Lol, “with all due respect” = 0 respect. Jz you deserve ZERO RESPECT YOU ASSHOLE

Wwx is putting these gold-robed bastards on the spot and it’s AAMAAAAZZING

Wwx: do you think that now that the Evil Wens are gone, the Jin clan should naturally take over? So that everything should be given to you and everyone should follow your orders??

I LOVE MY BOY. LOOK AT MY SUNSHINE BOY BURN THE FUCK OUT THESE DOUCHEBAGS

HE’S ALL “WHY ARE YOU BOOING ME?? I’M RIGHT”

BECAUSE HE IS. HE IS RIGHT.

Lwj says his name worriedly here; he knows wwx is getting himself into some deep trouble here

More Plotty Confrontation happens…

And then wwx loses his patience, and gets ready to draw his demon flute

Everyone in the banquet hall jumps to their feet and readies their swords bc they are scared shitless. Wwx doesn’t even acknowledge them. His focus is all on jz

Wwx: if i kill you today, won’t it be justified by your standards?

(for the viewers keeping track at home, that brings the score to wwx = 3, jin clan = 0)

LOOK AT MY BOY GO

Lwj: Wei Ying!

Lwj calls him practically in a panic

I mean, he only says his name slightly more forcefully than usual, but in lwj-speak that means PANIC

Ahhhh, i LOVE this next line. It's a great line. I mean, it’s an absolute terrible line for wwx’s future wellbeing, BUT STILL

Wwx: if I, wei wuxian, want to kill someone, who can stop me? Who dares to stop me?

HE IS FURIOUS

RESENTMENT IS FLARING EVERYWHERE

Lwj: wei ying, put down the demon flute!!

He’s so worried for his soulmate!!!!

wwx starts a countdown to get the info he wants

🎶IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN~!🎶 Sorry sorry, not appropriate but i’m stressed, LET ME HAVE THIS

Wwx: everyone knows i’m not patient. You have until the count of three…

He makes it to two until jz gives in and finally finally tells wwx the info he’s looking for (aka where the wen labor camp is)

Wwx: why didn’t you say so earlier?

Lol, he says it all calm and easy and leaves the banquet hall with a confident swagger (which brings the final score to wwx = 5, jin clan = 0 AND THE CROWD GOES WILD, AHHHHH!!)

BUT you can see on his face that he knows how badly he handled this situation

He knows he’s just screwed himself over

Depressing Plot Things happen

So lets see lwj defend his soulmate to make us feel better!

Jgy: wwx is too impulsive. How could he say such things in front of the gentries

He says that to lxc, trying to turn him against wwx!! That scummy bastard!!!

Lwj: isn’t what he said right?

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG-JUN

Jgy: well, yeah, i guess, but he can’t just say that to everyone’s faces!!

Lxc: wwx’s temperament has changed a lot recently

LXC I AM ASHAMED TO KNOW YOU. YOU GIVE IN LIKE A WET PAPER TOWEL. GROW A SPINE (i still love you tho)

Lwj bows to lxc right after that and lxc dismisses him from the banquet hall with a sad smile

Lxc: go and do your best

BC HE KNOWS HIS LITTLE BROTHER

HE KNOWS HOW MUCH LWJ LOVES WWX AND HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO PROTECT HIM

MORE DEPRESSING PLOT THINGS HAPPEN

Like, Super Depressing

Like, “violating Geneva Conventions” Depressing

It’s really really awful

Because now we’re at a labor camp

We get to see wq lose her mind as she finds her little brother’s body

AND BECAUSE I VALUE MY SANITY WE’RE NOT GONNA GO INTO THAT ANY MORE 

I HATE THIS. I HATE THIS SO MUCH

THEY DIDN’T DESERVE THIS

THEY’RE GOOD PEOPLE. WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO THEM

*SOBBING*

WEN NING STILL HAD THE PROTECTIVE CHARM WWX GAVE HIM IN HIS HAAAANDDD

WHY IS EVERYTHING TERRIBLE ALL THE TIME

We do get a badass scene where wwx STEADILY WALKS BACK THROUGH THE CAMP PLAYING HIS DEMON FLUTE TO CONFRONT THE JIN GUARDS

CALMLY CONTROLLING ALL THAT RESENTFUL ENERGY THAT’S JUST POURING OFF OF HIM

The jin guards are begging for their lives and still have the gall to lie about killing their prisoners??

“Do you really think I can’t tell that you’re lying?”

Wwx is so angry here, he isn’t even raising his voice

Some idiot here has the nerve to remind wwx that his clan and their clan are allies

And wwx’s all “bold of you to assume i care about clan politics”

Throughout it all we see resentment curling and misting around his shoulders

God damn, it looks so cool

“Since you won’t admit to it, i’ll let wen ning point it out himself”

AND THE GHOST GENERAL MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN HISTORY BY SLAMMING INTO THE SCENE LIKE A BOSS

LOOK AT MY DARLING ZOMBIE BOY GO, TOSSING THOSE JIN BASTARDS AROUND LIKE NOTHING

Stuff happens and those jin guards make a run for it

Outside the camp we see lwj walking with his umbrella in the rain and he knocks one of the jin bastards back with his sheathed bichen and demands to know what happened

While he’s getting the rundown, wwx gathers up the wen prisoners and mounts them on horses to flee

THERE’S NO TURNING BACK FROM HERE

OH GOD MY HEART

They’re riding off and SUDDENLY WE SEE THEM RUN INTO LWJ

LWJ WHO IS STANDING THERE ALL ALONE IN THE RAIN WITH HIS UMBRELLA

AS ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING MOURNFULLY IN THE BACKGROUND

SHOW WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME, WHY DO YOU HURT ME THIS WAY

Oh god, the way the camera travels from an overhead view downward to slowly reveal lwj’s face under that frankly beautiful umbrella

MY HEART MY HEART

HIS FACE, LOOK AT HIS FACE AS HE LOOKS AT WWX AND THE PRISONERS HE RESCUED

HE WANTS SO DESPERATELY TO SAVE WWX FROM WHATEVER IS COMING NEXT BC HE KNOWS IT’S NOT GONNA BE GOOD

BUT HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO HERE???

This shot is beautiful in a heart-rending way

Wwx on his black, agitated horse, soaked to the bone, restlessly moving and placed farther away from the audience

And lwj, practically glowing in his pale blue robes under his pale umbrella, standing still and strong as a statue, placed much closer to the audience

Wwx: lan zhan, are you here to stop me?

Lwj: wei ying, where are you going?

Wwx: i have no idea but the world is wide. There must be a place for us.

“US,” HE SAID “US”

WWX HAS ALREADY CHOSEN HIS SIDE.

HE’S FOREVER WITH THE WEN REMNANTS NOW

MY SUNSHINE BOY IS TOO GOOD FOR HIS OWN GOOD

OH GOD WHY

Lwj: you need to think again. If you do this, it will be considered a rebellion against the orthodoxy with no way back.

LWJ CAN’T SAY WHAT HE MEANS. JUST SAY THAT YOU’RE WORRIED FOR HIS SAFETY, DAMN IT.

HE KNOWS HE’S LOSING WWX AND HE’S TERRIFIED

HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO

Wwx: a rebellion against orthodoxy? What kind of orthodoxy is that?

Wwx: lan zhan, do you still remember that promise we made together?

THIS IS WHERE THE EPISODE ENDS

I AM DROWNING IN MY TEARS

MY HEART IS SHATTERED ON THE FLOOR

LWJ WAS TEARY-EYED THROUGHOUT THAT ENCOUNTER

HIS WORLD IS FALLING APART

AND WWX IS DOING WHAT HE THINKS IS RIGHT

BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW SCARED HE IS OF WHAT HE IS DOING

BC DOING THE RIGHT THING IS NOT ALWAYS EASY AND SOMETIMES IT’S DOWNRIGHT TERRIFYING

I HATE THIS SHOW

STOP MAKING ME FEEL SO MUCH!!!

Return to Masterpost

[ralfstrashcan]

Fire Messages

A (long long long, let's not talk about it) while ago the dear @toughpaperround​ asked me about my thoughts on fire messages... and here they finally are.

Like most things in Shadowhunters fire messages come in two styles (other examples are portals, swords and runes) because at some point they experienced a random visual makeover. Both designs raise different questions and I'll get to those in a moment. First though it's interesting to note that the appearance of a fire message doesn't seem to depend on whether it's created by a shadowhunter or a warlock. On that note, are other downworlders able to create fire messages as well? Since shadowhunters operate them with their steles and warlocks with magic? I guess seelies should be able to as well since they also have magic (though they seem to prefere their nature-birds-leaves-whispering-on-the-wind way of communication). But what about vampires and werewolves? I don't recall either of thoses species ever sending a fire message on-screen, though it might have been mentioned at some point that one of them did, and I forgot. In any case I find it intriguing/ridiculous that fire messages look the same regardless of who creates them. Angelic energy and demonic magic don't really operate in similar ways so why would their fire messages look alike? Distinctive appearances like with the portals would make more sense.

Moving on to the first style! As far as I remember this style can only be spied once in the series, namely at the end of 1x06 when Izzy breaks things off with Meliorn

Which, now that I'm thinking about it, isn't that the shadow world equivalent of breaking up via text? Rude, Izzy. Anyway! The rune she draws at the bottom of the paper

is, as the trained eye immediately sees

Next, the paper goes up in flames

and Izzy lets go of it so she doesn't burn her fingers. Not a trace of the paper is left afterwards.

I think it's pretty safe to assume that the fire message burns into existence in midair wherever Meliorn is at this moment in time. Which... is probably the seelie realm? So can fire messages just travel between realms no big deal? Imagine the possibilities! Asmodeus could be bothering Magnus all day! Lilith could be terrorizing all Clave members via fire message harassment! This is hilarious XD

I have questions though! 1) How does the fire message know a) who the recipient is and b) where the recipient is? Canon never addresses or indicates either of those things so there's literally nothing to go off of. Re a): To me it seems most reasonable that the sender focuses on the person they want the message to receive while sending the message off via rune or magic. It's unlikely that writing the name on the paper alone determines the recipient because i) there exist people who share names and ii) you couldn't mention anyone in your fire message without accidentally cc-ing them, which, impractical and awkward. So intent seems the most plausible thing. Which in turn begs the question if you can mass-message people if you think of more than one person while sending? Probably not. In canon Magnus messages each warlock individually about that ritual he wants to try in 3x09. Might have been for courtesy's sake, so he can address every warlock individually with name but seems unlikely since he was under time pressure. Aside from that this would imply miraculous paper replication and physics says no. Re b): No way. This makes no sense whatsoever except when fire message magic is the ultimate omniscient might that can track anyone anytime anywhere. And if that power really existed in the world then how come no one has used it to currupt everything? Surely if you can access this pool of knowledge to send innocent little breakup messages you could find a way to use it for grand evil as well? I find it hard to believe that no one's tried and succeeded so far. Just look at how much effort shadowhunters put into tracking people all the time! They'd be stupid to waste their resources like that if there was a way to instantly-know the whereabouts of someone. Anyway, this is utter bs and just like the hp owls all over again and I simply refuse.

2) Who can you send fire messages to? My knee-jerk answer would be to anyone you know, both personally and more generally in the sense that you are aware of their existence. You focus on them while sending the message, bam, they get it. But. Spam. Spam is a thing. Do you have any idea how much hate mail and general pranks higher-ups would get if they could be (anonymously!) addressed by anyone? Magnus probably had a whole phase where he did nothing but trashtalk shadowhunters who pissed him off XD I read in this post (which is the one toughpaperround sent my way and which I'm kinda answering with this) the possibility that you can only fire message people you've either met in real life before or who you've established some kind of fire-messaging-you-is-okay-connection – kinda like exchanging phone numbers. Everyone has a phone but you can only call someone whose number you have. You can even hand-wave your way through issue b) and claim that the fire message tracks the recipient through that connection and that's how it can find them no matter where they are. I've thought about it for a while and while I think this is the most logical explanation I don't think it makes sense in-universe for how fire messages are used, or for what the purpose of a fire messages really is. Phones are inarguably more practical because you don't need an extra pen and paper to send off a message. So, why would someone use a fire message instead of a phone? Well, either the person you want to reach doesn't have a phone (*cough* Meliorn *cough*) or the message is so important and time-sensitive that you need the other person to know right now and while you can ignore a text or a call, you can lose your phone or it can die, it's kinda difficult to miss a burning piece of paper flying in your face. Fire messages are like extreme emergency phone calls. And for those it would be high-key impractical if you could only send them to someone you have already met previously. (Of course this is just speculation and doesn't even make sense historically since fire messages were around long before phones and likely were the only means of communication then and not just reserved for emergencies (or maybe they were since paper and ink was precious back then?!). And of course determining the nature of a thing by going 'It would be most practical if it was like this' is highly unscientific. Anyway.) Honestly, my personal take on this is still that you can send a fire message to anyone and the show simply ignoring everything that this implies (aka Alec getting at least 10 lewd fire messages per day from secret admirers) because it wasn't relevant to the plot.

Leaving behind questions that apply to fire messages generally this last one is design-specific. 3) To what exactly is the teleportation, that clearly happens here, limited? The paper, the ink. Uh-huh. What if you glue something to the paper? For example, idk, a GPS tracker? Would that allow you to learn the location of the person you messaged? Probably not, or they would have been very stupid not to do that with Valentine. Even if you could only message someone you have met in person and/or established a special fire message connection with there are still enough Circle members around in S1 who surely had his fire message phone number. (Or did he destroy the connection? Can you fire-message-block someone you no longer want any attachments to?) What happens if you fire message someone who's dead? Does the fire message hover over their grave for the rest of eternity? We'll never know. I'll allow that there is special fire message paper and special fire message ink that can teleport. Anything else tacked on would be left behind. Paper and ink could even be extra-charmed so they can pass through dimensions or whatever. Still sounds fake – because i) how would you spell paper so it can pass any ward (Magnus at some point messages Jem who's probably chilling in the Silent City or something) and ii) if there's a way to charm paper and ink so it can be teleported, why limit yourself to those? Why not put that same magic on your GPS tracker and you're ready to go? – but I tried okay. Whatever, special fire message paper and ink grow on special trees in Idris and their special teleportation magic can't be replicated. There, mystery solved.

The second style fire messages acquire is both more and less logically pleasing. It's more logically pleasing because it eliminates the whole teleportation issue since apparently the fire message just flies from sender to recipient but sadly this creates its own set of issues, first of all how tf does the fire message fly from sender to recipient? Does it have eyes? How does it navigate the streets by itself? What about the secrecy the shadow world allegedly tries to uphold? It also doesn't solve the GPS tracker problem (if anything it makes it worse) because who's stopping you from sending a nice little message to Valentine and then just, following the flying message to his secret hideout?

The journey itself isn't unproblematic either. How quick are those things flying? In 3x06 exactly 54 seconds pass between Magnus sending off his message to Jem and receiving an answer. So in less than a minute the message flew to Jem, he read it, he composed an answer, and it made the way back. No wonder these messages are burning at the edges if they're so quick. (Yes, that was sarcastic.) They also don't seem to slow down when approaching their intended target. Magnus even pushes Clary out of the way because of it.

This is so confusing. So the fire message can navigate through Magnus's apartment no problem but it would have chopped Clary's head off because she was in the way? Was Magnus just being dramatic? I mean I'd totally buy that on any given day, but the situation was a bit too serious for that especially because it isn't treated as a joke to lighten the mood but just like Magnus casually pulling Clary out of danger because that's what he always does. It makes no sense whatsoever. This also begs another question, since fire messages seem to seek out their target quite vehemently. If you're locked in an air-tight room, could you send a fire message to someone, and the fire message on its pursuit to fulfill its duty could help you create a crack in the walls? Could you actually break out via fire message? What if you grab the paper real tight? Could you fly out of a canyon on a fire message? Now, on to the last part of the fire message's journey: the landing. How. How do you catch something that moves so quickly instead of just swatting it away? In the post I mentioned before someone wrote that catching stuff like that works on auto pilot if you have the practice and I'll just take your word for it... but what if you don't have the practice? Personally I'm shit at catching shit. I'd get smacked in the face by 95% of the fire messages sent my way. And considering the speed and the sharp edges of the fire messages that can't be healthy. My poor face. Why do I say the fire message would slap my face and not docilely settle into my palm? Because that's what I honestly believe. I think if you fail to catch a fire message it just flops in your face and sticks there (that should also wake you up if you're asleep, lol) because I mean, look at those trajectories.

Mind that the fire message stays on its initial course even after Magnus / Alec / Izzy moves their hand to a position to catch it. That’s because it wasn't aiming for the hand. It was aiming for the face.

It only gets weirder from here on out.

Remember 3x07? Imogen gets stabbed by Possessed!Jace and uses her last moments to notify Alec of Jace's whereabouts (instead of, y'know, activating her healing rune which takes two seconds, sending the message after and keep on living. SIGH). Fair enough, but the thing is this

Where's the paper? Where's the ink?

What is happening? What is she doing there?!

And then-- and then--

Yeah Alec, I'm as shocked as you are. Where tf did that paper (and presumably ink for writing) come from?! Can shadowhunters suddenly create matter from nothing?? Physics is crying in the corner!! I have so many questions!!

[maybeamiles]

WIP Fanfic Ch. 1 Pt. 2

The fanfic is back baby! I got a wave of inspiration and finished the second part to the first chapter. Here it is! Meet two new characters and get a nice short action sequence all in the same post.

Also Link has a bad anxiety attack in this one and there’s like, mild descriptions of injuries. IDK how to tag that stuff so be warned if your sensitive to that sort of thing. This story is going to have a lot of that but I promise it has a happy ending

Even on the main road, the Minish woods still held many dangers for an unprepared traveler. Monsters tended to ambush anyone that went through, and should you find yourself trapped in the forest after dark, monsters would be the least of your worries. Hyrule Town was flooded with superstitions and rumors about the forest, and children were absolutely forbidden from going within a hundred steps of its outskirts. 

Link knew the stories well, but she also knew the real dangers of the woods. After years of making them her home, she knew where the monster camps lay, which plants would eat you alive, and the difference between a magical path to safety and an illusory path to destruction. She knew the patterns and habits of monsters even better than Ezle did, and she knew the best ways to destroy them.

The Hylians she was travelling with did not seem to know the dangers of the forest. While the young man was certainly unnerved by the shadows, he was not armed, nor did he appear to have a good sense of lookout. His sister, admittedly, had good intuition. She had, so far, stuck to the main road, and not been tricked by the deceitful illusions monsters would lay for unsuspecting travelers. 

Link would never admit it to Ezle, but she found the young woman fascinating. Her long red hair was tied back in a loose, low ponytail, and her eyes were the same infinite blue as the night sky. Her face displayed a determination that her brother lacked, but she also guided her horse with soft words and a gentle hand, never displaying the aggression Link had seen so often in the way residents of Hyrule Town treated their beasts of burden.

Link found herself drawing closer to the woman, crawling over piles of furniture and equipment to sit by her side at the front of the carriage. Up close, she could see a smattering of freckles across her face and sunburn on her arms and neck. Some of it looked painful and Link wondered how long she had been travelling to get a burn like that. 

She heard the rustling of paper behind them and turned to see the brother pulling out a map. He seemed to be tracing a route on it and doing some mental math. After a few moments, he folded the map and crawled up to talk to his sister.

“Hey,” he said, “do you think Epona could keep going through the night?”

His sister turned to him.

“It’s less of ‘can Epona keep going’ and more ‘can Bessie keep up?’” she answered, “Why do you ask?”

“It’s these woods,” he explained, “I can’t figure out how long it will take to get out of them. I can’t even see the sun, and I’m worried that it’s going to get dark before we can leave.”

Link looked at the sky. The shadows from the trees were falling nearly straight down, indicating to Link that it was around noon. She knew that it was about a day’s walk from one end of the forest to the other, if you took the short route. At the speed they were travelling at, Link estimated they would leave the forest a couple of hours after dark. A less than ideal scenario, for such a poorly-defended travelling group, but better than staying the night in the woods.

The young woman looked at the sky as well, then at her horse, then at her cow. The old beast caused her some concern, but she seemed to reach a decision in her mind.

“I think we’ll be alright,” she said, “If it gets too dark, and we don’t seem to be making it out, we can make camp for the night.”

You do not want to do that. Link thought, and turned her attention towards the rest of the woods, intent on keeping a better watch than the travellers.

For the most part, the woods seemed normal. But as the hour went on, a growing sense of unease began to prickle at the back of Link’s neck. The shadows were growing deeper, and she kept seeing hints of movement in her peripheral vision. It’s nothing, she thought, I’m imagining things. 

Then, in the shadows of the trees, Link saw a flash of red, and her blood went cold. Eyes. Blood-red eyes. Eyes filled with malice and magic and evil.

Time slowed down. The eyes met Link’s stare. They did not blink. They did not waver. They did not move.

Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump tha-thump-

A hand rested itself on Link’s shoulder and she gasped, breaking the trance the eyes had held on her. She looked up to see Ezle, concern written all over their face.

“Are you alright?” Ezle asked. Link nodded, and glanced back at the woods. 

The eyes blinked at her, then vanished. 

“We’re in danger,” Link said, and she stood up, wishing her legs would stop shaking and her breathing would steady. “Be ready for an ambush. I’m going to check for monsters.”

She leapt off the side of the cart, ignoring Ezle’s protests, and began to search the woods for monsters. She spotted two moblin archers waiting in the bushes just a bit further down the road. An ambush. She slipped into the shadows behind them, hiding behind a fallen log before transforming into her full size. Then, she drew her bow. 

The first shot cleanly pierced through a moblin’s head, sending it to the ground in a puff of smoke and alerting its companion. The surviving moblin turned around and drew its bow, scanning the woods for its attacker. 

Link’s second arrow went straight through its eye, killing it instantly.

She smiled with satisfaction, but the shaking feeling in her legs hadn’t gone away. Her breathing was still heavy and she could feel fear clawing at every corner of her mind. The eyes flashed in front of  her.

Not now, she thought, I need to-

A scream cut off her thoughts and she rushed back towards the cart. A third moblin had appeared from the other side of the road, carrying a great wooden club. The young man with the sword had been knocked to the ground (dead?) and his sister had leapt off the cart to defend him. Did she scream when he died? She was holding his sword, and it was too heavy for her. Her face was white with fear and her hands shook.

Link reached for her arrows, and her hand grasped thin air. The eyes flashed again. The other girl swung at the moblin, and her sword shattered on its thick hide. She backed away and tripped over her brother’s body. Link rushed forward. The monster raised its club. The girl was frozen, helpless-

CLANG! Wooden club met metal shield as Link intercepted the heavy blow. Something in Link’s shield arm snapped under the impact, but she successfully parried the attack and cut into the reeling moblin with her sword. With a few simple slashes, the beast disappeared into shadows and smoke.

Link sank to her knees and bent forward, pressing her forehead against the ground and clutching her injured arm. Her breathing came in heavy, panicked gasps, and while she could hear the other girl fretting over her brother, Link processed none of it. The world was physically normal, but her mind was blurry, processing everything through a filter of fears and worries that slipped by too quickly for her to put words to them. The eyes flickered in her vision. Everything was going wrong. She was in danger. Something bad was going to happen. She had to stop it. She had to stop it. She had to fix it. She had to do it right. She had to-

Link felt a tiny hand on her forehead, and the familiar, comforting warmth of Picori magic flooded through her body. She looked up to see Ezle, whose face was creased with worry.

“Are you okay now?” they asked, meeting Link’s gaze. Link nodded and began taking deep, long breaths, allowing the panic to drain from her body with Ezle’s magic. The pain in her arm subsided as her breathing steadied, and soon she allowed herself to look around and process the situation.

The Hylian woman was staring at Link from where she was seated on the ground, frozen with shock and awe. Link smiled at her and stood up, subsequently offering a hand to help the young woman up. The gesture seemed to bring the young woman back to her senses and she accepted Link’s offer.

“I don’t know how to thank you enough,” she said, dusting herself off with one hand, “I don’t have much money, but…” Her voice trailed off as Link’s mind wandered into far off places. She was talking about money, cows, and ranch stuff. Her voice sounded like birdsong after a long day. She said her name was Malon, and-

A groan broke Link from her thoughts, and with shock, she realized she was still holding Malon’s hand. Hastily Link dropped it as Malon turned to her brother, now half-conscious on the ground. So he wasn’t dead.

Malon dropped to her knees and began clumsily untying the knot of her scarf.

“Just hold still Talon,” she said, “You’re gonna be okay.” 

The young man, Talon, flinched away as Malon attempted to apply pressure to his wound. He was losing a lot of blood, Link realized, and she pulled a red potion from her bag. She knelt down beside Talon and held the bottle out. Malon looked at it.

“Will that help him?” Malon asked. Link nodded. Malon turned to her brother. 

“Drink this,” she ordered, and Link poured the potion down his throat.

As soon as he swallowed the potion, the wound closed, and he sat up, somewhat shaky from his ordeal. Link realized she had never looked at Talon properly before. He was dressed in a simple white tunic, brown pants and working boots, and he had a yellow scarf similar to Malon’s tied around his shoulders. His hair was red, but slightly more muted than his sister’s. His eyes, rather than being blue, were a plain brown color.

“I'm guessing you’re the one I have to thank for saving my life,” he said, meeting Link’s gaze. Startled by his sudden conversation, Link nodded. His voice was as plain as his appearance, and while he gave his thanks, Link was struck by the difference between the siblings. Malon was captivating. Every word she spoke conveyed life and passion. Her hair danced in the wind and her eyes seemed to be deep pools of knowledge. Her brother, by contrast, was grounded. He held everything in reserve and maintained a simple professionalism throughout his speech. How can two siblings be so different? Link wondered.

Link finished her musings as the siblings wrapped up their thanks. Talon reached towards a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small wallet.

“I understand this may seem presumptuous,” he said, “but would you escort us out of these woods, and to our destination? We don’t have much money, but we can set up an IOU or something and give you more later. Or-”

Link smiled and laughed a little. At least they’re both nice enough. She racked her brain for the right words to say. Words were always difficult with Hylians. 

“You... don’t need to pay me,” she said at last, “Happy to help. I’m…” she trailed off as her mind faltered.

“Leaving the woods myself,” Ezle whispered in her ear, “I’d be happy to escort you.” Link smiled and repeated Ezle’s words. Talon smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank the Oracles,” he muttered, “Well then, me and Malon will go pack up, and we’ll be off in a few minutes tops.” He began picking up the remains of the battlefield while Malon tended to her horse. Link joined her, though she wasn’t able to offer much more than a smile.

“By the way,” Malon said as she petted Epona’s neck, “What’s your name?”

“Link,” Link responded, without any hesitation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ta-daaaaa! Why are Malon and Talon siblings? Idk just felt like it. Why does Talon swear by the oracles? Backstory. What are those mysterious floating red eyes? Find out in a future installment of my fanfic-that-has-yet-to-be-named