#it also ruined skyward for me

[shouldprobablybereading]

Officially at the halfway point (well 49%) and so far it’s a lot better than what I expected. I’ve had a lot of fun with days 4 and 5 specifically

Biggest disappointment so far is probably the spiritual realm flashbacks. They’re not bad. But I don’t feel like they reveal enough to be worth how much space they are taking up each. Which is a bit about how I feel overall. It’s using so many words but not effectively. It’s also a bit repetitive so far since all plots points are based on doing essentially the same type of thing over and over.

Which becomes a problem when I’m expecting this to be the last time I see at least a few of these characters. That was expected as it was my main problem with the lost metal. If this is the last 400 pages that I get with the characters then I want them to be at their most interesting. But instead they get split off on 45 different missions and the entire book becomes about describing action scenes

Surprisingly Szeth is actually the best part of his own book so far. He’s never been one of my favorites so I thought his flashbacks would be a bit boring. But no shinovar is deeply fascinating and I’m starting to actually get his character

[gideonnavsenormousbiceps]

think part of the reason I love loz is that it allows me to indulge my urge to explore ruins, finding treasure. and also have a sword. the sword is good too.

[tidalpooles]

Been working on my personal project some more:

Wanted to work on reference for the team, for the millionth time. Although, this time, my creative fervor has settled enough for me to finish them. I'll post more about them soon. Also thought that I'd give a bit of a rundown of their setting. 

Cael and Vic belong to a covert conservationist team that patrol the Sierra Oliva Mountains along the great country of Pinosverdes, looking for signs of eotl channeling creatures, artifacts, and ruins. It's their duty to protect all creatures, magical and non, from potential "discovery" and exploitation. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, given that eotl hasn't flown freely through the biosphere since the dawn of civilization. Its existence and secrets have been all but lost to time, presently known only to a handful of people. 

Eventually, an unprecedented resurgence of eotl across the globe brings in droves and droves of previously mythical creatures and cryptids. They scatter across the wildernesses, and present a significant threat to the safety of animal-kind. and the center of this disturbance is the daffy, fun-loving beast of teeth and fluff who they've decided to name Montel. 

Their general dynamic, I feel is that of a jaded teacher, prodigal understudy, and the big impossibly loud bum that eats all their food, uses up all the hot water, and brings home pets every other week.

I've wracked my head trying to find the "perfect Montel", and in the process, have made several iterations of the same character that I really like. I eventually came to the conclusion that each Montel can be equally as valid, while still maintaining an up-to-date "prime" design, much like with Link, in the Legend of Zelda series. There is a modern, up-to-date Link, who people consider "how the character will look like from now on". But, people still enjoy earlier iterations of the character, and new games are always being made with these older designs in mind.

Montel Iterations as Zelda Games: 

Gen I: Link's Adventure - Simple - the basis for all consecutive installations

Gen II: Wind Waker - Swirly - a little toonier

Gen III: Skyward Sword -calls back to the simpler, first installation - soft and cloudlike

Gen IV: Twilight Princess - Most distinct, odd-looking variation - Adds a handful of new characteristics

Gen V: Tears of the Kingdom - Most recent - References Skyward sword iteration a bunch

The Legend of Zelda is a major influence throughout my creative decisions, so it makes sense that I'd do it that way.

[st-hedge]

I said a while ago that for totk’s one anniversary I would write a weird little review of the game in which I throw roses at it while simultaneously slandering it. So I made an attempt which is very abbreviated

Disclaimer: I’m not telling u how u should feel about totk or what’s the right way to feel about it, I’m just trying to make sense of why the game frustrates me and putting it into words. It’s completely fine if u disagree with me, I’m not pitching an argument but just putting words on paper

Totk is one of the best games I’ve ever had the opportunity to play. The mechanics, the music, the designs, the revised world of hyrule, makes me want to curl up on the floor and cry. It is stunning and done with so much love. Where botw had lacked, totk has improved and gone above and beyond. It had frustrated me that botw only allowed us to explore the ground surface, but botw was an exploration into open world games which allowed for totk to happen. The caves, the boats, the islands, and the depths add so much to already such a vast world. I only wish there was also diving but beggars can’t be choosers beh

Although it still doesn’t make too much sense to me why all weapons are suddenly corrupted, I do love the new weapons system. I love how it gives more variety to explore. Materials which previously sat unused in the inventory are now key and nothing feels like a waste to collect. Even rupees have found another use. I’m not the biggest fan of the zonai devices but the addition feels like a love letter to the creativity of the fan base and it feels at place. They help to traverse an otherwise huge and intimidating world. But at times I feel like they give too much leverage and break down too many boundaries and leave little to solve and explore. What im basically saying is fuck the rockets.

I feel that totk doesn’t have enough progress boundaries that make u pause and explore what u have at hand. I found myself just pushing and pushing, forgetting and leaving behind areas I barely touched. It felt too easy getting into the sky and returning to the islands and they lost some of their mystery to me. I think this would have been a great opportunity to reintroduce the loftwings from skyward sword. I’ve talked before about how much this would make sense for totk. The loftwings could be a means to cross boundaries and explore new territories, but it takes time to catch and tame one as a companion. But like horses they should have their limits, presenting new boundaries u need to overcome again

Where the totk’s hyrule begins to confuse and disappoint me goes hand in hand with my main issue (confusion?) with the game. Although botw felt incomplete (the world was a little sparse and one dimensional), the story was comprehensive and clear. Meanwhile, totk has a complete and lively world but it doesn’t have a story to carry

Totk’s story doesn’t have an identity I can grasp and understand. It’s like it doesn’t know what it wants to tell the player, what story it wants to direct them to. On one hand, it seems to want us to know about the origins of hyrule and the mysterious landmarks and characters that are permanent fixtures in this world (castle, ruins, dragons) but at the same time it suddenly wants to do a retelling of OoT and about the sages and these secret stones. But the game never completes any of these stories. Maybe it wants to tell us these stories through the environment, but there is just not enough embedded into the world to grasp and tie together into a narrative. Which is ironic considering how big the world is

We begin to be told the story of the dragons, we suddenly understand how they came to be (the secret stones). But we are never told about the events of their creation (an act of desperation, like Zelda’s) and we are never close to understanding them. Then we are told about the sages, but meeting them tells us nothing new. No new cutscenes, no new items or lore directly related to them. The new sages are found, but didn’t we just discover the divine beasts with them? Suddenly another layer of importance is added to them which makes the ties between legacy and the current sages muddier. I wish there had been focus on them creating their own legacy instead

I think totk could’ve had a very interesting story to tell if it chose what it wants to focus on. Maybe the secret stones were introduced just as a way for Zelda to become a dragon? I dunno

There are so many new places that feel like fantastic opportunities for moments of pause and to uncover lore, unearth memories. But instead they’re brisk puzzles or empty sites. Like the graveyard underneath the desert, the forge islands, the factories, and the fucking poe statues. Tell me as much as u want that I can’t read environmental story telling, but I’ll just keep saying there’s nothing to read into cuz the game doesn’t know what it wants to say. There’s no thread to follow in the way there was with, for example, the graveyard at the spirit temple in OoT. We could’ve been just left with a strange well and a graveyard and told to figure it out, but a thread is laid down that these are the skeletons in the royal family’s closet.

Totk does have amazing moments, like Zelda meeting her ancestors and giving up her identity to become a living legend to revive the master sword, the discovery of the ancient temples, the story of the zonai and their origins. But these are just pieces with many loose ends around them that go nowhere. Even Ganon is left as a loose end where there was so much opportunity to say something worth saying. He seems comically evil with bogstandard bah I want to rule the world lines. If u want to make a case for evil for the sake of evil, u can at least show me a character repeatedly making horrible choices which lead them to the current predicament. Just like totk’s hyrule, he is lovingly designed but he tells absolutely no story

If the reason behind the lack of story is that the devs/writers wanted us to make our own story out of this, then I think this is a case where it was a poor choice. The fans can make theories, hcs, pick up pieces and make AUs, but we also love the stories told by the games and it’s what inspires us to uncover more stories (hey wanna talk about tp and why we hear Malon’s song at night, or what’s up with the empty desert)

I’d love to see totk from the perspective of someone who had never played or known botw. Did it really help to remove any traces of sheikah tech besides the labs and the guardian limbs in the towers. Although the zonai devices and the sheikah tech are from different time periods, totk was a perfect opportunity to marry the two elements together. The shrines and the divine beasts could’ve collapsed into the depths, but instead they have just vanished like erased history

Totk’s story doesn’t have an identity in the same way botw’s does. Even though botw’s hyrule was much smaller and emptier, we found stories there cuz we knew what that game was trying to tell us. If totk is about making sacrifices, then this message feels obsolete by the end. U should make sacrifices, but u will only be happy again if it all goes back to exactly how it was before

As happy and sweet the ending is, it made all the worry and sadness I felt seem pointless cuz of course everything would reset back to the norm cuz how else would this game have a happy ending. What was there to worry about. Yeah so what that Zelda became a dragon losing herself, she was just asleep the entire time and effortlessly she becomes her normal self. So what that link lost his sword arm, of course he would miraculously get it back even though it took him 100 years to recover from a mortal wound. No trace of the things they withstood and lost, no mark, nothing.

I loved the final battle and spectacle of the dragons struggling against each other in the sky. The battle went from the deepest depths to the highest reaches of the sky and I thought it was perfect. But once again how the story concluded and the logic behind it me made me feel like I was chewing on sand and the idyllic ending just made me look about in confusion

TLDR; totk is an amazing game with a stunning world that lacks a comprehensive story to tell

I hoped that I would get a better understanding why I’m so frustrated by totk, but instead I just feel even more confused by it and I think that’s just how I’ll have to leave it

[hedgiwithapen]

DHD: Stargate coordinates lead to [DC Comics-based dimension of your choice]

(as per messages, they are going somewhere not DC....)

The Malp showed that P-zero-K-EEE had a breathable atmosphere, decently variable temperature within acceptable range for visiting, and spectacular stone ruins. None of it looked familiar to Teal'c

"Should be fun," Jack said, putting an extra tissue packet in his pocket for Daniel. Even with the allergy medications, the poor guy could really sneeze up a storm after gate travel. 

"I can't wait to get a closer look at some of those fallen statues. They could give us an idea of what, if any, goa'uld have been there, but also so much about the civilization that existed there... If they had stoneworking technology long enough ago that--"

"Save it for after we get planetside and you actually see these rocks," Jack advised. 

The trip through the Stargate was a jolt, as always. Only it usually took mere moments, and ended with the team on solid, or solid enough, footing. 

This time, the journey continued as everyone plunged from the sky.

"Brace," Sam called a moment before they hit the sand.  

Teal'c rolled up onto an elbow. "Hm."

"Hm?" Jack groaned, sitting up himself. "That's all you got? Is hm?"

"A fall like that should have killed us." Teal'c replied. "I am uncertain as to why it didn't."

"Oh, look." Sam pointed  skyward. A massive dark spiral hung over the top of a mountain, spitting bits of lightning. "That thing must have interfered with the Stargate."

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Well, sir, if I knew, I wouldn't have called it 'that thing', now would I?"

"She's got a point," Daniel pointed out, sneezing sand out of his nose. "No sign of the Stargate or Dial Home Device, but obvious signs of civilization..." he gestured to the dock, a single moored rowboat and shack, and in the distance, a bit of smoke over the trees and hills. "Probably a town..."

"Hello!" called a voice. A man in a white coat and purple hat ran down what had to be a path towards them, panting. "Are you alright? I saw you fall from the sky."

"We did do that." Teal'c said. 

"Are you all alright?" the man asked.

"Peachy," Jack said.

"I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson," Daniel intervened. "Sorry, could you tell us where we are? And if you've seen a Stargate--that is, a big--"

The man cut him off with an answer. "You're on Prelude Beach, of course. My, you are an odd bunch. Such unusual clothing!"

"Sure," Sam agreed. "Now, about the Stargate...?"

"Stargate," the man repeated. "I can't say that I've ever heard of that. Stars...Celestial...  oh! Do you mean the Celestica ruins?"

"Yes!" Daniel grabbed on. "Could you take us there?"

"First, could you tell us your name?" Jack said, pointedly.

"I'm Professor Laventon. And...I would, but I'm quite busy with my own research right now. Speaking of-- oh, dear." He looked around, as if trying to spot something. 

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Three of the pokemon I was studying seem to have eluded me. Again. Would you mind helping me gather them?"

Jack coughed. Everyone turned to glance at him, sidelong. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "Pokemon? Like... Pikachu?"

"I haven't managed to catch a pikachu for my studies yet," the professor said, a little down cast.

"What is a pokemon, and how is it that you know of them,  Colonel O’Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"I don't," Jack said, his voice tight. 

"Oh, they're the little... creature...things." Sam said, frowning. "I think they were on a box of poptarts Cassandra had last time I babysat."

The professor beamed. "They are fascinating creatures, indeed! I do not know what a pop tart is. I'm after three of them, but I'm simply... not as skilled at this as I'd like to be. my hand-eye coordination....eh." he wiggled a hand. "Would any of you assist me? I'm sure I can convince the commander to give us an escort to the Coronet Highlands and the ruins if you help with the pokedex project..."

"Pokedex?" Daniel asked. 

"Yes! a collection of studies and notes on the habits and abilities of all kinds of pokemon to be found in Hisui! I have some, of course, already, but it's not proving to be a very easy task. I was studying a rowlet, cyndaquil, and oshawott, but.."

Teal'c surveyed the grassy field to the right. "Do you mean the creature that appears to be an owl, made spherical?"

"Yes! That's rowlet. Oh, could you catch her for me?"

Teal'c rolled up his sleeves.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, with a pokeball," Jack said. 

"A what, sir?" Sam asked. 

"The thing that guy's got--sorry, professor Laverton, was it? The--thing--" 

"Laventon," the professor said offering Teal'c a small reddish orb. "It's a new invention. You simply throw it at the pokemon and--well, something happens. They appear to shrink down and sit comfortably inside!"

He passed out the remaining orbs. 

"So we catch these three, uh, pokemon," Daniel clarified, "and then you take us to the Ruins?"

"After we talked to the head of the survey corps. And probably some lunch. And I can secure housing for you! the village really could use more--"

"Oh, we're not staying long," Jack said.

"I have caught the rowlet," Teal'c announced. Not to be out done, Sam searched for one of the other creatures, a shrew looking creature that somehow produced fire from its back and caught it. 

"Amazing," she said, opening the pokeball to look at the creature. "How does it do that?"

"That, my dear, is exactly what I'm trying to figure out," the Professor said, clapping Daniel on the shoulder when he managed to drop a pokeball directly on the clown-otter-thing's head. "This way to the village, come with me.”

"Oh," Jack said. "We are staying long. Great."

(note: using the show’s timeline place the events of the movie in the year 1996, which makes it theoretically, technically  possible for Jack’s dead son to have been interested in pokemon right when it started to be a thing)

[acourtofthought]

242 Reasons Why Lucien is the GOAT of the ACOTAR Series

“I’m Lucien. Courtier and emissary.” He gestured to me with a flourish. “Your eyes are like stars, and your hair like burnished gold.”

Lucien smirked. “Apologies, Feyre.”

I finally found Lucien astride a black gelding, grinning down at me with too-white teeth.

“I admire your balls, Feyre—I really do. Or maybe it’s stupidity

“A valiant effort,” Lucien said with a smirk.

Lucien snorted but didn’t say anything else

“I might die of surprise,” Lucien said behind me. “You made a joke, Feyre.”

A cork popped, followed by the sounds of Lucien chugging the bottle’s contents and chuckling with a muttered “Brushed.”

Lucien remained sitting on the blanket and lifted the bottle of wine in salute. He took a slug from it as he sprawled on his back and gazed at the green canopy.

He sighed, looking skyward before he studied me warily, that metal eye narrowing with unnerving focus.

I wondered—wondered if being emissary also meant being spymaster.

“I didn’t keep my mouth shut when I should have, and was punished for it.”

“Well, thank the Cauldron that you didn’t. Cleaning up that mess would have ruined the rest of my day.”

He winced. “Shit, Feyre—I’m not that old.”

Lucien huffed a laugh. “Not as good as Tam, but I know how to handle my weapons.”

“Would you like me to teach you how to wield a blade, or do you already know how, oh mighty mortal huntress?

Lucien sighed as he looked me over. “Do you ever stop being so serious and dull?”. “Do you ever stop being such a prick?” I snapped back. But Lucien grinned at me. “Much better.”

The face of Tamlin’s emissary—more court-trained and calculating than I’d seen him yet.

In lieu of a pretty breakfast table by the window, a worn worktable dominated the space, covered in various weapons.

It was there he sat, wearing only a white shirt and trousers, his red hair unbound and gleaming like liquid fire. Tamlin’s court-trained emissary, but a warrior in his own right.

“I had to go sort out some hotheads on the northern border—official emissary business,” he said, setting down the hunting knife he’d been cleaning, a long, vicious blade.

Lucien leaned back in his chair, smiling with feline delight.

Lucien never cared about it, never expected to be crowned High Lord, so he spent his youth doing everything a High Lord’s son probably shouldn’t: wandering the courts, making friends with the sons of other High Lords”—

he’d already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people.

Lucien told her to go back to the shit-hole she’d crawled out of. She took his eye as punishment.

The metal eye narrowed on me while the other remained wary, unimpressed. “Yes?”

The look he gave me was more contemplative than any he’d given me before. “I know far too many High Fae and lesser faeries who wouldn’t have seen it that way—or bothered.”

He reached for something at his side and tossed it to me. I had to fight to stay in the saddle as I fumbled for it—a jeweled hunting knife. / I’d never held one so finely crafted, so perfectly balanced.

“Burn in Hell,” Lucien replied for Tamlin.

“Idiot!” he yelled at me, then glanced behind him toward where the other faeries stared. ��Useless human fool.” Without further word, he slung me over his shoulder as if I were a sack of potatoes.

I found that he was running—fast. Faster than anything should be able to move.

I could have sworn that Lucien was sleeping upright, fork in hand.

Lucien propped an arm on the table and covered his mouth with his hand, his russet eye bright.

“Faerie pig!” I yelled, and Lucien howled, almost tipping back in his chair.

“Well, I’m late for something incredibly important,” Lucien said, and before I could call him on his outright lie or beg him to stay, the fox-masked faerie vanished.

Lucien, claiming that he had miserable emissary business to attend to,

Lucien, mercifully, appeared like Lucien. I didn’t ask whether that was because Tamlin had informed him to put up a better glamour or because he didn’t bother trying to be something he wasn’t.

“I see,” I lied, not quite seeing at all. Lucien chuckled, sensing it

He used the dagger to clean his nails. “I’ve been busy. So have you, I take it.”

Lucien climbed the statue to remove the head.

“Cauldron boil me,” Lucien whistled as I came down the stairs. “She looks positively Fae.”

“Unfortunately for you and your neck,” Lucien countered, “tonight’s just a party.” “Do you lie awake at night to come up with all your witty replies for the following day?” Lucien winked at me.

“So there’s singing and dancing and excessive drinking,” Lucien chimed in, falling into step beside me. “And dallying,” he added with a wicked grin.

“Remember the last time you ignored my warning?” He poked me in the neck, and I batted his hand away.

“I also remember you telling me how witchberries were harmless, and the next thing I knew, I was half-delirious and falling all over myself,” I said, recalling the afternoon from a few weeks ago. I’d had hallucinations for hours afterward, and Lucien had laughed himself sick—enough so that Tamlin had chucked him into the reflection pool.

His auburn hair burned like hot metal, and his russet eye smoldered like a bottomless forge.

“Cauldron boil and fry me,” he muttered,

“Idiot,” he said when he looked at my face. “Drunken idiot.”

I wanted his broad hands running over my bare skin, wanted his teeth scraping against my neck, wanted his mouth all over me. “I’m trying to eat,” Lucien said

Lucien lead me to the window, where he pushed me against the velvet drapes. / The tang of magic shoved itself up my nostrils. Though his sword was pointed at the floor, Lucien’s grip tightened on it until his knuckles turned white. Magic—a glamour. To conceal me, to make me a part of Lucien—invisible, hidden by the faerie’s magic and scent.

Lucien pointed his sword at Rhysand. “Watch your filthy mouth.”

Lucien spat at Rhysand’s feet and shoved his sword between us.

“You draw blood from me, Lucien, and you’ll learn how quickly Amarantha’s whore can make the entire Autumn Court bleed. Especially its darling Lady.” The color leeched from Lucien’s face, but he held his ground.

Lucien stared him down for a moment, spat on the ground, and stormed up the stairs.

“Well, at least we don’t have to lie to you anymore. Let’s clean you up a bit.”

“Fixed—as pert and pretty as before.” He smirked at me.

“Her name, Emissary?” Amarantha asked of Lucien. But Lucien only glanced at Tamlin before closing his eyes and squaring his shoulders.

“I thought you would have learned your lesson, Lucien. Though this time your silence will damn you as much as your tongue.” Lucien kept his eyes shut. Ready—he was ready for Rhysand to wipe out everything he was, to turn his mind, his self, into dust.

Then, shattering the silence like a shooting star, a voice—Lucien’s—bellowed across the chamber. “TO YOUR LEFT!”

She listened, of course—but only after she made Tamlin bestow Lucien’s punishment. Twenty lashes.”

He unclasped his cloak and set it around my shoulders.

“It’s why I couldn’t come sooner,” he said, his throat bobbing. “She used her—used our powers to keep my back from healing. I haven’t been able to move until today.”

The brutally scarred face beneath was still handsome—his features sharp and elegant.

“Tam!” Lucien cried over the chaos. A sword hurtled through the air, a shooting star of steel.

Lucien hunted down five naga yesterday.”

Lucien had gifted both to me—the dagger during the months before Amarantha, the belt in the weeks after her downfall, when I’d carried the dagger, along with many others, everywhere I went. You might as well look good if you’re going to arm yourself to the teeth, he’d said.

Last week, I’d finally asked him if she’d set her sights on him, and Lucien had merely given me a look, snarling softly, before stalking off

the right hand of a High Lord and another High Lord’s son.

“I didn’t lie,” Lucien said tightly. “I technically did fall off my horse.” He patted his mount’s flank. “After one of them tackled me off her.”

I am the first one the others look to—I set the example.

“I was forced to watch as my father butchered the female I loved. My brothers forced me to watch.”

“Please,” Lucien said, bowing his head gracefully. “The effort to rebuild is our burden to share. It would be our honor.”

He assured me that he hated the gatherings as much as I did, and that Lucien was the only one who really enjoyed himself,

Lucien intervened calmly, “I already have my sources looking into it.”

Lucien sighed a bit and said to Tamlin, “If we perhaps trained her in secret—”

Lucien muttered something that sounded like a plea to the Cauldron.

Lucien took a deep breath that sounded a lot like: “Here we go.”

Lucien cleared his throat. “She meant no harm, Tam.”/ Lucien held his gaze. “Worse things have happened, worse things can happen. Just relax.”

Thoughts slammed into me, images and memories, a pattern of thinking and feeling that was old, and clever, and sad, so endlessly sad and guilt-ridden, hopeless—

“How long have the claws been appearing?” he said softly. "There's only so much I can do,” he said hoarsely. “But I’ll ask him tonight. About the training. The powers will manifest whether we train you or not, no matter who is around. I’ll ask him tonight,” he repeated.

They will hunt her, and kill her, Ianthe had hissed at Lucien. Lucien had growled back, They’ll do it anyway, so what’s the difference?

We are not assassins, Lucien had cut in. Rhys is what he is, but who would take his place—. Lucien had gone on, his tone pleading, Tamlin. Tam. Just let her train, let her master this—if the other High Lords do come for her, let her stand a chance...

His red hair was tied back, and there wasn’t a hint of finery on him: just armored leather, swords, knives

Lucien, beside Tamlin, again put a hand on his sword. “Stop this.”

“That is enough.” Lucien surged for Elain, for the Cauldron.

Lucien snarled at the king over the bite of the magic at his throat, “Don’t just leave her on the damned floor—” There was a flare of light, and a scrape, and then Lucien was stalking toward Elain, freed of his restraints.

As Lucien took off his jacket, kneeling before Elain.

“She is no such thing,” she said, and shoved him again. Lucien didn’t move an inch.

Perhaps you’ll get a handsome Fae lord as your mate, too.”

Lucien’s answering growl was nothing short of feral.

Lucien spun toward me, and that metal eye whirred and narrowed. Centuries of cultivated reason clicked into place.

But Lucien was watching me warily. Too warily.

His gaze on me. Face hard. As if he’d seen through every lie. As if he knew of the second tattoo beneath my glove, and the glamour I now kept on it. As if he knew that they had let a fox into a chicken coop—and he could do nothing. Not unless he never wanted to see his mate—Elain—again.

It was Lucien who answered, studying my painting as if it held the proof I knew he was searching for.

Lucien remained leaning against the door across from mine. His room. I didn’t doubt he’d ensured I now stayed across from him. Didn’t doubt that the metal eye he possessed was always turned toward my own chambers, even while he slept.

“She’s going to spin a story that you’ll want to hear,” Lucien warned. / Lucien halted me with a hand around my elbow. “You’re smarter than that.” I studied the broad, tan hand wrapped around my elbow.

Lucien breathed, “Where is he keeping her?” / “Tell me anyway. List all of them.”. “You’ll die the moment you set foot in his territory.” “I survived well enough when I found you.”

Lucien only nodded. But I felt his gaze on my back, fixed right on my spine, as I headed downstairs

Lucien answered, “If you expect our gratitude, you’ll be waiting a while, Ianthe.”

Lucien seemed to be trying very, very hard not to roll his eyes.

I could practically feel the snide remark simmering in Lucien.

“My emissary knows the wall as well as any sentry.”

“I have an old friend at the Dawn Court. She’s skilled at tinkering—blending magic and machinery. Tamlin got her to craft it for me at great risk.”

I was fairly certain that only centuries of training kept Lucien from leaping over the table to rip out Jurian’s throat.

“The gap in the wall is right up here,” Lucien was saying, sounding about as thrilled as me to be in such company.

Brannagh studied how closely I stood to Lucien; how he shifted slightly to shield me, too.

Lucien sat against a nearby tree, folding one booted ankle over another. “Whatever you’re planning, it’ll land us knee-deep in shit.”

“I would have been a part of the human-Fae alliance.”

“I did it for you, too, you know.” Cold, hard words. “I went with him to get you back.”

But the only trace of you was that ring, melted between the stones of the parlor. I got rid of it a moment before Tam arrived home to see it.”

“This situation is terrible,” I said, and it was the truth. A low snort.

And despite Jurian, despite the sneering royals, a corner of Lucien’s mouth tugged upward.

I gave Lucien a subtle, pleading look, and he barely hid his smirk as he sauntered over to me. Our dispersing party watched as he braced my waist in his broad hands and easily hefted me off the horse.

Ever the courtier, he bowed back.

He flat-out refused to participate. I replaced him in the Rite, but …” I went in his stead, and I did my duty to the court.

I could feel Ianthe scrambling to regain control, to find some way to spin it. Perhaps Lucien could, too. For he took my hand, and then knelt upon one knee in the grass, pressing my fingers to his brow.

I kept close to Lucien, who was inclined to indulge me.

Lucien answered on the second knock. “I heard you—what’s wrong.” He scanned me, russet eye wide as he noted my disheveled hair, my sweaty nightgown. / I swallowed, a silent question on my face, and he nodded, retreating into the room to let me inside. Bare from the waist up, he’d managed to haul on a pair of pants before opening the door, and hastily buttoned them as I strode past.

“What did you dream of tonight?” he asked quietly./ Lucien rose, stalking to me. / Lucien paused half a foot from me. He didn’t so much as object as I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face against his warm, bare chest. / Lucien loosed a heavy sigh and slid an arm around my waist, the other threading through my hair to cradle my head. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.” He held me, stroking soothing lines down my back

His red hair gleamed in the faint firelight.

His silence was heavy—sad. I hated the lie, hated it for how filthy it felt to wield it. “I’m sorry,” he said

It’s why we avoid bargains unless it’s necessary: even the scholars at the Day Court don’t know how it works. Believe me, I’ve asked.” “For me—you asked them for me.”. “Yes. I went last winter to inquire about breaking your bargain with Rhys.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” “I—we didn’t want to give you false hope. And we didn’t dare let Rhysand get wind of what we were doing, in case he found a way to interfere. To stop it.”

“You didn’t stop him.” “I tried. I begged him for mercy. He didn’t listen. He couldn’t listen.”

“Even if they’re now our allies,” I mumbled, “I still hate them.” A snort. “Me too.”

“Autumn Court males have fire in their blood—and they fuck like it, too.”

Then at us, their eyes widening further as they noted Lucien’s cruel beauty.

Lucien stared him down. “We accept no tribute from the human lands. Least of all children.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, well aware that Lucien carefully watched from the shade of a nearby oak.

Lucien had gone to the stream to get more water

Lucien woke me the next morning with a hand over my mouth, warning gleaming in his russet eye. I smelled it a moment later: the coppery tang of blood. / Lucien slid from the tent, limbs loose and ready to shift into a defensive position. He’d been trained, he once told me—at the Autumn Court and at this one. Like Rhys, he usually opted for words to win his battles, but I’d seen him and Tamlin in the practice ring. He knew how to handle a weapon. How to kill, if need be.

Lucien laid his own cloak across the remains of the two young women.

“They are our allies,” he growled at me, at Lucien, both of us seated in armchairs flanking the mantel. / “And you should have left it alone for me to deal with.” Tamlin heaved a jagged breath. “Not retaliated like children.” He threw a glare in Lucien’s direction. “I expected better from you.” / “You sent the Bogge after them!” Tamlin roared. /Lucien had tracked it down—and we’d lured it, carefully, over hours, back to that camp. Right to where Dagdan and Brannagh had been gloating over their kill. / Lucien cleared his throat. Stood as well. “Tam—those humans were barely more than children. Feyre gave the royals an order to stand down. They ignored it. If we let Hybern walk all over us, we stand to lose more than their alliance. The Bogge reminded them that we aren’t without our claws, too.”

He exploded. Furniture splintered and went flying, windows cracked and shattered. / My knees slammed into the carpeted floor, and Tamlin was instantly in front of me, hands shaking— The doors burst open. “What have you done,” Lucien breathed, and Tamlin’s face was the picture of devastation as Lucien shoved him aside. He let Lucien shove him aside and help me stand. / “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Lucien said, an arm around my shoulders as he eased me from the room.

the broad panes of his chest, his stomach.

But Lucien was there. Her focus wholly on me, on taking from me the beauty I’d burned from her, Brannagh did not see him winnow until it was too late. Until Lucien’s sword refracted the light of the sun leaking through the canopy. And then met flesh and bone.

“I’m going with you,” he said again, face splattered with blood as bright as his hair. “I’m getting my mate back.”

“I know a place,” Lucien said, walking toward the cave that would take us to his home.

I let Lucien lead the way,

“It doesn’t lead anywhere. It curves away in the back—it’ll keep us out of sight.” I let him go inside first nonetheless.

Flint struck, and I found myself gazing at a makeshift camp of sorts. The candle Lucien had ignited sat on a natural stone ledge, and on the floor nearby lay three bedrolls and old blankets, crusted with leaves and cobwebs. A little fire pit lay in the sloped center of the space, the ceiling above it charred. No one had been here in months. Years. “I used to stay here while hunting. Before—I left,” he said,

“It’s too risky to eat,” I admitted, evading his question. Lucien was having none of it. “I knew. I knew you were lying the moment you unleashed that light in Hybern. My friend at the Dawn Court has the same power—her light is identical. And it does not do whatever horseshit you lied about it doing.”

His eye seemed to simmer. As if being in his own lands set that molten ore inside him rising to the surface, even with the damper on his power. “Glad to see the mask is off, at least.”

“You have the gall to question my priorities regarding Elain—yet what was your motive where I was concerned? Did you plan to spare me from your path of destruction because of any genuine friendship, or simply for fear of what it might do to her?”

His woods, by blood and law. He was a son of this forest, and here … He looked crafted from it. For it. Even that gold eye.

he waded into the stream, boots off and pants rolled to his knees, and caught one with his bare hands. He’d tied his hair up, a few strands of it falling into his face as he swooped down again and threw a second trout onto the sandy bank where I’d been trying to find a substitute for fishing twine. / Lucien picked them up by their tails, as if he’d done it a thousand times. He might very well have, right here in this stream. “I’ll clean them while you start the fire.” I

“As the youngest of seven sons, I wasn’t particularly needed or wanted. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was able to study for longer than my father allowed my brothers before shoving them out the door to rule over some territory within our lands, and I could train for as long as I liked, since no one believed I’d be dumb enough to kill my way up the long list of heirs. And when I grew bored with studying and fighting … I learned what I could of the land from its people. Learned about the people, too.” He eased to his feet with a groan, his unbound hair glimmering as the midday sun overhead set the blood and wine hues aglow. “I’d say that sounds more High-Lord-like than the life of an idle, unwanted son.” A long, steely look. “Did you think it was mere hatred that prompted my brothers to do their best to break and kill me?”

of all the sounds that Lucien so carefully sorted through while he kept watch.

he removed his cloak and added it over my blanket.

“Father,” the one now holding a knife to my throat said to Lucien, “is rather put out that you didn’t stop by to say hello.” “We’re on an errand and can’t be delayed,” Lucien answered smoothly, mastering himself.

he saw the sweat beading on my temple, my upper lip, as my blood heated. A slight bob of his chin was his only sign of understanding.

“Run,” I gasped out, but Lucien was already at my side, a steadying hand under my arm as I burned that flame hotter and hotter. It wouldn’t keep them contained for long, and I could indeed feel someone’s power rising to challenge mine. But there was another force to wield. Lucien understood the same moment I did. Sweat simmered on Lucien’s brow as a pulse of flame-licked power slammed into the stones just above us. Dust and debris rained down. I threw any trickle of magic into Lucien’s next blow. His next. / Lucien and I brought down the cave ceiling.

I’d been wearing my cloak, but … he’d indeed given me his. He shivered against the cold as we dragged and clawed our way up the mountain slope, and did not dare stop.

“Tell me about her—about Elain,” Lucien said quietly.

“And then I’ll ask your mate how he survived it—knowing you were engaged to someone else. Sharing another male’s bed.”

“You left us.” Us. Not Tamlin. Us. The words echoed into the dark,

"You fit into the Spring Court as little as I did, Lucien. You enjoyed its pleasures and diversions. But don’t pretend you weren’t made for something more than that.”

“Run,” Lucien breathed. / “Faster,” Lucien ordered. “Don’t look!” he barked as I began to turn my head to see if they’d followed. He lashed out a hand to grip my elbow, steadying me before I could even register that I’d stumbled. / “Zag,” Lucien panted. “We need to—” He shoved me aside, and I staggered, arms wheeling. Just as an arrow ricocheted off the ice where I’d been standing. “Faster,” Lucien snapped, and I didn’t hesitate.

Behind him, cut off by his brothers, Lucien had drawn his own knife and now sized up the other two.

I think Lucien shouted my name.

“Which one?” I asked carefully. Mor swept her attention over Lucien once more. I almost pitied Lucien for the weight in her gaze, the utter judgment. The stare of the Morrigan—whose gift was pure truth. Whatever she beheld in Lucien was enough for her to say, “The town house. You have someone waiting there for you.”

Lucien survey our surroundings.

But their watchful silence was indication enough: let him decide his own fate. At last, Lucien looked at me. At us. He said, “There are children laughing in the streets.” I blinked. He said it with such … quiet surprise. As if he hadn’t heard the sound in a long, long time.

“I see you brought home a new pet,” she said, nose crinkling with distaste. / Before I could introduce him, Lucien bowed at the waist. Deeply / Amren smiled slightly. “Already trained, I see.”

Lucien, to his credit, didn’t back away a step. From Rhys, or me, or the Illyrians. The Clever Fox Stares Down Winged Death. The painting flashed into my mind.

Lucien only shifted on his feet. Wary. Considering. I counted the heartbeats, debating how much I’d interfere if he said something truly stupid, when he at last murmured, “There is a longer story to be told, it seems.” Smart answer.

Lucien weighed my offer—and the three males monitoring his every blink and breath. He only nodded. Another wise decision.

“And you love him. And he—he truly does love you.” Lucien dragged a hand through his red hair. “And all these people I have spent my centuries hating, even fearing … They are your family.”

And yet there she was, acting more like a cranky old aunt than anything.”

But Lucien was standing in the doorway. And from the devastation on his face, I knew he’d heard every word. Seen and heard and felt the hollowness and despair radiating from her.

“I would never hurt her.” A bleak sort of honesty in his words.

We were almost to the door, Cassian already in the hall, when Lucien said to me, “Thank you.” I didn’t dare ask him for what.

"set up the handsome one as High Lord of Autumn"

“What did you do with yourself this afternoon?” “Slept,” he said. “Washed. Sat on my ass.”

His face was indeed controlled, but—a hint of surprise twinkled there. Wariness, too, but … surprise.

Lucien, standing near the windows and watching the sun set over Velaris, was wearing a fine green jacket embroidered with gold, his cream-colored pants showing off muscled thighs, and his knee-high black boots polished enough that the chandeliers of faelight reflected off them. He’d always had a casual grace about him, but here, tonight, with his hair tied back and jacket buttoned to his neck, he truly looked the part of a High Lord’s son. Handsome, powerful, a bit rakish—but well-mannered and elegant.

Lucien considered. “Can I offer my unsolicited advice?” / Lucien studied my mate, then me. “I assume Feyre is going.” / “Are you planning to hide her powers?” / Lucien studied me again, and it was an effort not to squirm. “My father would likely join with Hybern if he thought he stood a chance of getting his power back that way—by killing you.” / Lucien jerked his chin to Azriel. “That’s the information you need to gather. What my father knows—if my brothers realized what she was doing. You need to start from there, and build your plan for this meeting accordingly.”

Rhys swirled his wine once, set it down, and said to Lucien, “You and Azriel should talk. Tomorrow.” Lucien glanced toward the shadowsinger—who only nodded at him. “I’m at your disposal.”

He added to Lucien, who did not balk from those writhing shadows, “After lunch, we’ll meet.

“You trust Lucien.” Rhys angled his head at the not-quite question. “I trust in the fact that we currently have possession of the one thing he wants above all else. And as long as that remains, he’ll try to stay on our good side. But if that changes … His talent was wasted in the Spring Court. There was a reason he had that fox mask, you know.”

“He’s not a bad person—he’s not evil.” “He certainly isn’t.”

Too thin. She must not be eating at all. How can she even stand? The thoughts flowed through his head, one after another. His heart was a raging, thunderous beat, and he didn’t dare move from his position a mere five feet away. She hadn’t yet turned toward him, but the ravages of her fasting were evident enough. Touch her, smell her, taste her— The instincts were a running river. He fisted his hands at his sides.

Azriel seemed like a decent enough male

He tried to sound casual—comfortable. Even as his heart raced and raced, so swift he thought he might vomit on the very expensive, very old carpet. From Sangravah, if the patterns and rich dyes were any indication. Rhysand was many things, but he certainly had good taste. This entire place had been decorated with thought and elegance, with a penchant for comfort over stuffiness.

An ache like a blow to the chest went through him, but he crossed the rug. Forced his hands to be steady while he poured himself a cup of tea and sat in the chair opposite Nesta’s vacated one. “There’s a plate of biscuits. Would you like one?”

he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen.

Her eyes were the brown of a fawn’s coat.

“I am Lucien. Seventh son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.” And a whole lot of nothing. He’d told the shadowsinger all he knew—of his surviving brothers, of his father. His mother … he’d kept some details, irrelevant and utterly personal, to himself. Everything else—his father’s closest allies, the most conniving courtiers and lords … He’d handed it over. Granted, it was dated by a few centuries, but in his time as emissary, from the information he’d gathered, not much had changed. They’d all acted the same Under the Mountain, anyway. And after what had happened with his brothers a few days ago … There was no tinge of guilt when he told Azriel what he knew. None of what he felt when he looked toward the south—toward both of the courts he’d called home.

He fought against the bristling rage, the irrational urge to find the male who’d claimed her and shred him apart. The words were a rasp as he instead said, “I know. I’m sorry.”

He paused right between them and said to me, to Nesta, “She needs fresh air.” / “We’ll judge what she needs.” I could have sworn his ruby hair gleamed like molten metal as his temper rose. But it faded, his russet eye fixing on me. “Take her to the sea. Take her to some garden. But get her out of this house for an hour or two.” Then he walked away.

“Mother above,” Lucien said, dragging a hand through his hair.

Lucien had offered to make himself useful while we were gone by reading through some of the texts now piled on the tables throughout the sitting room.

But I will say that Lucien is loyal—fiercely so.”

It wasn’t just about what he thought—it was the … feeling. I sensed no ill will, no conniving. Only concern for her. And … sorrow. Longing

Cassian had come off the roof at some point to join Lucien in the sitting room, the books from the wall spread on the low-lying table between them

It felt like days ago. I rested my head against the embroidered back of the chair and watched Lucien take a seat on the rolled arm of the nearest couch. “Long day?” I grunted my response.

He weighed my tone, and crossed his arms. “Let me do something. About Elain. I heard—from my room. Everything that happened just now. It wouldn’t hurt to have a healer look her over. Externally and internally.” I was tired enough that I could barely summon the breath to ask, “Do you think the Cauldron made her insane?” “I think she went through something terrible,” Lucien countered carefully. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have your best healer do a thorough examination.”

“Please tell me,” Lucien said when I crossed the threshold into the foyer. “What the healer says. And if—if you need me for anything.”

Madja didn’t deign to answer Nesta until we were at the bottom of the steps. Lucien was already waiting in the sitting room, Mor still lingering in the dining room. Both of them rose to their feet.

Lucien muttered something about not needing to be monitored, and we all looked at him with raised brows. He just lifted his hands, claimed he wanted to freshen up, and headed down the hall.

The sound seemed to startle Elain, who swiftly set down her teacup. She rose to her feet, and Lucien shot to his. “I’m sorry,” he blurted. “What—what was that?” “It—it was a tug. On the bond.” / Then Nesta was standing in the threshold. “What did you do.” The words were as sharp as a blade. Lucien looked to her, then over to me. A muscle feathered in his jaw. “Nothing,” he said, and again faced his mate. “I’m sorry—if that unsettled you.” Elain sidled toward Nesta, who seemed to be at a near-simmer. “It felt … strange,” Elain breathed. “Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib.” Lucien exposed his palms to her. “I’m sorry.”

“And I got to Elain’s end of it when she ran off.” “Did you sense anything?” “No—I didn’t have time. I felt her, but …” A blush stained his cheek.

Lucien’s attention slid behind me, to the various letters on different styles and makes of paper. That golden eye narrowed. As Tamlin’s emissary, he no doubt recognized them. “Let me guess: they said yes, but picking the location is now going to be the headache.” Mor frowned. “Any suggestions?” Lucien tied back his hair with a strap of brown leather. “Do you have a map?”

Lucien had indeed given us an initial location, and several more when those were struck down. But that was to be expected, Lucien had said, as if he’d arranged such things countless times. Rhys had only nodded in agreement—and approval.

Especially since Lucien had left before breakfast for a library across the city to look up anything in regard to fixing the wall, a task I’d been more than willing to hand over. I might have felt guilty for never giving him a proper tour of Velaris, but … he seemed eager. More than eager—he seemed to be itching to head into the city on his own.

Lucien, stationed by the front window, turned from watching the street. Monitoring it. A sword and dagger hung from his belt. No humor, no warmth graced his face—only fierce, grim determination.

“I’ll go.” Lucien was staring at Elain as he spoke. We all looked at him. Lucien shifted his focus to Rhys, to me. “I’ll go,” he repeated, rising to his feet. “To find this sixth queen.” / “What makes you think you could find her?” Rhys asked. Not rudely, but—from a commander’s perspective. Sizing up the skills Lucien offered against the risks, the potential benefits. “This eye …” Lucien gestured to the metal contraption. “It can see things that others … can’t. Spells, glamours … Perhaps it can help me find her. And break her curse.” He glanced at Elain, who was again studying her lap. “I’m not needed here. I’ll fight if you need me to, but …” He offered me a grim smile. “I do not belong in the Autumn Court. And I’m willing to bet I’m no longer welcome at h—the Spring Court.” Home, he had almost said. “But I cannot sit here and do nothing. Those queens with their armies—there is a threat in that regard, too. So use me. Send me. I will find Vassa, see if she can … bring help.” / “You will be going into the human territory,” Rhys warned. “I can’t spare a force to guard you—” “I don’t need one. I travel faster on my own.” His chin lifted. “I will find her. And if there’s an army to bring back, or at least some way for her own story to sway the human forces … I’ll find a way to do that, too.” My friends glanced to each other. Mor said, “It will be—very dangerous.” A half smile curved Lucien’s mouth. “Good. It’d be boring otherwise.”

Lucien had indeed been studying all those maps lately. Perhaps at the quiet behest of whatever force had guided us all. My mate added, “Thank you.” Lucien shrugged. And it was that gesture alone that made me say at last, “Are you sure?” He only glanced at Elain, whose face was again a calm void while she traced a finger over the embroidery on the couch cushions. “Yes. Let me help in whatever way I can.”

I asked Lucien, “When do you want to leave?” “Tomorrow.” I hadn’t heard him sound so assertive in … a long time. “I’ll prepare for the rest of today, and leave after breakfast tomorrow morning.” He added to Rhys, “If that works for you.”

Cassian had given him free rein yesterday afternoon to loot his personal cache of weapons, though my friend had been economical about which ones he’d selected. The blade, plus a short sword, plus an assortment of daggers. A quiver of arrows and an unstrung bow were tied to his pack.

“You know precisely where you want Rhys to take you?” I asked at last. Lucien nodded, glancing to where my mate now waited by the front door. He’d bring Lucien to the edge of the human continent—to wherever Lucien had decided would be the best landing spot. No farther, Azriel had insisted. His reports indicated it was too watched, too dangerous. Even for one of our own. Even for the most powerful High Lord in history.

“It was time,” Lucien said quietly, giving me a squeeze. “For me to do something.”

Rhys extended a hand to Lucien. Lucien studied it—then my mate’s face. I could nearly see all the hateful words they’d spoken. Dangling between them, between that outstretched hand and Lucien’s own. But Lucien took Rhys’s hand. That silent offer of not only transportation.

Their gazes locked and held. / Lucien inclined his head in a bow, the movement hiding the gleam in his eye—the longing and sadness.

“I—heard the rumors and assumed Lucien Vanserra would be residing there after … what happened.” She still didn’t look at Tamlin, who remained silent and brooding. “I managed to contact him a few days ago—asked him to send samples. He did—and did not tell you,” she added quickly to Rhysand, “because he did not want to raise your hopes. Not until I’d found a solution.” No wonder he’d been so eager to head alone into Velaris that day he’d gone to help us research. I shot a look at Rhys. Seems like Lucien can still play the fox. Rhys didn’t look at me, though his lips twitched as he replied, Indeed.

The Lady of Autumn’s favorite son—not only from Lucien’s goodness. But because he was the child she’d dreamed of having … with the male she undoubtedly loved.

His power is flame, though. They’ve mused Beron’s title could go to him. His mother’s family is strong—that was why Beron wanted a bride from their line. The gift could be hers.

Other than the fact that Lucien might be Helion’s sole heir.

“Lucien,” I breathed. “Who?” Drakon’s brows narrowed. “Oh, the male with the eye. No. He met up with them later on—told them where to go. To come now, actually. So pushy, you Prythian males.

Lucien, haggard and bloody, panting for breath. As if he’d run from the shore. His gaze settled on Elain, and he sagged a little.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, coming toward us. Spying the blood speckling Elain’s hands.

“Well, I never want to fight in another battle as long as I live, but … yes, I’m in one piece.” A faint smile bloomed on Elain’s lips. But Lucien noticed that scorched patch of grass behind us and said, “I heard—what happened. I’m sorry for your loss. All of you.”

“I’ve got one hell of a story to tell you,” he said, squeezing me tightly. “And don’t be surprised if Vassa corners you as soon as the ships are sorted. And the sun sets.” “Is she really—” “Yes. But your father, ever the negotiator …” / “The human queens are still out there,” I said. Maybe I’d hunt them down. “Not for long—not if Vassa has anything to do with it.” “You sound like an acolyte.” Lucien blushed, glancing at Elain. “She’s got a foul temper and a fouler mouth.” He cut me a wry look. “You’ll get along just fine.” I nudged him in the ribs. But Lucien again looked at that singed grass, and his blood-splattered face turned solemn. “He was a good man,” he said. “He loved you all very much.”

Elain fell into step beside me, peering at Lucien. He noticed it. “I heard you made the killing blow,” he said.

I said to him, “So where now? Off with Vassa?” I wondered if he’d heard of Tamlin’s role—the help he’d given us. A look at my friend showed me he had. Someone, perhaps my mate, had informed him. Lucien shrugged. “First—here. To help. Then …” Another glance at Elain. “Who knows?” I nudged Elain, who blinked at me, then blurted, “You could come to Velaris.” He saw all of it, but nodded graciously. “It would be my pleasure.”

Tamlin just shook his head, loathing simmering in his green eyes, and walked past. Not a word. I looked at Lucien in time to see the guilt, the devastation, flicker in that russet eye.

But Lucien remained standing with us as Tamlin found his place in the sitting room to our right. Did not glance at his friend even once. Lucien wasn’t foolish enough to beg for forgiveness.

I didn’t dare look through the ruined doorway to where Lucien now stood in the sitting room, close to Elain’s side

Lucien had remained behind to help with any of the human wounded still needing Fae healing

Another tidbit that Lucien had told us.

Send Lucien then. As our human emissary.

"Where's our dear friend Lucien?" "Off hunting for dinner."

"You brought presents". "It's Solstice tradition here, but isn't it?"

An uncontrollable instinct - for a male to eliminate any threat. But he remained sitting. Even as his fingers dug into the arms of his chair

Somehow in living with Jurian and Vassa in the manor, he'd run into Elain's former betrothed. And managed to leave the human lord breathing.

The corded muscle of his forearm shifted beneath the fine silk of his sapphire jacket.

"He is a good male", I repeated.

He raised his fist to the door, but the wooden slab pulled away before he could touch it. Lucien’s scarred, handsome face appeared, his golden eye whirring. “I thought I sensed someone else arriving.”

The male had grown up alongside Eris. Had dealt with Eris’s and Beron’s cruelty. Had his lover slaughtered by his own father. But Lucien had learned to keep his cool.

He had to give Lucien credit: the male was somehow able to move between his three roles—an emissary for the Night Court, ally to Jurian and Vassa, and liaison to Tamlin—and still dress immaculately.

“Easy,” Lucien said. Cassian snarled. “Easy,” Lucien repeated, and flame sizzled in his russet eye. The flame, the surprising dominance within it, hit Cassian like a stone to the head, knocking him from his need to kill and kill and kill whatever might threaten—

“No. But we need to summon Lucien,” Azriel said, just a shade tightly, as if he didn’t like it one bit. “We need to tell him the news, and permanently station him at the Spring Court to contain any damage and to be our eyes and ears.”

Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing.

[thejolteonmastertj]

Yoooo holdup.

Somebody on discord (@thehumantoolchest) actually pointed me towards the Ancient Cistern from Skyward sword as a possible source for the EOW Faron dungeon’s flower motif. The Cistern’s also in Faron after alll!

& not just the flower motif either, it’s got a similar triangle pattern on the walls too!

So here’s what I’m thinking, the Ancient Cistern is a ruin from… what I’ll call the pre-Zonai. Not quite the Zonai we know in TOTK’s Sky or BOTW’s Faron… but, y’know. The Ancients(TM) lol.

The flower motif particularly would be passed down to an eventual era of collaboration with Hylians (I assume based on the presence of Armos, & how much further removed the rest of the architecture is from the pre-Zonai style & the later Sky-Zonai style). The ruins from this era can definitely be seen in Echoes Of Wisdom’s Faron…

Meanwhile, a separate, distinct Zonai culture had been developed in the sky. This culture would settle the depths for extraction… & at least some small pockets of land on the ground. Evidence for surface settlement can by the time of TOTK be found almost exclusively inside caves. Some seem ceremonial, many seem… militaristic. Full of weapons & nothing else, hidden in sometimes elaborate cave systems.

Indeed, whatever culture built the Faron style of Zonai ruins in BOTW must have not got along with the Sky Zonai. They blatantly covered Sky Zonai stonework at the entrance to the construct factory… it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume they also dismantled the ruins we see in Echoes Of Wisdom. (The Deku Scrubs already got started on that, after all)

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

assuming reploids can run games within their own brain, what kinds of games do you think X would enjoy most?

OOHHH AWAWAAA FINALLY SOMEBODY GIVING ME THE QUESTION THAT IM WAITING FOR!!!

Okay so I seen folks giving X their own takes of what kind of games he’ll enjoy I agree but some I don’t-

X dislikes games that have mindless violence and bloodshed. He’s a pacifist will not hesitate to fight back, also if the story is good and displays a message that he can relate to and proper morals and lessons, Puzzle games, even retro games too. Just silly games that help him to distract a little from war, but some hit harder than others.

Umm just a heads up this a long one filled with rambles and some headcanons

Here are the games I believe X would enjoy!

Tetris- Listen I just know this game would love a puzzle game! Genuinely speaking this man would get the highest scores imaginable in those Tetris royale he’s the reigning champion. I like the idea that Tetris is one of the first games that the researchers made him play when they were studying him. He finds them great for relieve stress.

Undertale - Listen the moment Axl told him that there’s an RPG where you can play as a pacifist and get the true ending. HE LOCKED IN. Like he loves that silly game to bits especially taken off guard with its themes. As he completed the whole true pacifist route (He was a Sobbing mess during the true pacifist ending). A lot people would say that sans would be his favorite character but the truth is not. The reason why he knows Sans’s thing is because Axl told him about the genocide route (he forbade anyone from playing that route on his save file, cause if they do he’s gonna be really upset.) the truth his favorites are the Dreemurs! He can relate to them on a personal level especially Toriel and Asgore. He understands their intentions, their grief, what they gone through, they are both in the right and the wrong at the same time.

They are complex characters, he doesn’t agree on Asgore killing the children but at the same time he knows that the barrier requires 7 human souls to open it. But also the moment that he broke the mercy button made him cover his mouth as he stared in shock. Toriel was doing her best to protect the children but keeping them trapped in the ruins and demonizing Asgore doesn’t help with the situation. Asriel and Chara, on how he cried in their stories as he feels nothing but guilt and pity over flowey’s existence. And yes he cried when his theme played. All characters of Undertale are complex he loves them and enjoys the nuance behind them.

Also Undyne reminds him so a lot of his wife-

Pokemon! Specifically the pokemon ranger games! Listen the idea of playing as a conservationist/ranger of helping and aiding people and pokemon alike. And then befriending said pokemon to help you solve puzzles, it’s great for him. Plus it’s nice to see conservationists getting representation in the gaming world.

The legend of Zelda series- he’s a bit picky for him to choose what game he enjoys most. He’s very well versed in the Zelda timeline, knowing all of the lore. If he had to pick a Zelda games that he enjoys the most Echoes of Wisdom and Skyward are there. Twilight Princess is probably how he got Zero into Zelda, after he watched X play it once time when he was crashing in his place. He also got Axl into it too through Botw and Totk but he unfortunately witnessed Axl committing every war crime imaginable in those games. He never in his life ever been so exasperated yet unsurprised by this. He would give him a A for creativity but man…why?

Professor Layton series is a puzzle series that he greatly enjoys, the stories are delightfully engaging, the characters are a treat and the puzzles were so much fun to do! X really enjoys Layton as a character of how well mannered and polite as a gentleman can be and lil Luke he appreciates him. He also loves the spin off featuring his adopted daughter!

Animal Crossing is a cute game for him to make his lil town, befriending cute animals and decorating his house. A cozy game for him to relax too! He spend hundreds of hours getting everything and making his dream house! When it comes to villagers, he lets them come and go as he pleases. He, Layer, Cinnamon and Massimo have island hang outs at Weekends, visiting the other’s island and helping eachother out it’s lovely.

Subnautica, the deep underwater exploration and studying the life that lives on. It’s eerie and at times stressful but it intrigues him deeply. It’s one of those games that he introduced to Marty and she is in love of it. She often with him on the couch together, watching him the play game as Marty happily gushes the sea life and needs out over it. He loves hearing her yap about it, when the gargantuan leviathan popped out of nowhere he screamed while Marty is even happier, that’s a big baby!

Phoenix Wright, another puzzle game! He found out about it, because he knew that Professor Layton had a crossover with it so he decides to give it a try. He enjoyed it! It was a critique of the Justice system (that he’s 100% behind it of critiquing governing power systems). But the characters were absurd and the story was a bit bonkers but at the end he enjoys them. Even more of watching his friends reach to the nonsense of how wild these cases they are. Very frustrated that Maya keeps getting framed and imprisoned for unnecessary reasons. It leaves him baffled that Phoenix keeps getting into these near death experiences and walking away from these without injury. Edgedworth investigations is a relief to him cause finally someone using common sense.

Cooking Mama, ITS SELF EXPLANATORY OKAY!?

Stardrew Valley- it’s another cozy game that he enjoys. Sometimes being a farmer in a quant village is nice and he enjoys the events that follow.

He rarely game first person shooter games but hearing Axl scream on the other side of the room after being sniped at a long distance is incredibly satisfying to hear.

Mario games are neat for him, like platformers are a hit or miss for him but his first Mario game was Oddessy, so the exploration is fun and intuitive for him. Other games are pretty fun too (Wonder and Paper Mario TYD are one of his favorites.

Fuga Melodies of Steel, yep it’s one of those games that he screams and cries. The story hits him so hard, especially the fact that these children had to man a massive Tank going through war as they try to save their loved ones. He loves these children to death seeing their personalities, desires and quirks, they endeared him. It hurts him so deeply, he’s impressed how it was mature to handle the realities of War what it does to people. Let me tell you once he finds out and witness what the soul cannon does he was on his knees, the guilt and horror of sacrificing a child’s life to save others gutted him harder than Sigma’s lasted blast- Zero walked in to him staring at the screen for hours while tears where streaming on his face of what he has done.

He restarted his save file and ensured no child will ever be used to fire that a cursed weapon.

He was extremely relieved that they changed how the soul cannon worked and it doesn’t sacrifice their lives him. He loved reading about the lore of this game and the fact that it was humanity were responsible of their own downfall doesn’t surprise him-

Despite the horrors of wars and tragedies the children marched on, holding on to hope for a better tomorrow. A sentiment that he’s grateful for.

[mistymandalas]

Listen. Listen.

Wind waker is a game about saying goodbye to the old world.

But it’s not just a goodbye.

When the king in wind waker sees a boy clad in green and a girl with the blood of wisdom in her veins, he ties them to their roles.

He says “this will work, this must work, this is how it must go”

He takes a girl with autonomy, with promise and power and drive, and he puts her right where her ancestors stood, where they watched the history go down without them

When two children take Gannons life, watch the blood from his head seep into the stones of his castle, it is an angry, bittersweet, nessesary farewell.

It’s a visceral, cathartic cutting of ties. It is a “Goodbye world I never knew. You limit me, you define me, you

The difference between wind waker and most other Loz games is that the hero has always lived the world that has to die. Most Zelda games are about new worlds, new beginnings, new chapters.

In skyward, they create Hyrule together. They leave behind the sky and the clouds. In the ruined timeline, they start rebuilding. They leave behind the ruins and the violence and the hunting of the hero.

Botw is closer to wind waker in the sense that they leave a world behind, start a new one. But botw has a tenderness, a care for the world 100 years ago that wind waker doesn’t lack, per se, but differs. Botw link did live in that world once.

But wind waker. There’s a reverence for the old world, a respect, but not a relevance. The old world is not embedded and entwined with the new like in botw.

The castle under the ocean, unveiled at long last. See it with a milky haze, a frozen air, a tone of voice that demands respect.

Link stands under the statue of his predecessor and has to feel small, lesser, weaker.

He has to feel that smallness more and more each time an elder compares him to the hero of time. He has to feel the pressure to be great as he was, to live up to his name, to be the Hero of Time Reborn.

Am I making sense. Do you understand.

I’m saying all of this crap about angsty, angry goodbyes, but wind waker is also about hope.

Also about the worlds that spread after the death, about a young hero that loves to smile, to laugh, to help people and get in trouble and play silly games like sploosh-kaboom.

He dosent have to feel small at the end. Tetra doesn’t have to wear the dress, doesn’t have to sit in the time-out cube. They can be silly and happy, they can make their own story.

[ganondoodle]

I am sorry to hear that the depression has stolen your spark.

I want you to know that you are the sole reason I gave Skyward Sword a chance. Your art was so beautiful and compelling that I just had to know about the media it came from.

Your art introduced me to an incredible community that years later, I am still benefitting from. Your art was the gateway, and I've always been thankful to you for that.

I hope your spark realights, and I hope you can kick depression right in its ass.

i- i did that????? qoq

yes im reviving old reaction pictures

i hope im not ruining the mood bc .. this legitimately made me tear up and i kept thinking of this ever since receiving the ask-

but bc i cant keep my mouth shut (i apologize if you are already well aware of all this i just .. like to talk i guess), i ... idk i have said this before but i feel incredibly conflicted about demise (am i allowed to like him??? do i even like him when i changed him so much??? am i a fraud fan????) and the game he comes from, i .. dont actually like skyward sword that much, or, not as much as it may seem like (my favorite is windwaker, second is botw), every now and then i even feel guilty for demise being my blorbo tm- as much as i love him im under no illusion what his introduction to the series did, the games lore is not .. great, it seems to have kickstarted the decline of the series writing and completely torpedoed any sort of fandom discussion by making zelda a literal reincarnation of the good tm gods of love and light and peace and everything good tm uwu and pit her against an evil demonnnnn that just crawled out the earth one day (??) and was only evil and bad and dark and hate incarnate an hated the good tm gods bc hes jsut so eviiiil, it gave rise to the utter dissmissal of any sort of ganondorf related discussions (funny how it only seems to apply to ganondorf, and none of the other villains hmmmmmmmmmmmm) bc, while not confirmed confirmed (though the fandom likes to pretend that), hes now widely seen as a reincarnation of demise and thus, doesnt need nuance or be given any grace or thought bc apparently when you say someone is a demon (or its reincarnation, which i dont believe ganondorf is, to be clear) that means its fine to not give them any thought bc demons are just evil tm and thats ok and good writing actually (wat????)

(if you take skysw as canonically how it all went down bc my interpretation makes it all be a fabricated lie so the gods can play their little games, there is no godess reincarnation, that was a lie to make way for an opressive kingdom belivieing itself to be irrevocably good no matter what they do etc)

it also cheapens any of the past entries, all of them have been flattened by this, why disscuss ganondorfs motivation lol, he just be a demon/demons puppet, zelda could never be wrong or do bad things bc she literal incarnation of goodness uwu etc- (and then totk, only the second game after skysw, retreads its points and makes it even worse while ALSO trampeling over that game imo)

i dont like saying it, but i do feel a little alienated even from ganondorf fans (i love him too!!!!!) bc they hate demise, and rightfully so, it feels weird having your main blorbo be the reason your second fav is constantly done dirty, why you cant even talk about anything critically bc 'iTs jUst a sIMpLe fAiRytALe' now and part of the reason the lore in general has gone to shit, and i dont know how much i can talk about that before i become an obnoxious 'well ACTUALLY my blorbo, who is the reason for all this, is ALSO done dirty and im gonna explain away the bad stuff via my completely noncanon reinterpretation-' guy, or if i already am what im doing with destiny is like .. my way of trying to fix it and make it interesting again? though at this point i guess im falling into the category of people who change their blorbo so much that there really isnt anythign left of the og, which worries me alot, though i wonder if thats even possible given how little there is to him in the first place, i so often see viral posts that make me feel guilty or conflicted for the way i work with media, "actually my blorbo did all those crimes and thats good you all who need to explain away the bad things are weak and annoying!!" "people who change their favs until they barely resemble the character anymore should just make an oc instead!!"-

i dont know if i take these types of posts too literally, i dont know when or how they apply, but it always circles around in my head, i know not everyone can like what you do, but i want to work with the material i have in an interesting way, not a puritanical way (or however you call that), its not in my mind every second, but it nevertheless makes me doubt what i do with my fanworks anytime i talk about them-

... this wasnt really the point of the message was it ... apologies, i hope not every ask will devolve into a sort of mini rant ;__; i dont mean to invalidate what you said, (and im not saying skyward sword is all bad, its full of charm, from characters to designs, just the lore is .. damaging) it is incredibly touching bc me or my art having a positive impact on people blindsides me every single time like "WHAT??? IMPOSSIBLE you MUST be thinking of someone else, no way i could do that", when something gets brought up my thoughts just kinda start pouring out, i thought about deleting everything i wrote, but then felt like that wouldnt be as genuine anymore (i am not normal tm after all and im long past a point pretending otherwise) and have wasted another hour for nothing, so im gonne leave it in and hope, pray even, it comes across correctly

q-q

[ganonfan1995]

More DSAU rambling, extended talking about the Zonai and Hylaru:

As much as I love the idea that the Zonai are off-world beings who came to Hyrule and brought the secret stones with them, etc... that feels a bit like propaganda to me. I think, for DSAU, that’s the case entirely. They're terrestrial—subterranean, in origin.

Their discovery of Zonaite wasn’t by mistake, it was one of their naturally occurring resources, which took them a long time to figure out exactly how to use. Similar to how iron was utilized prior to the discovery of smelted iron, which led to the Iron Age.

LoZ has always been about hubris in a way, it always takes place in the ruins of civilization, and the Zonai are no exception to this.

Something I wish ToTK played with more is the overall development and lore surrounding the Zonai, though I know that would defeat the purpose of their namesake. But by giving them any development at all in ToTK already ruined the mystery of their existence.

I think Zonaite was the perfect resource for them to settle to the surface. The increase of artifacts, tools, weapons, lead to an economic boom, which lead to the eventual settlements on the surface which would later become cities. But I also don't think they had the exact resources to grow larger than they had, I really want to emphasize that at this time they relied on a single forge, and smaller mines scattered among the depths.

Monsters, much like the Zonai, naturally inhabit the depths, making mining and forging all the more dangerous. At this time, I don’t think the Zonai fully understood how powerful their newfound energy source was. The refining process was rudimentary, constructs had not been invented yet, and battery power was far from discovery.

I think greed is another core LoZ theme that ties into the “hubris” leading to the decline of any LoZ kingdom. Even the Royal Family, despite its unwavering “goodness,” falls victim to greed in multiple instalments. It’s the poison that hardens the heart, incompatible with the “pure of heart” ethos that the stories hinge upon.

Greed is at the forefront of the Zonai’s first downfall: small wars over mining and Zonaite production escalated into larger civil wars, which broke apart alliances and plunged their once-great cities into chaos and disrepair. While the Zonai did not entirely disappear, their civilization entered a dark age for some time. Zonaite eventually became a relic of the past, and the remaining artifacts became precious heirlooms.

Hylaru is a character I'm still fleshing out, but she is essentially Hylia.

I really, really love the original Hylia concepts from Skyward Sword. I think I latched onto her as a concept more than I anticipated. But much like how I feel about the Zonai lore tidbit in Tears of the Kingdom, the Hylia lore feels a lot like propaganda. She's built up to be this infallible goddess, with nothing but goodness in her heart. Yet, throughout the game, you get a very different sense of her. Between the ruins of Lanayru, once home to a vibrant ocean now reduced to a desert, the land mined dry—literally—to her use of both the hero and her own priestess in a story they had no choice but to play a part in. She's a goddess of time, a manipulator, she's the hands that move the puppets in accordance with her master plan.

Anyways, even in Breath of the Wild, I still got the vibe that Hylia revises her role as a morally ambiguous goddess. She doesn't necessarily care if Hyrule is leveled entirely or how much life is lost in the process, only that her presence is everlasting and that her realm continues to stand victorious over her adversaries.

Hylaru was once a noble among her people, now reduced to a small handful of Zonai who managed to retain their inherited wealth from the first gilded age, prior to the economic decline. I want to highlight her similarities to Zelda, using her as a foil to really illustrate Zelda's connection to Hylia the goddess. Hylaru is a scholar of sorts—she’s interested in Zonai history and the properties that Zonaite possesses. She wants to uncover the lost history of her people, and in the process, restore what she believes to be rightfully hers as the last standing nobility of her people.

It's during her expeditions to the depths that she discovers the first Secret Stone. Its origins are kept vague for simplicity’s sake, but one thing is certain: it’s powerful and unearthly. It immediately binds to her, and much like her descendant, she finds herself able to bend time at her will. Hylaru is captivated by her discovery and pours over it obsessively. It isn't long before she deduces that it is a fragment of a larger, more powerful artifact. Driven by her insatiable need for knowledge, she revives the ancient mines, and with the aid of her Secret Stone, unearths discoveries lost to time.

The mines are successfully revitalized, and forges are lit for the first time in centuries. Under Hylaru’s ever-growing research institutions, a new process is discovered that further refines Zonaite. Hylaru comes into possession of her second Secret Stone, and constructs are created to autonomously operate the mines and forges.

Eventually, through industry and excavation, Hylaru, unnoticed, comes into possession of seven Secret Stones. Three of these are found in the remains of once-great serpents, buried and forgotten in remote regions of the depths. Another three are found in ancient temple ruins, whose origins remain a mystery even to the Zonai. The last is found on the surface, in a cave, sequestered away in an ancient tomb belonging to a prehistoric king.

But despite her best efforts, she’s unable to locate the eighth and final fragment. However, being in possession of seven of the eight, she is able to amplify her abilities of time manipulation, creating a realm that exists just outside of time and space itself—a sacred realm in which she is able to keep her treasure hidden away until she can reclaim the final fragment.

From here, Hylaru becomes aware of all possible pasts, presents, and futures. Her ambitions become reality, and Hylaru, though mortal, claims godhood. She places statues, which become her eyes in all regions of the realm. She reclaims the title her predecessors lost generations before her, and with her newfound power, wealth, and godhood, she sets her sights on total control of the land.

Playing into that a bit, I think I want Hylaru's arc to follow suit, borrowing from the Skyward Sword prologue I posted about a few days ago in lesser detail.

The relentless mining of Zonaite began to have adverse effects on the land itself. As they delved deeper into the earth to extract the precious mineral, tremors and earthquakes became increasingly frequent, rending the landscape apart. Chasms opened in the earth, and from these cracks emerged creatures long sealed away—monsters and horrors that had once been imprisoned beneath the surface. These ancient abominations spread terror across the land, sowing chaos and destruction, while the Zonai continued to push forward in their pursuit of power. As the land grew more unstable and dangerous, the Zonai found themselves more isolated from the world around them. The other peoples of Hyrule struggled against the rising tide of monsters and the encroaching chaos. Yet the Zonai, indifferent to the suffering they had caused, continued their pursuit of progress, “unaware” of the destruction left in their wake. In time, Hylaru, seeing the world slipping into ruin beneath her feet, devised a solution: to raise the Zonai above the chaos they had created. Using the very power of Zonaite, the Zonai elevated vast swaths of land into the skies, forming floating islands where they could live in peace, away from the monsters and the tremors that ravaged the earth. These sky islands became the new homeland of the Zonai, a paradise above the rising storms. Here, they could continue their work, oblivious to the consequences below. While the Zonai prospered in their skyward refuge, the land beneath them was left to decay. The monsters roamed freely, the chasms remained open, and the other peoples of Hyrule were left to fend for themselves. The Zonai, in their isolation, had severed their connection to the world they had once ruled directly. Their forges continued to burn and their mines autonomously continued to eat away at the earth beneath them.

With the remaining Zonai safe, the Goddess Hylaru descended upon the surface where she joined the land dwellers, offering them protection from the monstrous forces in exchange for subservience. All the while, the mines below the surface continued to ravage the land as Hylaru continued her search for the remaining Secret Stone.

Hylaru eventually locates the eighth piece from the sacred realm in a timeline adjacent to her own. From there, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom take place up until Sonia's death, where the DSAU diverges. This explains away the missing Triforce from BotW and ToTK, while adding more motive and depth to Hylia's character.

Time travel plots can be difficult to handle, but my intent is that BotW and ToTK happen before DSAU , obviously. However, ToTK's canonical ending becomes the "bad end" of this AU, in which Hylaru—disguised as Hylia—is successfully able to convince Zelda to relinquish her Secret Stone to her. Hylaru then fuses the pieces together, and the Triforce is complete.

My thinking is that, Hylaru's entire goal is to establish the Royal Family as the insurance that protects her divine treasure. This extends to Ganon murdering Sonia and becoming the demon king.

Hylaru’s manipulation of Ganon is key to her plan. Turning Ganon into the Demon King would ensure that the cycle of conflict continues. The Triforce—and the royal family’s possession of it—would be forever necessary to keep the land’s balance in check. Ganon’s descent into darkness would ensure that the cycle of violence between him and the royal family persists for all time, with each generation needing the Triforce to protect Hyrule from the chaos he unleashes. Hylaru's rationale is that this perpetual cycle of conflict ensures that the Zonai’s influence over Hyrule remains unshakable. The Triforce remains at the center of Hyrule's legacy, and Hylaru's "bloodline" will continue to guide the land.

Hylaru, as the figurehead Hylia, becomes more than just a manipulative figure—she is the architect of the empire in Hyrule, the one who has shaped the royal family's destiny and continues to pull the strings from the shadows. Her divine masquerade as Hylia allows her to be worshiped as a god, masking her true nature as a power-hungry monarch who seeks to maintain supremacy at all costs.

She may believe that her reign as Hylia will bring order and stability to Hyrule, but it comes at the cost of the individual will and freedom of the people. She wants to ensure that the Triforce remains necessary, and the endless cycle of violence between the Royal Family and Ganon continues to feed the power imbalance that places her at the top.

[powdermelonkeg]

I’ve noticed that a lot of people have some problems with the Totk narrative and was wondering what you thought about it! I’m personally pretty neutral but I can see why people don’t like it. Have a wonderful day!

Okay so controversial opinion here from me:

TotK > BotW

WITH A CAVEAT

I enjoy games IMMENSELY more when I'm not spoiled on them. Skyrim mesmerized me because I flat out was not expecting an actual execution in the first five minutes. I love exploring things for myself.

I went into TotK with ZERO proper spoilers, on purpose. All I had was my own speculation from my trailer breakdowns, and the barest glimpse of Sonia from a leak. The world fascinated me. The physics engine was insanely fun to play with. I got super excited with the return of caves and dozens of collectables. I loved discovering new recipes. I LIVED in the Depths. And the slow horror of figuring out what exactly Zelda did to herself—I saw Tear 3, felt a sinking feeling of dread, rushed into the Depths of the castle to break down that last mural, then panicked as I raced around Hyrule trying to get the rest of the memories. I got the final memory, and I stood on top of Zelda's head for half an hour in shock.

BotW, on the other hand, I spoiled myself on, and was let down by in terms of what I expected out of it. I think the story would have captivated me had I stayed off of Youtube and actually bought the game (was broke at the time, didn't get it until 2019) and experienced it as intended. But I KNEW all the cutscenes, so I didn't have a drive to chase them. Which left the mechanics of the game on their own for me to get used to; I liked cooking, I loved getting a house. I hated how few enemy types there were, I missed my pieces of heart and secret caves and collectables. It's a secret to everybody? Wrong. 85000 shrines.

I started Zelda with Twilight Princess. That's been the bar for me since the beginning. If lighting two unlit torches doesn't give me a secret chest, or beating a challenging minigame doesn't give me a better quiver, it doesn't feel like Zelda to me.

Everything in BotW felt samey because I'd taken the narrative out of its natural habitat and experienced it as a movie rather than as a game, and the most variation enemies really had was a color or elemental difference. No Redeads in the desert, no Toadpoli in the lake, no Freezards in the ice. Also the bosses had no individuality.

Now, I 100% understand why people who love BotW don't love TotK. A lot of what was set up in BotW was undercut in favor of telling the story of Ocarina of Time again. There's no moving past the cycle like BotW implied there would be, and the refusal of the devs to so much as show the ruins of the last game's pivotal pieces feels like they didn't want to commit to anything. It's like if Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures were said to be direct sequels; they've got the same flavor, the same mechanics, but why does NOTHING have continuity?

(I've kind of microdosed on this frustration myself in regards to the timeline; all that effort to say BotW was at the end of all three timelines and do away with the mess they released in Hyrule Historia, and they add Zonai tech in on top of the Sheikah tech with no continuity??? Rauru and Sonia vs Skyward Zel??? Rito existed at the dawn of time. What)

As a continuation of BotW's narrative, it fails. Not egregiously enough for fans to be able to disconnect them and call them their own stories, but badly enough that the overall story feels like it was meant to be two, not one. That's a frustrating point to be in; too much is intertwined between them to break them off and create for them separately, but it's also not intertwined enough that you can't see that it's fraying at the edges.

Anyways...

I liked it. A lot. I think the whole dragon plotline and worldbuilding is fascinating. I have my gripes with dialogue, as one always does with Nintendo games, but you know.

[abbyz-elda]

Intro and Master List

Bio:

Hi! I'm Abby, I'm a Christian, and I love to write! I write both original works and LoZ fanfiction. You can find the link to my main blog right here if you want to check out any of my original stuff!

I started playing games in the Zelda franchise in 2023, when I picked up Breath of the Wild for the first time! Since then, I've played Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom, and Ocarina of Time. The franchise has quickly become a huge part of my heart and I'm so excited to learn more and connect with other fans of the games.

2024 Masterlist:

Multi-Chaptered Fics:

A Link to the Stars

In Progress

My current WIP! In collaboration with @coffebits

The planet of Hyrule has known peace for decades. Princess Zelda, heir to the throne, has gotten to watch her best friend and general of the Hylian army, Link, explore neighboring planets, lead diplomatic missions, and defend their planet against possible attacks for years.

But when a strange moon appears in the Hylian skies, shining with hostile light, Zelda is the first to volunteer to investigate. Link and his right hand man, Ganondorf, enlist their services alongside her. As the team begins to study the strange moon, they soon discover that it is filled not only with fearsome monsters, but an ancient evil that seems to call to the spirits of each one of them. Will they be able to neutralize the threat to protect Hyrule, or will the presence of the moon unleash a curse that has lain in wait for generations?

Vows of a Hero

Completed - 20,458 words

When Link drew the Master Sword, he knew that it would mean the lives of Hyrule rested on his shoulders.

He did not know that it would also mean that the Princess of Hyrule would now be his wife.

To Become an Immortal Dragon

Completed - 28,537 words

When Zelda wakes, she remembers nothing.

Not her friends, not her history, not the castle that once was her home.

Not even the man kneeling before her, calling himself her husband.

In Between

Completed - 90,415 words

This was my very first fic, and the one that got me writing Zelink in the first place! It'll always have a special place in my heart

After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Link and Zelda set off to unite Hyrule, despite the fact that Link does not have his memories, and Zelda is still recovering from her imprisonment in the castle. Along the way, they wrestle with their relationships with each other, themselves, and the people they want to protect.

This story serves as a loose connection between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, exploring the relationship between Link and Zelda in the wake of disaster.

Lyrics of Love

Completed - 27,972 words

A modern AU where Link is a very successful singer/songwriter/dancer and Zelda is a representative of a music publishing company.

One-Shots:

I'll Hold You Till You Fall Asleep

For Zelink Week 2024 - Fading

After so much time spent apart, Link takes his wife back home.

May I Have this Dance?

For Zelink Week 2024 - Under the Stars

In a secluded garden outside of the royal family’s New Year’s Ball, Zelda asks Link for a dance.

All that I Can Give You

Link wants to give Zelda everything, but he doesn't feel like it's enough.

Not One More Second Without You

For 150 Followers Celebration

Zelda and Link are visiting Hebra just weeks before their wedding. In the midst of the never-ending cold, Link realizes that he does not want to wait one more second to have his wife in his arms. And luckily, there's a Rito Village elder very close by that can perform the ceremony. It's just about convincing Zelda to say yes.

Rainy Days and Ruined Dinners

Link comes home to find that Zelda has indulged an...interesting craving of hers. Link, ever the courageous hero, comes to the rescue.

The Sword No Longer Speaks

Weeks after defeating Demise, Link can't seem to stop staring at the sword. Zelda resolves to help him.

Light Conversation

Link sits down for a quiet chat with the Light Dragon.

Kissing in the Moonlight

Zelda decides to ambush her royal knight after his patrol and kiss him just a little bit senseless.

Reunion

An interpretation of the ending cutscene of Tears of the Kingdom.

Finally, a Royal Wedding

After their second reunion, Link and Zelda decided enough was enough. They came clean about their secret marriage to all of Hyrule, and all of Hyrule decided that they were robbed of a royal wedding. So they threw one. Plus a coronation, I guess.

What if We Kissed in a Divine Beast?

Zelda is playing a little too rough with Vah Medoh and ends up injuring Link. They might stare into each other’s eyes for a few moments too long.

A Link to the Stars: Constellations

Bonus stories, bonus chapters, and deleted scenes from A Link to the Stars

[izunias-meme-hole]

Okay, I keep hearing about the stuff about “TOTK is Pro-Imperialism” and I want to share my thougths.

TOTK isn’t Pro-Imperialism, but it isn’t Anti-Imperialism either

This debate has been surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom for quite a bit, so I’m just here to state my thoughts on it based off of stuff from previous games, and stuff from in-game to try my best to form the clearest possible explanation to all of this. I apologize if this sounds like ramblings, I’m just trying my damnedest to condesce my thoughts on this matter into one post.

Point 1: Rauru is flawed, but not a monster

A fair amount of people think Rauru was the real evil, primarily due to the imperialism, but the reality is not exactly that. Rauru genuinely is a good man, and doesn’t exactly match the image of a conqueror or malevolent being in the end, but he does fall into an archetype the series likes presenting; The Questionable Hylian King. King Rhoam and Daphnes both fall into this category by both being men who would do whatever they can to preserve the Kingdom of Hyrule, but they aren’t exactly great people. Rauru however is a unique case, because despite having a good heart, he is still questionable because of how he was planning to build his kingdom, the stash of Zonai Secret Stones that were just kept in the castle at the time, and based off of how he planned to handle Ganondorf before the bastard became the Demon King, he didn’t consider the potential problems. 

As for the Imperialism, based off the scraps of info we have on the Zonai, and the fact that Rauru even considered on having that be the base for the system that Ancient Hyrule would function on once, it leads me to believe that the Zonai Civilization was most likely an empire that lived in the skies that mostly kept to itself and was around since Skyward Sword. Still, empires are destined to fall, and as a result, only 2 young Zonai were left, Rauru and Mineru. I think that when Rauru was founding Hyrule with Sonia, he was most likely thinking about the Zonai Civilization, and what aspects of that he could carry over into this new kingdom. Still, it’s clear that when building Hyrule, the one thing he DID consider was that he wanted a kingdom and land that would bring peaceful and orderly, and he might’ve flirted with the idea of a United Hyrule after finding out about the other races and civilizations.

Rauru if anything, wanted order. He wanted Hyrule to be a land that wasn’t sullied by evil, and he had good intentions and a good heart, but his methods were flawed at best and just garbage at worst. If anything, Zelda and Link are meant to basically are meant to look at him and learn what NOT to do when rebuilding Hyrule. Order may be something that’s usually associated as something good, but it just depends on who’s trying to establish it.

Point 2: Ganondorf has a motive and it’s one that brings only chaos

I hear talks about how Ganondorf has no motive in this game, but that isn’t the case here. This is mostly denied with some lines of his english dub and his motive is explained clearly in the Japanese dub. He, much like his other incarnations, is one of those antagonists who follow “The Mandate To Heaven,” which is basically a “the strong thrive while the weak perish” mentality that was used by a lot of real life emperors and conquerors, however there’s also another element to his character that seperates him from other incarnations of the character. He’s an embodiment of chaos and is aware of it.

Look at Ganondorf’s Demon King design, and his personality in this game and tell me that he isn’t chaos incarnate. Ganon has ranged from being a classic villian, a tragic villain, and magnificent bastard as a human, to a generic doomsday villain in his beastial forms. But here? He’s aware of his capacity for causing chaos and uses it to his advantage to ruin Rauru’s attempt at establishing order. Not only that, but he believes that hard times make people strong, and that anyone who desires peace is a coward. He and the Gerudo have thrived in a chaotic environment, The Desert, however while the rest of the Gerudo wish to just be left the hell alone, Ganondorf wished to extend his reach across the land, and after becoming the Demon King, his first act was to revive dead monsters, reintroducing chaos into the world as a result. He abandoned the Gerudo for the sake of his goal to dismantle the young Kingdom of Hyrule and turn the land into a hellscape where only the strong can thrive, a hellscape ruled by him, a king who MUST crush any opposition and rule.

This is a similar, yet different take on Ganondorf that not only remains true to his kingly mentality, but carries a chaotic and destructive energy that helps cement him as a true enemy to order as a concept, and not a king who’s selfish heart caused him to go power mad (OOT, TP & WW) or a genuinely good leader who still carries a monstrous and power hungry side to him (HW). This Ganondorf is not just evil, nor is he just a conqueror. He’s the enemy to peace and order, no matter who’s trying to establish it, all because peace and order doesn’t align with his worldview.

Point 3: Zelda is not a monster, but she does carry an impact

This one should be obvious, especially since Hyrule was still realing from The Calamity, but apparently it isn’t. Zelda is the last Hylian Royal in the present, but not just that. She’s been helping people recover, alongside the Shiekah too. She’s probably kept in touch with the Gorons, Rito, Zora, and Gerudo during that time and helped them too, and considering that she was friends with their champions, it gives her even more reasons to help, despite the fact that she would’ve tried to help anyway. Zelda in all of her appearances, especially in BOTW and TOTK is a genuinely good person, but unlike Rauru, she’s only concerned with peace and is careful with her steps. Remember, she DID question Rauru’s plan to keep an eye on Ganondorf. Sure it’s her duty to ensure order, as The Princess, but she genuinely believes that peace should be the objective of any royal. Zelda is willing to do whatever she can for peace, but she knows that there are certain paths that she cannot tread, unless she desires to abuse her power, and this is why she values wisdom, and this is why people trust her as much as they do.

Ganondorf’s puppet copy of Zelda did some heinous shit with her face, but even then, it still managed to fool some people. The puppet was designed to take advantage of that trust, and put people in distraught. In other words, when the REAL Zelda came back, you bet your ass that shit was set stright.

Point 4: The imperialism is just… existing in ancient hyrule, and is never glorified or demonized

Yeah, imperialism is implied, but it’s not glorified or demonized. It was just there for Ancient Hyrule before Ganondorf threw the land into chaos. Aside from that, based off of everything we know about BOTW and TOTK, whatever imperialism was in going to be in Ancient Hyrule, it didn’t see the light of day BECAUSE of the chaos created by Demon King Ganondorf. If anything it was just known as a thing exclusive to that era, and I explained Rauru’s deal. It’s almost like the imperialism was just a thing of the past and nothing more, a failed byproduct of a founder who was flawed as a King.

Before anyone brings it up, yes, the Gerudo of the past (TOTK Memories and OOT) are different from the ones in the present, and they even fought Rauru, but juding by how their leader revived a bunch of long dead monsters and tried to turn the world into his “only the strong survive” dreamland, it makes sense why they ditched him, it’s the same reason why the Gerudo centuries after OOT are allies of Hyrule in the BOTW timeline. They may have their problems with the hylians and men, but they’d rather work with them than pave the way for Ganondorf to bring them to ruin.

Conclusion: ToTK is not propaganda, it’s just a simple game with a piece of lore that has imperialism

As I said in point 4, the game isn’t pro imperialism, but it isn’t anti imperialism either, it just brings it up for the flashbacks as the implied system of government Rauru probably wanted to set up (Which I theorize was due to the Zonai Civilization being something akin to an empire that kept to itself before inevitably falling) for the purpose of genuinely wanting peace and order, and when the war against Ganondorf begins, that idea falls apart because chaos is sweeping the land and Rauru basically sacrifices himself to stop it, and Zelda at the end of her journey learns from the founders mistakes.

Hope this helps, but it probably won’t ☠️☠️☠️☠️

[marinsawakening]

The thing about Skyward Sword's story is that I basically agree with a lot of the criticisms levelled against it, but simultaneously feel that people are wildly overestimating its impact on the series.

My biggest issue with Skyward Sword's story is that it's an incredibly boring, safe take on a Legend of Zelda prequel game (which Skyward Sword actively tries to position itself as). Skyward Sword follows the typical Zelda formula beat-for-beat, with little reflection or deconstruction of it. As a result, Skyward Sword does very little to reframe the rest of the series. Which is why, in a way, it's kind of baffling to me to see how many people got mad at it for 'ruining the Zelda lore'. Frankly, Skyward Sword isn't interesting enough for that. You can't ruin anything if you refuse to innovate.

Skyward Sword added exactly three things to the overarchiving Zelda lore that affect previous entries: Hylia, Demise, and Fi. Of the three, Fi is in my opinion by far the most interesting, and also the one that was handled the worst. I consider the writing for Fi's character to be one of my personal biggest issues with the game, and I genuinely struggle to find a single good narrative decision they made for her. Fi's existence ultimately has little impact on the series for me because her character had little impact on me. Your mileage may vary.

Fi's not really the addition people take issue with though: that would be Hylia and Demise. And I get where people are coming from. Largely I don't even disagree. I also think that having a flat good/evil dichotomy represented by gods is boring as hell. I just think it's weird when people get mad at Skyward Sword for introducing this to the series, because. Like. All Skyward Sword did was add gods to the flat good/evil dichotomy already present in the series.

Establishing that Zelda, and therefore the Hyrulean royal family, is descended from a literal god absolutely has a ton of unfortunate implications. Like, y'know, in general you should probably think twice about canonizing the literal divine right of kings. But here's the thing: the series was already operating under the divine right of kings. That doesn't mean the choice to make it an explicit in-universe correct belief is now exempt from criticism, but, well. What does it actually change?

LOZ never meaningfully critiques the Hyrulean royal family; even when it acknowledges them as having done bad things (rare in its own right), the narrative will still ultimately position them as the good guys against the evil Ganon/Ganondorf/[insert villain here]. In at least the seven games I've played to completion, their right to rule is never questioned, and neither is Hyrule's dominance over other peoples, for that matter. The Hyrulean royal family's rule is treated as a self-evident fact of reality, as fate and destiny, the correct order of things. What is that if not the divine right of kings?

The divine right of kings was already the logic the series was operating under. What does Hylia's addition change about the framing of the previous games? Were there protests from non-Hylian peoples against the royal family's rule that have now been invalidated by canon? No. Because anyone who challenged the Hyrulean family's right to rule was already the bad guy. Skyward Sword did not introduce the unquestionable divine right of kings to the series; it merely agreed with it. That warrants criticism, but blaming it for 'ruining the lore' is strange when all it does is fall in line with the previous games and their framing.

I can't argue against the critiques regarding Demise as much, since they mostly center around what it does to Ganondorf's character, and the only game I've played with him as of yet is Ocarina of Time. Until I've played Wind Waker, which apparently does a lot to deepen him as a character, I'm not comfortable making statements on his character (that don't strictly pertain to Ocarina of Time). I will say, however: Demise is not out of character for the series' treatment of evil either. The vast majority of villains in the series I've encountered so far are evil for the sake of being evil. The flat good/evil dichotomy that Hylia and Demise represent changes nothing about the rest of the games I've played, because that dichotomy was already part of the fabric of the universe. Whether or not there is an Evil God causing it materially changes nothing about the series.

Also, I've seen people blaming Skyward Sword's introduction of Hylia for Breath of the Wild's Fantasy Christianity and monotheism, which is just blatantly unfair. Breath of the Wild very obviously wanted to create a world even more in line with typical Western-style fantasy than Hyrule already was in previous games. That's why they added Monotheistic Fantasy Christianity and did away with (or at least ignored) the Golden Three and other gods established over the course of the series. Skyward Sword did not do that. Din/Farore/Nayru are canon and heavily implied to be far more powerful than Hylia and Demise ever were. If Hylia hadn't existed Breath of the Wild would've picked another god to be monotheistic about, or invented one. Blaming Skyward Sword for Breath of the Wild's narrative decisions is simply unfair and unfounded.

Lastly: the Zelda series does not care about what previous games in the series have canonized. Skyward Sword is actually probably the game I've seen that is most careful about not contradicting previous lore, even if it did obviously go ahead and make a bunch of stuff up. Pretty much every Zelda game I've played so far has blatantly contradicted previously established characters or lore in some way. The games use whatever canon and lore they want to use, and discard the rest. Skyward Sword hardly ruined the possibility of the series ever challenging the Hyrulean family's divine right of kings or the good/evil dichotomy, because if a Zelda game wants to do that, it can simply ignore Skyward Sword's very existence, or radically retcon its lore. The lore established in Skyward Sword is not any more binding than the lore established in the rest of the series, and it's silly to pretend otherwise. If the series ever wants to take on the daunting task of confronting the unfortunate implications baked into the very fabric of its reality, Skyward Sword's lore is hardly going to stop it. Like, TOTK completely retconned the entire game's plot pretty much, come on now.

(And if the LOZ series itself is perfectly content ignoring or retconning parts of its lore, I don't see why fans can't do so either. Skyward Sword does not stop you from forming your own interpretations.)

There are a lot of rightful criticisms to be made about Skyward Sword and the lore it established, but they're largely extensions of criticisms that apply to the series as a whole. Skyward Sword did not invent these issues, nor did it remove the possibility of confronting them. Its lore is the product of the series' unquestioned acceptance of the good/evil dichotomy and the divine right of kings, not its cause. It's a symptom, not the problem. The worst you can accuse it of is being a particularly blatant symptom.

I agree that Hylia and Demise are uninteresting additions to the series' lore, and I think it's fair to be pissed at the way they give an explicit in-universe validation to the games' framing. But ultimately, all Skyward Sword did was fall in line with logic the series has long since operated under: that Hyrule and its royal family is good and all who oppose them are evil. Singling it out as uniquely problematic does nothing except let the other games off the hook.

Skyward Sword's story operates under some very concerning logic and has some extremely unfortunate implications, and criticism for that is warranted, but saying it 'ruined the lore' is disproportionate. The lore sucked to begin with.

[minas-linkverse]

What do you think about Skyward Sword? I'm playing it for the first time now and it's really enjoyable

Long story short, skyward sword is the game that got me into this fandom! in 2011 when I was but a 10 yo, I watched a let's play that released weekly (or was it daily?) and I was OBSESSED. It was kind of the first time I really got into a game with a proper narrative, and it blew my little mind. It's easily in my top 3 just because of that.

I can admit that now that I'm older it does have its flaws. The story pacing can be frustrating, and to some revisiting old areas isn't as charming as it is to me. Demise's design is racist garbage and I can see why the massive shift in the lore felt like a betrayal to some older fans.

The fact is that to me it is an utterly whimsical and unique experience full of characters I adore so very deeply. Every segment of the game reminds me of another morning I woke up excited to watch another episode. Like a bottle of sunshine!!!! And as I've grown I've found myself marveling how each element of the game comes together in such a solid way. Sure it isn't a masterpiece but the game will always hold a magical place in my heart.

I also own a copy of the original wii version myself, and feel the gameplay is wonderful. There's a lot that can be said about the motion controls, especially discussions of accessibility are important, but I feel it is far from the game ruin-er people make it seem like it is. (Or maybe I just got lucky.) I hear the switch version is great too.

I guess the conclusion is that it's a game that holds a very special place in my heart and without it this webcomic would likely not exist.