#kyberstone

Do you have any thoughts about what the song means to you in the context of the story?

first off, I'm so delighted you're enjoying the playlist👌 second, jeez, I'm worried this is gonna be rambly.

Obviously "hunter" is the song that also gave chapter 1 it's title, because I feel it really encapsulates Sylas and Lux's relationship at the end of Mageseeker and leading into Warriors.

Lux is aware that violence can be necessary during conflicts, and she has killed people when needed to. But she still never stops trying to find a different solution, and she allows people the opportunity for redemption. (Much like Morgana's version of justice, rather than Kayle's.)

In "hunter", the POV shows compassion for the beast -- that the predator is starving, lonely, and acting out of fear. She lets it go free, despite the possibility that the beast could still hurt her, because she relates to that struggle. ("If you were easy to kill, I would have done it already.") Lux first bonded with Sylas because they were in similar situations, both isolated from society for their magic. And she doesn't forget this just because he hurt her, even if she's still upset with him. In chapter 1 of WoH, she somewhat resents him for his betrayal, and seeing him in a more humane light is at odds with her trauma. ("With that dagger held unsheathed | I felt sick at my contempt. | For you were lonely | You were like me")

And, most notably, the beast doesn't hurt her. Sylas doesn't hate Lux, nor does he want her dead, and both he and Lux are aware that they may be forced to kill each other in the ongoing conflict...but he doesn't relish the idea. ("If I was easy to kill, you would have done it already.") Throughout Mageseeker he's haunted by his guilt for hurting her. He understands she may never forgive him. When Rayn uses an illusion of Lux to say she does forgive him, that is what causes him to see through the illusion, because he doesn't see himself worthy of forgiveness, either.

Sylas feels the exact same kind of care and compassion for Lux's situation. He wants to repair their relationship, but he isn't willing to cross her boundaries and make demands. At the end of Mageseeker he has a talk with Yops about this, where he's trying to convince himself that he's fine with it. ("We're allies now but won't be forever. And I'm...satisfied with that, I think." As if you wouldn't jump at the chance to be friends again, you sap. 🙄)

Ahem, I digress.

"hunter" is a song about both people (hurt, scared, defaulting to violence) choosing to put down their arms and (re)build a relationship, instead. (Let's not forget that Lux betrayed Sylas first by abandoning him to die, after all.) This is the struggle that lies at both the heart of Demacia's conflict with mages and Lux's conflict with Sylas. Resolving the Mage Rebellion is what I wanted to tackle with War of Hearts -- Sylas and Lux repairing their relationship is a parallel to Demacia and mages repairing their relationship.

A healthy society, just like a healthy relationship, requires humility and compromise. That's what "hunter" is about, and that's what War of Hearts is about.

2. What’s your comfort show?

Parks and Recreation. Yeah the first season is rough, but it's so short, and it really cranks up after that. I usually just hop around between episodes anyway. And I've watched it all the way straight through maybe four times now? The Good Place is also amazing, but that one requires so much more attention from me than Parks and Rec.

I'd say Over the Garden Wall is also a comfort show for me, though it's also fairly short.

20. Describe yourself how your love interest would describe you in a book.

Hm. Dang, a tough one. I guess I'll place it in a café meet cute or something.

The woman sat on the thick couch with her drawing tablet balanced on her knees, headphones askew to hear the noise of the café around her. Her glossy brown hair was pulled back in a low, haphazard ponytail, the kind affixed out of necessity rather than fashion. The glow of the computer screen reflecting off her glasses obscured her eyes, but it was clear all of her focus was poured into whatever image she was trying to capture. A creative, clearly.

21. If you were a main character in a romance book/movie/show, what tropes would you want associated with you?