#bhujerbanwrites

[bhujerban]

Open Seat, Open Road (intro)

AN: Long time no see, friends 💕 I haven't written anything in a hot minute, so I wanted to do something fun to get back into it. My partner and I have been taking a ton of road trips lately, and so I was inspired to write a little Choose-Your-Own-Adventure road trip adventure! There isn't a choice in this introduction, but we'll get there in the next update.

“The annual budget was leaked before they could do damage control,” Zelda announces as she strides into the garage. “I thought maybe one of his cabinet members had been having an affair or something.”

“That’s why they booked you a first-class ticket back to Castletown?” Link’s voice is slightly muffled as he slides out from under his car.

“Yep,” Zelda tosses him the morning newspaper, ignoring his soft exhale as it hits him. “Urgent, apparently, because they booked my return early tomorrow morning.”

Link scans the newspaper. “Front page news.”

Zelda tugs a hair tie off her wrist with more force than strictly necessary. “I don’t know why I expected anything different. This is just my father’s standard operating procedure.”

Link doesn’t respond, but his eyes flit up from the newspaper to meet hers.

“I expect that he’ll send me to a children’s hospital or maybe a food bank,” she continues bitterly. “The place will be full up with photographers, of course, and I won’t be allowed to actually lift a finger to help with anything.” She pulls her hair back, but hisses as the hair tie snaps under the forceful stretch. She tosses the broken hair tie to the side. “But given the backlash, I think they’re setting up a scandalous date for me as we speak.”

Link’s fingers tighten nearly imperceptibly on the newspaper as he stands up from the creeper.

Zelda manages to use another hair tie to put her hair up and lays down on the creeper. As she slides beneath the car, she asks, “What’s wrong with it now?”

“Nothing, I think.” She hears his footsteps move away and then back. “I was just checking on the skid plate. I thought I heard a sound the other day when I was driving along the Dragon’s Exile trail.”

Zelda fishes her small flashlight from her pocket and looks. “You’re fine.” She tugs at the zip-tie she’d used to reattach the skid plate after the screws were lost. “I secured it myself.”

Link is squatting near the back of the car when she slides back out. He gives her a small, crooked smile. “I shouldn’t have doubted you, Zel.”

She can’t help but return the smile, but her response is laced with frustration. “You’d be the only one that doesn’t.”

He pulls her up from the creeper and wheels it back to its spot under his work bench. “It doesn’t really seem fair to you…this whole thing.”

“It is what it is. It’s just Governor Rhoam’s way: province and politics over people.”

“Even his daughter?” Link asks with a raised brow.

“Especially his daughter.”

Zelda watches quietly as Link moves around the car. There’s a cargo box already attached to the roof rack and he is tossing things into the trunk carelessly: his sleeping pad, his sleeping bag, the nice tent she gifted him for his birthday last year.

“When do you leave again?” she asks.

“Tomorrow morning. I’m trying to get out at first light so that I can get to the Palu trading post by noon. I want to spend the afternoon hiking around the Seven Heroines.”

Zelda has to swallow the tide of jealousy that rises within her. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Yeah.” Link hesitates, glancing at her briefly. “It’ll be good.”

She stares at the collection of park stickers adorning the car’s window. “Sometimes I wish…”

He stops his movements to wait for her to finish her thought.

Zelda shakes her head and pulls her hair tie off. Her hair streams down her neck and shoulders like a golden river. “Nevermind. I just wish things could be different. I wish I could go on a road trip too.”

“You could join me,” Link says lightly. “The passenger’s seat is open and an extra driver makes the trip easier.”

“Sure,” she agrees sarcastically. “I’ll just bail on the flight tomorrow.”

But as she watches him gather the rest of his supplies, her thoughts begin to whirl. She couldn't just bail on the flight...right?

She couldn't just not show up at the airport tomorrow right?

Well, it wasn't as if there was going to be someone waiting for her at the airport. She'd be expected to get herself home and await further instructions.

So...

Why couldn’t she go on this road trip?

Why did she have to rush back to Castletown at her father’s beck and call? Why was it her responsibility to divert attention from her father’s political blunders? She always had to be Governor Rhoam’s golden daughter, getting in and out of trouble.

She leans heavily against one of the garage work benches. Hadn’t she held up her end of the bargain? It is supposed to be a moment of celebration for her. The first year of her MBA at Gerudo Town University had been a roaring success. Her coursework and network had flourished; just as she had promised her father it would.

She didn’t even get to study engineering as she’d wanted—the MBA was already a compromise!

Link was right, it isn’t fair that she has to rush back to Castletown to take the heat off the bungled budget. She wasn’t even a politician! She’d never wanted to be a politician! Yet she’s the one that has to go out there for some photo-ops and be seen with the latest hot and scandalous celebrity. She’s the one that has to deal with the whispers about her man-eating ways and her fake charity. And why? Because someone from her father’s inner circle messed up?

No!

Zelda jumps to her feet. “Link!”

He pokes his head out from behind the car. “What?” Then he does a double take at the fire in her expression. “...What?” he repeats warily.

“I’m going to do it.”

“You’re going to do what?”

“I’m going to bail on the flight tomorrow.” She tightens her hands into fists. “I’m going to come on this road trip.”

Link stares at her. “Won’t you get in trouble with your dad?”

Zelda meets his eyes with resolution. “Definitely, but I…don’t think I care anymore.”

Understanding dawns across Link’s face. He nods. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she echoes.

He leaves the garage for a moment and returns with another sleeping pad and sleeping bag. “I haven’t booked any hotels for the trip,” he warns her. “My plan was to camp as much as possible.”

“Of course!” A laugh bubbles out of her—it’s equal parts excitement and anxiety. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

Link’s responding grin warms her like the Gerudo sun. “You’d better go home and pack then,” he says. “We’re leaving at dawn.”

Zelda nearly vaults out of Link’s garage and hurries home. She flutters around her apartment, shoving clothing into her duffel bag haphazardly: her sun protection shirts, hiking pants, comfortable clothes for driving, shirts, sandals, sneakers, shorts, and one nice dress, just in case. She doesn’t stop moving, just in case she loses her nerve.

But that night, as she is washing up, she eyes her bag. Is she really going to do this? Father is going to be furious. She is and has been independent from him for years, but the idea of so overtly going against her father’s wishes is…daunting, now that she has had a moment to think.

Zelda looks at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes are still sparkling with excitement, despite her apprehensions. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and there’s a joy in her expression that she hardly recognizes. But her gaze settles on her long, blonde hair. It has become a signature look, of sorts, for her.

The golden, beautiful daughter of Governor Rhoam.

The moniker was assigned to her by the media and she is often identified by her hair. She had been proud of it—her mother was famous for her long gold strands–and spent considerable time and effort into the maintenance. But right now it feels heavy on her shoulders, chains that seem to shackle her to her family’s reputation.

She ponders this for a moment.

From the corner of her eye, Zelda spots the scissors she uses to trim her bangs. She seizes them impulsively.

She isn’t certain that people would recognize her. But her father is a an important figure in Hylian politics and, as a result, she's been in and out of the media spotlight. Even as a minor celebrity, her image is known to the public.

So it might be safer if she…

Snip…Snip…Snip…

She begins cutting her hair in a frenzy. By the time she actively remembers to draw breath, it’s done.

Zelda glances back into the mirror and the girl staring back at her is the same, but different. Her waist-length hair now hits just at her nape. The ends are choppy and uneven, a little wild. But somehow it works.

She looks down at the floor littered with her hair. It feels like a weight has been lifted.

She smiles at her reflection. Ready for a road trip.

[airplanned]

zelda and link are neighbors and their kitchen windows look into each other’s

Link had definitely noticed his neighbor across the alley.  She had a little balcony where she'd set up a chair and a table, and she'd sit out there for an hour every night writing frantically in a notebook.  It was summer, and she wore shorts and a sweatshirt, and she would pop her feet out of her flip flops and prop them on the railing, one ankle crossed over the other.

So, yeah, Link had noticed her.  But as the windows into her kitchen were right across from the windows into his kitchen, and with the heat both windows were always open, he also noticed how terrible she was at cooking.  It was hard to miss the great, black clouds of smoke and she coughed and tried to wave it out the window.  It was hard to miss her shriek followed by the wooshing sound of a fire extinguisher.

One evening, there was an awful smell, and he actually stuck his head out rather than try to keep to the shade of his apartment where there was a chance she couldn't tell he was watching her.  When she went to air out her apartment, he was waiting there for her, his elbows resting on the windowsill.  She startled, then shifted her eyes away from him in embarrassment.

"What are you cooking?" he called, and he was very proud of himself for not asking what she was trying to cook.

She gave him a skeptical look.  "Just squash."

"Are you steaming it?"

"Sauté."

"I'm not great at sautéing, so I steam mine."  This was a lie, but steaming was less likely to catch fire, and he figured it would make her feel better.

She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed to be getting unsolicited advice from a strange man at an embarrassing moment.  That was fair.  "Well, I don't have a steamer.  So."

"You got a pan with a lid?"

She pursed her lips at him.

"Because you can put like this much water in there.  Cover it.  Heat it."  He shrugged.  "Tastes pretty good."

"Okay."  She tried to hold back another cough.  "You have a nice evening."  Then she ducked back inside.

He knocked his fist on the windowsill and pushed himself back inside, cursing himself for letting that be his first (and only) interaction with her.  Now she thought he was a creep.  Awesome. Way to shoot any chance of anything in the foot.

He went back to stirring his sauce.

"Excuse me?  Umm.  Sir?"

He ducked his head back out, shocked to see that she was back, hands braced against the windowsill and leaning into the alley.  She looked surprised to be there as well.

"Hi.  Yes.  How--how long do I steam it for?"

Hope lifted in his chest.

[jyndor]

in high school i did extra curricular music theory and the class was held at my teacher’s house, so we’d take off our shoes when we entered. one winter, i was leaving class and i slipped on (what i thought were) my uggs and they were a bit tight and i was like hmm weird. then i hear the twelve year old girl in my class behind me and she goes “um...those are mine.” 🙃

the most embarrassing part is that uggs existed like what were we thinking (I only had the knock off ones my parents wouldn't buy me them) but lol the attitude I feel in her comment 😆

um okay so I was in fifth grade and we had this sock hop dance which was whatever fun I guess idk because the only thing I remember is that my awkward self went up to my crush at the time and I asked him to dance and he looked at me, laughed, said "ha ha oh god no" and walked away 😂😂😂

oh mannnn jokes on him because I turned out hot as fuck but fifth grade was the year I got glasses AND braces so I didn't have much hope

[spacebeyonce]

11 and 13 for 'river rushing through my veins'?

I'M HERE I CAN FINALLY ANSWER AAAH

11: What do you like best about this fic?

oh that 100% goes to the bit in the field with the flowers, you know what I'm talking about. that was fun. but also, hm, I dunno. I did try and not have that tension right from the jump? that was enjoyable. like I really feel like if she did notice him, it would be objectively. she'd be like yeah he's pretty, whatever - I still hate his guts. every waking moment when I have to look at him is a reminder of what a failure I am and what I lack and it burns my ass. but then when she finally opens up to him and they start getting along it's not so objective anymore. and that was a blast.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

honestly I never really listen to music while reading anymore! it's very rare. but while I was writing this, hmm....I think I mostly ran through my most played songs of 2020 at the time. I did play liquid smooth by mitski a lot, which wasn't a chore. and maybe one day I'll make a playlist for the fic so you can get the Vibes.

[starkfish]

i just saw you reblog a thing about getting comments on ao3 and i figured i'd pop into your asks to tell you that you are literally the reason why i ship nedcat. 'it takes an ocean' is one of my favourite fics of all time and i go back to it a LOT. i'm really glad to see you posting again!

Ahhh, thank you so much!! This is so sweet! I’m so glad you enjoyed that fic, and it is always super flattering to hear when people reread one of your fics. :-D  Thank you again!! 

[newtsnaturethings]

Oh Hylia they were roommates 

@bhujerbanwrites​ has great taste in vines and I am always looking for an excuse to draw more memes.

Bonus:

This can also be a follow up to Link and Zelda not being as subtle as they think.

[idontreadheartbeats]

Last Sentence WIP

The lovely @bhujerbanwrites tagged me in this!

Anyway, I... can’t be sure what my last line is? I did quite a bit of writing today on multiple scenes for Anamnesis (update should be coming soon!) and I kinda skip around a lot with my adhd brain.

So I’ll include what I *think* was the last sentence I wrote today:

For years, she thinks, as it spills over her cheeks, the brine of squid ink in her teeth.

I like it. Not sure if I’ll keep it. We’ll see 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ll tag the ineffable @ladyaniko, the ever-patient @ajstyyling, and the wonderful @chronicallymills bc I always love seeing y’all on my dash 🥰

[littleredwritinghoodxx]

I was tagged by @intangiblyyourswrites

Name: dontwaitupxx (ff.net, AO3, tumblr)

Fandoms: Legend of Zelda

Where you post: AO3 and tumblr (ff.net is being phased out)

Most popular oneshot: Views from the Loft

Most popular multichapter: Treacherous Intentions

Favorite story you’ve written so far: Treacherous Intentions, that fic was my pride and joy, and every chapter was so much fun to write. Things happened in that fic that shocked even ME. 

Fic you were nervous to post: The Tip of his Sword. That was my first venture into writing smut, and I was nervous as all heck about the response. People loved it though, which made me happy, and hey, did someone say part two??? (what? what?)

How you choose your titles: Generally I’ll stick to a theme of the story and go from there. Titles are usually one of the first things I’ll come up with (lol long before the plot)

Do you outline: Sometimes. My longer fics yes, I need to know where I’m going. Shorter fics I usually have a note document on my phone with word vomits from 3 am the night before. 

Complete: 13 on AO3 (technically 12 because of part two of the fic I mentioned above), and an additional 2 tumblr exclusives (that makes it sound much more fancy than it actually is. Also, I need to update my master list)

In progress: Bitter Revelations, Treacherous Intention’s sequel, and no I don’t want to talk about it lol

Coming Soon:  Uhhhhhhhh I’ve got this idea for this fic where their house burns down in Hateno and yes it is as angsty as it sounds. Also, I’ve got this AOC/BOTW short story fic (8 chapters maybe?) that kind of blends the universes together and it’s also hella angsty. Also more smut??? 

Prompts: I wanna see more fics that revolve around the prompt “Link eats rocks”. Make it happen.

Upcoming work you’re most excited about: Now that I’ve mentioned it, I’m excited about Bitter Revelations. There’s a part in two chapters that I’m DYING to share with you all (see what I did there?) Of course, that means I actually gotta write the damn thing...

Tagging @bhujerbanwrites and @fatefulfaerie and @omegazeta5

[bhujerban]

ok i'm BACK!

semester is nearly over, conference was attended, and my symposium went GREAT! i got an "outstanding job" text from my advisor and he told me he was proud of me (thanks dad).

i'm manifesting a 2025 phd defense and a fun post-doc in a great city. life is moving along, whether i like it or not.

SO!!! i am gonna write some fic!!!

i've been doing a ton of road trips lately and have been inspired to write a zelink choose-your-own-adventure road trip AU fic.

gimme a week to settle some of the starting exposition and we'll be off!!! i think this will be fun bc the last time i did a choose-your-own-adventure fic, tumblr didn't have the poll option yet, so things should go smoother now.

i'm just putting this out there in continuation of my manifesting things to happen. thanks for folks who have stuck around despite the hiatus!

[airplanned]

bhujerbanwrites: Also, Zelda is a sisterly villager and Link is 100% a jock villager

#

“MUSCLE MADNESS!”

Zelda startled at the sudden screaming, then blinked at Link a few times in confusion.

It seemed he was done shouting and smiled as if nothing were wrong. He happily explained, “That’s how I exercise my abs now.”

“...”

“It works! Look!” he said, pulling at the hem of his shirt.

Zelda pinches the bridge of her nose. “...Link.”

[trueeasiann]

what’s going on with the BOTW Big Bang?

NOTE: this post was originally posted as a reply to this announcement made earlier today by the BOTW Big Bang mods. I’m reposting it in the general tag for informational purposes since the mods have hidden my reblog, along with other dissenting opinions.

for those out of the loop: this announcement was made by the mods because a participant in the BOTW Big Bang Discord server posted in the #shipping channel that they were concerned about art that was posted of a ship.

the relationship was Urbosa/Zelda.

the participant stated that they were a minor.

Zelda is 16 or 17 years old in the game’s canon.

Urbosa is around Zelda’s mother’s age, which can be anywhere above 16 years older than Zelda.

the participant stated that they were uncomfortable because this resembled a pedophilic relationship.

the participant was given a warning by mods that they were being an anti-ship which was not allowed in the server.

at least one other participant agreed with the original participant’s sentiment.

the original participant apologized for their statement.

shortly after, the #shipping channel was completely deleted.

I would like to state at this time that I am a ship-friendly person!!! I firmly believe that everyone has a right to ship whatever they want, to revel in their own kinks, and to express their own opinion on the Internet. Urbosa/Zelda shipping is not the issue here.

rather, as the mods have said:

“This event is meant to celebrate the characters and dynamics of BotW and give an opportunity for fans to create content they love. This has been the case since the inception of the event, and it will continue to be the case until the stories are written and the art is drawn.”

and yet, by banning minors – SIX WEEKS AFTER SIGNUPS OPENED – the mods have taken away that opportunity to celebrate and to create content for BOTW from a subset of those fans: their fans under 18 years of age. which is a key target audience of Nintendo’s for the LoZ series.

this is NOT how an inclusive community operates. it also does not solve the issue!!! adults can be uncomfortable with a particular ship for whatever reason too!!! and i do NOT mean that certain fanart has to be banned outright either – but at the very least, make efforts to keep it limited to the people that are itching to see it. that’s what a good moderator does, yeah??

i believe that a good moderator also does NOT accuse participants with legitimate concerns of “shaming” and “bullying” what folks ship. just as different people like different ships, different people also have different boundaries! a good moderator will work to accommodate those with stricter boundaries, not… get rid of them completely??

I also think that A GOOD MODERATOR WOULD NOT CENSOR FELLOW FANS THAT DO NOT AGREE WITH HOW THEY RUN THINGS. please see screenshots under the cut:

Exhibit 1

@bhujerbanwrites​ posted her intent to drop out in the Discord server, with the purpose of generating discussion, at 9:18pm EDT.

her message was deleted at 9:19pm after a mod acknowledged it:

Exhibit 2

@spicychestnut123​ posted her intent to drop out in the Discord server, again with the purpose of generating discussion, at 9:36pm EDT.

again, the message was deleted that same minute, after acknowledgement from a mod:

this goes beyond just shipping preferences. as a result, I will not be participating in any Big Bang event hosted by these moderators in the future.

[jyndor]

last sentence wip

tagged by @bhujerbanwrites

And if she was not mistaken he sounded a bit disappointed. 

lol such a good line XD

tagging whoever wants to do it because i hate tagging people oh god i always forget folks and then worry about it for days because that’s healthy XD

[newtsnaturethings]

@bhujerbanwrites who painted the Mona Lisa? 🤔

Link to the original video here

[spacebeyonce]

i feel like you’re such a good student. what advice do you have to students who are in reading-intensive majors? I love history but a lot of the reading just goes over my head and i start to fall asleep as i read 😭

lord knows I try to be a good student haha! thank you! I have that issue as well because my major and BOTH minors are VERY reading heavy so the past two years have been the most boring of my life. there has been many a time where the reading didn’t click for me or I caught myself dozing off in the middle of a reading, haha.

I guess the advice I can give is sometimes.....it’s okay to skim. like, unless it was theory or something I was going to be tested on, I skim through a great deal of my readings. I’ve found that I don’t have to absorb every single word to get the jist of what the author is trying to say, and that’s helped me a lot with the losing focus and falling asleep issue, ha!

I also find reading aloud sometimes helps me stay focused, as well. even better if I can read it to someone lmao - there have been a lot of times where I read sociological theory to my dog.

another thing I only started using literally 24 hours ago thanks to @bhujerbanwrites advice is text to speech software. if you’ve got a digital copy of the reading you’ve got to do, you can just load the document on a text to speech site and it’ll read it aloud to you! I used this one last night when I had a headache and couldn’t focus on my reading for the day, and it worked pretty well!

I really hope some of this helps! I’m three months away from getting my bachelors and I still have trouble with keeping up with my reading assignments sometimes, so I feel you for sure.

[idontreadheartbeats]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 Tags

Thanks for tagging me in this, @chronicallymills 😄

Listed in order of those at the forefront of my mind currently, to those I haven’t thought of in a minute but still adore.

ATLA: Zuko

Avengers: Wanda Maximoff

American Gods: Mad Sweeney

Lucifer: Chloe Decker

Daredevil: Matt Murdock

Jessica Jones: Jessica Jones

The Hunger Games: Peeta Mellark

X-Men: Jean Grey

The Mummy: Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell

Gargoyles: Elisa Maza

I am firmly of the belief that tagging 10 people is just excessive, so I’ll limit my tags to @andorjyny, @bhujerbanwrites, and @lady-of-bath bc they are all lovely 💕

[littleredwritinghoodxx]

WIP Tag Game

Thank u for the tag, @bhujerbanwrites :’)

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and I’ll post a little snippet of it and/or tell you something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs (lol)

1.) Of Crimson Skin and Curved Blades

2.) The Tip of his Sword - Part Two

3.) Bitter Revelations - Chapter 9 (soon...........)

4.) Burn

5.) Blood Stain’d Handkerchief (idk if I’ll ever finish this)

6.) Neon Lights and Colorful Strobes

7.) Pandemic wedding masquerade AU

I’m surprised at how many WIP’s I actually have. Maybe someday I’ll finish one. Tagging @intangiblyyourswrites if ya wanna :)