#spoilers for BDOR

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

gimme a snippet from your wips with the word ‘bead’! *grabby hands*

Hmmm... I think I know what passage you're fishing for. I'll be nice and give it to you then, even though most of my mentions of "beads" are a lot more angsty than the one I've chosen. From BDOR Arc 2.

Twilight took a sharp breath and held it, like he wanted to say something. Then he let it out and gave Wild a weak smile. “Sure. If that’s what you want.” So, he reached forwards and unclasped the necklace around Wild’s neck, carefully rethreading the beads so that his own was positioned near the center, sandwiched between Mipha’s token and Hestu’s gift. He carefully swept Wild’ hair out of the way and clasped the necklace, smoothing it out so it lay centered on his chest. “It reminded me of home when I got it back… so I figured that it might be able to remind you of it too, or at least of me, I guess, since you never saw my home, but—”

Y'know what, have an angsty one too, again with the two best boys. I think we all deserve it. LU LC AU.

A bead of cold sweat surfaced and rolled down Wild's temple. He kept his eyes locked on the towering mass of flesh and coiled metal behind Twilight. "Wild...." "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'll be okay," Wild whispered, the tremor in his voice so strong to make it nearly intelligible. He let go of Twilight's hands, and Twilight's heart nearly stopped when he wobbled where he stood atop the thin metal plate. But he didn't lose his balance, and he even had the audacity to offer Twilight a shaky smile. "Just... just go back to the ship, I'll be okay here."

Thank you so much for the ask!

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Oooh is it a typewriter that does the DING! every time you go to a new line? Because I love that, but I could never use it myself, too distracting.

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Okay so the easy answer for how I write is pen and paper, but I have a long answer for you because why not.

My first/second drafts (take the word “draft” loosely btw) are nearly always on paper. Usually I write out my idea for a scene first in pen (mostly in [brackets] like you said you do, with specific lines of dialogue I want to hit), tab it (orange or yellow usually, depending on how much work is to be done [I have a whole system 💀]) and there’s my first draft. For my second draft I write it out longhand (again in pen) getting in as much of the final detail as I can. Usually I have the first draft in one notebook and write out the second in another—sometimes, if I’m feeling really inspired, I write it out without having to do that first rough sketch of a first draft. These always end up being a lot cleaner (somehow), so it’s what I aim for if I can. I tag these pink once they’re done.

[I have 5?? Notebooks for BDOR, another 2 for my Nano this year (neither full (sigh)), and another for random few for random ideas (that has also been slowly consumed by Linked Universe XD). Gimme a minute and I’ll send a picture lol]

3rd draft! Digitize! There are some apps I’ve seen that claim to be able to take a picture of your handwritten stuff and digitize, but I have not found one for my awful mix of cursive and print, so I just type it all again. I specifically use the app Danger Notes for this so I don’t try to edit and get hung up. Once the whole thing is down, only then do I go back through the document. Here is where I (briefly) look for spelling errors, tense errors, typos, etc. If there are any brackets left at this point (such as you use them, @needfantasticstories ), I flesh them out here, and if there are any big changes I want to make, I do so here as well. This step has helped with my typing speed tremendously over the years XD.

4th draft! I cut each chapter into 200-300 word bits (usually following specific character interactions, descriptions, general vibes) and put them into their own separate pages documents (I have 250 some at my last count for BDOR). I put this nifty little thing \/\/\/

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which I have saved on my phone and computer as /line underneath those words and completely rewrite. I copy and paste what I have exactly as I want it to be, edit what I don’t, until everything is under the line. This edit focuses more on style.

5th draft! Once all those little pieces are rewritten how I want them to be, I take them all into one pages document! Then I reread and make sure that every bit I isolated actually makes sense in context, again look for typos, etc. Basically finalize the chapter as a whole.

6th draft! Paste it into my final document (splitting between arc 1 and arc 2) (im on pages rn but I may switch to google docs, it’s so much more convenient) and then reread again and go analyze with my idiotically complicated detail/subplot tracker document. Skip, you’ve already seen this monstrosity, but if anyone else wants to see it too let me know XD, it does contain slight spoilers. Whatever things I find that I want to add or edit from that document I change, and then whoop de doo we’re done!

Idk, it’s what I like to do. I realize it’s a bit backwards (going little details to large instead of vise versa on editing leaves me open to dumb typos or having to trash work I’ve put a lot of effort into after I realize it doesn’t fit) but it works for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Through what medium do you primarily write? (Pencil, computer, voice to type, old timer typewriter, what?)

I do have a typewriter, but I have no idea how it works. Got it cheap at a yard sale.

I use Google Docs. I turn the page black and write in white text, put individual ideas in brackets, add mood pictures, and go. I’m comfortable with the formatting options, and it’s faster than Word for me. Plus, if I lose my hands or something I can always dictate into it.

How about you?

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

For BDOR, #8?

What inspired the title for this fic? Is that usually how you choose titles?

Okay okay okay okay so the title Blood Drops on Roses is supposed to be veeeeeery reflective of the themes of this story. Beware, slight spoilers below

First, literal meaning. The Goddess’ flower of representation in Wild’s world is white roses, as briefly mentioned in Doubts I believe. This will be mentioned a few times again.

Blood: there’s going to be a prophecy about the hero’s blood in the coming chapters. Watch out for that. Also, there’s a thing with the lore in Wild’s world (fully revealed ch 35-40 ish) that blood/bruises are not allowed in Hylia’s temple—one has to be “clean” externally before praying to her, and this includes injuries. These come together in a fun way, I think.

Basic planned thematic meaning: deceptive innocence and blatant hypocrisy when it comes to spilling blood (by a very certain someone lmao).

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Local writer bullied into drawing, it is now 11 so you get the full story.

Anyways the prompt was draw your blorbo looking in a mirror before and after trauma. I drew fanart of my own fic in the hopes that it would motivate me to write (it did not). Anyways, in BDOR, Wild already had trauma, but he gets more trauma by the end of the story. So uh, spoilers? He smiling now he eventually becomes happy. Probably.

Anyways, here it is. Might color it one day if I figure how to color digitally. I don’t draw XD I was told to scan it, and I did, but I don’t know how to upload the scan itself so I took a screenshot of the scan, sorry for the bad quality. Wow, that is blurry fr XD. If anyone knows how to upload a scan to tumblr, tips are appreciated

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Ask game!!

flower <3

You managed to pick the most spoiler-y word in the entirety of my drafts, it seems. Every single one I could to pick for BDOR Arc 1 was like

"Ah, yes," said Ravio, handing Legend a flower, "now that the queen of England is dead and Time has delved into deep alcoholism because of Warrior's untimely death because Linkle killed him, what is your next step, heroes?"

Obviously, that's not what happens (or is it 0-0 LIZZY NO), but I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was, given that the title is Blood Drops on ROSES. ANYWAYS, here's ya snippet for the first instance of "flower" from BDOR Arc 2 (since you didn't specify a WIP I get to be sneaky like that lol).

And then came the dreams. They were comforting, at first. He was sitting in an nondescript field under the warm spring sun with Wolf, picking little white flowers from the tall grass. He was climbing a steep cliff, chilly rain battering his face and hot exhilaration racing through his veins. He was crouched over a smoldering fire on the trail, humming to himself as he prepared some surprise for Twilight that included pumpkins and fish, for some reason. Then came the memories.

The word existed about 14 times across both arcs, and about 5 more times in the Prologue pieces. Thank you so much for the ask! In my 15-minute sprint, I got 641 words for a wpm of 41.5! Thanks to you and @unexpectedstormy, the final chapter of The Yiga and The Sheikah is now finally just about ready to be edited for publishing XD.

The Ask Game: put a unique word (and choose between my WIP's Blood Drops on Roses (Arc 1), Arc 2, or the Prologues (Link), if you wish) in my inbox and I'll respond with a three sentence to three paragraph snippet once I've done a 15-minute writing sprint, and I'll give you my wpm too.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Tell me some of your favorite headcanons for the boys ?

I mean... I'm afraid of answering this for BDOR spoilers, because I have put all of my favorite head canons into that fic, obviously. Oh well, I figure most of my readers don't follow me on tumblr. So here's my head canons both for LU and my specific story Blood Drops on Roses.

Twilight -- used to have "anger issues" when he came back from his quest as a teen that was really just him being hurt and lashing out (I already had this idea, but it evolved a lot with your fics where he gets overwhelmed @somer-writes XD). He just... feels a lot, and feels it genuinely.

Sky -- I think this guy has gone through some /trauma/ compared to the other heroes. With his sunny nature and calm disposition---I think it's borne of a greater understanding of himself and his own limits. I do kinda hate the "trauma made them stronger uwu" trope, but for Sky that's true, because he put in the work and chose to be kind after all the horrible things that happened to him. Also, he's not bad at cooking traditional Skyloftian meals, like hot drinks.

Wind -- I think that he doesn't have all the inherent qualities, especially bravery and self-sacrifice, that the others have because they were "destined to be heroes" while he was not. Now, he's learned them, sure, but I think that jumping into battle still doesn't come as easily to him as it does to some of the others. But that also comes to my HC about the Triforce and its effects on its wielder (I've also got a fun thing for Wild on that one).

Hyrule -- I think that his healing magic isn't exactly... light. A lot of people HC that his magic is fairy magic, and I think that's partially true, but for him to be able to transform and access it in human form... I think there's something else going on there. But yeah, I've changed this guy's backstory a lot, I hope I don't have the Hyrule stans coming after me XD

Legend -- I think that he's a lot more chill about Koholint and things being "not real" than a lot of other people HC. Sure, it's always there in the back of his mind, but he'd rather have helped and fought and even fallen in love and it not be real than to hold himself back from that for fear of getting hurt again, because he's tried that. Also, I think he's slotted Time into the Uncle role in his mind, but that's not really plot important (or is it?)

Time -- @needfantasticstories >:D you know what's up with this poor guy. But yeah, I HC (and I've said this before), that he and Wind met in Mario cart, sometime before this adventure for Time, and sometimes after for Wind. There's not a lot of evidence for that, I'm just making up stuff as I go. Watch out for an author's note for that on the chapters near Too Quiet I'm tryna set up a joke XD

Warrior -- I think he's so teasing of the other heroes because he wants to hold them all at arm's length. He's still a bit traumatized from being betrayed, so he keeps that charming front of his up and keeps anyone from getting too close and seeing the real him. I think even Time (or at least, what we know of him) hasn't seen that genuine side of him, at least in a while.

Four -- I can't say that I have anything unique for him, when it comes for head canons that differ from LU norms. He is good at interpersonal conflicts, I also think he's good at self-reflection and helping others through their emotions. I do think he has four people in his head at all times, but they work around each other. I kinda go on and off about whether his eyes change color. He does have blue screen moments if he's startled or confused, and the panic of needing to move suddenly or choose quickly just makes it worse.

Wild -- currently multiple emotionally stunted gremlins in a trench coat. No, I will not elaborate :D

I'm turning the question back on you @wanderlustmagician and anyone else who wants to join in---what are your head canons for the boys?

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

You should be lmao

For BDOR, #8?

What inspired the title for this fic? Is that usually how you choose titles?

Okay okay okay okay so the title Blood Drops on Roses is supposed to be veeeeeery reflective of the themes of this story. Beware, slight spoilers below

First, literal meaning. The Goddess’ flower of representation in Wild’s world is white roses, as briefly mentioned in Doubts I believe. This will be mentioned a few times again.

Blood: there’s going to be a prophecy about the hero’s blood in the coming chapters. Watch out for that. Also, there’s a thing with the lore in Wild’s world (fully revealed ch 35-40 ish) that blood/bruises are not allowed in Hylia’s temple—one has to be “clean” externally before praying to her, and this includes injuries. These come together in a fun way, I think.

Basic planned thematic meaning: deceptive innocence and blatant hypocrisy when it comes to spilling blood (by a very certain someone lmao).