#miadearden

🫠 What was the hardest about writing this?

And if I said all of it?

Real talk though--on a story level, the hardest part of writing this was trying to ensure that every choice Zelda and Link made was in line with their characters, and with what this story needed them to learn--and more specifically, why they didn't just kiss each other from the very beginning!

I spent a lot of time agonizing over what might prevent them from kissing, or confessing their love, or both, and trying to find the right balance between external interruptions, internal stupidity justifications, and bad timing. I didn't want this to be a story that was frustrating for readers because every time you think they're gonna go for it they don't. The reason for why it didn't happen needed to aid the storytelling, not interrupt it. I'm still not sure I entirely succeeded with this and if it has been frustrating to read I hope the frustration at least has felt earned and not like I'm just forcing things to take too long for the sake of stretching out the story--for as much as this is a story about these dumb elves getting together, it's also a story about grief and survivor's guilt and a lot of other things.

I also really have to thank @sheikfangirl because we started talking when I was just a few chapters into the first draft of this, so very little has made it into this story without her knowing about it first, and either happy screaming at me for it being RIGHT, or asking thoughtful questions until I figured out what actually needed to happen.

🍪 What was the most fun while writing this?

So I started it pre-VG which is how old it is. it's VERY loosely based on those wish fulfillment concepts where you get what you want and everything is horrible. ie Solas wishes that he didn't lock away the Evenuris and finds himself in a horrible dystopia where he's still on top and so are all the other elven gods but a lot of the DAO/DA2/DAI folks are in horrible situations.

But when I started it I started waaaay back at the beginning so it's not even that fun stuff it's literally just Cassandra meeting my Inquisitor lol

She knew, from Varric’s stories, that the Qunari had a word for mage. Saarebaas. She had read reports, from Commander Cullen and others, of the kind of damage that a saarebaas’ magic could cause.  Semet Adaar was not quite what the stories said, but she fought like no Circle Mage or Dalish Keeper that Cassandra had ever encountered. She wielded frost and lighting, and the demons died at her hands, the cheap, crude staff a weapon of horrific destruction.  She offered it to Cassandra, once the battle was over, her face implacable. But there was a spark, in those strange green eyes, that told Cassandra that the woman knew she was dangerous without one.  She let her keep the staff. She tried not to allow fear to rule her. She was a mage, an apostate, and a qunari, who might have killed the Divine and opened the Breach, but she was still a woman. Cassandra had killed dragons. She could handle a woman.

Hi Mia! Thanks for the ask!

Originally, the Baker and the Seamstress was going to be an oral story Zelda tells Link in by post-BotW longfic, Renewal. The longfic has changed so much, but the very short version of "the Baker" found its use for Zelink Week 2024.

I have a Discord server where everyone lets me change their roles and nicknames as much as I want so long as I check in to make sure no one is upset.

Never have I considered this ship before, but now you mention it…..aaaaaaahhh~

HONEST TO GOD okay what has sansa wanted her whole life before the bullshit that was the past 6-7 years? to be romanced until the end of her days by a handsome and brave and chivalrous knight described by famous songs right? he would marry her and sweep her over her feet and treat her like the queen she goddamn is. I really do think that podrick fits the bill. I really do think there’s a decent setup for them to work out if we did this.

this ship right now offers a wonderful spin on the concept: sansa has been disillusioned for 100% justifiable reason and actually sitting down with podrick and examining him as a person and someone in her life and how he acts - like the PERFECT gentleman knight from the romantic tales - would make her suspicious af first! i would too! like............ how can anyone be so honestly and genuinely so sweet and mannered and goodhearted in a world like theirs? how could they stay like that? what’s their motive? what do they want?

so this is someone that sansa hadn’t seen grow up or had the pleasure of knowing as a friend and couldn’t be sure of WHO they were!

we know what podrick wants: he wants to be a knight. that’s all he’s ever wanted! he wants to serve, he wants to be good at swordfighting and protect innocent people and his friends and that’s!!!!!!! saying a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think if you throw sansa and podrick together, you will have sansa facing her hopes and dreams she carried when she was younger - and maybe actually she can have some form of that happy ending she always wanted!! it would take a lot of healing and trust and resolve but aaaAAHHH

pros of sansrick: 

sansa gets a romantic happy ending with a future knight

the one she always dreamed of and kept hanging onto even in king’s landing when she thought of escaping and being safe finally

if it’s the noble families gotta marry noble familes thing uh podrick is from House Payne we got this covered it’s fine we’re good

PODRICK WOULD NEVER EVER HURT HER

THAT’S NOT ME EXAGGERATING 

HE IS THE BEST BOY

love yourself and realize that sansrick is a force for Good

cons of sansrick

um

  I just really hope that if YJO decides to make it...

With 13 very likely being Traci, I’m already on defense squad