#ratc ask

JHLKADFSLKJHFHJAKSLJHK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rezek said

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 👁👁👁

I see it I see the vision I haven't seen that musical but Oooooooooo the laughs fits especially yea yea YEAAA I GET YOU MAGZ I GET YOU

im not very good with saying how im feeling but do know i very much enjoyed it!!

anyways, my ask has less to do with your story, and more writing as a whole...

i really like your writing, and its very inspiring how you can update so regularly and still put out such quality literature, and its not even like 1k words a week or something.

ive recently (kind of) gotten over a *massive* writers block that lasted several years, and started writing my own fic again. im just having trouble staying consistent, and feeling like anything i put down is even worth it/makes any sense.

i assume you probably struggle with stuff thats similar, or have in the past, as nobody can be absolutely perfect.

so what advice would you give to those struggling with *too many* ideas, i suppose? or just any advice at all would be greatly appreciated C:

tysm and have a great day!!!

omg hi hi hi!!! Thank you so much! 💙

I'm so glad you're loving my silly little chapters :D

I'm glad you started writing again! Writer's block sucks and is a real hard hurdle to get over (similar to burnout), so here's the best I got for how I deal with similar issues:

Colossal yapping below the cut

Yet there's no Keese, Octoroks, Froxes, Constructs, Talus and Pebblits, Evermeans, we haven't really seen too much of the Guardians, the Satori and Bubbulfrogs, literally all the Stalmonsters... there could be SO MUCH LORE with the Stals. Maybe they're the animate remains of actual fallen monsters as a kind of holdover until the blood moon can properly resurrect them? (That silver that Zayl shot back for revenge? The rest of Kobb's group? AMBERRRR?)

Are there any plans in the works for them?

Sorry for the late reply, was still recovering from surgery and I'm finally at a point where I can sit at my desk for longer than an hour jhalhfkjsd

But the short answer is: there's going to be monsters that won't be getting a major spotlight like the main group, and that's okay.

When going into writing major plot threads I don't ask myself "am I going to incorporate every little piece of the Zelda lore and characters that I possibly can?". Instead I ask "will adding this allow me to create a more compelling narrative without diverting too much from the main story?"

Don't get me wrong, I like lore. But the story I am telling with my characters will always be the #1 priority and also what I consider the most when thinking of what monsters to really include.

Which is why I've focused so heavily on the more anthropomorphic monsters in the first place. A lot of the other ones I've sort of glossed over more feel far more animalistic/instinctual if that makes sense. In how they're presented to us in-game the Bokoblins and Moblins and Lizalfos and Wizzrobes have far more anthropomorphic behavior with their camps and battlements and how they interact with each other and whatnot.

Really, the reason I picked the main four monster species as the focus is because they have a very striking similarity to other fictional fantasy races. Bokoblins and Moblins are very much a sort of stand-in for goblins and orcs, Lizalfos harken back to fantasy lizardfolk like Argonians, Wizzrobes as the sort of magical imp-like creatures, etc.

A big reason there's so many Bokoblin characters is by design. It's meant to challenge the notion of "there's always a FUCK ton of goblins in every fantasy setting and they're all 1HP cannon fodder". It's why I LOVE Starenday's introduction chapter so much because that's when it realizes that its perceived weakness was a literal façade set up by The Calamity to keep them despondent and docile from defection. Because they're forcibly sent back to the Malice upon the slightest injury this narrative of "1HP goblin" is entirely fabricated - just like how often that very same narrative in other traditional fantasies write goblins as these "weaker" creatures that the protags can slaughter by the dozens. I don't think this narrative point would hit as hard if there weren't so many Bokoblin characters that have tangibly PROVEN how unbelievably strong they can be after defecting from the Malice.

And out of all the ToTK enemies, Horriblins I saw as like.......striking gold (literally) as they're designed as a sort of cave-dwelling miner mole-ish monster is also quite common in fantasy and I could find so many juicy narratives to spin off of their major inclusion into the story.

Which is why I devoted so much time to Recksin as I saw a very compelling story I could tell with it, that being this sort of "invisible underclass" that militaristic structures both horribly repress and completely rely on to keep feeding their hunger.

The Stal as is I've felt are a sufficient...darkness lingering in the peripherals given the stakes I've set. They're essentially the logical end-point to The Calamity's cruelty, a deeper layer of torment and hell. It is the ultimate depersonalization, the stripping of the flesh and the skin and the mind to turn a sentient being into one that only exists for war and violence: a perfect soldier.

And as for the other monsters you mentioned, what Ganondorf talks about Moldugas is how I set up the more animal-like of the monsters.

With a hefty slap on the hide, the Molduga came back to its frenzied senses, roared, and took off like an arrow towards the south. The rumbling of the ground quieted as the battered dorsal fin shrank before disappearing with a puff of sand. The rippling of the ground could still be seen - nobody moving a muscle until it disappeared in the infinite desert horizon. Ganondorf turned to Link, his back still firmly planted in a small dune. "We could once tame those," he said in his deep soothing voice, "We could ride them as effortlessly as the seals. Now, the Malice only brings them to rampage. Another piece of our culture lost to my curse - surely out of spite." Slowly, Ganondorf walked over to Link, his eyes still drifting towards the south. "While they were still wild and feral without the Malice, they're victims of Demise all the same. Perhaps give as much pity to them as the others, hmm?"

I do have plans to expand on this somewhat with a few of the monster species you mentioned, but which ones I choose ultimately ends with what I think fits the narrative best.

Like I hate to shoot down any ideas, but I also don't wanna feed the expectation that I'll be covering EVERYTHING lmao

oh yeah oh yeah,,, totally still adding stuff but 3 hours is good enough HHAJHJDF

I had such a good time drawing the cover too HEJHEJFHJ I remember back when I first started reading I used to draw all the monsters eyes because I didn't know how to draw the rest of them yet,,, idk what it is I just love drawing eyes KSKDJFHJ,,, and the sunflowers and lightning next to them are one image together too heheee

BUT EYEAH IM SO NORMAL,,, need to get back to doodling so I can ramp my motivation back up and keep drawing the three eternally disgruntled freaks [Runwhir Abacus and Ire]

I WILL be drawing Rezek and Kobb too,,,, obviously,, maybe I'll even draw them first since I'm better at drawing them KFSKDJFHDSKJ,,,,

for sustenance here is a Runwhir I had to leave for a bit to draw other stuff

idk if I'll ever finish it just because it took me a solid two days to even finish the lineart but GOD I love how it turned out even if it remains eternally unfinished KJDJHSKJFDJ,,, it was supposed to be a part of a triple whammy with Ire and Abacus angst as well but I was like holy shit this is way too much. so I'm leaving it be for a bit and hopefully I'll just come back to it at some point KHSKDJFSK

all that aside god I loveKobb and Rezek so much.. thye're so good they're so special you have no idea,,,

im insane

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THANK U THANK U I'LL GIVE IT A LISTEN AHEEHEE >:3

I LOVE THE RUNWHIR ART AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ANGSTY LITTLE THING

IT'S TRYING SO HARD IT WANTS TO TRY SO HARD

it was supposed to be a part of a triple whammy with Ire and Abacus angst as well but I was like holy shit this is way too much. so I'm leaving it be for a bit and hopefully I'll just come back to it at some point KHSKDJFSK

And yeah that's totally understandable!!! I can imagine that'd be a lot to draw especially with Runwhir being its huge ass self with so many details and the mane jkhasdhlkjfkj

I really love all the love you put into my silly little characters when you draw them :')

No matter what your art's always an absolute treat to see in my inbox or dash 💙

all that aside god I loveKobb and Rezek so much.. thye're so good they're so special you have no idea,,,

YEAAAAAAAA GODDDDDD JUST

THE PARALLELS

REZEK SLOWLY LEARNING TO RELY ON OTHERS AND NOT DOING IT ALL

BUT STILL NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP ITSELF IN TRYING TO DO IT ALL

BOTH OUT OF OVERCONFIDENCE AND OVERCOMPENSATING FOR ITS PAST

BUT THE OTHER MONSTERS HELPING IT WORK THROUGH THAT AND WHILE IT'S STILL A LITTLE TOO MUCH OF A BRAGGART IT LETS ITSELF GET HUMBLED AND ACCEPTS WORDS FROM OTHERS

It doesn't really fundamentally change in personality, it just has spun those traits into a much more positive light thanks to Kobb and Sledge and Zayl and everyone else

ALSDHHDLADJ I love how I'm summoned like an RPG move when it comes to name pronunciations ehehehe

In any case.........its pronounced Y-eights or "Yates" as you say. Like one long syllable :3

I'm 99% sure that's how Yeates is pronounced irl since I've heard it used as a last name before

I am dying at Yee-a-tees like you'd pronounced Socrates lakdjfkajfk

With Yeates I wanted it to be a more "Hylian" name derived from its old designation, hence why its name is like if you say E-8 very fast.

“Ehhh…how would my designation be pronounced in Hylian? That’s a good start…” All three leaned in closer and pondered in different poses. “Eh…Eel..Electric Eight , I’m pretty sure…” “Electric…” The Hylian word rolled off the tongue - just as much as their own. It was a perfect word for the elegant dance of sparks that came from those Wizzrobes. “Eeeeeee-lec-tric” “Electriiiiic!” “Eeeee…” “Eeee…eight…ate…” “E-eight…e-yeate…eyate…Yeates …”

Referee call...point goes to Harvey and Magz

Would this be Tulin and Ashen in modern au (platonically) hshdds

One cute and one traumatized birdrobe Ashen from freeing Recksin as well

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH JHKLDSAFLKJHADSF

ASHEN IS SO CUTE AND FLUFFY IN YOUR STYLE, KLEE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ABSOLUTE BABYYYYYYYY

I'm fucking dying too jkljhaslkjh they absolutely would just be repeating stupid brainrot memes to each other if they were in the modern era jhkafdslhjk

It's probably for the betterment of Hyrule that Ashen and Tulin don't have access to an iPad and YouTube LMAO

This could also be Ashen whenever it's flying around

(just hope none of the responsible adults find out who taught Ashen to swear)

I can't get over how FLUFFY you draw Ashen here it's just a little tiny baby birdrobe that still has its baby bird feathers hkjasdfhlkj

AND THEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE RECKSIN SCENE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BABYYYYY ;A;

Its thousand yard stare there is............good god you did such a good job portraying that absolutely harrowing moment it was forced to go through........

Ashen I'm so sorry but you gotta go through some angst for the narrative you gotta I promise you'll be okay

also off topic but we're so fucking close to 200 chapters,,, god I remember when we were celebrating 100 and it feels like it wasn't even that long ago but dude,,,, fuck,,,,,,

WE ARE IN IT FOR THE LONG RUN. SALUTE EMOJI

YEAYEA OF COURSE HARVEY❗❗

EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE COOKING OMG :D

The ones that showed up are the younger of the Voeba'sqa as the older ones and those that didn't wish to fight had to either keep their camp together after being summoned on such short notice or they weren't in enough fighting shape to be alongside a whole army. So in total I wanted there to be around 12-15 of them with 6 of the ones you see coming to aid the Gibdo hive. With the ages of them being around 18-20 at the youngest to 35-40 at the oldest.

I'll admit I wish I had fleshed out their personalities just a liiiiiiiittle more but I also didn't want it to slow down the pacing when the whole atmosphere was tense as it was during those chapters jhakdsfljhk

So here's a general idea of what I was going for with them and what I'd include if I wrote a sort of "What Sahnde learned about everyone in the squad" smile :)

Ky is both the youngest and most recent to join the Voeba'sqa, and also the first and only voe to be "banished" under Riju's current reign (so far). He's got that more youthful brashness and prone to speak up first and loudest. Was in training to be a guard before leaving the capital to live with the Voeba'sqa. Very likely went with the other five moreso because he wanted to bash some Yiga heads in than helping the hive, though quickly learned the reality of war.

Lukes is a Gerudo cultural anthropologist and historian that realized he was voe when he was taught of the Voeba'sqa history, but waited until he was finished with his studies to be officially "banished" from the capital. Though he's one of the few that regularly gets un-banished and banished again as he often has to re-enter the capital to either give a seminar/lecture or to consult with his colleagues on his writings. He came to knew Dinju well solely from the amount of times he destroyed the ceremonial pottery in front of her. He's also kept shards of all of his smashed pots but only has his most recent one on-hand. Fairly bookish and philosophical.

Astin worked in exports and came to learn of the Voeba'sqa through the Buzzards. More easygoing and lax than most, as his life was extremely stressful before leaving the capital as the eldest of his family and the one expected to take up the mantle of the business. Pretty rough home life, talks about it frequently usually in a morbid humor way. Classic case of "well I would be fine that you're voe except you're the eldest so you have a responsibility to the family" bullshit from his mother. Was quick to smash the pottery and get the fuck out of there. Though his family fought back against his "banishment" and lead to a bit of a problem that Dinju had to personally intervene.

Benneth was a mathematician and accountant, for the capital before joining the Voeba'sqa and then for them after he was "banished". Had a more hopeful outlook, often clashing with Laur though their arguments never rose too high. Was one of the few Voeba'sqa to maintain regular contact with his family. Though that started off rocky at first, with many letters asking when he'd return to the capital. But in time that faded and every so often he'd meet with his family in Kara Kara - though never near the capital. Concerningly verbose and sage for his age, but was known to sulk silently and alone when things didn't go his way. Wasn't the best of a fighter, only trained after he joined the Voeba'sqa, but was insistent on going to protect the Gibdo.

Laur and Rodge are the oldest of the 6. Laur is extremely jaded though doesn't talk much about neither his past nor what shaped his negative worldview. Though from the way he talks in regards to Dinju he once knew her quite well personally. Extremely gruff exterior but is always the first to have any of his Voeba'sqa's back. Has personally helped the younger four and acted as a sort of intermediate mentor for them. He was also there when Sahnde was captured and almost killed, and the one to hesitate and demand the rest back off when it pleaded in Hylian.

Rodge I wish I had given him some actual speaking lines in that chapter but I intended him to be this more silent softspoken type that acts as a listener and shoulder to cry on for the group. Though he harbors that sort of underlying somber to his eyes that he doesn't talk about and isn't worth prying into. Although with how close he is to Laur and how the older members never mention one without mentioning the other, it stands to reason their history was intertwined as well.

Don't worry I'll make sure this all gets brought up in RATC: Brotherhood aka when I go back and edit everything REALLY thoroughly /silly

also off topic but we're so fucking close to 200 chapters,,, god I remember when we were celebrating 100 and it feels like it wasn't even that long ago but dude,,,, fuck,,,,,, WE ARE IN IT FOR THE LONG RUN. SALUTE EMOJI

I KNOW RIGHT OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

CHAPTER 100 HARDLY FEELS THAT LONG AGO BUT IT WAS...

OKAY I THOUGHT IT WAS LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO BUT IT'S LITERALLY OVER 2 YEARS AGO AAAAAAAAAAAA

Ohhhhh the inexorable march of time ohhhhhhhhhhh

God I hope I can come up with enough chapter names for this fic jhlkasdfkhjakjhs

BUT YEA YEA WE ARE IN IT FOR THE LONG RUN