Suddenly, Yourself Art. I Was Very Happy With How This Came Out Since This Was The First Time I Drew

I reallly liked this and felt inclined to share :)

oh how I love my angst, my sweet, painful angst…

Don't Forget (A Legend of Zelda One-Shot)

Featuring SS and ToTK

Rating: T??? Nothing too wild but see the trigger warnings below

Summary: Ten years after the Hylians established their kingdom on the Surface, Link struggles with the thought of his people forgetting his childhood home. / A millennia after the events of Skyward Sword, the weight on Link's shoulders almost brings him to his breaking point.

Trigger Warnings: Lots of ANGST, both Links are very sad, depictions of depression and PTSD, I haven't written a piece of fanfiction in like 4 or 5 years and I've never written anything for Zelda. I wrote this in like 3 hours. :)

A/N: This idea was sparked because I have been genuinely unwell about the full-circle theory where Tears of the Kingdom is at the end of the Child Timeline-- it's so different from Skyward Sword but the relationships between Link and Zelda literally hurt my heart and soul I love them your honor. The fact that both Zeldas like slept for eternity and Link is just. Stuck. Unable to help them immediately. My heart guys. It's also partly inspired by the fact that I'm currently grinding to defeat Ganondorf. Again.

When Link and Zelda left the sky to form an establishment on the Surface, Link knew it wouldn't be easy. Being on the Surface was hard enough for him just throughout his travels-- nothing but solid rock beneath his feet, the sky an unreachable distance above except by Bird Statue, it was claustrophobic at best and his body didn't handle the vast changes in altitude very well. It was adrenaline only that kept him going, and once it was gone, he spent weeks in recovery.

The same could not be said for Zelda, who, after bathing in the purifying springs and obtaining some of her holy powers from when she was Hylia, took the changes much better. He was more than happy to have her back, but in those first few weeks after she announced that the gods wanted Hylia's people to return to the Surface, a tiny spark of resentment buried itself deep in his heart-- not for her, never for her, but for the gods who had placed them in this situation.

That was ten years ago.

Of course, many of the citizens of Skyloft couldn't believe Zelda until she displayed her power in small increments, as the power itself was dwindling now that the need for it was gone. Some followed them to the Surface, some stayed.

Now, their small town had flourished and grown a bit. This newer generation on the Surface knew nothing of the Sky, and no Loftwings could bond with them down here. A few parents took their children to the Sky to see if they could bond with some, but the children couldn't handle the journey very well and no Loftwings appeared anyway. It was clear now that Loftwings were going extinct-- he hadn't seen a wild one since he was little. It was a monumental discovery, and a bit chaotic. People realized that their decision was permanent, and that one day the Sky and Surface would no longer have any connection.

As he stared out of the window on their little village, the thought of the future people of Hyrule never knowing about Skyloft made his stomach churn. Their village was nothing fancy-- stone and clay mostly made up their buildings, and it was built in a small ravine near the Temple of Time. The moon shone brightly through the trees, and the sounds of the forest animals made it almost impossible for him to sleep some nights. He missed the Sky, even years after moving to the Surface. If it weren't for Zelda, he wouldn't have stayed here.

He glanced back at his wife, peacefully asleep and unaware he had left their bed. Her golden hair was a mess and she had fallen asleep in her working clothes after helping with the crops all day, keeping herself busy to try and root herself in reality, even still. The memories of her life as Hylia had mostly vanished, but occasionally she would speak in a cryptic, ancient tongue or she would reference something that hadn't happened in this lifetime. She hadn't had an episode in a long time, and he hoped it would stay like that.

Heaving a deep breath, he grabbed his satchel and quietly left the room. He probably wouldn't be back by breakfast, but she was used to him making these excursions by now. The town was quiet as he exited their house, ensuring the door was closed behind him. It had taken him years to be able to leave Zelda alone, but he knew she was safe for the rest of this lifetime-- Demise had promised he would reappear, but not for a very long time.

As he passed Pipit on night patrol, the two shared a brief nod of recognition. He knew he probably didn't watch the house all night, but his own house was right next door and Link was certain that Pipit guarded his wife and children more closely than any other. Granted, no one had seen a monster since Demise's defeat, but there was no such thing as being too careful.

Groose-- also a sleepless man-- was sitting on his front porch when Link passed by. It was very late, but it wasn't unusual. While his childish jealousy and feelings for Zelda had both changed, their friendship hadn't. Part bullying, part joking, their shared experiences during the battles they were through had made them lifelong friends.

Groose often made similar trips that Link did, sneaking off to go to the Sky for a day or two; sometimes he joined him. Tonight, though, Groose was back from one of many journeys into the Lanayru Desert. The Hylians had an outpost out there where they collected sand for glass and found precious gems to trade with Gorons, Mogma, Parella, and Kikwis-- although relations with the Mogma were unsteady at best. They'd been stealing from the Hylian outpost in Eldin, where they were trying to help the Gorons establish a peaceful settlement. Both races only wanted to fight, however, and he worried there was war in their future, war that he would not allow the Hylians to interfere with.

Groose had volunteered to oversee the Lanayru outpost shortly after it was established. He would often be gone for weeks at a time, deeply tanning his skin. The pompadour he'd sported in his teenage years was long gone. He often talked about a permanent settlement in the desert, but Link wasn't too sure about it.

He caught Link's attention on his way out of the village. "Nightmares?" It was an unfortunate reality. The three of them even still had nightmares of that time-- he couldn't imagine Zelda's. From her descriptions of the Imprisoning War, she had twice the trauma they did. When they had nightmares, they'd escape to the sky, often returning to their old homes in Skyloft and spending time with the few who had decided to stay.

Link only shook his head. He didn't speak much anymore. Groose nodded, returning to leaning back in his chair and watching the moon. "Careful. I'm not going to bed anytime soon, so I'll watch your house."

Link nodded his thanks and left the village boundaries. Something that even still astounded him was how dark the Surface could get, and he rushed down the paths to get to the Bird Statue. The darkness reminded him of things that he didn't like to remember: visions of the Imprisoned, Ghirahim... He blinked them furiously away and bade the statue take him up.

Link's heart was heavy as he sat on a stone looking out over the endless sky. It was quiet, and peaceful. He sat on the uninhabited side of the lake, facing away from the abandoned structures and few lights. Overgrown, fading away, Link hated the thought of his home becoming unimportant. More so, he hated the thought of losing his bird.

She sat beside him in all of her crimson glory, preening her feathers. He stroked her neck lovingly, knowing that one day, she would be gone, and his final connection to the Sky will be lost. Red was his only means of getting here, and she was blissfully unaware of this fact. "Promise me something," He whispered, "When someone with the Spirit of the Hero is reborn again, stay with him. In whatever form you can take."

Red paused, almost as though she could understand him. Inwardly, Link briefly wondered if he was crazy for talking to his Loftwing so much. Their eyes locked, and Red leaned her head into Link's chest with a soft call. Link wrapped his arms around her head and started to cry, unable to control himself. He longed for the old times, for what could have been. The peaceful life he had imagined for himself when he was young was a cold, painful dream now, and even though he knew he should be grateful for what he had, he couldn't shake the unhappiness in his chest that lingered day in and day out.

Taking a small chisel out of his satchel, he let go of Red and moved off the rock, turning to hammer into it. It was a project that he'd been working on for days now, and he was almost finished.

Dawn had arrived when he blew the dust off of the stone. He ran his fingers over the letters, proud of his work. Exhausted and unable to get rid of the hurt in his heart, he leaned his head against the rock and closed his eyes, taking a moment to try and gather the willpower to fly back to the Surface.

"What are you doing now, sleepyhead?" Although Zelda's voice was gentle, it startled him anyway. He whipped around, shocked to see both her and her purple Loftwing standing behind him. She hadn't even changed, and warmth slowly crept back into his limbs. Slowly, the awful, worsening emotions of the night were chased away by her presence, her beautiful smile and the thought that she'd left the house so quickly to come to him.

It was always worse when he was alone.

When he was away from her.

Link let out a tense breath as his body relaxed, rushing to her and enveloping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry--"

"Shut up," She cut him off quickly, and he couldn't help but laugh. Just having her close made everything okay. "I know. You don't need to apologize." She gave his torso a tight squeeze, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Want to show me what you're working on?"

Link stepped back, turning toward the rock and gesturing toward the inscription on its surface. "I'm not done yet. At this rate I'm only getting one word done every couple days."

Zelda leaned down to read it, crossing her arms against the morning chill. "Please don't forget..." With a sigh, she stood up, facing the rising sun. The thought of Skyloft being forgotten hurt her too, but she was much better at accepting things than he was. "They really are going to forget one day." In silence, they watched the sun rise; Link put his cloak over her shoulders and pulled her close to his side.

"One day," She suddenly specified, and Link briefly struggled to make the connection. She looked at him, smiling. "One day they will forget. But we won't be here. It won't be us. Do me a favor: try to live here, and now. Forget about the rest. It either hasn't happened yet, or is over and done. All that matters is right now." She took his hand in hers and held it tightly.

Link planted a lingering kiss on top of her head, closing his eyes and realizing that she always smells of Skyloft's meadows in spring rain. At least, she does to him. "...I'm trying."

"I know. Sometimes that's all you can do."

They sat and watched the sun rise until it was well above the Cloud Barrier, but they didn't return to the Surface. They didn't return that day, or the next, and when they did eventually return, they made weekly trips to the Sky from then on, forcing time into their busy schedules to enjoy flights around the floating islands. Link soon forgot all about the stone he was carving, and he never did finish it.

~Millenia Later~

Link sighed as he forced down the final bite of a half-hearted stew of mushrooms and venison. It was tasteless. The fire crackled softly, but it did not relax him. He barely felt the warmth of it at all. He was numb, numb and tired. So very tired. His whole body hurt and his heart ached. The Master Sword on his back was heavy, and his tunic and leathers felt restrictive. He was overwhelmed and exhausted.

He'd tried. He'd solved all of the regions' problems in Hyrule and obtained their avatars. He'd explored the depths and found Mineru's robot. The most tasking of all was finding the Dragon's Tears, the memories of his beloved Zelda who had been thrown back in time 10,000 years and now had permanently lost herself to her dragon form. She was gone. If Mineru could think of no way to save her even with her vast and ancient knowledge, then how could he? He'd lost his first love to Calamity Ganon, and now his second was forever lost because of him too. And when he'd tried to end him, he wasn't strong enough.

Link barely escaped that chasm beneath Hyrule alive-- he visited a fairy fountain and started on a journey to find all of the shrines he could, getting as strong as he could possibly be.

And he still couldn't do it.

In frustration, Link hurled the bowl across the campsite with a yell. Who was going to hear him? He was all alone, save for his horse. Epona snorted in alarm at his outburst, raising her head and huffing in his direction. "What?" He snapped, though he knew full well the horse couldn't understand him. Across Sky, Depths, and Hyrule, he kept getting stuck in shrines that should be easy.

He initially tried to calm himself, but decided not to. There wasn't anyone around he needed to keep his stoic act up for. He instead drew his blade and stormed into the nearby patch of woods, destroying any keese or chuchu that dropped from the trees in his path. When he'd expended his anger and all that was left was grief, he stumbled out of the other side and fell to his knees by a pile of ruins that had fallen from the Sky.

The tears came unbidden as he collapsed on a mossy stone, and he let himself sob as loud and as hard as he wanted to. He missed his friends, he missed Mipha, he missed Hyrule as it was before the Calamity. He missed his family. What had ever happened to his sister? He still had never found any descendants of hers. Most of all he missed Zelda, he missed her with all of his soul and then some and it was painful. Maybe it was she was so close, and yet so far.

Why does he keep fighting? With Zelda gone and with Ganon's incarnations always returning, what's the point anymore? He wanted to disappear. So badly, he wanted to leave and never come back, vanishing into the wilderness.

As he calmed, he tore at the moss absentmindedly, ripping away until it was gone and his fingers were stained green. Sniffling as he leaned back, he wiped his face with the back of his hand and noticed something... odd.

The rock's surface had an odd etching in its surface, but it didn't look like Zonai script. Zelda would want to see it. Curious, he used the Purah Pad as a light to better see it in the half-dark of the night. His eyes widened. It was Hylian. A very old version of it, he had seen it in Zelda's books. She'd gone on an excited tirade a year or so ago about it when she'd found an ancient tablet describing the founding of Hyrule, though she could barely read it. Shifting closer, he struggled to remember how to translate it. He'd learned it so that he could write her letters for her to practice, though it was so long ago and so much had happened that his mind was scrambled.

"Please... Don't... Forget..." The stone was so worn that he couldn't make out anything else. Link hummed thoughtfully, taking a picture of it-- he winced when he realized that he'd automatically thought of showing Zelda, who wasn't here. He stood, eyes on the inscription in the rock for a moment longer. He felt like it was important, but he couldn't place why.

Unexpectedly, his blade lit up with a soft noise, a magical sound it rarely produces. Zelda always said it was the spirit of the blade. Confused, he reached back to grab it, expecting a dangerous enemy to approach from the treeline when something caught his eye.

A Silent Princess.

Link's heart twisted at the sight of Zelda's favorite flower. Instinctively, he reached down and made to pluck it, but stopped. She would smack him so hard if she were here to do so. An endangered flower, remember? I need to leave it be.

The distant call of a dragon brought his attention upward, and his heart skipped when he saw a familiar outline on the horizon, backlit by the painfully beautiful dawn. "Zelda," He breathed; she rarely flew this low.

Please don't forget. The words on the stone, the sight of her, the flower, the sword whispering-- his heart raced. A few stray tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'll keep trying," He managed, "I made you a promise. I'll keep trying."

On the horizon, the Light Dragon shrieked low. He knew there was no way she could possibly hear him, but it felt like an answer. It's all you can do, she would say. He could almost hear her voice.

Filled with new energy, Link made his way back to his campsite. He packed up quickly, putting out the fire and making sure to retrieve his only bowl-- although he couldn't find his spoon. He would have to make a new one. As he stuffed his supplies in his saddlebag, something sharp poked his finger; he yanked the item out of the bag in a panic, expecting an insect or lizard, but was surprised at the sight of a long, red feather between his fingers. He made to throw it away, unsure of how it got in his bag, but stopped; maybe if he saw it again, it would remind him of the rock. Please don't forget.

Epona turned to look at him, nickering quietly. Link stuffed the feather in his bag and wrapped his arms around her head, hugging her tightly. "Even if all my friends are gone, at least I have you, Epona."

As though in answer, she whinnied loudly and he laughed, giving her the apple in his pocket that he knew she wanted. He clambered up into the saddle when she was done and the set off at a gallop for the distant glow of a shrine on a nearby cliff, eager to fight another day.

Maybe, when this was all over, he might find a way to save Zelda after all.

Okay guys. Look. It's been a very long time since I've written any fanfiction. And I don't think I've ever written anything for Zelda. I know this is different from my usual content, and I don't know if I'll do something like this again but I might. Let me know what you guys think!

Reblogs are greatly appreciated! If you'd like to be added to the tag list, you can reblog, comment, or leave a message in my inbox!

Update: 4/22/25

Hello! This is my 100th post! Thanks for helping me reach this milestone!

just wanted to provide a few updates because of all the things I’ve started/said I would do.

The (silly) Blue Crew will be updating THIS weekend. It will be everyone’s profiles, with some short bios, the main comic/writing will most likely start sometime after, but I can do asks before the weekend, i can do them anytime, really.

I have also requested an invitation to Ao3, so I will be getting an account soon. Really excited to share my works!

With my recent poll, you all showed that you’d want to see my Gerudo OC, Sojul! I’ll be making a reference board for her today, and I’ll be working on her art and profile this week, so expect that post to be up in about one and a half weeks or so. (Possibly two, art and writing takes time!)

I will be making my normal everyday posts and such, so don’t worry! And besides, i might surprise some of you all with random drawings and such. You never know.

In the meantime though…stay silly!

-Blue :)

may I interest you in a modern AU wild?

he plays sports and studies engineering, idk lmao

he’s probably constantly doing stuff to help people so he probably looks a little out of it? (that or i was subconsciously projecting my sleep deprivation into him when drawing-)

OK so I might be gone longer than expected sorry, I’m on hiatus again :(

Update: 4/22/25

Hello! This is my 100th post! Thanks for helping me reach this milestone!

just wanted to provide a few updates because of all the things I’ve started/said I would do.

The (silly) Blue Crew will be updating THIS weekend. It will be everyone’s profiles, with some short bios, the main comic/writing will most likely start sometime after, but I can do asks before the weekend, i can do them anytime, really.

I have also requested an invitation to Ao3, so I will be getting an account soon. Really excited to share my works!

With my recent poll, you all showed that you’d want to see my Gerudo OC, Sojul! I’ll be making a reference board for her today, and I’ll be working on her art and profile this week, so expect that post to be up in about one and a half weeks or so. (Possibly two, art and writing takes time!)

I will be making my normal everyday posts and such, so don’t worry! And besides, i might surprise some of you all with random drawings and such. You never know.

In the meantime though…stay silly!

-Blue :)

random corruption shitpost lmao

Playing Frontiers reminds me of when I played BOTW for the first time so i doodled a scenario where Frontiers takes place in Hyrule (somehow) and Sonic gets to bug Link for a while :))

Also i think the cultural differences between mobians and hylians would be really fun to play with haha

just read the entirety of linked universe...

holy hylia guys i CAN'T

its peak

like acually?

PEAK.

expect fanart and writing, gonna put these heroes through so much-

(...i should be in bed-)

just went down the mesmerizer rabbit hole instead of cleaning woo….

guess it really is true to its name

direct art pt 3-

This man is in love. I know the switch 2 isn’t like…4k (I think?) but still the graphics are insane, like the games already looked good, but now… my storage is gonna hate me- imma be taking SO many pictures

CORRECTION: it is in 4K, i just don't pay attention-

alt versions below the cut:

revalink,

sidlink,

and last but not least miphlink

this is actually so sweet… made me smile :)

DONT GET ME WRONG- I am a huge advocate on the Wild and Hyrule being bffs front BUT I think it would be so so SO funny if they hated each other at first.

Wild and Hyrule

The similarities between Wild and Hyrule are genuinely poetic, I mean botw is literally a spiritual successor to Zelda 1. Their friendship was written in the stars.

But their differences… I think in the beginning Hyrule would envy the shit out of Wild. Both of their eras are in severe decline but Wild’s is green. Everyone in the chain knows that Wild’s memory is lacking. They know that one day Wild woke up with no memories and answered the call to be a hero, just like that. Everyone thinks it’s highly admirable to choose to be a hero without even knowing what you’re saving, just being innately good. But Hyrule doesn’t think so. If he woke up and saw a world so beautiful… There isn’t even a choice in defending that.

He’s also jealous that Wild can just… fuck off if something gets too dangerous. When they’re in Wild’s era they learn that he can use his slate to teleport anywhere he wants as much as he wants. If Wild accidentally disturbs a Lynel he can literally disappear to a sunny beach, get a drink, and lay out. He even has a map that updates as he moves. If he got lost, even with his slate not working, Hyrule has no doubt Wild would just run into an apple tree, a clean spring, and venison. He can scan an object to tell whether or not it’s poison. It didn’t matter how young, sick, or tired Hyrule was, if he stumbled upon a Lynel it was either him or it. He had to learn the hard way what he could or couldn’t eat. If Hyrule got lost there was no way his maps could save him. His era was mostly one huge bruise of dry grass and dying trees. Food and landmarks were scarce.

Because of that, Wild gets to goof off. He’s impulsive. He’s loud. He’s everything that should’ve gotten him killed years ago.

What he doesn’t know is that Wild is also jealous of Hyrule. Hyrule is just so… competent with so little. Hyrule never needed the master sword. In fact, Hyrule still uses the same sword he’s had since he was 10. Hyrule doesn’t break things. Hyrule doesn’t need people to find him when he’s lost, he doesn’t need maps. Hyrule doesn’t complain when all they have to eat is hard tack and water.

Hyrule could find a needle in a haystack without even burning it down. He’s just… everything that Wild can’t be. The shrine of resurrection healed as much of Wild as it could but the brain is a complicated thing. He wonders if he was always so impulsive, if he used to miss social cues, and if his memory had always been awful. Flora said something about damage to his frontal lobe but unless he looks up the definition in his slate, Wild can’t remember what that means.

Wild feels so embarrassed having had to use so many tools in his quest. Everyone calls Legend the hoarder but Wild quietly knows that it’s really him. Just standing next to Hyrule makes Wild look bad. It’s like the guy glows.

So they both resent each other at first, Hyrule for what Wild has and Wild for what Hyrule has.

I think if they were both teens, 17??, they would take this out on each other by being relentlessly petty. I think aside from Wind, they would be the youngest in the chain. At least in this scenario. Wild holds his breath praying that Hyrule will fuck up at some point. Hyrule “accidentally” keeps sabotaging Wild’s attempts to sneak off. Whenever the other gets lectured they get a sick feeling of accomplishment.

The chain picks up on the fact those two don’t like each other. Most of them don’t get it, two teenage kids, the same age, both heroes with a love for adventure and sneaking off. Why wouldn’t they get along? Wild and Hyrule never do actually fight though, until they do.

It starts with little things, Hyrule being annoyed after being asked to patch Wild up. Wild under or over seasoning Hyrule’s dinner portion just to test how far he can push him. Just little things to push at each other’s buttons.

And then they finally do fight, maybe after months of it brewing. And GOODNESS if it’s not a glorious fight. It doesn’t matter who started it. Hyrule has a fist of Wild’s hair. Wild throws sand into Hyrule’s eyes. The chain doesn’t even know what to do by the time they finally get them split up.

Well, Time does. Time makes the two of them start doing EVERYTHING together. Patrols, skirmishes, chores. The only way they’d be closer is if they were tied together. They hate it.

But it’s because of this they get captured together after a portal splits up the chain. Maybe they’re lost, arguing when cultists, a sick combination of both Yiga and the Eyes of Ganon scoop them up.

I think that while the Eyes are hyper competent they’re not necessarily cruel. This is a means to an end for them, they believe the death of the hero will save their families. For that, the hero doesn’t need to suffer. Slitting his throat will do. The Yiga are cruel but not very competent. They want to string the hero up, humiliate him. Torture him if they can get their hands on him… These two forces combined make something both competent and cruel.

So Wild and Hyrule are united in their shared terror. Hyrule and Wild finally start talking, trying to collaborate when they realize the cult wants to toy with them both before ritualistically sacrificing them. Through this, they finally understand each other.

Hyrule learns how insecure Wild is and why. How Wild’s era failed him and pushed him into something when he literally didn’t even have the mind to do so. That Wild is struggling to cope in a world that he barely understands.

Wild learns that Hyrule never got to cope, that his entire life has been one big chase. That Hyrule also didn’t choose to be a hero but had to be. Hyrule never catches a break. Hyrule never had the chance to get to break something.

Through their impromptu sleepover and some light torture, they grow close in the span of 72 hours before they escape their captors hand in hand.

They reunite with the chain who are shocked to see them arms around each other’s shoulders like brothers. Laughing, and more concerningly bleeding, at new inside jokes.

From then on they become a dangerous force. Time almost wishes they didn’t get along so well bc the new trouble they’re getting into is much more stressful than the old isolated incidents. They learn each others anxieties and weaknesses and do their best to uplift each other. They’re besties 💕💕💕

Hehehe sorry for the long ramble but I think about these two a lot. I think it’s so cool how their games are related but they’re also kind of opposites in some ways? This is probably ooc but I had a lot of fun writing. Lmk any thoughts!!