if you by any chance wonder just how insane I am: I animated the whole thing last night out of nowhere. Just sat down at 9pm for a quick drawing sesh and didn't raise my head till 2am (I did take a break to record myself spinning a pillow for a reference, probably the only reason my back is still functioning)
first sketch. just basic poses and emotion (and clothes and hair and-)
first rough. Sun's hair felt a little off, so I decided to FINALLY go to sleep and see if I could fix it the next day..
..and I think I did. It's definitely more flowy, just the way I like it. I also added a little more frames for Sky in the beginning
"I asked ChatGPT" "I asked Grok" "I asked Gemini" Ok, well I asked Entrapta, Princess of Dryl, and she's been waiting years for someone to ask her about her theories so she's been talking for 45 minutes straight and there's tiny snacks here, we're having the time of our lives.
Happy December, everyone! For those of you whom enjoy a cozy holiday fic, but you don't have time to trawl ao3 yourself for some, I have spent a handful of hours compiling a list of 39 fics that may spark some festive cheer in your soul.
Some of these fics feature Christmas explicitly; some are a generic winter event; still others are an example of Hyrulean holiday worldbuilding! Regardless of your particular preference, I hope you are able to taste the short and sweet oneshots, savor the multichaps, and revel in the delicious flavor of snowdusted pining, occasional angst, and tooth-rotting fluff!
This list was a labor of love (I wrote all of the summaries myself), and is extensive but not exhaustive! If you've written or are aware of a (non-Linked Universe) fic that belongs on this list, please reblog or comment with those linked! I'd love to add them on <3 and I plan to add to + reblog this post each year going forward!
(a special shoutout to @zeldaelmo for writing literally a third of these. Zelmo, you are a gift to the holiday romcom zelink community!)
Canon
Pumpkin Tarts | 1765 words | Rated G | Post Twilight Princess. Enjoying the new sweetness of their recently-established relationship, Link and Zelda bake pumpkin tarts in the Castle kitchen.
Snowy Morning | 2240 words | Rated T | Post Skyward Sword. Zelda and Link are almost as in love with the Surface's snow as they are with one another, as they enjoy a cozy morning together.
Close enough | 2276 words | Rated T | Post Twilight Princess. While visiting a small village on her coronation tour, Zelda and Link attend a winter fair, and have quite an interesting conversation about mistletoe traditions.
It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring) | 2655 words | Rated G | Ocarina of Time, Child Timeline. A rambunctious Link and Zelda get to enjoy a snow day with the help of Impa's stealth skills.
save a prayer | 2817 words | Rated G | Post Breath of the Wild. Zelda has not been able to enjoy Hylia's Day since she lost her mother and her childhood in one fell swoop. In their Hateno home, a century later, Link strives to reintroduce her to the goodness in the holiday.
Fairy Magic | 2933 words | Rated T | Post Twilight Princess. Queen Zelda is far too prone to overwork, even during the approach towards Nayru's Eve. Her fiance, Link, feels rather disinclined to allow this—at least, not without sparking up her long days.
Of Pines and Pining | 3621 words | Rated T | Pre-Calamity BotW. Against her will, Zelda has been forced to decorate the halls of Hyrule Castle with her rambunctious Champions for Hylia's Day. To make things worse, the attraction simmering between her and the Champion she despises most is thick enough to chew...
Dismissed | 6897 words, 3 chapters | Rated G | Post Age of Calamity. All Link wanted was a few days to go home and visit his family during Hylia’s Day—so why did Princess Zelda have him entirely dismissed from her guard?
The Long Climb Toward Summer | 7573 words | Rated T | Pre-Calamity BotW. At Hyrule Castle's winter solstice ball, enlightenment and understanding begin to bloom between the Princess and her Knight as Zelda comes to understand that they are not so different, nor so alone, as both have thought.
Gratitude (Twelve Days of Winterfest) | 21,455 words, 6 chapters | Rated T | Pre-Calamity BotW. Given the strain of preparing for the Calamity, Zelda finds herself in need of emotional support when Wintersday and Hylia’s Feast approach. Gratefully, Link, the Knight she had once loathed and is now her closest friend, is happy to provide.
Modern AU
link_inofficial_23 | 1409 words | Rated T | Link has a secret Tumblr, and during the first Christmas he and his wife, Princess Zelda, are sharing with their new baby, he can't help but blog all about it.
One Night in December | 1441 words | Rated T | Link has been in love with his best friend, Zelda, for years. During a holiday movie hangout, Zelda chooses a friends-to-lovers romcom. But surely that can't mean anything. Not at all.
The Thing with the matching Christmas Sweaters | 1589 words | Rated T | With only minutes before the holiday-themed engagement photoshoot Zelda, her fiance Link, and her father have planned, the couple discover that their couple's sweaters have been co-opted into a family's sweater situation. And that simply will not do.
A Rare Find | 2797 words | Rated T | On a winter day, Link comes across a cute girl while hunting for weather-specific koroks on Korok-Go. Turns out she's also playing the game too, and she's in need of a fake boyfriend to bring to her club's winter party!
No Code for the Wicked | 3126 words | Rated M | It's Hylia's Day Eve; surely the cesspit city of criminals and supervillains Zelda calls home will be taking it easy on civilians like herself on this chilly, snowy evening? ...uh oh.
gingerbread houses and cupcakes | 3875 words | Not rated, but equivalent to G | Kindergarten teacher Link develops quite the crush on the pretty young baker opening her business on his block. With Winter Solstice approaching, who better to special order his class's holiday cupcakes from?
December | 4k+ | Rated T | A 2005 FFN classic. Winter-hating Link is secretly in love with his friend and neighbor, Zelda. With plans to spend Christmas Eve together, will she return his feelings?
december wears stars in its hair, you call them rain and wish for snow | 4194 words | Rated T | A tangled, melancholy meeting between college students Link and Zelda as the holidays approach. They used to be best friends; now they're nearly strangers. Link might be in love with Zelda, but Zelda doesn't know how to be with them. Not when she doesn't even know how to be herself.
The last day of winter market | 4627 words | Rated T | Link loves working his family's mulled wine stall at the Nayru's Day market every year, and is beyond thrilled to have gotten a spot at Castletown's this time. Don't tell his Nana, but the beautiful blonde who keeps coming by makes it even better.
Believe | 6185 words, 3 chapters | Rated T | Link is beyond down on his luck, with rent overdue, the electricity shut off, and no jobs available until after Christmas. Still, when he prayed for a second chance to a random statue of a winged lady, he didn't expect a real, live goddess to step in and change his fortunes.
Cold Toes, Warm Hearts | 8947 words | Rated G | Because he is a sap and has been in love with her since college, Link has already agreed to go with Zelda to her father's house for Christmas. When she changes the plan asks if he'll attend as her fake boyfriend instead, well...it's not like it will be hard to look like he's in love with her, now will it?
Beneath the Winter Snow | 9446 words | Rated G | The new hire at Zelda's workplace is infuriating: competent, charming, kind, and already beloved by their coworkers. Yet when she gets snowed in with Link on Nayru's Day, perhaps her opinion of him will turn itself around!
Aurora Borealis | 11,495 words | Rated T | On their winter break from college, Zelda agrees to accompany her friend Link to his family's holiday celebrations, rather than attend the tense, frustrating gathering that would await her at home. It's entirely platonic, though, of course. Right?
A Piece of Your Heart | 11,668 words, 4 chapters | Rated G | No matter what Princess Zelda's father thinks, or her nosy friends would imply, she does not like Link like that. Why else would she have been ignoring her sole childhood friend for years? Still, no one seems to believe her...and as they spend the holidays together, she starts to question her desires too.
Like the Holiday Films | 12,033 words, 4 chapters | Rated G | The sequel to a non-holiday fic! After meeting in the airport over the summer due to their shared canceled flight, Link and Tetra have been enjoying a long-distance relationship. Now, Tetra is traveling to Outset Island to meet Link in person for the third time ever―along with his family!―for their Solstice celebrations.
The Unexpected Benefits of Late Weather Warnings | 12,290 words | Rated T | When the snow is falling and every screen is showing winter weather warnings, it's better to be on a bus than out in the snow. Unless, perhaps, the bus gets stuck. Good thing the handsome man Zelda has been meaning to chat up on her daily commute is also trapped on the bus!
Signed, Sealed, Delivered | 12,834 words | E | It's Yuletide, and ordinarily, postal worker Link would not allow himself to be distracted from his mail route. Except when he receives a gift in the mailbox from the woman he's got the hots for. And the gift is lingerie. For her to wear. For him.
Highmoon | 14k+ words | Rated K+ | Another FFN classic, this time from 2007! Written in first person POV, Zelda gets whisked away by her roommate and brother's best friend, Link, for a holiday trip to Castleton. It's not great for her heart, given that she's in love with Link, and positive that he sees her as a sister. Yet between the museums, operas, and Highmoon decorations, maybe there could be something more, after all?
Midwinter Magic | 15,769 words, 6 chapters | Rated G | Link is a simple man: a baker, a single father, a loving brother. His life becomes a lot more complicated when he meets Hyrule's princess, Zelda, during a catering job at the castle.
A Very Zelda Christmas | 21k+ words, 10 chapters | Rated T | This FFN classic is from the year I started reading LoZ fic, 2012 :)) A sequel to a non-holiday fic, Link and Zelda have been blissfully together for about a year, accompanied by their happy group of friends and roommates. With Christmas drawing nearer, Link has decided it might be time to ask Zelda a certain question...
Zelda Advent Calendar Story | Probably 25k words, 25 chapters | Posted in individual chapters on tumblr, this story follows Zelda, the High Priestess at the famous Temple of Time, during the chaos of the holiday season. Financial pressure, public stressors, and workplace mysteries abound; good thing the Temple's new interim financial advisor, Link, has a good head on his shoulders.
To Those Who Wait | 32,360 words | Rated M | After the death of her father, Queen Zelda decides to take a solo trip to her family's remote cabin to wait out the holidays. When a blizzard traps her car in place, Zelda thinks she's had a stroke of luck when a savior pulls up to help. Unfortunately for her, said savior is her ex-assigned knight, who got fired after they shared a night of passion. One that neither of them have been able to forget.
Flour, water, salt, yeast, love | 33,596 words, 28 chapters | Rated T | Zelda is a little fish in a big family, with a habit of lying to seem as good as her cousins. Link, the owner of her favorite bakery, is as honest as they come. Still, when she asks him to be her fake boyfriend for Hylia's Day, he agrees. During their holiday escapades, however, feelings begin to bubble up—until neither Zelda nor Link know where the lie ends, and real love begins.
A Princess for Midwinter | 49,714 words, 9 chapters | Rated G | Link used to love the holidays, but that time died with his last relationship. Now, as a gardener for Lady Paya's estate, Link can't seem to stop running into Hyrule's gorgeous Princess Zelda. Zelda, for her part, is quite preoccupied with her upcoming coronation, her father's recent passing, and threats of political marriage, but can't help but be drawn to Link's steady, handsome presence. As Midwinter festivities bustle around them, love just might bloom.
In Winter all the Singing is in the Tops of the Trees | 54,833 words |Rated T | Zelda, an overworked young professional in her father's luxury resort company, is trying to escape her burnout and identity crisis by organizing a girl's trip to a small Hebran resort for Midwinter. Unfortunately, the weather didn't get the memo: after a blizzard leaves her car in a ditch, Zelda is rescued by Link, a rustic young man who is more than happy to share his cabin with her for the holidays. This fic is ongoing, but almost finished!
One Stitch at a Time | 59,201 words, 24 chapters | Rated T | Zelda is at long last going to be inheriting the family business: her beloved fabric store. Unfortunately, she's also inheriting financial issues and a shrinking population of sewists. And to top it all off, what is with this annoying Link guy attending her beginner's sewing class? He's going to ruin her Christmas!
Other AU
The Longest Night | 2864 words | Rated T | After the events of their quest, this original Link and Zelda, who are middle aged, spend the night of the winter solstice together. The Fire Festival joyfully heralds the changing of the seasons, but Link remains thoughtful of the mixed feelings of winters past and future.
wooden wishes | 3434 words | Rated G | Currently incomplete with one chapter posted, this fic follows an original Link and Zelda: the despite their difference in stations, the young princess and her best friend play together as often as they can. Yet one year, Link must leave, only able to provide Zelda with a single wooden keepsake to remember him by. And remember him she does―even after five years pass, and Zelda is almost certain she will never know what became of her best friend.
The Pen Pal Plan | 9539 words, 5 chapters | Rated T | Princess Zelda yearns to find a suitor based on how well he communicates with her, not on mere physical attraction. One year ago, she began a Pen Pal Plan: a letter-writing initiative with any hopeful suitor regardless of class, to find her perfect match. Now, Zelda has gathered her top choices to meet for dates during the winter fair―although there's one man in particular she's hoping will be the one, and the guard assisting her dates is quite distracting...
Continuing my take on Alttp Link & Zelda with... more sketches.
Almost gave up making Zelda's sprite design by mixing the sprite itself + Terada's version. Think I can do better but I'll post it anyways.
There will be never exact getup design since I love to draw them in many scenarios and costumes! (What's a consistency). But I need anchor still.
The bottom sketch is inspired from Alttp 4-koma manga cover but I lost it. Castle secret passageway is so infested with rodents and snakes that could kill. Maybe pest infestation comes with Ganons plan?
Also curiouss how Zelda memorized the path, maybe she snuck out a few times.
andulkaphoto
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