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Hello and welcome to the Linked Disability creation event! There will be a list of prompts dedicated to diversifying the cast of Linked Universe. The event will run through the month of July.
There will be 15 main prompts along with some alternate prompts. They are not limited to any specific days in July.
You can combine as many prompts as you want.
There is no deadline.
There is no minimum requirement of creation.
There is no completionist prize.
Writing and art of any media are encouraged.
You do not have to create something new for this event. If you have already created something that fits a prompt, you may share it.
This blog will highlight participants who create their own post and @ the blog. We reserve the right to not reblog entries that we have determined to be excessively insensitive or ableist. Do not let this discourage you from doing your research and branching out! If you're concerned your idea might cross a line, please reach out! We're happy to help guide you in the right direction.
Please reblog this post so the event can gain visibility!
Hi! Is this event still going, and can anyone contribute any day/any amount?
this event runs through july every year, so you're a few days late for the 2026 event but you can create as much as you want when the event happens again in july 2027!
( cane user Sky for disability pride month. Pipit has just told him there’s a bunch of guys claiming to be heroes chosen by the goddess and want him to go on a quest .
He very much *doesn’t want to*)
This one has nerve damage from the lightning strikes, that’s why brace and cane.
hi! i was just curious whether you were going to have an explanation of the prompts hyperlinked again?
the 2026 prompts are meant to be interpreted however you want! you can look back at the 2025 prompts if you need inspiration for a specific disability. if you're stumped by a specific 2026 prompt, you can ask about it and one of our mods can offer some ideas!
Alternate prompts are, like the rest, entirely optional. Please reblog this post so the event can gain visibility!
This year's extra challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to avoid using labels and diagnoses. Try to focus on words that your characters would use for themselves as they navigate their disabilities. Start small and simple, and let your audience connect with their feelings and experiences.
From the entire mod team, thank you to everyone who participated in and supported this event! We have hopes to host it annually with a variety of prompts so everyone can feel seen!
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Linked Universe - jojo56830 (Webcomic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Linked Universe Links | The Chain & Time
Characters: Time (Linked Universe), Twilight (Linked Universe), Wild (Linked Universe), Linked Universe Links | The Chain
Additional Tags: Nonverbal Communication, Selectively Mute Time (Linked Universe), Post-Wolfie (Linked Universe) Identity Reveal, Time (Linked Universe)-centric, Time (Linked Universe) is a Little Shit, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Dog Jokes
Summary:
Time had been anxious the first time he’d needed to take out his communication book on this new adventure.
~
I wrote this for @linked-disability‘s Linked Universe Disability Pride Month Event, with the prompt “Nonverbal communication”!! :))
For @linked-disability ‘s alternate prompt 1: Rare disease/disorder. I don’t think I can even begin to describe how I felt when I saw PNES listed as an example for this prompt. I just knew I had to make something for it.
PNES (psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, sometimes called functional or dissociative seizures) are seizures that resemble epileptic attacks but are caused by psychological distress instead of abnormal brain activity. They are a form of Functional Neurological Disorder.
It’s a bit difficult to do an art piece that properly showcases PNES, which is why I wrote the fic. But since I’m a visual artist before anything else, I made this animation to go along with it, showcasing what it feels like (for me, at least) to have a PNES seizure. One second it’s daytime, and the next second it isn’t.
Summary: Wild has an episode. His brothers call it a seizure, but Wild disagrees.
Words: 2,414
Art for this fic / AO3
For @linked-disability , alternate prompt 1: Rare diseases/disorders (PNES).
PNES (psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, sometimes called functional or dissociative seizures) are seizures that resemble epileptic attacks but are caused by psychological distress instead of abnormal brain activity. They are a form of Functional Neurological Disorder.
They are not pseudo-seizures.
This fic is based on my own experience with PNES. The information that Wild says about his seizures is the same information that I was given when I was first diagnosed. Unfortunately, that information is blatantly incorrect. Please keep that in mind while reading. (What Four says is correct)
---
Being the designated chef of the group came with some perks: while the others set up camp and argued over whose turn it was for various chores, Wild simply pulled out his cooking pot and started to work on dinner.
Of course, he wasn’t able to skip out on all the chores, but as he watched Wind grumpily follow Sky to find an area to dig their catholes, Wild was glad he was able to miss the more tedious ones.
He hesitated for a moment before pulling the last of his fortified pumpkins out of the slate. Pumpkin stew was always a hit with his brothers, and they hadn’t stayed in a village in days. They could use the boost.
Still, as Wild cut into the pumpkins, he couldn’t help but be upset that he was using the last of his pumpkins. Ever since he first picked up the slate, Wild had made sure to keep it stocked with food and elixir ingredients.
Now, though, his slate was emptier than it had been in years. He was running low on multiple of his essentials; he’d need to restock soon.
He pulled out the Tabantha wheat and began to separate the wheat berries from the stalks, mouth twisting in annoyance as he thought through his inventory.
There were a few things that he could get in the other eras. He had already stocked up on multiple bottles of Lon Lon Milk, courtesy of Malon, and Twilight had already promised him more goat butter the moment they landed in his era. Acorns, eggs. and herbs appeared in every Hyrule, even the traveler’s, and it was easy to hunt for more raw meat.
But the majority of his items were from his era, and even if he could replace them, he didn’t want to. Every time he made dinner for the group, he was sharing a bit of his home with them. If he got the ingredients from other eras, it wouldn’t be the same.
He dumped the pumpkin and wheat berries into the cooking pot. Now, he needed to add… milk? Butter, maybe? No, definitely milk. He had this recipe memorized, right? He had all his recipes memorized. It was milk.
Everything would be fine. They would visit his era soon, and he would refill his slate then. The farmers in Hateno always kept a few of their best crops for him; hopefully that hadn’t changed in the months since he saw them last.
Had it been months since he was last home? It must’ve been. It couldn’t be longer than that, Hylia wouldn’t be that cruel. He would be home soon. He would - he had to be-
Shit, he was burning the pumpkins. Where was his ladle?
He blinked,
and
His head hurt. There was a rock digging into his back. He went to sit up, and a pair of hands quickly rushed forward to steady him.
“Whoa, hold on,” Warriors looked down at him, concerned. “You back with us?”
“Back…?” Wild’s head felt fuzzy.
Wild squinted at the captain for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant. When that didn’t work, he leaned forward to peer over Warriors’ shoulder to look at the rest of the camp.
He was laying on a bedmat near the edge of their campground. Behind Warriors, he could see his brothers standing around the fire and his cooking pot, trying (and failing) to look like they weren’t staring at Wild.
“Can you tell me your name?” The captain asked, gently.
“Which one? Link or Wild?”
Warriors grinned, obviously relieved. “There you are. What’s the-”
Wild stopped listening the moment he saw Hyrule holding his ladle.
“Are you letting Hyrule cook?” Wild asked incredulously, trying to stand up. Pain shot through his head at the movement and he slumped back down into Warriors’ arms.
“Okay, none of that. You need to lay down for a while,” Warriors scolded him.
“But the soup,” Wild complained, “Rulie’s going to burn it, and I don’t have any more pumpkins -”
“He won’t burn it, the pot isn’t even on the fire,” Warriors tried to push him back down, but he resisted, looking at the campfire again.
Oh, his pot wasn’t on the fire, and his slate was on the ground next to it. Good.
Satisfied that his soup wasn’t burning, he flopped back down onto the bedmat. The pain had cleared some of the fuzz from his head, and he was slowly realizing how weird this situation was.
“Wild,” The captain stressed, and Wild realized he should probably be paying attention, “Have you hit your head at all recently? Even if it was just a small bump.”
“Uh, nope.” They were treating Wild like he was injured, but unless he had somehow gotten hurt while he was cooking dinner, he was fine.
Hm. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, this felt weirdly familiar. Underneath the slowly shrinking layer of fuzz in his brain, some kind of alarm was going off; he just wasn’t sure what.
“Do you feel sick? Dehydrated? You’ve been eating, right?” Warriors asked, pressing the back of his hand to Wild’s forehead.
“I’m not sick, I’m not dehydrated, and I was literally just making dinner for us.” Wild waved his hand away. “I feel fine. What’s with all the questions?”
Warriors sat back, clearly unhappy with Wild’s answers. “You had a seizure, Wild.”
Oh.
The last of the fuzz cleared from Wild’s head. The headache, the brain fog, the missing time that he only just realized was missing… he had an episode.
“Oh.” He repeated out loud.
“Oh??” Twilight repeated from where he was pacing next to the fire. “You had a seizure, we used a fairy, and you just -”
“Twilight,“ Time interrupted him. The rancher shut his mouth with an audible click.
Cold shame dripped down Wild’s spine. The others had clearly panicked if they wasted a fairy on him.
“Has this happened before, Wild?”
“Yeah.” Wild shrugged, "If it helps, they’re not really seizures.”
“That was definitely a seizure,” Warriors looked sick. “Do you have- do you know what epilepsy is?”
“I know what epilepsy is,” Wild snapped, a bit insulted. He took a deep breath before continuing, calmer this time, “I don’t have it. Zel- Flora and Purah scanned me. They said there wasn’t any sign of abnormal electrical activity or brain damage. They're not seizures, just something that happens sometimes.”
“This just happens sometimes,” Warriors repeated, voice flat, “And it’s not epilepsy.”
“Yup. That’s what I just said.”
Warriors pinched his nose with a deep sigh, and Wild instantly regretted snapping. He knew the captain wasn’t trying to insult him, but this wasn’t the first time he had been doubted like this and the sharp pain in his head was already testing his patience.
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
Wild looked away. Shame continued to wrap around his shoulders.
“…I found a book that talked about pseudoseizures. It said,” Wild hesitated, choosing his words carefully, “It said that talking about pseudoseizures can make them happen more often, so…”
“So you didn’t tell us.” Warriors finished. “That’s…”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Legend interrupted them. Warriors shot him a look, but Legend continued, “No, seriously. How would talking about seizures cause them more often?”
“They’re not real seizures.” Wild snapped. “They‘re pseudoseizures and they happen for attention. If you don’t talk about them, eventually I’ll learn that they don’t work and they’ll stop. You guys should’ve ignored me.”
“When did they start?” Four asked.
Wild clenched his fists in annoyance. He just said that they shouldn’t talk about them, and they were asking more questions.
He considered not answering, but the camp was silent, eight faces staring at him expectantly.
“I don’t know. Sometime during my journey.” He closed his eyes, resting his head against the ground. “I can’t really tell when they happen unless someone tells me, and I didn’t exactly spend a lot of time around people. Flora scanned me a few months after.”
“So they happen when no one’s around?”
Wild opened his eyes, turning towards Four. Their smith’s voice was strangely intense, and his normally gray eyes were rapidly swirling red, violet, green, and blue.
Wild shrugged, voice caught in his throat.
“Then how could they get attention?”
“…What?”
“If they happen when no one’s around, then how could you get attention from them?” Four continued to stare down Wild, eyes swirling faster and faster. “And if not talking about them makes them stop, then why have you dealt with them for so long?”
“I… I don’t…” Wild blinked rapidly, his annoyance quickly burning off into nothing but shame. He didn’t know the answer to those questions.
“In my time,” Four pressed on, “They haven’t been called pseudoseizures in years. They’re psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, and they’re caused by trauma, Wild, not talking.”
Four’s words didn’t make sense for a long moment. The book that Wild read was half destroyed, tucked away in one of the furthest shelves in the castle’s library. Flora wasn’t sure when it was written, let alone if it was even accurate, but it was the only information any of them had found about Wild’s condition.
So despite Flora’s concerns about the book, Wild had just… accepted it. He accepted that he was doing it for attention, even if they felt uncontrollable. He accepted that he needed to push away any thought of them. He accepted that he couldn’t ever talk about the shame he felt whenever he had another one.
“They are real seizures, okay? You’re not doing it for attention.” Four finished, voice going soft. “The next time we’re in my Castletown, I’ll take you to the library. There’s books on it there. I’ve read them.”
”…Thanks,” Wild whispered.
Four’s eyes settled into a pale magenta as he turned away, face turning light pink.
“And you still should’ve told us about it,” Warriors hesitantly broke the silence, “I understand why you didn’t, but if we knew about these in advance, we would’ve known what to do.”
Wild nodded, only half listening. He was still repeating Four’s words in his brain, barely believing them.
Warriors sighed again. He stood up and turned to the group behind him, glaring. “That goes for all of you as well. I better hear about any medical issues well before they become a problem, alright?”
Everyone avoided eye contact as they mumbled in vague agreement.
Warriors’ eye twitched as he turned back to Wild, pointing. “You need to stay here and rest. I see that look on your face, and no, you aren’t cooking either. I know you have enough leftovers in your Slate for one night. We’ll survive.”
Wild grumbled as Warriors walked away. He was fine, really, the only problem was his headache, and even that would be gone soon. He didn’t even have his slate to entertain himself.
He looked around the camp, debating on whether or not he could sneak away. The others were too high strung for him to slip away easily, especially without his stealth armor, but the treeline was pretty close…
He started shifting his weight to make a break for it.
As if he could hear his thoughts, Warriors spun around from where he was poking at the slate, glaring.
“Wild.” He threatened.
Wild threw his hands up, pretending to be innocent. “I’m not doing anything!”
Warriors raised one eyebrow.
“…I’m thirsty,” Wild tried instead. “You have all my stuff.”
“Here!” Wind rushed forward with a water skin. Hyrule was only a step behind him.
Knowing that Warriors was watching him, Wild took the water from Wind and drank some.
“Thanks, Wind.” He tried to not sound disappointed.
Wind and Hyrule both plopped themselves down in front of Wild, and he groaned internally. He might’ve been able to convince Hyrule to run off and explore with him, but Wind actually listened to Warriors.
He handed the water skin back to Wind, and accepted his boring fate.
“You called yourself Dink.”
”Uh, what?” Wild asked Wind.
“You called yourself Dink,” Wind repeated, “When Wars first asked. You said your name was Dink.”
“Huh. I don’t remember that.”
Wind shrugged. “You were pretty out of it.”
It was quiet again. Wild watched as Wars struggled with his slate, poking it and squinting.
”What does it feel like?” Hyrule suddenly asked.
“What does what feel like?”
“You know.” Hyrule waved his hand. “The seizures.”
Wild’s first instinct was to shut the conversation down, but… Well, if what Four said was true, then he didn’t need to stay quiet about it anymore.
Wind and Hyrule were looking at him, faces open and bright. There wasn’t any judgement, no sign that they thought he was strange or weak. They were just curious.
Wild took a moment longer to think about it. He had never explained it out loud, and it took him some time to gather the words he needed.
When he did start, it was slow and hesitant.
“It’s like blinking.” The words became more confident as he spoke. “One moment I’m doing something, I blink, and I’m on the floor. I don’t even realize that time has passed. If my head didn’t hurt, I wouldn’t even be able to tell they happened at all.”
He smiled slightly. “I don’t remember right before or after the seizures. Apparently, one time, I stood up and pointed at the sky before seizing. Purah thought I was possessed.”
Wind snorted. “Trust me, you’d know if you were possessed. Ghosts aren’t exactly subtle about it.”
“…You sound like you have experience?” Hyrule asked, both concerned and amused.
As Wind launched into an overdramatic retelling of his experiences with possession, Wild felt something in his chest loosen.
He had spoken about it, and nothing horrible happened. He hadn’t had another episode and his brothers weren’t looking at him any differently. In fact, Wild was pretty sure they were trying to cheer him up.
Hyrule burst into laughter as Wind accidentally smacked himself in the face with a particularly dramatic gesture, and Wild felt warm. He reached an arm out to pull their youngest hero closer to him, ruffling his hair along the way.
Wind sputtered but accepted the impromptu hug, even when Hyrule launched himself against them and shoved them into a pile on the ground, still laughing.
“Does it count as possession if I’m just hosting a part of their soul in me? Because I might be possessed.”
“Wild, what?”
@linked-disability Prompt 2 - Non-verbal communication
This is part of an event for disability pride month. There are several prompts to encourage diversity and representation of disabilities in Linked universe
To @starwolfie Thank you for being such an amazing friend. Thanks for giving me the idea for this fic. Thank you for helping with injuries
Summary: Hyrule and Legend are stranded on a mountaintop. When Hyrule is injured during a fight, Legend must push past his own injuries to get them both to safety.
Hyrule hid a smile as Legend snuggled closer to him. For all Legend had said that the cold didn’t bother him, he sure acted cold. Snuggling close and holding his fire rod to keep his hands warm, though Hyrule was sure Legend would deny it if questioned. He would probably say that he was just holding the rod to feed it magic, even though that was obviously false.
It was odd how the other fae could lie. Not for the first time, Hyrule wondered what kind of fae Legend was exactly, though he didn’t dare ask. Legend seemed to get defensive about any questions in that regard.
Hyrule was distracted from his thoughts when he felt a magic outside of their cave. He couldn’t tell what exactly was out there, but experience had taught him long ago to be prepared. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Legend. “Something’s outside.” Hyrule signed. He knew that Legend preferred sign language in general and it was easier for him as well.
Legend nodded and they both got to their feet. Hyrule pulled out his sword and shield before making a gesture for Legend to stay. The other teen frowned but once again nodded.
Hyrule crept towards the opening of the cave. The blizzard had cleared up since they’d arrived but the cold air still bit his nose. Hyrule was once again thankful for the coat Legend had let him borrow. He hatted how cold this land was, he wasn’t used to it.
At first glance, he didn't see anything. He narrowed his eyes. He could still sense the magic nearby, there had to be something. He supposed it could be invis---
Hyrule barely had time to throw up a shield spell before he was surrounded by snapping teeth, slashing claws and biting teeth. As Hyrule’s heart rate increased and his breath became heavy, he felt his throat closing up. Even if he wanted to he wasn’t sure he could call for Legend. Not for the first time, he was glad that War’s had insisted on giving them whistles so they could signal the others easier. He’d thought it was ridiculous at the time, but it was certainly turning out to be useful.
Finally the flurry of attacks ended and Hyrule could see what he was facing. A pack of white wolfos circled the outside of the cave. His eyes widened when he saw the leaders. They were at least 3 times bigger then an average wolfos. Their fur glistened in the starlight, highlighting the blood frozen there. Hyrule wondered if it was theirs or their prey. He tightened his hands around his sword. He could make this work.
Hyrule smiled when Legend joined him. Hyrule summoned fire to his bland and together they took on their icy foes. For all their number, the smaller wolfos fell fairly easily. His sword met little resistance when slashing through them. The beasts would fall apart into a pile of snow allowing him to focus on the next one.
Neither of them had gotten to the larger wolfos, but they were making good progress with the rest. The larger ones always stayed just out of the fight. Hyrule could have sworn they were smirking at him. Well, they were almost done and it would be their turn.
Hyrule grinned as Legend’s rod took out two wolfos at once. His smile faded once the larger beasts began to howl.
The snow around them began to rise. It spun in the air, forming mini twisters. Soon the flurries dissipated, revealing more icy wolfos in their place. Hyrule inwardly cursed. He should have known better than to focus on the minions. It was never that easy.
Hyrule once again had to throw up a shield to protect himself from an onslaught of claws and teeth. Remembering what Warrrior had been teaching him, Hyrule gathered energy into his blade. Soon it crackled with flames, and Hyrule unleashed it upon his foes. He watched in delight as they fell away. He’d never had a chance to use the new move on actual enemies, so it was accelerating to see it work so effectively.
With the wolfos around him gone, Hyrule turned to help Legend. Hyrule hated how his red tunic hid his injuries so well. He couldn’t see how the other was faring until after the fight. If he had faced the same attack Hyrule had, he might be in trouble. The fairy in him shuttered at the thought.
However, when Legend saw Hyrule coming he shook his head violently and pointed at the larger wolfos. Hyrule knew he was right, that didn’t mean he had to like it. With some reluctance he turned from his friend and charged the three. One of them stepped forward, slashing with a giant paw. Hyrule rolled under it and stabbed upward. Unlike their smaller counterparts, their skin was thick. His blade barely grazed its skin. Despite this the monster roared.
Hyrule rolled out from under it, barely avoiding being kicked in the process. The beast lunged forward to bite, causing Hyrule to go on the defensive. One of the other beast also came forward, making it extremely difficult to get a hit in. It was all he could do to avoid the attacks.
At last he saw an opening and took it. He jumped high into the air and plunged downward, his sword sinking into the back of the beasts. It screamed and the fur on it’s back stood on end. Hyrule hardly had time to celebrate before icicles shot off it’s back. They pierced his skin with enough force to send me falling heavily to the ground.
Hyrule gasped for air where he lay. Panic filled his mind. He was bleeding. He needed to stop that or more monsters would come. Some part of him knew they were in a different land, so it wasn’t an issue, but the panic was so ingrained it was impossible to ignore.
His mind screamed at him to move. The giant wolfos was turning. It would attack at any second. But he could do nothing but gasp for air. He stared up in horror at the approaching jaws. At least his land would be safe if he was eaten by wolfos in another.
Hyrule felt Legend’s magic surround him. Everything surrounding him slowed. The wolfos in front of him stood hardly moving. The jaws above him were closely so impossibly it was hardly noticeable.. He got a good view of their teeth, the slober hanging off its tongue, and then Hyrule felt the magic start to pull. He recognized this spell, he used warp spells plenty of times. He barely had time to wonder how Legend could do such a spell from a distance before he was shifted.
Hyrule landed in the snow some distance away. He didn’t see any wolfos around him. But he could see Legend facing down the Wolfos like the Hero of Legend he was. Hyrule watched in equal parts horror and awe as Legend sent flames down the monster’s throat. A cloud of steam exploded from its body, momentarily blocking his view.
Finally able to breath, Hyrule sat up as the scene continued to unfold. Several things happened at once. The beast in front of Legend seemed to collapse inward and downwards, leaving nothing but a shriveled corpse. One of the other wolfos howled and smaller wolfos appeared around Legend. The third wolfos started after Legend, forcing the hero on the retreat even as the others began circling
Hyrule stood and started running forward. There was no way Legend could face off against so many on his own. In his heart, he knew he wouldn’t make it in time. He still felt the vice around his throat and tongue; he couldn’t even call his name.
The smaller wolfos jumped and became a blizzard around Legend. Hyrule could barely see Legend’s red tunic through it. Hyrule thought he saw a glow for a moment, but it was snuffed out when the wolfos reached into the cloud and batted Legend across the snow, worryingly close to the cliff face. Legend rolled his to soften the landing and was on his feet in a moment. Hyrule was momentarily impressed with how fast he recovered.
The smaller wolfos followed him. Hyrule grabbed his whistle and blew it trying to warn Legend. Legend turned to look his way and was tackled by a wolfos.. Together, the wolfos and Legend fell off the cliff.
Hyrule froze for a moment, unable to process what he had seen. Legend couldn’t turn into a fairy like he could. He couldn’t fly. He wasn’t Sky or Wild, he didn’t have a sailcloth or a glider to slow his fall. Hyrule tried to think through Legend’s items. He couldn’t think of one that could save him from a fall like that. His eyes filled with tears.
When the wolfos turned their attention back to him, his grief turned to anger. Gold flickered around his peripheral as he thought about how he’d never see his brother alive again. Blood roared through his ears. He raised a hand and snapped.
Lighting split the sky. Small wolfos evaporated. Another large beast fell. With a cry of pure rage, Hyrule started after the others. The smaller wolfos tried to surround him, but his magical flames consumed them with ease. Steam engulfed him but Hyrule ignored it all, focusing only on the remaining large wolfos. They had killed Legend; he would destroy them for it. He didn’t care how much energy it would take. He ignored the weariness that was sinking into his bones.
The last wolfos glanced at him and then jumped off the cliff. Ice jutted out of the snow making steps that only lasted long enough for it to leap to the next one. Hyrule screamed in frustration that his prey had gotten away. And then the realization hit him. Legend was down there. It was going after his body. It was going to feast on his flesh. The very thought made his blood boil.
Somewhere, he knew he didn’t have enough magic to reach the bottom safely. He found he didn’t care. He leap from the cliff-face. He closed his eyes and gathered his remaining magic to shape his body into that of a fairy.
As someone currently recovering from anorexia, I wanted to try my hand at this prompt✨
This is such a cool initiative happening this month, those of you who don’t know about it should totally check it out! <3
Wild makes some delicious stew, and everyone’s enjoying it- until Legend realizes Rule hasn’t eaten in days.
Ficlet under cut!
Warmth. That was the word to describe much of Wild’s cooking- warmth.
He grinned and spooned a mouthful of stew in his mouth, making sure it was just right before handing the spoon to Time to try.
“Mm, that’s very nice, Hero of the Wild.” Time acknowledged, handing the spoon back to him. “Perhaps your best one yet.”
Wild smiled and began serving up nine wooden bowls with spoons, all hand-carved by Sky. “Dinner’s ready!” He called over his shoulder, and everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed over to Wild and Time.
“Thanks!” Wind said chirpily, taking a bowl and heading to the base of a tree to eat it at.
“Thank the Goddess you’ve recovered.” Warriors said with a quiet chuckle. “I was starting to miss your stew.”
Wild blinked. “Recovered from wh- oh, yeah.” He chuckled and held up his hand, curling his fingers toward his palm and extending them again. “I forgot.”
“How can you just ‘forget’”? Twilight asked, tipping his head back and letting the broth warm his throat. “It wasn’t exactly a minor injury.”
Wild laughed awkwardly. “It’s just not something I think about.” He glanced back down at the log that the bowls of stew had been balanced on. One bowl was left. “Hey, who didn’t get some?”
They all turned toward each other. “Not me,” They all echoed.
“Wait, where’s the traveler?” Sky asked, looking around the clearing.
“Over here,” a voice called from behind a tree.
Wild scooped up the remaining bowl and carried it over to him. “Here you are,” he said cheerfully, holding it out for him to accept.
“Oh, no thanks.” He said shaking his head. “I’m not hungry.”
Wild shrugged and walked back towards the group, dumping the contents of Rule’s bowl into his. “His loss!” He said before downing the thing.
Legend stared into his bowl, his eyes squinting as he tried to recall something. Slow realization crossed his eyes, and he quietly set his spoon in his bowl and went around the tree to where Rule was still sitting, sketching a flower in front of him.
“Hey,” He said, making Rule look up. “You need to eat.” He held out his bowl. “C’mon.”
Rule shook his head. “No, I’m-“
Legend took a step farther. “Come on. You need to.”
Rule froze, staring at the warm bowl of savory-smelling stew. He shook his head. “I already said I wasn’t hungry.”
Legend stooped down and blinked slowly. “Listen. I know you haven’t been eating. Why, I have no idea, but you need to.” He set the bowl down beside him, nudging it closer to Rule’s leg. “Come on.”
Rule sighed and picked up the spoon, dipping it in the steaming bowl and bringing the smallest helping of broth to his mouth.
“There, happy?” He said, irritated now as he dropped the spoon back in the bowl.
“Why won’t you eat?!” Legend snapped, his brow furrowed. “Stop being such a child!”
Rule scoffed and motioned to himself. “Look at me. Do you really need to ask?!”
Something dawned in Legend eyes- a slow, careful glint that shone off comprehension. “You think you’re overweight.” His voice was gentle now.
Rule scowled. “Isn’t it obvious? You can go away now.” He stood up to leave himself, but Legend grabbed his arm.
“Traveler, look, you’re not overweight. I’m being sincere.” Worry flashed in his gaze. “Trust me. Just eat something.”
Rule hesitated. He avoided Legend’s eyes and sighed again. “Fine. Just a bit.”
although people with monocular vision (only one eye) can still perceive depth and distance, it’s less accurate than people with binocular vision (and especially with close objects)
time probably doesn’t struggle with this as much as he would’ve when he first lost his vision, but this isn’t the first egg he’s lost and it won’t be the last. he’ll have occasional issues like this for the rest of his life, and it’s extra difficult since he lost his eye relatively recently (every time jojo draws him as a young adult he has both eyes, so it happened in the past 5-10 years)
all of the posts that i’ve made for the linked disability event so far have been about things that i or a family member experience. legend’s joint pain is from me, four’s migraines are based largely on my brother, and time’s depth perception is my dad!
this comic actually is based on a somewhat common occurrence in my house: my dad was born blind in one eye, and although he says it doesn’t affect his day-to-day life in huge ways, it does mean that he has to pay more attention when cracking eggs.
time would probably experience more problems than my dad, but ultimately monocular vision is something that the brain can adapt to! time will just need to be more mindful, and probably relearn some things about fighting.
i have a couple more little comics that i want to make inspired by situations with my dad (my siblings and i loved to mess with him and i know the chain would 100% do the same) but no promises on those lol
although not everyone with migraine experience auras, they’re pretty common! they’re basically warning signs for migraines. the most common type of aura is visual, but there are also sensory auras (typically tingling/numbness spreading across part of the body) and aphasic auras (difficulty with speech and talking).
visual auras are temporary visual disturbances that happen before (and sometimes during) a migraine. they can be blurred vision, bright colors, flashes of light, or other similar things. visual auras are seen in both eyes.
retinal migraines (sometimes called ocular migraines) are a much rarer type of migraine where someone experiences temporary visual disturbances and vision loss in only one eye. the pain of a retinal migraine is usually felt right behind the affected eye, and can happen before, during, or after the vision loss. retinal migraines are typically shorter than other migraine types.
it’s kind of hard to visualize migraines in a drawing, so i went with the easiest option of literal visual migraines. plus i experience them!
migraine runs in my family, but i mostly get silent retinal migraines (silent = no headache, just the other symptoms). they’re definitely weird and stressful, but i consider myself much luckier than my other family members who end up bedbound when they get hit with a migraine. they’re also fairly rare for me and are just a sign that i haven’t been taking care of myself properly (lack of sleep + eye fatigue are the biggest factors).
my migraine experience is usually a growing black spot with chromatic aberration, but my brother sees colorful jagged lines as his aura! i combined both of these and then stylized it to make this piece. this is definitely much more dramatic than any aura in real life, but i think it looks pretty cool :) i also added static and a grain texture over the entire thing because my vision gets a bit grainy. this piece was super fun :)
(and yes i’m being stereotypical and drawing four with a migraine, but it just works so well and especially with the colors in an aura so i’m not sorry)
Summary: Legend has a headache, but it's really not that big of a deal. Malon thinks otherwise.
Words: 480
AO3
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It was one of those days. Legend woke up and the sun was too bright, his brothers’ snoring was too loud. His head hurt, and he pinched the bridge of his nose until the pain receded far enough that he could stand. Hopefully breakfast would make him feel better.
It didn’t, of course. If anything he felt worse, surrounded by smell and sound and people and food. He ate mindlessly, only growing more nauseous until he gave up and went back upstairs. There were plenty of chores around the ranch, but plenty of people to handle them; nobody would miss him if he didn’t volunteer.
He slunk back to the guest bedroom, closed the curtains and slipped into his sleeping bag. He wasn’t planning on going back to sleep- that would be stupid, the day had barely started. He just needed a few minutes to shake this headache, and a dark, quiet corner always seemed to do the trick…
Somebody knocked on the door, a sensation comparable to a hammer smashing his skull. Malon’s distinct voice followed. “Legend, are you in here? Lunch is downstairs if you want it.”
Legend pushed himself upright, his head screaming at the movement. The sun was bright behind the curtains; he had fallen asleep. Dammit. He dug his fingers into his temples, trying to eradicate the feeling that his brain itself was being squeezed. Momentary relief got him standing and to the door, where Malon was still waiting.
“Hey, Legend,” she said, then got a good look at his wincing face. “You feeling alright?”
“Headache,” Legend mumbled, and Malon tutted at him.
“Well that’s no good. Anything I can do for you?”
Legend blinked. “No? I mean, all I ever do is lay down somewhere dark and quiet. Sometimes I sleep for a few hours, sometimes I throw up from the pain, but it goes away eventually.”
“And how often do you get these headaches?” Malon asked slowly.
“I dunno, a few times a month?” Legend said with a shrug.
“Nayru have mercy,” Malon muttered. “Hon, those are migraines. There’s better things you can do than just sleep it off, okay?”
“They’re not that bad,” Legend grumbled.
“Not that bad?” Malon counted on her fingers, “Legend, you’re sensitive to light and sound, the pain makes you sick, and they’re chronic. Call it what you like but this isn’t some small thing.”
All Legend could say was “Oh.”
Malon put her hand on Legend’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Now, let’s start with a cold cloth for your face and some tea. You let me know what works, and keep it in mind for next time. And next time you find a potion shop, ask if they can brew something up for you so the migraines don’t get so bad in the first place.”
“I- thanks, Malon.”
“Don’t mention it, hon. I just want you all feeling your best.”
******
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the best part about being an artist is that i’m able to draw characters suffering from the same exact issues as me.
and so, because my own joint pain has been flaring up, here’s a very self-indulgent drawing of legend wrapped in kinosio tape!
i took a lot of inspiration from risograph printing for this, which means i only used 3 colors on separate layers to make this. i think the individual color layers look pretty cool, so here they are :)
