the-depths-au

[the-depths-au]

Zelda never returns after the battle with the Demon King. Link is determined to bring her back, no matter what it takes or where it takes him. So when the Light Dragon starts to dive into the Depths, which have remained dark and uncharted since the Gloom faded away, he prepares to descend as well.

the depths

a post-totk bad ending au.

Rated M: CW for mature themes, violence and blood.

Thank you @zeldaelmo and @cooking-with-hailstones for beta-reading ❤️

chapter 3

It’s impossibly cold on the Great Sky Island.

Link’s grateful for the snowquill gear, but not even Rito down can stop the wind from biting his face raw if he lingers out in the open for too long. He’s careful to keep his back to it while he waits for the steward construct to return, arms folded across his chest to warm his core.

He looks around slowly and thinks about the first time he stepped out onto the island after he woke up. Wearing nothing but the thin archaic set he found in the caves, it's a miracle he survived that day. Then again, he’s no stranger to miracles. Much of the life he can remember sprouted from a pretty extraordinary one.

Read the rest on Ao3!

#the depths au #loz au #loz #update #chapter 3 #totk fanfiction #post totk #bad ending au #legend of zelda

[the-depths-au]

What's something from the Depths that you're just VIBRATING with excitement to share with people?

Link’s gonna really find himself in the depths.

#carefully worded this #answering questions about wips including the depths on the main blog

[the-depths-au]

✨🦅🤲?

✨: compliment yourself!

-stands in front of the mirror- You...you have some really cool, unique ideas, B!

🦅: outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

oh, I love a good outline. My outlines are often insanely, unnecessarily detailed, ha!

🤲: share a snippet of a wip

Zelda rarely looks at him in anger, but when she does, it's usually because he’s come home covered in his own blood. The Hateno monster defense squad hasn’t faced a group of lizalfos that size in a long while. He doesn't want to raise the alarm just yet; it could just be a coincidence, or the result of people leaning into easy times, but he considers mentioning the size of the hoard just to deflect some of her rage.

-from the next chapter of the depths!

#the depths au #wip #im trying to get this chapter done

[the-depths-au]

Last sentence tag game

RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

Thanks for the tags @mistresslrigtar and @dubiiousfood !! Here is what I have, from the next of the depths:

Losing his arm had been a shock, but the loss of his gear was devastating.

Tagging: @flutefemme @leiladebees @louwhose @cooking-with-hailstones @embyrinitalics @ladyhoneydee @hyylia @aurathian + anyone else who wants to play!

#wip #the depths au #chapter 3

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Tribute to my favorite armor set! I LOVE the way the Set of the Depths looks, except for the hood.

#because this came on my dash again #and I love this armor #my entire brain rot started with this armor set

[the-depths-au]

Concept art for chapter 2

#the depths au #loz au #fancomic #loz #archive #i loved this scene #chapter 2 #tloz fanart #totk fanfiction #loz totk

[the-depths-au]

Zelda never returns after the battle with the Demon King. Link is determined to bring her back, no matter what it takes or where it takes him. So when the Light Dragon starts to dive into the Depths, which have remained dark and uncharted since the Gloom faded away, he prepares to descend as well.

the depths

a post-totk bad ending au.

Rated M: CW for mature themes, violence and blood.

beta-read by the amazing @zeldaelmo ❤️

[previous]

chapter 2 excerpt

The Forgotten Temple isn't particularly dangerous, but Link never likes to stay long. He’s spent the majority of his life venturing into places much worse than this–underground caves swarming with monsters, a castle dripping with poisonous rot, the belly of a labyrinth filled with hostile guardians–but everything about it just feels wrong. The moss and the decay and the heavy taste of mineral in the air suggest it’s been here for a very long time, likely built into the earth itself as Tauro surmises in his notes, but it feels out of place to Link. A temple of the Goddess at the bottom of a treacherous gorge? The largest recorded statue of Hylia hidden in the dark? He’s no architectural expert, and he doesn’t know how it would even be possible (then again, there are islands in the sky and an entire underworld beneath his feet), but it feels like the Forgotten Temple was once somewhere else entirely, transplanted into the canyon wall, and eventually abandoned.   

Read the rest on ao3!

#the depths au #loz au #archive #chapter 2 #update #totk fanfiction #loz #loz fanfiction #zelink #totk #post totk #mind the tags

[the-depths-au]

WIP Wednesday

Hoping to have chapter 2 out very soon! Here is a little snippet!

It still happens now and again–his past coming back–albeit much less frequently than when he first woke up. It was easier to shake when Zelda was here. There was a wholeness with her, even though his memory remained mostly scattered.

They were busy making new ones.

#the depths au #wip #loz au

[the-depths-au]

I don’t think you guys fully understand what these tags do to a writer

#I’m dying LOL #tysm #I was so nervous people wouldn’t be interested with the format switch

[the-depths-au]

Update

So...hi. I've made the decision to tell this story (initially) in writing. I have a very specific style in mind for this story as a full comic and honestly, I just don't feel like my artistic ability and overall proficiency is where I want it to be at this time. I'm still learning! I will be continuing to post art, concept art, and some comic panels here as I go and eventually, I would love to adapt the story into a full comic, but for now, I'll be telling the main story in writing. Chapter 1 is posted here. I hope you will all continue to follow along! Thank you for the support and the patience (: I'll be updating the FAQ and other pages soon to reflect the changes.

#update

[the-depths-au]

Zelda never returns after the battle with the Demon King. Link is determined to bring her back, no matter what it takes or where it takes him. So when the Light Dragon starts to dive into the Depths, which have remained dark and uncharted since the Gloom faded away, he prepares to descend as well.

the depths

a post-totk bad ending au.

Rated M: CW for mature themes, violence and blood.

Thank you to the wonderful @zeldaelmo for enduring my sad, twisted brain rot and for beta reading another monster of a story for me. And thank you to the amazing @fioreofthemarch for being a trusted and valued set of eyes on the story's outline.

chapter 1

I’ll tell you where the real road lies: Between your ears, behind your eyes. That is the path to Paradise, And, likewise, the road to ruin. -Hadestown

For a while now, he’s seen the way it was supposed to go every time he closes his eyes.

The Demon Dragon is gone. Smoke curls around the tail end of the explosion, marking the spot where a war thousands of centuries in the making was stopped. Link braces himself against a horn of the Light Dragon, Master Sword in hand, silver still burning white as the wind wipes tears of relief from his eyes. 

We did it, he thinks and tilts his head back releasing something between a sigh and a sob. I think we actually did it. 

When he first starts to float, he thinks he’s dying. He loses his footing and kind of drifts in the air with the taste of metal in his mouth and a sinking feeling that starts at the base of his skull. He’s bloodied and bruised and broken in several places from the battle against the Demon King so it makes sense. Only everything is bright…too bright. And the Light Dragon is still with him, although now suspended in some peaceful stasis a hundred meters below. From what he remembers about dying, you do so in darkness and completely alone. 

[read the rest of chapter 1 on Ao3]

#main story #the depths au #loz #totk #totk fanfiction #loz fanfiction

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Going to be a little slow with updates through mid-February. I’m finally done with my part time job next week (no more evenings!!!) and then my little one is having surgery. I will be focused on his recovery and hopefully get back into a creative space soon.

#thanks for your patience #updates #it’s been non stop here since December #looking forward to working only days for the first time in years

[the-depths-au]

chapter 1 pages 13-16

[ title page ] [ previous ] [UPDATE ]

#the depths au #fancomic #loz au #main comic #loz #tloz fanart #chapter 1 #totk spoilers #totk #loz totk #cw: body horror #cw: blood

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FAQ

*this post continues heavy totk spoilers

How did it start?

A lot of people started posting some really cool art of a TotK ending where Zelda returns as a hybrid dragon creature thing. I saw a few that called it a “bad” ending and I noticed she was often portrayed with dominantly human-features just like, with horns or a tail, or the purple eyes, etc. I love to play video games(clearly) and I enjoy the challenge of seeing various endings, not just “secret endings” (think Heavy Rain, Until Dawn, The Witcher 3, Drakengard- anyone else play this?) I got to thinking about how her coming back didn’t really like a true “bad ending”. To me, a bad ending, really, would be one in which she didn’t get to magically, miraculously come back in any form. A bad ending to me would be Mineru’s warning held true. And in doing so, it would become The Legend of Zelda because she becomes the stuff of myths. Of true Legend. Fulfilling destiny (botw-era and the series as a whole). My brain sort of took off from there regarding the implications this would have on Hyrule and specially, our boy Link.

How could you! A Bad ending? Is this story at least hurt and eventual comfort??? Does it have a happy ending??

I could tag this hurt and comfort, but usually people who read these types of stories have certain expectations of what “comfort” is (and that’s okay!). Same with a “happy” ending. I don’t need stories to be wrap up in a bow with warmth to enjoy them. Honestly, some of the stories that have touched me the most over the years have had “sad” endings/negative character arcs/tragedy. That being said, I don’t particularly enjoy pure whump, either. What I feel is most important and what I am to do with this story, is to make any suffering meaningful. With purpose. And hopefully- maybe- you’ll see the “comfort” that is possible even in these types of stories.

Wait! So Zelda remains a dragon?

Yes. They defeat the demon dragon. Rauru and Sonia appear in a silent thanks, then they disappear and Link falls from the sky alone into the water. The Light Dragon continues along in her flight above him.

Link is also the only one who can see/has ever seen the Light Dragon.

Are there any other major changes from TotK?

It follows the game pretty closely. It’s just hard to say exactly what is in this story from TotK because there is just so much. In BotW, I headcanon Link took his time. He doesn’t remember anything. He is alone, lost, and the world is a vast, broken place. Therefore, it is plausible/ realistic in my head for all the side questions to be done prior to the ending being reached. In TotK, especially with the headcanon he and Zelda were together in the time between BotW and TotK, I had a hard time imagining Link would waste much time on anything unnecessary to save Zelda. So, with this in mind, I’ve had to justify the side questions to include in the story. Link’s journey is a bit different than my own. Whereas I actually spent 80% of my playthrough exploring the depths, this Link only went down when necessary. Meaning many of the lightroots have not been unlocked and he only has part of the armor of the depths. In the Linktober and the early concept, he has the entire set but this has been changed for the main comic.

How far after the events of TotK does this take place?

Five years.

Is it completely planned out?

Yes. I have a complete rough story outline done. It’s 17 chapters. I am anticipating some editing as I go, but regardless, it’s a big project. A huge shout out to @zeldaelmo and @fioreofthemarch for helping me get the story set. They are both phenomenal writers for the LoZ fandom so be sure to check them out!

What happened to the comic?

I made the decision to tell this story (initially) in writing. I have a very specific style in mind for this story as a full comic and honestly, I just don't feel like my artistic ability and overall proficiency is where I want it to be at this time. I'm still learning! I will be continuing to post art, concept art, and some comic panels here as I go and eventually, I would love to adapt the story into a full comic, but for now, I'll be telling the main story in writing.

How long have you been drawing?

I’ve been drawing all my life. Just for fun, although I took a few classes in school. Digitally, self-taught, since fall 2022. Still very new to this with lots to learn! I have a minor in creative writing and feel much more confident and comfortable with that.

Feel free to send me a DM with questions anytime! I plan to update this periodically.

Last updated 2/26/24

#FAQ

[the-depths-au]

For the FAQ:

Is the Depths AU in the same continuity as "like someone would" and "begin again" (tho a "bad ending" version/branch of them)?

Great ask- yes. The depths au is a continuation of the Link in like someone would and begin again.

The story follows the events of TotK pretty closely. It’s just hard to say exactly what is in this story from TotK because there is just so much. In BotW, I headcanon Link took his time (aka like someone would). He doesn’t remember anything. He is alone, lost, and the world is a vast, broken place. Therefore, it is plausible/ realistic in my head for all the side quests to be done prior to the ending being reached.

In TotK, especially with the headcanon he and Zelda were together in the time between BotW and TotK (begin again) I had a hard time imagining Link would waste much time on anything unnecessary to save Zelda. So, with this in mind, I’ve had to justify the side questions to include in the story. Link’s journey is a bit different than my playthrough in this way. Whereas I actually spent 80% of my playthrough exploring the depths, this Link only went down when necessary. Meaning many of the lightroots have not been unlocked and he only has part of the armor of the depths (in the Linktober and the early concept art, he has the entire set but this has been changed for the main comic).

#ask #FAQ

[the-depths-au]

I’m working on a FAQ page- feel free to send me any burning questions and I might include them!

#ask #im feeling chatty!

[the-depths-au]

Archive

last updated 3/10/24

Prequel story - Linktober 2023

Concept art 2

Concert art 1

Main story

Title page- synopsis and cw

Chapter 1 -Forbidden things cannot be undone so easily.

Pages 1-4

Pages 5-8

Pages 9-12

Chapter 2

Are you paying attention?

#the depths au #fancomic #archive #will update periodically with concept art #and sketches