A Webcomic About Link Saving Hyrule with Baby Zelda? — An Interview With The Creator of “Zelda’s Lullaby”

As part of my journey through life, I have learned many lessons from remarkable and unexpected places. Video games have taught me things I will never forget, as well as things I will probably never remember. I have learned many things I still carry with me from the Legend of Zelda series, what true bravery is, what friendship means, to never give up no matter the odds.

I just never thought I would be getting parenting advice from our silent hero.

Zelda’s Lullaby is a webcomic created by Jemma M. Young, which launched earlier this year on the platform Webtoon. The story, revolving around Link trying to raise baby Zelda, was based on a dream Young had. Link awakes after what appears to be a bloody battle and finds himself confronted by Zelda’s mother, leaving the child in his care. And readers should prepare for one crazy adventure from there!

Zelda’s Lullaby took me on a whole new kind of adventure, and to guide me on my way, I have none other than the creator herself to help me out.

 

---

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jemma: I am a comic creator, writer, and artist. I write for Temerity which is drawn by DC artist Chad Hardin, and I also work on Children of Eldair, both on Webtoons. I also do freelance illustrations and Kickstarters for art books.

 

What inspired you to become a webtoon creator?

Jemma: I have always been really interested in comics since I was a little kid. I was always writing and drawing ever since 3rd grade and I never really stopped. Much to my parents’ dismay.

 

What inspired you to create a Zelda themed webtoon?

Jemma: I have been working on the other two series’ for a while since it is my favorite medium to tell a story. I had a dream where Link was trying to protect Zelda, who was an infant child, from Ganon. I had to draw a pic of Link with baby Zelda on his back and I posted it on my Patreon and Discord. Everyone really liked the idea! So I thought it was fun and developed a story and plot and then it became a comic. I developed it with the help of my existing audience from Eldair and Temerity. 

 

What is your process for writing and illustrating the story?

Jemma: I already have almost the entire story written in the first draft. It is much shorter than my other projects, more of a short story than an epic. It took about two months to write from beginning to end. There will be edits as I draw,  but most of the story is already done. I even got it approved by my more diehard Zelda fans. I had them read through it to make sure it was up to par with Zelda lore. The story is meant for fun and I truly enjoy working on it. I just like to share it with others. 

 

Where did you pull your inspirations for the route the story is taking? Like making Link a Sheikah and having Zelda be a baby. Was it all just from that dream?

Jemma: I got a lot from [Breath of the Wild] and the Oracles games as well [Ocarina of Time], a little bit of [Majora’s Mask] and [Four Swords Adventures]. I have some jokes from [Twilight Princess] leading the opening of the story. I always loved the Sheikah and their aesthetic, the culture and references of Asian culture. I developed a backstory for his family and past and placed it several years before BoTW. In several of the games, the Sheikah act as protectors of the Royal Family, Link is always protecting Zelda, so why couldn’t Link be Sheikah. I always wanted to make a story about parenthood but could never figure out how, this just worked perfectly for that.

 

Which Zelda title is your most favorite/least favorite?

Jemma: MM is the most frustrating but I really enjoyed it. BoTW is great because it isn’t so linear and if you get stuck somewhere you can come back later to try again when you are a better or stronger player. Mostly the Game Boy games, LttP,  LA, Ages. So hard to choose.

 

Who is your favorite supporting Zelda character?

Jemma: Kass! He has an interesting character design, and his own theme song. He is all over the world and helps you find these secret shrines. He’s always so friendly, like, “Hey! You’re here! Let me tell you a story.” He just always seems so happy and helpful and he always finds a way to be wherever you are going. 

Do you have plans for any other Zelda-themed stories?

Jemma: Finish this one. I really need to just stop having so many projects at once. Depending on the readers’ and audience reaction, I might have some ideas for a follow-up, but nothing solid in the works yet. Some readers agree so much with how I portray things and others are like,  “Link wouldn’t do that!” I am conflicted. I enjoy doing the story because it expands on the characters people know and love in a good way. It is interesting to see peoples’ reactions. 

 

What words of advice can you give to readers who want to get into the industry?

Jemma: Just start doing it. Keep doing it till you’re good at it. Everyone starts out terrible, it is completely normal to be terrible at something you have never done before. It takes practice, just work on it. 

 

I know that you have Zelda-themed merchandise you make as well. Can you tell me a little bit about that and where we can get it?

Jemma: I have Rupees and bags on pre-order that are still in manufacturing. I will be offering them on my online store in the near future. We are practically making them by hand, so we want to make sure they come out as perfect as possible with molding and casting. We want to get through the pre-orders before we start taking any more orders though.

 

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers at Zelda Dungeon or even your own readers on Webtoon?

Jemma: Thank you so much for reading and enjoying my silly Zelda comic. I hope you are prepared for what comes next. ‘Cuz it’s a doozy.

 

We at Zelda Dungeon want to thank Jemma for the amazing adventure she took us on during this interview. Zelda’s Lullaby can be found on Webtoon right here, and her other two comics, Temerity and Children of Eldair, are also on Webtoon and definitely worth a look as well.

You can get early access to Zelda’s Lullaby pages on her Patreon and find her merchandise at her store as well. She is also on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, where you can see even more of her art.

Have you read any of Zelda’s Lullaby? Do you plan to check it out? Be sure to leave your comments below!

---

Sadko Margolin is a junior editor at Zelda Dungeon. He has two webtoons of his own that he really needs to get back to work on and proofreads for several others. He has played every main title Zelda game and loves Twilight Princess above the rest. He is currently trying to bring civilization back to the wasteland in Fallout 76 with his wife and saving Aerith from the Shinra Corporation in the FF7 Remake. He can be found on instagram where you can see some of the webtoons he works on besides his own.