This is kind of a harebrained idea I've considered for a long time, but I think the Hero's Shade is actually Dark Link from OoT. Not actually Link. So I'm going to use that for the Bad Moon AU.
There's a lot of weird things about the Hero's Shade that fall into place if he's actually Dark Link.
1) He's definitely not a Stalfos, his body is not made of bones, just translucent flesh.
2) If anything, he looks closest to the other ghosts in Twilight Princess, except he has a red eye instead of green.
3) Unlike those ghosts, he only shows up in the light world as a wolf. This is weird! He doesn't even show up as a wolf in the dark/twilight world, just the light world, the opposite of what it should be! He's only a person in this weird foggy not-real room.
4) Remember where you fight Dark Link? A weird foggy not-real room?
5) Dark Link who also has red eyes and is translucent (until he gets mad and turns opaque black)
6) Twilight Princess is very clear that the holders of the courage and power triforce turn into animals in the twilight (Wisdom remains human and Zelda gives that to Midna which is why she can hang out in the light world in the latter part of the game despite being of twilight).
7) Again, it doesn't make sense that the Shade would be a wolf in the light world... unless he's actually some sort of dark spirit forced into animal form by the light.
8) Dark Link has a history of showing up, and forcing you to git gud (or cheese him). That's also the Hero's Shade's job.
9) This all kind of fits with Twilight Princess' theming of switching around light and dark. Ganondorf wields the light weapon used to execute him. Link is a dark beast, etc.
So in Bad Moon, Link decides to go back to the water temple after Majora's Mask and the War of Eras. He feels bad about killing that spirit and really wants his longshot back. This time he doesn't bring a sword and uses the Song of Storms to free Dink (he's not stupid, he's still got Din's Fire and a bunch of potions in case things go bad). Dink is kind of him and kind of not him. Link has a bad habit of repressing his fears and regrets and Dark Link brings them forwards. He's not evil though.
Because Link is still marked by the dark magic of Termina, he can dump enough dark magic into Dink to let him stay human around him. But the rest of the time he's a white wolf. By the time Twilight Princess happens Link is out of the picture but together they planned to help out the next hero. Dink also gets to scare the shit out of another green kid, his favorite thing in the world to do.
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𝓼𝓪𝔂 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮
Yandere! Linked Universe x Reader
Warnings: Dark themes, and I mean dark, suggestive, angst, more angst, kidnapping, mentions of death, dark religious themes
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
You'd lost track of how many days, weeks, months years have passed since you'd been contained in this hell. You'd lost track of who you last talked to. You'd lost all sense of what happened, and where everything went wrong.
One of the clearest memories you have is how it happened.
How it started it already began long before.
Just hours after defeating the shadow, you were making plans to leave. To go back home after almost three years. You knew the subject was touchy and created a tense air to the group, but it was unavoidable now. It was time to go.
You look back at the portal, blue and gold wisps illuminating the surrounding area. Why wasn't anybody reacting to it, if at all?
If they pretended it didn't exist, you wouldn't leave them.
Enough was enough. You've waited too long for this, worked too hard. You didn't belong here.
Picking up your pack, you look at the rift once more. The pulsating sensation beckoning you closer.
Leave. Go home. Leave them. Go now, before it's too late. Now now nownownow gonowgonowGONOwLEAVEBEFOREITISTOOLATE-
A hand wraps around your wrist, hot fire against your ice cold bones.
"Stay. Please."
Twilight looks defeated. On the brink of utter collapse, eyes on the brink of tears.
"If only there was another way, Twilight. If only. I'm sorry, it's time."
"I love you, darlin'. I love you so much. Please don't leave m-us. Not again. I can't- won't. Not again."
You weren't her. No, you weren't Midna. You wouldn't leavEhiMheRE
He was on his knees, eyes never wavering off of yours. He was praying. Praying a mantra to your entity. His goddess. His divinity.
You feel another set of hands on your hips, melding perfectly against your form. Prophetical puzzle pieces locking together.
Legend was already crying, salty tears wettening your tunic. His hands were coated with blood. Not his.
"Y/n I- please, Mousey. Please please. Not again. I can't do this without you. Let us come with you. We'll do anything."
His hands. His hands were on your face, sticky blood tarnishing your perfect face. A face that held eras. His and his brothers', embedded in your very soul.
"I'm sorry- I can't. You know I'd bring you with me if I could, but it's time. I don't belong here. You know I don't, you said it yourself oh so long ago."
"That was- I was different. So so much has happened, so much."
The earth started to shake, ramping up in mere seconds.
The rock started to crack, larger and larger chasms forming, decreasing your chances of getting out of here.
It was now or never.
You look back at them, mouthing 'I'm sorry', and run.
Run and don't look back.
Run before you change your mind again.
Run before you miss your chance. Forever.
Your fingers graze the golden light, a sensation unlike you've ever felt before.
A force knocks you out cold, the last thing you see is that damned golden light.
~
You woke up almost a week later, eyes barely being able to open from how long they've been shut.
You remember the blood-curling scream you let out, vocal cords tearing at your anguish.
You remember Wild and Hyrule running in, holding you in place to not harm yourself even more.
You remember sobbing for hours that night, all of them staring at you.
You remember how nauseous and mortified you were when Time bathed you, combing through your locks and looming over you, cooing at you like you were some lost lamb.
You remember how disappointed Wars looked when he found you with your locks strewn around you on the floor, hoping that you wouldn't be pretty anymore in their eyes if you messed yourself up. It made you more stunning.
You remember sitting in the corner of the room, curling in on yourself while you hummed a lullaby, trying to ignore the looming eyes of the chosen hero in the other corner of the room.
They don't let you out past the fence, past it leads into the forest.
You stopped talking to any of them months ago, vocal cords mostly damaged from your screams.
You feel slightly safer with Wind around, knowing they would stay away if he was with you, trusting him to be their eyes for when they weren't home. This wasn't his fault, he was only a kid. Not knowing any better because his brothers told him this was right.
You promised him and yourself that'd you would both get out someday. You both knew he could come and go as he pleased, but he morally couldn't. You reminded him of Aryll, though that personality had long been lost.
You were in your bed, drawing in a notebook that Wind had brought you. It was blue, engraved with small violet flowers. You picked up drawing a few months ago, the distraction keeping you slightly sane. You didn't know what you were drawing, but it felt nostalgic. Safe. Home.
The door opens, Time walking into the room and pulling a chair from the far corner to sit in front of you.
You choose to ignore him, focusing very hard on the drawing at hand.
"You haven't talked much lately, Flower."
You wince at the petname, the syllables off his tongue making you disgusted. He has no right calling you that.
He keeps looking at you, elbows on his knees as he examines you, like some art on a wall. You can look, but you can't touch.
"I miss your voice, baby. I miss you saying my name."
You stop drawing on the paper, but still not looking at him. You refuse.
He crawls up to you, on his hands and knees, praying to his goddess for forgiveness of his sins
"My moonlight... please. Please say my name. That's all I will ever ask of you."
You look at him, noticing how tired and destroyed he looks.
Serves him right.
You close your notebook, lacing it back up with the leather cord. Setting it aside, you look back at him.
You vocal cords scream as you open your mouth, so in pain from the strain.
With gravely words and no emotion to give, you rasp
"Rot in hell."
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
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weird things i adore about twilight princess
when wolf link does a little spin after he sings a song
the way human link does that thing with the sword & scabbard when he's readying himself for battle or has just beat a boss
illia's pure undiluted horse girl energy, whether you like her or not
malo
the way link's musical theme cuts in seamlessly to the music whenever he's doing damage to bosses
hyrule field theme
the mailman being an actual cryptid
several prolonged shots of link being eye-level with telma's... telma
gay dads in karariko village
monkey
midna facepalming and rolling her eyes when link literally perishes
malo's dialogue. all of it
link being viewed as universally handsome but clearly valuing the company of animals over hero worship
like. he has a picture of him and epona in his house. also a goat
pumpkin soup snowpeak yeto and yeta true love and comedy that entire portion of that game honestly
the fact that zant is played off as a totally serious villain but is actually a completely unhinged dance major wearing crocs
zant killing ganon after being exploded by scary midna and the narrative itself being like "yeah we don't even know what just happened"
malomart
the random-ass western shootout with the most perfect music imaginable
the SAME FRAMING AND MUSIC EXCEPT YOUR ENTIRE GOAL IS TO TALK TO 20 CATS???
so many cats and dogs
puppet zelda like that was just cool i gasped do it botw 2 i dare you
hyrule's lgbt alliance being a secret anti-ganon resistance who genuinely come to link's aid
i don't think there is a single cishet adult character in this game. maybe the yetis.
that one character, you know the capitalist baby-man?
midna and zelda having something going on between them esp in the manga. they will not elaborate and i'm happy to fill in the blanks
no forced romance between link and zelda. they're coworkers. if you see them in this game and think they're shippable you're not looking at this game independently
zelda having a sword
the entire manga even though it's not canon
goth trans girl and dark academia trans guy it's like a liberal arts college in telma's bar
agatha's dialogue
shit i can't forget malo
OOCCOO
there's definitely more.
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