#LoZ MM

[mintyvanilla1617]

An Unusual place to put these characters between each other... Both are Calm... Seems to be~

[zeldaversed]

The Hero's Shade

Probably one of the most tragic stories in the Zelda world to date, the Hero's Shade has a deep backstory connected to Twilight Princess. Let's talk about it.

Released on Nov. 19, 2006, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was the darkest Zelda game since Majora's Mask came out in 2000. Featuring the story of the Twilight people who had been banished to the Twilight Realm for the use of magic the gods were angered by, it showcased a near-adult Link, a very mature Zelda, and iconic characters like Ilia, Rusl, and Telma. It was a dark, gritty game for its time, and the transformation into Wolf Link created a new form of gameplay unseen in previous games. The introduction of Midna, the titular Twilight Princess herself, created a companion that players could sympathize with and grow attached to. She was more than just a hint-giver or a target aid, like Navi was. She had depth.

One of the most well-remembered and shocking characters was a being simply known as the Hero's Shade. Inhabiting a plane of existence that was solely a white, watery, misty ambiance with the near-transparent backdrop of Hyrule Castle, he appeared in the form of a massive Golden Wolf to Link. After launching himself at him and sinking his teeth into his head (harmlessly), Link would be transported to the Shade's training grounds. Other than just a method of learning new gameplay tactics and honing Link's skills, the Hero's Shade is more than he appears.

In their first encounter, Link and the Hero's Shade both meet as wolves. The Golden Wolf teaches him a song at the Howling Stone-- not just any song, but the Song of Healing. Unbeknownst to him, Link's wolf form is none other than a new ability, not a permanent curse.

Upon the game's release, people theorized for years about the identity of the Hero's Shade. Who was he? How did he know the Song of Healing? Theories sprung up everywhere.

Finally, in 2011-- five years after the release of Twilight Princess-- his identity (and story) were confirmed with the release of Hyrule Historia, a companion book that shows concept art from games and their chronological order.

So who is he?

To answer that, we have to go back a couple of games.

At the end of Ocarina of Time, there were three possible timelines. The Defeated timeline, in which Link is defeated by Ganondorf; the Adult Era, in which Link chooses to remain by Princess Zelda's side as an adult; and the Child Era, the main timeline, in which Link is returned to his own time 7 years prior to the game.

In this timeline, as soon as Link returns, Navi says goodbye, flies out of the Temple of Time's window, and is never seen again. Link is rightly distraught-- his fairy was like his sister, he only companion in all of his ordeals. Still, he must return to the castle and warn Princess Zelda of what evils may come if Ganondorf is not imprisoned.

Sometime around Majora's Mask, Ganondorf is "executed" for his crimes by being banished to the Twilight Realm, where they believe he will die. Hyrule is at peace. Link and Epona leave the castle and travel deep into the Lost Woods, deeper than any other Kokiri has ever traveled, in the vain search for Navi. He is unfortunately ambushed by a Skull Kid wearing a strange mask, and the story of Majora's Mask plays itself out. Whether or not it was a dream or Link slipped into an alternate dimension is still up for debate. At the end in either case, Link and Skull Kid become friends, and Link, without a fairy, returns to Hyrule.

The exact details of his life after this are fuzzy. At a certain age, he would not have been allowed to be a Kokiri any longer. Maybe he never remained in the Lost Woods, unable to after his journeys, and unable to stay there without his friend Saria. In his adult years, he joined the Castle Guard and possibly married Malon, a friend and the daughter of the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. Hyrule experienced at least one war (possibly with the Gerudo) and plenty of skirmishes. Zelda became queen, granting Link a high rank. She is the only one who has any idea of what he went through, after all, although she's not the same Zelda/Sheik that he knew.

In his older years, when his children are grown, it makes no sense as to why he would have traipsed into the Lost Woods again after so long, especially searching for the fairy from his childhood who is certainly long gone. Perhaps another war, or the death of someone close to him-- maybe Malon-- broke him. Riddled with the memories of everything he went through between OoT/MM and being entirely unrecognized for any of it, it would have felt a thankless, lonely life. Maybe an episode of emotion overcame him when it all was too much, or someone's passing threw him over the edge. He was clearly injured at the time of his death, but whether or not that was from a skirmish on Hyrule's border or a battle with stalfos is uncertain. In any case, the injured, lonely hero wandered into the depths of the Lost Woods, desperately seeking for his friend Navi-- the only one who knew what he'd been through, had been with him through every step of it.

He never found her.

Lost, alone, and defeated, Link laid down and took his final breaths in the Lost Woods-- some theorize that Skull Kid was with him during his final moments, giving him some sense of comfort. But because he was filled with regret, guilt, and fear he became a stalfos himself. A skeletal spirit wearing the armor he died in, he was forced to wander for eternity, unable to rest. His hero's blood allowed him to retain his humanity.

Link-- now the Hero's Shade-- was forced to watch the ages crawl by, haunted and undead. Slowly, he witnessed a change in Hyrule. Darkness was beginning to creep back into the world, and he realized that Ganondorf was returning. Bound by his duty as a hero, he took the form of a Golden Wolf and set about making preparations for a new hero, hopefully one who would be better than him. Whether or not it was done before or after his death, on purpose or not, the Sheikah Stones were transformed so that the Hero's Shade could use them. Maybe he received glimpses of the future from the Sheikah Stones and realized he would need to communicate with this new hero as a wolf. The Master Sword was hidden in a new Temple of Time before his death, by his own hand, understanding that it may be needed again by him or by others. He didn't want to risk the entrance to the Sacred Realm being discovered by Ganondorf if he returned, so he hid it in a place only he could get to-- the Lost Woods. He asked Skull Kid to protect it, and he was more than happy to do so.

Waiting for the new hero, the Hero's Shade may have gone into the Twilight Realm, accidentally becoming the lifelong protector of Princess Midna while he watched over Ganondorf's weakening bonds (if you consider the manga canon). "Defeated" by Zant, Midna lost hope, but the Hero's Shade was only banished back to the Lost Woods.

And there he met Link, a farmhand (or an ex-swordsman, again only if you consider the manga canon). His own great-great grandson. He watches helplessly as Link transforms into a wolf under the cover of Twilight as Hyrule Falls into chaos. Maybe a part of him blames himself, wondering if his own wolf form is somehow the cause of the new hero's apparent curse. On their first meeting, he howls the Song of Healing, trying to change him back. When he doesn't, he loses most hope; he tells Link to meet him when he has returned to his normal form, but he doesn't know if it will happen.

When it does, the Hero's Shade finds hope again. He sees promise in the boy, and trains him in his own skills and shows him things that saved his life when he was a hero. At this point, he's hoping that Link will succeed where he failed. And he does. When Ganondorf is finally defeated and Hyrule is at peace once more, the Hero's Shade feels all of his regrets slipping away. With one final goodbye to his descendant, the Hero's Shade is released from his binds as a spirit and is finally, finally allowed to rest.

That's the story of the Hero's Shade, the Hero of Time. Why he inhabits a similar plane to Dark Link in Ocarina of Time or Demise in Skyward Sword is unknown, as are the details of his adult life. Whether or not you consider the manga canon or not adds a bit more depth than what I already mentioned: when Link is young, he saves him from the darkness, already understanding that he is a hero. Perhaps he watches over Zelda, Midna, and Link, knowing that they are all a part of what is to come.

The Hero's Shade is, in my own opinion, still one of the most tragic and heart-wrenching stories in any Zelda game.

Have something you'd like to add? Reblog with your thoughts or submit an ask! If you'd like to join the tag list, you can submit an ask or request it directly on a post.

[azure-aeon-dragaeon]

Noise: Woag... Chicken nugget

@azure-aeon-dragaeon + @cjslenderboss

Peppino and OOT/MM Link would legit be such a fun duo

[littlesakis-aubade]

Day 20 - Mask

“Your true face… what kind of… face is it?”

[tfroika]

[clowns0up-felix]

Sleepiest boy meets softest patch of grass

I’m trying so hard with the backgrounds,,, I’m usually not like this,,, All my characters usually live in one-color-background world,,,

[cathianemelian]

I'm not used to do watercolor but I'm really happy with this one ! (my beloved Fierce Deity as always)

[balo-badartist]

Second note of song of storms. Wanted to show the snow just beginning to fall. Accurate hand pose and everything, even got an ocarina to help wit it. In the end I accidentally made this a left hand ocarina by flipping it 💀

[nell0-0]

The saddest link of your choosing being sad pls!

Love your art <3

The saddest Link of all

:)

[judithan-xing]

tomorrow comes today

[theauthorandtheartist]

I had a dream the other night that i can't stop thinking about, where a new LOZ game was released in a similar vein to TOTK, except instead of collecting sages like in that game, there was a series of dungeons/temples that were directly tied to other LOZ games, and at the end, you gained the ability to summon the avatar/ghost of the hero from said game -like the TOTK sages- to help on your quest (and get a fun power up). All of the links would have stilted dialogue with you at first, but as the game goes on they get more friendly and at the end of the game theres a cutscene where they all "move on" and it's super emotional cuz by this point they're all brothers (player-link actually emotes during this cutscene, the only time he does so, for an extra punch in the gut). I don't remember all of the details, but what I do remember was:

A Palace of the Four Sword dungeon where you gained the Link(s) from FSA. FSA Link was the simplest in terms of abilities, the avatar would split into 4 and distract enemies/fight alongside you. Pretty sure this was the first one/tutorial temple. Later on this link gives you a sidequest after which you gain the Four Sword as a weapon (its the second strongest in the game behind the master sword).

A Tower of Winds dungeon where you got Minish Cap Link to tag along. He allows you to shrink for short periods of time to get through locked doors/escape danger. Don't remember much about this dungeon except that there's a timer to get through it before yiu have to start over.

Forest temple/great deku tree/kokiri forest type place where Oot/MM link joins up with you. He allows you to rewind time for a little bit (basically the recall ability but on everything including you). Later on He gives a sidequest that results in obtaining the Fierce Deity Mask (best armor in the game).

Arbiter grounds dungeon where you get TP link. He's basically a glorified horse; you ride him around.

Tower of the Gods dungeon where you get WW/PH Link to tag along. He's like Revali's Gale and Tulin's gust in one.

The dungeon to get the Master Sword is like the Skyview Temple, and to be allowed to draw it you must beat SS Link as the final boss of the temple, After which he joins you on your quest. He allows you to do skyward strikes with any one handed weapon.

A secret, optional dungeon that you only unlock by falling asleep on this random island. It's kohohlit. The only avatars/ghosts that you can access here are OoT/MM Link and WW/PH Link (because PH was a dream and MM was an alternate reality). By the end, You get Alttp/albw/LA link who can put enemies to sleep for a time. Later he gives you a sidequest to get ravio's bracelet, which opens up a few easter eggs and secret loot.

Other links/games were included as easter eggs but they don't stick around. BOTW/TOTK Link is a recurring ghostly NPC who you can find in all the weirdest places, offering seemingly nonsensical trades that change every time you see him (10 frogs for 13 bombs, a ruby for an apple pie, 35 monster parts for a single ancient arrow, etc). There's a few places around hyrule where you see two-bit LOZ1/LOZ2 Link just vibing. ST Link takes the place of Purah or Robbie as the eccentric scientist/engineer who will upgrade your stuff if you bring him materials, and he can also upgrade your ghost-Link-friend's abilities as well since he's -y'know- Hero of Spirits.

There's murals in the castle from Cadence of Hyrule, and there's "ancient history books" about HW and AoC. Throughout Hyrule you'll meet various NPCs claiming to be from different countries here to see "the birthplace of the hero of Holodrum/Labrynnia/Calatia."

Various Zelda's would show up too. You get a sidequest where you have to sneak aboard a ghost pirate ship. It's Tetra's. There's a mysterious sheikah warrior who repeatedly accosts you on your travels to loredump and test if you're ready to fight the big bad. She only ever brings you down to half heart, at which point she makes a disappponted comment and leaves. you aren't able to beat her until near endgame, at which point she reveals herself as sheik, has a brief conversation with Oot/MM Link, gives you some cryptic foreshadowing advice and a few fairies, and dips. BOTW/TOTK zelda is similar to her link since she can be found all over the place, but she deals exclusively in ancient materials and dragon parts. TP Zelda gives lore/exposition when you finally make it to the castle, right before the big bad fight.

Big bad is an amalgamation of all ganons/ganondorfs/big bads across the timelines. He telegraphs attacks via shifting forms to look like various bad guys (forms tentacles like bellum and Majora (at the same time) before slam attack, gets blue pig face before charge attack, long purple vaati hair and bat wings before AOE gust attack, scales up his arm and X on face before big AOE lightning blast, and big fuck-all sword and gerudo features before slashing. 2nd phase has it split into like 5 separate beings to fight you and all your friends at once (each one has different features: one is similar to bellum/majora, one is more beast-ganon, one more demise, one Vaati-esque one, and one Ganondorf-like one). The music is harsh and disjointed, cobbled together from many other games, and the noises that the beast makes are screeching and painful.

By the end of the game, there's a big deal made by SS link that you are the final Link in the cycle, that it's over, that you finished what he couldn't. There's a sense of hope, but also of sorrow, since all your new friends are leaving now. They're ghosts, they're dead, they've done their duty and it's time for them to rest. Before they go, though, each one gives you one last gift (the ability they've been helping you with this whole time) and one last sidequest (one for each of them) for you to accomplish: find their treasures, keep them safe.

Post game is you running around without the ghosts (FSA Link's ability duplicates you now, giving you 3 buddies to fight with, but they can't give dialogue and they last like 30 seconds so it's not the samel), doing mini-dungeons and fetch-quests in order to obtain major key items (all old and unusable anymore) from the Links' adventures, (the Beetle, goddess harp, spinner, shards of the fused shadow, deku/goron/Zora masks, gnat hat, various kinstones, pictobox, deku leaf, LA instruments, Ocarina of Time, wind waker, etc) and some from games not mentioned previously or not from your gaggle of links, (Harp of ages, rod of seasons, silver arrows, a doppel, ST panpipes, a revival doll, Cadence of Hyrule Lute, HW blue Scarf, old and broken Terrako, champion's tunic, BOTW champion's picture, trirod, etc). In post-game, there are new NPCs to replace the links/zeldas that used to fill those niches, but it's not the same. They're gone. It's a bittersweet feeling.

After you finish all the post game and get all the treasures (basically 100%ing the game), you get an achievement called "archive of the ages" and a special cutscene where Player Link sets the Master sword down on the side of his bed, looks out the window of his house at the brilliantly setting sun, smiles, and falls asleep. You may no longer play on that save file anymore. The adventure is over.

Basically I dreamt up a game that was a love letter to the entire series, and I'm sad it was just a dream. Logically i know this will never happen because that would mean tying up LOZ and it's too much of a cash cow for Nintendo to ever stop making, but it was a wonderful dream to have for a little while.

[mintyvanilla1617]

Ah? What is that Atreus? A Mask?

[gutterscrouge]

HELL YEAH MAJORA DOODLE POSTING I AM STILL INSANE I need Link and the Majora kid version to have an actual conversation where both understand why they're eachother's villain </3

Shes an absolute party animal there is no convincing me otherwise. Her boss room is a disco place man

Replayed OOT recently, Skull Kid can get all the kisses he wants in the world Tp Skull Kid can go missing in the woods and never talk to me ever again tho. Where's your beak man <//3

[shutcakee]

majora’s mask

[littlesakis-aubade]

Day 16 - Time

“You played the Song of Time!”

[its-ya-girl-phoeni]

I couldn't think of a funny caption