#.hack//legend of the twilight

[jetix]

.hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu

#uploads #manga #.hack #.hack//legend of the twilight #dot hack #100

[alpaca-clouds]

I sure miss .hack/

One anime series - or rather multimedia franchise - I have an immense amount of nostalgia for, even though it was never as big of the thing, as some others, is .hack/

Given it has been a while, since the franchise released something new, let me quickly explain:

.hack/ is a multimedia franchise, that features stories set in a VR MMORPG called The World. Originally the story featured the conceit that some players for some reason got "stuck" in the game, unable to log out, while their physical bodies fell into a coma. Just as there was a mystery featuring the AIs, that for some reason had evolved in the game's mainframe - and a mysterious artefact called the Key of Twilight.

I honestly do not know what it was about this, that spoke to me so much. But I was early on very fascinated by the idea of a VR MMO - even though we of course know today that it is something that is probably not easily achievable. (In a weird way, franchises like .hack/ kinda had the right idea by having the physical bodies turn into a near comatose state while playing, which would probably help the motion sickness...)

It was one of the first anime I pirated back in the. xD Even though I did not get to play the game until I was an adult, given that I was not allowed to have a game console as a child.

I know a lot of people, who found .hack/SIGN, the first anime series of the franchise, rather boring as it has a really, really slow pacing. Like, wow, the pacing is really slow. But... to me it really worked. There was an intrigue about the series and how it explored The World. (Not to mention that from today's perspective the main character is easily read as a trans guy.) And yes, of course the Yuki Kajiura soundtrack played heavily into it.

See, one of my big first online memories is playing the browser based game, that Bandai was hosting back then. A game mostly frequented by Japanese players, so I was trying my very best to keep up with where the chat was going. And when we were "playing" (it was not so much of a game, really) together, it was always a headache to find a timeslot, where me and the Japanese folks could meet up.

Most of all, I think, the series weirdly captured that early 2000s online culture quite well. This is especially true for the more comedy heavy and cutsy "Legend of the Twilight" series. (Man, I need to rebuy that manga at some point.) Which just very much captured the feeling of just meeting online with friends from all over the world, who you might never meet, and... yeah. Just hang xD

But also the plot so often kinda had this undertone of "The World belongs to the players, not the company". Because especially in "Legend of the Twilight", but in the other entries too, one of the central conflicts comes from the company hosting The World trying to control the mysteries - especially the AIs. While the player characters are fighting against it and ending up siding with the AI.

Something, that feels strangely accurate to the modern internet, where the big, near monopolistic companies try control the user experience more and more, rather than letting users decide about their own experience.

The franchise of .hack// seems to be long dead and forgotten by Bandai and development studio CyberConnect2. The last game that released was .hack//Link, the last other media was the .hack// movie in 2012, that apparently passed everyone by either way.

To put it differently: It has been 11 years, since some new media released for that franchise. And it does not seem that anything is in the works to keep up with it. Especially as Bandai has taken the official international website off the net in 2020.

Technically, of course, a Switch Remaster of the .hack//GU games released in Japan last year for the franchises 20th anniversary - but it does not seem as if there are any plans to release it worldwide.

Maybe the franchise had its perfect moment in time in those early 2000s, when the internet really felt like an entire World that was there for us to explore.

But man, I miss this franchise. I had so much fun with it. And I just... love The World.

Also I need to leave this banger opening for .hack//Link with you. Because darn, I love this thing.

PS: If any of you went like "That kinda sounds like Sword Art Online" at this... Yeah, I to this day have the slight suspicion that Reki Kawahara was "lightly" inspired by .hack//. Because really, the entire SAO stuff to me is ".hack// but with less interesting characters and world building".

#.hack// #.hack//sign #dot hack #.hack//link #.hack//g.u. #.hack//legend of the twilight #legend of the twilight #yuki kajiura #2000s #2000s anime #nostalgia #video games #anime #2000s nostalgia #Youtube

[descentintosiblingcon]

Data Bytes

The whole story takes place in 2014, which means the Michael Bay TMNT reboot was in theaters when multiple people were falling into a coma.

Sanjuro was from the original .hack IMOQ games. He was a side character who required a non-plot related mission to recruit that you can skip over.

A Drama CD released only in Japan revealed that Hotaru is a crossplayer. Since she was referred to as female throughout the entire series with no objection from her, I will continue to refer to her as such.

Mireille is 4 goddamn years old. Ouka in real life is her tutor who's apparently super shy and lives out her power fantasies via .hack. So yeah...she's MMORPG She-Hulk.

Fuck it, group shot. Notice that Balmung's fave remains unrevealed. He could be Scorpion for all we know.

Thanks for playing, losers.

#.hack #.hack//legend of the twilight #review #anime #thanks for not bombing my house #despite how sucky this series is #i love blinking #i envy anyone stupid enough not to know what it is

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

some unfinished sketch + more BL fanfiction stuff, from naruto / ragnarok online / boogiepop / .hack, written over thanksgiving week

can be read @ https://demon5equal10birth5day3equal8.substack.com/p/week-end-bl-fanfiction-catalogue

#yaoi fanfiction #naruto #boogiepop #ragnarok online #.hack//legend of the twilight

[queststhroughduality]

.hack//legend of the twilight/sign/GU remained with AI

#futurism #artificial intelligence #midjourney #ai art #scifi #cyberpunk #.hack//sign #.hack//g.u. #.hack #.hack//legend of the twilight #manga #anime #theworld #vr #virtual reality #gaming #future gaming

[psychicxhearts-blog1]

I was re reading one of the dot hack mangas and I swear. I have been going back on this thought for almost over 10 years now. I could be tripping, but it feels like the manga took this iconic image from Chobits and the artist just took it, change some things about it, and put the character nearly in the same pose. The more I look at the art from the manga the more wrong I see from it.

#.hack//legend of the twilight #chobits #//I could be wrong #//but you see it too right?

[foreverfandom50-50]

another repost...but in better quality my dudes

#.hack//legend of the twilight #.hack anime #.hack gifs #.hack ouka #.hack shugo #.hack kite

[kudotsurugi]

One random day, on a bridge in Mac Anu, a popular meme was re-enacted.

For Those of you unaware, the original .hack//(pronounced "dot hack") games by CyberConnect2, starred the character Kite, a new player to the in-universe MMORPG "The World". There have been many iterations of The World in the .hack// franchise, and also as many character expies of Kite. So much so they made their own visual guide to tell you who's who.

So, I decided to take 5 'Kites' from the franchise and recreate the Spider-Man pointing meme.

From top left to bottom middle, we have:

Kite, protagonist of the original .hack// games(Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and Quarantine, "IMOQ" for short)

Shugo, the protagonist of the anime and manga .hack//Legend of the Twilight

Sakuya, the lead character in the anime OVA .hack//Quantum

Sora/Kite, aka Sora Yuuki, the protagonist of the Feature film .hack//The Movie: Beyond the World, and guest character in the PSP game .hack//Link.

"Tri-Edge"/Azure Kite, the initial antagonist of .hack//G.U.

#.hack// #dot hack #dot hack kite #.hack// kite #.hack//g.u. #.hack//quantum #.hack #.hack// legend of the twilight #dot hack the movie #dot hack beyond the world #tri-edge #.hack// tri-edge #azure flame kite #.hack//link #.hack// shugo #kite #kaito #shugo #sakuya #sora yuuki #sora kite

[skittlesskittycat]

#anime #my gifs #hack legend of twlight #.//hack #.//hack legend of twilight #sniff

[4akross]

#.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet #.hack//LotTB #Hotaru #Grunty #Long Horned Grunty

[liminalepitaph]

#rei idumi #.hack//legend of the twilight bracelet #idumi rei #.hack #source: official #pixiv #ouka #hotaru #mireille #zefie #valentine's #holiday

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Linked Universe AU where Dink tortures the Chain by locking them in a room mini-boss style and forcing them to face their most difficult challenge yet…

…playing their own video games.

Time just straight up gets PTSD flashbacks the instant he starts playing either of his games and is like “nope we’re doing my games last I need time to mentally prepare for this nonsense.”

Warriors is laughing his butt off while hacking and slashing at armies “holy Hylia if I could actually kill twenty bokoblins in one swing that would have been AMAZING”

Twilight keeps forgetting to use the “wolf sense” button and missed literally everything because to him it’s just automatic, so if he doesn’t immediately see it when he becomes a wolf in the game then clearly it isn’t a thing. Wild has to keep reminding him ti hit the blasted button or the game will never progress.

Sky thinks his game is really fun until he remembers that everyone is going to find out about the curse and then he starts finding increasingly more insane ways to get his character killed just to delay the inevitable.

Legend straight up smashes Link’s Awakening to pieces before they can even play it.

Hyrule is just awed that he even has a game, but when everyone starts playing it they all just die over and over again. Wind starts flipping tables the twenty-seventh time.

Four loses his mind because the intro literally gives away his secret of the four sword.

Wild spends his entire game exploring instead of doing the main quest because “what, the pictures are pretty besides I have all the time in the world now!! I can learn all the recipes!!”

Wind thinks his game is clearly the coolest ever, even though no one will let him hear the end of it over the cartoon style (Sky thinks it’s nice). Then they all meet Tingle and break the TV in horror.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #link’s awakening magically reappears after Legend smashes it #all the boys brainstorm how to defeat each game even though they’ve all literally done it irl #because the whole video game format is very weird and different to them

[descentintosiblingcon]

Final Thoughts

Manga's better for greater consistency in tone. Anime...has better music. Which it's impossible for manga to have so it cheated. Manga wins. This series is okay overall, nothing too overly offensive (unless you're triggered by incest in which case...yeah, avoid this entry.) Nothing special about Shugo, Rena's not breaking any glass ceilings, Balmung's only cool in the manga and everybody else is forgettable. The anime wasted its darker tone and the entire franchise feels like it could have been contained to a gaiden instead of a whole-ass series. Not much to say besides...that happened.

My final post on this blog will be the odds and ends I found out while researching the series. Check it out if you're interested.

Anime rating: 4.5/10

#.hack #.hack//legend of the twilight #review #anime #i hope i made the day worse of everyone in the anime tag #i think i've successfully scared everyone off the review tag by now #.hack fans #look upon your god #despair at your folly #this #this is what all of mankind's efforts amount to #this is what the big bang was for #this is what will be left after you expire

[luimagines]

I’m back again :)

Reader finds bunny Legend in the forest, I don’t know what he’s doing there or why he’s a bunny — brain cells are for history homework tonight, but they decide to attempt to befriend the cute pink rabbit. Legend just lets them (because he has a crush and doesn’t wanna admit that he likes them petting him).

Reader notices he’s slightly injured, small cut on the paw, it is bleeding a bit though, and very gently picks him up and takes him to camp. Because obviously the little bunny needs at least some bandages, can’t have it getting infected now can we?

And Legend is dying of embarrassment and maybe gets picked on later by Sky and Twilight.

- Glitter ✨

Bun bun. Let's gooooo!!!!

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

You weren’t intending on find anything in particular when you told the group that you were going to break off for a moment.

Between wanting some space and deciding to look around the area seem like a good idea at the time. You could defend yourself well and Wolfie hadn’t come back yet but Twilight did, and he said the place was clear. You could only assume that Wolfie was just hunting for a moment and will be back when he’s had his fill once more.

You were still on guard even when you just wanted to relax. The rustling in the bushes nearly got you to hack the poor plant in half before a something jumped out from it.

You paused.

The little creature didn’t seem to notice you. He rubbed his paws and rubbed his face and it was the cutest thing you swore you ever saw. You put your weapon away and watched the little bunny. Strange though, he was pink... and clothed.

“Aww.” The sound left you before you could stop it.

The bunny froze and looked up at you. You froze as well and stared back.

His little mouth opened. You crouched down and held your hand out. You never had such luck with bunnies but he looked so soft and sweet. You wondered if you could get him to come to you.

Hesitantly, he did!

He crawled forward and sniffed your hand. You tried to remain calm and confident. You didn’t want to scare his off now. Gently and slowly, you moved your fingers out. You managed to get a gentle sweep across his forehead before he placed his little bunny face into the palm of your hand.

You grinned and got onto to your knees to meet his height. “Oh aren’t you the sweetest little thing!”

You continued to pet him now that you’re sure that you’ve gotten permission. Enjoying your time with the soft fur, you tried to get closer. With enough patience, even if you’re not sure how you managed it, you got the bunny into your arms and begin to run your hands along his body.

“Oh I think I love you.” You coo. “Won’t you come home with me? You can live at my house where I’ll take good care of you and love on you every moment I can.”

You giggle and experiment with his paws. Surprisingly, he lets you grab them. Gently, of course. Until you brush over the pads on his front paw and he jerks. You freeze and apologize instantly.

But that’s a cause for concern.

“Sorry, buddy. Let me just get a look at this, ok?” You whisper, trying to keep the poor thing calm. You can feel his heart beating radically against your chest. He’s scared. Poor thing. He must think you’re going to hurt him.

You whine and pick up the paw, careful not to touch the same spot as before. You see it just he rips it back to himself. A small cut, blooming with red that nearly goes hidden against the pink fur that surrounds it.

You gasp. “Oh you’re hurt! Ohh...Oh no... Ok, buddy. Let’s see if we can fix you up.”

You carry him in your arms and stand. Trying to keep him as calm and comfortable as possible, you don’t look up to see the faces of the boys around you as you regroup with them.

“What happened?” Wind asks as you begin to rifle through the medical bag. “Where did you find him?”

“I ran into him while I was exploring.” You explain, taking out the gauze and disinfectant with one hand as you speak. “He has a cut on his paw. I’m going to take care of it the best I can. Rabbits can have a lot of things go wrong so I want to give him his best chance.”

The rabbit squirms a bit in your hold but you hold on tighter. “I know buddy, I know. You won’t like this. But I’ll be fast and then you can go on your merry way just like before.”

“Can I pet it?” Wind asks quietly.

You pause and hum. “Maybe not. I don’t want to make things too stressful for little guy. He’s surprisingly well behaved though. the rabbits back home would have never let me do this. So I want to be quick.”

“And what do we have here?” Time says to your left, having also come back from wherever he went to.

“A bunny.” You reply as you dab the little spot on his paw. As expected, the bunny squirms in your hold but doesn’t actively try to leave. Weird, you think. But maybe he knows you’re trying to help him.

Something clicks in your head then. “Time, can I keep him?”

Twilight, who was watching this entire time, starts choking on his drink. He starts to laugh but it only send the liquid flying through his nose. It looks painful and he reacts as such.

Time looks at you, ignoring his descendent. He crosses and his arms and raises an eyebrow. He looks amused. “I don’t think so.”

“Please?” You ask again. “Please? Please? I’ll look after him! look at how cute he is! How can you say no that that face!”

The rabbit for his part bends his ears back and pins them down. He tries to burrow down into the side of your arm where it would successfully hide his face from the view of others.

“Wild has Wolfie!” You try to defend before Time can respond to your earlier pleas. “How is that any different?”

“Wolfie can come and go as he pleases.” Twilight smirks, more amused than you think is necessary for this. “Can this bunny do that? I don’t think that’s what you’re asking.”

“Stay out of this Twilight. I’m not asking you.” You stick your tongue out and glare at him. You turn on your best puppy eyes and look at Time. “He’s hurt too! We can let an innocent creature go out while he’s hurt! It could get worse!”

Sky snorts and you turn to him but he’s not looking at you. Weird, you think again. That’s a strange reaction.

Before anyone else can talk, the rabbit leaps from your arms and dashes away into the woods. You cry out and jump to your feet but he’s gone before you can take a step. “Twilight, I blame you.”

“Wha- What did I do!?”

“I don’t know but it’s your fault.” You stomp your feet.

Time laughs and pats your shoulders. “It’s ok. I doubt he would have been able to stay for long regardless.”

You pout but have to agree with him on the basic fundamentals. Sky gets up as well and walks calmly into the forest in the direction of the bunny. 

“I’ll be back.” He says, taking the Master Sword with him. Twilight follows and Time allows it.

You huff and puff and really are just trying to deal with your disappointment in anyway that doesn’t actually end in tears. It’s dumb and you know it but you think you fell in love with he little guy despite only being near him for ten minutes tops.

“Hey guys...” Legend comes back. He had left before you did and he’s all red in the face now. He raises his hand in greeting and you gasp.

He has a slice down his palm. Another person injured today.

“Legend!” You cry out and run to him. “What one earth happened? Does it hurt? Come here! Before it gets infected.”

You pull him over and down, not to dissimilar to how you yourself were sitting on seconds prior. Legend’s face gets a bit pinker but you blame it on the fact that he caught red handed. Literally.

You just thank the stars that you already had to tools out.

“Honestly Legend, what are we going to do with you?” You sighs and shake your head. Twilight and Sky come back to the camp with knowing smirks.

Legend elects to ignore them while you’re too focused on making sure his hand in properly bandaged. You may not have been able to help the bunny but you can certainly help your friend. 

Besides you’d take Legend over the rabbit any day. He’s cuter.

#linked universe #lu legend #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #omg glitter #I'm only now realize you sent in so many ^.^* #i feel bad #I told some people that they had a limit #and yet #you send in like 3 times that amount #not that it's a problem #but maybe for the future let's limit it to three per person #last post of the year!! #woo!!

[cloudninetonine]

A Player's Aid: Chapter 12

Fandom: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe

A/N: Ya'll I'm sorry but I am exhausted so please don't think I'm ignoring the asks OIUEHIF I'M JUST GETTING THROUGH THE WORK DAYS AND GETTING THIS STORY FINISHED- hope you enjoy tho! I'm glad I was able to get it done faster this time!

Warnings: Bad language, mentions of violence, threatening language, descriptions of blood and gore, mentions of injuries and mentions of death! (Please tell me if I missed anything it's near 1:30AM IOEUFGIF- I am a little manic)

“NO!”

The words echoed through the hallway, a blood-curdling scream that bounced off the walls and dragged a stinging down into their ear canals, reverberating through the heroes' heads as the champion dived into the middle, the fingertips barely brushing before any trace of you disappeared completely, leaving behind the carpeted floor that Wild slammed right into.

“GODDESS BE DAMNED!”

Hyrule had closed the gap between him and Sky violently, slashing at a Skulltula that leapt desperately after the blonde with dripping pincers snapping dangerously. Its squeal nothing but a nuisance in his ears as he spun his sword tip down and thrust it violently into its head, eyes popping with a disgusting squelch as he pinned it to the floor.

Sky could see it, the bloodthirsty look crossing his face- teeth grinding, huffing up a violent storm with murder dancing in his eyes, an abyss of forest brown with hints of green.

He had caught a glimpse of it that day, a look of rage, the look of rage, the one that stretched over lifetimes and painted itself over the faces of the calmest of men. The Hero of Skyloft had worn it too, many moons ago, as he struck down Demise and brought peace into his era.

Hyrule had worn that exact expression at the lake, and now, after taking a small glance towards Wild, shaking and panting in a similar state, he knew that the cook had felt the exact same way.

“Champion!” Time’s voice was of urgency and authority, batting back another hissing Skulltula with a grunt. “Rejoin the circle!”

Wild’s hands dug into the fabric of the royal carpet, digging in his nails desperately as images and scenarios raced rapidly through his mind- there were so many possible things that could have been following through this. The Shadow had you in its clutches, just where they didn’t want you, and so easily too, brain jumping between two things and two things only.

A slow, painful torture as the Shadow dragged whatever information he wanted from you, he would be cruel, he would be sadistic and soon enough your anguished screams would echo through the castle or he could just kill you, simple and quick, with nothing but an uninterested shrug to his shoulders when he and Hyrule would ask what became of you.

“Their presence was simply a way to bring pain, dear Champion, and well, I did want to wait longer yetttttt- watching you pathetic heroes whimper over some even more pathetic sack of meat is simply much more entertaining.”

Death, torture, death, torture, death, torture, DEATH-

Hands settled violently onto his shoulders, fingers digging into his tunic and his skin when Twilight’s face came into view. Worried, frustrated, angry and a whole whirlwind of emotions as he hissed his name desperately.

“Now isn’t the time for this, Link! We’re surrounded- pull yourself together!”

And in a sudden rush of everything, Wild released a trapped breath in a heavy gasp.

His eyes checked over to Hyrule, noting his shaking figure as he violently hacked at the monsters, the phantom red flying as he frantically tried to kill all that barred his path. The traveller was in a panic, similar to himself, but unlike the blonde his panic hadn’t completely frozen over, he still had his fighting spirit and by the goddess, he was ready to stain the walls with monster blood if it meant that he could go chasing after you- even while having no clue on how to get to you.

“We have to go after them.” 

Twilight’s eyes reflected understanding yet the frustration was still obvious. “Yes and we will-”

“We have to go after them now.”

Of course, that was the obvious thing to do, but that wasn’t a following thought, it was a present one- fuck these monsters and fuck this pathetic excuse of an ambush, Wild needed to get you now and he was ready to risk it all to do that.

“And how do you suppose we do that!?” Legend snapped, bashing a Skulltula back with his shield. “I am not sure if you’ve noticed, Champion, but we can’t exactly waltz our way through this!”

Wild had already zoned in, his eyes watching the movement of Legend’s arm as he blocked another set of gnashing pincers, turning back to Twilight and ogling his target item hanging right off his arm.

Twilight looked curiously at his shield before the realisation dawned and he hardened. “No-”

Hyrule’s frustration was sharp enough to cut through stone as he snapped. “They could be dead by the time we get through these monsters, so shut up ranch-hand and listen to his fucking plan!!”

Wind’s cackle was like a light within the darkness. “They sure are tainting you, traveller!”

“Is this really the time, sailor!?”

“I’m just saying-”

“Enough!- Go through with your plan or be done with it!” Time’s roar was an imposing one, a whole slew of emotions dripping from his words. “I will not have infighting! Especially not now!”

The group was not a stranger to stupid or dangerous ideas, a memory of Warriors and Wild sailing over a camp upon the back of a fallen tree surfaced at the thought, or the many times one of the boys (Hyrule and Wild) had leapt onto the back of a great beast to beat it down to size, or even that time when someone had tried to outrun a Gohma with sheer determination alone after angering the monster in hopes it would stray from the downed comrade- sometimes stupidity was held over safety within them all, if it meant defeating the enemy, or saving the victim, they would go to great lengths to keep them safe.

Twilight knew that Wild considered this one of those times. There wasn’t any way to get around it, no reason, no refusal- the cook had made up his mind and this was what was going to happen.

So, with a final sigh, he caved.

“What is your plan?”

----------

"Come now, dear Guide, don't leave me in the dark- talk to me."

Dink’s voice was best described as an amalgamation, many spoke at once, an eerie echoing drip to his tone that could never just blend together adding to his disturbing supernatural aura that made him this shadow demon. You could hear them all, every single voice belonging to the Chain was mingling with his own, sometimes one would domineer the other- you could hear Time, you could hear Wind, you could hear Warriors, you could hear Four, the Shadow after all was that, a Shadow, so would it make sense for him to have something of his own when he himself wasn’t his own person?

Even now, the face that stared back at you was very clearly Hyrule’s-...or was it? Bathed in darkness, bearing a callous front the shadows that formed his body swayed with the wind. Like smoke to a dying flame, his body constantly shifted and left you dumbfounded about what you were truly looking at. It may have been Hyrule but in that very same breath, it could have been someone completely different- only adding to its demonic presence that made you back further into the wall hoping to become one with the stone and avoid this situation altogether.

Successfully tearing yourself away from his grasp at the price of Hyrule's dagger, you’d tossed it violently towards him as you twisted your leg from his hand (more like a claw from the way his nails dug into your skin) as he dodged it then scurrying back until your back made contact with stone to make as much distance between you as possible. 

It was funny to him of course, he just laughed, for you were a bug beneath his shadow boot- did you really think tossing a measly little dagger was going to do any real harm to him? Especially with that pathetic excuse of a throw?

"I must say, the townsfolk show better skill in the face of monsters, how embarrassing for the guide of the heroes."

"I-Im not the Guide." Your voice was a whimper, shaking from your very obvious fear. "You've got the wro- hm, wrong person-"

The Shadow tilted its head, smirk teasing. "Is that right?"

"...Please let me go."

People liked to joke about this kind of scenario. In the situation of kidnapping, they'd annoy the person to near insanity and get off scot-free- or in their hyped-up cloud of adrenaline, pure rage would take over and they'd simply beat their attacker back, an uno reverse card one might say to the whole scene. However that was just chit-chat, online humour for Internet points, you knew for a fact the wrong thing said at this moment would probably have your throat slashed with barely any of his strength.

And that terrified you.

You were terrified.

Back in childhood, you were that little five-year-old cowering in the corner of your room under the piles of blankets, hawk eyes trained onto the darkness creeping within your wardrobe. The crack between the open door held an opportunity for the monster within to stare right back at you without your child mind knowing a thing. Would it come for you when you finally collapsed from exhaustion or would it burst forth and gobble you up the second your focus dimmed?

The fear within you was primal then, that fear of the unknown, what lay where you could not see it and it was with you now, bubbling sickeningly in the pit of your stomach as the Shadow chattered and joked about your early demise that he would bring with his own hand.

Not even a week ago this creature was a character to you, a fairytale if you will.

And now you were about to be murdered by it.

Dink walked between the streams of light cascading through the windows of the room, the particles of his shadows faintly catching the shine at each turn he made. It made sense that he clung to the darkness, but you begged within that he would step into the beams once. Just once, so that your mind could be laid to rest- trying to comprehend what you were seeing was hurting your head. 

He looked more like Wild now- or was that just the darkness playing tricks?

The Shadow only let out a belly laugh, his voice bouncing off the walls, “Oh, you humour me so, do you really think your whimpers will change my heart, dear Guide?”

You teared up, “Please, I just want to go home-”

“Ah, home.” He said the word with a fake interest, tilting his head as he feigned consideration. “I have never had such a thing, you know, I merely passed through the times through the shadows of The Hero’s light-”

He grinned, crouching down to look at you. “-it’s why they call me the Shadow, you see, I have no other name nor a life to call my own.”

“....Is that why you need me?”

And once again, the monster burst into laughter throwing his head back and covering his mouth to muffle his hysterical laughter- creepy and bone-chilling, he already sounded inhuman enough but the laughter that caught your ears certainly wasn’t doing anything to ease your worries.

“You think I would value something so pathetic? Bah!” With a wave, he pushed off his knees back to his full height, looking you down with those crimson eyes full of malice and disdain. “I would find it an insult if you didn’t sound so sincere- idiotic, but sincere.”

Curling deeper into yourself, you shook, voice wobbly, “Then why am I here?”

A cold chill ran through the room, the shadows within the corners growing, casting great darkness over the walls and eating at the light that cascaded through the large windows. The eyes of oil paintings glaring down at you through the pitch black that only grew closer and closer, judging you with hell flames dancing in their painted pupils as the gloom tickled the points of your boots and caused you to only shrink deeper into yourself. Dink’s eyes were demonic through the shade, piercing through the surrounding tenebrosity to stare right back into your fear-struck gaze.

“Why do you think?” The bitter tone crawled over your skin like millions of bugs, the phantom feeling of many legs running over your body as he spat. “A being able to ascend through timelines, with the knowledge of all that has, is and will ever be? From another world entirely but yet you still hold influence in this one while the Goddesses stay ignorant to anything that strays from their precious creation. If you’re able to do such a thing, you must hold more power than even the Golden Three themselves-”

With each word, he seemed to melt into the gloom of the room, red eyes still following you as he paced like a predator ready to pounce. “-and with that kind of power I can finally get rid of those heroes, wipe them from history and do as I please without their pathetic little attempts to get in my way.”

The terrified tears streamed freely now, face flushed hot in fear and heart frozen in terror yet still pumping the blood through your veins to rush the adrenaline in every crevice it could find- your stomach plummeted when he turned and suddenly it seemed he had vanished, no red eyes to show his position with his shadows hiding him from your sight.

You shook; you cried.

“I’m not the Guide.” The sob caught in your throat, an anxious sickness brewing in your stomach as you searched for him frantically in the pitch black. “I don’t have any magic power, I can’t even do a coin trick, please you have to believe me-”

You couldn’t even scream- the red eyes were back and rushing towards you until they were a breath away, a hand slamming next to your head with more talons than claws digging into the stone. Roughly your chin was grabbed, the frightened yelp leaving your mouth muffled as your lips were smushed under his coarse gloves. You couldn’t escape.

Dink’s red eyes were manic, pupils straining in barely restrained venom. “Don’t lie to me- the spell brought me to you. You bear the name and its suffocating presence I’ve felt for decades, you dare try to trick me?”

“I-I’m not! I’m not, I promise I’m not-” His grip tightened and you whined at the pain, “Please- please don’t kill me-”

With a monstrous growl, he ripped his hand away, the pain still lingering in an itchy ache as he grabbed your front tunic violently and hauled you to your feet. He towered you now. An enigma of shifting shadows with a taut scowl that seemed too big for his face, inhuman in a way that was too real for you and left you a shivering mess against the wall as his words dribbled from his mouth similar to the dripping of blood from a blade- sleek but chilling.

“I’m going to kill you.” Quiet. His words were quiet because he didn’t need a reason to shout for the calm was way more terrifying than the force. “Tear out your heart, throw it at the heroes’ feet and watch them weep over it.”

His scowl stretched into a smile. “Cry now, little guide because you won’t be able to soon enough.”

The sincerity in his tone was what got you, coupled with the swirling bloodlust in those pools of crimson you could see your life flash right before your eyes. The longest second you’d ever felt, experiencing whole lifetimes in only an instant as you thought back to your own world, your friends, your family, the strangers that had come and gone, everything that had led up to this exact moment. Here. In this castle of ruins, with the real Heroes of Hyrule, with real monsters of Ganon and the actual Dark Link whose voice had muffled from the gallons of blood rushing in your ear.

That night when he first chased you was an example of the fight or flight response- your instincts choosing to fly as you sprinted away from the Shadow as it chased you through the streets.

That option was scrubbed away, with no room for fawning and the option to freeze was laid to rest by the adrenaline, you did the only thing you could do.

Raising your knee you slammed it between his legs without an ounce of hesitation, you didn’t hold back putting all your strength into the attack as it made contact with him, a small grunt of effort leaving your lips as you did. You weren’t about to play fair at the edge of Death’s door.

Silence.

Red eyes glanced down to where your knee met his crotch, the appendage hesitating before it slowly fell back, your booted foot meeting the floor just as his gaze returned to you.

“Did you really expect that to work?” His voice was a mixture of amusement and chagrin. “I’m a shadow- I share your hero’s likeness but not their weaknesses.”

You strained out a shaky breath. “...fuck.”

Then, without a single thought of your own preservation or even a single thought at all, you acted upon impulse and slammed your head right into his nose.

The following moments would have been comedic if your thoughts weren’t screaming at you to bolt. The two of you stumbled away from one another in a daze, Dink dropping back onto his arse with a string of violent curses while he held his face desperately trying to stop the stream of black ooze which resembled blood (he could bleed?) drip from his nose. You weren’t too great either, dazed and dizzy from smashing your forehead against his face, staggering about with a similar chant of swears as you tried to decipher which way was up and which was down.

“You…fucking…wretch…” Dink gasped through the pain, still crumpled over, “Just…you wait-”

Your blurred vision settled, the doubles that you were seeing finally melting back into one and you could see the doorway just a few steps ahead, leading out into the castle halls.

This was your moment.

“Get back here-”

Without a single glance back, you bolted, still a little dizzy but refusing to let that get in the way of your freedom. Shouldering through the door, you came across an unfamiliar hallway enveloped in the webbing of the Skulltula and promptly cringed at the sight of eggs sacs scattered through the natural fibres. You didn’t stop, however, powered by your fear you took to one direction and fled.

“You dare run from me!? I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD, PEST!!”

You felt violently ill from the words, the pure unyielding rage in his voice was clear, one mistake, one slip up- if Dink got his hands on you, the last thing you would be seeing were those red, demonic eyes.

You weren’t about to let that happen.

Boots slammed against the carpet, the bangs muffled by the fabric. You heaved and puffed, your lungs in an icy pain as they burned from the strain but in your mind, the words rung out like a mantra “Don’t stop, don’t stop” and you kept those words true to yourself- you weren’t about to stop, not now, not ever, not until you reached the Chain and the sounds of Dink’s footsteps chasing after you finally faded from your mind.

You skidded around a corner, finding comfort in the light that streamed through the open windows of the winding corridor, you were still quite lost, unable to piece together the exact location unsure if you had stumbled in. Was this a place which you had trekked in digital form, or another restored section of the great building?

Sounds echoed behind you, your form tensing in horror before you brushed away questions and rushed down the hallway. 

It didn't matter where you were in the castle, you didn't care, you'd do laps around the entire thing until you finally found your group. Your stamina be damned, you were getting out of here alive. You'd see the Chain again, you'd see your family again, you'd see your friends again and as long as you kept running that thought would manifest into reality.

Your boot snagged a piece of frayed carpet, eyes growing into dinner plates as you shrieked in horror. No, no this wasn't about to happen, you weren't about to fall victim to that damned Hollywood trope- you weren't. Pushing through the stagger, you didn't allow yourself to plummet straight into the floor, taking a few wobbly steps that you were quickly able to correct and mentally cheered.

I think the fuck not-

You plummeted from the force around your ankle, covering your face and letting your arms take most of the blow as you collapsed into a shaking heap on the floor

You fell.

You fucking fell.

"NO!" The scream was Oscar worthy, as were the tears and horror on your face, head snapping back to see the black murky substance that had enveloped your foot. "No- fucking- please!"

Magic no doubt, dark magic that writhed and twitched in the shadow of the hallway. In an effort to escape you kicked at it hysterically, clawed at it desperately and even tried to drag yourself closer to the light in hopes that maybe, maybe it would burn away the dark. 

Hyperventilating through choking tears, you fought. Sick threatened to decorate the floor, the anxiety and the dread a horrid mix that clashed violently as the seconds continued to tick by. This wasn’t about to happen, you were not about to die this way- like some stupid horror cliche, chased by the psychotic axe murder hellbent on gifting you with a slow, torturing death- This isn’t how you wanted it to end.

The rapid thumping of footsteps had finally reduced to an uncanny nothing as the Shadow had begun to ascend the hallway. Silence. That was all he produced. Not a footstep on the carpet, not a pant from his frantic run- you didn’t hear a peep from Dink as he slowly made his way towards you. 

It reminded you of the documentaries, that quiet walk of his, a slow but gradual stalk as the predator drew closer to it’s prey, feral eyes pinpointed on one thing and one thing only.

You really wished you could have been the cameraman in this moment, for being the prey was just as panic inducing as you had thought it would be.

“You’ve had your fun.” The venom was cold but laid on heavy, searing into your skin and burning at your very core as an icy fear. You tried to scramble faster, “I’ve let you run, for long enough, insect. Scutter along these floors but enough is enough.”

You moved to your back, still dragging yourself despite the obvious being clear- you weren’t getting out of this.

“What the fuck do you want with me!?” You screamed desperately, tears still running as you gasped for breath during your panic attack. “I don’t have anything to fucking give you!”

“Are you really that dense?”

The streams of light were your only source, watching as Dink grew closer and closer. Terrifying really, his body moulded each time he reached the sun- first you saw the shadow of Hyrule before his form returned to the black mass of the shadows only to reform into Wild, once again disappearing and he had shrunk himself into Wind. With each shift his voice would change, but not to match the hero he wore, he couldn’t even give you the kindness of that. Suffering. He just wanted you to suffer during your hysteria and leave you disarray.

He really was eldritch in a way and certainly nothing you had ever wanted to experience.

“Your power, Guide, I want your power-”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY POWER!” Your voice was shrill to you, bouncing off the walls and echoing even further down the halls. “I’M NOT FUCKING SPECIAL- LET ME GO YOU STUPID FUCK!”

He stopped just a few inches off, watching you with eagle eyes as you wailed, tears and some snot running down your face. You knew you were a pathetic sight to see, snivelling and crying in a pile of limbs on the floor- not an ounce of bravery on your face, your eyes only reflected the fear that followed the scent of death and the further unknown. How could this be the heroes’ Guide? Valued and respected amongst the masses, was something that probably fluttered around his head. Nothing but another weak and useless slab of meat, similar to the many he had cut down before.

“I have no more time for this.” Quiet, restrained. You could hear the metal slide along his sheath as he pulled his blade. “You die here, guide.”

He pounced.

You weren’t quite sure what happened in those few moments- your mind was reeling. Too much was going on for you to fully comprehend anything other than your own screaming thoughts: You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t see. Not fully anyway, you couldn’t turn away from the crimson that stared you down with a hatred so true.

You just wanted it to stop. It was all you knew as you threw your hands in front of your face, hoping in some way that it would somehow block the blow. You wanted everything to stop- your brain, time, your upcoming death- all you really wanted in that moment was for everything- to-

STOP!

…

……

………

…………ding…

……….ding…

…….ding…

A static stillness filled the air- along with grunts of effort that you knew belonged to Dink. No humanoid made such a distorted sound, nor did any monsters you knew, so horrific to your ears as his noise of struggle being the only thing you could register. You almost didn’t want to look, caught in the belief that looking would break the spell that had suddenly cast over the shadow that kept him at bay. Nevertheless, when his steady flow of forced threats and other colourful words flowed from his mouth did you finally take the chance to glance at what had befallen him.

Yellow.

Dink was yellow.

No, not yellow in colour but in tint- it covered each inch of his body from his boots to his strands of white hair. Not just yellow however, phantom chains accompanied the glow, pinning him midair and phasing off into some impossible abyss. They jangled, they swayed and they kept your almost-murderer only a few inches back, his frantic red eyes trained on each little movement you made in a moment of pure mania.

You crawled back instantly when your own eyes met them, huffing and puffing in horror.

Stasis…

Dink was in Stasis.

Who the fuck put Dink in Stasis?

A very quick answer was found when your hand flew out as you moved your weight, sight catching the electric glow beneath the leather of your vambrace glove right where you knew the Sheikah eye stared back at you.

Had you Stasised the Shadow?

It was only then did you notice the sound from earlier, growing only more rapid as the seconds ticked by and you felt your heart mimic the beat of each metallic “ding!” as the magic of the Sheikah slowly faded the longer you laid there. 

There was no time. 

The clock was ticking.

Fight or flight returning with a vengeance, you leapt to your feet. Still in panic, still covered in tears and snot, still shaking like a fearful child- you had no more time to question what or how, it was now or never- you turned.

Only for your impulsive thoughts to flare, a tactic flying at impossible speeds right into your overstimulated senses.

Without a second thought, with a raged cry you flew back around with your fist clenched and slammed it right into the demon’s nose.

Then, without a second to register the pain you bolted, not caring to look when the illusion of magic finally shattered as your timer ran out, an enraged cry catching the wind as Dink’s body flew back a few feet and skidded through the hallway.

Silence.

You had just turned into the next hallway when it happened- the scream. The scream of a lifetime, not human, not monster, just pure demonic as it exploded through the way. Like a shockwave, you felt the brush of a burning magic on your neck before you embraced the darkness of another corridor, his shriek changing in a constant cycle: low, high, near, far, human, animal, monster- decades worth of fury built into one horror movie wail.

You knew he would have been nominated for the oscar in another life.

“GEt bAcK hERe-” 

You phased him out in a desperate attempt to stay sane, something so wrong shouldn’t have ever reached your ears. You just kept running. You didn’t stop. Not when Dink’s voice finally faded and not when your lungs and legs began to burn. If any stray arachnids still lingered you wouldn’t have ever known, only focused on the way ahead and any stray obstacle that laid on your path and likely zipping past them, leaving the Skulltula to the dust. You were never one for running, you hated PE, but today you would be awarded gold and the Olympics would write you down as the fastest runner alive- Usain Bolt could never.

Your sanity dwindled on the fine line of insane and sane, dancing a sloppy strut as the world around you began to fade and all you could focus on was running.

Until you were finally running no more.

An arm had caught you, thrust forward into your person and catching your chest as your form curled into it from the force. Winded. Your breath was thrown out of you at the contact, a heave leaving your mouth and leaving you with no time to recover as you were dragged into something solid that breathed like a human and felt like a human.

It didn’t stop your blood curdling scream though, hands frantically beating at the clear appendage wrapped around your body as you tried desperately to escape. You would not die here, cold and alone, in the arms of a monster instead of being surrounded by the warmth of love. You would wail, you would fight until your last dying breath because in this moment that’s what was happening- this was your dying breath and you would not go down without knowing you tried to beat the odds.

“No! No! No! No-” Your head was tucked into something warm, spit flying from your frightened yells as the fight was bled out of you. “No! No! No! No-”

It was all you could say, it was all you could think.

No.

No.

No.

It was all you could gasp.

Even as your body finally registered safety, even as you finally collapsed against the form that most clearly belonged to the Wild, the sight of his ocean blue tunic washing over a blanket of comfort that only zapped away your remaining adrenaline. The mutters of “No.” repeated. Robotic. Desperate. Pleading.

“I have you.” He whispered into your hair, his arms protective. “Focus on me, (Name), you are safe.”

“No. No. No. No….

no….”

~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sorry no tags rn I can barely think straight (I will edit in tags when I can!)

#linked universe imagine #linked universe #linked universe x reader #lu #a player's aid #player au

[ra-archives]

Icarus

- - - After two live writing sessions, I have a slightly mess fic for you all, so enjoy :D - - - 2/2 Chapters Complete Part 2 of 'Breaking Point' - - - TW: Temporary Character Death, Blood, Falling - - -

Wild has fallen. A lot. More than one would expect.

Wild falls when he takes the wrong step on sky islands, or when a lizalfos sends an arrow through his side as he glides past a cliff. He falls when he takes leaps off mountains or tumbles down to the depths. He fell when guardians ripped open his sides until he had nothing left to fight with.

He fell when Ganon crumbled that platform, sending him tumbling down to darkness with Zelda. He fell when every sliver of a memory comes back to him. He falls as he watches the world crumble underneath him, coming undone by rips and tears he cant do anything to stop.

Wild falls often. But he is also caught.

He's caught by brotherly hands on the back of his cape as he slips over an edge. He's caught by his own hands, fumbling for his paraglider in just the right amount of time. He's caught by ghosts, lending him phantom limbs to brace himself with. With every fall comes a rush of adrenaline, before stumbling into someone's arms, or his own. He's been close to the ground, too close for comfort, but he always makes it. Even if just barely.

Wild falls, often. Today, he's spit out of a portal, just a foot over the ground, and falls face first into the dirt.

Wild coughs as he jerks his head out of the dirt, spitting clumps of soil onto the ground in disgust. Someone taps him on the back as he curls in on himself, trying to get around the gross grittiness in his teeth. Distantly, he can hear Legend swearing up a storm about a thorn bush, and Four hacking his lungs up as well.

If Hylia has least favorites, Four, Legend, and Wild are competing for first.

Someone hands him a canteen, and he takes a swig to dislodge some dirt before spitting it out again. That someone, Wars apparently, gives him a hand to get up. Wild accepts, and stumbles to his feet, the captain steadying him when the lightheadedness hits. Legends been fetched out of the briar patch, and Four is hauled over Twilights back. Everyone's accounted for, at least they have that small mercy.

Wind interrupts the quiet murmurs to ask, "So, Skyloft?" while gesturing at the drop meters to Wilds left. A few members take some steps away from the edge, but Wild remains unfazed. A short glance around is enough for the champion to figure out that it isn't, "No, my Hyrule. Not sure where though."

The air is growing misty, and Wild shivers as his hair dampens, courtesy of a stray cloud drifting through the islands trees and to them. A variety of members mutter their annoyances, but Twilights voice rings out over them, "How are we gonna be gettin' down exactly?"

The silence speaks volumes.

- - - Read More Here! - - -

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu wild #lu fic #lu fanfiction #writing #ao3 #my writing