#like vidow are just like that. they are how they are in the text

[lucky-clover-gazette]

is it just me or do the labels “platonic” and “romantic” kinda fail to have meaning when applied aggressively to a fictional dynamic by people with vastly different definitions of those terms

[blurbry]

Rambles

Rambling Day 1:    AO3 WARNING!!!! LONG POST AHEAD!            FIRST BULLET POINT!: I have a Pseud now. For when I have the feeling or need to write *EHEM* fics. However I Most likely won’t go into too much detail as said things actually make me flushed sometimes.(While I’m Not repulsed or uncomfortable talking about it or writing about it, I just thought I’d touch on the fact that I’m still experimenting with sexuality and am not too sure if I’m actually asexual or not.) A small warning, It may contain oc x character shippings, not just head-cannoned shippings.  I will most likely not post them Publicly as most of them would be physically for me to reread and improve my writing skills, rather than to cause discourse with one who may be Uncomfortably settled with such a subject.  Even if I do Post them Publicly on tumblr, They’ll be tagged Respectively and placed on a Main blog and art blog separate blog. still so the tag can be blocked and ignored. Tumblr added nsfw Content filters for the reasons sole for you to be able to browse your content without being hit in the face with a discomforting subject.   SECOND BULLET POINT!: I’m rewriting all my old fics.  Those of you who followed my AO3, whether you ended up there through lost in dysphoria, or perhaps you were there from my very first fic Broken Glass Shattered Spirits, You’ll notice they’ve all been deleted (except for the ones I’m particularly proud of.) This is because I’m freshly applying a new coat of paint!!  Rather than a baby tiny 1000 word fic, There will be more words, more filler text to make it more interesting. More Development in situations rather than a Rushed feeling of Needing to get this out. While doin so will take me a few months, due to having the most ADHD brain in my family, I assure you when a project has been begun it hasn’t been forgotten, it’s just been pressed aside for a later date. All I ask is Im not rushed or demanded to write faster, because that’s what leads to my sloppy 1000 word writing. Schedule for writings:    Begin Lost Family Au Writing and Master Explanation. Lost Family: An Au I Made which is a Link Separate Au. All the links have tragic Life stories about Siblings or parents or how their lifestyles effect them, Leading up to the events of the Four swords being pulled, and the four meeting each other. IN this AU, the swords are four elemental blades locked deep within Temple systems, that each of the four are called to pull when the time is right.  Begin Raptured Hyrule: Raptured Hyrule is another AU I began working on in 2021 with my friends, and finally decided to publicize in 2022. This AU is if darkness was never fended, and in a way, if Zelda was corrupted by dark cloud rather than killed. It’s very angsty........     Rewrite dancing in the starlight(bluexErune) so its less short and develops more to the relationships. Dancing Scene will still apply.     Rewrite Bluebird(Blue x Vio) Blue at war, Vio is a damsel in distress waiting for him to come home, only having letters and little embroideries and crochet projects to litter the house with.     Rewrite Broken Glass Shattered spirit.(Vidow) Vio is ignoring Shadow for deep studies, Shadow goes off to find something interesting to do and has a run in with a few threatening old friends. Rewrite Angels Flying High, Originally this fic was a RedxShadow Pure angst where Red Died, and Shadow destroyed the mirror a second time just so he could get that final ounce of happiness with him. However, I’m going to change its full aspect and Make it Angel!Red Au. It will still be Shadow x Red. Rewrite Sunsets and Lavender tea (Blue x Shadow) Poor Blue is suffering nightmarish trauma from being frozen alive and Shadow is there to help *cool~* his spirits (I’ll go back in the bad berry corner again) Rewrite Darkness Within: Green/Red Corruptive AU. At a last ditch effort to save the dying light that Red brought to the world, Green performs a dangerous and irrational ritual which results in Red becoming a creature of darkness. At first Red is weary, and its oh so torturous trying to tango with such a creature when He can only come out during the hours that one needs to sleep, but its so worth it when people suddenly become less afraid of Shadow because of Red’s doings. (Look lorulians can be nice people too, don’t fight me ) Rewrite: Everything is okay (Vidow Angst) Vio sustains injuries on the battle field by a mob of Moblins, Blue took his eyes of his back for only a second, only to turn and watch him be run through with a lizzal spear. Blue has a panic attack, He promised Shadow he’d make sure vio came home unharmed.. Vio almost dies, but miraculously was saved by a fairy and a very, Very upset travelling shadow.  These will not be redone in the exact ordering of this post.    

[shipmontharchives]

Welcome to The Ship Month Blog!

Ship month FS was created by @blurbry It's something She wanted to do for a very long time but never had the courage to. The original event started as a One week A Month basis, Beginning its very first week with Vidow! ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Below the Cut Is Some History, Information, Rules, and a Link to the discord server! (Warning: Super long block of text) Hall of Fame: October 8th, 2023:

November 12, 2023:

December 2nd, 2023:

January 1st, 2024:

February 1st, 2024:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Light information on the Ship month:

★ Ship month is an event dedicated to the Hidden gems among the four sword fandom, These being the Artists, fic writers, and Less known ships, Link shipping or otherwise! ☆ Towards the middle of the month a Poll is released on the blog, letting the community, Spectators, and participants vote on the ship that everyone will create for. Ship months begin on the 1st and end on the last day of the month! ★ Content created for the voted ships can be QPR or Romantic! The content will be reblogged here or reposted(with permission from the owner) With the ship tag or QPR ship tag! Depending on the type of content that was made. ☆ There is no need to participate! This event is choice based, If you wish not to participate, or dislike the voted ship, you do not need to join in on creation! ★ Ship month is not all Linkshipping! I do try to throw in other ships like Zelrune or Blurune in there, however, due to votes being community based, I do not control what ship ends up going in! ☆ Any Votes that End up Tying with two ships (Example: Vote winner Bludow AND Blurune) Will automatically cause a vote rerun. Only one ship can be done per month! ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

𓆩♡𓆪 Please do not Shame participants or people here for enjoying this event or ships! Everyone has their own opinions and All of those opinions are Valid! 𓆩⟡𓆪 No NSFW Content. This stands for All NSFW content Censored or otherwise! 𓆩♡𓆪 No Head-canon bashing! The people who participate in Ship Month Are Allowed to use AUs and their own Head-canons for the ships and characters In this! 𓆩⟡𓆪 Any Harassment against participants or people here uncovered by the moderators of this blog will result in a Block and a Ban from all future participation or spectating.

𓆩♡𓆪 No complaining about the voted ships! The Votes are all community made, and therefore are unchangeable! 𓆩⟡𓆪 Please do not force people to participate! This event is for fun and is completely no pressure! ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Q&A: ✦How do I participate? In order to participate you must make an entry pertaining to the voted ship of the month! This entry can be a fanfiction or a Drawing, whether a Multichapter, sketch or full render. These entries can be Platonic or Romantic, so long as the image contains the two featured characters! ✧Can I make Multiple Entries? YES! Multiple entries are allowed, After all this event is for fun and Creativity doesn't have a limit! ✦What Happens if I'm late to posting an Entry? Please specify that it's a late entry! Regardless of if the next month begins or not we will still reblog it! No entry goes unnoticed (unless you forget to ping the blog)

✧What do I do, after I've made a submission? Post it up on your tumblr and Ping @shipmontharchives and tag the post with #ShipMonthFS24(this tag changes year to year), Or, Send it through our Submissions or Ask box! If you are too shy to post it to tumblr and ping us you can Dm Us and we'll post it up for you with credit! ✦Can I suggest a month ship? Yes! We allow a suggestion. During this period we skip the month Vote and use your suggested ship for the month! ✧Can I Create the graphics for the next month? Of Course!! If you would like to create a graphic for the next voted ship just Dm (or send an ask) You can use Panels from the FS Manga, Spliced or A Panel with both characters in the image. Please color them digitally. The canvas size must be 5796pxWidth x 1478pxHeight and Submitted in PNG or JPG form! Or you can Draw it yourself, Digitally or Traditionally! Whether the Graphic gets reblogged or reposted Credit will always be due where credit belongs! ✦What do I do if the vote has not been posted and it's already the next month? Keep Posting for the previous month! Mod may have become busy and was not able to keep up with SM! During these mini times You're allowed to extend the last months creations into the next month, Don't fret, the Poll will be posted eventually!! ✧Am I allowed to use AU's and Personal Head-canons? Of Course! There's no judgement here <3!! ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Psst! Hey You made it to the end of the post! Congrats! Sorry it was such a long block of text, it was all necessary things to be talked about after all! But if you made it this far I clearly caught your interest!! If You have anymore questions don't hesitate to DM me or Shoot an Ask to the blog!

If You'd Like to, Why not drop by the discord server?

As Always! Remember to Hydrate, Rest, Take lots of breaks, Eat, and Stay Silly! You're a Superstar!~ Happy Creating!!!!!

[lucky-clover-gazette]

The Big Picture

The Four Swords manga, adapted/retold using both canon and additional scenes, with a focus on Vio and Shadow's individual characters and ambiguous relationship.

Note: I have changed the tags on this fic to reflect the fact that it will be romantic. A slow burn, sure, with very Vidow-esque ambiguous closeness, but explicitly described as queer romantic attraction. At the end of the day I just really want to make the manga's subtext into text-text. Hope you'll stick around for more, but no hard feelings if you're no longer interested.

Chapter Two: Who Are You? (Part Two)

Zelda’s one-of-a-kind golden medallion clatters on the ground before them, causing everyone but Vio to gasp. Vio, meanwhile, keeps his eyes trained on the villain, unwilling to be distracted by his performance. He must have a weakness, a vulnerability he’s trying to hide, some reason for this amount of ridiculous posturing… 

“If she behaves,” Shadow Link says, finally meeting Vio’s eyes straight-on, “I won’t mistreat her.” 

A chill runs down Vio’s spine. Shadow Link’s smirk deepens, almost as if he can tell. 

Read the rest on ao3 or under the cut:

Chapter Text

“Princess Zelda! Princess, are you all right?” 

Shadow lets his body go slack, leaning against the throne room’s center platform.  He keeps his head down as the Captain bursts inside, his attention likely drawn to the clawed curtains and knocked-over throne. 

“Link!” the Captain shouts, immediately rushing over to Shadow’s side. “Son!” 

Shadow keeps his eyes shut and expression neutral as the older man lifts him slightly. So much for caring about the curtains. 

“What’s happened to you?” the Captain demands. “Did you try to fight alone again?” 

An interesting question, Shadow thinks. And ironic, considering the real hero’s current state. If only you knew, old man… 

“You fool!” the Captain shouts, pulling Shadow into a tighter embrace. Despite the harsh words, his voice holds no malice or blame. “Please, gods of Hyrule! Save my son!” 

Shadow is growing tired of this charade. Surely the Captain is overcompensating out of guilt, blaming himself for his son’s weakness.

“Take my life but spare his!” 

It’s a pathetic performance. Nobody actually cares this much for their creations. The Captain should be ashamed of Link for failing, not begging some higher power for his sorry life! He should berate the hero, express his disappointment for how badly his failure reflects on his creator. 

Instead he simply pulls Shadow closer, tearfully pressing his head in the crook of the young man’s neck. To the Captain, it doesn’t seem to matter whether the hero is a failure or a fool. Shadow hopes they both die painfully and alone. 

All in good time, he reassures himself. 

“My, my,” he says, his slack expression turning to a smirk. “What a good father you are.” 

And just like that he’s himself again, staring up at an old fool too stunned to even realize his mistake. “It’s so touching I could cry,” Shadow continues, and then plunges his claws into the man’s armored chest. His magic heats the metal to an unbearable degree, summoning black smoke that takes the Captain whole. His scream still echoes through the throne room as his empty armor clatters to the ground. 

Shadow stands, brushes himself up, and chuckles above the Captain’s smoldering remains. Just as with Zelda, he isn’t dead—but he has met with a terrible fate nonetheless. 

Shadow allows the lingering smoke to carry him across dimensions, standing proudly in the castle’s twisted reflection. The Captain lies at his feet, dazed and unprotected. 

“Let me welcome you to the Dark World,” Shadow says, releasing a low chuckle. He stares down at the old man, radiating smug pleasure and disdain. “You fool.”

/////////////

Hyrule Castle is in ruins. A place Link once found beautiful now crumbles beneath Vio’s feet, littered with abandoned weapons and supernatural smoke licking the ground. 

“All this, in one day?” Green asks, pausing to assess the damage. 

“No!” Blue shouts, slamming his hand on a stone column. Vio turns swiftly and shushes him.

“It’s awfully quiet,” he says between gritted teeth. “Arcy said there were monsters here.” 

The four proceed, keeping a circular defensive formation that totally isn’t awkward at all. Vio’s ear twitches at a nearby clang of metal, the unmistakable sound of a castle knight’s approach. For a second he considers lowering his weapon, and can already sense Red already doing so… but Vio isn’t that trustworthy. Nothing today has gone as expected, why should he expect anything different now? 

Sure enough, a knight emerges from the shadows to meet the four. He is easily identifiable by the scarf on his shoulders and feather on his helmet. 

“That’s Artura’s armor,” Green informs the others. “Father’s top knight!” 

Yeah, genius, Vio wants to tell him. We know everything you know. 

“Is he alive in there?” Green asks, “Or…?” 

Artura slams down his claymore with such force that it breaks the stone beneath them. Vio side-hops just in time, narrowly avoiding damage. 

“Is it a monster in disguise?” Green asks as the four resume their formation, standing tightly back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Two dozen knights enter the courtyard, surrounding them from all sides. 

“They are knights of Hyrule!” their very perceptive leader exclaims in disbelief. 

But not quite, Vio thinks, noticing the strange way the ‘knight’s’ eyes glow behind their helmets. 

“No!” Red cries out, voice unsteady. 

“Stop!” Vio commands the knights. “Wake up!” He can tell Green is looking at him questioningly, but unlike their leader, Vio feels no need to explain his every thought—especially when he could still be wrong.

The knights attack them from all sides, intimidating despite their predictability. Vio’s Four Sword—a one-handed broadsword—holds up surprisingly well against a knight’s claymore, undoubtedly benefitting from some kind of magical stat boost. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices their leader holding back. “What are you doing, Green? Fight or they’ll cut you down!” 

A bead of sweat rolls down Green’s face. “But what if they’re just being controlled? We know these guys! We trained together, ate together!” 

Blue vaults over Green, releasing a mighty downward slash upon his opponent. “Well, they’re enemies now!” he growls, grabbing their leader by the tunic. “Do you want to die?” 

Before Vio can agree with Blue, he hears Red’s loud whimper at his side. The knights have four swords of their own pointed at the guy, and Vio fears what would happen if he tried to get closer. 

They’re cornered, Vio realizes, as his back hits the courtyard wall. They’ve been herded in this direction by the attacking forces. But why…? 

Tak-tak-tak. 

Vio furrows his brow. What the hell kind of shoes even make a noise like that? 

Emerging from the shadows is Shadow Link himself, crossing his arms behind his back and keeping his head low. “Well, well…” 

Vio’s eyes narrow as Shadow Link steps in full view. His red eyes meet Green’s as he lifts his hand, summoning a charge of magic smoke at his fingertip. “Your concern is quite pathetic,” he condescends. “They’re just my toys.” 

All of the armor clatters to the ground at once, greyish smoke pouring from neck and arm holes. Vio looks from the smoldering shells to Shadow Link, unsurprised by the reveal but stern nonetheless. “You!” 

Shadow Link only spares him a second’s glance before returning his attention to Green. This split-second’s dismissal may piss Vio off more than the entire swarm of knights attacking him moments before. 

“You’re late,” Shadow Link says dryly, standing only a few feet away from the four. “I got tired of waiting.” 

“What have you done with Princess Zelda?” Green demands, so easily taking the bait and playing the bleeding-heart hero. “Release the maidens!” 

“The princess?” Shadow Link asks, keeping one hand on his hip as the other tosses a small metal object towards them. “Carrying her off was hard. She’s quite stubborn. Here.” 

Zelda’s one-of-a-kind golden medallion clatters on the ground before them, causing everyone but Vio to gasp. Vio, meanwhile, keeps his eyes trained on the villain, unwilling to be distracted by his performance. He must have a weakness, a vulnerability he’s trying to hide, some reason for this amount of ridiculous posturing… 

“If she behaves,” Shadow Link says, finally meeting Vio’s eyes straight-on, “I won’t mistreat her.” 

A chill runs down Vio’s spine. Shadow Link’s smirk deepens, almost as if he can tell. 

“But soon enough the darkness will win,” the villain continues, wistfully staring off into the distance, “and she’ll be one of us.” 

Again, he looks to Green. He seems to understand which of them those words are most likely to hurt. 

“Who are you?” Green asks, stepping slightly in front of the group. “One of Vaati’s minions?” 

It’s very fast, but Vio sees it: a moment of genuine irritation on Shadow Link’s face. He recovers almost immediately, regaining his smug villainous persona, but not before revealing a hint of weakness to the only person actually paying attention. 

“I told you,” Shadow Link chuckles, crossing his arms over his appropriately dark tunic. “I’m the hero, Link. I’m your shadow, your living reflection in the Dark World.” 

This is first thing he’s said to really stop Vio in his tracks. A million questions race through his head, drowning each other out so that none are coherent at all. 

Green, however, prefers to keep his questions simple. “What? My shadow?!”

Shadow Link preens at the invitation to explain. “The wind mage Vaati is awake, and blowing dark energy into this world. When he is completely reborn, the Dark World will replace yours.”

Vio’s frown deepens. He wish he knew more about the Dark World and its relationship to the light. They’re opposing elements, obviously, much like Shadow Link and the four heroes… although that’s not quite right, because Shadow Link is a subversion of the full hero, while Vio is an entirely new being informed by one-fourth of Link Prime’s original attributes. 

So what does that make him to Shadow Link? Not a perfect opposite, nor a copy. If Shadow Link belongs to the Dark World, and Link Prime is the light… what does that suggest about Vio’s place in all this? 

“Then noble Princess Zelda of the Hyrulean royal family will be offered as a sacrifice,” Shadow Link continues, swiftly disrupting Vio’s existential spiral. Well, Vio thinks with equal parts dread and relief, at least my place isn’t that. 

“Never!” exclaims Green, pointing his weapon at Shadow Link. “I’ll beat the darkness with the power of the Four Sword!”

The shadow’s face goes blank at the threat of the blade, only for him to burst out laughing seconds later. “The Four Sword?” More laughter follows, and Vio rolls his eyes. 

“Unfortunately for you,” Shadow Link says, regaining his composure, “darkness already taints that sword!” He points at the weapon in Green’s hand, completely unfazed by its proximity to his unarmored form. “It can’t beat me. Swing it and I’ve already won!” 

For a second, Vio thinks he may be bluffing—but he truly can’t believe it possible for someone to have this much unfounded confidence. 

Blue clearly disagrees, though, because he launches towards the villain with his own Four Sword aimed for the heart. “That’s ridiculous!” 

Shadow Link brings his own sword in a downward slash, repelling Blue with such power that he’s thrust into the stone wall. Vio steps back slightly, unsettled by the deranged smile on the shade’s face.

“Now do you get it?” Shadow Link asks, motioning with his sword to Blue’s collapsed body. He groans as Red helps him to his feet. Green approaches Shadow Link while Vio hangs back behind them all. 

“Wait!” Green says, “What happened to the people in the castle, and my father?”

Vio pictures the Captain in his memories. His father… but not mine? 

“Oh…” Shadow Link says, like the cat who’s had the canary in a cage for the past twenty minutes but is still just super stoked about it. “Your father?” 

Not his, either, Vio observes. 

“I sent them all to the Dark World as one big happy family,” Shadow Link reveals, his voice especially disdainful during the final three words. “He was such a weak man. In the end, he bowed down and begged for his life. Over and over, he begged to be spared!” 

Vio searches his memories for the man he knew to be his father. That can’t possibly be true. The Captain was far too noble, far too selfless, far too loyal to surrender and grovel to save his own skin. 

If Link’s father had begged for a life, it would have been for his son’s. Period. 

Shadow Link is a dirty fucking liar. 

“You dirty liar!” Green shouts, charging at the villain with zero restraint. This time, Vio can’t even blame him. He notices his own fists clenched at his sides and releases them at once. If he wants to save himself, his friends, and his father, he needs to keep his cool. 

“Whoops!” Shadow Link mocks, unnaturally extending his body so Green’s sword passes through a now-transparent middle. It should be impossible, and Vio has so many questions, but now is not the time to consider them. 

Shadow Link returns to form and floats above the four, crossing his arms and legs as if lounging on an invisible chaise. “I told you it wouldn’t work against me.”

 “Blast it!” Green shouts, and Vio wonders if the part of Link Prime that knew how to say ‘fuck’ went solely to him. 

Shadow Link pans his gaze over them, then shakes his head in mock-pity. “Four fools, trying to save a doomed world.”

“You coward!” Blue shoots back, “Hiding in the shadows! Why don’t you make like one and fade away?” 

Shadow Link’s eyes widen. His smile disappears as he smites Blue with a new kind of magic, straight from the blade of his sword, stunning him and sending him backwards again. The shade still floats, but no longer lounges—fangs gritted, he issues his warning: 

“Don’t ever… mock the shadows.” 

His eyes burn as he’s surrounded by unstable energy and dark smoke. “You think they’re weak and insubstantial!” 

Despite his fear, Vio cocks his head. What? Who even said that?

“Do I look weak to you?!” 

You do now, Vio thinks, trying to hide his relief at some sign of vulnerability. Maybe they have a chance, after all…

“Can’t you feel my strength?! Let me show you the power of darkness!” 

Vio may know Shadow Link’s weakness—but knowledge, it turns out, is nothing compared to power. The villain’s blade releases another mighty arc of magic, stunning the four heroes and launching them across the courtyard. Vio remembers taking damage as Link Prime, but this is the first true pain he’s felt as himself. And it sucks. 

Green stands on shaking legs, and in this state of pain Vio can’t help but admire him. Their leader may be dense, but he’s obviously the most heroic among them.

“Four Sword,” Green groans, “lend me your strength! Just as in legend, give us—” 

“Don’t you get it?” Shadow Link laughs, his blade dragging against the floor as he walks over to Green. “It’s just a sword!” He stands above the hero as if he’s already won—which, Vio has to admit, he may be correct in assuming. “And you’re nothing. I’m the hero now!” 

The villain raises his sword to land a finishing blow and Vio braces himself for impact. If Green dies here, his own death will be soon to follow. In a way, this comes almost as a relief—does he really want to exist in such a complicated, strange new form? 

“What’s that?” Red asks, and Vio opens one eye. A tiny ball of light meets Shadow Link’s sword, stopping him from bringing it down on Green. No, not a ball of light—a fairy! 

Shadow Link reacts to the creature like it’s radioactive, shielding his face and drawing back immediately. “Stop it!” he cries out, and Vio almost pities him—but not really, because that magic blast hurt. 

The fairy encircles the four in light, rescuing them with the ring of a bell. 

/////////////

Shadow Link is not having fun right now. 

He massages his shaking wrist and pants on the courtyard’s cobblestone floor, mind still reeling from the fairy’s sudden attack. The pure light emanating from her body had been enough to completely disarm him, to allow the heroes to escape—all because of Shadow’s pathetic weakness. 

“The Maidens…” he mutters, staring up at the stormy sky. “Even sealed, they must have some power.” 

Thunder rumbles through the clouds, reminding him that the darkness is far from defeated. He’s still conquered the castle. He still freed Vaati. He hasn’t yet failed. 

“How lucky for those fools!” Shadow chuckles raggedly, already mentally drafting the ‘good news/bad news’ e-mail to Vaati and Ganon. They’ll be mad, but there’s no way they can fully blame Shadow for his light sensitivity. Ganon is the one who created him from darkness, after all. 

Light, Shadow thinks, staring down at his still-shaking hands. I hate the cursed light!