#vidow talk?

[blurbry]

Rambles That Noone asks for Day 2:

Todays topic: Vidow Development? (I guess)

I noticed something common, not just in the FS fandom either, often times in other Zelda fandoms or Just in general, that a lot of people ignore the character development and instantly jump to The conclusion of toxicity in the relationship because they saw one glimps of a commonly used scene and refused to see it any furthur.

The one development i notice, most commonly skipped over, is Vio and Shadows redemption arch.

Shadow may have outwardly attacked out of anger that vio would betray Lord vaati and his trust, but on the inside i feel it was also personal, past the trust. Vio took a hammer to the dark mirror, had he smashed the glass shadow would have died and or been weakened severely (depending on how badly vio damaged it). In retaliation Shadow attempts to execute vio. Betrayal of trust. Protection of self. I feel his brain process was "eliminate the threat" its like an animal, if you threaten an animal who is known for its sharp claws and holding grudges, its going to attempt to alleviate its pain and eliminate its threat.

The end of the manga, Shadow took Vios disguise. He could have turned to any link, as evident by the manga beginning when he pretended to be whole link to fool Links dad.

But he chose vio.

He helped the heros rather than going on a foot stomping tantrum and raving through the tower to sabatouge them. Zelda had helped a little with this by showing him light wasnt that bad and he too was a hero.

He smashed the mirror on his own accord, used it to see VIO one last time, before ultimately putting himself through his demise. (Which in reality i think it only killed his physical body, evident from when the sword is returned and shadow gives a thumbs up) (i say its vio because the side by side comparison matches)

Green even, said youre one of us, a friend. Then the light shimmered on him and he poofed (rip shadow.)

Vio then states: he wasn't evil, he just wanted attention of which he doesn't receive as a shadow. "He wanted to be with us...to be with his family"

Shadows are put behind people, always to weakly follow like pawns to a game, no one (except maybe kids) turn to acknowledge what is there, they just keep their eyes forward to the warm sun. I feel the statement "wanting to be with his family" can be taken two ways! Shadow wanted to be accepted and attentioned by the links, the very thing he branched from when born from darkness, Or, The links are his brothers and we're just blind as bats (I doubt this though, it would have been explained if it were so.) All In all, Vidow is only Toxic if you make it toxic. It's funny that If the iconic trust betrayal scene never happened Vidow would probably be a very rare ship and or a dead ship because it wouldn't have that uniqueness that we all fell in love with 18(?) years ago.

Anyways, Its 3am I have no idea what I'm rambling about. Day 3 will be about Fic rewrite progress.

[james-p-sullivan]

i needed to cheer myself up so i combined my two favourite things: dumb boys and gravity falls

[undertheopensky]

If your still doing the ask game thing (never really understood these so sorry lol) how about something about wither wolfi au or pomegranate tree those two sound intriguing! (If you not still doing sorry lol I was only just able to get the courage to send an ask lol)

I will ALWAYS be delighted to talk about my fics!!!

The basic premise of the Wolfie AU is just that the Chain meets Wolfie instead of Twilight... because though he CAN turn back if he goes to the Master Sword, it hurts so much it's not worth it, because the curse is embedded in him so deeply he'll always revert eventually.

An excerpt:

“Before the spread of dark magic made them aggressive, wolves were just animals like songbirds and horses. They hunted, yes, but only for food,” Four explains. “Do they hunt people?” Hyrule asks. “No. Records show them to be shy and wary of Hylians. They would only attack if cornered, and then only to escape.” “Wow.” Wind sounds awed. “How do you know so much useless stuff?” Four bristles. “Considering I just told you what it is, and that it’s not going to hurt us, I’d hardly call it useless!” “Boys.” It’s only ten a.m. and Time already sounds exhausted.

The Pomegranate Tree is a fluffy Vidow oneshot!! Since it looks like it's gonna be less than 2k I should really finish it, it won't be that hard...

[lavleyart]

Random memory lane but on the day I discovered Vaati and developed my unholy obsession I wrote a poem about him (in purple ink btw!). The first letter of every line combined reads his name.

You up for some cringe poem of a 14 year old kid in 2013 who couldn't even properly use the English langauge (because not my native language)?

Here you go:

Vengeance seeker, hated from his tribe A terrible thirst for power, hunting the golden force Always alone in his darkest hours The one who was lost in his evil spirit Impossible to redeem

I even kept writing about him, this time freestyle.

The sign of revenge on your cheeks, the fire of hate in your eyes. The great magic on your head and your dark cloak on your shoulders. You think you are fighting the world but in fact you only fight against yourself. And like this you will never win.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

happy pride month to a fic that means a lot to me

As Vio confesses his sins, Shadow says nothing of forgiveness. His quiet nods and gentle touches simply serve as a reminder that Vio is not alone. And as the fallen hero arrives at his choice between struggle and peace, he makes up his mind without a second thought. Resting peacefully in Shadow’s arms, Vio has found a flaw in the Goddess’s flawless truth. It matters.

[ginjusttalkaboutnothing]

I'm just trying to write again.

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It was the second hour of the night. Hyrule had long since fallen into darkness, broken only by the twinkling of a thousand stars in the sky and the occasional fireflies and fairies.

On Death Mountain, however, night never fully fell. Lava, like the sun that had descended to the earth illuminated the surroundings. It wasn't too bright to be unable to sleep, but there was enough light for reading.

Vio took advantage of it, forgetting about sleep for the third night in a row as he plunged into his notes again and again. Something seemed to be bothering him. It was as if he couldn't find a solution to some very serious problem, or it was the fatigue and the strange red light on his face....

- Vio," Shadow approached quietly as usual, barely noticeable from the back, placing a hand on his shoulder. He did it unknowingly, sometimes accidentally startling Vio, which was what happened now.

With a sudden jerk, Vio's hand caught the inkwell, which swayed and fell, spilling its contents onto the notes. Vio doomedly dropped his head onto his hands, clutching at his hair

- Vio," Shadow called out to him again, "I know you want to think of absolutely everything, but you need to rest.

- I'm fine. I'm really fine, Sh--

- No. You can lie to your brothers all you want, but you can't lie to me. You need to rest. Nothing will happen if you get some sleep.

- But-" Vio started to say, but was interrupted by a finger to his lips.

- Sleep. Right now.

[fourswordsannotated]

[hauntinghyrule]

This is something that's been on my mind for a while, but the recent discussions have brought it to the forefront:

There's definitely a blurry gray area between friendship and romance and QPRs, and this stuff can be subjective and up to interpretation. I'm sure some of my Vio/Shadow fics could be read as platonic or as a QPR. I don't think I can conclusively give an answer on whether a given fic falls into that category or not (since, see above: subjective) but if anyone ever has more concrete questions about the content of a particular fic — like "is there kissing?" or "is the relationship referred to as romantic in-text?" — that is always something I am up for answering!

(This applies to other things people might want pre-warning for, too, not just relationship stuff. I try to tag for triggers and such when relevant but I can't anticipate everything, and I've got no problem answering questions!)

And for the record:

Fics where there is kissing:

Lantern (only on the cheek, though)

Ribbon Day

Potential First Kisses (it's... it's in the title...)

There is no kissing but the feelings are referred to as romantic in-text:

Archery Practice

Like Flying (kind of an edge case - Shadow doesn't use the word romance, but his one-sided conversation with Skirrsa heavily implies that that's how she interprets it, and the summary / author's note agree with her)

Spilled Wine and Sunsets

There is no kissing and the relationship is not specifically defined as romantic in-text (there is still a high likelihood of Big Emotions and sappy descriptions because I remain myself):

Cinnamon Sugar (this one is kinda borderline? the word "romance" is not used but man Vio sure is feeling a lot of warm fluttery things in the vicinity of his heart)

[a note written on a piece of scrap paper, tucked between the pages of a large book on the theory of dark magic] (extremely sappy though)

Vio Alone (it's a rewrite of a canon scene; interpret how you will)

The fic mostly focuses on something other than the Vio/Shadow relationship. The fact that Vio and Shadow are close is alluded to, but the nature of that relationship is not defined:

The Last Laugh

Kintsukuroi

Nerf War

[slaingelo]

broken mirror. hey to the 5 vidow fans on here, here's some angst my friend talked me into making

[ alt versions under the cut ]

[merriclo]

love writing vidow bc these bitches could be up to anything. dancing under the stars, shit talking Vaati while they do their nails, forcing people to answer various riddles, smoking a cigarette at a murder scene, getting banned from the local diner. you name it, they’re doing it right now as we speak

[bepisbee]

Heey here's a stardew valley au (vidow ofc)

would anyone be interested in a part 2? (or a spicy oneshot about it?)

~~~~

By the end of the week, poor Vio was exhausted. He wiped sweat off his brow as the dark oranges and reds lit his hard work in a gorgeous sunset. This was certainly a change, but not an unwelcome one. When he had learned his inheritance he was skeptical. Honestly he didn’t think it was genuine, more of a jab at his recluse behaviors.

But here he was. A few thousand gold and a farm richer. Hell, Mayor Falon seemed alright enough and not concerned with property tax or anything. It would be too soon if he ever saw another tax document again.

Vio hummed in thought, walking a bit sluggish towards town. The skies turned, opening into darker hues; the reds muddling into purples and midnight blues. He pulled out a small notebook, turning to a page of names. He’d been given them by the mayor as a little task. Get to know everyone in town, settle in, make a few friends. Friends go far in a small town like this. One name not crossed.

Shadow.

Determination fueled his gait towards the Din Tavern. According to Blue, the adventurer’s guild leader, he was returning today. And most likely would be found by nightfall in their tavern. A creature of habit he was, and a creature for sure. The darkness fell quickly around the town, a warm spring breeze making it just a bit chilled. The smell was enticing, between grass pollen, fresh flowers, and a yeasty bread smell that grew as he gained ground. Red was clearly baking tonight. He wondered if their partner was already there to help. The thought of Red’s rose tinted excitement talking about him made him slip a smile momentarily.

As he opened the heavy wooden door, he was blasted with a bubble of warm air and the smell of a perfect hearth. The stools, tables, and games were bustling with the majority of the townsfolk. A few looked up with a friendly wave or nod, which he returned.

Vio looked around. Tucking his blonde braid behind his back, he scanned the rooms.

There he is.

Time seemed to stop as blood rushed past in his ears. Just starting to turn his direction, a man sat leaning on the bar. And damn was he a man. Vio gulped. He was in a casual gray undershirt and leggings. Clearly part of an armor set, perhaps chainmail, that would have normally covered some assets. Despite the mild inappropriate display, no one paid him much mind. This must be usual for him. He clearly hadn’t had time yet to shave the dark purple stubble across his jawline. Thankfully the hair framing appeared freshly washed. Vio was suddenly a little self conscious of his own, covered in today’s dirt and work.

As he turned, gorgeous mismatched eyes in a red and blue greeted him. Freckles smattering everywhere on each inch of visible mocha skin. Vio couldn’t help it, as his brain supplied: delectable, dangerous, and desire.

Shadow’s incredible face wove into a smirk. He motioned an invite to sit with him. It took Vio a second to come back and immediately obeyed.

“Hey there,” Oh he was done for. That velvet voice was going to be the end of him. “Must be the inherited farmer,” he leaned in close. “I’m Shadow. I clear out the mines northa here and in Gerudo Desert,” like most of the town, he gives a name and small job introduction.

“I-m” he clears his throat of the small crack. “Violet. But please call me Vio.” He was so focused that he never noticed Red place a drink for him at the bar. Shadow was not afraid of eye contact. He felt like those eyes were swallowing him whole.

“Pleasure to meet you darling.” An award winning smile makes him melt. “Now, this might be a little out of nowhere but I have a favor to ask you.”

“Hm?”

“Usually I’d use Red’s spare room between runs…” he begins “But it’s a bit too much for me for so long, I don’t always get a good haul.” Shadow swirled his drink stein. “If it’s not too much trouble, I could help around the farm in exchange for staying there awhile?” awfully bold of him, Vio thought. Considering it took daylight to nightfall to work most days, he was tempted. As Shadow’s eyes traced over him, he decided.

“I don’t see why not.” Vio looks away and licks his bottom lip. “As long as you’re fine sharing a bed. The floor isn’t exactly comfortable.”

A devious glint sparked in his eyes. “Of course, with you? Who wouldn’t,~” Shadow finished his drink and left some gold for Red on the counter to cover both. “Shall we?” he stood and grinned. Vio nodded dumbly and followed.

Shadow grabbed a pack that had been on the floor and slung it over his shoulder. “Lead the way darling.” Vio got caught admiring the back end of his shapewear as he bent and flushed.

“Er-right! yes.” he held the door for him and they walked into the cooled night. It was refreshing. Crickets joined the background, making the pleasant walk less silent.

He couldn’t believe he was letting a total stranger stay with him, just because he was drop dead gorgeous.

Vio let him in, with a short tour. Small cabin, heat and water, mini kitchen, little couch, old crtv, and bedroom. Tiny bathroom with only a tub, no shower, connected. Shadow put his things in the corner.

“I’m.. um, going to wash up. Feel free to make yourself at home. There’s coffee and tea in the second cupboard if you’d like.” Vio internally berates his awkwardness and desire to invite the man to his bath. Shadow looks at him as if he knows.

“Don’t have too much fun without me,” he teases as the other closes the door. Vio’s heart pounded.

What has he gotten himself into??

[blackstarchanx3new]

I just binge read all of FSR in one sitting and GODDDDD THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT 11 YEAR OLD ME CRAVED WHEN HE FIRST READ FOUR SWORDS... Thank you for all your hard work!!

Sorry I ended up rambling.

It's so funny to me people who liked FS for years enjoy it considering I got into it back in March/April. XD (Read Akira's other works as a kid but as far as I know the first time I ever picked up FS was cause I got it as an early B-day gift.)

I really wanted to make smth that felt like a sequel.

The tone is much darker but I think that fits considering Link's older and the reason behind the split is, depressing lmfao. Diving into the mentality and how it affects on the wielder of the four sword has been fun.

My biggest question was "How did Link cope with his adventure" how would ANYONE go back to normal after being torn into 4 parts?

How did the four sword mechanics REALLY WORK?

I love media analysis and I've got SO MUCH TO SAY about the OG Four Sword manga I really wanna make a video essay on it one day just because I have a LOT of takes. A lot of outside of the box ones I guess considering nobody's really tackling the stuff I wanna see. (To not get too deep into it: fan FS content doesn't appeal to me 99% of the time, OOC shit/ONLY focusing on vidow and not doing them justice when focused on, tend to be the main issues to me in a lot of fan work. That genuinely was a huge part in what spurred me to make FSR I think hah. There's a HUGE untapped gap in FS manga fan content around an idea for a sequel/the four heroes TOGETHER despite...ya know. the messaging of the manga, in general while NOT having an "Anti vidow" bitterness behind it, at least imo.)

So I did it myself haha.

Really in a way SU future is the only thing I can think of as a comparison in terms of the idea of it? XD (Yes the Link fusion monstrosity was based on the force gem fusions/mini clusters/Learning with Pibby just as a fun fact.)

I'm glad I'm expanding on stuff people want to see from the OG story tho. It's really a project that's seen in the way I want it to. (Which, hasn't been the case for some of my past comics oomf. TTuTT')

Smth I've been enjoying thinking and planning for is just making characters who never got to speak to each other 1 on 1 talk more. XD We were robbed of more volumes of FS and I'll stand by that.

Dark Link was a huge curve ball as he was BARELY In the OG draft, and he actually replaced Vaati in the scene he first appeared in. XD Which is why his dialogue is kinda OFF compared to his other appearances. I'm kinda flabbergasted I basically snuck an OC into the mix and people like him lmao. It's hilarious.

Anyways I got derailed and blabed that's a lot of words to say:

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's been fun so far. XD I'm excited to get even deeper into the story.

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

Would you be willing to do the most recent headcanon list you reblogged for each of the colors?

I already did Red but I'll do the other four here

Sexuality Headcanon:

Green - Bisexual & Polyamorous (this will be a trend)

Blue - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Vio - Bisexual & Demi-romantic/Polyamorous

Shadow - Pansexual & Polyamorous

Gender Headcanon:

Green - Cis male

Blue - Cis male

Vio - Genderfluid, sometimes trans (again, modern AUs)

Shadow - Genderfluid/nonbinary what is a gender he doesn't care to know

A ship I have with said character:

Green/Vaati i LOVE hero/villain dynamics, they are golden retriever/grumpy drama king to me, their relationship is "me + the bad bitch i pulled by being effortlessly kind/charming/funny/humble/gay" instagram captions.

Blue/Everyone. The secret to Blue is that he actually cares SO MUCH, but if anyone calls him out on it he will die on the spot. This is tragic and inevitable (he is bad at hiding it)

Vidow is my ultimate OTP, they are so fascinating to me i want to put them in a blender set it to high and then watch it go nuts. They are toxic and co dependent and would kill for each other and also kill each other too. 100/10 ship I'm a Vidow apologist and i will die on this hill

Is it cheating to say i ship all of them together? They can be one big polycule as a treat

A BROTP I have with said character:

Green and Shadow. Unstoppable force (Shadow) meets immovable object (Green). They have oldest sibling/youngest sibling energy

Blue and Green is also good, they have a bromance unlike anything the world has ever seen. They are always pushing each other to be better and also doing the dumbest stunts for the vine

Vio and Vaati would be infodump pals. They started talking about magic theory at 10 in the morning over breakfast and are still talking about it at 1 am the next day

A NOTP I have with said character:

Literally the only character i can think of is Tingle.

A random headcanon:

Green - my most consistent hc across all AUs/canon is that he has head to toe freckles.

Blue - given a modern AU, Blue joins theater as a way to deal with his anger issues. Not only does it work, but he ends up with a passion for the performing arts as a result

Vio - he has crippling anxiety and is a chronic over thinker. He needs Xanax and a nap.

Shadow - given a modern AU, Shadow is the lead guitar/singer/screamer in a rock band (Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce the Veil, AS IT IS aesthetic/sound), and he can also play almost any instrument that he picks up. He has a huge collection of instruments.

General Opinion over said character:

Green - the funniest thing I've ever seen is people saying that Green wouldn't cheat in a fight RE: my "who would win in a fight" polls and like you're all valid and all OBJECTIVELY wrong, he cheats in the fight against Vio at Death Mountain. He may have morals but he is not lawful good

Blue - I miss him. Where are the blue centric fanfics. Come back from the war please. Someone put this idiot in situations

Vio - perfect amzing beautiful showstopping spectacular always original awful awful man his veins are filled with anxiety instead of blood and i want him dissected by the fandom immediately

Shadow - scrunkly. Shaped. I want to hug him and never let go

[aeriona]

Ok, so normally I tend to keep my wackier AUs to myself (fear of exposing my cringe), but I just gotta share this one.

I MADE HIM CREATURE IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE.

I call this the Eldritch AU. Basically, the big difference from the canon Four Swords manga is that Shadow was made with extremely cursed malicious magic. As a result he is very much Not Hylian (or perhaps even mortal), and can do some really weird terrifying stuff with his body. I’m talking about some lovecraftian body horror shenanigans.

Shadow’s blood and saliva is malice, His wounds regenerate in seconds and he can shapeshift into pretty much any shape he wants. What a perfect combination of powers to give to an emotionally-stunted teenager! Well, i say teenager, but he’s technically only a few months old, being made in the mirror shortly before the manga starts. Mentally and physically he’s a teenager though. Angst.

Fun fact: the “clothes” Shadow is wearing are not real clothes, but are actually a part of his body. They are made of skin, they even bleed when torn. Well, it’s very much fabric-like skin but it’s still extremely unsettling when you think about it. Not much changes in the actual Four Swords story and whatnot, other that Shadow being orders of magnitude more horrifying and far too OP for his own good. Also since there’s Vidow (because i’m trash), theres a bit of a weird dynamic in the beginning when Vio shows up, cause Shadow feels uncomfortable showing off his abilities to him. For a while at least, until they actually talk about it and agree it’s not a big deal.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

Creature Comforts

Rated G | Vidow Cottage AU | 2557 words

Vio notices literal and figurative similarities between Shadow and Pinecone the cat.

I wrote this fic back in September for the Four Swords Winter's Delight zine, which has now been released! Please check out the tumblr page @fswintersdelight for the PDF, which includes art, fic, and other goodies from fandom creators. A special thank you to Kalh, aka @vagueandominousvibes and WriterKalhsScribbles on ao3, for creating and managing the event!

“I love it,” Vio says, turning the rock over in his hand. It reminds him of sunset dragon rides, the heat of the Fire Temple, the sweet taste of marshmallows roasted over fires they set together. “Thank you, Shadow.” In retrospect, Vio knows he probably shouldn’t have been so permissive of Shadow doing villainous things to impress him back in their evil days. It’s something Blue, Green, Zelda, and even Shadow himself have all since commented on, with various degrees of moral judgment. And to his credit, Vio typically attempts to walk it back, to express retroactive distaste for Shadow’s more violent and macabre ‘gifts.’ But deep down, some part of Vio will always take pleasure in the degree to which Shadow will go to prove his devotion. “We should probably dispose of the dead mouse, though,” Shadow mutters against Vio’s lips.

Read the rest on AO3 or under the cut:

Evil root beer is not meant to be served warm.

“Okay, yeah, experiment’s over,” Shadow gags, pouring the contents of his stein into the kitchen sink.

Vio winces at the waste. “To be fair, some beverages can be served hot and cold.” He retrieves the pot from the stovetop and begins to wash it, while Shadow sits up on the counter. His expression, Vio can’t help but notice, is almost comically sour.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Vio says, reaching for a sponge.

“It was pretty bad,” Shadow disagrees with an exaggerated shiver. “Oh hey, Pinecone.”

Their cat acknowledges them with a glance as she wanders into the tiny kitchen, headed straight for her food bowl. Wet food waits for her, as always.

Vio turns off the faucet and places the the pot on the drying rack, joining Shadow on the counter. “I know what might get the taste out of your mouth,” he says with a smirk.

Shadow returns it. “Yeah? I’d test that theory.”

Skrch-skrch-skrch.

Their attention returns to Pinecone, who scrapes the tile beside her food bowl with one dainty paw. After a moment of expressing her displeasure, she gives her roommates an indignant stare.

“Why?” Vio exclaims, gesticulating his offense. “It’s the same exact food as usual!”

“Relax,” Shadow says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll talk to her.”

“You’ll… what?”

Shadow winks, and suddenly he’s not Shadow at all. A lean black cat with familiar eyes replaces him on the counter, taking a quick second to nuzzle against Vio’s leg before he hops onto the floor.

Vio frowns. “Oh, right.”

Shadow crosses over to join Pinecone at her bowl, trilling a friendly greeting towards his three-legged friend. Pinecone sniffs him for only a second before she bonks his forehead.

They two cats communicate in a series of meows and chirps, none of which Vio can understand. After an especially long monologue from Pinecone, Shadow nods and leans down to sample some of her freshly-served, perfectly good chicken pate. After a few bites he consults with Pinecone once again, and then makes his way back to Vio on the counter.

Vio gives Shadow a full-body pet, enjoying the way he leans into his touch. And then Real Shadow is back, doing the very same thing, only his hair is purple instead of black. Shadow’s eyes are closed and he wears the dopiest smile, almost lost in the affection.

Vio clears his throat. Shadow opens one eye, as if remembering where he is and what he’s doing. He straightens his spine and leans against the kitchen backsplash.

“Well, nothing’s wrong with the food,” Shadow says, glancing over as Pinecone scrapes the floor again. “She just isn’t in the mood for chicken.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Vio huffs, crossing his arms over his sweater-clad chest. “I don’t want to waste food, and she’ll get another tin in twelve hours anyway.”

Shadow shrugs. “Seems reasonable to me. She’s fine, just being a little bit of a drama queen.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Vio teases. “Experiment’s still on the table, by the way.”

“I’ll ignore the insult if you kiss me.”

Vio indulges Shadow for only a second before he pulls away with his own exaggerated disgust. “Cat food! Your mouth tastes like cat food!”

Shadow bursts out laughing. “Sounds like someone isn’t in the mood for chicken!” Leaning back, he slams his head against the upper cabinet. “Aw, sh—”

Vio pats Shadow comfortingly as he reaches towards the shelf.

“Vi, what are you—”

Pinecone chirps happily as Vio opens a tin of tuna pate.

─────────────────

Vio found the book on cat behavior at the Castle Town library a few days ago, but this is the first time he’s actually been able to read it. Lounging on the couch beside a crackling fire, he hums as he turns the page.

A familiar chirp startles him to attention. Pinecone sits at the foot of the couch, staring intently towards Vio’s lap. He smiles, shifts his book to an admittedly less comfortable position, and pats the wool blanket. “You can come up.”

And so she does, immediately claiming her favorite spot on Vio’s stomach. She circles for only a moment before collapsing, resting her chin on his chest and meeting his eyes. He senses the soft rumble of a purr, and watches as she begins to knead the soft blanket.

It’s a weird angle, but Vio still manages to check the book’s index for ‘kneading.’

Kneading, also known as ‘making biscuits,’ is an instinctive feline soothing behavior.

Vio looks fondly down at his feline. “Are you making biscuits, Pinecone?”

She trills and kneads harder.

“Biscuits are in the oven!” announces Shadow, standing in the doorframe between their kitchen and den. He has flour all over his black apron, and looks very proud of his hard work.

Pinecone hops off Vio’s lap to rub against Shadow’s leg, and Vio finds himself on his feet as well. “You’ve got some flour on your face,” he observes, stepping closer.

Shadow smirks. “Totally not on purpose.”

“Of course not,” Vio agrees, running a finger gently down the other man’s cheek. He wipes the flour onto Shadow’s apron, and then pulls him by the waist for a kiss.

─────────────────

“Can you maniacs please get the zoomies one at a time?” Vio complains, seated at the kitchen table with a stack of handwritten notes and a warm cup of tea.

Pinecone responds by running straight into a wall.

Shadow, meanwhile, has been bouncing his leg uncontrollably for the past fifteen minutes. Vio finally leans down to place a gentle hand on Shadow’s knee, steadying both his partner and the table itself.

“I know the meeting was long,” he says, meeting Shadow’s eyes. “But we need to finalize this summary while the discussion is still fresh in our minds.”

Shadow glances longingly towards the den, where Pinecone gives an enchantingly peculiar yowling performance.

“She’s fine,” Vio reassures him. “Normal feline behavior, my book said so.”

Shadow sighs, trying his best to settle. “Yeah. I know. I can focus.”

Vio kisses his cheek, free to work uninterrupted for several peaceful minutes.

That is, until he hears the scraping.

Vio’s head shoots up, startling Shadow enough that he freezes mid-action. He appears to have been slowly sliding Vio’s mug closer to the table’s edge.

“What are you doing?” Vio asks, raising an eyebrow.

Shadow appears genuinely confused by his own strange impulse. “I… I’m not sure.” He pulls back his hand and examines it, bewildered. “It’s like I got possessed or something.”

They both hear a loud crash from the den.

Sighing, Vio caps his pen. “Wanna go see what she broke?”

Shadow is already gone.

─────────────────

This is the third dead thing Pinecone has brought him in a week. Vio winces down at the mouse’s corpse, only wincing harder at his cat’s self-satisfied expression.

“You really shouldn’t have,” he mutters, toeing the ‘gift’ with a sock-clad foot. “Where’s Shadow? He’s supposed to be watching you.”

Pinecone is almost entirely an indoor cat, but during the late autumn Shadow allows her to accompany him into the yard while he chops firewood. Vio can’t really blame Shadow for losing sight of the cat, who at the end of the day is naturally inclined to hunt and present trophies to the people she loves.

“Good kitty,” Vio tells Pinecone, petting her soft little head. She preens.

“Please tell me the cat’s inside,” Shadow calls from the front door, shutting it quickly behind him to keep out the November chill.

From his cozy spot in the den, Vio smiles. “Yes, she’s in here.”

Shadow stumbles into the room, wrapped up in a black and red flannel, still clutching Vio’s Four Sword. “I’m so sorry,” he says, slightly out of breath. “I was trying really hard to split this one stubborn log, and—”

Vio stands up and grabs Shadow by the waist, enjoying the lingering smell of trees.

“Hi,” Shadow tells Vio, tenderly stroking his back. “I’m a little sweaty, are you sure you want to hug me right now?”

“Too late.”

“Ah, I see Pinecone has brought you another present,” Shadow observes, somewhere between amused and disgusted. “I’m surprised she was able to do it in only a few minutes.”

Vio smirks, out of sight. “What a pragmatic little creature.”

Pinecone trills—probably at a bird out the window, but Vio likes to think she understands.

“She learned from the best,” says Shadow, and Vio pulls back to meet his eyes. His hands wander from Shadow’s waist to the pocket of his flannel, which contains… something?

Shadow blushes, and Vio loves that Shadow can still, once in a while, have his bashful moments. “It’s nothing, really, just…”

Vio withdraws the object from Shadow’s pocket and holds it between them. It’s a rock about the size of his palm, ash-brown, with strange irregular jutting edges. Shadow sighs and turns it over in Vio’s hand, revealing a smooth caramel-colored face.

“Found it and thought you’d be interested,” Shadow explains, still slightly embarrassed. “Could make a nice paperweight, too.”

Vio searches his brain for any knowledge of the peculiar specimen. “Petrified wood,” he vaguely recalls. “It’s sort of a fossil, I think. At some point, this area was affected by a volcano, or just a lot of fire, and the trees went through a sort of mineralization process.”

“Do you think that’s because of me?”

Vio blinks, genuinely puzzled by the question.

“Because of all the fire,” Shadow clarifies. “And the volcano.”

Vio releases a short laugh, but stops himself immediately. Shadow is genuinely concerned, he wants to take this seriously. “Love,” he says, reaching for his partner’s flannel-clad arm, “this is a fossil. Its creation might as well be ancient history.”

Shadow exhales. “Oh. Right.”

Vio feels Shadow’s muscles loosen—which, by the way, have become noticeably more pronounced since Shadow started chopping firewood.

“It’s just weird,” Shadow continues, not appearing to notice the blush on Vio’s face. “I know it’s been, like, more than a year since I did those awful things, but I still…”

“I love it,” Vio says, turning the rock over in his hand. It reminds him of sunset dragon rides, the heat of the Fire Temple, the sweet taste of marshmallows roasted over fires they set together. “Thank you, Shadow.”

In retrospect, Vio knows he probably shouldn’t have been so permissive of Shadow doing villainous things to impress him back in their evil days. It’s something Blue, Green, Zelda, and even Shadow himself have all since commented on, with various degrees of moral judgment. And to his credit, Vio typically attempts to walk it back, to express retroactive distaste for Shadow’s more violent and macabre ‘gifts.’

But deep down, some part of Vio will always take pleasure in the degree to which Shadow will go to prove his devotion.

“We should probably dispose of the dead mouse, though,” Shadow mutters against Vio’s lips.

From beneath them, Pinecone hisses.

─────────────────

The frequency of cat purring has been shown to fall between 25 and 140 Hz. The same frequency has been shown to aid in the healing of broken bones, joint and tendon repair, and wound healing. The combined effects of their relaxing presence and their purr make cats powerful against stress and anxiety. Cat owners report that—

“Put down the book,” Shadow mutters into Vio’s shoulder. “You need to rest.”

Vio sniffles and does as he’s told. Shadow holds him closer, pulling Red’s handmade quilt from fully over them both.

“You’re lucky,” Vio says, his throat dry, “that you don’t get sick very often. It sucks.”

Shadow hums sympathetically. “Strong immune system means I can still hold you, contagion be damned.”

“Are you sure that’s, like, a real thing?”

Shadow kisses the side of Vio’s forehead. It’s warm from his fever, but colder than it had been a few hours ago.

“Hi, Pinecone,” says Vio as the cat joins them in bed. She goes straight to Vio’s chest, plopping down and rolling on her side. Shadow scritches her soft belly with one hand and rubs Vio’s side with the other.

Pinecone’s purrs are immediate and much louder than usual. With wonder in his eyes, Vio gently presses two fingers to her throat. It vibrates steadily under his touch, and a slight press seems to make the purrs even louder.

“I’ll research her anatomy later,” Vio decides. “Too tired now.”

“Good idea,” Shadow says, completely earnest. “I love it when you know your limits.”

Vio musters the energy to roll his eyes. “Well now I have to—uh, Shadow?”

“Hm?”

Vio raises both eyebrows, turning his head to see Shadow’s face. “Are you purring?”

After a second of consideration, Shadow presses two fingers to his own throat. “Huh,” he remarks, self-satisfied. “Would you look at that.”

“Have you always been able to purr?” Vio asks, a little too weak to muster appropriate levels of bewilderment.

Shadow shakes his head. “Must have picked it up from shapeshifting into a cat so often. Neat.”

Vio has so many questions. Does this mean Shadow could just take on any quality he pleases? Could he take on more feline features, like really sharp claws and fangs? Just how weird can he get with this, if he so chooses? Because Vio already has a thing for his fangs, and—

Shadow purrs louder, adding to Pinecone’s steady rumbling. Vio shakes his head, too sick and too comfortable to stress.

─────────────────

“Please bite me somewhere less obvious next time,” Vio tells Shadow, wrapping a scarf around his neck. Shadow pouts, already bundled up for the snowy walk into castle town, and bats at the scarf’s fringes.

“They look nice,” he says, only earning a huff. Vio agrees completely, but one of them has to at least pretend to care about propriety. “Got your library book, nerd?”

Vio holds up the text on feline behavior. “Got it.” He then tucks it safely inside the tote bag they use at the farmer’s market when it’s in season.

Scritch-scritch-scritch.

“Oh, come on,” Vio mutters, craning his head towards the den. “Pinecone, not the couch! Red just helped us reupholster that thing!”

The scratching stops for a moment, then starts again. Vio pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry, love,” Shadow says, although Vio knows he’s more amused than apologetic. “I think we’re just going to have to accept a certain degree of property defacement. Take it as a compliment—she only wants to claim what’s hers.”

Vio sighs. “Yeah, whatever.”

Shadow removes Vio’s scarf, scrunches it into a ball, and tosses it into the den.

─────────────────

Shadow works in the kitchen again, while Vio and Pinecone share the couch in front of a crackling fire. She’s right on his chest again, purring away, staring directly into his eyes. Vio is still disappointed that he can’t talk to her directly, but borrowing the feline behavior book definitely helped him understand her. Vio will always treasure the unique bond they share, even if it’s not as verbose as hers and Shadow’s.

Pinecone blinks slowly.

“I love you, too,” says Vio.

Shadow abruptly leans into the den, holding a wooden spoon covered with pumpkin soup. “Did you say something?”

Vio smirks, bumping Pinecone’s forehead. “Not to you.”

Shadow traces Vio’s gaze to Pinecone as she slow blinks again. He smiles, shakes his head, and leaves them to their conversation.

[zarvasace]

For the wip game how about Blood-Sucker's Guide to the Shining Court/cat Shadow or if you already answered the first then how about in vein

Hehe vampires :3

This is a planned sequel to my current magnum opus, Blood-Sucker's Guide to High School. THAT one is a crossover fanfiction which sticks the Four Swords characters into an approximation of the world and plot of the novel Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst, Shadow main character with a side of Vidow. I follow a lot of her plot points but emphasize some different themes. It does not have a sequel, so anything else I write here will be mostly original, just pulling on similar ideas for the world.

I believe that there are three major plot threads I leave off at the end of it.

(1) The point of the climax! Did they really infect the other vampires with light? Is it enough to give them consciences like Shadow? How fast will it happen? How will things be different now? This is part of the original novel.

(2) In the epilogue chapter, someone mentions that unicorn agents arrived on the scene after prom to help contain the situation—summoned by Vio dropping an anonymous tip into a monitored police line. He also talks a bit about the unicorn ideology. While unicorns exist in the original novel, I've given them a structure and an organization, named the Shining Court.

(3) A minor plot thread in the first fic is about vampires having the potential to gain special powers as a result of the fealty ceremony. Shadow wonders once or twice if he'll get something. This is entirely an original addition.

This sequel began life as a 5+1 series of oneshots dedicated to showing Shadow discovering his own vampiric power (turning into a cat), dealing with it, and also dealing a bit with the fallout of the first fic. I intended to tackle threads in the hierarchy 3 2 1, 3 most important and 1 least important.

Then I kind of wanted to explore some of the themes of the fallout more in-depth. As a result of that, I hammered out a full plot for a sequel, but was dissatisfied with the way that the cat thing fell out of the spotlight in favor of the unicorn thing. (Thread 1 has remained pretty consistent. Zelda is the main representation of that thread and she does a good job of being a background plot.)

And THEN I found out that prom is at the END of a school year, not the beginning. (Hi I didn't go to normal high school.) So a lot of my intended plot points for the original 5+1 wouldn't work anyway, since I based them on autumn holidays.

My current plan is to write a small fic centered around the cat Shadow plot and set it during spring break. That will give me the chance to set up a couple things for the full sequel, which I'll set during summer vacation. Doing that gives me a couple good excuses to move characters around and have them doing things that aren't school during the day.

Anyway that's something in-progress. Here's a snippet from the 28k 5+1 that is now defunct! :)

The little girl looked at Shadow and blinked. “Trick or treat?” She was too young to make her words entirely distinct. Shadow laughed and offered out two of the pink tootsie rolls. “Hey, good job. Treat, definitely.” She held out her pillowcase, and he dropped the candy into it. “I like your wings.” “My mom got them for me, I'm Glinda.” She lifted her silver wand, poked Shadow in the forehead with the star on the end, then ran back to her mom.  “Sorry, thanks!” the mom said before turning away.  “No problem.” Shadow stood back up and touched the spot on his forehead. He glanced at Vio, who watched him with a curious expression. “What? Did I mess up my makeup at all?”  Vio shook his head. “No, it's just fine. I guess I didn't expect you to be good with kids.”  Shadow shrugged. “They're kinda cute. And I'm guessing human kids don't bite as often as my baby cousins.” “I wouldn't be so sure.”