#'hmm. perfect water for the paladins'

[bleh1bleh2]

Just a little Post-Training Bonding

[cookie-run-kingdom-story]

Legend of the Duskgloom Sea

Desperate Chief Mate: Just look at this gorgeous weather! Desperate Chief Mate: The sun’s out, the breeze is salty, and the waters are blue as ever! Just top it off with a lil’ treasure chest floatin’ on the waves: what could be more perfect?! WA HA! Frightened Sailor: C-c-chief!!! Desperate Chief Mate: Hm? What’s the matter? Is the pesky navy on our tail or somethin’? Frightened Sailor: N-no… It’s something much worse! Panicking Sailor: Look at this! The compass has gone completely haywire! Frightened Sailor: You see… We went off course a bit, so I’ve been trying to figure out where we are… Frightened Sailor: But the ship is out of control! I can’t get it to turn! Desperate Chief Mate: What?! W-where are we headin’ to?!

Desperate Chief Mate: Wait, what’s this fog all of a sudden?! ???: *sob… sob sob…* Frightened Sailor: Did you hear that��? Panicking Sailor: WE’RE DOOMED! FISH ARE GONNA FEAST ON OUR CRUMBS! Frightened Sailor: Huh?! Wait, what’s going on? Why are we doomed? Panicking Sailor: Haven’t you heard the story of the Black Pearl Islands?! Panicking Sailor: If ever your ship goes out of control, and from the fog echoes a weeping soul… Panicking Sailor: Your lives are forfeit and surrender, for your crew will never again see dry harbor. ???: *sob… sniffle… sob sob…* Thunder: *RUMBLE* Desperate Chief Mate: Argh, there’s a whirlpool up ahead! DO SOMETHING!!! ???: *sob…* Heh… he he… Frightened Sailor: But the helm is stuck! W-we have to escape! Abandon ship! To the lifeboats! Panicking Sailor: It’s no use… These waters are cursed…! We’re not gonna make it! Desperate Chief Mate: So it’s true….! The tale of the Black Pearl Islands…! Desperate Chief Mate: The legend of the Duskgloom Sea was true…! Frightened Sailor: SAVE OUR SOULS! AHHHH!!! ???: He he… HEH! HA HA HA!

Menacing Skies: *CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Rookie Cookie: Ahoy there! All aboard the Salty Shark! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Why you sneaky biscuit… When did ya get on board? Ya need to eat a few years’ worth of Jellies before anyone’ll call you a real sailor! Rookie Cookie: But I’m all grown up now! Ahoy, ahoy! Let’s set sail for the Tropical Soda Islands! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Sigh. Fresh Cookies… Ya can’t set sail in this weather! Not even airships can navigate in these winds! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Unless you’re Captain Caviar Cookie. Rookie Cookie: Captain Caviar Cookie?! Why? How come? What did he do? Captain Caviar Cookie: What’re ya all up to? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Captain! It’s nothing, sir… Rookie Cookie: Captain Caviar Cookie! Have you really set sail in a storm like this? Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm? Won’t say that I haven’t! In fact… Captain Caviar Cookie: Ever hear the Legend of Duskgloom Sea? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Ah, yes. Here we go again… Rookie Cookie: The Legend of the Duskgloom Sea?! What’s that?! Captain Caviar Cookie: A fitting story for this dreadful weather. Captain Caviar Cookie: It all started just after I won the Republic’s martial arts tournament…

Long ago, there was only one Cookie of the Sea in the Republic’s Convocation of Elders…

Oyster Cookie: Congratulations on your victory, Captain Caviar Cookie. I must say, I was very much impressed. Oyster Cookie: The face that the Elders made when a Cookie of the Sea prevailed over their pompous, self-righteous Paladins… Ha! I don’t think I’ve been this pleased in years. Captain Caviar Cookie: Serves’em right! That’s what you get for looking down on us, seawater Cookies! Captain Caviar Cookie: Glad to finally meet ya. Oyster Cookie, right? Every Cookie with a pinch of sea salt in their dough knows ya! Captain Caviar Cookie: But ya’ve caught me at an inconvenient time! Let’s talk pleasantries another day, yeah? Oyster Cookie: I take it that your mind is preoccupied with the ships that went missing in the Black Pearl Islands near the Silent Ocean? Captain Caviar Cookie: Well, yeah. Any Cookie that has ever set foot on a ship would be. Oyster Cookie: Ha ha. Yes, yes. Which is exactly why I’m here, Captain. Oyster Cookie: It would not be an exaggeration to say that House Oyster’s future depends on these waters. We cannot afford any… problems in that region.

Captain Caviar Cookie: So… ya want ME to solve YOUR problem? Just when every eye in the Republic is awaitin’ my next move? I’m pretty busy, ya know! Oyster Cookie: Tsk tsk tsk, all those jealous stares…! With your newly acquired fame, those expecting your imminent demise are already forming a line. But you must have it all figured out. Oyster Cookie: How long do you think you will be able to protect your crew as JUST a captain? Captain Caviar Cookie: …Ya do have a fair point. Captain Caviar Cookie: Are fancy, pompous words all ya got? Or do ya actually have a real, workin’ plan? Captain Caviar Cookie: Ha, no matter. Let’s hear what ya’ve got! It is from the illustrious Oyster Cookie, after all. Oyster Cookie: Ha! Such bravado! Yes… I was right to approach you with this task. Oyster Cookie: I don’t need you to solve whatever “problem” troubles those restless waters, nor do I expect you to. Oyster Cookie: All I need to know is… What is happening and Why. Oyster Cookie: I require only definite and valuable information. Nothing less, nothing more. Captain Caviar Cookie: First was winning the tournament, then investigating the Black Pearl Islands? What a weird turn of events! Oyster Cookie: I wish you a safe return, Captain. After all, your success is also a part of my grand scheme of things. Captain Caviar Cookie: Appreciate the concern, but I won’t be needin’ it. Captain Caviar Cookie: After all, yer lookin’ at Captain Caviar Cookie here! Captain Caviar Cookie: And this captain never disappoints!

Captain Caviar Cookie: Alright mates! Everyone up to speed? Are we all good to set sail? Captain Caviar Cookie: Aye, aye, Captain! We even have the escape pod all readied up as well! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Coward! Thinking of bailing out when we haven’t even set sail? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Better a coward than fish bait! Salty Shark Crew: AHA HA HA HA! Captain Caviar Cookie: Wa ha ha! Good! I see y’all are ready for departure! Captain Caviar Cookie: Don’t you ever forget: never trust the sea! These waters are fickle as a feather- always be prepared for anything! Captain Caviar Cookie: Now, let’s set sail! Salty Shark Crew: Aye! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: A sailor’s heart is always with their boat, and it’s been too long since we’ve had a proper ride! Let’s GO! Salty Shark Crew: Yeah!!

A few moments later…

Thunder: *Rumble… ROOOOOAR* Captain Caviar Cookie: Ugh… where did this storm come from?! It was sunny just a moment ago! Captain Caviar Cookie: Strike sail! Before the boat overturns! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Cap, are you sure we’re heading the right direction? This… doesn’t seem right! Startled Salty Shark Sailor: The current here is only flowing one way… and it’s sucking us in! Nervous Salty Shark Sailor: We’re DEFINITELY gonna be fish food at this rate! Rumbling Noises: *Thud* Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Ahh! …That’s IF the local fish like chowing down on the soggy mush we’re about to become! Nervous Salty Shark Sailor: Cap, the winds are just too strong! We’re not gonna make it into Duskgloom Sea! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Giant wave incoming! Brace yourselves! Rumbling Noises: *CRASH* Startled Salty Shark Sailor: Ahhh! We’re gonna fall…! Captain Caviar Cookie: Is it the storm that’s causin’ ships to disappear?! Hmm… My guts tellin’ me this can’t be natural… Captain Caviar Cookie: Tsk… We turn back! FULL SPEED ASTERN!

Republic Sailor Cookie 1: We barely left the area but the waters are much calmer here… Republic Sailor Cookie 2: It was as if that place was cursed… Startled Salty Shark Sailor: Phew… I really thought we were done for! Nervous Salty Shark Sailor: I’ve never seen a storm that massive! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: So… do we head back now? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: But we’re the Salty Sharks! The Salty Sharks never back down! Startled Salty Shark Sailor: T-that’s right! The storm just caught us off guard, that’s all! Y’know, it being the first time and all…! We’ll get the hang of it next time, you’ll see! Nervous Salty Shark Sailor: Y-yeah! In fact, let’s get back right now! Captain Caviar Cookie: PIPE DOWN, all of ya! Captain Caviar Cookie: What did I tell ya when y’all stepped aboard? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Behave? Republic Sailor Cookie 1: We’re soldiers, not pirates? Nervous Salty Shark Sailor: I didn’t hear anything! Captain Caviar Cookie: …It was that ya can never be ready to face the sea.

Captain Caviar Cookie: I’ve been thinkin’... It looks like a one-Cookie job. And I’m gonna take care of this myself. Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Cap, so you’re just gonna go alone? Like it’s a martial arts tournament stand-off?! Captain Caviar Cookie: It was my job to begin with. I brought y’all along because I thought it would be a walk in the park. Republic Sailor Cookie 1: No disrespect, Cap, but are you hearing yourself?! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Captain, captain, captain… Worrying and overprotective, as always. There’s no need to be too dramatic, is there? Captain Caviar Cookie: Oh yeah? Feel free to call a mutiny and fight me over it. Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Nope, I’m good. Captain Caviar Cookie: I’ll be fine. I’m gonna take the submarine this time. Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Yessir! No one can stop Captain Caviar Cookie once he sets his mind on something. Republic Sailor Cookie 2: We’ll take good care of the ship and keep her safe!

Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm, I think I may have gone a bit too deep… Submarine Panel: *BEEP… bzz… beep?* Captain Caviar Cookie: Gah, this piece of junk! Did those sardines forget to check up on the sonar? Captain Caviar Cookie: Ugh. Guess I’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way… Can’t afford no nasty collisions now. Shadow Behind the Porthole: …Hmm. Captain Caviar Cookie: Was that… a Cookie? Captain Caviar Cookie: Wait… It can’t be! That’s a ship!!! ???: ⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂- -? Captain Caviar Cookie: Am I okay? Do I LOOK okay?! Hold on, I gotta reply… Captain Caviar Cookie: Argh, it’s too close! I’m gonna crash! Submarine Collision: *thud*

Captain Caviar Cookie: Pickled mackerel! I just had to say it, didn’t I… Captain Caviar Cookie: Hah! Those goobers will laugh their icing off when they hear their captain plummeted right into the ocean’s bottom! Submarine Panel: *Beep. Whirrrr… Beep!* Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm. This doesn’t look too bad. Just a tiny scratch! Hah! Captain Caviar Cookie: It just needs a little fixin’ here… Ugh, I need a hand! Where are those lollygaggers when you need ‘em?

Sound from the Depths: ⚫⚫⚫!!! ◀⭗◯??? Captain Caviar Cookie: Huh…?! Ya’re that Cookie I saw! Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that…! Ya see, my sonar went off! Deep Sea Diver?: ◀⭗◯???!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya tryin’ to tell me somethin’? Deep Sea Diver?: ◀◀◀!! Captain Caviar Cookie: What? Ya want me to come closer? Captain Caviar Cookie: Sorry, no can do! As ya can see… this vessel needs some repairin’! Deep Sea Diver?: ⭗◯!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Hey, knock it off! …Oh! Are ya askin’ to open the airlock?! Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm.. Aight! Get onboard and lend me a hand! Captain Caviar Cookie: Gimme a sec, will ya? It takes a while to open the hatch…

Captain Caviar Cookie: Yeah! Grab that handle over there! Candy Diver Cookie: ◇⭗◇~! Captain Caviar Cookie: Hold on to that, will ya? Don’t ya dare lose your grip! Submarine Panel: *Beep. Click. Click.* *WHIRRR….* Captain Caviar Cookie: That’s more like it! Remarkable how just one Cookie can make a difference! Captain Caviar Cookie: She’s ready! Now if I just wiggle my way out… Like this…!

Captain Caviar Cookie: And we’re back! HA HA! Thanks for the help, friend! Captain Caviar Cookie: Eh… Did you need something or what? Abyssal Echoes: OoooooO… Candy Diver Cookie: !!! Candy Diver Cookie: ⭗▲◯፠…! Captain Caviar Cookie: What? What’s wrong? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯⭗▷…!

Captain Caviar Cookie: What are you pointing at? There’s nothing th-

Captain Caviar Cookie: …There. Candy Diver Cookie: ፠⚫፠…! Captain Caviar Cookie: Th-that thing just now…!

Rookie Cookie: I-I… *HIC!* Republic Sailor Cookie 2: You know… I’ve heard this story far too many times. But watchin’ the kid react is kinda funny! Rookie Cookie: A… a gigantic monster…! Is it the dark sea monster that devours Coins? Rookie Cookie: I… I don’t think I like the Duskgloom Sea…! It sounds like the scariest creatures live there! Captain Caviar Cookie: Heh! Ya’re not entirely wrong, kiddo! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: The sea is said to be the most treacherous area in the entire Black Pearl Islands. Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Sea Cookies don’t even joke about sailing there! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Pfft! That’s only cuz every story about the Duskgloom Sea comes from the captain himself! I’m telling ya, it can’t ALL be true. Surely he’s bluffing… or at least exaggerating! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: He’s still incredible regardless! Captain Caviar Cookie: OI! Ain’t nothin but complete and total honesty in my dough!

Captain Caviar Cookie: Anyways, we got lucky the thing didn’t spot us. If I was a second late in turning them lights off… I don’t even know what woulda happened… Captain Caviar Cookie: Though… I still wonder if we really were… unnoticed.

Captain Caviar Cookie: …So, ya sayin’ that… thing causes torrents? By swimmin’ past, just like that? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯⭗⚫…! Captain Caviar Cookie: Interestin’... a sea creature so massive that it creates currents at every move? Captain Caviar Cookie: Sounds like I found exactly what I was lookin’ for! Candy Diver Cookie: △◯⭗? Captain Caviar Cookie: Whassat? Is that worryin’ I hear, Candy Diver Cookie? Captain Caviar Cookie: HA HA! A hardened Cookie like you, been bravin’ the deep dark sea in order to wait for a friend… and THIS is what gets you worried? Captain Caviar Cookie: Well… Guess ya got a point. Can’t say I’m all thrilled to meet that thing again. Captain Caviar Cookie: But a captain never shirks off their duty! I didn’t come all the way here to just give up! Candy Diver Cookie: …!

Candy Diver Cookie’s Friend: I didn’t come all the way here to give up! C’mon! We got this! Believe in yourself! Candy Diver Cookie: …

Captain Caviar Cookie: Alrighty. I’ll be on my way then. Perhaps I’ll be seein’ you around! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya said the creature went that way, eh? Thanks for all the help! Candy Diver Cookie: ⚫፠⚫፠!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm? What? Got somethin’ left to say? Candy Diver Cookie: ⚫◯⚫!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya wanna tag along? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯▲….! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya realize it’s gonna be dangerous, right? There ain’t gonna be another chance to turn back! Captain Caviar Cookie: Still wanna come with me? Candy Diver Cookie: ⚫◯…!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Very well. Just wanted to make sure ya know what ya signin’ up for! Ha ha! Captain Caviar Cookie: Alright! We’re a team now! Captain Caviar Cookie: From now on, you and me are each others’ lifelines, got it? Candy Diver Cookie: ⚫◯⚫!!

Captain Caviar Cookie: …So began our search for the creature’s nest. Rookie Cookie: WOW…! Captain Caviar Cookie: But the path was arduous, with danger lurking in every corner. Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya could hear the very crust of Earthbread rumbling and churning deep below the dark abyss… Captain Caviar Cookie: Underwater volcanoes erupted with hissin’ steam and sulfur startling passerby sea creatures… Captain Caviar Cookie: And when I looked up ahead, I saw monsters like I’ve never seen before… They were so close, I could count how many teeth they had! Only the teeth were countless! Hah! Captain Caviar Cookie: There was a serpent-like monster that coiled around the sub, and…!

Republic Sailor Cookie 2: AHEM! Captain, don’t you think you’re taking it TOO far? Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Yeah! I’m pretty sure it wasn’t THIS bad when we heard it last time! Captain Caviar Cookie: Tsk! Maybe I left out a few details ‘cuz you weren’t a great audience! Quit interruptin'! Shoosh! Rookie Cookie: SOOOO?! Did you meet that humongous creature from before?! Captain Caviar Cookie: Where was I… AH! Keep listening, mate! Captain Caviar Cookie: We kept movin’ forward, leaving the sea’s wailin cries behind. Captain Caviar Cookie: Toward the graveyard of ships… full of wreckage that once carried Cookies and their treasures across the world.

Abyssal Echoes: Ooooo… Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya said the thing lives in the middle of the graveyard, right? Captain Caviar Cookie: Should be around… here! Let’s see… Candy Diver Cookie: ⚫⬜⭗⭗…! Captain Caviar Cookie: Looks like the only way the sub can travel is through these canyons… Captain Caviar Cookie: Guess we don’t have much options. Abyssal Echoes: OOOooooooO… Captain Caviar Cookie: Tsk. That sound! It sounds like the sea itself is weepin’. Gives me the creeps! Captain Caviar Cookie: What’s exactly at the bottom of all this? I’m gonna find out!

Captain Caviar Cookie: That’s as far as the submarine can go. Ready to go for a little swim? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯◯◯▷!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya wait here. I want someone to guard the submarine. Captain Caviar Cookie: I’ll check it out and be right back.

Captain Caviar Cookie: All I see is wreckage and debris… Captain Caviar Cookie: If it weren’t for all this junk, this would’ve been quite the plaza. Or I guess, a graveyard. Candy Diver Cookie: ◇◆?? Captain Caviar Cookie: Clear! Nothin’ suspicious going on here. Looks like comms work well! Captain Caviar Cookie: Wait a second, I recognize that ship! Hmm… This place holds ships from all over Earthbread! Captain Caviar Cookie: Sooo… that thing is behind all the disappearances! HA! But not me! Thought you had me too, eh?! Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm… But why? Are ya protecting something or what? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯▷⭗⭗… Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm? What’s that on top of that pile? Captain Caviar Cookie: It’s too far to see clear… Is that… a figurehead? It looks familiar, too! Captain Caviar Cookie: Yeah! It sorta resembles the ships of House Oyster! Not the same, but very similar! Captain Caviar Cookie: Yes… these designs… They’re from an earlier era. Captain Caviar Cookie: But these are almost in perfect condition! What’s this all mean? Changing Currents: *crashing sounds* ???: Finished sightseeing? Candy Diver Cookie: ◯▲⭗፠!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Argh, this torrent… It’s ruthless! Is the creature back?! Captain Caviar Cookie: Just how massive is this thing…?! All the currents just changed in a blink of an eye!

Black Pearl Cookie: …He he he. Black Pearl Cookie: …Huh? Black Pearl Cookie: Disappointed, are we? Were you expecting something more… terrifying? More ruthless, perhaps? Black Pearl Cookie: Look at you… a puny, pathetic Cookie! HA HA! Not only that, but you’re also foolish enough to seek me out?

Black Pearl Cookie: You have not the slightest clue what you’re getting your sweet dough into… do you? Black Pearl Cookie: To be frank, you’re the first one to come here ever since that silly, naïve child who wanted to become a Cookie. Black Pearl Cookie: I can’t tell if I’m amused or annoyed… It’s been too long since I’ve had guests. Candy Diver Cookie: ◯⭗⚫፠!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Too long? How do ya explain all these sunken ships? Black Pearl Cookie: Well, I wouldn’t exactly call wreckage… “guests!” He he! Captain Caviar Cookie: So… No survivors… sigh. Black Pearl Cookie: Well, it’s not my fault your kind is so frail! Ships, Cookies… no matter. Everything crumbles away underwater, Black Pearl Cookie: See? This vessel here was as large as a soda whale… Black Pearl Cookie: And that ship over there? It belonged to an infamous pirate. Black Pearl Cookie: That one was once part of a renowned merchant’s trade armada in the Silent Ocean. Black Pearl Cookie: But what does it matter? You can be all that on land, but it means nothing in these waters. For there is nothing more powerful than I in the depths. Candy Diver Cookie: ◯⬛⬜⚫… Black Pearl Cookie: Yes, in fact, I almost had your ship as well. Black Pearl Cookie: Almost… Was the wave I sent you not welcoming and strong enough? Captain Caviar Cookie: Nope! Ya lookin’ at Captain Caviar Cookie here, bravest of the seawater Cookies. Bring your absolute worst! Black Pearl Cookie: Ha… HA HA HA HA! Black Pearl Cookie: Oh, you can’t possibly be serious! Look at you, all by yourself, abandoned by your laughable crew! HA HA HA! Captain Caviar Cookie: What are you spouting about? Black Pearl Cookie: Ha… I have eyes all over the Duskgloom Sea. Black Pearl Cookie: You tried to enter these waters with your crew, did you not? Black Pearl Cookie: But look! You’re alone, all alone. No one with you. Lonesome. All by yourself. Black Pearl Cookie: Oh, I just can’t take it anymore! I’m DYING of laughter. How tragic is this? No one will ever know that your fate ends here in soggy crumbs. Captain Caviar Cookie: Blimey. I don’t even know where to start… Not only are ya messed up, but also completely missin’ the point! Black Pearl Cookie: Hmm? Are you saying that I have more guests? Black Pearl Cookie: How odd… I didn’t see any other Cookies… Black Pearl Cookie: OH! Ha ha! You WANT me to figure it all out on my own, don’t you? But I know a better way…! Too much creative liberty?

Captain Caviar Cookie: W-what are ya doing?! Put me down this instant! Black Pearl Cookie: So there IS something! Candy Diver Cookie: △፠��፠!! Black Pearl Cookie: Lookie, lookie here…! Ooh! What’s thiiis, hm? Captain Caviar Cookie: That’s my friend yer talkin’ about! I wouldn’t have arrived here in one piece if it weren’t for Candy Diver Cookie! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya lay a FINGER on them, and ya’ll be VERY SORRY! Black Pearl Cookie: Friend? Black Pearl Cookie: Cookies. Don’t they ever learn? Trusting each other to watch their backs… Black Pearl Cookie: Only to be betrayed at the very last minute. Captain Caviar Cookie: Huh? Why so sour? Did someone leave you on a bad note or something? Black Pearl Cookie: …Yes, please do keep blabbering on. Black Pearl Cookie: Clearly you want to witness your “friend” get crushed into submarine scraps. Captain Caviar Cookie: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t help but notice somethin’ weird. Ya see, there’s all this junk and wreckage… And then… there’s that ship. Captain Caviar Cookie: That one over there, neatly placed on top of that pile. And good as new… almost! It’s as if someone treasured it pretty dearly! Captain Caviar Cookie: Perhaps… it’s because that ship reminds ya of an old memory? Or… because ya’re still waiting for its owner? Candy Diver Cookie: ⬛⬜⚫…

Black Pearl Cookie: Memories? WAITING?! Candy Diver Cookie: …! Black Pearl Cookie: For some insignificant COOKIE?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! Black Pearl Cookie: To even SUGGEST that I still care about some liar who broke a promise! Black Pearl Cookie: NO… Why should I feel this pain? This REMORSE?! How dare you…! Black Pearl Cookie: …No. I changed my mind. Black Pearl Cookie: I shouldn’t have bothered with a mere Cookie. You will all crumble here! Shattering Sounds: *Thud…* *CRASH* Captain Caviar Cookie: Candy Diver Cookie! NOW! TURN THE ENGINE ON! NOW!!! Candy Diver Cookie: △..፠!!! ፠▲፠!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya go ahead! I’ll be right behind ya! Candy Diver Cookie: … …!! Candy Diver Cookie: ፠▲፠▲፠▲፠!!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: What part of go do ya not understand?! Candy Diver Cookie: ▼⚫⚫⚫▼▼!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Ya gonna take me with ya? Gah…! Ya’re impossible, ya know? Captain Caviar Cookie: No choice but to lay low among the rocks! And keep an eye out for an openin’!

Captain Caviar Cookie: Huh! You’re not too bad behind the wheel, are ya! Looks like we might be able to escape after all! Candy Diver Cookie: ⭗▲⬛!! Black Pearl Cookie: Why you slimy eels…!! Black Pearl Cookie: I DON’T HAVE! ANY! FEELINGS! FOR ANY COOKIE! Captain Caviar Cookie: Yeesh, looks like I was spot on! Candy Diver Cookie: ⬛⬜⬜… Captain Caviar Cookie: Don’t worry about it. I thought I could talk our way out, but… Black Pearl Cookie: Do you think you can escape ME, in that tiny submarine?! Black Pearl Cookie: I’LL CRUSH YOU BOTH! Captain Caviar Cookie: NOPE! TALKIN’ WAS NEVER AN OPTION! Shattering Sounds: *Crash* *WOOOOSH* Captain Caviar Cookie: Now! Head to the opposite side of that thing! Candy Diver Cookie: ◯▲⭗፠!!! Shattering Sounds: *CRASH* Captain Caviar Cookie: Ugh, outraged doesn’t even cut it! This whole area’s gonna get annihilated! Shattering Sounds: *CRAAAAAASH!* Captain Caviar Cookie: Argh! How can ya create a sandstorm underwater?! I can’t see anything! Captain Caviar Cookie: We’re gonna end up swimmin’ in circles! Black Pearl Cookie: AHA HA HA HA HA! You can try, but you’ll never escape ME! Black Pearl Cookie: I can’t WAIT til I smash you into crumbs! Captain Caviar Cookie: It’s gonna get us! We gotta do somethin’! Candy Diver Cookie: …!

Candy Diver Cookie’s Friend: “How to find each other if we get lost in the sea?” Ha ha, that’s what you’re afraid of? Candy Diver Cookie’s Friend: Hmm… Why don’t we create a secret passage made of sparkling coral reefs? Candy Diver Cookie’s Friend: That way, we can find you no matter what happens!

Candy Diver Cookie: ⬛▶◯!! Captain Caviar Cookie: Huh?! Wuddya need a flashlight for?! Candy Diver Cookie: ◯⭗◯!!!

Captain Caviar Cookie: Wait, these are… reflections? Is this a way out?! But how?! Captain Caviar Cookie: Did ya… make this?! Candy Diver Cookie: ▶▶▶!!!!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: No hesitation whatsoever, eh?! Alright, I trust ya! Let’s get outta here!!!

Waves: *poof* Captain Caviar Cookie: We’re out…! We’ve escaped the Duskgloom Sea! Candy Diver Cookie: △⚫★!!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: To think there would be an escape route…! Captain Caviar Cookie: We really might’ve turned into fish food if it weren’t for ya. Great job! Candy Diver Cookie: ◇⚫◯!! Wailing Sounds: GRRRRRRRR!!

Black Pearl Cookie: Puny little Cookies…! ESCAPE FROM ME?! Black Pearl Cookie: Mark my words…! Black Pearl Cookie: Whenever you set sail in these waters, I’ll drag you into the abyss and turn you all into soggy crumbs! Black Pearl Cookie: THIS ISN’T THE END! YOU HEAR ME?!

Candy Diver Cookie: ፠፠፠… Captain Caviar Cookie: Scary… Captain Caviar Cookie: Well, I’m sure no Cookie will dare to venture into the Duskgloom Sea now that we know what lives here. Captain Caviar Cookie: Eh, I’m sorry that ya had to leave ya ship though. Ya’re not gonna go back, are ya? Candy Diver Cookie: ⬜⭗⚫! Captain Caviar Cookie: What? Ya’re leaving? Captain Caviar Cookie: Hmm. Good idea! I was never a fan of waiting around anyways. Sometimes ya gotta do it yaself! Captain Caviar Cookie: Now, let’s sail back to land and celebrate our safe return! Candy Diver Cookie: ⭗⚫◯◆~! Captain Caviar Cookie: So… er… About that helmet. Ya gonna keep it on? We’re no longer under the sea, ya know. Captain Caviar Cookie: C’mon! Don’t be shy! Candy Diver Cookie: △△△⭗?? Suspicious Noise: *Swish* *...Roll…*

Captain Caviar Cookie: ?!!?!!?!!!!! Captain Caviar Cookie: AAaaaaaaAAH! What in the world?!

Rookie Cookie: AAAAAAAAHH!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Ghost. Rookie Cookie: A ghost?! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Yep! Those who lost their dough to the sea wander around, looking for their new victim… Rookie Cookie: THE GHOST IS HERE?! AND WHAT?! Victim?! What victim? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: You bet… Lurking and waiting for poor souls that don’t deserve to sail the mighty seas… Waiting for a chance to take over their bodies… Rookie Cookie: Waaah… Captain Caviar Cookie: You had your fun, didn’t ya?! Anyways… That’s how my Duskgloom Sea Adventure ended. Rookie Cookie: Captain Caviar Cookie…! SIR! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: With a little bit of exaggeration, if you ask me! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: But, when you think about it… There’s no doubt the Duskgloom Sea is a dangerous place… Rookie Cookie: So what happened to Candy Diver Cookie? Did they find their friend? Captain Caviar Cookie: Why don’t you ask’em yourself? Republic Sailor Cookie 2: And for that, you better eat up to become a strong and mighty sailor! Republic Sailor Cookie 1: Alright, the sky’s clearing up now! Let’s get back to work! Republic Sailor Cookie 2: May we have the aspiring sailor get back to mopping the deck? Rookie Cookie: Ughhhh! Why am I always stuck with cleaning duty? When do I actually get to sail!?

Salty Shark Navigator: … Republic Sailor Cookie 2: Uh-uh! Looks like we already have a sailor cleaning up the deck? Oi, newbie! Get to work, or get off the boat! Rookie Cookie: You again! Stop working so hard! You’re taking all of MY work! Salty Shark Crew: …! Rookie Cookie: Just you wait! Rookie Cookie: I’ll become the greatest sailor there is, and I’ll go on a grand adventure like Captain Caviar Cookie! Salty Shark Navigator: …☆★☆!

[mommybard]

I-I would love it if you would transform me when I go into my new world Mommy🙈🙈🙈💗 -nastyprincessrosie

Warning right off the bat: This one is going to dive into cnc and watersports. If that isn’t your thing, I’d recommend skipping over this story. I understand that these kinks aren’t for everyone, and can be triggering, so I wanted to let you know ahead of time. These kinks were previously discussed between me and the asker to put into the story.

Oh I’ve been waiting for this one. And I’ve thought long and hard about just what to do with you~ I’ll be sending you to a fantasy world. Full of magic and wonder. Sounds nice, right~? And, just because you’re so adorable, I’m going to alter your body a bit before you go. You see, I’m planning on having you reincarnate into a royal family of elves. Long lived rulers of the land. And to do so, we’re just going to have to give you some cute, pointed ears. Hmm? Why does it feel like the magic affected other parts of your body? Must’ve just been your imagination...Awww, I’m too excited to keep it a secret. I’ll tell you now, and then take your memory so you won’t have any idea of what’s to come. You see, I’m going to give you a nice, cushy life for the first hundred years. Letting you grow up in the seat of luxury, a respected and educated princess. The perfect representation of the ideal of your kingdom. Their pride and joy, the realm’s greatest treasure~! Always kept at a safe distance though. A work of art to view from afar, not for the commoners to touch. The court won’t know why, of course, but they’ll just know it’s what’s best for you. Eventually though...mmm it’ll get too much. You’ll want to explore, to get to know the world, to see more of it than just what you read about in books. And that desire for more will be your downfall, Princess~ They’ll let you go on a trip to visit the great cities of the kingdom, to try to handle your wanderlust. Escorted heavily, of course. Have to keep the Princess safe. But...it won’t be enough. Your guards will be overwhelmed by a sudden invading army. A coalition of species sick of the way the elves look down on everyone, tired of getting pushed around and made to serve. They’ll want justice, they’ll want revenge. You’ll be brought before their leader as a prize~ A towering Amazonian orc paladin, one of my devoted~! Tossed into her tent, her followers laughing at how you stumble. That’s when it’ll hit you. That scent overwhelming your senses. Your mouth watering suddenly, your eyes becoming unfocused. You’ll find it harder to think, harder to process what’s going on. Just imagine what its like; her entire tent reeking of her sweat and cum~ You see, my magic~? What you felt all over your body~? You’ll be susceptible to dominating women. Ones who want to take you and break you. You can try to resist, of course, and I encourage you to try. Should make it more fun for her. But in the end, it’ll be useless. No matter how much you cry, how much you scream and shout, she will take you and make you hers, to send a message to your kingdom. And part of you...will like it. It’ll be easy to resist, at first at least. But the more she uses you, the more she forces you to degrade yourself for her and her army, the more she covers you inside and out with her cum, you’ll find your willpower being chipped away until it’s nonexistent. Until you start to give in, start to eagerly await her at the end of the day, start to try to drain her churning balls of all that pent up cum in the middle of the war meetings. Till you beg her to mark you as her own, pissing all over you so everyone will know who you belong to. Your body will warp with your mind as well. You’ll eventually be able to live off her cum and piss, reduced to the fucktoy you are. Your hips will swell to be the perfect breeding bitch for her. Your tits will grow fat with milk, enhancing her strength and drive whenever she drinks from you. You’ll be her perfect treasure~! And the crowning jewel of her rebellion~? Will be when she rides through the gates of the capital with you in her lap, fucking yourself on her thick girlcock, letting everyone see what’s become of their prized princess. Let them see that underneath it all, she’s nothing more than a broken slut begging to get used~! Can’t have you knowing that though, so I’ll just lock that memory away and...there we go~! You’re good to go sweetie. I hope you enjoy your new life as a royal. I’ll be watching you very closely~

[returnn-of-the-mac]

This is part 2 of this prompt asked by @thegamingduck88. There’s going to be one more part that’s going to take place several days later, when Sole has a prosthetic limb and has to learn how to walk again. No Codsworth, Ada, Strong, and Dogmeat to be found here. Thank you for your patience and please enjoy!

Part 1

Part 3

FO4 Companions React: Sole Losing Leg To a Mirelurk (Part 2)

Once they got Sole to shore, [companion] lay Sole down gently and investigated their injury. When they realized that an attempt to reattach the leg would be futile, they realized they would have to find another way to help Sole regain mobility.

MacCready:

“Well...this sucks. Leg reattachment isn’t going to work.” MacCready looked around and found a stick. He then used a plate, wonder glue, and a rope to make a stable peg leg for Sole, “Guess this junk wasn’t completely useless after all. Good call.”

Sole tried walking, but the leg kept sinking into the sand. MacCready put an arm around Sole and guided them to the raft they had taken to the island.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s something,” MacCready stated, “Practice makes perfect, right?”

Cait:

“Now what are we gonna do with ye?” Cait asked, her hands on her hips. “Yer helpless.“

An annoyed Sole tried to stand, but fell right back into the dirt.

Cait signed and held out her hand, which Sole graciously accepted.

“Look. I don’t know what where gonna do with ya, darlin. Ye can’t even stand on yer own two fe—er, one...foot. I can’t lug ye around like some kinda meat sack here, there, and everywhere.”

Sole stared sadly at their companion.

“Maybe we can find ye a doctor,” Cait suggested, “I don’t know how to help ye. I really don’t. But I’m going to try.”

Sole cracked a small smile, and Cait returned the gesture.

“There’re no doctors to be found on this island, so we havta go back to the mainland. We can come back once yer healthy again.”

The redhead scooped up Sole and placed them on a beached rowboat. She then hopped in and began paddling back to the Commonwealth.

Preston:

“I don’t think I can get that leg back on, General. I’m sorry,” Preston apologized, “But what you really need is medical attention. How about we get you to a doctor on the mainland.”

Sole sighed.

“We can come back when you’re better, don’t you worry about that,” Preston promised, “We just have to make sure you’re healthy. I think our best bet would probably be Greygarden. Those Mr. Handys and Ms. Nannys are adept at these kinds of things.”

Danse:

Danse sighed and gently helped Sole off their feet, putting an arm around them to stabilize them.

“The prognosis on your leg is bleak,” Danse began, “But I’ll take you to Cade and you‘ll be all right. He’s an expert at dealing with these injuries. It is not uncommon for our soldiers to lose limbs.”

Sole frowned at the news, and Danse sensed their disappointment.

“Proctor Ingram is missing a leg as well,” the Paladin reminded his companion, “And individuals don’t usually notice until she points it out. She has custom power armor and a high-quality prosthetic limb that was specially crafted for her. You will receive the same treatment, soldier. It’ll be alright.”

With that, Danse partially lifted Sole and leaned them against his body, helping them sit upright as he flared to a nearby Vertibird for help.

Hancock:

“That leg is in pretty rough shape, my friend,” Hancock admitted. He thought for a moment. “I mean all I can really do now is offer you some chems and bring you back to Goodneighbor to see Doctor Amari.”

Sole sighed.

“I know that’s not what you wanna hear, [brother/sister], but that’s the best option we’ve got. You don’t want that leg getting infected, do you? If that were to happen...that’s a whole cesspool of shit that you don’t wanna deal with. Trust me.”

Hancock wrapped an arm around Sole, helping them to their feet. He guided them to a beached rowboat.

“The good news is that we know where Spectacle Island is now, so we can always come back when you recover.”

Deacon:

“That leg isn’t coming back on, pal,” Deacon stated, “Sadly, humans aren’t as easy to put back together as Mr. Pumpkin Heads.”

He looked around, almost immediately spotting the beached rowboat.

“Leaving you here isn’t an option, obviously. It’s against the tiny print of our contract,” Deacon joked.

An unamused Sole squinted.

“Hey, hey! I’m only teasing! I wouldn’t even think of abandoning you here; I’m not a Brotherhood member, after all! We’re all bog dysfunctional family, right?”

Deacon helped Sole to their feet and guided them to the rowboat, “I’m going to bring you back to the HQ. Those guys know more than I do when it comes to this kinda medical mumbo-jumbo.”

Piper:

“Oh Blue you’re leg...it isn’t good,” Piper states, biting her lip, “I don’t think we’re gonna be able to save it.”

She mournfully looked at Sole, and then scanned the area for anything she could use to aid them.

“What you need is a doc, Blue. Someone with medical training. And that’s not me, sadly. We can probably use that little boat over there to get you back to Diamond City. Dr. Sun is good at what he does.”

Piper helped Sole to their feet and guided them to the rowboat. She struggled a bit before noticing a large stick on the ground.

“Blue, here. Why don’t you use this stick as a can and put some of your weight on it,” the reporter suggested, “I’m a journalist, not a body builder you know.”

Curie:

“Hmm. This is going to be...um...tricky,” Curie began, stroking her chin, “The salt water— or maybe the time it took for us to get to shore— made the leg near impossible to reattach. I sincerely apologize, [Madame/Monsieur].”

She sat in the sand, dumping all the contents of she and Sole’s bags on the ground. She picked around their combined inventory for nearly an hour, pulling out various odds and ends. When she was finished, she turned to Sole, purified water, Med-X, and stimpack in hand.

“I will be making a prosthetic limb out of what I was able to scavenge —giddyup butter cup legs, gears, other items— and I will be attaching it,” Curie gently held Sole’s hand, “I will use Stimpacks to help you through the process, and Med-X as anesthesia so you do not have to see or feel anything.”

Sole gulped and Curie giggled.

“No need to panic, had a been a human , I would have had the equivalent of a— PhD, is it? I would have been one of the most certified medical specialists in the Commonwealth. You are safe. Do not fret, [Madame/Monsieur].”

X6-88:

“You need professional medical assistance, [sir/ma’am],” X6 plainly stated, “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’m going to transport you to the Institute.”

Sole frowned.

“[Sir/Ma’am], I don’t think you fully understand the magnitude of this situation. That injury is severe. If it were to get infected, you would die. No doubt about it,” the Courser continued, “The Institute has among the most certified medical professionals around. All operations are also undergone in a safe, sterile environment to minimize the risk of infection. Are you ready to go, [sir/ma’am]?”

Sole nodded and X6 approached them. He wrapped an arm around them helping them to their feet and teleported them to the Institute.

Nick:

“Sorry to break it to you pal, but I’m going to be frank: there is no way that leg is going back on. It’s just too risky.”

Sole fought back tears, frustrated by the news.

The detective sensed their anguish and sat down next to them. “Hey, don’t feel defeated, now,” he reassured, “Do you know how many times I’ve had to be repaired? And I think I’m still pretty damn good at what I do.”

Sole took a deep breath, slightly comforted by their companion’s support.

“Now let’s get you into that rowboat and back to the Commonwealth. Dr. Amari can probably fix you right up. We can come back and establish this settlement once you’re feeling better, alright?”

Sole nodded in agreement and Nick helped them to their feet. He put his arm around Sole’s waist and carefully guided them back to the boat.

Longfellow:

“Hm. That’s quite the leg injury you’ve got yourself there,” Longfellow commented, “Now, I’m not a medic. I don’t have the slightest clue how to even approach this operation. I’ll I know is that I need my magic water.”

Longfellow took a swing of his whiskey and offered some to Sole, “Might help ya hurt less.”

The old man thought for a moment. “I suppose we could get you to the Mariner via,” Longfellow sloppily pointed his whiskey in the direction of the tiny rowboat, “Her.”

Sole nodded and Longfellow helped them into the rowboat.

“All hands hoy! Yes? Very good; anchors aweigh!”

Gage:

“Boss I ain’t gotta clue how to reattach ya leg over here. Hell, I don’t even know anyone competent enough to even reattach that sucker.”

The raider picked up the leg and studied it. He grimaced, and tossed it into the water. Sole gasped.

“We ain’t gonna be needin that anymore. Mirelurk food,” Gage shrugged, “What? Just bein honest, boss. What’re we gonna do? Mount it?”

The raider approached his companion, picked them up, and slung them over his shoulder, “Whatcha need is not me bullshittin around tryna pop in a limb that ain’t gonna connect. Ya feel? Ya need the real deal. I’m sure ya got some fellas in at least one of your settlements that’s a bona fide Doc.”

Gage plopped Sole beside him in the middle of the rowboat and began paddling to the Commonwealth.

[masked-disciple]

For the ask game, the three judges?

Wyvern Rhadamanthys

General opinion: I like him! It’s hard to really mess with his character because canon did the best job with him. There’s not that much that you can really say canon fucked up, he’s aggressively a lawful neutral paladin who runs on his own rules when anything is called into question, and is very, very much a dragon. He’s fun!

OTP: I ship him with his harem. :p That is to say: Valentine, Sylphide, Queen, Gordon, Myu, and Sage. I also ship him with Alcmene a little, but tbh I don’t think he’s into girls at all, which he shares with Minos, so she’s solidly in bff territory. And yeah, Minetos too. 

BROTP: This one goes to him and his brothers, as well as his Mirrorverse relationship with Lugonis, which is fun to mess with, since Rhada’s like “Hey you’re 20 years my senior but you saved my life so I can’t decide if I want you to be the dad I never actually got to have or if I want to fuck you” and Lugonis is cheerfully oblivious. I also super enjoy his relationships with Wyvern Rose and Anthora, of course.

Unpopular opinion: Push comes to shove and hell on high water, he’d pick his harem over Hades. He did what he did in TLC because he knew they’d all come back for Classic, in the same way Queen was okay with killing Gordon. They know, all right? They know it’s just a ‘see you next round, I love you’ at this point. But if he was losing one of them permanently, he wouldn’t pick Hades. He loves Hades, yeah, but he’s closer to his harem. Push comes to shove, they come first. 

One thing I would’ve changed: Fuck you make RhadaVal canon. Also Give. Him. Horns!!!

Garuda Aiacos

General opinion: Ugh. I love him. See, canon never really did all that much with him, which means he’s just full o’ potential! All canon did was make him a typical card-carrying villain, and they did every other Spectre with such love that I really think it’s ridiculous he got such the short end of the stick. But if you let me write him, well. Aiacos is so much fun.

OTP: Aiacos/Shion fuck you it’s hot and I win. Basically, LaurelineRiva, bless her and curse her, teased me with these two fuckers in What Your Soul Sings before love triangle’ing them with Sisyphus. And then Bird decided to give me some angsty oneshots with them. And then I was like “wait they actually have really good chemistry?” and my Mirrorverse headcanons of them separate actually made them work better together. So. Yeah. Love Them.

BROTP: Other than the judge trio, Aiacos goes best with Kagaho! I don’t work with Violate much, mostly because I don’t know enough of her arc, but he and Kagaho make a scary good brotp when not pitted against each other. I don’t like that they made Kagaho replace Aiacos, he’s just lieutenant and that’s how it is. Put together and working together, they’re so, so good. 

Unpopular opinion: I don’t ship him with Violate, and I don’t think him ruling entirely through fear is the best way to handle his character. 

One thing I would’ve changed: ...most of his character arc. His egomania is way better as a farce. Seriously, if you just realize that most Spectres have to be pretty damn traumatized, and think how that would apply to Aiacos, well. You’ve got a man that laughs at the world to keep it from hurting him, who agrees with every bad thing said about him because it’s the only way to cope. In that light, he’s such a tragedy, and he’s a cruel, beautiful one. Once you make him actually goddamn self-aware, he’s got so much more depth.

Griffon Minos

General opinion: Trash boy. Garbage boy stinkman. I fucking love him.

OTP: ...Take a wild-ass guess. :p I could go on and on about his chemistry with Albafica if you don’t straight up make Minos a rapist. Don’t make it weird. They can be an unhealthy couple in other ways, but don’t. Don’t do that. Fuck you canon I can write them better.

BROTP: Lune and Byaku! I’ve written them both and it’s so, so good, especially in Mirrorverse when they both get to watch their Judge slowly go mad and they can’t stop him. It’s cruel, and perfect, and they’ll always be there, and he’ll always be there even when they don’t think he’ll be. They don’t always get along, but they’re so good.

Unpopular opinion: I actually like his cruelty, I just wish it wasn’t so sexual in nature. Also, the man’s a bottom. Simple-as-fucking-that.

One thing I would’ve changed: Make his cruelty less sexual in nature. Even better, let someone else make it sexual and have him be all like “don’t make it weird, bro” and that’s it, you’ve fixed his character. Mirrorverse!Minos is such a goddamn tragedy, and really you just gotta wonder how a guy gets that fucked up (and ignore the noncon entirely) and suddenly, hmm. Potential.

(askgame here!)

[jq37]

so...... thoughts on the first ep?

**spoilers for start spreading the news**

What is UP you guys? The new season of Dimension 20 is out and your girl is back (implies I left, which is false) with only the hottest of takes.

Usually I vomit up my opinions with little rhyme or reason and, don't worry, I'm not changing that format any time soon. But, because of the structure of the episode, I think it'll be easier to use headings and go through each character/element of this. So let's do this y'all!

The Setting

I think the best thing you can do as a writer or a creative person in general is the make something that only you could make, you know? Like, make the thing that only someone with your specific life experiences and weird brain could have come up with. And I really think that this is that for Brennan. I already talked about this in other posts, but the version of NYC that Brennan created for this game is that to me. Like, magical NY has been done, but the specific details? Who else could have written, "The annual SantaCon is actually Santa dumping all of his defective clones into NYC where the magic barrier that keeps normals from seeing magic will disguise them and the protectors of the city will be able to deal with them"? That's so specific and so wild and so New York and so Brennan.

And I haven't lived in NY for so long but I've had one winter here and the way he describes what it's like to walk down the street during winter in the city is so real. Like smelling garbage then laundry detergent then sugared nuts from those corner stands and you're freezing and then baking in the subway in your coat. That was so so real. (I will be saying this phrase a lot so get used to it now)

And I like that he didn't make the obvious choices, you know? Like we've had three, like, magical figureheads across D20 and those are usually classic old, white, possibly British roles, you know? Like a Gandalf or a Dumbledore. But he had Aguefort in FH and now Esther and Alejandro in TUS. I just think it's cool that we're getting some different archetypes to fill these roles instead of the same dude c.p'd in again, you know?

Also, the fantasy NYC map is so dope. I wanna go back and try to read everything on it when I have the chance. 

Pete

Ally is a DRUG DEALER. I thought Pete was gonna be a stripper but he's a DRUG DEALER. Honestly, I could have figured this out sooner if I'd just checked Urban Dictionary like I did just now and found out that "plug" means "someone who is a resource for obtaining something valuable that would otherwise be difficult to obtain" or, more simply, "drug dealer". But I'm glad I didn't because it was much more fun to find out in real time.

Ally makes some character choices sometimes that are too specific to not be rooted in life experience and that whole microwave cheese monologue was one of them.

Pete's official diagnosis is that he has "a lot going on."

Ally almost won MVP line of the episode with, "Shot my tits off." Murph losing it in the background killed me almost more than the actual line.

I really, really want Pete's doctor to be a recurring character because he is wild in how wild he isn't. He has so much wild stuff happening around him and he is in a wild line of work but he seems like a relatively stable guy. I love him. Also, the completely wrong cadence he used to say, "lgbt ally" was gold.

Is Ally ever gonna have a character with a good relationship with their parents? One time? Ever?

I literally don't even know how to begin to address the wild magic trip Pete went on. Like, I don't think Ally knew what they were doing when they decided to be a wild magic sorcerer. I don't think they knew what kind of challenge they were issuing to Brennan. And after seeing the wild nonsense Brennan consistently came up with for Jer'ih'meh in Bloodkeep, I can't want to see the insanity he spits out for Pete.

"You're the one who they they wanted to play a wild magic sorcerer."

Also, Brennan just using lyrics from "New York, New York" for whatever dream demon or whatever was going on in that trip was, like, equal parts clever and hilarious. Sidenote, do you think all the ep titles are gonna be from songs about NY? I mean, there are enough songs I bet.

Pete has this thing where he constantly lands on the exact wrong part of the situation to focus on. Like later when he gets stuffed in the magic closet at the hospital and he's like, "Hospitals are so advanced, also go much is this gonna cost?" Ally's comic timing on that is always perfect.

WILD that that was the first intro. Like, way to kick off the new season with a bang.  I really wonder what this episode would have felt like if this was the last intro or if the intro for the two normal people hadn’t been right at the top. Actually now that I’m editing, I feel like we almost got the intros from least experienced w/ this stuff to most experienced. Because Pete is a total noob. Sophia is also a noob but she has met Kugrash at least once. Then you have Ricky who’s only been in this for about a year. Then Kingston who probably has more experience than Kug by years but Kug has been a rat man his whole life (presumably). Finally Misty who is probably like a BS amount of years old and steeped in this stuff. Honestly,  if I was DM’ing, I might have fudged the die rolls to look exactly like how it turned out. 

Sophia

Emily describing her character and slipping into her character voice gradually as she went on was so pro.

"Like if Fran Dresher went on an Amy Winehouse bender." I love her.

"Did you not want baby bangs?"

"She's a WHOO-OAR."

I'm gonna die if Brennan make than woman an actual succubus because of an offhanded comment.

My favorite thing is when Emily is saying some nonsense and she can barely even get through it without breaking. Also, Murph is so visibly amused by Emily's entire intro. It's great.

I love that both of the "normal" characters spent most of this episode intoxicated in one way or another.

So Emily absolutely won the episode in my eyes for coming up with one of the sickest burns I've heard and in real time. A dude tells her to read his dick and she, after only a momentary pause, says, "No I'm not gonna read your dick (beat) because I don't read short stories!" Brennan doesn't even make her roll. He just narrates her success. The table goes wild. The bar she's at goes wild. Zac specifically is cracking up. Like, I feel like this is gonna be a little bit of a deep cut reference but did any of you ever play the Monkey Island games and do the insult swordfighting? That's what that scene was. Amazing.

Murph's, like, entire posture and expression (@ 1:24ish) when Emily is saying Sophia thinks she saw a giant rat man who gave her an egg sandwich and Gatorade is total gold.

"Gotta kill some brain cells to kill the ones with the memory of Dale in them."

OK so funny story (funny to me at least) at the Fantasy High live show, I was talking to some other girls who were there and we ended up talking about how the small of a woman's back is basically the worst place you can casually touch them outside of the really bad places and how viscerally terrible it is so when Brennan said one of the trolls touched one of the girls there and Sophie/Emily was like BIG NOPE, I had a That's So Raven flashback to that conversation immediately.

Emily leaps into action...and rolls a nat 1 to fight a bunch of trolls. She actually does really well in the rest of the fight though so that's good.  

Oh, also Siobhan made everyone dope themed dice boxes!

Ricky

I hope Dimension 20 runs for the next 10 years and I hope Zac plays a good, big, doofus in every single season.

"He's basically like Superman if Superman were Japanese." Love.

Also, I love the distinction that he's 5' 8" but buff.

Ricky surrounded by a raging fire: First of all, that's a cool bear.

I like the way that Brennan skinned the cleric and paladin powers for this game so they're more about values than deities. I was wondering how it was gonna work in this setting and I think this was such a cool way to handle it.  

I really think Brennan has a great handle of presenting certain things in such a way that it's interesting for the players as well as the audience. Like, when Ricky is trying to escape the burning apartment, he puts an obstacle in his way that forces him to use his Paladin powers (to create water specifically). It's not really a hard "puzzle" or something he has to roll for, but it introduces to the audiences that he's not just a firefighter. I just think it's really cool that he's able to pull off narrative things like that without actually controlling the characters. (And, props to the players too, of course, for being so consistently entertaining).

"Mr. March."

Ricky in the middle of the winter: I'm not as tan as I used to be.

Ricky rooftop runs like a freaking superhero.

OK, this is barely related to what I'm talking about right now but it's important to me that you all know this. I commented in an earlier post that Ricky clearly had circus music playing in his head at all times and then I was like, "Hmm, I wonder what that one circus song is called." You know, the song that you think about immediately when you hear the phrase "circus music" so I looked it up and APPARENTLY it is a CZECH MILITARY MARCH known alternately as (brace yourselves) ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS and THUNDER AND BLAZES. I kid you not. That's actually what that song is called. I called my brother and told him immediately. OK, back on topic.

Is a questing blade a thing? I feel like it's a Thing from legend or fairy tales or something but, when I Google it, I come up with basically nothing.

Does Ricky have a thing for Esther or is he just a super awkward texter and nice guy who does not want to be set up by his sister for a different reason?

I need Brennan to explain how the Santa Question works in this world. The question being, "Why don't parents freak about the gifts they're not buying?" and, side question, "Why don't poor kids get presents?" My go-to answers are always, "He Jedi Mind Tricks into thinking they bought them," and, "He has to work within each family's socio-economic means in order to not be obvious." So there are def plausible answers. But, like, this is something I like to see addressed when we're doing the "Santa is real," thing.  

"I grew up with twins and one of them was worse than the others so that makes sense."

"Is Santa good?"/"The ethics of it are alarming, I won't lie."

So, my paranoid thought for this episode is I'm a little Concerned that someone down the line (maybe Esther, but hopefully not) is going to take advantage of Ricky's Big Dumb energy and his "It's the right thing to do," mentality and manipulate him into doing something Not Great. Like, it's not based on anything besides mainlining a ton of media over the past 24 years but I'm just gonna keep an eye out.

Re the Santa/Peppermint Zombification: Hey Brennan, turn your location on. I just wanna talk.

I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, what the hell?

That creeped me out in the same way that episode of Adventure time where Princess Bubblegum (infused with the primal elemental candy energy or whatever) turned everyone into Candy people and everyone started singing Let Me Call You Sweetheart. What a weirdly specific body horror thing for me to encounter more than once. That one peppermint tooth thing is gonna haunt me. 

Kingston

I gotta say, props to Lou for pulling a complete 180 on the kind of character he picked this time around. He went from playing this super extra rich pretty boy to this salt of the Earth quasi patriarch and he's just as comfortable with it. Kingston is so real. I went to church with like 50 guys like him back home.

Why are you fighting so hard about free food Kingston? Take the free homecooked food Kingston!

The intensity of his, "I will be here until I die," was hysterical.

Mentioned this before but I love the flavoring of the cleric class where instead of being attuned to a deity Kingston is basically attuned to the entire city. Also, the perks are excellent. Bus service anywhere for free. Sign me up.

I like that Ricky's sister works at the hospital. It's a really cool potential connection for later.

"We're gonna take the thing outchyo butt. We're not gonna deny you medical services."

"Aint nothing wrong with being a freak." --Kingston Brown

Fantasy creatures having to deal with updated tech (like the Toll bridge trolls talking about EZ-passes) is one of my fave urban fantasy tropes.

"I've got a really sweet smelling man here!"

"Yeah, my tooth fell out and now it's a candy. Hey, how much is this gonna cost?" This is what I’m talking about. Priorities my dude.

I love that Kingston knows Pete's weird mob doctor. It seems like part of his deal is that he just knows everything about everyone in the city (within whatever parameters).

Pete says, in quick succession about Ricky, "I feel like he would bully me," and, "He seems like a golden retriever," which I feel are almost mutually exclusive statements.

Kugrash

Well, I asked what kind of druid nonsense was happening in Central Park and the answer is Murph apparently.

I really wish I could have been there when Murph announced he wanted to play a literal rat.

"I am the shit that feeds the flies. A dumpster druid."

"Wherever you are rat Jesus, I love you." You're killing me Brennan.

Aww Kugrash goes around feeding the homeless and stuff. He's like this grumpy ass rat man who really cares about the community.

"Santa you fucking bum." --Kugrash

"I'm sorry are you a rat?"

The idea of a roach with a hobo sack pisses me off because it's adorable but roaches are the worst.

"Is Santa dead?"/"I don't know. I'm not religious."

"Santa Claus is real and he's DEAD."

Brennan loves to use the modifiers "full" and "fully" and I have picked it up irl and in my writing.

"Let's get a little fucked up and go see if Santa's dead!"

Just that whole squirrel interaction.

The sixth borough huh? Interesting. I see you Brennan.

Also, the detail that Kug's clothes are made from old MTA vests is great.

Misty

Siobahn is playing basically exactly the character I thought she'd be playing but she's doing it so much better and more extra than I could have imagined.

"A lady would never say her age, so I won't."

Is her pianist magic or something too? I have my suspicions.

So Misty gets some kind of bard and/or fairy high from praise and adoration which is interesting.

What kind of weird, morally dubious and/or unpleasant fae thing is Misty gonna have to do soonish? It's not gonna be good. Fae stuff never is.

DON CONFETTI

"I don't study magic. I just *am* magic."

So many of these intro vignettes end with, "You don't know that...but you do know who does." Like I said before, I really love the weaving together of all the story threads to get everyone in the same place at the same time in an organic feeling way.

Also he makes all these transitions sound cinematic, like he's writing the description parts of a movie script and not narrating in person.

Public Library! I knew we'd end up here eventually but I didn't know it'd be pretty much immediately. Like, if you're going w/ the "NY is magic" premise, the library has to figure in, you know?

Emily immediately having Sophia recognize Ricky as Mr. March was such a funny and on point character decision. I love how one-off, spur of the moment lines end up being running jokes because other players pick on them and drop them an hour later.

"Are you a rat?"/"Yeah, I'm a rat man!"/"I'm sorry if that was rude."

Brennan: The lions are alive and they're boyfriends.

Misty and Siobhan both are genre savvy enough to want to nip a knights/knave door puzzle situation in the bud.

Ricky on escape rooms: I'm not very good at them but I can definitely try my hardest. (Guys, I love him so much.)

Love me some MC Escher steps.

Underrated Misty line: It's all infernal to me.

Misty's little, "Ugh" at learning they have to go to Times Square is the real NY experience.

Is this Alejandro dude gonna die? What's the over under on this dude eating it very soon?

Misty encouraging Pete to shoot Alejandro is so needlessly chaotic which is a common fae trait and I really hope this escalates.

I dunno what Murph rolled for initiative but he looks like he just shamed his entire family line.

And we’re fighting an army of crazed Santa clones next week! We have literally just started and we are already fully off the rails.  I cannot *wait* to see where we go from here if this is the *starting point*. 

[linipik]

raencats replied to your post “I can see Lance yelling something cool before transformation starts....”

Thanks for answering mine! How about when Shiro yells FORM VOLTRON they just yell out the colors? Like lance yells BLUE and later with the lion swap RED and adds in a GO just cus he’s lance.

I love the double chant, It makes a lot of sense...with all and the FORM Voltron from Shiro !!!

n3x1r3 replied to your post “I can see Lance yelling something cool before transformation starts....”

Hmm... what about "Water spirit, rise up!" "Fire spirit, ablaze!" Earth spirit, rumble!" "Forest spirit, bloom!" and I don't know what can go with Shiro's spirit... But yeah, that's what comes to mind looking at that secuence for Lance's transformation.

THIS IS PERFECT!! I can see it being the one for a sentai force of the paladins after they transform uwu <3 thanks

[balmerancrystalance]

good for the soul ryance hcs

adam is giving the mfe pilots instructions but the second the pretty boy with the blue eyes and bright smile comes out of the pod the world stops

adam: was i clear, cadet?

kinkade: i'm so gay

rizavi, under her breath, offended: wow, bi erasure much?

adam: become a teacher they said, it’ll be fun they said. fuck you, takashi

cue to shiro lightly tapping adam’s shoulder

iverson introduces the paladins and pilots and lance calls kinkade “ryan”

rizavi, being the godsend she is: actually, he’s not comfortable with people calling him-

kinkade, blushing: its okay, really *turning to lance* you can call me ryan

the mfe pilots might be in the middle of an alien war but that had to be at the top 5 of most unbelievable things they've ever seen

leifsdottir: it’s not humanly possible but you just might be blushing about 50 shades of red right now *turning to rizavi* d-did i used the reference right?

rizavi, on the floor: you got it, babygirl

griffin wheezing noises in the background

kinkade goes to visit lance at his hospital room after war is over, lance pretending to be asleep just to see how ryan will deal with his mom alone, his plan backfiring him when the beeping of his heart going into cardiac arrest coming from the machine betrayes him when the word "hero" comes from the other boy's lips

lance goes to shiro with his mayhaps-mayhaps-not boy problems

lance: i thought nothing could scare me anymore, i mean i died and everything but now a pretty boy smiles at me and i feel like i’m gonna be sick

shiro: yOU fUCkING DiEd??!!!?!!?!!

since his talk with shiro almost ended up on him dying, again, lance goes to adam, he doesn’t get that much help but b OI does he has enough material to blackmail shiro now

desperate times call for desperate measures

lance: you have to promise not to tell anyone but... i think ryan likes me...? and i think i like him too...?

keith, stopping halfway his knife trick:

keith: and they say i'm the dense one? jfc its like adam and shiro all over again

lance is telling ryan voltron stories, and ryan it’s a great listener of course, but just objectifies he’s having a hard time believing lance piloted a giant robotic alien lion

lance, before he realizes what he's saying: i could show you around sometime

kinkade, smirking: are you offering me a ride?

lance, after rebooting for the 5th time that night: only if you say yes

spolier alert ahead: he says yes

lance: you'll have to be careful tho, red isn't very-

red’s jaw drops at the sight of kinkade just like everyone else

lance: ...friendly

kinkade, already getting inside: hey, you coming?

lance, staring at the red lion for solid 5 seconds: traitor

dudes pals bros who train together...

kinkade, panting: okay, you might be good at shooting and sparring but i'm sure there's something i'm better at

sponge bob narrator's voice: a few moments later

kinkade, pining lance to the ground: hm, who knew you'd be so bad at hand on hand combat? i win, again

lance, smirking: i got you pinning me down so who's the real winner here

lance asking kinkade for advice because he could listen to him talk forever, and if takes pride he's the only one ryan says more than two words to no one needs to know

lance: nice work out there, sharpshooter

pidge, confused: i thought sharpshooter was your thing?

lance, sighing dreamily watching as ryan walks away: he’s about to be

one day shiro beckons kinkade over after training

kinkade, mocking: is this the part where we have the "you break his heart, i break your neck" talk, commander?

shiro: hmm, i didn't even thought about it but now that you mention it *shiro's arm glow*

one night while doing his perimeter check kinkade bumps into lance stargazing at the garrison's rooftop

lance, smirking: hey, you come here often?

kinkade: umm, we take turns to do our night rounds and i'm in charge of this wing today

lance, after going over the garrison pilots' schedules with hunk and pidge ten thousand times: oh, i didn't knew that

another night kinkade walks into the showers late at night after training, immediately stopping dead on his tracks

someone is s i n g i n g

someone is s i n g i n g in the s h o w e r s

someone is s i n g i n g in s p a n i s h in the s h o w e r s

lance, walking out of the shower: ah! oh, ryan, you scared me! *blushes looking away tightening his altean robe around himself* sorry, i'm still not used to share with so many people after being stuck in space, and i come from a huge family like-wow, okay, i'm rambling again. so, i'm just gonna-

kinkade, turning to take off his shirt, not being able to look at lance in the eye: you have a beautiful voice, lance

*lance.exe has stopped working for so many reasons*

lance beaming when ryan asks him the next day what song he was singing, making his way downtown walking fast and into his room to look for his ancient mp4 where his childhood playlist was intact and giving it to him

lance’s heart screaming in two different languages when ryan asks him to share headphones so lance can translate the songs for him

they try to learn spanish together but both get awfully distracted

lance convinces ryan to do beauty masks with him because, bonding of course, and if he gets to touch the other boy while doing so he won’t complain

kinkade, who has been bullied when little, thrives as lance keeps rambling about how cool his hair is and how beautiful his skin tone is

kinkade: you do know you don't need these, right? or cover up your freckles? or straighten your hair? or pretend you don't use reading glasses?

lance, thanking god the mask won't let his blush show: h-how?

kinkade, quickly looking away: i just like observing people

hunk and ryan become cooking buddies and that’s the law

hunk, leaving the room: and whatever you do, don't let lance lick the spoon

lance, indeed, immediately goes for the spoon

kinkade: lance...

lance, licking the spoon: yes, ryan?

*kinkade.exe has stopped working*

lance knows both the paladins and the mfe would rat him out so literally his only choice is

lance: come on, veronica. i need you to work with me here

veronica: lance, for the last time, my knowledge on the mfe pilots is strictly academic so no, i don't know if kinkade enjoys romcoms, long walks on the beach and deep talks about his future

they're hanging out at lance's old room, with the door open because lance’s mom says so, when ryan finally notices the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling

kinkade, snorting: oh my god. you were that kind of nerd *they both giggle then stay in silence* how was it like? *turns to lance* to see real ones?

lance: if there's something i've learned from space is that everything is more beautiful up close

kinkade, looking at lance: yeah..

its movie night for team garrison/team voltron but certain pair is mia

pidge at the mfe: wait, if lance isn't with you...

rizavi at the paladins: and kinkade isn't with you...

allura, entering the room: has any of you seen the blue lion?

meanwhile on what was left of varadero beach after the war

lance, walking into the water with his jeans rolled up: i've been dying to come here since since i got back, it looks so different, but still so beautiful. i’m glad you accepted to come with me

as if out of a fucking nicholas sparks book, it starts to rain, and fuck if it isn’t perfect because lance looks so fucking happy and ryan is just weak

kinkade, watching as lance dances under the rain: hey, lance? speaking of things we've been dying to do since you got back

lance, turning to him, smiling: yeah?

kinkade takes lance’s hand to pull him in a twirl and finally kissing him, loosing his balance and falling into the water when lance immediately kisses him back

bonus

keith, sitting upside down on the couch playing video games: lance, how do you get a boyfriend?

lance, pausing the game to look at him dead in the eye: keith, my man, the fact i'm dating ryan doesn't mean i have any idea of what the fuck i'm doing

[beaconfantasies]

After an intense round of training both Pyrrha 'joking' offers to Jaune to share a shower to clean up together. To her surprise he accepts. And now things are looking up for her.

Here ya go! Sorry if it’s a little more fluffy than smutty, I just love Arkos.

The two partners entered their dorm quietly, as not to wake up their teammates. They had just gotten back from a private lesson and had worked up quite a sweat.

“Thanks again for giving me private lessons Pyrrha,” Jaune said as he took off his armor.

The redhead beamed at him. “No problem! You’ve really been improving.”

“Only because I have such a good teacher.” Jaune sighed as he folded up his hoodie. His partner blushed at this compliment.

“T-thanks…” She quickly hid her face as to avoid any further embarrassment. She decided to change the subject. “Man, I could go for a shower right now.”

“Me too,” Jaune replied, “Too bad there’s only one in the dorm.”

“Well, we could share…” Pyrrha muttered under her breath.

“Sure, why not?” Jaune answered. Pyrrha’s heart nearly stopped. Not only did her crush hear the embarrassing thing she said, but he was okay with it. Was she dreaming?

“W-what?” She stammered.

“Pyrrha, I grew up with seven sisters, most of which I’ve taken showers with. It’s not like I don’t know what’s down there.” The paladin reasoned. “Besides, it’ll save water and time.”

Pyrrha felt high. She really was at a loss for words. She didn’t even notice when they entered the bathroom and got into their underwear.

“Pyrrha? You alright?” Jaune asked as he stripped down to his boxers.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! Of course.” Pyrrha responded. Her eyes wandered over Jaune’s form. His muscles really had begun to develop as their training progressed. The boy was ripped! But when he took off his boxers finally, Pyrrha felt like she could die happy. His cock was a good 6 inches, but it was flaccid now. It was thick, veiny, and had just the right amount of hair. It was everything the amazon had ever dreamed of.

“Aren’t you going to get undressed?” Jaune nonchalantly asked. Pyrrha didn’t even respond. She just took off her bra and panties and kept on staring. Jaune had started up the shower and was testing out the water, when suddenly, Pyrrha hugged him from behind.

“P-Pyrrha! What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing.” She responded, on the verge of tears. “Nothings wrong. Everything’s perfect.”

“Uhh…okay,” Jaune said, extremely confused. “So why are you- “

“Jaune, I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time.” Pyrrha blurted out. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone else in my life, and I want to be with you forever.”

A moment of silence passed between the two. Jaune was in utter shock, and Pyrrha was partially terrified, partially relieved that she got that off her chest.

“You…have a crush on me?” Jaune answered finally.

“Of course. You treated me like a person rather than a celebrity. No one else has ever seen me like that. I wanted to return the favor in some way, and as our training has gone on, I’ve started falling more and more for you.” Pyrrha confessed, her emotions now spilling out uncontrollably.

“So…do you still want to shower?” Jaune asked. Pyrrha was taken aback by this.

“W-what?”

“Well, are you comfortable with taking a shower with me after a confession like that?” He replied.

Pyrrha smiled. He was so thoughtful!

“No, I still want to rinse off the sweat.” She answered.

So they climbed into the shower and began cleaning themselves. Jaune offered to scrub Pyrrha’s hair and back, to which she gladly accepted. A few minutes passed before either of them said anything.

“So Jaune…do you still see me as a ‘just a friend?’” She asked. Jaune thought for a moment, before saying

“Well, kind of. You’re probably the best friend I have at Beacon, but I can’t deny how beautiful, strong, brave, selfless, amazing, gorgeous…” Jaune trailed off. Pyrrha’s blush grew deeper than the red of her hair.

“Okay, I guess I kinda have a crush on you too…” Jaune smirked nervously. Pyrrha giggled before leaning in to kiss him. He was surprised a bit but quickly melted into it. His hands soon grasped at her hips, pulling her close to him. She felt his cock pressing into her leg and getting stiff. Pyrrha trailed kisses down his neck and chest before facing his cock head on. (no pun intended)

She began licking the tip before taking it into her mouth. Jaune put his hand on her head to guide her and help her pick up the pace a bit. However, he never forced her down more than she was willing to go. She put her hand on his thigh to stabilize herself. It wasn’t long before Jaune came in her mouth.

“Sorry, I came too soon.” Jaune apologized. Pyrrha waved this off, saying it wasn’t a big deal. She got back on her feet and embraced Jaune.

“I love you…” She whispered in his ear. Then she felt something touch her thigh. She looked down and realized it was Jaune’s cock. Somehow it had gotten hard again. Jaune then pushed her against the wall and frenched her hard. Pyrrha was taken by surprise. Where did this come from? Not that she was complaining or anything. Soon Jaune lined up his cock against her pussy and whispered in her ear.

“You ready?” Pyrrha nodded

“Just go slowly…” She moaned. He obliged, slowly sliding his ten-inch cock into her. Pyrrha gasped out as her virginity was taken. She wrapped her arms around her lover’s body as she moaned his name. For the next half hour, Jaune rammed Pyrrha into the wall with his member. With every thrust, he got faster and more confident. Soon Pyrrha reached her climax, and Jaune was soon to follow, pulling out just in time to come all over her stomach. The two panted, covered in sweat and cum. Pyrrha smiled and pecked her new boyfriend’s cheek.

“So…how about we finish up our shower?” She asked.

[tangyss]

have any headcanons for lance?

OH MAN DO I HAVE LANCE HEADCANONS!!! here are some soft, kind of random ones just for u

lance would be that one human that literally all animals love. he’s like a capybara. no matter how dangerous the animal, they all feel really safe and chill around him and just.. stroll up to him and sit on his lap or smth lol, and at this point lance is just like “cool” and scratches the back of their head or runs his fingers through their fur

lance had gotten into the habit of buying treats for animals he finds on the street. he has a whole selection and has looked into what animals are allowed to eat what

he gets a little homesick seeing the empty packet of cat treats in his pocket, and he hopes tiffany the stray cat and her kittens are doing okay without his daily visits

he loves animals too.. after working on the farm, he’s found animals so calming to be around and watching all the different ways animals behave

this also goes with spiders as well… like he was fucking Terrified of them as a kid but that fear left when he needed revenege on his sister for doing the whole “water bucket on the door” prank and surprisingly, chasing after her while she screamed and sprinted in the opposite direction while a spider chilled in his palm made him feel a lot better about them

in space it still happens!!! he’s a little surprised at first when twenty bat like creature start hanging from different parts of his armour, but he goes along with it like “alright so this is still a thing” and enjoys the little coos and hums they make when he walks along

one day the team is trying to make their way through a cave system, but they get stopped by a tiny dragon (tiny like. bigger than a house but smaller than a voltron lion) and this dragon is MAD and STRONG and tbh they’re considering just bolting so that they dont get any more serious injuries than the bad burns and cuts they’ve gotten.

lance is lagging behind due to sniping a few galra sentries that were following them, yet as soon as he arrives, the dragon kind of stops and looks at lance

and everyone is like “oh shit this cant be good”

but the dragon sort of tucks its wings away and shuffles over to lance and plonks its head down right in front of him and stares at him with expectant amber eyes

its really silent for a moment before lance carefully reaches a hand out to touch the dragon’s snout and just runs his fingers along the scales, his skin tingling as he feels the hot breath from the dragon’s nose through his armour

the dragon just. falls alseep.

lance looks up at the team with a smile and says “alright lets go” and continues on with the rumbling snores of the dragon echoing down the cave’s passages way, and the team staring after him like he was a god lol

lance didn’t think it was a big deal. it’s what his cousin’s snake liked, so he thought a dragon would appreciate the same

(hunk is laughing his head off at their reactions bc he’s seen this happen a hundred times before)

(allura and coran are even more fascinated with humans)

on the topics of animals…. if you asked him if he was a cat or dog person he’d probably just break down into tears because “you cant make me PICK between a CAT or a DOG, HUNK!!! I LOVE THEM BOTH SO MUCH!!!! THEY DESERVE ALL THE LOVE I CAN GIVE THEM!!” 

just because he pilots a big robot cat doesn’t mean his day isnt made whenever he see a dog run up to him with its tongue hanging out and its tail wagging so fast its just a blur

like,, obviously i have to talk about cuddly lance because this is the inspiration behind my url… my branding…..because IN MY HEART HE IS THE CUDDLIEST PERSON EVER. he loves giving hugs to people!!! it honestly makes his day getting to pull someone he loves in close and squeezing them with all the strenght he’s got

his heart SOARS when the person he’s hugging is laughing because he can feel it rumble in their chest and bubble out through their mouth by their ear and he’s like!!!! i made someone do that :D!!!!

u can’t convince me that lance wouldn’t be the type of person who after talking to someone one time, he’s throwing his arms out wide and then tugging them into his arms the next time he meets them, like they’re an old friend

it surprises a lot of people, but after a while (and if they’re comfortable with it) people are throwing their arms just as wide and being as excited as lance is when they hug him back

he definitely always makes the little squeaky toy noise every time he gets hugged. that’s canon and it shouldn’t be ignored.

ALSO u might look at lance’s shoulders and be like “hmm they look strong and broad” and like duh ofc but IT’S A BARGAIN BECAUSE HIS SHOULDERS ARE SUPER COMFY TO REST UR HEAD ON!!! they’re like pillows!!!!!! watching movies with lance is honestly the best thing ever because u just rest ur head down and suddenly it’s like ur resting ur head against a cloud,, no matter what angle, it’s perfect, it’s like he’s a big teddy bear with no bones and lance has had his nephews and nieces fall asleep on his shoulders so many times he’s unphased by drool now lol

lance’s broad shoulders being soft like pillows is the best okay

keith thought that he’d hate movie dates with lance, mainly bc he’s got a lot of energy and isn’t too big on sitting in the same spot for a few hours just staring at a screen, but after one stress filled day that needed a relaxing popcorn, chick flick and cuddles evening, keith discovered the absolute bliss that is lance’s shoulders and tries to find as many movies as possible as an excuse the cuddle up to lance and take naps on his shoulder isuhgsidug

this one kind of goes without saying and it’s basically canon at this point but lance is 100% photogenic in every picture ever and he can put on any piece of clothing. literally ANYTHING. and he’d look absolutely fantastic,, vogue is shaking!!!!!

idk why but i can see lance being amazing at trampoline flips and shit?? like his mum would just look out the window to check on him and nearly faint at the sight of her 8 son lance doing some fuckin olympic level backflips in mid air and basically shooting off into the sky like a gd rocket hdiusghs

he calms down when he’s older tho because he doesn’t want to break through the trampoline, but he’s really elegant in the way he jumps and spins

he only started jumping when he first decided he wanted to go to the garrison/go to space, and he wanted to see what it was like being off the ground

lance’s mom when he was 8: be careful lance! if you keep jumping so high, you’ll end up in space!

lance, now floating in the middle of space as a paladin of voltron: mom warned me about this

sorry for the long post i just love lance lol

[odanurr87]

Watching Voltron Season 3

Welcome to another epic instalment of Watching Voltron! Today, we’re watching Season 3 of the Legendary Defender. I already watched and commented Season 4 in case this post would be better served by commenting both seasons as a whole rather than separate. I was surprised to find that the last episode of Season 3, “The Legend Begins,” does work like a sort of season, or mid-season, finale. It’s a brief interlude, recounting the tale of the original Voltron paladins, before we’re back to the action with Season 4′s, “Code of Honor.” There’s a noticeable time skip between the two episodes and, more importantly perhaps, a shift in the way Team Voltron is working, that mark a clear separation between the two seasons, even if there is an overarching plot linking the two together.

Before we dive into it, I’ll leave you the links to my other Voltron reviews and commentaries:

Voltron Season 1 Review

Voltron Season 2 Commentary

Voltron Season 7 Commentary (yes, I have noticed the gap)

There we go. Now it’s time to watch Season 3 of Voltron: Legendary Defender!

Episode 301: Changing of the Guard

“We can’t always put the fate of the universe in the hands of a giant weapon.” Agreed.

Teamwork! Our Paladins are getting better.

Oh, I forgot, Lance still hasn’t grown up.

“The universe needs Voltron.” Not right now it doesn’t.

Lance standing up for Kolivan? I’m impressed.

You could’ve easily lied and said the lions were liberating other planets. It’s probably half right.

This season we’re getting Pidge’s brother back. Got it. (next season but so close!)

Don’t be an asshole, Keith. You were making such good progress last season.

Finding a new Black Paladin isn’t the same as giving up on Shiro.

Introducing new villains.

Why do they keep asking about Voltron? They’ve seen the lions, haven’t they?

Nice going, Keith. You just blew it.

I hate to bring this up again, but, seriously, this is supposed to be our mighty leader? Someone who can barely control his temper?

Badass villain introduction scene?

A conspiracy’s brewing.

What, does Lotor have Superman’s hearing now? I don’t like him already.

I’m skipping this. It’s obvious who’s winning the fight.

Meet evil Team Voltron.

Oh, so Lotor’s evil? Who knew? #sarcasm

Leave it to Lance to start the conversation.

Episode 302: Red Paladin

Surely calling for help would’ve been the first thing to do, right?

Oh, god, it’s Kuvira all over again. This is gonna be painful to watch.

“Keith would be the worst leader of Voltron.” I have to agree, we’ve seen nothing to show us otherwise. Won’t stop the show from making him the leader though.

“And Lance is the goofball.” How long are you going to keep this up, show?

It’s about time Allura joined Team Voltron!

“Keith, stat, make me a sandwich. I’m the leader now!” Hunk’s trial was the best!

“This is your moment.” That’s precisely why you’re not fit to be the leader at this time, Lance.

Yup, the Black Lion chooses Keith. Shocker. You could’ve at least set him up better in previous seasons. Whatever.

At least Keith is willing to admit it. Gotta give him props for that.

Wow, that was rather wise and accepting coming from Lance. In fact, I could picture Shiro saying the exact same thing. There’s leader material somewhere in there!

No takers for Red?

Admiral Ackbar said it best, “It’s a trap!”

Blue’s not responding? I think I know why.

“No way. Keith probably trained it to bite my head off.” I chuckled.

The first of several parallels between Lance and King Alfor.

Lance got the hang of Red pretty fast.

Allura joins the fight!

“Sometimes what we want isn’t necessarily what we get.” Someone’s giving Lance some great lines this season.

“This is how I lead.” By totally blindsiding your teammates?

Episode 303: The Hunted

No, Hunk, attacking right now is a decidedly bad idea.

A single fighter against all five lions. I guess it’s time to show how badass Lotor is. I’m rolling my eyes.

“Everyone stay out of my way.” Great leadership.

Now the enemy knows you can’t form Voltron. Happy now, Keith?

I know I’m getting ahead of myself but, how could anyone trust Lotor after pulling this shit?

There’s only so many times I can bring up Keith being reckless and a bad leader.

Lance’s back to being the rational one.

The explosions damage the lions but not Lotor’s ship? Okay.

About time you recognized you screwed up. I’m liking the Keith-Lance dynamic here.

“What would Lance do?” I don’t think that’s the right question to ask.

“The universe depends on me.” Whoa, slow down there.

“Someone’s learning.” Someone’s a little full of himself.

Voltron’s back, baby!

All that he’s missing is an evil moustache.

Episode 304: Hole in the Sky

Well, considering you learned in the previous season that Haggar’s Altean, I’d say it’s certain you and Coran are not the last Alteans.

Why not try tugging it out of that hole first?

First, the fact that a distress call was triggered doesn’t mean someone’s alive on that ship. Second, I can’t believe Keith is going all prudent on me, but I agree, this is probably a trap.

“I’ll do it myself if I have to.” Who’s being reckless now, huh?

Hang on, hang on. They’re only now realizing this “wormhole” connects to a different universe? Did they fail to see the other half of the ship wasn’t there when they crossed?

Alternate realities! This is shaping up to be an interesting one.

Couldn’t you have told them Alteans are evil in this reality?

Do we really need to have Lotor and his cronies every single episode?

Lotor wants to create his own Voltron. Got it.

Altea’s rule, huh? That doesn’t sound good.

The hoktril. Need any more evidence?

Someone needs Allura as a puppet head. (getting the ship moving works too, but I’d have preferred if they’d tried to convince her to impersonate Empress Allura)

The Alteans’ true colors revealed at last. Muahahaha!

Remember when Allura gets tricked by Lotor later in the series? Someone should’ve made her rewatch this episode.

Steal the comet? Why not blow up the ship? Who wants to bet the episode ends with Lotor getting his hands on that comet? This is so predictable it’s boring.

What did I say? Boring. None of Lotor’s victories have been earned, it’s like he’s getting a free pass to the season finale.

Episode 305: The Journey

Is that you, Shiro?

Something’s wrong here.

What are you remembering?

Oh, so they let him go. Trap anyone? I wonder if these guys are working for Haggar and not Lotor.

Well, looks like stage three of Operation Kuron was short lived.

Lucky that’s water and it isn’t poisonous.

Looks like there’s a lot of people invested in Operation Kuron not failing.

Subject Y0XT39, huh? You mean there were more of him?

That anomaly is probably the guy sent to spy on Lotor, right? Figures.

Self-destruct?

Oh, so this episode takes place at the same time Episode 3 does?

He didn’t get to Voltron in time. Not quite what I’ve come to expect from this show.

They found him in the end though.

That ending was… odd?

Episode 306: Tailing a Comet

Lance has a sniper rifle now.

I’d say Allura’s way past learning to use her bayard.

Black Lion’s ability to teleport? Why would it teleport its pilot away from it?

Shiro’s back. Wait, weird headache? I suspect foul play!

Shiro took command awfully fast.

I know this scene, I’ve talked about it before. Lance is willing to give up his spot on Voltron for the good of the team. An unexpectedly selfless gesture on his part.

Uncomfortable moment for Shiro and Keith. I feel bad for Keith, he only led Team Voltron for two episodes and now he’s out.

Civil war!

Keith is being the bigger man here. I feel it was Shiro’s place to stay put.

The Black Lion isn’t recognizing Shiro. The plot thickens.

Oh, it’s that guy again.

I don’t get it. Why is Lotor infiltrating a base under his command? Didn’t he have the comet already?

They’re after the teludav?

He made a ship out of the comet? A prototype?

So this is one of Haggar’s bases. Got it.

Remember what happened the last time you tried to go after Lotor, Keith.

It was Acxa alright.

Keith’s learning teleportation, nice!

Why didn’t they blow up the fighter while they had the chance?

It’s too quick for Voltron? Okay.

Well, it’s easier to destroy the cargo ship, right?

Is Lotor tapping into their communications that he knows what they’re going to do?

Good one, Keith!

Episode 307: The Legend Begins

Are we getting a flashback episode?

Flashback episode!

So Alfor was the Lance of the group? That is... interesting.

Zarkon meets his wife. Also, he was scared of a cat. Just saying.

Yes, pursuing knowledge is good but nothing says you can’t be prudent about it. What am I saying, this is Haggar we’re talking about.

Looks like someone screwed up.

No doubt about it, King Alfor had style!

What if the lions hadn’t chosen any of them? That would’ve been quite the predicament.

Oh, so when Alfor built these lions he didn’t know they could turn into Voltron? Guess there’s precedent for the Atlas then. Damn.

That’s it? One punch and it’s down? These paladins had it easy!

Not so fast!

Thus begins the rift and Zarkon’s turn to the dark side.

Yeah, yeah, and what else did they discover while Voltron was protecting the universe?

Daibazaal is about to pull a Krypton.

Alfor should’ve probably blasted the thing with his lion then and there.

Something tells me Zarkon is not being straight with the paladins.

How did Alfor send away the Black Lion? Did he shortly become his paladin, like Keith?

It kinda works as a season finale, doesn’t it? Hmm, perhaps more of a mid-season finale.

Closing Thoughts

Not much to say other than that I feel Lotor is not as good a villain as Zarkon was in previous seasons. Like I said in my commentary, Lotor’s victories are unearned most of the time and, naturally, he’s good at everything: fighter and melee combat, strategy and tactics, alchemy, etc. He can anticipate anyone and has planned for everything. In other words, he’s so perfect right off the bat he’s boring. Zarkon may be an archetype, true, but at least he’s an archetype done right. The only new villain I could kind of get invested in was Acxa, given her previous interaction with Team Voltron and her restraint when facing her enemies, unlike her partners. Having said that, evil Team Voltron didn’t do it for me.

Beyond that, Lance unexpectedly comes to terms rather easily with the idea of Keith leading the team, going so far as to encourage him to accept the Black Lion’s choice. Despite a catastrophic first mission as leader of Voltron, Keith eventually recognizes he messed up in a heartfelt conversation with Lance, and becomes more prudent as a result, slowly growing into his leadership role. Sadly, that’s all out the window come Season 4, but that’s a story for another post.

Having read that Shiro’s quick return was mandated by the show’s executives, I didn’t expect it to be nearly as good as it was. Even though it didn’t feature Voltron or the paladins, it was an entertaining episode overall, hinting at a bigger mystery left to unravel. However, it’s unfortunate since Shiro’s return cuts short Keith’s growth as the team leader, a fact the writers decided to double down on in Season 4. I was honestly looking forward to seeing Keith and Lance settle into their roles as leader and second-in-command, and how their relationship evolved as a result.

Going back to the past with the last episode was a fitting choice to end the season, all things considered. While not as good as The Legend of Korra’s “Beginnings” two-parter (few episodes can be), “The Legend Begins” serves the same purpose by exploring the origins of Voltron, the rise of the Paladins, and the tragedy of Zarkon and Honerva (Haggar). I must say it’s impressive how deftly it achieves this over the span of 20 minutes, though I’ll admit I found Honerva’s radical transformation a little harder to swallow than Zarkon’s.

Not a half-bad season all in all, but still not as tight as Season 1. Also, I’ve only just noticed, was there less humour this time around? Could be, could be, and that’s not bad at all in my book. See you around in Season 4!

[movedtostardusticedcoffee]

Snowed in

Just a little dabble I wrote procrastinating  on studying!  Hope you enjoy!

Lance sighed happily as he sat on the couch wrapped up in his favorite fuzzy blanket with his hands cupping a cup of hot cocoa. He hummed as he leaned against his boyfriend who was currently playing their all time favorite game, Voltron: Legendary Defender. “What level are you at babe?”

“Hmm. Level twelve now I do believe. It’s getting a bit more challenging now since I passed level ten.” Keith bit his lip as he concentrated more only to sigh in defeat as he got shot by a Galra. “Dammit.” He tossed the controller onto the coffee table and looked over to Lance who was just sipping on his cocoa peacefully.  “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t distracted me with all those good looks I would have won the level.” He threw his arms up exaggerating and his tone was playful.

“You know if you use the other Paladins instead of just using Red it would go a lot smoother.” Lance teased. “Plus you should be used to these good looks by now. I guess it isn’t easy being this beautiful.” Keith just rolled his eyes and got up from the couch heading towards the kitchen. “Oh babe! Can you pop some popcorn??”

“You have two working legs. Get up and make some yourself lazy bones.”  He teased giving a playful smirk. Even so Keith did open a bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave. As that started popping he made himself some hot chocolate made with hot water instead of milk.

Meanwhile Lance was in the living room now surfing through netflix trying to find a movie the both want to watch. “How are you feeling about Disney?” He called out so Keith would be able to hear him.

“Mmmm… yeah I can do a Disney movie!” He replied. Keith looked out the kitchen window and saw that it was starting to snow. “Lance it’s snowing outside!”

“Yus.” Lance whispered and searched through the Disney tag. “Snowing!? Ah man that makes me want to cuddle and watch Disney even more now. I hope you can still make it to work later.” As Lance was still searching  Keith came back to the couch with hot chocolate and one bowl of popcorn in his hands. He looked towards Keith in utter betrayal.

“Hey, I never said the popcorn was for you.” Keith smirked tossing some popcorn in his mouth. “Yeah i’m pretty sure my boss will contact me if the roads are gonna be too snowed in. Now hurry up and choose before my cocoa gets cold!” He tossed a popcorn at Lance and it bounced off his head onto the blanket.

“Don’t rush me! We have to choose the perfect movie!” Lance argued. He picked the popcorn up and tossed it into his mouth. “Don’t you dare say frozen cause it’s snowing outside.”

“But don’t you want to build a snowman?” Keith teased and laughed as Lance threw a throw pillow at his face in a failed attempt to smother him. “Hey watch out for my cocoa!”  

About ten more minutes of searching Keith finally spotted one he hasn’t watched in a while. “How about Beauty and the Beast?”

“Animated version?” Lance questioned.

Keith nodded and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to see what the message was. “Good news I don’t have to work today.”

“Good.” Lance kissed his cheek and started the movie, moving a bit to get comfortable, snuggling beside Keith excited to have the afternoon and evening snowed in with his perfect someone.

[starryeyed-char]

I’ve Got You

IT’S WHUMP WEEK! Hope you’re all as excited for this as I am. I’m going to try and throw some (k)lance whump at you every day!

Day One- Fever

Lance glared up at the ceiling with narrowed eyes, as if its very presence offended him. “Why do we even make plans?” he wondered aloud. “They always go south, anyways.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “If we just stormed into Galra bases with no idea what we were doing, then we'd be caught pretty easily.”

Lance eyed him, unimpressed. His skin looked unusually pale in the dim, purple light. ��Kinda like how we are now?”

Keith shot him a glare in return. “We should be thinking about how to get out of here,” he pushed himself to his feet, pressing his hands to the wall.

“We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you and your stupid recklessness,” Lance muttered under his breath. Keith whirled around.

“And what's that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

“You never listen to me!” Lance said. “My plan would've worked, but you had to just rush ahead, like you always do. And now we're both stuck in here!”

“Well, my plan was going great until you messed it up,” Keith pointed out. “You kept missing shots, and that's why we were overwhelmed!”

“Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not absolutely perfect, like you obviously are,” Lance fired back. “Maybe you guys should just—” Lance interrupted himself with a cough. “Just kick me off of the—” he broke into a fit of coughing, burying his face in his elbow.

When he finally caught his breath, Lance looked up to meet Keith's bewildered gaze. “Are you sick?”

“Uh... no?”

Keith crouched down to Lance's level, eying him skeptically. “You sound sick. And now that I think of it, you kind of look it, too. Were you that pale earlier?”

“I'm not—” Lance tried to say, but Keith had already pressed a hand to his forehead.

The red paladin drew back almost immediately. “You're really burning up,” he bit his lip. “How do you feel? Be honest with me.”

“Headache?” Lance smiled sheepishly. “Well, more like a migraine. Kinda exhausted, just in general? And, um, my sinuses are pretty stuffed up.”

Keith cursed. “That would've been useful information to have this morning! You know, before we got stuck in this cell?”

“Well, I tried!” Lance threw his hands up in exasperation. “But you guys didn't want to hear it! 'This mission is very important, Lance', 'We've been planning this for weeks, Lance', 'Suck it up, we're all exhausted!' Any of those ring a bell?!”

Keith flinched, now vaguely recalling how Lance had stumbled into the dining hall in his pajamas earlier, claiming that he wasn't feeling well. “How were we supposed to know it was this bad?” he countered angrily. “You're always complaining! You should've tried harder to tell us than just saying 'I don't feel so well!' What kind of bullshit understatement is that?!”

“Well, excuse me if I didn't want to disappoint you guys again!” Lance exclaimed, before his angry expression dropped into one of exhaustion. “I guess I did that anyway, though...”

Again?

“And... it wasn't as bad this morning,” he continued to argue weakly. “But getting knocked out and deprived of water and food for who knows how long we've been in here probably hasn't helped my situation.”

He broke into another set of wet coughs, and Keith winced. “This is bad.” Keith was honestly a bit angry at himself for not noticing earlier. Just the mediocre aim alone should've been telling. Normally, Lance could be counted on to never miss a shot.

Shiro probably would've noticed. The thought hurt more than he liked to admit.

“Nice observation,” Lance grumbled sarcastically. “What could've possibly given you that idea?”

“Lance, this is serious,” Keith insisted. “We've got to get you out of here. Things weren't looking good before, but if you're sick then we really need to escape, or you'll get worse.”

“Keith, relax,” Lance said, sounding way too calm for Keith's liking. “The others will be here soon to break us out. We've just got to wait.”

“The longer we spend in here, the worse you'll get,” Keith had begun to pace around the cell. “And who knows what the Galra will do to us in here!”

The door to their cell was opening before Lance could reply. For a wonderful moment, he thought the person standing before them was the princess, but he soon realized the long white hair was considerably less curly. The figure stepped forward, standing at about a head taller than Lance with eyes glowing a Galra yellow behind the irises, and smooth purple skin. He held a sword, which he lowered to point deliberately at Lance's throat. “What, indeed?”

He shuddered involuntarily.

“Lotor,” Keith growled. “What do you want with us?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Lotor swept his free hand across the cell. “Killing off two Voltron paladins would considerably boost the odds of my father's empire.”

Keith's blood ran cold. He chanced a look back at the blue paladin to see Lance staring at the Prince with wide eyes.

“Kidding,” Lotor chuckled. “But you should see the looks on your faces! No, what I want from you is information. Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement?”

“We're never telling you anything,” Lance said, furious. “So you can go quiznak yourself.”

“Lance,” Keith warned, voice strained. The sword was still only inches away from Lance's face.

Lotor's eyes gleamed. “Interesting. One would expect such fire from the pilot of the red lion,” he eyed Keith with distaste. He doesn't know about the lion switch, Lance realized. He's basing his analysis off of our armor. “Then again, the last blue paladin had it, too. He never knew when to keep his mouth shut. Perhaps this could prove useful.”

“Hey, genius, I just told you,” Lance bit out, ignoring Keith's obvious disapproval. “We're not helping you with anything. Fuck off.”

“Hmm,” Lotor mused, tapping a long finger to his chin. “We'll see if you can keep that attitude intact for the rest of your stay.”

Keith edged himself in between the Galra and Lance. Lotor drew the sword up so it was directed toward Keith instead. “What're you gonna do, then? Torture us like you did to Shiro?”

Lotor just glared at them, clearly unimpressed. “Yes, your black paladin was renowned in the Gladiator ring, wasn't he? I've had several victories there myself, though I managed to keep all my limbs.” Keith's vision went red. “As clever as Haggar thinks she is, I wish to make allies out of you. Hopefully you realize that all of the Universe being under my control will bring the peace your Princess so desperately wants.”

“You're not bringing peace! You're eliminating their choices! Their freedom!” Lance protested, struggling to stand up.

Lotor sighed, turning to leave. “We'll see if you still feel that way after a day or two in here.”

“We're not telling you anything,” Keith spat.

“Are you sure about that?” Lotor smiled at them over his shoulder. “Did you really think we'd keep you in here and not monitor you? Your friend is clearly ill, and while I don't know much about you... humans yet, with a temperature that high? He won't last long without treatment, let alone food or water. I hope you'll make the smart decision, and reconsider.”

Lance shivered again, rubbing his hands over the goosebumps on his arms. “I'll be... I'll be fine. There's nothing I can't... can't h-handle.”

Keith shook his head, eyes dark and angry. “I'm going to get you out of here.”

Keith grunted, hacking repeatedly at the cell walls with his bayard. Since they were still in paladin armor, they had their weapons, but they did little good against the smooth metal walls of the prison. And there were no scanners or keypads on the inside.

“I could try and shoot Lotor when he comes in next,” Lance offered weakly.

“We both know you're in no condition to make an accurate shot right now, Lance. Besides, he'll probably have his own weapon, like he did last time,” Keith pointed out, still furiously stabbing at the walls.

Lance's vision was, admittedly, losing focus with each passing second. “Keith, stop it. That's not going to do anything, either, and the noise is slowly driving me insane. We just have to wait for the others to come get us.”

“I'm not going to just sit there hopelessly! We've got to do something! It could be days before the others get us out, and we might not have that long! They don't even know that you're sick, so they won't be rushing!”

“I'd like to think they'll get us out as soon as they can, regardless of the fact that I might be feeling a little under the weather.”

“Yeah, right, a little,” Keith crossed his arms. “Pretty sure that back on Earth we'd be taking you to a hospital right about now. I don't have a thermometer, but that fever is way too high.”

Lance tried not to wince at the mention of their home planet. “We may not have thermometers, but we have magical healing pods. I'll be fine as soon as we get back to the castle. We just need to be patient.”

Keith's mouth quirked into something like a smile. “Patience yields focus.”

Lance grinned. “There's the fearless leader we all know and love.” He drew his knees up to his chest, breathing out a small sigh. “I wish it weren't so cold in here, though. The guy won't give us food, water, or medicine, sure. But turning down the thermostat? That's a new low. I'm from Cuba, for crying out loud. Anything below seventy degrees and I start to feel like a popsicle.”

Keith's half-smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. “Lance... it's not cold. Actually, it's kind of warm in here I... I thought you... but you're sweating...?” Keith reached a hand to touch Lance's forehead, and promptly swore. “How long have we been in here?! It's only been... what? A few more hours, and you're getting worse, again! Why didn't you tell me you were feeling worse?”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Because I knew you'd freak out, and there's not much we can do about it right now, is there?”

“I'm not freaking out!”

Lance opened his mouth for a witty response, but closed it again as the room began to spin around him. Black spots danced on the edges of his sight, and the last thing he saw before the floor was rushing up to meet him was Keith scrambling towards him.

“Lance? Lance?!” Keith shook him slightly, but the blue paladin's eyes remained shut. The only sign that he was even alive was his slow, congested breathing. “No, no, come on, don't do this to me, Lance.”

He didn't budge.

Keith felt panic beginning to flood his veins. He still had no idea when the others would be able to get to them, and at this rate... at this rate...

Lance could die.

The realization was a shock to Keith's system. Lance could actually die. Not while fighting a courageous battle, not while saving those in danger, but because he was sick, and Keith couldn't get him help in time.

No. Lance wasn't going to go out like this, not if Keith could help it. He knew that Lance would never want him to do it, but he didn't care. If it meant Lance would live, then that's what was most important.

“FINE!” he shouted. “I'll tell you whatever you want, just help him! Save Lance, and I'll tell you everything you want to know!”

There was no response. If Keith hadn't been so focused on the blue paladin's breathing, he might've heard the boom that shook the ship.

“Lotor, do you hear me!?” Keith called again, voice rising. “I'll do it, just—”

The door burst open, and this time it was Allura, in her pink paladin armor. She held the detached arm of a sentry in her hand, and she visibly tensed as her eyes took in the scene. “Get him to the red lion,” she said firmly, but Keith didn't miss the worry in her eyes. “It led us here, it's on the ship. You can fly it back to the castle, but you must hurry. Coran's already prepped a pod. Hunk, Pidge, and I will deal with the soldiers.”

Keith nodded, already lifting Lance into his arms and rushing down the hall at a sprint. He could still sense his bond to the red lion faintly, and he silently asked her to let him in. Please. I know he's your paladin now, but I need to save him. Help me save him.

He heard the red lion roar, and looked down at Lance to see his eyes fluttering open. “See, what'd I... what'd I tell you?” he said softly, a smile overtaking his features. “Just had to... be patient.”

“You were right,” Keith told him, ignoring the sting of his eyes. “You're going to be just fine. I've got you.”

[abadoodlesss]

Voltron - More Than A Prisoner - Chapter Three

Read previous chapters Here.

Next: Chapter Four 

Summary: Bella is adjusting to life as Voltron’s prisoner, making a few new friends as well as continuing to make Shiro her enemy.

Three days had gone by since Shiro dragged Bella back to her cell after the second interrogation. She had been confined to her cell since then.

As one could imagine, there wasn’t much to do. Bella spent the majority of her time pacing around the cell or sitting in various locations. All she could do was sit and think, perhaps talk to herself but she couldn’t bring herself to do it yet without feeling silly or just downright crazy.

It was strange. At least when she was a prisoner on Lotor’s ship there was always something to do: be afraid. Bella was constantly terrified that the Galra Prince would finally figure out what he was to do with her. He had visited her a handful of times, letting her know who was in charge, who controlled her fate, who to be afraid of. And she was. Lotor horrified her. He was dominant, a ruler, people listened to him and he didn’t take well to disobedience. Every time Bella was around the prince it felt like she was walking a tightrope. The second she made a wrong move she would fall down to the depths below.

With the paladins, no matter how intimidating Shiro (and consequently Keith) tried to be, she wasn’t afraid. The paladins wouldn’t hurt her, she was sure. Shiro may talk a big game and try to scare Bella but he’d already proven he wasn’t going to hurt her. He had plenty of chances to just kill her, but he didn’t. He had been rough with her but Bella knew he was just trying to assert dominance. Besides, whatever Shiro could dole out, she had already experienced ten-fold from the Galra. Being a prisoner of Voltron wasn’t so bad.

The paladins themselves weren’t so bad either. Bella became well acquainted with Lance in the past few days. He had insisted that he bring down meals to Bella and he always stayed to chat for as long as he could. Bella knew he felt pity for her but genuinely wanted to be her friend, which she appreciated. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if only for a few minutes at a time.

Bella also got the chance to meet Hunk. He and Pidge came down with Lance two days ago. Pidge didn’t stay long. She introduced herself and asked Bella if she knew anyone named Matt. She said he was a prisoner of the Galra too.

“I’m sorry, Pidge, prisoners don’t really see each other unless they’re in the same cell.”

She didn’t take the answer very well. With a mumble of some sort of thank you, Pidge left as Lance and Hunk called after her. The remaining three dropped the subject even though Bella was curious.

Hunk passed the tray of food under the door, apologizing about the food he was forced to make her.

“Shiro wont let me have any artistic license, so I guess you’re stuck with green goop. Sorry.” He told her.

“Green goop is better than nothing at all.” She said, digging in. It was an acquired taste but Bella could get it down.

The three of them got to chat a while longer, having a few laughs (mostly at Lance’s expense), before the two had to return. Lance said he didn’t want to stay too long, afraid Shiro would get suspicious, but each time he tried to stay longer and longer, drawing out his goodbyes.

The next day, Hunk came down to give Bella her dinner.

“Is Lance alright?” Bella asked, thinking it a bit strange that Lance wasn’t tagging along with Hunk.

“He’s fine, just asleep.” He said, sliding the tray into the small slot in the door.

“I didn’t think it was that late.” Bella had no real way to tell time, with no sun and moon to gauge and no clock of her own, she just guessed the time based on when her meals came.

“It’s not, I’m actually a little early with dinner.”

“Hmm. I didn’t know Lance had the circadian rhythm of a grandmother.”

“Hey, if anyone’s the grandmother of this team it’s me. I worked hard for that title.”

“My apologies, granny.”

They both shared a laugh for a moment.

“But he did have a long day training, so don’t hold a grudge against him.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, granny.” She joked. “Do you have enough energy in you to stay and chat or do you need to go to sleep too?”

“I wish I could stay but we’re about to go eat dinner.”

“Oh don’t rub it in.” Bella said, her stomach growling at the thought of eating something besides green goop.

“I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.” Hunk said, bending down and sliding what looked like a crumpled up ball of cloth into the slot before leaving.

Bella unraveled the ball to reveal a stack of three chocolate chip cookies. With a smile, she took a bite.

The next morning, Bella awoke feeling disgusting. It had been awhile since she last cleaned herself and it was pretty evident by her appearance. Her hair almost felt heavy because of the amount of oil seeping from her roots. Her hair was tangled and she could feel a layer of grime coating her body. She could only imagine what she looked like. Bless Lance and Hunk for being able to talk to her without gagging at either the sight or smell of her.

“Morning, Bella.” Lance called in his chipper voice.

“Morning, sleeping beauty.” Bella said.

“Sorry about not coming last night.” He said sliding what seemed to be a plate of toast under the door, but who could be sure with all the food there was from other galaxies.

“It’s alright, you needed your beauty sleep.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say I need beauty sleep?”

“Yes.” Bella said through a giggle.

“Well, you’re not so great yourself.”

“Maybe I’d be my usual ten out of ten self if I had clean hair.” Bella said, toying with a knotted strand on the side of her head.

“Yeah, when’s the last time you bathed? P.U.” Lance joked, pinching his nose for extra effect. Bella’s giggles were interrupted by a booming voice.

“Lance.” It called. “What are you still doing down here?”

The black paladin came down the hall, looking calm but Lance knew Shiro wasn’t happy with him.

“Just delivering breakfast.”

“What did I say about talking to the prisoner.”

“I’ve got a name.” Bella called. Even if she wasn’t actually offended, it was amusing to her to see Shiro’s eyebrow tick when she spoke.

“To not do it.” Lance answered, like a child answering their parent when they did something wrong.

“Then what are you still doing here?”  

Lance looked to Bella through the window. His eyes conveyed something apologetic.

She gave him a small nod, as if to affirm that it was okay if he left.

As Lance’s footsteps echoed off the walls, Shiro turned to Bella. “Get up.”

“Why?”

“You’re not in a position to question me.”

“What about now?” Bella asked changing the way she sat. “Or is this better?” She asked, moving her right leg out. “Does this seem like the position of someone who can ask questions?”

Shiro wasn’t having any of her sass. He opened the door to her cell and dragged her up and out by her arm. “You better start showing some respect or -.” He started.

“Or what? You’ll kill me? You can’t get those Galra secrets out of me if I’m dead.” Bella taunted.

He tightened his grip on her arm to the point where it hurt but remained silent until they came to a door.

“Where are we going?” Bella asked, trying to distance herself from Shiro.

“You are going to take a shower. Lance wasn’t wrong, you reek.” He said, bella felt her cheeks flush before she shoved down her embarrassment and replaced it with confidence, however fake it may be. 

He let go of her arm as the door slid open to a bathroom. Showers lined the walls, off to the left were bathroom stalls and opposite those were sinks.

Bella tried to hide her excitement as she speed-walked inside. There was no curtain, only a frosted glass door that she opened to a tiled stand-up shower. She reached her arm in an spent a few moments figuring out the perfect temperature.

Bella turned back to Shiro who was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed.

“Are you gonna leave…?” She trailed off.

“I don’t think you’ve earned privacy. Besides, I gotta make sure you don’t run for the doors.”

“I’m not getting undressed in front of you.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I’m not doing it.”  

“Then don’t shower.” He said matter of factly.

Bella still stood with her arms crossed, matching Shiro’s stance. They held intense eye contact, but Shiro was growing impatient.

“Trust me, I’m not gonna look at you.”

“Hmmm, for some reason I’m finding it hard to trust you.”

“Fine, back to your cell then.”

“Or you could just not be a pervert, just throwing out options here.”

“What’s going on in here?” A small voice asked. Pidge came to the doorway, looking in between Shiro and Bella.

“He’s trying to watch me shower.”

“It’s not like that Pidge, I’m keeping watch to make sure she doesn’t run.”

“I could do that.” Pidge offered. Shiro looked unsure. “I mean, having a fellow girl in here might be less… this.” She said, motioning to Shiro and Bella.

Shiro thought for a moment. “Fine. Fifteen minutes.” And he was gone, of course not after sending a final glare Bella’s way.

She watched him walk away, then looked to Pidge. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Pidge said. “I’ll wait outside.” She continued, going to leave but she turned her head back to Bella. “Just don’t run away, it’ll make me look bad.”

“Promise I won’t.” Bella said.

Bella stepped out of the rags the Galra called clothes. She sported the Galra’s signature colors, dressed a tight black long sleeve underneath a loose fitting purple shirt that had a jagged hem with black pants to match. The clothes had been a “gift” from Lotor, he said she should be thankful he gave her anything to cover herself at all.

Thinking about the Prince disgusted her as she threw her clothes to the ground, dirtying them more than they already were.

She stepped into the shower and felt utter bliss as the steaming water cascaded over her body. A pleased sigh escaped her lips as she turned letting the water run down her back and over her head. Finding the bar of soap, she lathered up her body, scraping away at the layers of dirt and sweat.

Bella squeezed a dollop of shampoo onto her hands, working it into her roots down to the dead ends of her hair. She sat on the floor of the shower, watching as the bubbles trailed down her body and into the drain. She stayed there for a while, the bubbles were gone and the warm water was starting to fade away, but she still sat there.

“Are you alright in there?” Pidge called, poking her head in the bathroom but covered her eyes.

Bella sighed. She knew she couldn’t hide away in the shower forever. She grabbed a towel hanging off the shower door and wrapped herself up.

“Yeah,” She called. “Sorry about that, I lost track of time.” Bella explained.

“Don’t worry about it.” Pidge dismissed, not really looking at Bella.

“Pidge? Do you think these are alright?” Lance asked, walking into the bathroom as he looked through a pile of folded clothes in his arms, which he almost dropped the moment he looked at Bella.

He immediately turned his attention to his shoes, not wanting to be caught staring at the skin that her towel couldn’t cover. Lance’s heart dropped the second he saw her though. He couldn’t deny he thought Bella was as beautiful as her name entailed, but seeing her now amplified this thought. Her messy dark hair was tamed now, without streaks of dirt and tangles. Her blue eyes seemed to shine brighter against the contrast of her now clear skin.

“I-I-I brought these f-for you. I thought y-you’d be more comfortable.” He said, handing over a few pairs of pants and shirts of various sizes, still trying not to look at her.

“Where did you steal these from?” She asked, grabbing them from him.

“The majority of the pants are mine, a few of the shirts too. One’s from Hunk and those shorts are from Pidge.” Lance explained as Bella held up a much too big shirt. It was a golden yellow and would go down to her knees but it was softer than anything she’d ever felt before. “I just thought you wouldn’t want something more comfortable and less Galra-prisoner chic.” He said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the neck of his neck as he spoke.

“Thank you.” She said. Lance gave a smile at the genuine tone of Bella’s voice.

“It’s no problem.” He said, watching as her eyes scanned through the clothes. “Well, I’ll let you get dressed.” He finished, going to turn away but Bella put her hand on his arm. She planted a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, really, for being so sweet.”

Lance searched for something witty to say but his mind drew a blank. He let out an incoherent slur of words, mumbling something similar to “you’re welcome” before dipping out of the bathroom.

Pidge and Bella walked back to her cell silently, side by side. Bella had gotten dressed in Lance’s clothes, opting to use Hunk’s shirt as pajamas.

“Thanks for what you did back there.” Bella said, breaking the silence.

“Huh?”

“Offering to ‘keep watch’.” She said. “That was nice of you.”

“It was nothing. I didn’t think Shiro would do anything I just knew things would go over more smoothly if I stepped in.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. I had half the mind to start throwing bars of soap at him until he left.” Pidge giggled at the image.

They made it to Bella’s cell.

“I’m sorry for being so… weird a few days ago.” Pidge confessed. “I just- I was hopeful that you knew Matt and I was disappointed that you didn’t have any information. I know it was kind of childish, deep down I knew you wouldn’t know him I was just- desperate.” Pidge’s eyes wear starting to gleam, tears glossing over her eyes

“It’s alright. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.” She said. “I hope you find him.”

“Me too.” Pidge said with a sniffle, replacing her frown with a sort of smile.

[wearepaladin]

How about a paladin for each element, and not justin a "controls X element" way? The immovable Earth Paladin, patiently waiting for the perfect time for a devastating blow. The flowing Water Paladin, using their enemies" movents against them. The swift Air Paladin, dodging with ease and returning with a swift counterstrike. The relentless Fire Paladin, attacking ceaselessly as to not give their opponent a chance to respond.

Hmm. I'd not be against such a concept.

[pftones3482]

The Best Night Ever (and Other Cliched Titles)

So @vodka-aunt-coran wrote this post and I had to write it (I changed it just a little, I hope that’s okay)

Not really any shipping, but if you want to read it that way you could. Under a cut for length. 

“Who decided that holding a prom at the Garrison was a good idea?” Keith wondered, nodding to the flyer on the wall behind their table. “Like…a bunch of military teenagers trying to dance? Who came up with that?”

“And where did we get the funding?” Hunk demanded. “They can’t even give us air conditioning half the year, but they can somehow manage to afford one of the fanciest events that most schools ever have?”

Lance snorted, poking at what might have been Jell-O and watching it jiggle under his spoon. “Bet they won’t even get a DJ. It’ll just be Iverson in shades.”

Keith and Hunk snorted and resumed their eating, leaving Lance to glance over at Pidge, who was being suspiciously quiet. “Pidge? What’s up? This seems like the exact thing you’d be making fun of with us.”

Pidge glanced up from her sandwich (at least, it resembled a sandwich). “Hmm? Oh. Sorry. Must have zoned out. Yeah, a prom does seem…really stupid.”

Hunk and Keith instantly looked up at her, both of them with silverware halfway to their mouths. Ever since returning from space, the group had been very in sync with one another, often being praised as the best functioning team at the academy, so they could tell when something was going on with each other. “What’s wrong?” Hunk asked.

Pidge hesitated, poking at her Jell-O with her finger and frowning. “I mean…it’s your guys’ last year here. I’d think you would want to go to something like this.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “No way. We’ve already been to space. I don’t think anything titled “Greatest Night Ever” could top that.”

Hunk and Keith murmured their agreement, still watching Pidge, and the girl managed a smile. “You’re probably not wrong,” she admitted with a chuckle.

There was a long pause, and then Pidge stood up so quickly that she knocked her elbow into Lance. “I forgot to finish the homework for Peterson’s class. I’ll see you guys later.”

She picked up her tray and bolted, saluting the guard on the way out and leaving the three sitting with their jaws dropped. “What was that about?” Keith wondered.

“We didn’t have homework for Peterson last night,” Hunk noted.

Lance, rubbing his arm with a frown, glanced to the prom flyer and then back to where Pidge had left. “Something’s wrong,” he murmured. “Hunk?”

“I’m on it.”

~~~~~

“Okay, so I read Pidge’s diary-”

“You have got to stop doing that.”

“-AND she really wants to go to this prom. Fancy dress, shoes, hair, and everything.”

Lance and Keith glanced at one another and then leaned forwards on Lance’s bed in matching poses, legs criss crossed and elbows on their knees. “She huh?” they chorused.

Hunk frowned and leaned back on his bed, rubbing his jaw. “She feels like it’ll be the last time any of us get to spend time together. And she wants to just…do normal teenager things.”

The boys fell silent, each of them mulling the information over. “Last time we spend together?” Lance repeated. “What does she mean?”

“She is a year younger than us,” Keith pointed out, gnawing at his lower lip. “I mean…what if she thinks we’re just going to abandon her when we leave?”

“We would never!” Hunk protested.

“I thought that about Shiro,” Keith pointed out, nodding towards the ceiling. “You remember how upset I was when I found out he was staying with Allura? And after the whole thing with Matt and her dad…”

Lance groaned and buried his head in his hands. “She thinks we’re going to leave her,” he grumbled. “And we were trash talking the whole prom thing this afternoon, so like…quiznak.”

They went silent again, and when Hunk spoke, it was soft. “What if we did go?”

Lance and Keith glanced at one another and shrugged. “Fine by me,” they both said.

“And what if like…I dunno, what if we tried to make it special for her?”

Keith raised an eyebrow at Hunk. “How do you propose we do that?”

Hunk pursed his lips. “We act like…we still don’t want to go. Lance, you’re great at sewing. And I still have the measurements for all of us from when we were last on the castle. You could totally make her a dress that suits her. We can all pitch in and buy her ticket, and then night of…”

“We could surprise her and all take her to prom,” Lance realized, a grin sliding across his face. “Hunk, you are a genius.”

“I try.”

~~~~~

For the next three weeks, the boys worked tirelessly, Lance spending countless nights up at his sewing machine, pricking his fingers and straining his eyes. Hunk went about looking for suits for the three of them, taking Keith out with him to get shoes to match Lance’s dress for Pidge.

For the sake of irony, the ties they bought were their paladin colors, and Keith at one point found tie clips shaped like lion heads that they instantly purchased. Makeup was bought, hairstyles were learned (using Keith’s mullet, much to his chagrin), and they even spent a weekend learning different kinds of dances, both ballroom and more modern ones that they had missed out on in space.

The afternoon of the prom, each of them donned their suits. Lance’s was a deep navy blue, nearly black, his tie the closest color Hunk could find to Blue’s head. He had on cuff links that Keith had found shaped like water droplets, and he left his jacket unbuttoned. Keith had forgone a colored suit, sticking to a normal black but layering a dark crimson shirt and brighter red tie under it. His cuff links, shockingly, were flames. When asked where he had found the specialized items, Keith had just grinned mischievously, glanced towards the ceiling, and said nothing.

Hunk had gone closer to Keith’s plan, sticking to a black suit but wearing a warm yellow tie with it. He had opted out of cuff links, instead choosing to just button the suit sleeves and go with it. His hair, like Keith’s, was pulled back into a smooth ponytail, held in place with gel and a few well-placed bobby pins.

Lance picked up the dress nervously, twisting it around on the hangar. “Is it okay?”

It was a shade of emerald green all the way down, with three-quarter length sleeves that ended just below the elbow and a sweetheart-esque neckline that dipped just a little bit. Lance had gotten fancy at the waistline, letting the dress flare to the floor and then draping it with a sheer, glittery green fabric that dropped halfway down the back and swooped up to the hips.

The shoes were gold, with emerald embellishments that Hunk had put on himself, and they had found a lion brooch to pin up the corner of the sheer fabric on her waist that matched the gold color. A necklace was draped around the neck of the hangar, gold intertwining leaves that had come with matching earrings and a hair clip.

“It’s perfect, Lance,” Keith promised, clasping his shoulder. “Come on. Hunk, you have the tickets?”

Hunk opened his jacket up and gestured to them. Keith picked up the shoes and makeup bag they had prepared with both hair supplies and actual makeup, and Hunk grabbed the shawl that they had found to go with the dress. It was nothing fancy, plain white, but it was warm, and it was bound to get cold later.

He picked up the corsages the guys had gotten, handed them their respective ones, and with a breath, they left their room and ventured to the girl’s wing.

Everyone they passed on the way gave them winks and thumbs up. Somehow, the vast majority of the campus had figured out what they were doing as the weeks went on. They could only hope that word hadn’t gotten back to Pidge.

Hunk was elected to knock, being the person with the least amount of stuff in his hands, and when Pidge opened the door, looking a little worse for the wear, it was all they could do not to start grinning at the look on her face as she took them in.

Pink-eyed puffiness turned to confusion, then disbelief, and then her hands flew to her lips, eyes shining and watering, and she took a step back as all three of them bowed. “What the quiznak?”

“Katie Holt,” Hunk said formally, glancing up with a spark in his eyes. “Would you accompany the three of us to prom tonight?”

Pidge swallowed audibly, eyes darting between the three of them. “I don’t…I don’t have anything….”

She trailed off as Hunk stepped aside and Lance held up the dress a little sheepishly, his cheeks flushed. “You didn’t,” she whimpered.

“We did.”

She bolted, dragging the three of them into a group hug and pressing her face into Lance’s jacket. “You guys suck,” she muttered.

They chuckled and handed over the dress and makeup and shoes. “We can help with your hair when you’re done with all this,” Lance informed her. “But none of us are good enough at makeup to actually do it ourselves, so we’ll leave that to you.”

Pidge nodded and took the items like she was holding the world, eyes glimmering as she shut the door. The boys leaned against the wall across the hallway and Hunk leaned over to look at Keith. “I need to ask…did you happen to get the themed stuff from space?”

Lance cocked an eyebrow at him and Keith chuckled, looking fondly at the ceiling. “Maybe. I might have also arranged something else.”

The other two stood straight up, eyes wide, and Keith smirked. “Dude,” Lance breathed. “She’s gonna cry.”

“Maybe.”

When the door opened ten minutes later, the guys glanced up from their impromptu card game (always bring cards to school dances, as Lance had learned long ago) and grinned. Pidge stood nervously in the frame, tugging at her loose hair with one hand and smoothing down the skirt of the dress with the other.

It fit beautifully, and Lance felt himself swell a little pridefully at his handiwork. “Ready for hair?” he asked.

Pidge looked at him warily. “Sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked.

“Sure. I practiced on Keith’s greasy mullet.”

“I showered!”

Lance had her hair in a simple half-up, half-down do in five minutes, bangs braided back into a twisted ponytail that was held together with the leaf clip, which circled around the hair like a vine. He squeezed her shoulders when he was done and she peeked her eyes open, lower lip trembling.

She had done her makeup simply, basic touches of eyeliner and lipstick that made it obvious she was wearing makeup, but not glaringly in your face about it.

“You guys…didn’t have to do all of this,” she protested softly, her fingers smoothing over the necklace and her throat bobbing. “Not for me.”

The other two gathered around the chair, the group looking over themselves. “Sure we did,” Hunk said. “You deserve it, Pidge.”

She stood up and moved to grab her purse, and when she turned back she found all three of them in a line in front of them, each of them holding a corsage in a different form. She choked back a sob and stood silently, proudly, while they were put on.

Lance’s was a blue orchid that he slid onto her right wrist. Keith put a light red carnation onto her other wrist, and Hunk pinned a yellow Calla lily onto her dress strap, as yellow went the nicest with the green color of her gown. They each had matching ones pinned to their lapels, and when they were done, Hunk and Lance each offered her an arm while Keith ran ahead.

“Where’s he going?” Pidge asked, raising an eyebrow as they walked down the hall together.

Lance smirked. “You mean you can’t feel it?”

“Feel…?”

She froze, nearly tripping and falling on her face, and when she looked up again her eyes were wide and glinting with pure joy. “You didn’t.”

“We didn’t,” Hunk agreed. “He did it without telling us.”

Pidge let go of them, lifted the hem of her dress, and sprinted (Lance was glad they had gotten low-heeled shoes) for the door, bursting outside with Lance and Hunk right behind her.

Keith leaned smugly against the green lion’s paw, his bayard tucked comfortably into his hand and warding off anyone who dared to get too close to the machine. “Your ride, m’lady!”

Pidge shrieked and tackled Keith in a hug before sprinting into the lion’s maw, the boys right behind her.

But Keith wasn’t done yet. No, because lounging comfortably in the lion’s pilot seat was Shiro, a chauffeur hat on his head and Allura standing behind him. Pidge yelped even louder and allowed herself to be swept into yet another hug by the couple, who they hadn’t seen in over three months.

“You look wonderful!” Allura gushed. “Lance did a fabulous job!”

Lance grinned cheekily and shot finger guns at the woman, who rolled her eyes good naturedly. Shiro gestured to the controls. “Up to you. You want to drive, or want me to chauffeur?”

Pidge booted him out of the seat without hesitation, kicking her heels off and taking off into the sky with everyone gathered around her.

Keith had called ahead to the prom venue earlier that day, so no one would be alarmed by a giant green lion plunging out of the sky, but that didn’t stop people from shouting and pointing as they landed.

Pidge slid her shoes back on, patted Green’s dashboard, and left her in the care of Shiro and Allura, the four of them exiting the lion and stepping up to the ticket collector. Her face brightened even more when Hunk handed over four tickets, and they entered the dance.

To say she had fun was an understatement. The guys made sure she was never without a partner, whether it be dancing or just hanging out (Iverson in shades was not, in fact, the DJ). 

She crushed Lance at every card game in the book, much to his irritation, and got so many compliments on her get-up that she was certain she would never stop blushing. When she was dancing with one of the guys, the other two would be nearby, either slow dancing together while teasing one another, or trying to outdo the other in line dances.

By the time one am hit and the dance was officially over, her shoes were abandoned somewhere under their table, all of the guys had discarded their jackets and ties and rolled their sleeves up, and she was exhausted but happy.

While Keith dug around under the table for her shoes, Hunk handed over her shawl and Lance picked up their mess on the table. “Did you have fun?” the lanky boy asked.

Pidge looked up at him, over at Hunk, and then down at Keith as he finally crawled out with both shoes in hands, and her lip quivered. She finally let herself break, it being the end of the night, and the guys crowded around her quickly. “What’s wrong?” Keith asked, setting the shoes on the table and kneeling at her side.

“You guys…did all this for me…and I know you didn’t want to come here, and I’m sorry you felt like you had to for me, but I-”

“Hey.”

Lance squeezed her hand gently and gave her a warm smile. “We wanted to come. For you. And I’ll admit it, I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” Hunk and Keith said in unison.

Lance chuckled and brought her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to the knuckles. “You deserved it. After all you’ve done for the universe, you deserved a night of normal.”

Pidge managed a laugh and swiped at a tear. “I don’t know if showing up in a giant magical lion is normal,” she choked out.

The boys burst into laughter and crowded in for a group hug. “Ready to go get some sleep?” Hunk asked.

Pidge hummed in the back of her throat. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “Could we…could we go back to the castle?”

Keith’s grin widened and Lance and Hunk stared at him. “Dude. You didn’t,” Lance managed.

“I planned for every eventuality. There’s an after party waiting up there for us. And a couple people we might all want to see, not just Coran.”

By the time they got back into Green, however, and by the time Shiro was landing them all safely in the castle hangar where Coran, Shay, and the Blade were waiting, Pidge was out like a light, curled against Hunk’s chest with her feet tucked up into her dress.

“Guess that after-party’ll have to wait,” Lance laughed softly. “Slumber party?”

“Slumber party,” everyone agreed.