#Pidge hinders on

[gardenof--eden]

Paladins music taste bc Im right:

Shiro-

Cher. Creed. Daddy Yankee. Pitbull. Nickelback. ABBA.

Keith-

Pierce the Veil. Sleeping With Sirens. Three Days Grace. La Dispute. The Goo Goo Dolls.

Lance-

Selena. Britney Spears. Big Time Rush. Bad Bunny. Shakira. Sublime. ABBA. Dean Martin.

Hunk-

Sublime. Bob Marley. Bruno Mars. Doechii. Nat King Cole.

Pidge-

Weezer. Twenty one pilots. Chappell Roan. Dazey and the Scouts. Will Wood. Tally Hall. Lemon Demon. Jack stauber.

[pidgecv]

I know that for her being my character, I don’t actually talk that much about rat girl (Pidge). So something I’d like to mention is that she’s most definitely a glass canon. She is not a very competent fighter, and will tend to avoid it at all costs. But that doesn’t mean she can’t fight at all. Normally it’ll be defensive fighting when she’s cornered (literally or physically), but offensively she puts everything into her attacks. They’re reasonably precise and hard hitting (axe fighter), but she isn’t able to keep it up for long and when she attacks she leaves herself wide open to be countered. She wasn’t taught anything to do with fighting and that shows. Her blows are forceful but lack proper technique. Her movement is quite fast but not optimized into a fighting style or for fighting at all, her axe tending to trail behind her and dull her movement. She’s agile for sure, but not while fighting since she doesn’t use the axe as an extension of herself like vee does his knife or Joesey does her bat. Her self-coached movement training didn’t account for a primarily two-handed weapon, and she when she’s using the axe she loses her ability to climb or roll or push things over to evade attacks like she normally does. She will also injure herself a lot while basically throwing the axe around, dislocating a shoulder or tearing a muscle due to the weight of the thing mixed with inexperience. Pidge also can only attack or defend herself, she struggles with mixing the two. Her strengths lay in stealth and being a little asshole, not with close-quarters fighting. Her accuracy with ranged weapons is moderate, but her vision hasn’t been fairing well recently and it’s pretty hard to find an optometrist in the apocalypse. The more time passes the more she grows to rely on her hearing to get a sense of her surroundings. Because of this, she isn’t as hindered by the dark as she would be, though she fairs worse than her enhanced peers.

whenever the group needs to interact PEACEFULLY with a person or group of people, it’s Pidge who is the one to speak on behalf of the group. She isn’t infected or immune to the infection, so she’s automatically the most trustworthy to outsiders. That aside, she is also the most socially adept of the gang. Vee is a bit too much of a lone-wolf to have proper interactions and Jo is,, Jo. Not to mention she has a tendency to lay low to survive, while the other two have been responsible for MANY crimes (they’re immune, and only have to worry about people rather than the virus itself along with that. Plus they’re just like that being little vessels of chaos both alone and together). So she’s their best bet when the gang wants to appear unassuming.

[dxppercxdxver]

your choice of character design asks about the hhsa crew, as many of them as you want (or all). if this is too broad say so and I’ll try to specify

no i can work with this! i'll do one per main cast member and random number generate which one i answer. This Will Be Fun

FOR MARGARET: hair: how does your oc wear their hair? does it have some kind of meaning?

marg is someone who has a great desire to Be Recognized in a social way, so a lot of the time she has her hair styled pretty much exclusively for fashion! bows and updos and braids and suchlike. however, she's also a knight, which means she Can wear her hair for more practical reasons, though in all of her character designs we keep her having her hair fluffed out and about because who gives a shit about realism when you're basically a magical girl lmao

FOR ELOISE: formal: what's your oc's formal look? do they like dressing up? do they have different looks for different occasions?

there is actually an episode wherein they all go to prom and eloise Must dress up (also a dating sim! with prom sprites!) and so her formal wear is canonized as Sparkly Dress as well as cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, mostly picked out by other people. she does Not Really enjoy dressing up, as both the clothes and the environments that necessitate the clothes are Uncomfortable to her. and her looks for different occasions are basically. Warm Weather Casual and Cold Weather Casual (warm weather casual plus jacket)

FOR NAT: motion: how does your oc move? how does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

nat is a very bubbly, animated character who walks with a great bounce and is pretty much constantly moving. she talks a lot with her arms (and head and torso and legs) and is overall Incredibly mobile in her day to day action. her school uniform can constrict a little bit but mostly she's in looser clothes that don't inhibit her all that much, like skirts and baggy sweaters! she's probably on the clumsier side but mostly is pretty average in terms of personal dexterity.

FOR ANDRÉS: wardrobe: how big is your character's wardrobe? do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

o this is a Perfect question for him. andrés is the wealthiest character in herronimus By Far and is very vain about it, as he comes from a royal family and leans into it. he has a Massive wardrobe that i know he's devastated he has to mostly abandon when moving from spain to the american midwest for his whole. exchange student thing. he Refuses to let his clothes wear down, or even wear them long enough for them to become unfashionable, so he replaces his wardrobe often and Quite Expensively. he's definitely Not Great at repairing his own clothing, and probably gets elo to do it for him if he needs it or can't figure out how to Magic it on his own. as the series goes on and he becomes more grounded and times get harder, i think he stops caring as much and will let things get dirty or worn out, but that's not for awhile

FOR LAWRENCE: face: describe your oc's face. what's their smile like? are their orbs cerulean? what would someone notice first when looking at them?

well the first thing Most people notice about lawrence is that he is a satyr. so a lot of the attention goes to the Horns and the Goat Ears. but once you get used to that he honestly just looks like A Guy. not particularly memorable. his smile is full of mischief and it Will scare you. his orbs are Not cerulean but he for sure has those funky goat pupils. he would ask you wouldst thou like to live deliciously for funsies and make himself laugh

FOR PIDGE: informal: what's your oc's lazy-day look? how do they like to dress when they're winding down?

pidge is another character without much of a formal/informal distinction? so i can imagine it's like. t-shirt. loose pants with lots of pockets. hair up in a little ponytail. maybe a hoodie. keens sandals. just vibin

FOR JUNO: footwear: what does your oc wear on their feet?

pre-amnesia juno mostly wore like. oxfords. he was from a wealthy family and dressed to impress (notably Not Himself). occasionally he probably wore some level of nice boot but most of the time it was very clearly Fancy Dress Shoes. and then he was a bird for circa 20 years. so no footwear there. post-amnesia juno has no one left to impress so mostly wears beat up sneakers or hiking boots. things that are practical

FOR DRAVEN: texture: does your oc favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? is there anything they can't wear or don't like? what sort of fabrics do they prefer?

hmmm. i think when draven's pretending to be haughtysnooty he really does splurge for fancy natural fibers, like wool coats and silk shirts and cashmere scarves. he likes the texture not necessarily Because of the texture but because it reminds him of his status and that's comforting to him. however, has he turns traitor, i think he starts to ditch a lot of the fancier stuff except for a few key pieces? he can do artificial fabrics and be fine with it (although he Cannot Stand acrylic yarn that shit will kill him). i think he enjoys cashmere a lot even at the end of the series, as well as a good linen

FOR BASCUS: canvas: does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? do they display or cover them up at all?

i don't think so! bascus was thrust into a high standing professional life pretty early and was never rebellious in that direction Enough to bother. the most he Might have is like. a stick and poke from claire or june, and that you Know he covers up, if he hasn't outright removed it. he also doesn't have any notable scarring, given that a lot of the World Ending stuff kind of passed him by (much to his dismay)

FOR BRAMWELL: alternate: what would your oc's alternate universe look be? if they're a fantasy character, what's their modern look? if they're sci-fi, what's their fantasy look? what au would you want to see your oc in, and how would they dress themself? bonus: prompt an au!

oh you KNOW i wanna see the fucked up knight/noble au wherein bramwell was a noble and got demoted to serve the guy who took his place as a knight you KNOW I WANNA SEE IT. put him in the high fantasy setting nowwwww right now plate armor sword maybe even elf ears. Do It

FOR CLAIRE: glance: at first glance, what stands out most about your oc's appearance? what's their distinguishing feature?

because of claire's whole Situation i think a lot of people find themselves double taking at her even though her appearance isn't That standout? she's got this weird magical Pull because of her fortune-telling and general vibe. people also notice the glowing scrolling text by her face that translates her sign into english/whatever other language she needs it to be! i think her standout feature is mostly her Incredibly Long Blonde Hair. just. so long. so very long

FOR JUNIPER: roots: Is your oc's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? what are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

a lot of june's aesthetic is honestly influenced a lot by just. Butch Lesbian fashion, when she gets older. she dresses very masc and very practically and cannot be seen without some steel-toed workboots. younger june is much more based on like. 90s grunge fashion, with flannels and lots of distressed clothing and For Her just some fun piercings, which is About the most fashion subculture influence that goes into her appearance

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN THANK YOUUUU I HOPE I DIDN'T FORGET ANYONE

[mistergovet]

Hi! I’m posting something that I made a long time ago, but read it recently and it reminded me of when I wasn’t in a very good mental state, and it think the things I wrote during that time really shows that. Maybe not. Decide for yourself. (Btw it’s VLD so lol…)

—-

It reminded him of snow capped mountains on earth. Tall hills spanning further into the distance than a paper could ever be blown by the wind. Trees as tall as the Eiffel Tower covering the hills, and filled the space around them. A Glassy filament of fog hindered their view further. Thousands of cherry blossoms covered every surface, only the petals of them stuck out of the tall snow. Pink and effortlessly beautiful. Sprouting from every direction.

Keith’s breath turned to vapor in the frigid air, though he didn’t shiver. The team stayed silent, mesmerized by the captivating beauty of this planet.

The snow came up to their knees, though there was not a single other footprint in sight. Not a bird’s chirp or the scurry of animals in the tree, not the peep of a mouse or the tapping of Pidge’s fingers against her keyboard. Still.

None of them had ever seen something so majestic, and for the human paladins, nothing from space had reminded them so much of home, of earth. Everyone looked to Lance, as he made the first of the noises. Hot tears streamed down his face as he sucked in a breath. Keith watched as his tears crystallized once they’d fallen from his cobalt eyes. He had a sad smile on his face as he stare became more and more distant, like he was fading.

“Hey buddy,” Hunk said, softly,

“Hmm?” Said Lance, “oh! Oh my god, sorry guys-I didn’t know I was crying.”

Shiro gave him the softest smile Keith had ever seen and trudged over to him as fast as he could in knee deep snow.

Lance melted into the hug he was given, squeezed tighter than he meant to, dug his forehead into Shiro’s shoulder and let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry guys, let’s get going.” Lance had said, a desolate second later. He rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform and turned away from Shiro in the same movement as he came out of the hug.

The team started walking, but Keith couldn’t get himself to move. He stared at Lance, almost unable to breath. He didn’t know what was causing this emotion, he felt so… sympathetic? He felt so happy that Lance felt that he could be vulnerable with them, even if he hadn’t noticed that he was crying.

And maybe Keith did the same thing, right there. Maybe he let one or two tears shed and fall into the porcelain snow. Maybe he had to try to sprint through the snow to reach them.

And maybe he’d fallen face first into the snow.

“Shit…” he muttered, he caught up with the team sure, but the fall he’d taken left him down in three feet of snow, he had to really try to get up. And now, his face was cold and his eye lashes were visibly gathering icicles.

He struggled to stand very well in this sudden blistering cold, and he watched as his team disappeared behind that glass barrier of fog. He reached out and he shouted.

“Wait! Guys- Lance?!” He shouted, but he could feel only cold air entering his lungs from the outside and start freezing him from the inside. He lost his ability to speak as the freezing tracked its way to his throat, he felt the way his legs gave out underneath him like water, and he collapsed into the snow. And maybe there he lay and cried a few more tears, as he stared off into the blissful sight of cherry blossoms and tall trees, and snow capped mountains he’d never be able to forget. Never be able to forget the memory of Lance crying here, for the beauty of this world and the memories it brought back to him.

And then,

And then he shut his eyes, as the cold gave him a small comfort. And he felt himself fall.

[atlantic-riona]

Several people requested recs that I alluded to when I reblogged this post earlier, so here are some of my personal favorites! (With covers included because I love the covers 💕). They're mostly children's/YA books, because I don't really like the way a lot of adult authors handle Celtic myth. Long post, sorry - I can't get the readmore to work on my tablet.

The Hounds of the Morrigan, Pat O'Shea

I read this as a child and then rediscovered it as an adult, but oh. my. GOSH it made an impact. When I read it the second time, I was blown away by how influential it had been on my own writing, even without me realizing it. Two children, Pidge and Bridget (who are brother and sister) must stop the Great Queen (the Morrígan) from destroying the world. They travel into the Otherworld, pursued by the Morrígan's hounds, and are helped/hindered by various characters they meet along the way. I ASPIRE to write a book as good as this one. Read it, you will not regret it.

Chronicles of Faerie series, O. R. Melling

I read these as a child and have been meaning to get around to rereading them, but haven't had the time yet. From what I remember, I really liked them. Various teenagers (who I think are all Canadian) encounter the fairies and the Otherworld. I'm sorry I can't be more descriptive, but as I said, it's been awhile 😅

Tam Lin, Pamela Dean

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK.

This book defined what I thought college was going to be like. It was full of philosophy and literature and it is a joy to read. It's a retelling of Tam Lin, set in a modern college. Janet Carter encounters this odd group of people who are involved in theatre and are all Classics majors. There's something going on behind the scenes at the college, but I won't spoil it any further. It's a slow book and it's full of references/quotations to Shakespeare, English literature, and the classics, so if that's not your thing, this might not be the book for you—but even so, I'd recommend giving it a try.

(And then, because I can't resist recommending this one, check out Pamela Dean's Secret Country trilogy—not strictly Celtic inspired, but definitely influenced by Celtic myth along with Shakespeare and the classics. Five cousins travel into the world of the game they've been playing every summer, and find that there's more to this world than they knew. Very like Narnia, but I think the focus is more on responsibility and choice and fate. I love this series, I've read it five or six times since I bought it this year.)

Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Michael Scott

Josh and Sophie Newman stumble upon the Alchemist, Nicholas Flamel, and his wife Perenelle—immortals hiding in plain sight. When another immortal, Dr. John Dee, steals the Codex Nicholas and Perenelle have been using to stay alive, the twins are pulled into a world full of legends and gods. Very inspired by world legends in general, but Scáthach, a warrior from Irish myth, is a main character, and other British/Celtic legends feature.

I really like the way all the characters were handled, especially John Dee and Machiavelli. It features the best "cowboy makes friends with x" type of story with Machiavelli and Billy the Kid. Really recommend if you like any kind of mythology, not just British/Celtic mythology.

(Joan of Arc is a character as well; I remember liking her character as a kid, not sure how I'd feel about it now—her appearance is not super accurate, speaking theologically as a Catholic. Not offensive, but probably not something I'd choose to do. Your mileage may vary.)

Sea of Trolls trilogy, Nancy Farmer

I must have taken these books out of the library so many times as a kid. I tracked down each book on my own, one by one. These are less modern, technically speaking, but they're on the list because they're not set in the ancient past or in a different world.

The story follows Jack, a boy from Anglo-Saxon England, who gets kidnapped by the Vikings. In order to save his sister Lucy, who has also been kidnapped, from being sacrificed to Freya, Jack goes on a quest to Jotenheim. The first book leans heavily into Norse mythology, but Jack is apprenticed to an Irish bard in the first book, and the second two books draw heavily from Celtic mythology. I feel like I'm not describing it well, but this is a really good trilogy, and I like the way various mythologies are handled. I haven't read it in a while, but I think Christianity was also handled well in the books.

Hollow Kingdom trilogy, Clare B. Dunkle

I'm pretty sure I was the only one who borrowed these books from the library, but I borrowed them religiously, I loved them that much. Years ago, I was shocked and sad to see them at the book sale my library does every year—until I realized that I could buy them. So I did! They are very beloved to me.

The first book is set in 1815 in England. Kate and Emily, two orphaned sisters, have come to live at Hallow Hill with their maiden aunts. They find out that young women have been disappearing from Hallow HIll for thousands of years at the hands of goblins. The Goblin King intends to make Kate his new bride. Kate intends to outwit him.

Highly recommend this one. It's got goblins, elves, humans, dwarves, wizards, and more. I love the characters and I love the world.

The Dark is Rising series, Nancy Cooper

Full disclosure: this one is not one of my favorites. The prose is absolutely breathtaking, I love all the characters, I love the way the story is set up and how it plays out in most of the books. However, I found that I didn't like the way the endings of several books played out, and I also just personally dislike "Light vs Dark" stories for various reasons, and this series leans in heavily on that, especially towards the end.

That being said! I do recommend this series. Like I said earlier, the prose is absolutely gorgeous and the characters are all fascinating. It is full of influences from Celtic mythology (especially Welsh mythology, which is great because you don't often see that). The Drew siblings are also absolute faves of mine. Lots of Arthurian influence as well.

The Boggart, Nancy Cooper

This one, I absolutely love. (It's part of the reason why I picked up The Dark is Rising series in the first place, as they're by the same author). A boggart living in a Scottish castle is accidentally shipped to Canada. Emily and Jessup Volnik, two Canadian siblings who figure out what's causing all the havoc playing around them (messing with traffic lights, stealing peanut butter, taking over the TV), have to figure out how to send the boggart back home again. It has a sequel, which was fun, and in googling the sequel for this post, i discovered that a third book came out about five years ago, so I'm super excited to add that to my reading list!

Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer

I feel like I would be remiss if this list didn't include Artemis Fowl, but I also feel like a lot of people have already read it...I'm erring on the side of caution and including it anyways. Really great series, one of my favorites as a kid, please do not judge it if you've only seen the Disney movie (it is so bad it's not even funny). A twelve year old Irish criminal mastermind plots to steal gold from the fairies in the first book, and it only gets better from there. Lots of humor and amazing characters.

A Wizard Abroad, Diane Duane

Another full disclaimer: I definitely read this in middle school, definitely liked it, but I have not read it in over a decade. I'm slowly working my way through the series (this one is the fourth book, I think) and I just haven't gotten there yet. Regardless, it's on the list because I do remember liking it when I read it the first time. I will say that from what I remember (and confirmed by the books I've reread), the series' understanding of wizardry overall is definitely inspired by Celtic myth/tradition. (For example, the importance of words, singing, and trees).

The series is about two young wizards, Nita and Kit, who must battle against the Lone Power, a force determined to destroy the universe. In this particular book, Nita goes to Ireland and gets tangled up with Irish myth.

btw I am if nothing else a Spiderwick Chronicles kid at heart. if you show me British/Celtic folklore in a semi-modernized setting, I will go insane. it's my roots

[findalife]

HAPPY BISEXUAL'S DAY💗💜💙 and yes, a gif of Lance bc he's our space Cuban bisexual boy and I love him

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Oh Pidge, Pidge darling, you blistering FOOL- fine, fine, then. Prove us all wrong and evil liars out to mislead you. Call upon one of your paladin abilities. See what happens, and realize that you've just murdered a party member under your PROTECTION. There's no way you haven't Fallen because of this. There's no way that this... Reckless ERROR you've blundered into isn't an Oath-breaking offense.

(Roman shakes his head,)

Roman: I haven’t been able to access my abilities...like...since I got here? I’m not sure why, but it just isn’t working here. I guess the faewild really does hinder Divine magic...

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 185

185

   Having Hunk pick him up, Keith knew things could go terribly wrong. He didn’t like loud noises or crowds at the best of times, and now he was going shopping with guaranteed exposure to both. Leaving Lance a note, he told himself he was being stupid for worrying. This wasn’t his first trip into Garrison, but it was his first trip into Garrison since his accident.

  Hunk was happy to help. He didn’t question Keith wearing glasses, or why the headphones covering his ears weren’t playing music. Trying to make him feel at easy, his friend chatted about how things had been at garage, with the parts they’d been waiting on finally coming in. Hunk’s dad had been pretty worried about him, Keith didn’t know he’d made so much of an impression.

  Garrison seemed so different now. Maybe because it was blurry, but it also carried a different feel about it. The drive seemed shorter too, less bumpy, though Lance needed to get in touch with the shire about fixing the dip in his driveway. Hunk hitting it a little too hard and making them both lurch. Parking in front of the general store, Keith’s anxiety skyrocketed at the task ahead of him.

  “Uh, Keith. Are you okay? If it’s too much, I don’t mind going in”

Glancing to his hands, his nails were a little longer than they should be. Hunk had every right to be concerned

“I’m kind of... freaking out now where here”

Honesty seemed to be the theme of the day

“Man, we can totally take it as slowly as you need”

Was he doing the right thing? Coming here without Lance, he hoped to surprise him in a good way

“I know... Hunk, can I ask you something?”

“Sure thing, man. You can ask me anything”

“Is Lance going to be mad?”

Hunk hummed

“Not the way you think. I think he’ll be shocked he wasn’t here, but I don’t think he’ll be mad. Unless you do something super bad”

  Like wolfed out in the middle of the store? He hated the paranoia that he would

“I... um... had a talk with Coran. About this ego thing. He said it’d help to do nice things with Lance... and... um... I guess I’m worried about that. I don’t know how to tell him that I want to do this for him, and that it’ll help my ego, without upsetting him”

“Dude, you’ve always been doing nice things for Lance”

“But I feel like this is using him to calm myself down”

“That’s one way to look at it. The other way to look at is that you both deserve something nice. You guys don’t exactly have a normal life. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but you know...”

  His ego was pleased to hear that he and Lance deserved niceness. Keith still felt guilty

“I don’t want him to think I’m using him”

“Maybe you could tell him? He’d understand”

Lance kept being so understanding that it had to weigh so heavily on his shoulders. The vampire his carer, his stability, and growing their twins. The burden seemed more than unfair

“He’s been too understanding as it is. I just... don’t like feeling like there’s two mes in here. I don’t like the idea of doing something that I know he’ll love, but doing it because it also benefits me”

Hunk patted Keith’s knee

“Bud, you really should tell him. But for now, if you’re going to wolf out, can you please aim for Miss Lee in the bakery department? She’s committed crimes against humanity with her croissants. You could use them for a hammer”

“Sounds about as good as what I’d make...”

“I’ll give you a crash course this afternoon, Bud. It’ll all be okay”

   The feeling of this being a horrible mistake grew with Keith’s first breath in the store. He should have worn a mask. Everything was... smelly. The lights seemed way too bright, and his stomach rumbled at the scent of meat department. Not that they really had departments, they just had staff that hovered in certain areas. Retail could only suck as a job. People sucked. His opinion there hadn’t changed much when it came to strangers. Grabbing a trolley, Hunk came to his side

“You okay? We totally don’t have to do this if you aren’t up to it”

Overwhelmed, Keith growled

“What kind of a mate would I be if I can’t provide for my partner?”

Hunk ignoring his growl, staying by his side

“Alright then, we’re going to ignore what happened. Do you have a list?”

Lists were for normal people, they were winging it from here on out

“Not really. I want to get things Lance likes”

Hunk cuffed a hand on his shoulder, gesturing ahead to the rows in front of them as if it was some kind of wonderland

“That I can help you. Just let your best buddy guide you”

    Hunk guiding him was an experience. Keith had a hard time keeping his control. The local rumour mill was in overdrive. Lots of busybodies whispering about how since he’d come to town Lance had been seen less and less. Whispers of concern about what kind of person he was hurt. A few had some very unkind things to say about the kind of relationship he was in with Lance. Keith ready to blow a fuse. They knew nothing about him or Lance. Not the true versions of themselves or their relationship. Lance would doing everything he used to be doing if he hadn’t gotten his boyfriend pregnant. He knew his boyfriend missed breakfasts at Sal’s, and normality of running his household as he had. They had no right to be spreading baseless rumours. Unexpectedly, Shiro came to mind. “Patience yields focus”. If he was patient for a little while longer he could focus once they got home.

  Shopping the way Lance had driven into him and Shiro, Keith shopped in bulk. Gradually a plan came to mind, but he was going to seriously need Hunk’s help to pull it off. The first meal he’d mostly cooked alone for the both of them was pizza. He’d made a mess of things, yet Lance still complimented him in his own way

“Hunk, I’ve... um... got an idea”

Hunk placed back the bag of onions he’d been staring at

“Shoot away”

“Can you show me how to make pizza from scratch?”

“Pizza? I thought you wanted to spoil Lance?”

Hunk made it sound awful, yet Lance loved cheesy things... He have to save that and use that... cheesy pizza for a cheesy vampire

“I... um... it was one of the first things we made together”

  Had this been a cartoon, Hunk would have had love hearts in his eyes

“Oh, bro! I’ve totally got you. We’ll make him the best pizza ever!”

Hunk loved love as much as Lance. He knew he could count on him, but Keith wasn’t sure his own efforts would be up to scratch

“I’m not sure that’s possible”

Hunk snorted at him, picking up another bag of onions to start scrutinising

“Pfft. You’re getting the Hunk crash course. Nothing will go wrong”

  As Keith watched the way Hunk stared at the onions, he realised he hadn’t asked the man a very important question

“Hunk, are you okay?”

The bag of onions went back, Hunk picking up another one. Keith wasn’t seeing whatever Hunk was seeing, but he didn’t know the signs or symptoms of a bad onion like Hunk did

“Hmm?”

“I don’t seem to remember a lot of that day... but... I haven’t asked you how you’re going. With... all of this. It’s a lot for anyone”

“You and Lance...”

  Keith shook his head. This wasn’t about him and Lance. Hunk and Pidge were humans... he’d been human, but he had a whole other set of skills and years of experience

“That’s not what I’m asking. I know you came to visit me... you and Pidge. I’m sorry I didn’t wake up”

Hunk shifted his weight, free hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck

“Dude, you were in a coma... you have an excuse”

That wasn’t it. He’d failed this hard. A blush in his cheeks as his ego grew annoyed at him

“It’s because of you and Pidge that Shiro escaped and Lance got help. You guys really helped. I know it’s not the same as a fighting a demon, but, um... What I’m trying to say is, it’s okay to not be okay. If you feel like you were useless, you weren’t. Watching on the sidelines is hard. We really would have been screwed without you guys”

  Placing the bag of onions in the shopping trolley, Hunk let out a long sigh

“It was rough buddy. Lance tried really har to be okay when we came to visit. But he wasn’t. Then Shiro and Lance weren’t talking. We didn’t want to pick sides, and Lance told us not to, but he was crushed. We felt useless. The two of you were prepared to face a demon. We couldn’t do anything like that”

He’d known it. Being unable to act fucking sucked, but he and Lance couldn’t techno-babble like Hunk and Pidge could. They’d have only hindered things

“You don’t have to. And I don’t want you to. You’re important to me. Both you guys”

“None of got it. You were like... fine. Then next thing you’re in surgery and won’t wake up. We thought we’d lose you forever, Bud”

“Do you hate what I’ve become?”

  Hunk shook his head, his eyes watery. Hunk really was sunshine in their lives

“No. No, you’re still you. A bit different but a lot the same. Shiro was really torn up. His arm was a mess, Curtis was in and out of it, but he lost it at the thought of you not waking. He blamed himself. He didn’t exactly help things either. I got it out of Allura, but she says that he said he’d take care of Lance. Like in your place if you didn’t wake up. Not boyfriend’s, but you know, like financially. Lance was pissed”

“If there’s one thing Lance hates, it’s being treated like a damsel in distress”

“We were really worried for him. We didn’t know he didn’t know about your condition and they kicked us out because we upset him”

“He cares too much”

Hunk huffed at him

“Dude, we all care too much. We’re family. You’re our family. And like... we didn’t know what to do if you didn’t wake up. He lost Mami... and I know it’s selfish but I prayed you’d wake up so we wouldn’t lose him too”

  Lance would be broken if anything happened to any of them

“It’s not selfish. I would have been wishing for the same thing. He loves you guys. I didn’t get it. How he could love and trust. But he just has a way about him. The people he likes, he really likes. He was probably a nightmare to deal with”

“Man, you have no idea. Pidge upset him by saying she was on his side. We couldn’t even... We let him down”

“Hunk, I’m sure that’s not true”

“He came out to tell us you’d woken up... and he... we were so upset that we didn’t move to comfort him. Allura did what we couldn’t”

You never knew how you were going to react to grief or bad news. Hunk and Pidge weren’t used to it. They hadn’t seen what he had, and Allura had

“She is like a sister to him. Thank you for being there for him”

  Never shy of a hug, Hunk wrapped his arms around him, lifting Keith off the ground then setting him back down

“Sorry, man! Was that too much?”

A little. Definitely when people were already talking about him...

“Nah. You sure you got the right bag of onions?”

Hunk took a moment, before looking to the bag

“Oh, yeah. Gotta be careful not to get the ones with a rotten onion”

“How can you tell?”

“If they’re brown, or grey, and squashy, they don’t want to come home with you”

But the onions had skin and the skin was brown?

“Onions are brown?”

“My man, for the sake of our friendship, I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that”

Keith wrinkled his nose at the bag

“It’s not my fault I don’t know the difference. They smell...”

Hunk didn’t miss a beat

“Yep. They smell delicious with a little bit of olive oil and garlic in a pan”

   With three wolves to consider, the shopping trolley ended up overfilled. Matt and Rieva getting minimal treats due to the ongoing saga of the rice. Hunk had helped him find the “self care” part of the isle, Keith grabbing two of each face mask, which sounded more impressive if you didn’t take into account the fact there was only three types to choose from. Hunk also pointed out Lance’s preferred wax for doing his eyebrows, and the hand cream Lance found worked best. With the amount of mating his body wanted to do, Keith stocked up on lube and condoms, then wet wipes for afterwards. After all, Lance didn’t like being crusty. The large half-Samoan a godsend, especially when Keith got caught staring at the meat blood in the bottom of a tray of mince. The blood would probably be worse for Lance than the bags he drank.

  Keith hadn’t realised he probably looked weird examining the tray. Yet it wasn’t simply the blood issue that had him staring. He wanted to bury his face in the mince and eat raw, which totally grossed him out. Hunk pulling the tray away from him, giving him such a concerned look that Keith couldn’t not tell him that Coran wanted Lance drinking fresh blood. A little grossed out, but with a truck load of courage, Hunk volunteered his own blood. Lance had drunk his blood before. It’d solve more than one issue... His ego instantly hated the idea. If Lance was to feed off of everyone, it should be him. He was his mate. So turning Hunk down felt both right and wrong at the same time. He hated these conflicted feelings.

  Things were going well until they finally reached the queue for the checkout. Having a stranger bump into him, his fingernails turned to claws as he barely kept from body slamming the person down. Realising how close he’d come, Keith was filled with horror. A scratch or a bite and he’d have turned them. Too much rage and he would have mauled them. Who would have stopped him? Hunk? Hunk would be the first casualty after the altercation. His loving ways would have made him blind... or maybe he would have tried to save the victim’s life as Keith tore both of them to shreds... He’d tried so hard to keep his temper. He’d chewed up the inside of his mouth to keep his rage from escaping. The humming of the fluorescent lights above left an unscratchable itch beneath his skin. Fumbling his phone and his wallet out his hoodie, he shoved them both into Hunk’s hands, fleeing before his friend could question if he was okay or not.

   Carried by momentum, and the need to be somewhere so many people weren’t, Keith nearly managed to get himself hit as he stepped off the pavement in front of a car that was parking. Darting past them, he didn’t want to be in town in more. He wanted Lance. Too scared of himself to care about the consequences of leaving Hunk behind. He’d been stupid to come to town. To think he would blend in. To think that he had some semblance of control over his ego. Before he knew it, he’d cut through the park in the centre of town, his rushing turning to running. Everyone left him. No one would want to stay with him. Not when he couldn’t control himself.

    *

Lance had spent the better half an hour driving around Garrison in the search for his boyfriend, before he finally found Keith. He’d woken when he’d heard Hunk pull up, the slamming of the passenger door startling out of his sleep. Listening to Keith and Hunk making plans to go shopping, Lance worried for Keith, yet knew if Keith wanted to go he shouldn’t stick his nose in.

  Wracking his brains, Lance didn’t know the route Keith too when he’d gone with Matt and Rieva. If Keith was avoiding people, then he wouldn’t be headed to Platt. If anything had gotten too much, he’d want to go where no one went, yet somewhere he knew enough to get home from. Looping through Garrison, Lance hit up all the places they’d visited in their past, each crossed off the list as he cursed himself for his stupidity. People. No people. Hunk had been panicked when he’d called, apologising over and over, Lance sending him to the house to wait with the promise Hunk would call if Keith showed up. Then he remembered. The cemetery. No one was there. And if Keith was feeling down, it was logical, to him at least, he’d go somewhere they’d made good memories to overthink things.

   Parking at the front of the cemetery, Keith was sitting sadly on the closest bench. Having to slide out his bronco as he tried to suck his stomach in, it really wasn’t made for a heavily pregnant man to be driving around

“Keith?”

Snapping his head up, tears were running down Keith’s face. In his hands were the pair of glasses Lance had lent him, smashed beyond repair. Going to stand, Keith slumped back down as he let out a sob. Lance’s heart breaking at the sight. He should have just gotten up and stuck his nose in.

  Waddling to his boyfriend, Keith looked away, Lance sitting down next to him. No matter how much his little anger loaf was angsting, he wasn’t about to leave Keith to his misery. His boyfriend had terrified him by taking off. He’d been scared to begin with, when Keith hadn’t taken off. He was good at that... but then, so was Lance

“Hey, you”

“What do you want?”

“Me? Oh, just thought I’d come hang out with the other stiffs when I saw this super handsome guy sitting here”

Keith snorted wetly at him. His whole body curling in. Whatever Keith was thinking, he’d well and truly overthought it

“Babe, want to tell me what happened?”

“Why? You already know”

  Biting down a sigh, Lance wrapped his arm around Keith, pulling him against him

“Ego or overstimulation?”

Bitterly Keith muttered

“I’m a fucking monster”

“It was your first shopping trip”

“It’s not that! It’s everything! You don’t get it!”

Hurling the broken pair of glasses away, they hit the side of the Bronco. A pretty good throw as far as Lance was concerned

“Then tell me. Hunk said a stranger bumped into you and you freaked out. I’ve spent the last half hour trying to find you”

“You should have left me lost. I’m such a fuck up that it’s not even funny”

  This time Lance did sigh

“You are not a fuck up. I know you’re angry right now, but I’m here because I want to be. Tell me what happened?”

Keith huffed as he shoved him off. Getting to his feet, his boyfriend threw his hands up

“What didn’t fucking happen?! I fucked you! I didn’t want to stop fucking you! Coran said that my ego wants to please you! I’m supposed to do nice things for you! I don’t know how to do nice things! Everything feels like I’m fucking using you! I tried to go shopping with Hunk and everyone was rude as fuck! Some fucking arsehole bumped into me and I wanted to tear his fucking throat out! Why don’t you leave me already?! Everyone one else does! What makes you so fucking special?!”

  All of it came out as yelled word vomit, Keith trying to get every thought out at once so they were all halted when it came to explanation. How did he untangle this? Keith was mad they had sex? Okay. He could work this out. Keith was feeling what he felt whenever his damn heat hit, or symptoms decided to creep up like the unwanted bastards they were. Keith didn’t like his ego... He knew that. As for people in his personal space, he wasn’t immune to it

“Keith, come sit down”

“Why should I? I wanted to hurt that guy and I don’t even know them!”

  Lance looked at “Keith’s Scary Face”. Fangs, yellowing eyes... still handsome and the man he loved. He’d definitely drawn the short straw when it came to scary faces

“You don’t think I haven’t the same? That I welcome people in my space? Someone gets close to you and I want to hurt them. Someone bumps into me and my ego instantly sees them a threat. The fact you didn’t turn, that’s a good sign. It was your first time and you’re not going to get everything perfect on the first try”

“What if I’d lost it? What if hurt Hunk?! You don’t...”

  Not this shit again. No. Nope. Noooo. He’d had enough of hearing it. Keith was freaking the fuck out... like he’d never seen Lance freak the fuck out over the same kind of things... His anger loaf needed to be smacked

“I couldn’t possibly get it, could I? I’m well aware. You’ve been repeatedly telling me. The fact you haven’t run off must mean you’re willing to talk, at least with me. Hunk’s at home. You’re making more sense than you think you are, and there’s no one else going to come find us here. Now sit down and start from the start”

  Keith scowled at him before sighing heavily and throwing himself back down next to Lance. Taking Keith’s hand in his, he interlaced their fingers so Keith couldn’t go escaping again, his boyfriend shaking his head as he looked to his feet

“I think I’m going crazy”

“Tell me what happened?”

“You. You happened. I felt like I used you yesterday and last night because I was horny and couldn’t calm down. When I rang Coran, he wasn’t much help. He said it’s my ego and it’s probably trying to make it up to you for not spending the moon with you. I know I like doing nice things for you, but he said if I did it’d also help with my ego and I felt like I was using you all over again. I don’t want to do nice things because my ego tells me to. I want to do nice things because I love you”

  Lance’s ego damn near swooned. Keith was so sincere in his worry

“Is that why you went to town with Hunk?”

“Coran mentioned that grooming was a thing we could do and I have no idea how to make a face mask or what to do. So I thought I’d get a few things and do some shopping, but it was horrible. Everyone kept whispering about us. The lights were too bright... and there were so many smells”

“Oh, babe. Hey, you can’t help being overwhelmed”

“But... I... I really wanted to do this. And do this right. Hunk helped me out picking things out. Then when that guy bumped into me...”

Lance pulled Keith firmly against him as his boyfriend shook with a fresh wave of tears

“You got scared because of the sudden burst of anger...”

“I don’t know what I was thinking... I’m a monster. I wanted to...”

“Babe. No. Hey. You are not a monster. That was your ego. You couldn’t help it. You should be proud you tried. It took Mami months to coax me into coming places with her. It’s not easy. You see too much. You hear too much. Things smell way too much”

“But you...”

  Kissing Keith’s hair, he couldn’t fix this for is boyfriend. He wished like heck he could

“I’ve been a vampire for a very long time. Scents, people, lights, they all still get to me. Especially being pregnant. The paranoia of people staring. People judging. It sucks. It really really sucks. But you know what, they don’t know me. They aren’t my friends so I’m not going to worry about them”

“I hate this. I don’t want to pick fights...”

“I know. Small towns are horrendous when it comes to rumours. And I know you hate what they say as much as I do, but we can work on things to help you get used to everything again”

“We shouldn’t have to. If I’d never had this brain bleed... you wouldn’t have to babysit me”

“Is it still babysitting the person when you love them? Babe, how many times have you told me it’s okay when my heats play up? How many times have we had sex where I’m sorry for forcing my messed up body on you? Every single time you tell me it’s okay. It’s okay that you’re feeling them too. It’s okay to want me. I don’t hate you and I don’t feel used because this is something we’re working through together. Think about all the inappropriate times and places it’s happened. You stood up for me and defended me. You protected me when I couldn’t look after myself. You pushed yourself out of your comfort zone to be with me. Both our egos have issues. You’re not using me. I want to do nice things with you. I want to do things that make you and your ego feel good too. I know you love me and respect me”

  Keith raised his head

“You’ve been so tired lately. I felt like I pushed you too much”

If anything Lance was sleeping more because of his pregnancy, not stressing over Keith because he’d been doing that for months now

“I’m tired because I have to get up and pee like 10 times a night. These two seem to think my bladder is their personal trampoline”

“Coran says you need fresh blood... I don’t know if I can give you my blood or if it’s going to hurt the twins”

  With how much blood had passed between them, and the biting and the scratching, if anything bad was going to happen to the twins it probably would have happened all ready

“We’ll work something out. You’re taking so much on. Trying to be perfect with everything the first time around. Life doesn’t work like that. I know you’ve been comparing yourself to Matt. Thinking you must be weak because he’s calm, but think about when we first met? Think about how we had to fight to settle both our egos. I’ve been thinking about this just now and I think I’ve worked something out. Coran said to do things to help your ego settle. Matt and Rieva do things too. Rieva takes pride in her appearance and she loves her books. Matt is a tech genius and a tinkerer. That’s probably what they do to soothe theirs. They play on your strengths”

  Keith’s head dropped

“What if I don’t have any strengths?”

“You do. You’re kind. You help people. You save lives. But I know you’re not working right now, so maybe you can concentrate on the strength of our feelings for each other? On our family? Vampires don’t take mates, but I already knew I wanted to be with you forever before this. Plus... it’s... kind of nice that you want me, even when I look like this. You make me feel so loved. I just wish you’d see that it’s a two way street. I adore you. You’ve seen me lose it to my ego when you’ve been hurt or threatened. Egos aren’t tameable over night. I know you don’t like taking it slow, but I’ll be right beside you”

“What if I can never go shopping again?”

“You didn’t love it that much in the first place, babe. Never is a strong word. Next time I’ll be with you”

“You can’t always be with me”

“No. But baby steps, babe. I love you. I’m proud to be your boyfriend. That hasn’t changed. This set back, doesn’t change anything. You told me time and time again that I’m not a monster. If you really were a monster, you wouldn’t feel as bad as you do”

  Keith chuckled at him

“Have I ever told you how annoying it is that your right most of the time?”

Lance kissed Keith’s hair again. His anger loaf was so sweet

“Yep. You really worry too much. Yes, I’m exhausted, but I’m nervous and terrified too. Every day is a day closer to giving to birth. I’m so scared about being a bad dad, but I know I have the best partner in the world to help me through it. We’ve got time. Let’s not rush it”

“I scared Hunk”

“Maybe, but when we explain and talk things out, he’ll understand. He’s not going to stop being your friend because you’re going through a rough time”

“I got freaked thinking I’d hurt him”

Lance remembered that feeling. He’d never consciously physically harm their friends, yet he could remember every single time he’d scared them

“Tell him that. You helped me be more honest with him and Pidge. You refused to let me give up hope that we’d be friends again after Pidge found out my true nature. You’re my rock. I would love to do things with you. And I love the things we do. I don’t think you know, but I love snuggling into you when we’re watching a movie. We don’t have to be talking. Just having you alive and beside me, it makes me really stupidly happy. You make me happy”

  Keith finally moved to hug him properly, raising his head his boyfriend pressed a kiss to his lips. Lance would happily take every single kiss from Keith until they were old and wrinkled... if he got old and wrinkled...

“You make me happy too. I’m sorry about the accident...”

“It was freak thing”

“I feel like I should known the lingering headache wasn’t a good thing”

“You didn’t know. I’ve replayed that over and over in my head. How one incident could nearly take you away. All I can come up with is that you’re not as thick headed as you like people to think”

“At least it’s... um... confirmed I have a brain”

“You have a very nice brain. And a very nice rest of you”

Tentatively, Keith joked back

“You’re not too bad for a corpse”

“And you’re not too bad for a dog”

Keith huffed, ego ruffled

“I’m a wolf”

  The more Keith said, the more comfortable he’d be. Lance prepared to start googling good werewolf jokes for the future, but for now he was happy Keith was smiling

“And a very charming one at that. You’re quite beautiful as a wolf in a scary kind of way”

“What do I look like?”

“You’re big and black... and clumsy. You’re a bit like Kosmo, your paws are massive, but you’re still very soft”

“Coran said I came to find when I’d turned”

“You did. You sat outside and cried and cried. You were so clumsy that I thought you were hurt”

“I couldn’t have been that bed”

“Think of Kosmo when he had his thermometer up his butt. He was all stiff legged and looked like he’d never recover”

Keith groaned

“I can’t even be a manly werewolf”

“Nope. Still, you got there. I’ll have to take a photo next time... maybe I can try grooming you too?”

Keith rolled his eyes

“I’m not a dog, babe”

“Excuse you. I’ll have you know I’m an excellent groomer. We can put a bow in your hair... I wonder if they make onesies for wolves...”

  Keith frowned with a pout. Lance stealing a kiss. If the Blades didn’t want their agents teased they should have thought about that before assigning them all onesies to wear. The realisation hit him, a giggle escaping. Arching an eyebrow at him, Keith didn’t seem amused

“What?”

“Kolivan. Babe, all these years... Kolivan has been running around in a onesie!”

Personally Lance found it hilarious. Stoic, somewhat scary, straight-laced Kolivan... in a onesie. Covering his mouth, Lance’s giggle turned to laughter. Keith tried to resist the urge, but obviously now the thought was in his head and he couldn’t get it out

“That’s terrible! Babe... noooo”

“It’s still true! Oh my god... I wonder if they know?”

“It’s not a onesie, it’s a suit”

Kolivan in a onesie that looked like a suit... Lance shook with laughter... shit, now he needed to pee. Fanning his face, he tried to suck down a breath

“Time out! Time out... oh god... I have to pee”

“You did it to yourself”

“I know. Okay, I’m sorry, but unless you want me to pee right here, we’re going home”

“You could pee on the side of the road?”

“And I could pee on your foot. You can drive. My car hates me”

“What did it do?”

“It’s too much like effort to get behind the steering wheel... I don’t need something else trying to make me pee”

“So I shouldn’t tell you I wanted to make pizza for dinner? A cheesy pizza for a cheesy vampire”

  That was sweet rather than funny. Keith was very sweet to him.

[delaneytveit]

Satellites Part 12

Alright, lets try this again since last time I tried to post this tumblr waned to delete it instantly. the absolute disrespect, the hom0phobia, the dishonor. 

Anyways, if you guys liked this chapter, maybe consider buying me a coffee?My commissions are also open and I post chapter previews there, so check it out!! Oh, and if you’re on twitter, so am I! swing by and say hi or something

Twitter - sfw -> @/spacemom_laney | nsfw -> @/15_agentwash

Ko-fi - ko-fi.com/delaneym_15 

Enjoy! 

(Part 11) (Satellites Master Post ) (Part 13)

Pidge had been working day and night on those damn Galra codes. She had been tipped off from a few stray files that clearly had been incredibly classified. Of course seeing that something was classified was the equivalent of a challenge, so the Green Paladin took it upon herself to get as much information as she could.

She had been holed up in her room for days. Eyes drooping in sleep deprivation and stomach growling. But she was almost there, she could just feel it. Just a few more codes.

That was her last thought before she finally passed out on her laptop, her exhaustion getting the better of her.

She wasn’t sure how long she had slept, but when she finally woke up, it was with a familiar blanket around her, in her bed, with her glasses placed gently on the shelf above her. She scanned for her laptop and found it across the room, still open on her desk.

Quickly, she sprung from her bed and raced over to the computer, immediately resuming her work. It only took a few more lines of code before she was in.

It worked. FIles upon files filled her screen, all titled the same.

Project Leo.

Picking up her computer she hurried out of her room in search of the others. She didn’t have to search long, as apparently she had just slept through dinner, and everyone was still hanging about in the dining hall.

“Guys! Guys, you aren’t going to believe this!”

Her exclamation halted all conversations as everyone turned their attentions to her.

“Calm down, Pidge. There’s no need to yell.” Shiro scolded, though Pidge was quick to roll her eyes at it. Of course there was a reason to yell! She had just found something amazing, for heaven’s sake!

“You know those classified files that were supposed to be completely impossible to get through?” she asked.

“You mean the ones that Kolivan sent over?” now that peaked Keith’s interest.

“Pidge, how did you get these? They were sent strictly to Allura.”another scolding from Shiro, earning another eye roll. Honestly, did they know nothing about her? The second you tell Pidge not to do something, she’s bound to do it 3 times over.

“How I got them, is not of your concern. This however is.” She handed the laptop to Shiro expectantly.  “Apparently, the files were of this new thing that the Galra have been working on. Something to enhance their soldiers. Some experimental serum by the looks of it. The program is called-”

“Project Leo.” Lance’s voice was barely above a whisper, but somehow it was heard by everyone.

The group stared at him in shock, Pidge the most out of everyone.

“How did you know that?” Hunk hated the shakiness of his voice, but he couldn’t help it.

The room fell completely silent. All excitement Pidge could have had had dissipated quickly at the sound of Lance’s voice. The pained sound made her wish she had never tried to open the files to begin with.

“Because I was one of the experiments.”

+

Lance was pissed. As he stomped his way towards the bridge, towards where he knew Allura would be, his anger only seemed to grow.

Who the hell did she think she was?

What right did she have to do any of this?

The doors opened swiftly, the sound clearly startling Shiro and Allura out of whatever conversation they were having.

Another day, Lance would have apologized profusely for interrupting. But today? He could care less about being polite.

“What the actual FUCK ALLURA?”

“Shiro, could you give us a second?” the Altean turned to Shiro who simply nodded before exiting the room in a hurry.

Once the doors had closed Allura turned to a seething Lance.

“Yes, Lance?”

“How dare you! I had to find out about this mission through Keith. Keith! You know out of everyone here, the one person who should be on that mission is me!”

“I’m sorry Lance, but you’re not going.” Allura sighed, “I understand that you are angry-”

“Angry?” Lance exclaimed, his voice dripping in contempt. “Oh no, Allura, I’m not angry. I’m fucking pissed the fuck off! WHat makes you think that you can just bench me on a mission like this?”

Allura knew where he was coming from, could really understand why he wanted to go. These people had held him captive after all, changed him into what he was today. But it was that exact reason why she couldn’t in good conscience allow him to go.

“Lance, you are frustrated, believe me, I know. But at the moment I do not think it is wise given your current mental state.”

“It was fine enough for you to try to force me to do the mindmeld last week, Princess.” his last word came out as a sneer and it took all Allura had not to give into the blatant disrespect the Blue Paladin was showing to her.

“The mindmeld exercise was meant to help fix that.” she stated as calmly as possible. “That was why I suggested it. However, your reluctance hindered such.”

“So you’re punishing me for not wanting to relive my traumatic experiences?” Lance could not believe what he was hearing. So much for a fucking support system. “Tell me, Allura, how does being forced to endure torture again fix my mental state? I’d love to hear it!” Lance held nothing back in his voice. All anger and sarcasm that Allura could do nothing to fix. She was only trying to help.

“I am not punishing you, Lance. But with your recent panic attacks and nightmares, it is unwise to send you out like this.”

There was a beat of silence that gave Allura false hope that she had finally gotten through to him. She should have known better and cursed herself for her optimism.

“How do you know about that?” it was a genuine question despite the words coming out in a hiss. Only then did Allura realize that she had said too much.

It was no secret that Lance had nightmares. They were quite frequent and loud the first few weeks of his return. However, they had seemed to calm down after a bit. It was believed that they now came less frequently, that was until Keith had come to Allura with his concern about his fellow paladin.

Apparently, rather than the widely believed situation in which Lance “was handling it”, his nightmares and anxiety had only increased drastically. It was only due to Keith taking it upon himself to be able to calm Lance down that the team was given a false sense of security.

The only people who really knew about that were Keith and Allura. Not even Coran had been informed.

“W-well...I-I-”

“Keith told you, didn’t he?” a new rise of anger fille the Blue Paladin as the realization set in. “Didn’t he?” he asked again, louder that before when Allura had failed to answer the first time.

“H-he. He’s worried about you. Lance we all are.”

“Oh don’t give me that bullshit. If you were worried, you would have asked me about it. Not talk about me behind my back and exclude me from a mission that is literally about me!”

She didn’t know what to say.

What could she say?

Lance couldn’t go on the mission. He was too much of a liability at this point, but it seemed that anything that she could say to make him understand would only fall on deaf ears.

“I’m sorry, Lance. But you cannot go on the mission. We will keep you updated but it is vital that you remain here. As of now, you will be under strict observation by Coran, and when he deems you mentally fit, you may return to missions. My choice is final, and Shiro agrees.”

She took a few tentative steps forward, softening her eyes as she neared the Blue Paladin.

“I’m trying to do what is right for the team and for you. I am trying to keep you safe. I hope that you can understand.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly, Princess.” And with that, he stormed out of the bridge.

Allura waited until the doors finally closed before collapsing on her knees. WIth her head in her hands, she took a few shaky breaths to calm herself.

She was only trying to do what was right. So why did it feel like everything she did was only pushing Lance farther away from them?

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 9: In the Vernacular, Please be my Friend?

Lance and Keith exasperate themselves and each other, but they’re still trying to find common ground to stand on.

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Keith didn’t leave their quarters hardly at all for a movement after they were married. With the exceptions of the incident with Iverson and a minor confrontation with the still-angry seamsmaster (they still hadn’t gotten over the gloves debacle), Keith sequestered himself to their rooms. It seemed the alienating dining room and relatively unfriendly, unhelpful guards and courtiers made him feel unwelcome. Who could have guessed?

Despite the pointed comments from his parents, Lance did not press the issue. Adam brought him food, or Lance, when he wasn’t busy. Keith had seemed faintly surprised that Lance had bothered to do it himself. Like the idea of Lance doing something for him just because was an alien concept.

Over time, giving in to the pressure from the kings, he began to acquaint himself with the dining hall, where the royal family immediately began to invite some gaggle of courtiers or another, the library, which stored the entire civilization’s collected knowledge, and the grounds, where he occasionally absconded with some small plant he thought no one would miss.

Lance was alerted to this habit after one of the gardeners caught Keith stealing a golden regent orchid from a greenhouse. Unfortunately for the distressed gardener, the extremely rare and delicate flower was quite happy in their little garden, and thus Lance declared it would stay.

He’d watched Keith spend several vargas lying on the moss, gazing at the shimmering golden petals. He’d fallen asleep with his tail curled around the stem. Lance had made a note about the Galra kit’s curiosity, speaking to Pidge about ways to keep him busy while he eased his way into royal responsibilities.

At any rate, Keith grew somewhat accustomed to living at the Castle of Lions. By the end of the movement, Keith was starting to venture out for more than meals and stealing from the gardens. He’d even attended court with Lance, sitting on his right, holding his hand on the joined arms of their thrones. At one point, Lord Lanval had come forward to publicly apologize for his slight against the princes at their wedding banquet. Keith had graciously accepted, despite knowing the apology was a show.

In spite of all of this, Lance knows Keith wasn’t happy, and he isn’t exactly happy either. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything he can do.

Lance throws himself into his increasing duties, burying himself in the multitude of smaller concerns that his parents don’t have the time or energy for in the current political climate. Rumors ripple through the royal court and eventually the commonwealth about Crown Prince Lancel and the new practices he’s implementing, including adjusting how taxes are set.

Now, thanks to him, taxes are decided based on income against estimated needed expense. Said expense is not being estimated by courtiers, but by newly hired tax collectors, and based on specific criteria set by Lance, Adam, and Pidge. Keith had suggested that the tax collectors be required to wear pocketless uniforms while collecting, to which Lance had agreed.

“Lancel, everyone is charged the same amount on their taxes. It’s equality.”

“Yes, and farmers scrape by poaching the wilds while Lord Lanval hands us the top off his spare change at the end of the decaphob. This is better than equality, Father. This is equity .”

The appraising look he’d received from Alfor and the collection of small gifts from the agrarian population have been worth the hours-long-winded explanation he’d owed his fathers. The detail he’d had to go into had been excruciating. Coran had done his very best to speed things up, but had hindered more than helped. Lance loves him for his efforts.

Needless to say, he’s tired when he returns to their room much later with Keith’s dinner, finding him and Shiro sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. They’re talking softly in Galran. Lance pretends not to understand as he sets Keith’s food on the end table.

“No, he didn’t,” Keith whispers, moving a piece on the board game he’d found in his upstairs loft. Lance has taken to leaving games and puzzles in places where Keith could find them. And any pretty trinkets he thinks the Galra might like. Keith doesn’t seem sure what to make of it, and frankly Lance isn’t sure he knows where the objects are even coming from. Perhaps they're more interesting to Keith as a mystery.

“Truly? That is how Alteans consummate their unions. He should have.” Keith shakes his head, and Shiro’s eyes slide to Lance. “Interesting.”

“He is interesting. I don’t hate him, I think.” Well that’s... marginally gratifying. “You don’t hate the attendant. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you like him.”

“You- You shut up!”

“I bet you just wanna eat him up, don’t you? All little and cute like he is.” Lance smiles at Adam as he prances in with the usual sigh and a swing of his hips. Shiro blusters.

“So. Are your fathers, Ancients bless them, stupid?”

“No, they’re just old. The tax system hasn’t been changed since my great-grandfather Mahi was king and it's always been enough to fund the Crown so if it’s not visibly broken, why fix it?” Lance explains. “I think Dad was on board from the beginning. And Father just wants to give me a hard time every now and then. Payback, I guess.”

Adam sighs, datapad clutched in one hand. He pushes his glasses up his nose with the other. “No, he doesn’t. He just…”

“Thinks I’m an idiot?” Lance offers. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith keeps playing with Shiro’s visibly perked ears. They bend back with Keith’s manhandling, only to bounce right back into place. Keith seems to find it very funny, snickering each time they spring forward.

“Lance, you’ve done your best to convince them both that you’re an idiot. Where does this tablet go?”

“It was swiped from the library. Just put it on the nightstand. No, no. The other nightstand. On Keith’s side.” Lance lifts yesterday’s vest from the floor. “I find it interesting that Father buys it, and Dad does not.”

“But not surprising?” Keith asks, briefly glancing at Lance, tugging on Shiro’s ear. The adult Galra seems content with the manhandling. Lance wonders if it's normal to let kits maul you.

“Oh Ancients, no. Dad’s a terrible judge of character, but he knows me too well to be fooled.”

“So King Alfor is a terrible father who doesn’t know his own son?” Shiro asks, swatting playfully at his brother’s hand.

“No, he was just on his own for a long time. After Melinor died, he had Altea, Daibazaal, me and Allura, Coran, and, well. You can guess what happened-”

Keith laughs from where he’s still seated on the floor with his brother.

Lance frowns, turning to watch them. He notices Shiro’s still-perked ears and attentive eyes, fixed on Adam as the attendant begins picking up the trail of misplaced items Lance constantly leaves in his wake. There aren’t that many.

Shiro’s ears are so expressive, their movements as important as his smile.

But Keith... Keith’s ears are mostly stationary, no matter what. They rotate when he hears a noise and they wilt or twitch sometimes, but mostly when he is unsure of himself. Otherwise, they’re just kind of there, like he’s not entirely sure how to move them. That, combined with his generally reserved demeanor, suggests to Lance that Keith doesn’t know how to express himself.

The longer Lance spends with Keith, which admittedly isn’t much, the more he suspects that Keith spent most of his life alone.

It breaks his heart, really. Keith’s actually kind of sweet. He strikes Lance as a gentle soul, and a warm one, when he’s allowed to be. His fond teasing of Shiro regarding his apparent infatuation with Adam stands as a testament to that.

“You should just talk to him.”

“Shut up.”

“He’s stopped looking like he’ll run away if you try.”

“Wait, what? He’s scared of me?”

Keith falters, tries his best to backtrack. “Oh, no, Shiro. Of course not. I’m sure he was just stressed. He’s not scared of you.”

Adam’s absolutely intimidated by the enormous Galra soldier, but Lance isn’t. The man’s adorable.

“Hey Shiro, got any hobbies?” Lance asks. Keith leans over and whispers something that set his brother’s ears aflurry.

“Oh. Um. Well, actually, I like gardening.” Out of the corner of his eye, Lance sees Adam pause before going back to fiddling with the bed canopy.

“When he retires, he wants to open an apothecary,” Keith supplies.

“Really? Well that’s very interesting,” Lance says. “Adam here has quite the interest in botany himself, don’t you? Quite the physik, actually.”

Adam smooths over a pillowcase unnecessarily. “Yes.”

“Perhaps you can exchange comunique codes and compare notes. You leave tomorrow night, don’t you Shiro?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes I do, I’m afraid. Royal Advisor Krolia has been doing both her job and mine, so I really can’t stay longer.”

“I see.” Lance notices how Keith’s mood drops drastically with the turn of conversation. “Well please come back and visit when you can. You are family now, and always welcome. Just let us know before you arrive so I can make sure you won’t starve.”

Shiro smiles with gratitude. “Thank you, Lance.” The man rises to his towering height. “I’d best begin packing my things. Keith, you stay here and at least try to be friends with your husband.”

“Shiro-”

“No, Keith.” Shiro lays a hand on Keith’s head. “It will get easier. I promise. But you need to try, too. He is.”

Keith nods, studying the half-finished board game in front of him, now devoid of an opponent. Lance turns to Adam, addressing him in Altean. “Can you give us a minute? It’s tricky to get him to talk, and he won’t if you’re here.”

Adam abandons his fiddling. “I’d best go speak to Pidge if I’m to get that comms code set up. It’ll be valuable to have another source inside the Galra fold. Perhaps the captain will be useful.”

Lance heaves a sigh, sitting down where Shiro had been before. “Hey-”

“Did you know I can speak Altean?” Keith murmurs, studying the game board. Quiznak.

“Did you know I speak Galran?” The two stare at each other for a moment. Then sigh, shoulders drooping. “We have to stop doing this. We have to stop trying to get one over on each other,” Lance says. “We’re the only people we know we can trust-”

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Lance bites his lip. “I trust you. I don’t think you would hurt me. Not at all.”

“Lance, I’ve been trained specially to kill you.”

“And?” Lance shrugs. “I’ve been trained how to kill you . That’s how it is... You know, we could have met in battle. We could have fought each other. One of us could have killed the other. Been celebrated for it. Rewarded.” Keith’s ears wilt. He doesn’t seem to like that idea any more than Lance does.

“What do you want, Lance?” Lance moves one of Shiro’s pieces and hands Keith the twenty-sided die. Keith tosses the die, moves a piece, and on it goes.

“Shiro leaves tomorrow,” Lance observes. The ears droop further, tail limp against the floor. “I wanted to see how you’re doing. See if there’s anything I can do.”

Keith’s quiet for a long time, amethyst eyes dull and downcast. Lance sighs, assumes he’s not going to make any progress today.

“Okay, Keith. That’s alright-”

“My brother is leaving, and I will be alone here. I miss my mother.” Of course. Of course he does. “It- It hurts.” Of course it hurts. Keith’s still a kit. He still has that powerful kit’s bond with his mother, with his pack. “There’s not a whole lot to be done.” Keith pulls out his datapad and dims the lights to nothing. It’s just the fire, no moon to shine through the domed glass roof of the tower above. “It’ll get better, the longer we’re separated.”

“I can get you a comms code-”

“No. Thank you, but that will make it worse. In a few movements, maybe a phoeb, I’d like that, but for now, this is best.”

It’s only later, when they’re in bed, that Lance realizes exactly what’s happening to Keith. Parent-child bonds are powerful things for Galra. Keith’s have remained even as his mother served in battles during the second war. Normally, such a bond fades during a Galra’s final growth.

Now, that bond is being forced apart before its time. Again.

Lance can only imagine what all of Keith’s loss and moving around and such has done to him. He notices the Galra trying to massage his own ears, self-soothing, hears a tiny, smothered chirp. Distressed. He scoots closer, reaches out, replaces Keith’s fingers with his own.

"It's alright, Keith. I've got you."

The Galra tenses for a moment, relaxes. Lance can hear him purring as he settles. He is this kit’s primary pack-member now. He’ll take good care of him. He trusts Keith to return the favor if he gets a chance.

“Keith?” A hum of acknowledgement. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry that you’re still a kit and I’m sorry about your family and I’m sorry that you’re here.”

“If you’re sorry, then help me do better. Make sure it doesn’t have to happen to our children.”

“I swear it. On my life.”

[patientfocusly]

major canon divergences 

( i don’t expect anyone to read this because it’s a lot lmao. this is more so for me to have a reference because i forget things about my own muse / canon rip. if we’re rping together we’re probably also talking ooc so anything important from this post will be mentioned to you at some point. )

( please note that by canon, i’m referring to my general main verse which includes no interactions with other muses. each interaction with a muse is put into its own verse. new interactions can come into the main verse at any point of the timeline and then diverge from that point. )

does not marry curtis. they noticed each other because they worked closely as part of the atlas crew and maybe if the time and place were different there might’ve been a chance for them to get to know each other and form something but for shiro, there is a lot weighing on his mind that he needs to wade through

( a ) shiro has been thru Sum shit and he has an endless list of reasons to be sad but i just want to make it known that shiro’s no. 1 source of guilt and just general mind-anguish is the fact that he is living in a borrowed body, that he took from someone who had to die for him to live. 

( b ) at this stage he is also coming in touch with his feeling for keith which have been with him for a while, so even if he was aware of other potential interests . . . he’s not actually interested back.

adam is alive. he was critically injured in the first wave of attack by sendak and recovered enough only to provide ground support for the second wave. he remains an officer of the garrison and heads training and recruitment. he does not fly again. he’s happily married and reaches out to shiro. they’re amicable, but not close friends. maybe eventually they will be. ( this will obviously not be the case if i’m writing with an adam. )

allura is alive – i need to rewatch the end of season 8 to figure out how, but she’s alive.

after a year or so of captaining the atlas, the need for atlas to be an offensive military ship decreases and shiro consults sam and pidge for their thoughts on deweaponising his prosthesis. The new arm is still powered by allura’s crystal but looks more similar to the galra arm ( except it starts at the shoulder since his bicep??? disappeared magically ), but it’s coloured white and light grey, and the lit up areas are aqua ( same as the crystal. )

speaking of the crystal . . .  the original arm was designed to operate via a balmera crystal, because that’s what most of altean designs are based off of. however they didn’t have a crystal to use, and sam says the remaining energy required for the armto work would be drawn from shiro’s own electromagnetic field. he tries it for the first time and . . . his body rejects it, in what looks like an incredibly painful and potentially fatal way, if it hadn’t been for allura stepping in and replacing the original energy source for the arm with the crystal from her tiara. we don’t ever find out why shiro’s body rejected the first energy source but here are 2 theories:

( a ) shiro’s body is actually kuron’s body, a clone, manufactured by haggar, using ~space science~ and likely some form of quintessence. the electro magnetic field coming off of the clone’s body would vary to that of a human’s, which is what sam would’ve based his calculations on. balmera crystals have incredible properties that aren’t really explained in great detail but we know how powerful they can be, regardless of size. 

( b ) because it’s kuron’s body, maybe the connection to haggar didn’t completely shut off when keith cut off the arm. that flash that happens when the arm connects and shiro’s body starts rejecting it is very similar to the flash that happens when haggar starts controlling kuron earlier ( better explained in this headcanon piece. ) my only issue with this headcanon is that it implies haggar may still have some degree of control over shiro, and I just………….it’s been so overused, i just don’t want that for shiro anymore, so i’m most likely sticking to theory a !!!!!

still on the subject of the crystal, let’s talk about what shiro says after allura places the balmera crystal in his arm ; “i feel strange . . . i feel – great !” strange, as in he’s feeling something he’s never quite felt before. this is in contrast to what he feels when the first energy source is used in his arm ; “i feel . . . good,” but he sounds hesitant, like he doesn’t feel good at all, and obviously we see why moments afterwards. the great part is emphasised. he almost seems excited, like he really does feel great, and the scene cuts off with him trialling his arm by making a fist, and smiling. again, the properties of the crystals are pretty much undefined, but they are an immense source of power – what allura’s tiara contains is likely more than enough required to power shiro’s arm, and going back to how allura operated the castleship, and how shiro is able to operate the atlas, i’m loosely headcanoning that the crystal acts as a link between “captain” and “ship”, though obviously, allura herself channels quintessence and has so much more capabilities as a “captain.” 

what does the crystal providing an energy source for not only the new prosthesis, but also shiro’s body mean for shiro? an external boost of energy and human-compatible quintessence is probably the first dose of anything resembling treatment shiro has had since the kerberos mission. i don’t see the balmera crystal nor altean healing pods having the power to edit genes but as far as healing goes, it must have some effect in alleviating pain and / or fatigue for shiro to exclaim, “i feel great !”

( a ) sometimes it’s difficult to write in a universe set in the future because things of our current reality ( social injustices, shit politics, technological limitations etc. ) may not be a reality say 100 years in the future, and add space and alien technology to the mix and you’re sort of left with a lot of potential for creation and imagination and progression but also hindered by the reality of present day and representing present day. i wouldn’t want to “magic” away shiro’s disease or magically come up with a cure, but at the same time i don’t want to take away the possibility for him to be potentially cured ( which is what the “i feel great !” line hints towards ) just because of the limitations of today ???????? i’m just having an inner conflict over this - i will update what i decide when i decide !! 

major fanon divergences

does not qualify as space dad. it simultaneously infantilises the other paladins and takes away from their own journeys of being forced to grow up too quickly and take on the responsibility of fighting in a war, and puts undue stress on shiro who is only ~25 himself responsible for his team only in the role of their commanding officer at best

his prosthetic arm is not a sex toy, it’s a prosthesis ( refer to this post on arm related bed time activities )

shiro did not have a romantic connection with keith pre-kerberos. if anything the earliest signs of anything resembling a romantic connection would be late into season 2, but that is pending heavy plotting

shiro came from a happy family . . . he just lost almost all of it very early on. he grew up loved even though he learnt about loss too quickly ( please refer to this headcanon. )

shiro cannot sing lol . . . i dont know where this headcanon came from, but it’s sticking

i think it’s popular headcanon for shiro to have a little sister, or a big family; i wrote his backstory with his older sister before i came across this, so i’m sticking to my original headcanon because his bond with his sister is so strongly formed in my head  

shiro is not afraid of death . . . but he doesn’t want to die. i feel like his relationship with death needs its own post but the tl;dr version of it is that he had a timer put on his life when he was around 17 years old. life goes from seemingly endless to suddenly very very short ( not just in the sense that his lifespan is predicted to be shorter, but that his body will soon restrict him in movement and opportunity. ) and then kerberos happens, and the arena happens, and voltron and zarkon and he’s reminded that life is short regardless of whether they give you a timer at 17. any moment could be his last and shiro has had a long time to come to terms with this. it makes him incredibly grateful for the present, and of what he’s had in the past. it also is potentially why he prioritises a mission that will take him to see the stars, over a relationship with adam ten years down the track.

if anyone makes it this far . . . ur the real mvp, thank u for reading my brain ramblings <3

[discordiansamba]

Shiro is thirteen years old and currently in the throes of puberty. His voice cracks. Hunk doesn't think he's ever going to be able to take him seriously ever again after that. He seems really excited about being in space- once he gets over his confusion, and about having a cool robot arm. Hunk decides not to elaborate on how either of those things happened.

Allura is ten, just old enough that she's in that phase where she's trying to put childish things behind her even though she is still very definitely a child. She wants to be a mature and grown up princess so very badly, to help her father and mother. Hunk and Coran are definitely not telling her about the war.

Keith is six years old, and he's a spitfire. He's full of energy, he's loud, he has a very noticeable Southern accent. He smiles. He's very, very different from the Keith Hunk and Coran have gotten used to. He's also extremely mobile, and extremely prone to getting into trouble. He also bites, which is something Coran finds out the hard way.

Lance is four years old, and would very much like his mom please. He's very scared of Coran and Hunk at first, but seems to warm up to them once Coran tells him he's an alien. But of the peaceful sort, he promises! He is... very surprisingly not a handful, and is eager to try and help in his own way. He is hindered in this regard by being you know. four years old.

Pidge can't be any older than a year. Hunk thought she was small before, but she is so, SO small now. They have to find one of those baby carrier things, because if one of them literally doesn't have her on their person, she will crawl away and get into trouble. She's extremely curious, and the Castle is NOT a safe place for babies.

concept where all of the paladins get shrunk except for Hunk so now he's left to wrangle all of these children. at least teenage Shiro is trying to be helpful, even if he's deeply confused as to why he's in space now and has a prosthetic arm? and Lance and Allura are honestly not as big of a menace as they could be...

...compared to Keith and actual baby Pidge. Lord give him strength.

[kitten-keith]

Horrid Self Indulgence

Wrote this long thing and now it’s gone cause I posted it to the wrong account and copy paste didn’t work so /fuck me/ anyway.

The whole following fic is purely self indulgent garbage, thus the name (it’s even called this in my google docs because I HAD A PLAN for what I was doing and it was supposed to be insanity) though as usual things get derailed and Idk. I had wanted to get into the hijinks of this concept but lost steam after starting the second bit. But the first bit can stand alone. ish. I guess.

Idk. It’s all completely ridiculous though so idk have fun.

Klance, slightly intoxicated, sharing a bed, Keith is uncomfortable AF and Lance is trying to be chill about it. Weird head shit and accidental rituals. You’ll see. Seriously. Horrid self indulgence.

-----

It was a pleasant moment between comrades that went horribly, heinously, horrifically wrong. 

And if that’s what bonding with Keith friggin Kogane gets him then absolutely not, never again.

It was such a simple stupid fuck up. How was he supposed to know?!

They were at a dinner, stumbling awkwardly through an alien planets customs, trying unsuccessfully to pretend they were okay with the garbs they’d been forced to wear and that the food didn’t make them nauseous when Lance had made the biggest mistake ever and looked at Keith. 

See, because he was the leader his attire had to display this-this—nobility. And god, Keith was anything but noble. He was sitting to the right of the planet’s leader, Allura across from him, and he looked like they might as well have sat him at the kids table with how his brows furrowed and he looked at the ground like he was trying not to cry.

His face was red enough to match the silk scarf loosely clinging to his shoulders and his thumbs rubbed absently over his ungloved hands. He was bare aside from the scarf and a darker one wrapped around his waist for modesty that he’d had to fight for. Apparently this planet had no concept of an external penis or whatever and needed to be educated on human biology before they gave in to Keith’s demands. 

The whole thing was about respect, leaving yourself bare to show you had nothing to hide, but to remind everyone of his station the locals had him decked out in jewels from head to toe. They were braided into his hair, dangling from thin chains across his chest, Lance was positive there was some sort of jeweled sandal decorating his tiny delicate toes too. 

(And not because he paid attention to that sort of thing. Just. Ya know. Shiny shit.) 

Allura was actually dressed about the same though being a woman with no external penises she was actually way nakeder than Keith. And, as she was a full on princess they’d given her a whole slew of silver that had strategically covered all necessary bits that Lance’s mother might have flinched at. 

Not that Allura seemed to give a fuck in the slightest and even seemed to enjoy it as she spoke animatedly to the world leaders, the jewels on her body making small clinking noises with every movement. 

Lance had spotted perfect (and he means perfect) dark nipples exactly 16 times since they’d all sat down to their meal and absolutely couldn’t take it anymore so that was when he’d turned his attention to Keith. 

And somehow had been unable to turn away from him since.

The other Paladins were stripped some and given a few shiny baubles. Lance himself was wearing flowy pants slit up the sides over the dark boxers he’d thankfully been allowed to continue wearing. A couple gold plated necklaces and an arm band and he was good to go. Lance has no issue being topless and actually kinda liked the style. Hunk was a bit more uncomfortable, same pants, same boxer treatment (his were white with yellow suns on them, Lance clapped him on the back for unintentionally matching.) 

Hunk had the same kind of jewelry too but try all he might he couldn’t drop his hands from where they were wrapped around his chest.

He said he was cold repeatedly but lance figured he was just self conscious and offered him plenty of wolf whistles back in their dressing rooms because “man hunk you wanna bench press me later cause those arms are making me weak~!” 

But sadly it didn’t seem to work. 

Pidge was an interesting sell. Same bottom situation in her signature green but she’d also managed to get away with a pair of socks that she was no longer wearing on her feet.

They were providing just a hint more cover for her chest after she’d wrapped Lance’s, Hunks’s, and her own scarf around herself like a makeshift halter top. The locals hadn’t liked it and Allura had tried to explain that female breasts were nothing to be ashamed of but Pidge’s size and thus assumed age had granted her the “let the child be” excuse. 

And sure, Lance was a grown man who was all for equality and free the nipple and aaallll that jazz but if they had forced his pseudo baby sister to go topless he might have lost his absolute shit and gotten them all sent back to the castle. 

Not that that would have been the worst thing at this point because then he wouldn’t be staring at Keith like this— to avoid staring at Allura! Of course— and then he wouldn’t have gotten elbowed in the side by the Pidgeling and gotten the funny look from Hunk and nah man okay. 

Lance wasn’t ogling the leader of voltron. 

He wasn’t. 

He was just. 

Uh. 

Worried about him. 

Yeah, that’s right. Worried. 

Which was what lead him to follow Keith’s retreating form the second they were allowed to adjourn for the night. 

It’s what compelled him to bump his shoulder and wave a hand in greeting. 

And maybe that pout had something to do with Lance’s laughing, throwing his arm over his shoulders, and ushering him to his room for the night. 

“Come on dude, I've got something for you, stashed from that one planet with the abomination? You know the one… Kell? Krell? It’s good okay, better than what they just tried to feed us. Take the edge off.” 

Take the edge off. 

Famous last words? 

Keith groaned and wrapped his arms around himself tightly but nodded and willingly turned off course from his own room. Lance wondered if this was so easy because he’d been so beaten down by the day or because he actually found solace in Lance’s company. 

He didn’t have the nerve to ask and instead simply sauntered into his room, leaving Keith to stand idly by the newly shut door. 

“It tastes better than nunville but it’s a little stronger so you’re gonna wanna sip at it okay?” 

Keith nodded but his eyes looked glassy, like he wasn’t actually listening. 

Lance moved to his temporary rooms vanity setting and shuffled through his bottles of toiletries. When they’d decided to indulge the locals in their customs and stay a few nights basking in their hospitality Lance had been told to pack quickly but he hadn’t forgotten anything important. This included the little silver pouch that he’d somehow barely touched since keeping it with him all this time. 

He opened the pull top with his teeth to take a small sip before offering it to Keith who was still standing right against the door as if he was afraid to move. Considering how loose the scarf around his waist looked, he might have been. 

He did look… good though. 

Remarkably so. 

Amidst the finery and the sheer and silk fabrics, his hair in a loose braid over one shoulder and that almost permanent flush across his cheeks, he was beautiful and adorable and stunning all at once and it was doing ridiculous things to Lance’s chest. He almost regretted taking the sip that he did because he worried about what he might let slip aloud, looking at Keith like that, but as the alien substance travelled down his throat and warmed his body he kept his wits. He felt the buzzing under his skin but retained his sense. He was here to offer Keith a moment to relax. Nothing more.

He walked over to Keith and instead of handing him the pouch he resealed it and held it softly under one arm as he reached out with both hands for Keith’s waist. 

Keith flinched so hard his back hit the door, “what are you doing?!”

Lance rolled his eyes, pushing closer and grabbing on to the scarf around his waist tugging and tightening it for him. 

“Looked like you were having trouble.”

Keith’s flush was so hot Lance could practically feel it.

Poor thing. 

“Right… thanks…” he stayed against the door but took the pouch when Lance offered it. 

Lance turned to walk over to his bed and make himself comfortable and by the time he turned his attention back to Keith the boy was swallowing.

“You remembered what I said about that stuff being hard hitting… right?”

Keith shrugged.

Took another sip. (This one looked more like a sip at least. Maybe Lance wouldn’t have to carry him back to his room later.)

He sealed the stopper and looked around the room briefly before walking in the straightest line imaginable to sit on the foot of Lance’s bed, holding the pouch out to him again. 

Lance considered it, wondering if it would help or hinder his case to not make a fool of himself with Keith looking like that and decided why not. Besides, he could pace himself, unlike some people. 

When he finished taking his last sip, feeling the warmth and the contentment sitting in his stomach as he leaned back on his elbows on his bed, he hummed to himself and shut the top, putting it to the side. 

Keith shuffled around so his back was to the bed post and he placed his hands over his lap uncomfortably.

“So uh. Was—was that it?”

“Chill Keith. You’ve been looking so tightly wound today I figured you could use a break.” 

Keith visibly paled and moved to curl in on himself but thought better of it. His thumbs started to track back and forth over his fingers though. Bad sign. 

“Relax!” Lance demanded, stretching the vowel sounds to make it more playful. 

Keith neglected to heed this order and instead looked away. 

“Look, I doubt it’ll cause any problems, everyone knows their customs made you uncomfortable. Here, if you want you can go ahead and get under the covers.” Lance reached behind him and pulled up the bed sheets. It would help his own situation too. Cover Keith and that pretty skin of his up. Put that beautiful body away because his own was starting to get ideas he didn’t need. 

He remembered Allura looking just as beautiful if not more so and it helped for a second to feel better mentally but he was still fighting not to be turned on next to half naked (that was being generous) Keith. 

“That might actually be… are you sure? I could just— leave. I could leave.”

Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Would you chill if you left or would you stay up all night worrying about the kinds of impressions you’re leaving?”

Keith was silent. His thumb disappeared behind his pointer to dig his little blunt nail into his middle. 

“Get in the bed. Let me tell you stories.” 

Keith’s eyes lit up at that and for a moment he started forward to crawl across the bed toward where the sheets were up, but he stopped himself again. 

Lance sighed.

“Feeling exposed?”

Keith nodded.

“You know we showered together back at the garrison right? I’ve seen you naked. Completely naked. And lathered.”

Of course, this was before Lance’s full sexual awakening and before Keith had filled out like he did with those abs and thighs for days but uh— that wasn’t a necessary addition to the conversation it just wasn’t. 

Keith still flushed like a tomato and it made Lance’s little traitorous heart do a flip.

“Right right. I forget you didn’t even remember me from the garrison.” Lance offered sardonically, trying to shift the mood. 

Keith bit his lip. Man, even that looked good. Lance wanted to bite that lip. He could just see it. Lip to lip with Keith Kogane groaning out. Lance’s hand on his shoulder pushing him back on the bed, the other reaching beneath him to get a nice big handful of that round perky ass—

Okay. 

Okay maybe Keith shouldn’t get under the covers. 

Maybe he should leave. 

He should leave. 

He should—

Keith started to mumble something when Lance turned away and shut his eyes. 

“Alright you have ten seconds, go on princess.”

It was silent for a moment. 

Lance squeezes his eyes shut tightly because this was the exact opposite of what he was supposed to be doing.

“10.” 

But he was doing it.

“9”

There was the sound of Keith shuffling behind him, pulling up the sheets more and crawling into bed. He was getting comfortable by the time Lance reached 3 and Keith spoke up telling him he could stop. 

Lance nodded and turned around so he could face Keith, continue conversations, see if he could find a relevant story in his brain about his family or something simple back home that would help Keith unwind. 

Instead he was struck a bit dumb by Keith snuggled under his (always color coded) blue bed sheets, his inky black hair splayed out on the pillow. Lance had always thought Keith’s eyes were this remarkable shade of blue but surrounded by all the blue in his bed Lance realized he was wrong. They were clearly more of a violet, wide and staring at him under lashes that were too long and too elegant for a guy who made a living kicking furry alien chinchillas in the face.

And with that thought came the image of Keith kicking ass, those muscle toned legs under skin tight space suits…

Now basically bare and in his bed. 

Naked. 

Naked Keith in his bed. 

Naked Keith in his bed staring at him expectantly like— like—

Right. Right he was waiting for a story. 

Okay. 

Lance flopped onto his side, too close to Keith but in an effort to remain comfortable and casual it had to be done, and went back to racking his mind for an idea that didn’t involve pressing his body as close to Keith’s as physically possible. 

Something jingled as he went down and he remembered the abundance of jewels that had been decorating Keith’s body. 

There were still a few left in his hair that he seemed to not care about but it looked like the little jeweled sandals were there, as were the ones that had decorated his arms.

It took him a second but Lance scooped them up and put them on the bedside table before getting comfortable again. 

“Oh okay so, let me tell you about the time my big sister Veronica brought home the biggest stupidest “boyfriend” she could find…” 

Lance could see Keith smile just beneath the blanket. 

He reached out and started to pick the jewels out of Keith’s hair as he spoke, occasionally running his fingers through it. If Keith had a complaint he didn’t voice it. Besides, just because it was styled stupid didn’t make it any less soft.

By the time Lance got to the big reveal of the story, the part where Veronica had hired the guy to piss off their dad over an argument they’d had about Veronica’s openness to bringing a girlfriend home (maybe, in the future), Keith had completely knocked out.

And for some reason, Lance thought that was alright.

They could totally just. Sleep in the same bed. No problem.

With Keith wearing nothing but a silk scarf.

He thought this was a perfectly good idea as he showered and put on a fresh pair of boxers and crawled under his sheets to the sound of Keith’s light breathing.

He was a little dizzy, but forgot that the biggest after effect of inebriation was poor judgement, and easily curled up next to Keith.

Keith, who was just awake enough to take Lance’s hand.

Lance thought it was adorable.

Because Keith was adorable. 

And Lance wanted to be touching his skin like this (sort of) anyway.

It worked for him. 

He was sleepy too.

So sleepy he lapsed almost instantly into dreams.

Dreams of Allura dancing just out of his reach. Of her nonchalance at his flirting and efforts to be noticed by her. Making him feel useless. Undesirable. Unworthy.

He was so pathetic.

Keith’s voice was in his head. 

Telling him how kind he was. How sweet he was.

“I couldn’t do any of this without you Lance.”

“I need you.”

“I hope you know that. I hope you know that—if you could see yourself how I see you…”

“Lance you’re so…”

“I want…”

“I wish…”

Keith was at his side. Mumbling those nothings into his ear in little breathy sighs. 

It felt nice. 

It was nice to hear. 

Nice to feel Keith pressing in beside him.

“I wish you could see what I see in you… love yourself as much as I do...Lance, I…”

Well this was awfully self indulgent of him. Dreaming of a Keith who would say those kinds of things. As if the real Keith capital L Loved him. 

Like Lance hadn’t spent years trying to get his attention the same way he had with Allura too. 

As if he hadn’t gotten shot down with every attempt to—

“I liked you then too! I was just… afraid to let anyone in…”

“Liar, you didn’t even remember me.”

“That was the lie…”

“That was…?”

“You were so cute… always trying so hard… always going the extra effort to make people smile or laugh… I always thought you were…”

“You liked me back at the garrison? Like... one smoothie two straws, like-like…?”

Keith turned away, rolling onto his side. Face probably flushed a deep crimson again. Man he was so cute…!

“Like write your name in my notebook with a bunch of hearts, like-like… yeah.”

Extremely self indulgent dream. 

But Lance was gonna take it.

He squeezed himself close to Keith’s body, wrapping an arm around his chest as Keith jumped.

“And now you…?”

“Now I…”

It was silent. 

Lance tried to ignore how perfectly Keith’s ass cheeks felt pressed to his crotch.

He felt naked.

Naked Keith in his bed. Saying all these pretty hopeful things...What a perfect dream…

Lance gently bumped his hips. He couldn’t help it, and it was his dream after all right?

Keith was silent, but reached a hand back to slide down Lance’s waist, breathing loud.

Was that how Lance’s mind worked? Show me a love confession followed by an immediate bone. 

Lance’s wet dreams were clearly things of substance.

“Do you love me?”

He bumped his hips again. His dick hardening fast.

Keith’s fingers dug into Lance’s boxers, applying just enough pressure to drive him forward, keep him pressed to his ass.

“I do… do you…?”

“Hmm… never thought about it before.”

Keith made a low unhappy noise.

“I def love your face… your so fucking pretty face…” 

Keith went silent again. Lance ground his hips against him and his hard cock was finding a very comfortable place right between his cheeks. 

“And I love this body...your ass is heaven, Keith, wish you could feel this...” 

Keith was definitely naked. Naked enough that Lance was desperate to get out of his boxers. 

How could his dream provide him perfectly naked love confessing Keith and not leave Lance equally perfectly naked?

Sense, where was it?

“I love how brave you are… stupid and reckless and it drives me insane with worry. But brave.” 

Keith backed into Lance’s lap, rolling his hips and made Lance’s mind stutter.

“I love how—how much you care about things even when you don’t show it… I love your laugh…”

He could feel Keith’s entire body against his front, a single useless silk scarf around his waist, the rest probably lost somewhere in the bed. His hand found one of Keith’s nipples and he started to slowly rub his fingers around the nub causing Keith to raise his chest into the touch a bit more with a small high pitched sound.

“I love how you hum during flight simulations and I always leave coms open so I can hear you…”

With Keith raising his chest for Lance’s hand it gave him a moment to slip his other hand underneath him. He pinched his nipple between his thumb and forefinger once before sliding that first hand down the span of his body. Feather light touches over the ridges of his abs, loving the way Keith twitched and rocked harder back into Lance. 

“I love how unbelievably dense you could be sometimes, you’re such a mess you’re perfect—” Lance moved his head so he was right against Keith’s ear for the word “perfect” but lost his nerve when he dropped his face into the back of Keith’s neck, “What am I saying… of course I love you.”

Did Lance have feelings for Allura? Yes. Did he wish she’d reciprocate? Yeah. 

Did Lance feel guilty about indulging himself in a dream with someone who he also had some very strong (possibly stronger) feelings for? No, not at all. 

Because real talk? If Keith had said half of this in real life Lance’s heart would have combusted and he would have kissed the life out of him by now—

Because that was just what Keith did to him sometimes. 

He just… blew his mind with how much he could make Lance feel. 

Christ.

Good lord.

He hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to kiss him yet. 

He reached up with the arm that was beneath Keith, his hand spreading wide over his neck to grab his jaw and tentatively guide him to face him. 

“Can I kiss you?”

Keith’s hips ground back hard as he laughed, “you’re asking that now?”

He was right. 

Besides, kinda stupid to ask permission from a dream right? 

“Stupid stupid me, right?” 

“Stop that.”

“Right let’s get to the smooching.”

“Yeah alright I take it back.”

“If you love me you have to love all of me.”

Lance could practically hear Keith rolling his eyes. 

“Hey it’s my dream—“

And it was absolutely superpowered. Maybe there was something in his drink that had different properties on this planet because when Keith parted his lips and lifted his head they had never looked so inviting in his life. He had to stop himself mid sentence to dive for those lips.

Smashed up his nose a little bit on Keith’s cheek which he was sure he would have felt too if this wasn’t a dream but Lance didn’t care because he was kissing Keith Kogane.

And yes. He’d had plenty of dreams where he’d kissed Keith. Plenty of dreams where they’d made out on the rec room floor or the garrison showers or had sex in reds cockpit. 

But they had never ever felt like this.

His brain practically fizzled out. 

He felt Keith’s tongue against his and then suddenly it was gone.

Felt like he was falling, disoriented. Someone (Keith?) reached out to catch him. Dug little blunt nails into his arm in panic.

“Lance—what—“

The dream shifted. Lance was alone, floating in an empty pool, naked and confused and annoyed.

The water was cold but didn’t make him shiver. 

There was a splash in the distance, and Lance hoped it was Keith but he couldn’t see anything. Time passed and he started to lose sense of where he or the water began. 

He’d have given anything to be back with Keith. 

What a shitty way to end his dream…

When he woke up his throat was dry, like he’d had too much to drink the night before and his head spun a bit. 

He sat up and found he was on the far side of the bed where Keith had gone to sleep. Didn’t even see Keith, so maybe he’d gotten up earlier and Lance had managed to settle into place where his body heat had been. 

Of course that was for mere moments before he glanced to the opposite side of his bed and found… himself?

He also realized very suddenly he was buttnaked with only a silk scarf tied loosely around his hips and his hair was long enough to tickle his shoulders.

He looked down at himself and saw the expanse of absolutely flawless Keith body, down to the little dark hairs just under that useless scarf.

Lance wasn’t sure why he did it, but he reached down to grab himself in his palm (Keith in Keith’s palm??) And was immediately overwhelmed by the sensation of it. He had to bite his lip to keep quiet and fell back on the bed hard as his hand tightened to seek out the feeling. He was partially hard already and from the feeling of it he must have been suffering all night.

But excuse you Lance. This isn’t your body what are you doing? 

Dreaming? Still? Could have sworn he was very much awake now…

He forced himself to stop, noting quietly that he was absolutely not going to forget what it felt like, and looked over at his own body. 

Had to be a dream. 

Had to be.

He shut his eyes, letting his finger tips graze over the inside of Keith’s thighs because dream or no there were so many nice things about that he was gonna keep doing it.

Well until someone shook him awake (again?) 

It was strange seeing an expression that was so clearly Keith, puzzled with furrowed brows and tight lips, on his own face. 

But there it was. 

Staring at him like he was the strangest mystery in the known universe. Which, to be fair, if he was still wearing Keith’s face he kind of was. (And kind of had to be considering he definitely wasn’t the one wearing his own face.) 

Keith (you know, it felt like Keith and acted like Keith, but he really didn’t know if that was Keith) was the first to register the shock of the mornings revelation. Lance actually felt kinda slow and confused. Maybe he’d drank too much— no wait, Keith did. 

Anyway.

So. 

Keith started screaming. And Lance started screaming. 

And maybe that wasn’t a great idea while guests on a diplomatic mission in another world palace with your comrades in arms down the hall while you’re both pretty naked and in bed together. 

But uh. 

Fun morning.

[38sr]

I wanna know everything

WHERE DO I BEGIN, VULPES????

Okay okay, I’m just gonna list off the things that I’ve already written for this AU and hope I don’t get into spoilers for the Undercut DJ. To make things clear, this AU is like a mix of canon divergence/fix-it since I’ve been taking the time to rewatch VLD and analyze the story as a whole. So let’s start at the beginning~

Voltron 2020: A canon divergence/fix-it AU based on the 2016 VLD series. I only call it Voltron 2020 since the stories I’ve written/drawn for it so far wouldn’t be out in the public until next year haha.

Where does it start?

V2020 (I’m just shorten it to this) keeps S1 and S2 in canon and kicks off in S3. There’s only one small change I would make to S1 but I’ll get into that when I talk about Shiro in this AU.

These haircuts??? Explain please???

Haha, yes I’m a fan of the idea of Keith, Lance and Allura (yeah you heard me) having shorter haircuts. More so Lance because compared to the rest of the cast’s original designs, his hair maybe be simple but lacks a bit of flair. Lance is the one who get’s his undercut first and the story behind how it happens is covered in a fan comic called undercut that’s slated for release this year.

How Keith and Allura get their haircuts are part of the story as well but doesn’t come until maybe S4 or after (I have to figure out the details on that). But for now, I just wanted to see how Keith looked with short hair and it looks pretty good! 

Keith is in BP suit and Lance is in RP suit?

Yup, one of the things that drove me bonkers in VLD was how they didn’t match their lions. This is more of an OCD thing because I prefer matched colors over mix-match. However, once again changing their suits also has a reason behind it in the story. You can sort of call it…truly stepping into their new roles in the Paladin team. For Keith, becoming the leader Shiro always saw in him. For Lance, becoming the right-hand man and gaining confidence in his skills as a pilot (also becoming Keith’s rock haha).

Okay the real question: Does Shiro die in this AU?

Here’s where things get…a bit interesting? I have two versions of this AU where Shiro does die in his battle with Zarkon and the other where he does not die. So a divergent…within a divergent haha. I have to preface this with I don’t hate Shiro by any means and love his character with all my heart, which is why I made a version where he doesn’t die. Shiro as a disabled, LGBT and PoC character has so much potential that killing him off would be a waste for storytelling. Since the AU takes off in S3 where it was implied that he died, that’s where I took the story and started writing how his death affected the team, mainly Keith. The main point I want to get across is that Shiro needs to lose his connection to Black Lion in order for Keith, Lance and Allura to grow as characters.

In the case I choose to have Shiro die….

As per usual, Keith reluctantly becomes the Black Paladin, Lance becoming the Red Paladin and Allura is the Blue Paladin. We see how Keith is struggling with his loss of Shiro and how he feels incompetent being the leader of Voltron. This would then lead to into the undercut comic and spark a more genuine, supportive friendship between Keith and Lance. I would also keep how Shiro’s conscience remains in the Black Lion, which only Keith knows about cause he’s BP now. This would be great thread to connect Keith and Allura who have lost someone dear to them and rely on technology to keep them alive (when in reality they will always live in their hearts). 

I would also keep the Kuron idea but instead of him joining team Voltron, Honerva and Zakron use the Shiro clones and make their own version of Voltron with the Robeasts we see in S7-8. That way, we could keep The Black Paladins fight since that’s a very emotional and groundbreaking moment for Keith having to face someone cares deeply for. 

In the case I choose to have Shiro live….

I wouldn’t have him be BP again since that prevents Keith from growing into a leader, which then prevent Lance growing as a character and then prevents Allura from growing as a character. If anyone has noticed after watching the series, the character development kind of gets wonky when they decided to bring Shiro back as BP. If anything, it really hindered Keith, Lance and Allura’s character development since S3 focused so much on the dynamics in team Voltron shifted (which would have been super interesting to see as time went on). Since this idea is fairly still new I haven’t quite figured out how I would write the story if I went this route. But, I’m not opposed of having Shiro being involved with the Altean colony…again gotta workshop some stuff here but killing off Shiro is such a waste of potential!

ALSO, if Shiro stays alive, then we need to address Adam in S1 E1. It can be simple like when everyone is at Keith’s shack and Adam’s name gets dropped casually like this:

Shiro: How did you get all this information? This is classified stuff from the Garrison…

Keith: I had someone help me.

Shiro: Someone….?

Keith: …it was Adam.

Shiro: Oh…

Not exact but my point is that could have been a great moment to tell the audience Shiro and Keith have a connection with Adam (more so Shiro because we all didn’t know he was gay until much much later in the series). But lemme move on before I get too into Adam cause so much needs to be written out before I spill it all haha.

Next big question: which ships are canon?

Y’all don’t burn me at the stake but….

Allura and Lotor. 

I KNOW I KNOW! BUT WHAT ABOUT KLANCE!?!?!?!?!??!

Y’all know I will ship Klance until the end of time but right now I haven’t gotten to a point in the story where confirming Klance as a romantic relationship feels natural and right yet. If anything, in V2020 I really want to build Keith and Lance’s relationship as friends and teammates which in turn can lead into something more. But the groundwork needs to be done in order for that to happen.

But yeah Allura and Lotor are confirmed in V2020 cause that feels right and Lotor deserves so much more than what we saw in the show. I’ll leave it at that for now.

Is the ending the same?

HA. NOPE. FAR FROM IT!

This is probably biggest change I made in V2020 but when VLD did this it made me worried for the show as a whole:

Zarkon remains as the main villain and final boss for the entire series.

I would have not killed off Zarkon as early as they did in VLD simply because Zarkon was made out to be such a big threat in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, Honerva and the war factions are a cool idea as opposing forces but they could have happened first and left Zarkon for last. 

Honevra regaining her memories and going on her rampage could have happened first. Lotor could have found out that she was his mother  and had to confront his abuser. Allura would have to face the fact someone of her own kind was doing horrible things and that evil isn’t determined by (alien) race. All of that could have been presented before killing Zarkon and would have pushed Allura and Lotor’s character development. Also, having Honevra written off first would give Zarkon even more incentive to do what he’s doing cause well, that’s his wife and love makes you do crazy things. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The war factions could have happened after Honerva and that’s where we learn more about the Galra empire and society. Where are there are cracks in the system? How are half breeds like Keith and Lotor viewed? How do factions like the Blade come into play and help team Voltron? All of that could have been explored! Honestly, the war factions arc(?) is an opportunity to further develop Keith and Lotor characters and their relationship since they are both half-Galra. 

As for the final battle and ending of it all, Allura doesn’t die and Voltron (the robot) is the one to be sacrificed.

I wrote a whole theory on it after watching S8, so if you wanna read yet another long post you can check it out here haha.

The point of keeping Zarkon as the main (and final) villain in V2020 is to keep the overarching story simple. Think of ATLA, the story as a whole is really simple: 4 nations based on elemental powers are under the tyrannical rule of a dictator and only one person can stop him and save the world. By keeping the objective of the story simple, there’s room for character development and world-building. Instead of a dark, broody space epic (if that’s what you wanna call it), V2020 focuses more on the characters and world-building that are affected by the main opposing force known as Zarkon. A lot of the stories I have in mind are more episodic but I think that works best for a show where the stage is as grand as space haha.

Pidge and Hunk??

As for Pidge, she kind of….gets everything she wants in the show?? There isn’t really anything drastic I would change since the show fixed her issues…

As for Hunk my baby boy sweet cinnamon roll, don’t worry. I’m making sure he’s more than just a scaredy cat who loves food. I really liked how in the show Hunk learned about Galra diplomacy so maybe I can work with that! 

___

Yeah, I think….that’s everything I can tell you about this AU and I’m so sorry, Vulpes, that I made this answer so long! ^^; Thank you showing interest in my AU!

[icypantherwrites]

Pidge, October 9 - shackled. Have fun with the prompts!

Read my fics from @whumptober2019 over on Battlefield on AO3.  Please leave a comment if you enjoyed ♥ And if you were the prompt requester, doubly so would that be appreciated. Thank you!

Break It

Summary: Don’t be scared, Pidge told herself. That was the most important thing. The constant clanking and tugging and crying all around her was very detrimental to that plan. So too were the shackles digging into her ankles and wrists, linking her to every other person on the chain of slaves, that sent her constantly stumbling as they abruptly stopped and started.

Timeline notes: season four or up, not really applicable though

Warning notes: none

xxx

Don’t be scared, Pidge told herself. That was the most important thing because she needed a level head to focus, to think of a way out of this, and giving into fear would only hinder her from doing so.

The constant clanking and tugging and crying all around her was very detrimental to that plan. 

So too were the shackles digging into her ankles and wrists, linking her to every other person on the chain, that sent her constantly stumbling as they abruptly stopped and started.

The aliens – the slavers – seemed to enjoy watching them struggle to walk, cracking whips in the air and sometimes on an unprotected back to speed them up after they were the ones that had halted them at the checkpoint.

Pidge was jerked forward again, no closer to finding an escape than she had been hours before when she’d first woken up and found herself chained, and now just a few aliens away from the cargo ship ramp.

Think.

Think think think. 

Her head ached, whatever they’d drugged her with still in her system, and made her limbs feel as heavy as her mind.

As heavy as her heart at how badly they had failed.

Voltron had gone to assist the Blade with slave trade ring they’d been tracking.

Pidge never imagined she’d end up on the other side of it.

She had no idea where her Blade contact had gone, but as it stood she could not expect them to show.

She was on her own.

On her own while she was drugged, chained, stripped of her outer armor and even her boots, and all of her tools – her bayard although they hadn’t seemed to realize its importance nor what her armor had symbolized. 

Pidge yanked futilely as though something different would happen.

The definition of stupid was doing the exact same thing without changing a variable and expecting a different outcome.

She supposed she was feeling pretty stupid right now. 

“Come on,” she pleaded at herself, at the cuffs, at the situation, at the other aliens around her who had lost their will to fight long ago.

Nothing changed except she was now only two aliens away from the ramp.

Her fingers scrambled at the cuffs on her wrists, she pushed her left foot atop the right anklet cuff as if that would enough leverage to pop her foot out. 

All she got for her efforts was a stubbed toe and another sharp scratch on the bottom of her foot as it slipped off the cuff.

“Oh ho,” came a chuckle. 

Pidge jerked her head up.

She was at the front of the line.

“This one is pretty feisty still,” the slaver grinned, displaying rows upon rows of sharpened teeth. He reached a hand for her and Pidge bared her own teeth, pathetic as they were next to his.

Read the rest of the fic on my AO3 under the fic of Battlefield!

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[kismetconstellations]

You're right. Keith lived on his own for at least a year in an environment that isn't exactly known for being particularly hospitable. He's far from a frail, weepy, and dependent child. Which is why I hate when the fandom, including Sheith shippers, reduce him to one. Especially so when they do it while emphasizing how "small" he is next to Shiro. It almost comes across as fetishy and makes me extremely uncomfortable.

I think Keith's maturity is, however, unfortunately undercut by his quick temper and impulsivity.

His heart is in the right place. He sees this great evil that has caused unspeakable harm, ravaging and oppressing innocents all over the universe, including his best and closest friend and the only family he has, and wants to put an end to it. He didn't ask to be enlisted as a part of Voltron, but takes his new role of Paladin in stride, even throwing himself into training without being pressed to do so by either of his commanding officers. But, the single-mindedness you previously mentioned, coupled with his hot temper, leads to him lashing out at Pidge when she wants to leave to continue her search for her family.

And, even suggesting not rescuing Allura when she's been captured, because he deemed it not worth the risk to bring Voltron right to Zarkon's front door.

He tries to be pragmatic, and his ultimate end-goals are noble, but he lets his emotion take over and cloud his better judgment. This becomes especially apparent in his early days as Black Paladin after Shiro was killed. He makes rash calls, pushes his teammates when they aren't ready or prepared, and refuses to listen to any of their objections until he's landed them all in hot water and openly demonstrated their weakness in front of Lotor.

He does learn from his mistakes once Lance calls him out on them, and it's overwhelmingly clear that he's in way over his head and still in desperate need of Shiro's level head and gentle guiding hand. There was legitimate potential for something meaningful with Keith's character. Imagine if the showrunners had followed the series tradition and kept Keith and Allura as the flagship couple, how special it would have been for the last Altean princess and the Galra half-breed who never felt like he had a place in the universe until he joined her fight to topple Zarkon's empire, to come together in a romantic union, solidifying the end of the animosity and bloodshed and the beginning of peace between their people. Or, if the staff had been able to fully develop the relationship between Keith and Shiro (platonic or romantic), instead of dropping it almost entirely in the final season.

Yet... as a direct consequence of the incompetence behind the scenes, Keith's arc of growing into his "rightful" (it was always intended to be his, but Shiro fit into the role so perfectly, and worked so hard to fully attain it, risking his life to cement his bond with the Black Lion, that fans were and still are justifiably angry at him being unceremoniously replaced like the bag containing yesterday's rubbish) position of leadership was repeatedly hindered and ultimately mangled beyond belief. Because the show's staff inadvisably killed Shiro, they had to figure out a way to bring him back, hence the invention and implementation of the clone plot. Then, Keith's voice actor, Steven Yeun, had scheduling conflicts that the VLD staff somehow couldn't figure out how to work around, resulting in Keith being abruptly pulled from the story out of necessity for a significant stretch of time before he finally returns. Having been aged-up and undergone two years' worth of character development offscreen, as a lame attempt to explain him becoming Shiro-Lite.

I think Keith absolutely strived to do the best that he could with the knowledge and skills that he had. Whether it was supporting or leading a team, fighting the good fight, or reaching out to a friend. He did try, and I can't fault him that. But, while I would never make the claim that he was "done dirty" by the writers with the sheer egregiousness of the callous, irresponsible, and I'd go so far as to say hateful mishandling that Allura, Shiro, and Lotor were victim to, it's still quite clear that they failed Keith, even as they meant to uplift and lionize him.

I want to talk, for just minute, about the amount of self-disparagement in Shiro's statement, here. He's grievously injured, ailing, and trapped in a tiny cave with creatures lurking outside, waiting for their next opportunity to attack him.

Despite this, he's been repeatedly assuring Keith that he's "all right", and inquiring after Keith's well-being whenever he hears Keith struggling over the comms. Then, Keith expresses his belief that Shiro's presence and influence changed his life, and Shiro agrees. On the grounds that he's actively made Keith's life worse.

Keith's response to this extremely concerning assertion?

Nothing. He hears Shiro cough, tells him, "Stay with me, Shiro," and that's it.

This is an example of exactly what I mean when I say that Shiro has no support system. His best and closest friend hears him say something seriously disconcerting while in a state of utmost vulnerability, placing all of the blame for Keith's current predicament on himself, which is objectively not true, and does nothing to refute him. No, "Hey. Stop beating yourself up. We're gonna be just fine". Or, "How could this possibly be on you? Did you purposely eject us from the Castle?". Or even, "When we get out of here, we need to talk about why you feel like you don't matter and something completely out of your control is your fault. It's not like you asked to be here, either."

Maybe I'm expecting too much from a young adult with his own trauma whose interpersonal skills have already been shown to be lacking. I know I expected too much from a team of showrunners who believed that dark content automatically equals mature content, and insisted on shoving as much disturbing subject matter and questionable to outright deplorable messaging as they could manage to get away with into a series aimed at children. Shiro was never meant to heal from his trauma. The intention was to kill him to pave the way for Keith to take his place as The Chosen One.

But, in this fandom's determination to woobify their favorites to the extreme based on said favorites' moments of insecurity, they seem to have forgotten that the most blatantly traumatized member of the cast is the most blatantly traumatized member of the cast. Self-loathing and passive suicidal ideation are every bit as much a part of that as Shiro's flashbacks and the fear-induced paralysis that seizes him when a repressed memory resurfaces from the dark corners of his mind to drag him under. And, he, too, deserved all of the sensitivity, care, and love that they believe their favorites do, which makes it all the more abhorrent that he was repeatedly denied it in this show's canon.