#allura is mother nature she’s In Charge

[dolittlephd]

ok merry christmas yadda yadda let’s move on to actually important business: heatmiser snowmiser klance au. get into THAT.

[braincoins]

Thinking back on it, Allura couldn’t recall if her parents kissed often. She had memories of them kissing each other briefly in her presence, but they were few and far between. And even knowing that they might have been more affectionate in private didn’t stop her from considering the question: 

Had her parents really loved each other? 

Politics would have to have played some part in their marriage; her father was heir to the throne, eventually the king. But that didn’t mean the marriage had to be entirely loveless, right? 

She finally stopped wracking her brain and asked Coran.

“Of course they loved each other!” he huffed. 

“I’m being serious,” she told him, “so don’t you trot out the ‘protecting King Alfor’s memory’ nonsense.”

He sniffed in disdain but did not try to defend himself on the charge. Especially since the loss of her father’s A.I., Coran had become defensive of the king’s legacy. And she understood that. But she wanted to discuss her father, not King Alfor of Altea.

“It was not a love match to begin with,” he allowed. “Your parents were betrothed when they were still very young. But they became friends, and by the time they were formally married, they were very much in love.”

“I don’t remember them kissing much around me.”

Coran shook his head. “Kissing wasn’t how they preferred to show love to each other, that’s all. And especially not in public.”

“Then... how did they prefer to show love to each other?”

“They held hands. They had certain smiles for each other. They were friends first, after all, and that was the foundation of their affection and love. They had inside jokes, little references that no one else would understand, things like that. Your mother was an excellent spy, you know; she preferred subtlety.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Why is this bothering you, Allura?”

“I honestly don’t even know. I mean, I know why I started wondering about it, but I don’t know why it bothers me. It shouldn’t bother me.”

Coran just waited, an air of expectation growing around him. She wasn’t going to give in at first, but then figured it was fair payment for her asking him about this in the first place. 

“It’s just that I don’t have another frame of reference. My relationship with Shiro...”

“Ahhh,” he said in understanding.

She continued anyway. “...is so unlike any other I’ve ever had. And I don’t know what to compare it to except my parents. I knew they were happy, at least, and... and they were my parents. It’s natural to want something like what they had, isn’t it?”

“Very natural. Natural-est thing, really,” he assured her.

“Shiro kisses me often, even in public. Light, short kisses, usually on the cheek, but he still does. It’s almost a reflex for him sometimes, and I...” she felt the blush come on, “...I like that. I like that he is so casual with showing me affection, even in front of the paladins, even knowing they’ll tease him about it. But then I started trying to picture Mother and Father kissing this often and I... couldn’t. Then I began to worry that my memories of them were fading already, and I got... scared, I guess.”

“But that’s not the ‘bothering you’ part, is it?”

“It bothers me a little that my relationship with Shiro isn’t like Mother’s and Father’s. Because I want what they had. But,” she sighed and, at her neural command, a chair rose up from the floor. She sank into it as it settled into place. “I can never have exactly what they had. I knew that even before I asked you. Because they had peace and love and... and Altea.”

“They also had betrothals and politics,” he reminded her. “And war. And you have love with Shiro, do you not?”

Her cheeks heated further. “I... believe so.”

“You’ll have peace one day, when we defeat Zarkon.” He laid a hand over hers. “And your parents would be very happy for you.”

She looked up at him, blinking away sudden tears. “Would they?”

He nodded. “Absolutely. Shiro’s a fine man, hideous ears or no. He’s good to you and he makes you happy. That’s what they’d want for you.”

And she smiled, feeling her heart warm with that knowledge.

Until Coran added, “But they probably would think he’s some sort of lech, kissing you in public all the time.”

“CORAN!”

[starfaring-princelotor]

Ranting anon. I have a lot. I’ll try and split this into pieces. I wouldn’t say that Lotor was my absolute favorite character, but he was an enjoyable and interesting one. He was a more refined antagonist (not necessarily a villain) who had every capacity of being a great ally and friend. I won’t lie, I liked the idea of Allura and Lotor together, (1/?)

As a parallel to Zarkon and Honerva by being a Galra/Altean power couple that fought for good instead of evil. Lotor is clever and diplomatic and poised, so I honestly thought that he could help Allura cool down her impulsive nature and rash temper and help her become a good leader through example. (2/?)

But in the end, all we got was Lotor giving her an ego boost that in the end didn’t even matter because she dropped him like a hot potato in what feels like a forced “girl power!!” Moment. And I feel like that’s a big problem with how Allura’s character was handled. (3/?)

She’s meant to be this wise, kind, but fierce leader lady, but unlike say, Zelda (another warrior princess,) she doesn’t display the patience or level-headedness that Zelda does, despite people making numerous comparisons between the two. The argument that she’s inexperienced falls through halfway through the series at the very least. Allura never takes any steps to curb her temper or his pushy nature. (4/?)

And somehow no one calls her out on it! A big red flag for me was her reaction when Keith was revealed to be half galra and she just…turned fucking mean for no reason. And while Keith felt guilty for something he shouldn’t have felt guilty for, everyone else was…taking her side? (6/?)

And basically the matter is resolved by him mostly apologizing and her kind of mumbling a half-assed sorry. She was literally being racist to someone she called a friend right until she found out about his heritage. Despite him having done absolutely nothing to her. And no one called her out on it. That pissed me off. It feels like the paladins personalities suffered in order to make Allura look good. Like their moralities and personalities got tossed out the window to revolve around her. (8/8)

A forewarning to Lotura shippers, I never liked the ship in the first place, so if you are looking for validation about Lotura or even Allura herself, this rant is not for you. Allow me to pitch in my own two cents about myself, Allura, the Paladins, and the comparison referring to Zelda.

Anon, let me just say this first, I adore reading the asks you sent because all of it was basically the biggest problem I had with Allura the second she was revealed in Voltron. And the main reason for that? Was how she introduced herself by being a glaringly-obvious Princess-brat trope that does not think before she decides to speak. This was her first rash and impulsive act as a “royal” Princess.

This is why I have a hard time believing those who say Allura’s racism towards the Galra is valid because, I do not know about you, but being cryogenically frozen during the heat of war then waking up and thinking the main important thing to do is call someone’s ears hideous? What happened to “the war is still fresh in her mind”? And no, suddenly opening up a journal to remember “Oh, yeah, the war! Zarkon evil! I should be angry!” does not fly with me. 

I am not saying her trauma is not real, only her reaction to it is slightly misplaced. 

In any case, let us move on to the comparison of Allura and I being similar to Honerva and Zarkon. Oddly enough, I did not see this clicking at all in the show. Mostly because, in terms of what happened between them story-wise, Allura and I are more like Alfor and Zarkon. And this is just based off their relationship. Maybe I am a man who strives more for platonic relationships in shows aimed towards children, but I really did not feel the romance at all in Lotura. 

Not even with the sickening way she suddenly started pining after me at the realization that I am half-Altean.

And this is the big point in the show. Zarkon and Honerva loved each other not because of their race, but because they just do. Alfor and Zarkon? They both use their power as royals to achieve a greater good. Except, in the case of Allura, she chose to commit unspeakable acts of betrayal based on feelings. Sounds oddly familiar to Alfor, no? Sacrificing all of Altea to ensure she lives? Because he is such a good father, pure of heart who must protect his daughter at the expense of not one, but two entire planets. 

He loves her so much, he sacrificed his own people for her. That is why Allura is more like her father in that aspect. Both rulers let their feelings control their actions. Throughout the entire 8 seasons of Voltron, Allura has constantly gone either completely irrational or completely poised for the public, never in between. She does her self-sacrificing bit way too many times and, when she coincidentally lives afterwards, she puts herself on a pedestal as if she was right in her self-indulgent martyr actions.

Which she most certainly is not, because it is common knowledge that if you want to help people, you should be actively staying alive to do so. It is as though once she believed all “her” people died, she has no real purpose to stay around after her grand plan of eradicating all the “evil” Galra from space gets completed. I am sorry to say, or perhaps not, but she really does remind me of a terrible Mary Sue who can do no wrong. Alive or dead. 

And this shit? Gets brushed aside or ignored by a majority of the Paladins. I will go ahead and blame it that most of them are all very, very young and lack the experience to speak out against those in charge. In fact, the only two who spoke against her in any sense were Shiro and Keith, even Pidge for family reasons. Shiro when he wanted to support putting myself on the throne and Keith? Well, that is a bit more complicated. 

Anyone remember the scene where Keith kept telling Allura that he does not want to hear a lecture from her, and she does it anyways because she is just looking out for Voltron and emotionally guilting him is the best way to go about it? No? Oh, right, maybe it was because she acted like a mother admonishing him for “shirking” his responsibilities. I do not even need to go on about how much I heavily dislike one of the two female members mothering her teammates.

You know what would have been a great development here? If she supported him instead of “disciplining” him as if he stayed out past midnight. Maybe not even support him! Just be like “Okay, I know this is important for you, so tell us what we need to do to help you. We’re a team and as a team we will help you however we can.” 

In this sense, Shiro was trusting Keith and doing the right thing by giving him the space he needed to find himself. Allura, on the other hand, was pushy and ultimately did not care at all for him as a person, but him as a useful Paladin tool. If he was so revered as the Black Paladin, then should she not be, I do not know, following his orders by the T? Or is her role as a royal, Altean Princess whose spirit is connected to Voltron more important?

And even before all this, she believes her and Keith are supposedly buddies now since she gave a half-assed apology for being a racist cunt to him. No one, I guarantee you, no one forgets racist comments, regardless of repaired friendships. Especially when her cold-shoulder and outright blatant ignorance is being seen as “Oh, it’s okay for her to feel like this! What do we know, we’re just humans from Earth who have apparently never read a history book.”

Before I get into the nitty-gritty details about why comparing Zelda and Allura are the same people, let me just say this concerning Allura’s hot-headed temper and unchecked racism involving a relationship with myself. That shit does not work and Allura should have taken the time to sort herself out before mixing in a “loving” relationship with an Altean and Galran man. I am all for equal support in a couple, but she did nothing to support myself as a person because she never saw both sides of my heritage. 

Allura only saw Altean blood and hyperfixated on that alone. Which, do I even need to spell out how terrible it is to judge someone based on their appearance? Based on their race? Whether in a good or bad light, she once again goes from “I will not have some quiznaking Galra on my ship” to “Your mother was Honerva? You’re Altean!” mode. It is fine to be prideful, but she should have already known the dangers of being too prideful of one’s race. 

Considering she is a royal, considering she was raised with political knowledge, considering her father and the Emperor of the Galra Empire worked together, Allura should have been aware of her Achilles Heel and understand her responsibilities. 

Okay, now, Allura being like Zelda? 

Alright, I only played a handful of LoZ games, but even I know that Allura is absolutely nothing like Zelda, even with both of them having the Princess title. 

We already established that Allura is way too rash and irrational when under any duress. Even when shit is not going down, her way of thinking is very straight forward and linear, disregarding the bigger picture as a whole for her own closeted judgements. Allura has even ignored her royal advisor’s advice too many times to count, excusing her reasoning as “It’s the only way, Coran. I must do this.”

Zelda? Zelda does not, at all, follow Allura’s way of thinking. In fact, OoT has a similar plot to Allura and myself. Link skips 7 years of his life, wakes up to Hyrule being controlled by Ganondorf, and the Princess is MIA. Though, if any of you have played the game, then you know that the Princess was actively trying to save the kingdom. Not just Hylians, but Zoras and Gorons as well. 

And the way she accomplished this was by disguising herself as Sheik. Not because she was a coward, but because she knew the importance that came with being a Princess, the next heir to rule, and the one who has the Triforce of Wisdom under her control. Key word here: WISDOM. Something Allura did not display at all in the show. 

If we are comparing Zelda to any character, she is more like the exiled Prince than Allura herself. Both Zelda and myself have the wisdom and first-hand experience of suffering under active war. Both actively saved, or tried to save, those they came across. And both understood the political discourse that hurt everyone, not just one specific race. Everyone.

But if that is the case, then Link would be similar to Allura in the sense that they both woke up to disaster. The big difference between Link and Allura? Link would not have killed Sheik once he revealed himself to be Zelda. Not even because Sheik was being deceiving. Link would understand why Zelda had to hide for her own safety, because she was vital to the plan to restore balance to Hyrule. 

Even if Link was miffed about Zelda not being truthful? He knows that, under no circumstances, can they chance the risk to kill her over his own personal feelings.

“But that doesn’t mean Zelda never curbed her temper!”

In Twilight Princess, when the kingdom was already starting to fall under evil clutches, Zelda teams up with Midna, an exiled Princess of the Twilight world. I can not imagine how helpless Zelda felt in the face of Zant overthrowing the kingdom, but did she go off and leave the citizens to suffer for all of eternity? No. She accepted aid from those who were willing, even the Princess of the other world. 

And, on top of that, Zelda understood that Midna’s world and her own were like two sides of a coin. They must coexist with each other to achieve peace. In fact, I vaguely remember Zelda sacrificing herself to help Midna. Imagine that. Using your powers to help the “enemy” for the greater good. Tell me when Allura helped the Galra out of her own free will? Her own understanding that the Galra need her help just like every other race in the universe?

No, the BoM does not count. Not with her attitude shining through after her “Zarkon is in power because you guys are cowards!” spiel. Not when she begrudgingly helped save Warlord Lahn while simultaneously profiling him out of spite with “Did you buy those weapons or steal them?” And no, not when she built Sincline with myself with the intention to harvest unlimited quintessence then immediately turn around and aid in murdering me, the Emperor of the Galra Empire, over a weak accusation. 

Overall, Allura really is the type of person to barge into other people’s problems, claim “I am here to help you all!”, then throw a hissy fit when people ask for specific aid rather than follow her “My way or the highway” attitude. Terrible writing or not, she was always like this since the very beginning. It is kind of like…she had many chances to improve, but she just made her own situation worse and refused to stop to reflect upon herself.

[ptw30]

Atlas/Voltron - Cool design but ultimately meant nothing. Seriously.

When I was reading the amazing @fudayk​‘s post about the last EP interview, I was horrified by most of it, but one thing that did strike me as particularly deplorable was that JDS felt the Atlas/Voltron merge was overlooked because of all the backlash. 

So I wanted to take a moment to say - the Atlas/Voltron merge meant absolutely nothing. 

Now I do want to give kudos where kudos are due - I actually liked the Atlas/Voltron merge. I did. In fact, I loved it. 

I mean - 

Look.

At. 

It. 

The EPs know how to make something pretty, that’s for sure. However, what did the Atlas/Voltron formation ultimately mean? That the team could go after Honerva, sure. But the merge didn’t have any emotional weight to it. 

The Balmera pop out of nowhere to do it. In fact, that created a plot hole because why could all these Balmeras converge but that one Balmera needed a wormhole? So now we have scared Balmeras who can use wormholes and less-than-sacred Balmerans who can’t?  And how did Shay know that the Balmeras were needed? Can Balmeras talk to one another? 

Moving on...

Who is creating the Atlas/Voltron merge? 

Not Shiro. It looks like he’s holding on for dear life. 

As my sister says, it looks like the paladins are all having a hard time on the toilet. 

Maybe Allura is controlling the Atlas/Voltron transformation? She is a sacred Altean after all and helped create Sincline. 

...nope, not Allura. I mean, at this rate, it might as well have been Keith.

So how did Atlas/Voltron merge? Why does the final mecha appear as it does - as a White Lion when the White Lion was destroyed? And why does it have high heels? No woman goes fighting in high heels, DreamWorks. Can we finally get rid of that annoying trope? 

But the Atlas/Voltron merge is not the culmination of the series. It’s not the paladins - six becoming one. (It should have been - more on that below the cut.) The paladins routinely left Shiro behind throughout Season 8, and Atlas isn’t the White Lion.

I would say at best, Altas/Voltron is a last-ditch attempts by execs (not JDS and LM) to try to give Shiro fans some comfort that Shiro is still a paladin in some capacity. (He is. He’s the Black Paladin, but he’s not a paladin in a lion during the merge.)

...but that’s it. Really. There’s nothing more there for us to feel about Atlas/Voltron. It’s just - shrug. So they made a bigger mecha. Even later, they make bigger wings, which...all right. So?   

But there is and should be have been more to the Atlas/Voltron merge - and here’s why. 

Let’s start in the middle with Atlas. 

I remember reading Donya’s Hyable review of Season 7 and being somewhat apprehensive yet excited that “Shiro is going to be reborn and it’s going to be awesome.”

When Atlas transformed, I felt something all right. Demoralized. The transformation meant Shiro wasn’t going to be in back in Black. It meant Sendak, in “Crystal Venom,” was right and Shiro shouldn’t/couldn’t be a Voltron paladin. It meant the lion swap was permanent, and it meant Allura was going to stay a foot soldier and not retake her place as a commander. 

I’ve already discussed why Allura needed to be the commander of the Atlas, so I’ll spare you going over that again. 

But Atlas’ transformation meant something. 

Now, a majority of the fanbase also didn’t like it because the Atlas transformation wasn’t a win for Shiro, just like Keith being able to open Black’s wings wasn’t a win for Keith. (It could have been a win for both Shiro and Keith, if Shiro had gone back to Black, Keith to Red, and them opening the wings together symbolized the “stronger together” theme.) 

However, Shiro having Allura’s tiara crystal, transforming the Atlas with her power and having absolutely no “sacred Altean skills” to do so - was just the EPs moving around chess pieces without any idea of how or why those pieces were there to begin with. 

Now if Allura, having earned those skills on Oriande, having used a crystal her father or mother gave her, and using her Altean power to fuel the Atlas’ transformation - and now able to do it on the fly, after it had taken her weeks or months to make Sincline - that’s character development, people! 

And if we all go all the back to Season 2 - Shiro unlocking Black’s wings was epic. 

It meant something. It was the culmination of Shiro fighting Zarkon for the right to be the Black Paladin. The series even conveniently reminds of you that as Shiro is connecting with Black to open its wings without a bayard. 

It happens after Shiro refuses to let Zarkon take control of Black one more time and literally goes unconscious so Black isn’t taken over. I mean, this scene had everything - emotion, action, and payoff to the max. 

Let’s go even farther back to Keith getting Red’s railgun. That makes sense, too. He’s fighting against Zarkon, the emperor of the universe. He has a chance to end the war right here, right now, and he is in so over his head. But he’s trying desperately. 

And hey - there’s even the added emotional value of - Zarkon took Shiro from Keith for more than a year. He put Shiro through hell, and Keith wants to stop that from ever happening again. (That’s also why - as Shiro being the hero of his own story in Season 2, was able to defeat Zarkon. But Shiro, no longer a hero according to the EPs, is unable to finish off Sendak in Season 7.)

That leads us to - 

The Atlas/Voltron merge should have been epic. 

Why? Because it had everything - or it should have. 

For a moment, let’s imagine Shiro was in Black following Season 6. Since Pidge is able to create her blaster on Voltron, then Shiro may be able to form his wings on Voltron. 

Coupled with the back of the box reading - 

To achieve Hyper-Phase mode, the Voltron team taps into Princess Allura’s unique connection to the Quintessence to imbue the Lions with energy, upgrading their weapons and supercharging the Lions!

So instead of Keith and Lance needing to make wings, Season 7 might have shown us Shiro making the wings with Allura super-powering Voltron, to get the team back to Earth. 

That’s a natural progression for Allura and Shiro’s characters. You have - 

Shiro making the wings and Allura stopping Haggar

Allura super-charges Voltron to get off Naxzela

Allura goes to Oriande with Lotor and learns Altean Alchemy 

Allura helps Lotor build Sincline (in a few weeks? months?)

Shiro opens Black’s wings on Voltron (with his bayard) and Allura super-charges Voltron to get the team to Earth. 

(EDIT: Season 7 dropped in August 2018. Hyperphase Voltron was set to go into mass production in Fall 2018, right after Season 7 aired.)

Let’s continue this - 

Allura becomes the commander of Atlas and lowers the particle barrier on Earth to take on Sendak, an exact parallel of the pilot episode. 

Allura goes to Oriande in Season 8 and instead of the White Lion dying, she infuses the White Lion with Atlas to save it. 

On the fly, Allura is able to merge Atlas/Voltron, creating six lions, six paladins - one super-charged mecha - and making the team whole. 

Peeps, that would have been awesome. 

Allura, bringing together the whole team; Allura, combining her skills and determination with her knowledgeable of Altean Alchemy, Allura and the White Lion, having a homecoming with the paladins and Atlas - six fully realized paladins - in a cool-looking mecha with yes, high heels. 

...but what a culmination of 78 episodes that would that have been. 

[b-kitsune]

Many ways to say I love you: Day Seventeen.

Kidge-a-palooza 2019 Prompt: Gamble. Pairing: Kidge (VLD) Universe: Garrison AU. Status: Part ¾

It was the third time this week that her mother told her how wonderful was the show that Matt had prepared for Shiro a few weeks ago in Garrison, to finally commit himself after many years of courtship. It was nice and kind of lovely to see her mother so excited about the wedding planning to take place in six more months, and her father couldn't be prouder of the person Matt had chosen to live the rest of his life. Pidge frankly at that point, she was up to the top with the story.

At first, Pidge was excited when she had heard it the first ten times after arriving from a diplomatic mission from the planet Daibazaal with Keith and his mother. It had come as a surprise to everyone because her brother had kept it a secret very well, and with a pretty clever idea, even for him. Who after a private celebration in the headquarters where the high officials were enjoying a nice dinner after a strenuous semester, including her father, Matt had taken Shiro to the area where the central building could be seen completely. When the minutes passed, at exactly midnight Matt closed his eyes to Shiro to direct him to the desired place, where the lights of the building were switched on alternately to showing the words ''marry me'' in high.

It had been a risky proposition, given that Shiro preferred reserved and rather private gestures, but during the commotion and seeing Matt kneeling and holding a tiny box with a ring in the middle, Shiro couldn't help but accept between tears and laughter in happiness to the proposition of Matt, who was also to tears when he saw Shiro take the ring between his fingers. It hadn't been random; Matt had decided to do it at that time because midnight would be ten years from the Kerberos mission. The first time they both traveled into space and began to open up through a relationship beyond friendship.

Some people changed some parts of the story by saying that Matt had started crying since he had knelt, to Pidge's amusement.

Everyone had seen it and many agreed that it had been a pretty nice show to see how the lights were playing around the letters that were programmed to light at the desired time while congratulating them for deciding to formalize a relationship that had been developing for years.

Even Lance and Hunk had agreed that it was a pretty charming gesture to commit. Pidge could understand it.

But her mother was being exaggeratedly insistent with the subject. Especially that morning.

''Mom, I heard you the first few times since I got to earth, could you talk about something else?'' Colleen looked at her questioningly when she handed a piece of toast to Bae Bae, who was under the table.

''Sure ... Something interesting that has happened in your relationship, Katie?''

''No?'' She answered uncertainly. ''You know, nothing new. Keith will be leaving for a few months on a trip with the intergalactic coalition to investigate Balmera's robberies by space pirates. He will return before his birthday.''

''You mean that nothing has progressed? Nothing new?''

''What do you mean by that?'' Pidge asked sternly. Now she understood her mother's insistence on the marriage between Shiro and Matt.

''Oh nothing, you know ... You have been together for so long and many would think that you should begin to formalize a little more your adolescent relationship.''

''Our relationship is perfect as it is, thank you very much.'' Pidge replied annoyed. ''Besides, who is saying that?''

''Me, of course.''

''Then it's not important.''

''Katie...'' Colleen's tone made Pidge immediately regret getting up to end the conversation. Her mother, however, only sighed tiredly after a few seconds in silence. ''I don't want you to think I'm meddling in your relationship with Keith ... But it looks like they're not going anywhere, you know? You should think a bit about that.''

Pidge chose to briefly chew on what Colleen was trying to tell her, then say goodbye with a brief kiss on her cheek and take her keys to go to work. She had to give a class in an hour and she couldn't spend time thinking about things that had no meaning or answer.

Not that Pidge hadn't thought of it before. Although her relationship with Keith had lasted various years and they were on excellent terms with their friends and family, she didn't see a future if there were forced to change certain things.

While the marriage rate on earth was extremely low after the integration into the galactic coalition many centuries ago, and many people preferred to leave it as a legislative option before something they really needed for their relationship. Pidge and Matt had the fortune to grow up with parents who loved each other deeply even after many years, so both of them thought that getting married was also part of their life goals when they fulfilled their personal goals. It's not something they said openly, but it was something they craved.

Pidge after knowing about her brother's commitment was really happy for him because Shiro was an amazing person, but at the bottom of her heart, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Maybe her mother had noticed her at some point.

She desired in some future to live in a house next to the person she loved. Share a space that they could order as they wish, accompany themselves while they were growing as people. With all the good and bad that entailed. And maybe, if in the future situations occurred and she felt prepared, having a child wouldn't be something really bad for her. Pidge felt capable of anything, and over the years was able to prove it not only in the world, but the entire universe that she didn't know the limits of the impossible.

But Katie wasn't able to see all that future with Keith.

She had never asked, perhaps out of fear or denial, but she was almost 84.8% sure that Keith didn't want to form a home or a family given his instinctive nature. He was a man of stars, not a person who wanted to get stuck in one place, much less have children.

And that was something that would surely end their relationship at some point.

She pressed hard on her computer to close it and rest her eyes on her current investigation, sighing heavily. She didn't like to think about those things.

''Pidge, is everything okay?'' She looked up to see Hunk approaching her with folded arms, Pidge buzzing affirmatively.

''Yeah, it's just that this code has been giving me problems.'' Lied. Hunk laughed with an incredulous look.

''That's impossible, no code gives you problems.''

''Well, I've been a little tired since my mom has been screaming all day about my brother's wedding.''

''Ahh that's in a few months, I wonder what kind of snacks there will be in the catering.''

Pidge smiled when she made her way to the coffee shop to prepare a coffee while taking a break. Being followed by Hunk who talked animatedly about various types of food that could be accompanied between Italian and Japanese culture.

''It's a misfortune that they will not leave you as a chef in the banqueter’s area.''

''Yeah, I know. But I should have been in charge of the kitchen instead of enjoying the marriage with all of you. That's why Matt and Shiro didn't ask me, although they did ask me for some suggestions for the main courses.''

''That's something.''

Before Hunk could answer, they could hear roars around the corridors and unmistakable voices that made them react with a strong migraine. The people around were afraid to be dragged into the apparent struggle they were having before entering the room with such force that Iverson hit them on the head to stop their discussion.

Lance and Keith nodded reluctantly when they approached Hunk and Pidge who did their best not to laugh at the situation. Or they would start again.

Hunk hit Pidge's shoulder to get her attention.

''I'm afraid to ask at this point what the fight started, but...''

''Surely it will be something stupid.'' Added Allura, who had seen the whole thing in silence when she walked towards them. ''Can you behave like normal adults for a day? You are diplomats and part of the armament that cares for the welfare and peace in the universe, for the ancients!''

''Keith was the one who started!''

''There they go again...''

Pidge commented exhausted as she saw them again arguing for reasons that no one in the room could understand. Although surely it wouldn't make much sense to try to do it. Lance liked to press Keith's buttons whenever he could, and Keith thanks to his competitive personality always ended up falling to Lance's provocations.

And her mother wanted to commit soon to someone like him?

Again, a painful twinge dug into Pidge's chest when she remembered what she was trying to avoid all morning. Calling the attention of Allura while Hunk tried to mediate a little the discussion of both.

''You're okay? You look a little sad...''

''It must just work stress.'' She replied when she averted her eyes slightly. Keith watched her intrigued.

''Did something happen?''

Pidge could answer anything and they would be kind to make her think they believed her until she was prepared to talk. But when she could see standing in front of her, while smiling so warmly. Something in her mind didn't let her take out a single word.

She was silent for too long. Until Lance huffed exaggeratedly causing Keith's eyebrow to contract with discomfort.

''Then I was right? It seems that your courtship is not as you thought.''

''Lance, I warn you.'' Keith's growl came from his stomach, rumbling in the entire room.

''What are you supposed to be talking about?'' Asked Allura trying to stop a future discussion.

''Nothing.'' Keith replied before Lance could say anything. ''I'm sure I could get my answer long before you, Lancey Lance.'' A cheeky smile emerged on both their lips.

''So, it was a bet?'' Pidge said, to which Lance shook his head slowly.

''It is rather a very interesting gamble that we both need to carry out. I hope you have the balls to not retract, mullet.''

''Same for you!''

The others lost the sense of conversation after they saw them return to the hangar of the fighter jets with a determined look and the fire that twitched around them.

Pidge preferred to go back to work, she had enough with one problem a day.

 ...

 ''You know? I thought you were too busy mocking Lance to ask us out.''

Keith stopped in front of the viewpoint they had visited after eating some hamburgers at the nearest McDonald's they found after leaving work. If there was something they both enjoyed very much, it was junk food before any elegant dinner. Maybe they would have to tell Lance that that wasn't the rule of all the appointments the next time he tried to invite Allura to dinner around.

Pidge kept a distance from Keith, not approaching him even though she was shivering cold under her jacket. She had decided to end their relationship that night before Keith left for an exploration to a distant galaxy and she had to wait for months. Again.

Keith swallowed hard before speaking.

''Yeah well, I wasn't going to waste my last day on earth with something like that, when I could spend that time with you.''

He took her hand even if she didn't make any move to get it out of the way, or reciprocate. Making her look directly into his eyes. In front of Pidge was the dark violet she had loved so much since she was a teenager.

''I brought you here to talk about something.''

''Is it about your trip?'' Pidge asked, Keith, shook his head, a little nervous at what he would do. ''So?''

''I ... I've been thinking a lot about this since we came to earth. When we heard that Shiro and Matt were engaged...'' Pidge opened her eyes in surprise at the mention of her brother's marriage. Giving him time to keep talking. ''I know that neither of us likes these exhibitionist things but ... Just watch.''

When Keith turned her gaze to the sky that had darkened many hours ago. She could see how several flashes of light coming from the stratosphere began to show through the sky. Taking her hands to her mouth of surprise, she could realize who this whole show was about while the words galra were painted through the stars in vivid colors, with slight explosions assimilating fireworks that, for some reason, galra loved to decorate with anything.

The words 'I love you' have never reached Pidge's heart as much as that night. Keith hugged her gently from the side and they watched the show he had prepared with BOM.

''I ... I know I'm not able to give you a stable future or a family as you wish, Katie.''

Her chest throbbed painfully at his words, staring at Keith when the lights reflected off his skin. His gaze was full of pain.

''I don't see myself able to abandon what I am or what I do, as you don't feel able to leave Garrison and accompany me through the universe.''

Pidge bit her lip, suppressing any refusal she could give since deep down she knew Keith was telling the truth. While she loved to know the universe and discover new technologies through galaxies, she didn't seem able to leave her own roots for something like that.

Keith took her chin to see him again, this time with a much more serene look than before.

''But I want to try, Katie. I want our relationship to move forward, even to form a family in the future...'' He looked away briefly before continuing. ''I can't give you something ideal like Shiro and Matt ... But only if you agree, of course...''

''I don't care about that, Keith... '' Answered, at last, smiling as her tears escaped through her cheeks. ''I know it's not the traditional thing, but... What does it matter? Nothing in the world is hundreds of years ago.''

Keith smiled at her when he lifted her into the air at her response, laughing with happiness as their tears mingled in a rather clumsy kiss. When they walked away, the sky had finally turned towards darkness. Seeing how the fighters were moving towards the sky.

''Whose idea was it?'' Pidge asked, Keith scratched his head, uncomfortable.

''From Kolivan.''

''Your uncle? Seriously!?''

''Hey, the advice he gives me has always been good!''

''Wow ... I never would have imagined it.'' She replied when she snuggled into his chest, looking for some warmth for her frozen nose. Keith breathed hard.

''It's pretty romantic when you take the time to meet him.'' Pidge hummed in response when they swayed around. ''When I return, and after Shiro's marriage, I will correctly ask you to be my wife.'' A sweet kiss on his lips was the answer enough for Keith's heart to calm down and give the evening a successful run and Lance's pride ended up on the floor.

''I'll count the days from today.''

After months, at last Pidge's chest felt really relieved.

[667-darkavenue]

young legends die all the time (part one.)

i havent shared any of my writing in a while so in my traditional style, i’ll share a WIP in the middle of the night. this is an allurance gang au. despite the title, no one actually dies.

The royal families were something of a myth for Lance when he was growing up.

“Never cross that street,” his mom hissed, squeezing the wrist she’d just yanked him back by.

“Why?” he whined, from both pain and petulance.

“If the Witch sees little boys from our side of town, she steals them and eats them.” She said it like a matter of fact. “Our side is safe.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause the King watches over us, papi.”

The parents of this torn city desperately needed some way to hammer in hard lessons to their children without breaking their innocence. When he was older, Lance would wonder if that’s the reason why everything to do with the royal families was given such whimsical language. But while he was a kid, it totally worked.

“Wanna play Druids and Paladins?” His friends would ask in the schoolyard.

The children flipped a penny to decide who would play the leaders, then the pretend-Witch and pretend-King would choose their teams. Sometimes the weapons were water balloons, or nerf guns, or just two fingers pointed at their opponents with a ‘Bang!’

This had an unintended consequence their parents didn’t account for. As far back as Lance could remember, he always wanted to be a paladin.

Fresh out of high school, he got a job at the same restaurant as his best friend. Unfortunately, they never saw each other. Hunk worked all the way at the back of the kitchen and Lance didn’t even work inside the place. He stood out front, opened doors to cars that pulled in, and took them to valet parking.

That’s how he became friends with the finest girl in the world.

Within his first few days on the job, a white Bentley pulled into the driveway. An older man sat in the driver’s seat and a cascade of thick hair bent down in the passenger side, probably fishing a purse out from around her feet. Lance opened the door from her side first, offering a hand to help the lady out. She took it with barely glance at him, sweeping a bit of silvery hair out of the way as she slung her purse over her shoulder and stepped out of the car. It was a fancy restaurant with fancy clientele, but something about the casual way people interacted with Lance as if valets weren’t anything out of the ordinary for them never stopped catching him off guard. This girl though. She paused once she was on her feet and got a proper look at him. And he got a good look at her too. Oh shit, she’s gorgeous.

She pulled her hand away from his. “You’re new.”

She’s got an accent!!!!

“You can tell?” Lance’s chest pounded. “What’d I do?”

The smile she gave him was a small one, but it still crinkled the corners of her bright blue eyes. “Nothing.”

Her father, who was also striking to look at, came around from the other side of the car. Side by side, the pair smelled like money and oozed sophistication.

He passed Lance the keys and noted, “You’re new.”

“Yeah,” Lance answered, voice devastated at how obvious it apparently was.

Father and daughter shared an amused look, a silent inside joke, between each other. They didn’t bother to fill Lance in, either. Without a word, they entered the restaurant.

It didn’t take long to get somewhat familiar with them. Her father was a regular there and tipped a ten every time. Naturally, Lance adored him. The dad had to like him back, right?

The restaurant had a round table that was never given to customers under any circumstances, no matter how packed the night was. It was always left open so that just in case that father or his daughter walked in, they could be seated right away. Even if they didn’t show up for ten nights in a row, the table would stay empty. Like they were phantoms of the freaking opera.

They used it now and then for private father-daughter dinners. More often, it was used to hold meetings with all manner of people. People in suits, people in sweats, local government officials, guys with face tattoos. Lance got a signal from the hostess whenever the round table’s dinner was drawing to a close, so that their Bentley would be ready and waiting the moment they stepped outside. All the other normal customers needed to hand Lance a ticket and stand outside while he fetched their car.

One night, the finest girl in the world stepped out early. The swoosh of the front door brought the chatter of the restaurant outside. Lance’s heart jumped into his throat when he realized it was her.

“Oh! Sorry, I don’t have your car ready,” He blurted, a little flustered. “Romelle usually gives me a sign to get ready for you guys.”

The door swung closed behind her, muffling the din inside and leaving them alone in the dim stillness of the driveway. “It’s alright. We aren’t leaving.”

She walked a few steps closer to the edge of the driveway, looking out at the road. Lance had no idea what she was doing or what he was supposed to be doing. A silent pause stretched between them.

She looked back toward him. “What is the sign?”

“The wha?” “You said you get a signal when she knows we’re finishing up.”

“Oh. It’s—Uh—Kind of a joke.”

She raised her eyebrows, urging him on without a word.

“She says,” Lance reluctantly admitted, “The british are coming.”

He laughed halfway through, ‘cause it was so dumb.

It got a chuckle out of the finest girl in the world, as well. “But she’s British as well.”

“I know,” Lance snorted.

He could see the round table through the restaurant’s front window if he stood in the right spot. Lance craned his neck to scope out the situation. Her dad was still sitting down over coffee with three old white guys.

“Things get awkward at the table or what?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just so boring I wanted to fall asleep on the tablecloth. I think some fresh air will wake me up.” Her heels clacked on the pavement as she paced in small circles.

“Yeah, I feel that. You have no idea how much time I spend just waiting out here by myself.”

“At least it’s not stressful.”

Lance shrugged. “It’s fine. I think I’d rather be doing something stressful, but c’est la vie.” “You should’ve been a waiter, then.”

“I tried, but I had no serving experience. So they turned me down and offered this instead.���

She crossed her arms and stepped a little closer. “What experience do you have?”

Lance started listing them with his fingers. “I’m a good driver, good talker—”

“Oh, are you?” “You’re still here, so better than those guys.” With a jerk of his chin, Lance pointed with his lips to the inside of the restaurant.

She looked at her father’s table with the smallest curl lingering at the corner of her lips. She looked back at Lance. “I’m Allura, by the way.”

“I’m Lance.”

“Hello.”

“Hey.”

“You didn’t get very far in listing your skills.”

“Oh, right.” Lance lifted a third finger and continued, “Good kisser...”

She rolled her eyes and raised a hand over her mouth to cover another laugh.

The sound emboldened Lance. “Any chance I could get your number, Allura?”

“Oh, of course.”

His entire face lit up.

She reached into her purse, but did not pull out her phone. In her hand was the valet slip, held between two fingers.

“We’re number twenty five.” She grinned, a little bit playful and a little bit wicked.

Lance’s favorite nights were when Allura came in. If work slowed down, he’d slink over to the window and watch her sip illegal champagne from her flute. Not in, like, a creepy way. There was just something nice about getting to see the finest girl in the world on a somewhat regular basis. This kind of serene, sighing, ‘ahhhhh’ feeling behind his ribs. Not unlike the way it feels to get a nice long look at the ocean on a clear day.

On a good night, Allura would come outside while her dad was still wrapping up conversation at the table or having long, drawn-out goodbyes at the entrance. She’d lean against the car and talk to Lance until it was time to go.

He asked her out once. She said no. He asked her if she was sure the next night. She said yes. But she still liked to come out and talk to him for a few minutes after dinner, so no harm done.

Sometimes she came in without her dad at all, to have some drinks with her friends around the end of Lance’s shift. She’d beckon him inside to join them when closing time was near and her table was the only one still occupied. He had to drive her back home once. Of course, that meant he needed to leave her car there and walk forty minutes back to his own home at midnight. But that was fine. Lance lived on the nice side of town. The side where crime just didn’t happen. Parents could let their children play outside while they cleaned inside. Girls could walk home alone at night. People who tried to start shit mysteriously disappeared. And the victims who got messed with were always paid back for their losses in mysterious ways.

When he was thirteen, someone broke into Lance’s home. After a sweep of the house, his mom’s jewelry box and his dad’s one nice watch were the only things missing. There wasn’t much else worth taking. His parents blamed themselves for thinking they didn’t need better security than a lock on the door. A few days after they filed the police report, his mom got a call directly from the local pawn shop. They had all her missing jewelry and the watch and wanted to return it to her, free of charge. She had to go pick it up directly from the shop. Not the police station.

Anyway, everyone’s tragic stories took place far from the restaurant’s neighborhood. The muggings, the assaults, the missing persons—All of it happened beyond the streets his mother had told him never to cross.

But after a year of working there, something happened.

That one familiar Bentley pulled up to the restaurant in something of a hurry. Lance had never seen Allura’s dad brake hard before. He opened the passenger door for her, as always. He offered his gloved hand to help her step out of the car, then closed it behind her and went around the hood to take the keys from her father.

Alfor gripped Lance’s arm when he passed the keys. “Don’t take any cars you don’t recognize tonight. Tell them we are closed for a private event.”

“Sure. You got it.”

“There’s something for you in the glove compartment. I want you to take it and hold onto it.”

He nodded and tried not to look as puzzled as he felt. Alfor gave him a pat on the back and finally released Lance’s arm. A little frazzled, Lance hopped into the driver’s seat and immediately reached for the glove compartment.

The passenger door flung open and Allura dove into the seat. “Wait!”

She slammed both hands over Lance’s, shoving the compartment shut before he could take a look inside. She kept one hand there while the other scrambled to clumsily shut the door behind her.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” Lance was getting nervous and his voice was rising.

“You don’t need to get involved.” Allura gently pried his fingers away from the glove compartment handle. She shifted to sit sideways so that her body could face him. She clutched his hand in both of hers. “You can walk away. Nothing will happen to you.”

“Walk away from...? What is in there?”

Her eyes were so bright and they gave Lance an intense look that he couldn’t decipher the meaning of at all. “Allura. I have no idea what’s going on.”

“I know. It’s not fair.”

“But I wanna be involved.” God, his palm was probably getting sweaty between her soft hands. “I wanna be your friend. I want to be here when something’s wrong.”

She shook her head. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“Look, there’s literally nothing that would make me walk away from you right now. Or ever.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Nope.”

“Lance, that is…” Allura released his hand. “Just… So unwise.”

“No, it isn’t!”

She scoffed, a helpless little huff of breath through her nostrils.

“What’s in there?” He asked again.

Slowly, Allura reached out and pulled the glove compartment open. It was empty except for a swathe of blue velvet cloth wrapped around something. Lance leaned over and reached across Allura, into the compartment. He unfolded the cloth in his lap, revealing a gorgeous, ornate pistol. The kind known members of the royal family’s paladins were rumored to carry around. The King’s crest was gilded into the handle. It might as well have been a legend to Lance.

part two ==>

[dyketectivecomics]

Bedtime Stories

She never could get over how impossibly soft Raven's hair was. As she detangled it with expert twists and tugs, regaling her daughter with a tale of one of her earliest adventures as a superhero, she took in the silky locks gently between her fingers and cherished their touch. She knew there would come a time, just like with her own father, that Raven would ask for these bedtime stories no more.

Zatanna could only hope to keep the best stories for those last few nights.

"-And then Gorgonus steadied his gaze at me. With a whispered word I vanished right before his eyes, leaving him to stare into his own reflection in the mirror that was waiting right behind me!" Zatanna finished the tale with a smile as she detangled the last lock of the girl's hair. "With him immobilized by his own gaze, I found just the right banishment to send him back to his own dimension, and..." She took a pause, wondering briefly if the girl had fallen asleep during the story.

"And we all lived happily ever after," the seven-year-old sighed in contentment. She lifted her head from where it rested against Zee's chest, sleepily looking up at her mother with heavy-lidded indigo eyes. "One more, mommy, please," she begged with yawn. "I'm not tired yet, I promise."

Zatanna chuckled lightly. Just how this small, devious demoness had ever wormed her way so securely into her heart was a mystery to unravel for another time.

"No more new tales tonight, starshine," she compromised, placing a kiss atop the girl's forehead before gently patting her to encourage her to set her head back down. "But what would you like me to retell?"

"How about one of your first team-ups?" Zee could feel excitement lethargically charge in the air. They were well past the girl's bedtime, but she was just so stubborn when it came to this routine. A soft gasp escaped as she further narrowed down her selection. "Tell me again, about Pop-Pop Zatara! About how you found him!"

Before the sorceress could stop herself, she felt a bittersweet wave of nostalgia and longing wash over her. Echoes of emotion long since past, and a small throb of loss plucking a dull chord in her chest. It wasn't that Zee shied away from talking about her father. On the contrary, she was very candid with Raven and others about how much she loved and missed him.

But remembering all of those years she spent searching for him, and those few, precious years before she would lose him yet again...

She shook her head a moment, before clearing her throat. "Do you want me to to start from the beginning with the journal? Or meeting Hawkman and Hawkgirl?" She scratched her nails lightly on Raven's head before resuming detangling her hair, though there weren't knots left to play with. "Or shall I pick right up with Allura and the sword?"

As peaceful silence filled the room, and Raven's breath seemed to grow deeper, she thought for a second that the girl had fallen asleep before the tale could begin. Finally the girl's soft, raspy voice filled the room once more, yawning as she requested, "Start with Allura."

"It was the eve before Halloween," Zee started with another light chuckle before jumping back into her story-telling mood, "And thanks for Ralph- Elongated Man- Dibny's aid, I had successfully recovered the book that Allura, the evil elemental, had tricked me into finding..."

With just the right changes in pitches and tone, beats and pauses, Zatanna slowly recounted the battle of wills and wits.

When telling of how she released Allura from her imprisonment in the sword, and allowing her to take Zatanna's body as a host, Zee made sure to emphasize how young she had been at the time. Looking back, it was a poor judgement call, and a deadly move that could have cost her so much, even when she thought she was still completely in control. As they encountered threats in an unfamiliar realm that were nearly overwhelming, she felt a distinct curl of fear and excitement in the air.

Though the girl knew the tale, some things never changed about a good story and how it could make one feel.

She told once more, how her quick thinking to call upon Justice League members who had aided her in the past, though the ones she summoned were truly only shadows of those heroes, it helped to save her initially from then-perceived threats. She recalled how Batman's double was able to deduce their foes' true purpose, and in a moment that would have appeared to be traitorous, as those allies allowed their enemy to take Zatanna for their odd exorcism... How that had ended up being the way she was saved from Allura's control.

She couldn't help keeping the excitement from her voice, as she described how Allura's good twin had come swooping in, the final ingredient to breaking the curse keeping father from beloved daughter. She let a tear flow freely, and held the girl a little tighter, remembering that wonderfully long-awaited reunion, and how she and Zatara had embraced for what seemed like ages.

"-And I couldn't have done it without the League's help, of course. So naturally, as soon as I was able, I went to thank them. And..." She paused for their traditional ending of the story, only to be delightfully surprised.

"And those jerks took credit for something they didn't even help with," Raven stated bluntly.

The sorceress blinked once, twice, before giving an exasperated, breathy laugh. "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"You said-!" the girl began with a shout as she jerked up from the bed, before the mother shushed her quickly. She started again with a whispered tone, "You said that you summoned the League, but they weren't really them. They were just your magic imitating them, right?"

Zee knew the lack of sleep must have begun affecting her own mind now as well, so she simply nodded and allowed Raven the moment to explain.

"So, it wasn't Batman who realized you were being possessed," the demoness pointed out with a devious smile. "That was you, or a part of you. And you knew someone- you knew that Pop-Pop was trying to help save you from Allura's control! You and Pop-Pop saved each other all by yourselves!"

And here, Zatanna couldn't help but laugh again, shaking her head. "I suppose those boys were a bunch of jerks then, huh?"

"Uh-huh, you were still the real hero, mommy," Raven nodded decisively before settling back down into the covers as her mother inched her way off of her bed. She let out the longest yawn of the night, eyes fluttering closer together as she let one last statement go. "I wanna have cool adventures like that when I become a hero, too."

"Teews smaerd, nevar," the sorceress whispered with one last kiss upon the girl's forehead. A fond smile played on her lips. "With any luck, you'll have even better, more spectacular adventures than either of us can imagine."

[sp4c3-0ddity]

Coran is a dragon while we’re on the subject (and it’s a long way out). And to sail to break to earn for reasons 👀

To Sail, To Break, To Earn you say?? *sweats* uh well…that would be the round robin pirate/mermaid fic we’re working on…that i need to finish Chapter One of…to followup with your wonderful prologue. the gist of that next chapter is that Pidge is a mermaid and her father was captured by pirates and she’s giving chase (or swim)…

The further she pushed herself, the more the world around her changed. Colors shifted from blues and grays to shades more vibrant as more sunlight filtered through the sea. The water passing over her gills grew warmer, filling her with an energy she was unaccustomed to. It helped to dissipate her sleepiness but did little for the ache in her arms and tail.

"Come on," she hissed to herself, wishing, not for the first time, that she was more inclined to the same athleticism as her peers.

All the while, closer to the surface, closer to an unknown plane of existence, one she only ever dreamed of without daring to touch.

Until now.

As for “Coran is a dragon”, here take the whole (and wow this is old) prologue!!

Coran’s world shattered on the first day of spring.

Of course, when he woke that morning - too late, even by his standards - he wasn’t yet aware of this fact. A mundane spring equinox dawned, the sun’s rays poking through the hidden entrance of his cave and warming his exposed scales.

The sun’s heat energized him, and Coran slowly sat up, his ragged blanket falling into his lap as he extended his arms over his head in a luxurious stretch. His claws just brushed the ceiling, reminding him that they needed trimming, but before he could contemplate it too much he stood.

His limbs ached in a way that had become all too familiar in the last few years, for as the magic tied to the land faded, so did Coran’s strength. His body had been stuck somewhere between dragon and man for over a year now since he so rarely possessed the reserved magical energy to complete a transformation. Would that he could get ahold of a Balmeran crystal…but alas, that required engaging in trade with humans, and dragon though he was, Coran didn’t fancy theft.

Not to mention, in his magic-deprived state he wouldn’t be able to travel far enough to obtain one.

Winter still gripped the valley that Coran called home, the trees brown and bare of leaves. White layered the high peaks ringing it, but in the central, lower part of the valley where the river ran its course, snow never lingered for long.

It didn’t smell of fresh, green growth, at least not yet, only damp and decomposition, leaves wet with melted snow.

Coran’s belly rumbled, moaning for breakfast, but his stores proved drained which meant he had a long, exhausting hunt ahead of him. Frowning, he recalled why he usually disliked the start of spring so much.

Coran daydreamed of a fat rabbit, the kind he’d be able to catch in summer, roasted over a fire he built himself, from scratch, without any of that flint and steel business that Alfor taught him.

It’s an innovation for you, Coran, Alfor had said, grinning as he struck steel to flint.

Coran had rolled his eyes and said, Why should I need innovation when I can ignite my own fire? To demonstrate, he’d exhaled, a lick of flame engulfing the kindling that Alfor laid.

Alfor had jumped back, alarmed as the wood caught fire, but didn’t complain when Coran’s cave flooded with its warmth. Coran didn’t need the fire to keep warm - not in those days - but he still sat with Alfor while they watched the storm pounding away outside.

Coran hiked from his cave down towards the valley floor as the sun rose further over the mountains, light shining off the snow. The river lay below, close enough that the roaring of its current reached his ears, already growing bigger with melted snow.

He hadn’t reached the river yet when a familiar energy struck his limbs, filling his body with strength he hadn’t known in years. Coran laughed gleefully; was the magic returning at last? But now, it was too sudden, too thorough. The land’s magic usually ebbed and flowed like the tide or the seasons, a force of nature unto itself, but this…

Then he spotted three figures walking along the riverbank.

Coran pulled up short, retreating further into a shadow cast by a tree. The three stood at the end of a hidden trail, marked only by the rents in a tree’s bark left behind by Coran’s claws - the start of the trail that would take them directly to his cave.

As they made their way up towards the cave, they disappeared from view, but their voices still traveled up to Coran as they approached:

“…just a little longer,” a man’s voice said, speaking with an unfamiliar accent.

“I’m tired, Sir,” said the voice of a small child, her accent so familiar to Coran that he stiffened. “Can we stop and rest please?”

“No,” the man replied, abrupt. “The f-faster we reach, the sooner y-you’ll be safe.” He panted, as short of breath as the other two - both of whom were children.

The second child spoke up in a softer voice, “Papa, are you—”

“I’m all right, son,” he said, tone firm but with a hint of weakness. “We’ll be there soon, and then we can all r-rest.”

By then they were nearly level with Coran, so he stepped out of his hiding place, standing in their path.

The man pulled up short, thin, heavy-lidded eyes narrowing. He clutched an arm around his middle, and Coran caught the metallic scent of blood on the breeze. But he held the hand of a small boy with black hair, one that bore some resemblance to him, and on his other side was a bigger, wide-eyed girl that Coran…recognized.

Alfor, he thought, his own eyes widening as a prickle of unwelcome familiarity struck him. “Who are you?” he demanded.

The man nudged both children forward. “Atea has fallen,” he told Coran. “The k-king said that you would care for his daughter.”

Coran stared at the girl, who stared right back with a surprising ferocity in her eerie blue eyes. “Why would he think that?”

“He claimed the dragon that lived in the v-valley is his friend,” the man explained. He gritted his teeth, the first obvious expression of pain Coran had seen on him, but plowed on, “He kept her birth a s-secret, so no one will come looking for her.”

Coran crossed his arms. “And what am I to do with an orphaned princess?” he asked.

“Keep her safe,” he said.

He scanned the white-haired princess, who clutched tightly to the boy’s arm. “Is he the king’s son?”

To his amazement, the man snorted with amusement. “Of course not,” he said, gripping his hand. “He’s mine.”

“But—”

“I need you to take them both,” said the man. “M-my son is—” He coughed, reaching up to wipe his mouth, not even grimacing when his fingers came away wet with blood. “Find his mother, in Daibazaal. His mother will know what to do.” He then knelt on the ground, in front of the boy, and muttered to him, low enough that Coran had no doubt he didn’t want him to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help it:

“Keith, you have your mother’s knife,” he said. “Keep it safe, and keep it close. Do not give it to anyone.”

The boy - Keith - nodded.

The man sighed shakily and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. “Take care of Princess Allura,” he said, but then his eyes slipped past him and landed on the girl. “Take care of each other.” He withdrew from Keith and stood, and Coran, surprising himself, reached forward to catch him before he could stumble.

“Princess Allura needs to stay hidden,” the man told Coran, his fingernails digging into his arms with surprising strength. “She needs to. Please, dragon, I beg you to help me make up for my mistake.”

Coran stared at him uncomprehendingly, and he said, “You say Altea fell, but what happened to the king?” His heart pounded while he waited, and though he knew the answer already, he needed - he dreaded - confirmation.

“Zarkon slew King Alfor,” said the man, firm. “Krolia’s research - my fault—” He shook, with grief that echoed Coran’s own.

His chest ached, a lump forming in his throat, but if this man spoke the truth - and he believed him - then Alfor’s blood stood before him, needed him. “I’ll care for her, sir,” he promised, “and for your son.”

(He didn’t know how to care for children, but he would try.)

He smiled, face glowing in relief, though the effect was ruined by a drop of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Coran helped him lie down, noting that Keith sat and pillowed his father’s head in his lap. He stroked his sweaty hair out of his face while Allura squatted beside him.

“You’ll be all right, Sir,” Allura reassured the man, taking one of his hands in both of hers. “W-we can heal you.”

“Maybe someday you can, Princess,” the man said. He reached up to touch his son’s cheek. “Maybe someday…”

His hand fell away from Keith’s cheek to the ground, the light of life leaving his eyes.

“Papa?” Keith said, leaning down towards his face.

“Keith,” Allura, likely older by at least a year, said. Tears streamed from her cheeks, and Coran had to wonder what this poor child already knew of death. She rested her hand on Keith’s shoulder, but—

“Papa!” Keith said. He shook his father’s shoulders, trying to wake him, but before Allura could stop him, he stopped himself and sobbed the awful, heart-rending sobs of a bereaved child.

Allura clutched him close to her while he cried, trying to comfort a newly orphaned boy despite her own tears. Coran stepped towards them, glancing down the path in the direction from which they came, and though he trusted that the man had been careful to evade pursuit, he said, “Let’s go home.”

“H-he said we can’t go back to Lion City,” Allura told him.

“No, Princess,” Coran told her, engulfing her and Keith in his arms, “I speak of your new home.”

It was only later that he realized that the magic in his bones came directly from these two children he’d been charged to care for.

[love-at-first-klance]

Some Hogwarts Shit

Voltron Modern Hogwarts au! Featuring the Power of Friendship, lots of Quidditch, the squad teasing the crap outta each other and being super supportive, some adventure shit, mutual pining, and lots of emotions.

A Collab With @thesirenserenity, with amazing art (click here!) by @kimchee2222

More Hogwarts shit coming soon!

Some notable headcannons:

Lance - Gryffindor because of his passionate, playful, and idealistic personality, how courageous he is when it comes to protecting people, and how he throws himself into anything he does.

Comes from an ancient line of wizards that died out. Family lived as muggles in Cuba for forever and are a bunch of squibbs currently. When he was 11 his mom took him on a trip to visit her Bisabuela at her manor in England. While cleaning up in one of the rooms, he came across a dangerous magical heirloom that reacted with his dormant magic. An awkward conversation with Bisabuela, who had been the last witch in the line, he finds out he’s a wizard. He gets his letter for Hogwarts the next day and his mom flys back to Cuba without him. Lance is thrown into a whole new world!

Lance starts the rivalry with Keith because Keith- being awkward and uncomfortable around strangers- snapped at him on the platform of the train. On top of that Keith is a natural at magic and flying and Shiro’s little brother so Lance feels like he has a lot to prove.

Lance working his ass off to catch up with all his amazingly talented friends who have known about magic all their lives, but not realizing how fast he has learned everything and how gifted he is.

Constantly has to explain Muggle things and expressions to Keith, Shiro, and Allura, who don’t spend much time in the Muggle world. Bonds with the Holt siblings and Hunk who, whilst being purebloods, have always had a fascination with technology and Muggle culture. Cue Matt and Lance watching anime together and the whole group making their own memes.

Has an adorable cat named Blue!

Best classes: Divination and Potions!

A Chaser on the Quidditch team.

Keith - Gryffindor because of his complete recklessness, stubborn and blunt nature, and unshakeable courage.

Adopted by the Shiroganes at age 8, and loves his new family! Wants to find his mother, who was a witch and supposedly died during childbirth. His muggle father didn’t believe that and continued to search for her. He ran himself ragged and into an early grave, leaving poor halfblood Keith abandoned in a muggle orphanage while experiencing his first bursts of unstable magic.

Roommates with Lance! They are the only Gryffindor boys in their year, and thus have a room alone together... The whole squad is surprised they haven’t torn each other to shreds because of their rivalry.

Keith actually feels bad about snapping at Lance when they first met but he couldn’t find a good chance (or the right words) to apologize and then Lance started their ‘rivalry’ and Keith ends up thinking Lance doesn’t like him.

Lance: “Of course we’re friends you dimwit! I’m definitely your friend.” 

Keith: *internally dying because that’s the first time someone besides Pidge has explicitly said they were friends* Oh… Cool.

The best Seeker Hogwarts has ever seen!!

Best Classes: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration

Has an adorably shy cat named Red (Lance: “You copied my naming idea!!” Keith: “I named her before we met, idiot. How could I copy you?”) who likes to ride around on Keith’s shoulder. Red takes a while to loosen up to her cat-roommate Blue, but then they are the best of friends!

Hunk - Hufflepuff! The Puff-est of Puffs!  Extremely hard-working, genuine, and loyal to his friends! Open-minded, fair, and accepting.

Grew up in a Pureblood family who is super down to earth and loves muggle shit. They live in the same Wizarding neighborhood as the Holts and Shiroganes and  He was best friends with Pidge even before Hogwarts!

Took poor lost Lance under his wing on the train day one and the rest was history!

Will absolutely destroy you if you hurt any of his friends.

Disapproves of Lance’s “adventures” to the kitchen, but loves the house elves and they let him bake at all hours of the night.

Not in Quidditch, but loves to watch and root for his friends and a specific Hufflepuff Keeper ;)

(Shay. It’s Shay. and spoilers, they are the cutest couple ever!!!)

Hunk knows that two certain Gryffindors in their friend group are hopelessly in love with each other before they know themselves. This does not surprise him. (It does frustrate him)

Pidge - Slytherin!!! Ambitious af, driven, self-reliant (“NO HUNK I CAN REACH THE BOOK MYSELF”), ruthless, adaptable, and uses their intelligence to achieve their goals.

Family of purebloods who lives in the same neighborhood as Hunk and Shiroganes. BFFs with Hunk for their mutual obsession with muggle shit, and BFFs with Keith because Shiro brought him along whenever he hung out with Matt so they became friends out of a common interest of pulling pranks on their brothers.

A year younger than the Lance-Hunk-Keith crew, but dove right into their friend group (literally. They have a tendency to jump on top of people).

Rides around on everyone’s back, especially Keith (“Awww, Keith. Don’t be jealous, you know you’re my favorite noble steed.” “I am not a noble steed, fuck you.” “Oh, you’re right, you would be the assassin’s steed!”)

Comes out as Non-Binary their fourth year. The whole squad is super supportive, but some of the traditionalists in Slytherin get a little rude about it until a certain someone steps in (hmmmm… wonder who that could be ;)

PIDGE HAS AN OWL NAMED ROVER FIGHT ME

“What’s up Gryffindorks.”

Gets Hunk a mug that says “I don’t give a Hufflefuck” and Hunk is so torn because of the swear, but loves that his BFF got him a mug.

Shiro - Seriously was a hat stall, but wanted to be in Ravenclaw with his BFF Matt (and the super pretty, intimidating daughter of the Headmaster). He fits pretty well because of his introspective nature and wise, analytical, and steady mind.

From a Pureblood family that adopted Keith.

Best friends with Matt since FOREVER

An amazing wizard and hard worker in all his classes. Many say that he is one of the best wizards on campus.

Him, Matt, and Allura are all a year older than Hunk, Lance, and Keith.

Fantastic Quidditch player, because he and Matt have been playing together since they got their first brooms at the young age of six. Both are Chasers, a terrifying team, and part of the reason why the Ravenclaw team has been dominating at Quidditch recently.

Is everyone’s big brother and chides them to take care of themselves. And yells at Pidge for their language.

Has a frog named Slav who is ALWAYS croaking and annoys the shit outta him. Most common threat “I will turn you into a tea cozy” any time the frog croaks at an inopportune time (which is very often)

Allura - Ravenclaw AF for her no nonsense diplomatic mind and creative soul. She is so smart and aces all her classes, but gets distracted from her homework because she is so naturally curious and inquisitive. She is independent, talented beyond her years, and loves to learn.

Alfor is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and so she knows ALL the secrets of the castle!

Sometimes spends a few weeks of the summer with her Uncle Coran, who is the Charms Professor and head of the Ravenclaw House, but has an apartment in Diagon Alley.

A Beater and the other reason why the Ravenclaw team has been dominating at Quidditch. She becomes the Quidditch captain in her fifth year, but was really running the team since she joined her third year.

Still has all the mice ALL THE MICE (“No, they are not rats”)

Matt - Ravenclaw for his brilliant mind and indefatigable wit. He often plays devil’s advocate in discussions because he is a cynic. Quotes shakespeare and memes simultaneously.

Roomates and bffs with Shiro!

Ships Shiro and Allura so hard, and wins a very specific bet as to how they will finally get together (FINALLY).

110% Started the “Space Dad” nickname for Shiro with the help of Lance.

Is Pidge’s biggest supporter and will destroy anyone who hurts them, which is very out of character from his normally chill demeanor (“In this house we love and respect Pidge.”)

Coran- Charms professor and head of Ravenclaw house. Everyone’s favorite teacher but no one can really say why. (“He just… I dunno… He’s fun?”)

Will invite you to his office for cookies and tea and you will like it

You will also tell him everything that’s bothering you and he will give you the one bit of advice you needed to hear and then you will leave feeling a lot better

You will then realize he didn’t ask you a single question about why you were upset you just kind of… blabbed at him.

Sure he’s the charms professor but he knows tons of things about tons of subjects. You could ask him about any type of magic and and could tell you about it. (Or at least tell you where to look to learn more)

Very interested in Muggle things but very bad at understanding them.

Took charge of Lance during his first year at Hogwarts and now it’s not uncommon for Lance to just spend his downtime hanging out in Coran’s office talking.

“I don’t have a favorite student. That would be very unprofessional.”

He does

It’s Lance

Much to Allura’s frustration (“Allura, you can’t be my favorite, that would be nepotism.”)

Lotor

Has been punched in the face

It was Keith

Keith: “10/10 would punch in the face again.”

Lance: “Do not!”

[hazelnatcoffee]

domino-effect | matt pov, post s6, sheith

A different air arises once Voltron lands on the Altean colony. Matt had known things had changed since Pidge first filled him in, and Romelle and Hunk he'd spoken to during their last transmissions but this- the exhaustion knitted into their figures, visceral as they leave the Lions is more than he'd expected to find. Especially after such a successful blow against the Empire. "They look so... tired," Olia comments, and Matt is inclined to agree even as Pidge offers a tight hug to both. She asks about the village, how much trouble the Galra occupiers gave them at first, what dad thought once he'd heard their plan about returning to Earth. It's relieving to see them all in one place again. He's yet to decide who will take his position as officer after they depart for their homeworld, but one look at the team puts a pin in the thought, draws his attention to something more potent. Shiro is missing an arm. Keith looks like he's missing several pints of blood.

"Are you guys..." He looks them over again as they limp closer, approached by a few Altean healers he's come to know by name.

"We're fine," Keith murmurs in his direction, but it's weak and they both know it. Matt's never seen him this shade of pale before and the sight is quietly unsettling. Shiro's hair is white- "He doesn't want to talk about it," Pidge tells him as they go. "Just try to- give them some space." Matt glances at the change in tone. She says it like the two of them are an algorithm that hasn't been cracked, a bomb that hasn't been diffused. And as the week goes on he starts to realize- that's exactly what they are. The team is intact, all things said, but far from untouched. Hunk and Pidge and Lance take him aside eventually and explain about Operation Kuron, how none of them had even suspected, how Keith had been away too long for it to start making sense. Kolivan joins the low conversation beside the fire eventually, and Matt sees the way he eyes his youngest mentee. There's something regretful there. Something painful, even in terms of the stoic-faced Blade. The Alteans are none the wiser. Matt thinks privately that if they knew, there'd be distrust again. It hadn't been easy to wrestle such a thing from a scared and stubborn people, but in time they'd built something like an understanding. Allura's presence softens the wariness again and several colonists have already flocked to her, beside the fire, recounting fond memories of Altea before everything and before the Galra. The planning can come afterward, she'd assured Matt and his team- but right now they're in no position to charge off on their own again. He's inclined to agree when he catches a pair of shadows wandering the edge of the grassy village. Keith is a smudge of black against the stars, barely more than a silhouette, but Shiro's hair and metal cast catch some of the light, giving them away. They drift around each other like some swaying trees close by, sometimes connected by a hand to a shoulder or a few fingers over arms. It's the first time Matt's seen them out since landing. "Shiro thinks that it's his fault," Lance tells him, in lowered eyes and uncharacteristically slumped shoulders. "The whole thing with Lotor. Even though we won, he thinks we could've stopped it sooner- if he hadn't... you know." "He's not wrong," Kolivan agrees quietly, but his arms are crossed, and his back is stiff like it's something he doesn't want to consider. Something he's weighed too long on his own before, and found sour to the taste. Matt doesn't blame him. "If Krolia hadn't trained Keith along the time anomaly- he would not have survived. Neither of them would have." "We'd have been down two Paladins," Hunk says. The comment has the same unsettled heaviness as Kolivan's, but something like an odd impersonal touch that Matt's never heard from him. "And down two friends," Pidge mutters, voicing what he's already thinking and stabbing at the fire with her skewer. "Family, again, all because some ridiculous spat between Lotor and his mother. If I had another chance to take that shot, I almost wish I'd-" She snaps her mouth shut and stabs at the sparking wood again, brows twitching in that way they do, when she's faced with a problem she can't find a solution for. An impossible puzzle, Matt thinks distantly. One of those moral dilemmas she'd struggled with in second year psychology, and complained to him about over a dinner of frozen pizza and scribbled notes and the world ahead of them. Before Kerberos. Before a war neither of them had any business interfering with. He shifts on the blanket wrapped log they've taken to and lifts his eyes to Shiro and Keith again. They've stopped moving, it looks like, but the swaying stays. The connected hands stay, the movement of Keith's mouth stays, the glint of metal under a slim hand stays too- harshly artificial among the nature, shadowed just slightly with the bow of his head. It feels private. It feels like walking in on his parents the week before Kerberos, and watching them sit close over a piece of paper that he didn't want to sign either. But this isn't Kerberos. And whatever Shiro put in his own will- Keith's already gotten. Matt knew without asking, and he knows now that's one aspect of them that hasn't changed. How according to Allura earlier, Shiro'd been looking out for Keith even after death, even when it was the real thing this time. "Is there any way we can... help them?" He wonders aloud. Surprisingly enough, it's Kolivan that answers, "No." The team turns varying looks of incomprehension toward him. "Best leave them for now, Paladins. They are both only human." But there's a doubt there, in his voice. One that asks how someone can pass into another state of existence and come back unchanged from it. How another can wreak such havoc to get him back, be the same man in essence, and it's dizzying for Matt to think about. "Keith is strong," Kolivan says, like an afterthought. "They... just need time." Matt's never heard him like this. Unable to consider any other possibility. Kolivan is known for unpredictability, a mind like that of a tactician, and it makes the uneasy conviction strange. Like Lance's silence, or Pidge's continued prodding at the fire. Hunk's odd objective input of the whole thing. Like a tipping stack of dominoes, they've been lined up just right this time.

[kittyrossa]

when i first watched the S5 finale, i was instantly struck by how the white lion trials parallel the marmora trials! for brevity’s sake, i will refer to them as WL (white lion) and BoM (blade of marmora) throughout the post.

my friend @shirogane-s made a gorgeous gifset that sums up the main parallel, which is, as she says in the caption:

keith initially embodies lotor’s “i will get the results i want (i.e. victory/knowledge) or die trying” approach, but is only able to awaken his blade once he yields, which nicely mirrors allura’s success with the white lion

these three characters (keith/lotor/allura) are all fascinating foils to one another, so it makes sense that their trials would highlight exactly that!

HERITAGE

kolivan: the only way [awakening the blade] is possible is if galra blood runs through your veins.

lotor: that thing is a guardian — it will only allow worthy alteans through.

the BoM trials can be completed by those of galra blood, and the WL trials can be completed by those of altean blood.

keith goes into the BoM trials wanting to discover the secrets of his past; he has spent his entire life with a blade that he does not know the origins of, but has reason to believe is connected to his mother and to galra heritage.

lotor goes into the WL trials wanting to discover the secrets of altean alchemy; he has spent centuries searching for clues of oriande, hoping it will connect him to his altean heritage and to his mother, who possessed the same thirst for knowledge.

allura goes into the WL trials wanting to discover the secrets that her father knew and that she may have inherited: the ancient altean wisdom that allowed him to create voltron and spread peace throughout the universe, the very legacy that allura wants to continue.

CHOSEN

lotor and allura are branded with “the marks of the chosen”, altean markings that glow when deemed worthy of entering oriande. lotor is unsurprised that allura is chosen — alfor had the strongest understanding of altean alchemy — but lotor does seem surprised by his own selection. because honerva did not unlock the secrets of oriande, lotor only saw allura as a potential key. it’s plausible that haggar and lotor were given the properties of a sacred altean after honerva went through the rift, but lotor is not yet admitting that haggar and honerva could be one and the same. whether or not being chosen by the guardian is due to bloodlines, lotor and allura are both chosen. lotor says this is because some alteans are more connected to energy — more “magical” than others. this is just the first step, however; they will still have to prove their worth in the WL trials.

keith being “chosen” is not quite as magical or mystical! he is chosen by his parents to own the blade, though in its knife form; the magical and mystical part comes if he awakens the blade, transforming it. from the way antok reacts — accusing keith of stealing it — it’s clear that most BoM trials end in owning a blade that is individual to the wielder. because keith comes to the trials with a blade that used to be his mother’s and was then passed on to him from his father, he has to prove that he is worthy of being “chosen” by both the blade and his parents.

you can even argue that keith is chosen by a third person: shiro, who ends up playing a crucial role in the BoM trials, and who was himself chosen by ulaz as a fighter/leader that could help the BoM. shiro chooses keith not just as a right-hand man that will partner him to the headquarters, but as someone he trusts to take over leadership should something ever happen to him. shiro says that keith needs to work on controlling his emotions and on learning self-discipline, unaware that the BoM trials will test keith with that same mindset.

BLACK HOLE VS. WHITE HOLE

each trial is hidden: the BoM trials within a space pocket bracketed by black holes, and the WL trials within the energy of a white hole.

this is true to the fact that both trials are rooted in secrecy. the BoM’s location is only revealed because ulaz entrusted shiro with the coordinates, and the WL’s location is only revealed because allura’s power granted her access to the compass stone’s map. only two are permitted to enter the BoM headquarters, and only two are chosen by the guardian to enter oriande’s realm. in both cases, the rest of the paladins are forced to wait at the castle, without a glimpse of what could be happening — the black and white holes cause too much interference, preventing any readings.

lotor: the wise stand back from the fire; fools are burned on the pyre; the mystic becomes one with the flame; the embers and he are the same.

keith has to navigate away from being sucked into the black hole, but lotor and allura have to navigate inside the white hole. this is a mirror of the trials themselves: the BoM trials are about evading a dangerous path to focus on the destination, and the WL trials are about becoming one with energy to reach the destination.

KNOWLEDGE

as soon as the trials begin, they do not stop. keith is faced with the relentless swordsmanship of the BoM, and lotor and allura are faced with the charged attacks of the white lion.

keith and lotor rise to the challenge, but allura is quick to realize that engaging in combat is not the answer:

allura: i do not wish to fight! i come here seeking knowledge. this isn’t the way.

though allura has lost altea, she has not forgotten its culture or what she has learned from her father. alfor’s contribution to peace went beyond voltron; as coran says, they “can’t always put the fate of the universe in the hands of a giant weapon — at least, that’s what your father believed.” alteans were diplomats. the first time allura awakens her magic, it’s not through weapons, but through words. her voice reaches the balmerans as she tells them not to give up — she knows what it’s like to watch her home planet die, and will not let it happen to them.

coran: in the days of old, when alteans were given the gift of crystals from a balmera, we would repay its sacrifice by performing a ceremony. a sacred altean would re-infuse the balmera with quintessence. in this way, we had a symbiotic relationship.

allura: the galra have only been taking. it’s time we give back.

allura risks the same ceremony that her father performed, even though she’s never done it before and the scale of it may come at the cost of her own life. the ceremony isn’t about power, but about how she can use power to provide peace; and since then, this has been allura’s goal every time she has awakened her magic. her magic destroys the komar (haggar’s experiment that drains planets of quintessence), and her magic revives voltron on naxzela before haggar can bomb it. allura’s magic may be new to her, but by following her father’s footsteps in saving countless lives, she is firm about what she wants to do with her magic.

this is the wisdom that allura brings with her to the WL trials. lotor admits that none of his research can prepare them for what happens once they’re in oriande, but allura is a natural at navigating the obstacles presented by the sages. she knows that she needs to kneel and seek permission for passage and clarify that they intend no harm; that they offer up the compass stone as a gift. she also spots the teludav that transports them to the WL trials, something that lotor says only a “trained altean” would recognize.

as much as he wishes to connect to his altean heritage, lotor is not a “trained altean”. he has attempted to train himself by exploring the universe and gathering what remnants of altea that he can find, but there’s a difference between scientific theory and spiritual practise. attempts at either have been shamed as weak by zarkon — “you have altean blood running through your veins, poisoning your very being” — or outright crushed.

lotor: i envy you growing up with king alfor. i always wanted to be an explorer and learn about the universe. my father was only interested in conquering it. he once put me in charge of a planet for a year, running the quintessence mining and getting to know the local population. rather than employ the usual galran methods of subjugation, i worked alongside the leadership of the planet, learning their customs. we would only extract as much quintessence as could be replenished, and i enjoyed my time there quite a bit. when my father found out what was happening, he ordered me to destroy the planet. i refused, and he sent me away. he destroyed them all. i was powerless to stop him.

lotor does try to prioritize knowledge, just as he feels his mother once did — and if he’s going to gain a victory, it’s not going to be through the brute force and aggression that is favored by his father. he’s a fighter that survives by trapping and evading and using his surroundings; when engaged in combat, he provokes whoever is at the other end of his sword — throk, zarkon, sendak — by mocking their aggressive clawing for power and glory. when zarkon pursues him in the air with the intent to kill, lotor doesn’t fight, but escapes through harnessing the power of a sun.

because he’s been raised in galra culture rather than altean culture, it’s understandable that it’s lotor who keeps repeating that the WL trials will likely test their “worth”. when we first meet lotor, one of the first things he reveals is that rising to the galra throne is through “the honorable rite of combat”, and this is further confirmed with the ceremony of kral zera. you win by being the strongest, whether your methods are mental or physical or a combination of both.

lotor is a “trained galra”, even if he tries to rebel against that training. allura isn’t afraid to be alone during her WL trials, but lotor is out of his element when he finds himself without her, asking after her by calling her name. the landscape is an open space — there is nowhere to hide and its emptiness provides nothing to use. he can’t evade this. plus, the white lion doesn’t talk: it’s like a translucent spirit, making no sounds beyond roars and growls. there is no personality for lotor to provoke, no amount of cunning that will stop the white lion’s physical force — he can only respond to it by matching it with his own.

lotor: i will not yield! i will gain your secrets!

this is an obvious echo of keith in the BoM trials, though he’s fighting people rather than projections:

BoM: surrender the blade and the pain will cease.

keith: i won’t quit.

BoM: surrender the blade and the pain will cease.

keith: never!

this is not about glory; this is not about proving himself the strongest. keith is galra, but hasn’t grown up in the empire as lotor has, internalizing its values despite himself. this isn’t about his pride as a fighter, but as a person. if he surrenders the blade, he is surrendering his identity. if he gives up the fight, he is not being faithful to his determination to always see a goal through — to be all in.

like lotor, keith hasn’t been trained by his mother. keith is coming into his trials with the least amount of knowledge about his family, and he sees his knife as his key. how can he let them take it away? he doesn’t know the BoM’s customs and culture. he doesn’t know that these trials are not just testing his endurance against the empire’s unyielding fight, but testing his ability to know when to stop — a balance that he’s already struggled with.

coran: it’s zarkon! keith, get out of there, now! zarkon is too powerful!

keith: this is my chance to put an end to the galra empire! i have to take it!

zarkon: you fight like a galra soldier — but not for long!

unlike lotor, however, keith has a support system that has helped him try to find that balance.

keith: patience yields focus.

shiro: that really stayed with you, didn’t it?

keith: you’ve given me some good advice. if it weren’t for you, my life would have been a lot different.

shiro is right there watching the BoM trials, worrying for keith and rooting for him. he knows that keith will never quit, and he knows that keith’s emotions can overpower his focus. keith may be seeking knowledge about his galra family, but shiro is his found family from earth. they met at some point in their lives, and shiro for keith became the one person who “has never given up” on him, implying that others have given up. others have perhaps looked at keith’s fire and found the flames too dangerous or destructive, a person they don’t want to get burned by, but shiro looked at keith’s fire and helped him transform it into a light to guide both keith and others, including shiro. he believes in keith.

so, it takes him some time, but keith eventually uses “patience yields focus” in the BoM trials: he slows down and notices the escape route, throwing his knife and evading without surrendering. keith is exhausted and in pain and he desperately wants to see shiro, which is why hologram!shiro appears as a manifestation of his hopes and fears — the hopes that he will support keith, and the fears that he will reject keith. hologram!shiro tries to impart wisdom, but it’s clinical and cruel: keith is selfish, keith already has family in shiro and the paladins, and if keith doesn’t give up the knife, then keith has chosen to be alone. shiro abandoning him is the first thing to make keith hesitate, but before he can run after him, the mindscape changes to a hologram of keith’s father, who has all of the knowledge that keith is seeking.

SACRIFICE

the BoM trials and the WL trials come down to the ultimate question of “what are you willing to give up, and will you give it up?”

allura: i seek the secret of life. i give my own.

allura is willing.

keith: just take the knife! it doesn’t matter where i come from — i know who i am. we all need to work together to defeat zarkon. if that means i give up this knife, fine. take it.

keith is willing.

lotor: victory or death!

lotor is unwilling.

before i continue, there’s a third “trial” that feels relevant: shiro’s battle with zarkon in the astral plane.

zarkon: you have no idea how to command a weapon like this!

shiro: no one commands the black lion!

zarkon: you dare lecture me? do you think the black lion would allow such a feeble creature to pilot it? only the powerful can command it!

shiro: you’ve forgotten what’s most important between a lion and its paladin. it’s not about power. it’s about earning each other’s trust!

lotor fails his trials because he fails to realize what allura and keith do: that it’s not about being worthy of power, but about being trustworthy.

lotor doesn’t trust the white lion not to hurt him, and it’s hard to blame him. his father has targeted him with the same physical force, and would have gone to the point of killing lotor more than once. and though lotor is adamant that “that witch is not my mother”, haggar is the nearest maternal figure that he has: she has stood alongside zarkon and participated in the attempts to control lotor, albeit more psychologically than physically. she has sent out people to spy on him (military, narti, shiro); and though she shares the same blood that blocks her from the throne, haggar coldly calls lotor a “half-breed” whose altean blood quells the rights granted by his galra blood.

so, it’s understandable that lotor isn’t quick to trust people, let alone mysterious mystical lions. his team of generals came the closest in that lotor trusted them to carry out his plans, and in the end they deserted him — but only because lotor lost their trust first. cutting narti down is an example of how lotor does not like to feel powerless — like he’s losing control — and thus is not above doing whatever it takes to regain that power and control. he has manipulated the empire, the rebels, and the paladins, presenting and performing himself as trustworthy in actions and in words. but it’s likely that the white lion would have seen a manipulative stab at diplomacy such as “i come here for nothing but peace.” lotor may claim that as his aim in discovering the secrets of altean alchemy, but in reality he is still too focused on power.

it’s comparable to the triforce from the legend of zelda: three forces (power/courage/wisdom) that need to be balanced to bring peace. allura, though she also relies on power and courage, embodies wisdom; keith, though he also relies on power and wisdom, embodies courage; and lotor, though he also relies on courage and wisdom, embodies power.

allura and keith have a better hold on balancing all three, even if one can dominate; but lotor largely uses his courage and wisdom for the endgame of power, a path that his parents went down and launched an unending war.

alfor: the ore from the comet practically engineers itself. it’s frightening, in a way.

zarkon: endlessly powerful ships for the galra empire.

alfor: and an endless source of clean energy for the entire system.

*

alfor: we must exercise caution. we have no idea what is out there.

honerva: the ancients thought that lightning was shot from the bows of the gods until science proved otherwise. we must always push into dangerous territory in pursuit of knowledge.

*

honerva: quintessence is so much more than you can understand. it is life itself.

alfor: you’ve gone too far.

honerva: you’ve always been a coward! you wish to close off our gateway to enlightenment — we should be expanding it!

zarkon: if we use voltron, we can enlarge the opening to the other reality!

alfor: it’s madness! this prolonged exposure to quintessence has poisoned your minds.

zarkon: we’ve only scratched the surface. we can rule this entire universe! we can live forever! all of us!

alfor: i cannot be a part of this.

zarkon: you are only one part of voltron, alfor. you cannot hold us all back because of your fear! alfor, i lead the paladins! i command you!

lotor doesn’t want to be his father, but emulating his mother doesn’t mean he isn’t seeking power. like honerva, lotor seeks power through knowledge; and like honerva, lotor sees going through the rift as how to get that power. plan A was reaping the rift’s quintessence by building ships from the transreality comet. when that failed, lotor went for plan B: allura and voltron — much like how zarkon and honerva manipulated alfor and voltron.

shiro: how do you get an empire that’s only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?

lotor: by providing them with the very thing they’re fighting for: quintessence. unlimited amounts of it. and allura, you are the key to getting it.

*

lotor: in order to transition the galra empire to a peaceful existence, i need to open up a pathway to the quintessence field. once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the empire will be behind them.

allura: if this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace.

again, lotor is certainly saying all of the right things — but, well, “the masses are easily manipulated.” he must know that it’s not that simple: unlimited quintessence may stop the hunt for power, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stop the hunger for it. the galra spirit won’t change from power-hungry to peace-seeking overnight — the galra can still use unlimited quintessence for physical force and violent feats. when keith and krolia reunite, it’s on a mission to destroy a superweapon built from undocumented quintessence that is unparalleled in its power; and lotor says himself that haggar is constantly seeking altean magical knowledge to “pervert” for her own power.

allura: your mother was honerva? the honerva that discovered the rift on planet daibazaal? then you’re — half-altean!

lotor: yes. it was something the galra considered a weakness, but i considered it a strength. the union between zarkon and honerva sparked a technological revolution within the empire. even back then, altean culture was remarkably advanced. the kinds of experiments she was conducting — she advanced science by eons.

lotor is trying to gain power in the Altean (Honerva) Way that he sees as superior to the Galra (Zarkon) Way. given how much lotor has had to fight for his own survival, it’s not unreasonable that he thinks he needs power to do so — specifically more power than zarkon, who lotor has felt powerless against before. when the white lion attacks him, lotor kills it — “victory or death!” — out of survival instincts; he isn’t about to sacrifice his own life that easily, not after centuries of fighting for it and for the dawn of a new age that honors his (and his mother’s) vision of power.

lotor: i will light the flame. not for defeating my father, and not even for being the strongest galra here. but because i did something no one else could do: i returned the black lion to the galra!

lotor may try to distance himself from his father, but at his core, he too sees voltron as a source of power to command. he displays himself as having ownership over the black lion, which is why he doesn’t succeed with the white lion. it never once occurs to him that it’s about teamwork and trust, a sincere emotional bond — “political allyship for one’s own gain” is not going to cut it.

keith’s BoM trials are about forming an alliance between voltron and marmora, but keith succeeds where lotor fails because he puts the mission above himself. the mindscape is on the cusp of unlocking every secret kept from keith, but he’s distracted by the galra attacking earth and people screaming and the red lion waiting for him.

keith: dad, i’m sorry, i gotta go. there’s people that need me out there.

keith’s father: don’t you want to know where you came from? your mother gave [the knife] to me.

keith: mom?

keith’s father: she’ll be here soon.

keith: you gotta tell me, dad. i have to know! where did the knife come from? what does it mean?

keith’s father: your mother is almost here. she’ll tell you everything.

keith: i can’t wait around anymore, i have to go!

keith’s father: if you walk out that door, you’ll never find out who you are.

keith: goodbye, dad.

arguably, the first lion “trial” is between keith and red: the red lion requires its paladin to prove that they’re worthy of respect, and keith has to fight off galra and get thrown out into space for the red lion to believe that he’s “all in”, swooping in to save him; a pattern that continues after keith finds out that he’s able to connect to red from long distances. keith is a paladin of voltron: he knows that working together with your lion is what will save the universe. he would never strike it as lotor did to the white lion, and the red lion would never let anyone strike keith.

shiro: [the red lion] has a link with keith. it knows when he’s in danger — it’s coming for him!

shiro joins red in fighting the BoM, only letting go of a wounded keith to defend him against kolivan and antok, who demand that keith give up his blade because he “failed to awaken it.” keith stops them as shiro and antok clash, voicing what he decided in the mindscape: he knows who he is and what he wants to do. what matters is saving the universe, and they need to work together to make that happen. if he has to give up his knife for that teamwork and trust, then he’s willing to make that sacrifice.

this is what awakens keith’s blade, and it is probably what has awakened other blades: the willingness of the BoM member to put the mission above anything that could hold them back. emotions are a “luxury” they cannot afford; kolivan doesn’t call emotions a “weakness” because he recognizes emotions for what they are: powerful feelings that can make someone selfish instead of selfless, upholding their own life above the lives that the galra have been threatening for several millennia. if they want to defeat the empire, then they can’t indulge in emotions that risk outweighing that mission.

krolia tells keith that she left keith once and will never leave him again — she, too, had chosen between family and mission, and now wants to meet in the middle. in retrospect, this sheds a light on how keith has always struggled with that balance: at one moment, he is scolding pidge for wanting to find her family over forming voltron; at the next moment, he is willing to give up on voltron because he wants to find shiro, his found family.

allura: keith — i know exactly how you feel. but our mission is bigger than any one individual. even those who are … completely irreplaceable.

keith: i know you’re right. it’s time to figure out how to reform voltron.

the black lion trusts keith in replacing shiro because shiro trusted keith in replacing shiro. keith has no visions of the black lion granting him power and glory. he only sees that he is filling the seat of someone he desperately wants back, and keith talks to black as though the lion and shiro are one soul: “i know you wanted this for me, shiro. but i’m not you. i can’t lead them like you. this one’s for you, shiro.”

when shiro does come back, keith sacrifices his own place on the team to make shiro black paladin again. rather than kick lance out of red and allura out of blue, keith turns his efforts towards somewhere he knows he can play a role: the BoM. he makes this sacrifice no matter how much he may miss the lions and the paladins and the teamwork and trust that they have begun to build together. as always, the mission comes first.

and allura isn’t wrong: if anyone knows how keith feels, it’s her.

allura: i don’t know if we should run to preserve what we have, or stay and risk everything. i want to fight, but the paladins of old are gone. i know what you would do.

hologram!alfor: i scattered the lions to keep them out of zarkon’s hands. you urged me to keep them and fight, but, for the greater good of protecting the universe, i chose to hide them.

allura: i think i understand.

hologram!alfor: no, daughter, you were right. i made a terrible mistake, one that cost the universe countless lives. forming voltron is the only way to stop zarkon. you must be willing to sacrifice everything to assemble the lions and correct my error.

allura doesn’t have the luxury of putting her grief above the mission. she has lost everything irreplaceable to her — her father, her planet, her people — and yet she doesn’t falter in putting herself out there to ensure that others don’t experience her pain. she ruthlessly trains the new paladins not out of a power trip, but because she understands the urgency of war; and it’s the same when shiro disappears and she has to push keith to step up to the plate, just as she had to for alfor.

it’s hard for her to let go of those leadership instincts when it’s her turn to pilot a lion. she’s used to flying the castle, creating wormholes, and calling the shots for the entire team — and while she doesn’t lose that role completely, it takes a trial and error period to realize that she can’t command blue as she would the castle. she knows that bonding with a lion is important, but as happened to lotor, it’s one thing to know something in theory, and a whole other thing to act it out in practise.

allura: nothing works! i’ve tried asking you nicely, and i’ve tried commanding you! what do you want from me? i can’t do this. everyone depends on me. the universe depends on me, but i can’t control everything. i need your help. guide me. i can’t do it alone.

allura accepts that she can’t fight on her own, and this may be why the blue lion accepts allura where the red lion didn’t. she did ask red for help, but because alfor piloted red, allura put double the pressure on herself in asking red to accept her: not because she wanted the glory of being her father, but because some part of her felt she could only follow alfor’s footsteps if she mirrored him in every way imaginable.

she still sometimes feels that pressure, fearing that she’ll never be the alchemist her father was, but by opening herself up to the support of others as she did to blue, the journey has become less lonely. the universe doesn’t rest on her shoulders alone. the WL trials again ask her to consider the balance between power and peace, and allura accepts the white lion’s energy into her heart — she sacrifices command and control. it’s about working together and trusting each other. how else will they save the universe from a constant cycle of fighting?

allura has the same awakening in accepting the help of the galra: the BoM, keith, and lotor.

allura to keith: i’m so sorry i misjudged you. you’ve proven it’s not what’s in your blood — it’s who you are that counts.

allura to lotor: what you did was for the greater good. and for many of us, proof of your intentions for peace.

despite her trauma, allura’s perspective on galra can be changed if they prove that they are fighting for the same cause that she is. it’s an extreme emotional risk — the first time she had a galra teammate, they betrayed voltron and killed her father and destroyed her entire culture. this cannot be understated, nor can the amount of strength it takes to put herself on the line for that vulnerability again and again. but from where allura’s standing, keith and lotor have proven — again and again — that they believe in voltron’s mission.

as of S5, allura and keith have a relationship of genuine trust. it’s been tested, such as when keith began prioritizing BoM missions over being the pilot of the black lion; but at the end of the day, keith has always done whatever it takes to fight the empire. they were both willing to leave the castle to find out if zarkon was tracking them, sacrificing their own safety for the safety of their team and the entire universe. keith was willing to put action over caution and infiltrate central command to finally defeat zarkon, earning allura’s turnaround in trusting him. they were both willing to sacrifice the chance to stay with their departed fathers, letting go of their holograms to maintain their mission. and allura was willing to reach out and offer keith a place in her “new family”, knowing what it is to lose your biological family and have to rebuild and reconnect.

keith doesn’t fault allura when she falls for lotor’s trap with the altean distress signal, and allura expresses condolences when keith loses regris, partially due to keith’s own risk-taking. keith has allura’s blessing in joining the BoM, knowing he’ll make them proud — and she acknowledges that the BoM have been instrumental in the fight against zarkon, a huge leap from her initial distrust in them and criticism of their caution. though they’ve parted ways for now, allura is similar to shiro in that she has made it clear that she wants keith to feel he can come back to them; that the team has faith and trust in him.

as of S5, allura and lotor have a relationship of tentative trust — “tentative” because it’s genuine on allura’s end, but lotor’s end is debatable. fandom seems 50/50 on it, which speaks to lotor’s complexity and how you can build a case for both. but these are the facts: lotor has communicated faith and support in allura’s abilities, urging her to be the person who can carry on the tradition of altean alchemy. honerva and alfor were alchemists, and zarkon and alfor were friends that fought alongside each other. can’t lotor and allura be the same, and rewrite their wrongs? everything lotor says is rooted in truth, even if there is a part of him that’s bending it to get the results that he wants. he and allura are both genuinely nostalgic for a time that no longer exists — as the new rulers of their royal families, they can understand each other in a way that few others can.

we can assume that lotor is using altean nostalgia for an ulterior motive, just as he used the altean distress signal to appeal to allura and get him the transreality comet. what he’s doing now is a more personal version of that plan, becoming friends with her and earning her trust and confidence. he says that he cannot revive altean alchemy without her, and allura boomerangs the same sentiment back at him: “i’m glad you’re here to help me now. i never would have gotten here without you.” this comes after lotor confides in her his reasons for being exiled, and his genuine despair at how he was powerless to stop zarkon. when allura later repeats that she couldn’t have unlocked her altean alchemy without lotor, he smooths over his frown with a smile and says that oriande was for her and not for him — she is the true alchemist.

alfor was once blinded by his compassion for zarkon, and allura may have that same blindness in her compassion — and empathy — for lotor. but the potential is there for them to have a future relationship without ulterior motives; to someday join together and restore altean culture and bring peace to the universe.

what about keith and lotor to complete the trifecta? as of S5, they have what i call a “wild card” relationship, and one of distant trust. it’s unclear if they’ve properly met in terms of being formally introduced — keith knows who lotor is, but lotor doesn’t seem to have been told that a former paladin (and one that he fought) is now a part-galra member of the BoM. they used to collide in battle when keith flew black and lotor was emperor pro tem; keith had immense distrust in lotor, doing everything he could to thwart him and his traps. but more recently, they’ve collided while saving each other — lotor unaware of who he was saving, but keith completely aware and doing the exact opposite of how he’d approached lotor before. lotor saved keith and the universe for his own political gain, but keith saved lotor because he now trusted him to be someone who could change the political tide.

i said this in my keitor meta for S3 + S4, but lotor saving keith had the potential to make keith do a turnaround in his trust of lotor, and S5 confirms this even if they never met afterwards. keith is still with the BoM, and their contact with lotor is indirect — lotor gives the paladins intel to pass on to kolivan, and kolivan reports back that it’s trustworthy. communications appear to stop after lotor kills zarkon, which is why keith doesn’t hear from them about kral zera — but it’s kral zera where he and lotor collide again, and it’s kral zera where keith saves lotor.

keith and lotor’s potential dynamic is a “wild card” because unlike their dynamics with allura, it’s galra-on-galra. prior to S5, many of us assumed that keith was a prime candidate for manipulation — he was part-galra like lotor and isolated from his former teammates like lotor, and if lotor wanted to deepen that wedge, he could have appealed to keith’s desire to belong by offering him a place alongside him. but as of S5, the tables have turned: it’s increasingly clear that keith is the galra that lotor pretends to be — that lotor finds it hard to be as the emperor’s son. keith refuses to be a prisoner of his own blood, knowing that galra blood doesn’t automatically make one loyal to zarkon or “just like” zarkon. he works with the BoM to take the empire down from the inside, and not just to shift its methods of power as lotor is doing with altean methods, but to dismantle its power and restore stability — hence the plan to blow up kral zera as the symbol of the first planet the galra conquered, along with the galra’s currently powerful leaders.

keith aborts that mission when shiro and lotor arrive — and the fact that keith lumps in lotor with shiro as “someone i want to save” is huge. but it’s logical: keith’s trust in lotor shifted once lotor executed the exact action keith was planning (destroying haggar’s bomb). seeing shiro ally himself with lotor is going to deepen that trust, even if keith is only viewing things from a distance. lotor is like a “cool/calculating” version of shiro: both have been pursued by zarkon for taking his former thrones (the empire’s + the black lion’s), and zarkon has mocked shiro and lotor for being “weaker” than him, stopping at nothing to eliminate them. and of course, both have been pursued by haggar and are currently being pursued by haggar, who through her magic tries to control them for her own agenda for power. lotor and shiro deal with this trauma by masking it with composure, and they make decisive and difficult choices to keep on surviving. keith has never lost trust in shiro, so it’s not out of the question that he’d trust lotor if he got to know him more personally — unless he saw the “cool/calculating” personality for what he used to see: someone cunning and chaotic. this may depend on how lotor responds to operation kuron: eliminate shiro like he eliminated narti, or help him and empathize with him (and therefore maintain keith’s trust)?

on the flipside, keith is like a “fiery/explosive” version of acxa — lotor’s former, and most devoted, general. less is known about acxa’s backstory, but since her introduction in the weblum, she has been mysteriously honorbound. keith says she’s “just like the rest of them” after she steals the scaultrite, but acxa remains different in that she doesn’t kill keith once she gets what she needs (and she pays her debt by saving him at kral zera). she reminds her teammates not to kill anyone, but to get the intel they need and get out. like keith, she encourages her team to stay efficient and dedicated to the mission, and like keith, she is intensely loyal to her leader; she wants to trust that he’ll protect them, and she needs to be convinced to overthrow him for her own gain. even then, her decision to do so is “for narti”, and she can’t help but insist that “no one is replacing lotor” when zethrid and ezor muse about usurping him as emperor (very keith-esque in how he responded to anyone replacing shiro as black paladin). what separates them is that acxa maintains her composure where keith’s emotions are often crystal clear; but they have both served as trusted right-hands to their leaders, and so it again makes you wonder what would happen if there was a mix-and-match: lotor meeting keith, a foil to acxa, and keith meeting lotor, a foil to shiro.

if allura represents the altean side of lotor that he on some level wishes he could embody, then keith may become that for lotor’s galra side. his WL trials demonstrate that he still has a long way to go on the path to inner peace and universal peace; allura and keith are already moving ahead.

as of S5, allura is connecting more and more to alfor and her altean heritage. as of S5, keith has just been given the opportunity to connect to krolia and his galra heritage. but as of S5, lotor has been denied the secrets of oriande and seems to be in denial about haggar being honerva — if he’s admitted it to himself at all, he sees them as separate entities. discovering that haggar is essentially an “amplified” version of the mother he holds on a pedestal could be something that destroys him, or it could be something that allows him to finally move forward and balance these two important sides of himself.

there’s nothing inherently evil about seeking victory or seeking knowledge — it’s about why and how you seek those things, and allura and keith are proof that choosing the honorable path is possible. for inner peace, they could use a little of lotor’s “selfishness” (not sacrificing their own emotions), and for universal peace, lotor could use a little of their “selflessness” (not sacrificing the safety of others). even if you theorize that lotor wants to go through the rift for “selfless" reasons — quintessence to uncorrupt haggar, as his parents may have wanted quintessence to save lotor’s life — there is still an element of selfishness in seeking power that can save one person at the cost of endangering the entire universe.

whatever happens in S6 and beyond, it’s safe to say that keith/lotor/allura all have compelling arcs about the trials of repeating history + shaping their own history. i’m super excited to see how these arcs continue to parallel and/or intersect!

[thats-what-sidhe-said]

voltron actor AU part 5

If I keep writing this, I’m going to need a title, huh? I like the impermanence of Tumblr posting. Less pressure. I made a tag, though.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | My AO3

---

Lance Serrano isn't a natural athlete. He freely admits that he's logged more hours playing Madden NFL than any on-field team sport. But playing Voltron's space cowboy, McClain, doesn't let him spend much time on the couch.

"My agent pitched it to me and I was like, great! Fly around in my stylish spaceship, flirt with a few ladies, maybe throw a punch or two." Serrano is an animated speaker in real life, energy crackling as he expresses every word with his hands, arms, and sometimes, his full body. It's easy to see why he's such a compelling figure on screen. "Surprise, surprise. I show up on set and James is all, 'here's your workout plan!'" James Griffin is the show's stunt coordinator, an Air Force vet who commands the respect of the stars. Voltron's legendary action scenes must be executed precisely for the safety of all involved, and when Griffin speaks, they listen. "We call them the MFE.s," Serrano says, of Griffin's team. "The M-- F-- Experts. When it comes to the action, they talk, we listen. The MFEs make us look amazing, and they send us home each night in one piece. Best stunt team I've ever known."

Today Serrano is training with Griffin in the studio's gym, along with his co-star Keith Kogane. Kogane is no stranger to stuntwork. In contrast to the easygoing McClain, Kogane's Akira is a tough fighter, slow to talk, and fast to punch. Kogane does as much of his own stuntwork as permitted, and he ranked number one on Men's Health Action Stars To Watch for 2018.

"Why is my article all about you?" Lance demanded. He and Keith and Pidge were in their director's chairs behind the camera, waiting for the lighting team to finish preparing the set. Keith was reading a book and Pidge was working on a tablet.

Keith yanked Lance's phone from his hands, skimmed the article, and shoved it back in Lance's hand. "Because you wanted me there."

"To make me look good!" Lance said. Pidge put both hands on the arm of his chair and leaned over to see.

But Serrano holds his own next to Kogane. They fight side-by-side against Griffin - who is standing in for the villain-of-the-week - and if Kogane's the more experienced fighter, you'd never know it from this.

"I'm at the gym every day at seven a.m.," Lance said, when asked how he fits a fitness routine into sixteen hour days. "I'm there after lunch. I'm there when we wrap early, or when we wrap late. You want to look like this," he sweeps a hand over his body, "you gotta put in the work." He flashes a smile and you can almost hear a ting when light bounces off his teeth.

"You look pretty good," Pidge said. She stuck out a finger and scrolled past the rest of the article to the photos.

"Which gym do you go to every morning at seven a.m.?" Keith demanded.

"The cool people gym," Lance said smugly. "What, weren't you invited?"

"Invited where?" Shiro walked up with his artificial arm fully attached. Curtis was beside him, carrying his sides - the script pages and information needed for the day's shoot.

"The world of imagination," Keith said. "Also known as the world where Lance is in the gym at seven a.m."

Shiro snorted.

Lance did a head count. "Where's Allura?"

"She's still in makeup," Shiro said. "Her marks have to light up today, so Matt's working on her. Where's Hunk?"

"Garrett's off in the healing pod for this scene," Pidge said.

Keith put his book away. "I hope Allura's not late. This day is going to be long enough already."

"If she is, Mitch will start with close-ups." Shiro gave Keith an affectionate smile. "You got something to do after work?" He held out his hand and Keith linked fingers with him.

"I don't know." Keith smiled back. "My boyfriend might be working la- hey!" Pidge had flicked water at him.

"Yes," Lance said to Curtis, though Curtis hadn't spoken. "They're always like this."

"No, we're not," Keith said, dabbing at the water with a Kleenex, so he wouldn't smudge his makeup. "Like what?"

"Gross," Pidge said. "Take pity on Curtis. He has to kiss Shiro. Are you even gay, dude?" she asked Curtis. All eyes turned to him.

"I, uh," Curtis said, taken aback. "I've kissed guys before. Non-professionally. But, you know, girls. That's happened. And I'm still figuring some stuff out."

Pidge stared for a moment, then said, "That's a terrible answer. Do you have a publicist?"

"No?" Curtis said.

"The press is going to ask you that when we do interviews," Shiro said. "You should probably have an answer ready."

Curtis nodded. "Okay. I'll work on it."

A P.A. called them to the set, then. Allura joined them at the last moment.

---

"Paladins!" Keith said. He turned to take in all the Paladins, standing at even lengths in front of the throne. He knelt in front of the throne itself. "My Princess," he said, bowing his head.

Allura stood up. "Rise, my dear Akira," she said gently. She touched his arm gently and Keith rose to his feet. "Tell me; who is this stranger?"

Keith turned. "This is Adam, of the rebel Druids. He has come to join our fight."

Curtis bowed. "Princess."

"But you're human!" Shiro exclaimed.

"Yes," Curtis said, turning to Shiro. "I have lived here since I was a small child. I never expected to see one of my own kind again, especially one so comely." He looked Shiro up and down and both of them smiled.

"Hang on!" Pidge said. "He's a Druid! We're supposed to just trust him?"

"He's one of the rebels," Keith said. "They're our allies."

"So he says," Pidge said.

"She has a point," Allura said. "We must be cautious. Sven, will you please take charge of this man until we can verify his story?"

"Yes, Princess," Shiro said.

"And Akira?" Allura turned to Keith. "I would like to be briefed on your travels. Will you meet me in my quarters for dinner?"

"Of course, Princess," Keith said. "Shall I bring wine?"

"If you like," she said.

Keith nodded, turned around, and as he walked down the stairs from the throne, his eyes drifted over to Shiro smiling at Curtis. Keith stepped on the edge of his robe and tumbled forward. "Motherfucker!"

"Cut!" Mitch yelled.

"'Action Stars To Watch'," Lance muttered.

"Keith, you okay?" Shiro asked, his gaze snapping away from Curtis and on to Keith.

"I'm fine," Keith said, through gritted teeth. He struggled with the robe but finally got back on his feet. "I hate robes."

"Try wearing a dress," Allura said dryly. "You've got to lift it a little on stairs." She daintily took hold of her skirt and lifted it above her ankles.

"I don't think that's the look I want," Keith said.

"Faceplanting? That's better?" Allura asked.

Keith sighed. "I'll work on it."

"Yes, you will," Mitch said. "Back to start, everyone. Let's do it again. Shiro, this time I want you be eyefucking Curtis the minute you see him."

"Pretend he's Keith," suggested Pidge. Everyone laughed. Everyone but Curtis, who gave Keith a guilty look and Keith, who was watching Shiro.

"I don't care if you pretend he's the Pope. I want you about ten seconds from jumping him," Mitch said. "But in a PG way. And Keith?" Keith's head jerked up. "Good job. Very hetero. Just try to stay on your feet."

"Keith can't walk and be hetero at the same time," Pidge snickered. Keith flipped her off.

"On your marks, everyone," Mitch said. "Let's take it from the top.”

---

[wiredandrewired]

Hey you know what I’m really tired of in Voltron fic?

Pretending Alteans were super fucking dainty. 

And also that Combat Culture is ONLY a Galra thing.

Like listen okay in like the second episode the whole ass team gets their clocks collectively cleaned by a training robot set to the same difficulty level an Altean child would be expected to win against and I hope to god I don’t have to remind anyone how often Allura just fucking yeets or hauls people around like they’re balloon animals or prompts Shiro, who has no right to be alarmed by anyone being an absolute beast, to make the ‘I am both frightened and aroused’ face by demolishing spaceship doors and shit with her bare hands.

Allura and Lance have a scene bonding over weapons culture.

Alfor got a magic interdimensional comet and the first thing he did was make superweapons, the second thing he did was make hand weapons.

While I’m at it, Alfor, a scientist, diplomat, and renowned dweeb, is known also for being a bomb-ass swordsman.  Like I know the other paladins make fun of him for charging in and overstepping, but I guy with a sword vs a whole ass room of dudes with guns, yeah, okay.  No one seemed actually worried there, just annoyed that he left them behind.

LITERALLY EVERY ALTEAN WE SEE is quick in a very fluid and natural way to a violent solution, even Perfect Cinnamon Roll Too Pure For This World Romelle: when called on, she engages pretty easily.  And the colony Alteans, while in hiding, were very ready to rally to war.

And not to put too fine a point of it, but Lotor got his genocidal hair-trigger flipouts from his mother, not his father. (Do not judge me based on your preconceptions of my race INDEED)

Alteans aren’t dainty and they aren’t without a combat and weapons culture.  It’s just a different one.  Not liking violence, not wanting to resort to violence, is not the same thing as not having the capacity for it or understanding of its formal fucking intricacies. If anything they have a more violent nature than Galra, are more physically and technologically powerful, more capable of more destruction in combat, and that is exactly why they both start training early and prefer not to engage in it needlessly.

[hailqiqi]

Skirting Katabasis

AO3 - Chapter One - Chapter Two

Chapter Three: She Forgot it Wasn’t Just About Her

Words: 2,913

Written for the @pidgebigbang!

Shout out to @ibupony for their glorious artwork (spoilers for a later chapter) and @sp4c3-0ddity for their diligent beta-ing (this chapter would have been very different without her).

This fic was not supposed to be this angsty, but I’m proud of how many headcanons I’ve managed to cram in.

Are the read mores working again yet?

“Forgive my interruption, Princess, but did you just say refugees?”

J'aothlians were officially Pidge's least favourite aliens. They ranked even lower than Galra, given that she actively liked more than a few of them.

“Yes, Kztaun, there is some refugee movement between planets in the Coalition,” Allura replied. Her disdain was loud and clear through the bond, but — impressively — there was no trace in her voice. Allura’s diplomatic skills were one of Voltron’s best assets.

Pidge, for her part, was only ever expected to play nice, but she really should be better at diplomacy. The Holts had been in the Garrison for six generations and ranked as Commander or higher for all of them.  Charity galas and harsh whispers of ‘Katerina, please don’t embarrass me this time’ were staples of her childhood.

She’d only escaped her junior débutante ball because half her family ‘died’ and it would be ‘too much stress’. Honestly, that was probably the only objectively good thing to come out of the Kerberos mission.

“You see, Princess, we don’t exactly have the room or resources for refugees, though we are of course happy to help in other ways…”

Pidge carefully kept her face neutral, biting back a snort. Her mother would have been proud.

J'aothl had plenty of room for refugees, and refugees would probably be lining up to come here. The city was built of white stone and had wide, clean streets and large squares filled with orderly-but-colourful stalls. A pristine white beach and a crystal-clear ocean bordered it on one side, with vast, mostly uninhabited savannas extending to snow-capped mountains on the other.

They could gift each refugee an acre of land and probably still never see them. Alas, J’aothl was in a heavily occupied quadrant of the Empire and inaccessible by anything other than teludav, a technology which the rest of the Coalition were sorely lacking.

“Actually, the refugee situation is mostly under control. We were hoping that you could help us make inroads into the more established areas of the Empire…”

The J’aothlian ministers — or Kztaun, as they called themselves — discreetly heaved a collective sigh of relief. Pidge felt a wave of anger wash over her. Two-faced, selfish snobs.

The planet had been a part of the Empire for millennia, and over the centuries evolved into a vacation destination for Galra subjects. It was nothing like the impoverished, oppressed planets Voltron usually visited. The only reason J’aothl was considering joining the Coalition at all was because tourist GAC had ground to a halt with all the upheaval. Even the commander in charge of the planet had been redeployed elsewhere, along with his entourage.

The Kztaun Major was obviously hoping that the Coalition could help to plug the gap.

Pidge tried to tune out the discussion as it turned towards intelligence, trade, and treaties. Natural beauty aside, J’aothl was apparently the most medically advanced planet in the universe and the original creators of Altean healing pod technology, which was the main reason Allura and Coran had jumped at the invitation despite the risky location. If they came on board Pidge would end up being briefed separately on the tech side of things, so it didn’t really matter if she paid that much attention now.

Plus, the last time she’d been in a room with people like this she’d gotten herself arrested for assault and banned from the Garrison Social Club. She didn’t quite trust herself to speak.

“...come here, the view across the water is absolutely delightful. After dinner, if you have time…”

Hunk glanced at Pidge nervously while she suppressed a twitch.

“Oh yeah, I’d love to!”

“I’m exceedingly glad to hear that our Justice Kztaun will be able to show you more of our beautiful planet. Now if we could…”

Pidge pushed her annoyance down and battled to tune out the conversation again. She was a Holt. She’d been brought up around people like this, and honestly? This lot had nothing on some of the Garrison wives.

It was probably because she was tired.

That had to be it. Pidge was really proud of the progress she'd been making on The Obol lately — the first half a foot or so was even recognisable as the bottom of the spaceship, a feat she didn't think was possible without Hunk — but progress came at a price, and for Pidge that price was collapsing into bed way past midnight after quick showers to get the grease off.

Facing the the universe's self-proclaimed greatest hosts and 'most evolved civilisation' on roughly two months of averaging four hours’ sleep a night would be difficult for anybody.

“I’m sure your Blue Paladin would make a fine escort.”

Pidge closed her eyes and blocked it out. It was just because she was tired.

Her bad mood had nothing to do with the Justice Kztaun being one of the most beautiful alien women Pidge had ever seen, nor the fact that she had been making eyes at Lance since the Castle had touched down.

Nor the fact that Lance was lapping it up.

Nausea swirled in her belly, and Pidge swallowed. It was ridiculous, but whatever. She wasn’t going to care.

The Kztaun kept batting her eyelashes at him, smiling, flipping her hair over her shoulder (even though it wasn’t even as long as Pidge’s had been!), and directing the conversation towards him for his 'valuable input'. Lance, for his part, was actually being charming — flirting subtly, paying her compliments at all the right times... Since when was he even able to do that?!

He'd barely even glanced at Pidge. Pidge, who'd been stupid enough to think that maybe they were on the verge of something. That maybe he actually liked her back. That liking Lance might not be such a bad thing after all, that maybe, maybe --

Hunk’s warm hand closed around her lower arm gently, cutting that train of thought off before it could show on her face. Pidge wished she could slip her hand into his, squeeze it until she could feel the steady comfort radiating through his warm skin, but that wouldn’t exactly look professional.

Instead, she took a deep breath as quietly as she could and focused on counting the flowers in the vase. Had she seen flowers resembling these at one of those horrible galas before? Maybe if she could place a memory she could remember some snarky comment about how ‘legacy women don’t pilot’ and get angry again.

Anger looked good on a soldier. Bursting into tears at the negotiating table? Not so much.

At least she was meeting Keith later. Apparently the chair and a few smaller pieces had been sold to a collector on the outskirts of the city, so she was meeting him after the dinner tonight. All she had to do was try to ignore stupid Lance and his stupid flirting (with everyone but her, he’d never flirted like that with her) and the concerned gazes that everyone else kept shooting her way...and somehow keep ignoring them all the way through dinner. Oh, and she had to definitely not stage a repeat of the Holt Fundraising Dinner in the process.

Then she would be free to sneak around the city with Keith who, at the very least, wouldn’t judge her if she needed to hit something.

Just six more vargas to go.

 #

 Madonna, how did she get into these situations? Here she was in space, millions of light-years away from any known allergens, and yet her eyes were sore, itchy, and watering, her nose was completely blocked, and her chest felt tight.

She glanced at Keith next to her on the sofa, completely unaffected as he sipped his tea, and for a fleeting moment she understood Lance’s jealousy.

Another round of sneezing racked her body with the force of an ion cannon. M'tchkiera tsk'd sympathetically. "I really can't understand how that can be common for your species," she said as she passed Pidge another tissue. "Anyway, as I was saying... Litchvr then had to travel to the Pyralliul Quadrant, which as you know is terribly far from here..."

Just to spite her -- because that seemed to be what the universe was up to today -- another one of those stupid ngl'achra-whatevers (why was every name on this stupid planet impossible to pronounce?! Cats. They were space cats. Done.) climbed over her shoulder from the back of the sofa and jumped onto her lap. She hurriedly pushed the space cat off as gently as possible, but the quiznaking furball still managed to leave a cloud of pastel pink and blue fur in its wake.

And off she went with another round of sneezing.

"Here, dear, have some more tea." A cup of steaming neon pink tea appeared under Pidge's nose when her vision finally cleared. She accepted it gratefully, and, without missing a beat, M'tchkiera (who insisted on being called Mad'ynko for short, because that apparently made complete, logical sense on J’aothl) continued on with her story. "At that point in time his mother had taken up with a woman from the Y'cht'kry District near the Gyrzcha Savanna -- I know you're likely busy with paladin and other duties but if you do get a chance to explore the city, don't waste any time there, it's dreadfully boring..."

Pidge had no idea what the conversation was even about anymore, so she tuned it out and hoped she was humming at the appropriate times. Mad'ynko — the first collector Keith had identified as having parts of The Obol — was an elderly J'aothlian lady who seemingly had a great deal of money and very little to spend it on. She had greeted them kindly, ushered them inside, listened to why they had come, and immediately offered them tea. Honestly, she was the first J'aothlian that Pidge actually sort of liked.

Only sort of, though. So far she had told them the life stories of what seemed like every single person in the district --  along with those of their cousins, childhood best friends, and random farmers’ market buddies — but whenever Keith steered the conversation back to The Obol, she would look at one of her bazillion space cats and say, 'But they would be so sad without their favourite chair!'

Two of said space cats were watching her from the familiar orange chair right now, their fluffy tails swishing slowly as they sprawled out on the seat, mocking her with their eyes.

Pidge refrained from sticking her tongue out and took another sip of tea. The pinnacle of human engineering, and it had been reduced to a cat tree.

She was going to need something stronger than tea.

"So then Harold, Zgniecs bless his soul—" Pidge blinked. Harold? "—was awarded the Medal of Highest Healing, but of course, as his widow, I submitted it to the Museum after his passing, and, as luck would have it, it ended up on the pyre—"

"I'm sorry for your loss," Pidge murmured automatically, feeling completely thrown for a loop. Everything on this stupid planet was completely unpronounceable, yet this woman's husband had been called Harold?

(It was probably short for Glyg'tch'kinzkaria.)

"Oh, Harold?" Mad'ynko waved a hand dismissively. "No need, my dear, no need. I'm well shot of him. Remaining dutiful while the poison worked was troublesome, of course, but—"

Both Pidge and Keith choked on their tea in unison.

Keith recovered first. "Uh," he began, banging his fist against his sternum. "You poisoned your husband?"

Mad'ynko looked at him coolly over the rim of the delicate silver teacup. "Why, yes, dear, of course. He was a philanderer." She took a sip, then smiled at Pidge. "It was by far the best decision I ever made. I've still got some left; shall I give you a vial together with the spaceship parts in case your black-haired beau here decides to stray?"

Pidge spluttered, making herself sneeze again in the process. "We're not together! We're just friends!"

"Oh?"

One perfectly groomed eyebrow was arched high as she looked between the two.

"We're...not like that," Keith confirmed, gripping his tea tightly. "Pidge is more like...like a little sister, than anything."

"Aw, Keith!" Pidge smiled and ducked her head cutely, batting her eyelashes at him, though the effect was probably muted somewhat by the giant clump of snot she could feel dangling from her nose.

Keith rolled his eyes and handed her another tissue, but that was definitely a blush on his cheeks, the sight of which warmed her heart.

Mad'ynko studied them curiously, one pale hand gently stroking the pastel purple space cat in her lap. She waited until the tissue had joined the growing pile of them in the trash can by Pidge’s feet before continuing the conversation.

"Why not? Are you already married to another?” Mad'ynko smiled indulgently, and Pidge was irresistibly reminded of summer nights spent being subjected to her Nonna’s good-natured — but nosey — neighbours. “Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but I find it difficult to believe that one as beautiful and accomplished as yourself should be single!"

Yep, Mad'ynko would fit right in with the donna. (Had she mentioned having a son who was single yet…?)

Keith laughed. "She has a boyfriend."

"No, I quiznaking don't," Pidge cut in, mood immediately souring. She took a deep breath and relaxed her grip on the delicate cup before continuing, ignoring the curious look Keith shot her. "I don't have time for a boyfriend, anyway."

"Much better that way, I fear," Mad'ynko answered primly. "Men simply can't help themselves. It's better to be alone than to allow someone to make you feel second-best."

"Tell me about it," Pidge muttered bitterly, downing the rest of her tea in one gulp. Apparently Lance really couldn't help himself. It was like he saw a pretty face and his brain just switched off.

Stupid, stupid, stupid—

Mad'ynko leaned forward to pat Pidge on the arm, nudging the purple space cat off her lap in the process. "Don't you worry, my dear. I'll make sure to add a vial or two to the package."

Pidge stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Maybe Mad'ynko would be the first J'aothlian she liked, after all.

 #

 “Hand it over.”

Pidge wiped the sweat off her brow and blinked. “Hand what over?”

“The poison she gave you,” Keith said with a roll of his eyes. “Hand it over.”

“I’m not gonna use it.” She glared at him when Keith shot her a look over his water packet.

They were standing in the Great Puzzling Hangar at about two in the morning, having just finished cleaning and installing all three chairs onto the now-completed floor (having an extra pair of hands really helped with the heavy lifting).

They’d gotten the chair back to the castle via a hair-raising ride across the city in the cab of one of Mad'ynko’s neighbour’s sons’ hover-vans. For all its ‘great civilisation’, J’aothl apparently had very little in the way of road rules.

(Keith was going to return to Mad'ynko’s with an Altean blanket-cloud for the space cats tomorrow. He had been offered a lift, but Pidge suspected he was going to walk.)

Aside from the chair, Mad'ynko had also purchased a small box of odds-and-ends which now needed to be categorised properly. None of them were the missing thruster engine piece (from what Pidge could see), but one piece definitely looked like a bit of the flight stick…

“Pidge.”

She sighed. “Keith, I am not going to poison Lance. Relax already.”

“I’d rather you didn’t have temptation to hand,” he said evenly, plopping himself on the ground in front of her box.

Pidge steadfastly ignored his gaze and continued sorting through the contents.

“Pidge…”

“Ugh, fine!” She pulled the two little vials from her pocket and threw them at him.

The jerk caught them with ease — how were his reflexes so good? Was it a Galra thing? — and she ducked her head, focusing on the box so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I don’t have any reason to use them on Lance anyway. It’s not like we were dating.”

“You weren’t? I thought you were spending all your free time together.” Keith’s tone was genuinely surprised.

The words stabbed her straight through the heart, and she tried to hide a wince. She shrugged miserably, knuckles tightening around a titanium exhaust of some sort; apparently she wasn’t the only one who’d been reading things wrong.

“Yeah, well, I guess that meant something different to Lance.”

Keith didn’t reply, and she willed herself to focus on the pieces. For the next few moments they sat in silence, the only noise the slurping of Keith’s straw and the clinking of metal on metal as Pidge grouped like components together.

Keith’s water packet had long been empty by the time he finally spoke.

“Pidge, I...I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

Sudden, burning tears pricked at her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. “Look… I knew Lance was like that from the start. We all did. I guess… Oh, quiznak, Keith, I don’t know.” Pidge ran her hands through her hair and gazed at the ceiling of the hangar. “Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”

“Sure.” Keith tossed his empty water packet towards the door and got to his feet. “What were you planning on working on next? Is there anything else you want me to move while I’m here?”

–> Chapter Four: She Forgot to Step Outside Her Head

Fun fact: the space cats have glowing red eyes like the fluffy demons they are.

Also fun fact: Everybody on the team pronounces J’aothlian words differently. None of them are right.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Bop2

The trip to Olkarion had exhausted him. Lance wasn't just physically injured and suffering, but mentally unstable. He'd learnt that the hard way when he'd woken up to Lance screaming. Yorak's jaws were wrapped around his friend's wrists as his wolf tried to disarm Lance, the blade in Lance's hands mere millimetres from Keith's throat. The worst bit though, was that Lance didn't even seem to be "awake", or aware of the fact he'd tried to slit Keith's throat. After taking the blade from him, Yorak released his hold and Lance collapsed back against the blankets. After that came the nightmares, stemming from the lack of sedative induced dreamless sleep. Lance would scream for vargas in his sleep, not waking or stirring, no matter what Keith tried. Lance would simply go limp, and unresponsive, a few doboshes later his wheezes become rhythmic as he fell back into a peaceful cycle that would only last one or two vargas... if Keith was lucky. Lance's body might be healing, but he feared that when Lance woke, he wasn't going to be the same person he'd known. Pidge was still making jokes as Black had placed Red down carefully. Teasing him that there was no way Lance could possibly be as bad as he'd described. She was the first person he wanted to see Lance like this. He wanted to get under her skin and knock her down a few pegs, but once again his protective instincts had surged. He couldn't bare to have anyone else touching Lance, so had carried the unconscious Paladin straight to the Coalition hospital alone. Lance then rushed from his sight as Keith internally melted down. Disgusted by his own weakness, he'd taken off. Not once had Lance been coherent or awake enough to even talk to him, nor had Keith managed to bring his fever back under control. Everything he'd done had barely been enough and it hurt on a whole other level, that he didn't understand. Keith was back in Black when his mother found him, angrily scrubbing the cargo bay floor clean of Lance's blood and vomit. That had been another thing. The vomit. It's purpleness was just... gross, and each time Lance had weakly vomited, it'd been accompanied by the sound of some kind of internal crunching. His mother had thought him to access and accept his Galra senses, and now he heard too much. Rinsing the cloth he was using, he dropped it back into the bucket, sitting back on his heels as his mother walked into the cargo bay, squatting down beside him "Keith?" "It's fine mum" "It's not fine. Your friend is seriously ill" "Yep. He spent a phoeb suffering because I didn't reach him in time" "Keith, it wasn't your fault" "Really? I come back to lead Voltron and this is what happens..." "Sendak is to blame. As are the other Paladins" Guiding him to sit properly, his mother placed her hands on his shoulders "So you've noticed?" "How they aren't quite what you described?" "Things never used to be like this. You saw my memories. You saw how things were" "I did. And I've seen that Lance has been hurting for quite some time" "What's that supposed to mean?" "Even before you left, things had already begun to change. Shiro, no, Kuron was already blaming Lance. The others followed his lead and dismissed him. You were all to close to see what was happening, and it has lead to a fracturing of the team" "Sometimes the closer you are, the less you see" "Exactly. You're all so young, with such a big burden on your shoulders. You're all still trying to find your place in the world, and understand who you really are. You've grown and changed in your time apart from them. You've found a new maturity that the others are just starting to come into" "That's probably why I'm struggling to handle Pidge. Her constant dismissal of Lance... it isn't fair on him. He doesn't deserve the way he's been treated" "You have feelings for him?" "What? No. Not like that" "He was a good friend to you..." "And that's just it. A friend. Nothing more... but mum, something's happened. I noticed a really sweet smell coming from him, and since then, well... I've had this stupid desire to protect him. Like really protect him. I didn't even want the team to get too close to him. I didn't feel that way before he disappeared, not until I touched him" "Is it possible you were exposed to something?" "I don't know. Lance was vomiting and burning a fever, so while I may have been, I have no idea what is" "I was thinking more along the lines of a love bug" Keith sighed. He'd been trying to have a serious conversation "It sounds to me like you have feelings for him" "I don't have feelings for Lance! That's what I'm trying to tell you..." "Keith, its alright if you do. I saw how close you two became, and I know he was excited over you return" "He barely said two words to me" "Because you didn't let him. The situation with Lotor was too urgent, then there was also the issue with Shiro and you're still grieving over the loss of the friend you knew. There was also the attack by Sendak's forces, and delay in returning to Earth. You've been under tremendous stress" "Maybe. It's just... I was supposed to protect them. You know. I lost Shiro, and I don't want to lose Lance" "Are you certain there was never a moment you entertained the thought of Lance as more than a friend? You did take years to truly be able to figure out what you felt for Shiro" "Are you saying I'm stupid?" "No. Just oblivious. Lance is a good boy, who cares deeply for you" "So you really think I have a thing for Lance?" "At the very least, know that he does have feelings for you. Romantic ones, before you start to argue" "I... what... no he doesn't. He liked Allura" "Keith, you can like more than one person at once. Feelings are a complicated thing" "I just don't think what I'm feeling right now is something natural..." "Galra males can't be very protective and possessive of their partners" His mother's singsong tone had Keith grinding his teeth together. He knew his feelings weren't exactly normal. As in. He didn't always feel what everyone else did over things, but this... this was different. A scary different. Like he had no control over it... and that scent... even cleaning up Black, it wouldn't leave his nose. No. Something was definitely wrong her "If you're that concerned, we can have you checked" "What are the others going to say?" "Just say Lance was vomiting and feverish, and you're getting tested as precaution" "I suppose..." At least he'd have answers "Good. We can leave this for later. Coran hasn't had anything to do of late" "I am capable of cleaning my own lion" "And so is he. It will make him feel better, provided you aren't contagious" * With blood samples taken Keith was now standing by Lance's bedside, as he attempted to look anywhere else but at his friend. The only noise in the room was the soft hiss coming from the release valve on the breathing tube running down Lance's throat, each time Lance released a "breath". His colour was still horrible, around his eyes a deep black-blue and his lips cracked. Hunk had taken one look at Lance and burst into tears, despite having snobbed him just as badly as Pidge had of late. Standing next to him, Keith could hear Shiro mentally blaming himself for this happening, while Allura, Romelle and Coran had lead the crying and shaking form of Hunk from the room, so they were all outside with Pidge. With a lack of answers and knowledge over what was happening, his mother had taken it upon herself to find out "Keith, he's going to be ok" Keith jumped at Shiro's soft voice, too busy feeling guilty for not being able to look at Lance "We don't know that" "Once we understand what we are dealing with, we'll be able to place him into the healing pod" "The pod can't hold charge, and we don't have the same levels of power available to us, like we did with the castle. I know you've already come to the same conclusion as I did" "We could be in for a long stay" "Exactly. He was the who was most looking forward to returning to Earth, and now we may never... without him, we can't even form Voltron. Has Pidge taken a look yet?" "No. She and Hunk were... actually, I'm not completely sure what they were doing" "Can you ask them to make that their top priority. We need to know if this is to do with Lance's health, or if something was dislodged in Red" "What are you going to do?" "As leader of Voltron, Lance's health falls under my responsibility. I'm going to talk with his doctor about his condition. Once we know what he needs, it'll be easier to get him back onto his feet, and make plans for either returning home, or beefing up things here on Olkarion" "Alright. I'll inform the others" "Thanks, Shiro" He didn't want to be alone with Lance. He wanted to reach out and take his friends hand, but his mother's words about "feelings" came to mind. He didn't know what to make of Lance's feelings. Lance flirted with everyone. Age, race and gender didn't really seem to matter, which was why Keith was shocked to find Lance had actually had real feelings for Allura. There was no way she could possible be right. Lance had never had those kinds of feelings for him before, and he didn't have feelings for Lance. The others had left by the time his mother returned, the doctor behind her looked slightly scared as he inched his way around the room and to the opposite side of Lance's bed. Checking the breathing tube was still in place, and Lance's vitals, the man logged them in his tablet before looking up at him "You'll be handling Lance's medical decisions?" "Yes" The man signed "He's in bad shape" Keith resisted the urge to punch him. When he could tell that Lance was in a bad way "Maybe you should just tell us what's wrong?" "Let's start from the feet. Dislocated left knee, with a closed fracture in left leg... oh so, he has a displaced fracture half was down his fibula which has healed on the wrong angle. It is the same with fracture in his right radius. His ribs... well, there's more of those broke than not, also healing wrong, once those are corrected, he will be able to breathe properly, the swelling and positioning means that currently he is unable to take a proper breath. He also has fluid in his lungs, but was lucky as the were not perforated due to the breaks. He fighting a viral infection, as well fighting a fever of unknown origin. We do not know how it was introduced into his system, but it is changing him on a basic level" Basic level... that had to mean at his base... sooo "His DNA is changing?" "Indeed. But without previous data, it is hard to make comparisons, but it does seem to be the direct cause of his scent, and fever" "Coran should have a copy of that" "Excellent. Now. In the crash, he also sustained trauma to base of his skull, and..." The man hummed, before pointing just above Lance's left ear and continuing, obvious he thought he had to dumb it down when it came to the brain... because he couldn't have softened the blow earlier... "... With all head injuries, we can never truly know what the outcome will be until he wakes. There was some bruising to his internal organs, but that is healing. All in all, it's amazing he survived this long" Of course Lance had survived. He was a survivor. His mother took over, given he'd actually growled. He'd never growled at anyone in his life like that... and now he didn't know what to do or say... because he had no idea why he'd growled in first place "What are the treatment options?" "With the pod, I am confident he will make a complete recovery" "We can't use the pod. If we use the pod, the breaks will heal the way they are now" The man clicked his tongue "He will need surgery. We will need to correct the breaks, and damage. Though we will need to treat his fever before we can perform the procedure. If we were to operate now, he would die on the table" Keith growled again, this time his mother grabbed his arm "Whatever has infected Lance, has possibly infected Keith..." "Ah. Yes. Keith, you are responding to the scent coming from Lance. It is activating the more beastial parts of your Galra genetics. Your symptoms will also pass once Lance's fever and scent does. Until then, I recommend wearing a mask, or avoiding Lance altogether. As I said. We do not know what's caused this, as no one else has been affected the same way from his scent, we believe he past the stage of being contagious" "So I have this thing... doesn't that mean I could be a carrier?" "No. You're purely reacting to his scent. As I said. Anything that may have been in your blood has passed. The damage that virus may have been doing to you has now passed, if you were even infected at all" "Mum, are you feeling anything? You're Galra, if it's the scent, then you should be feeling protective of him" His mother shook her head "Not to the same degree you are. What I'm feeling is concern as he means so much to you" "Not like that" He did not want anyone getting the wrong idea, that his mother seemed to be so happy to announce to the world "Keith, you're growling. You're possessive of him as he was your partner, and your own scent is angered by just looking at him" "Because of his scent. I'm not doing this. If I can't be here, I'll have to ask Shiro to step in" "Not Shiro" "What do mean "not Shiro"? I thought you liked Shiro" "I do. I know he heavily regrets his actions, but Lance is ill and in pain, his mind possibly damaged. Shiro caused him pain... the mind makes leaps on its own" He didn't want to admit his mother was right, nor did he want to admit that he was secretly pleased. It was this stupid scent. That was it "In that case, Allura, Pidge and Hunk are out. Allura didn't return Lance's feelings, while Pidge and Hunk haven't been talking to him..." "Coran? He cares a great deal about Lance" "No, Coran needs to keep busy. He's like Lance. He needs to be doing something or he starts to over think things" "That leaves Romelle?" "Romelle doesn't understand what Lance is like. Besides, Lance would complain if we let a cute girl see him like this" "Oooh, so you think Romelle is cute?" "Really, that's what you're going to focus on?" "You've never called anyone cute. Even during our two years" "Lance would call Romelle cute" Keith wasn't getting into a whole other conversation about his sexuality. He'd had wet dreams and jerked off while thinking about both men and women, he didn't seem to really prefer one sex, instead more attracted to the person inside the body. He didn't know what he was, but he was fine with himself and that was the main thing... though Lance... would Lance feel the same? If they talked about these feelings, would Lance open up to him? They were kind of the same... which meant Lance had nothing to be ashamed of... unless he really did have feelings for him. Krolia patted his shoulder "I will watch him" "No... I should. If you're right about his mental state, he'll need a friendly face" "Are you saying I'm not friendly?" "No, but you are Galra and he doesn't know you, not really. Besides, I think he would class you in the "cute girl category"" "He's a sweet boy" "If you're staying, we should find you a mask" "I'll stay in the hall" "Keith, from what I've seen of Lance, he would be happier if someone was to hold his hand" "Lance is currently in a medically induced coma. Whether someone is here or not, he wouldn't know. If you would like, we can notify you once their is a change in his condition, and you can return to your team" "No. This is Voltron, we don't leave people behind, and Lance spent long enough on his own as it is" Great. He'd ruined his own argument and now he would be staying beside Lance, despite the fact he really shouldn't. Moving a chair to beside Lance's bed, Keith sank down with a weary sigh. They couldn't treat the fever without knowing what had caused it... they couldn't do anything but Lance sleep. His crushed ribs would be the first surgery... and then what? They slowly put Lance back together? Lance had to have been in agony... yet he'd somehow made a fire, and also drawn something or other on the "cave" walls... he'd tried to keep himself alive, but did give up on being rescued? Was that why he was unconscious, feeling that they'd abandoned him? It roused that protective instinct, and he reached for Lance's hand, carefully taking into his own. Even with a raging fever, Lance's fingers were as cold as ice, and so much thinner than they should be... how had he possibly survived like this? * Finding himself falling asleep by Lance's side, Keith wiped the small amount of drool pooling in his palm away, before growling. He was beyond frustrated. The others didn't know what to say to Lance once he woke, so they'd taken the out, of training the Olkarion in the ways of Lion tech. Red had been a stupidly easy fix, a loose connector... that funnily enough only the mice were small enough to actually reach. Lance hadn't stood a chance. No matter what he would have tried, he wouldn't have been able to reconnect the wires. It was almost laughable, with everything else going on. Lance's body was still producing the same sweet smell, but all they could do it leave the infection to finish doing it its thing, because Lance was evolving, or rather, forming a womb of all things. Something that should never have been possible under normal circumstances, but apparently it was an actual thing and he... he was screwed. After analysing the data, and bringing his mother in to consult on the findings, his mother had oh so casually dropped the bombshell that Haggar had experimented with such things. The goal of which was to make the ultimate loyal soldier, one that would do anything for their emperor and never give into their own desires of power. Only Lance wasn't Galra. His body responding completely differently than expected, and now this was happening. Even worse, the way his mother had explained it, Lance had imprinted on him. The herb had worked to make Lance more appealing for the person he held dearest... to please them and there was no mistaking the fact Lance had feelings for him now. No wonder it hadn't worked for Zarkon or Haggar. It hadn't created incredibly loyal soldiers, but it probably had increased the Galra population by a few thousand... because they totally needed the numbers. Because the experiment hadn't worked out, the quadrant of space had been stripped of its remaining resources before decimated, yet, somehow Lance had managed to get his hands on a some of that herb, and now this was happening. Keith had been waiting to wake up from all of this for the last two quintants, but apparently he was already awake and this wasn't some kind of wacky dream. Lance liked him. Lance wanted to be more appealing for him. Lance's body was changing to suit him. He didn't want any of this. Lance was fine the way he was. Annoying. Loud. Having no concept of personal space and flirting with anything that moves. That was Lance... not... not this. Surely they deserved a break. Some kind of holiday to reward their hard work? Some kind of holiday where he could avoid Lance until this whole thing blew over, because since when did Lance decide it was ok to have feelings for him? And why hadn't Lance's fever broken? Nope. He couldn't do this... he couldn't keep staring at Lance, when this was all his fault. He'd have to ask his mother to take over. He'd take a hot shower, get some proper sleep, a real meal, and come back when Lance was actually awake and able to tell him properly that this was all some giant misunderstanding... all of which he'd do once his hands actually listened to him and released Lance's. Which it totally wasn't doing right now.

[dent-de-leon]

oh god seeing that stability transcript i cant believe some people still force their black paladin l4nce idea ahskdjskf glad that they dont even entertain that question. also "from last year" let it sleep my pal (sorry to vent your way ahskdj)

I mean, we’re all going to interpret characters differently, so of course we won’t always agree. And wow, I wish I got to ask questions at two different Voltron panels!! They’re living the dream. 

But yeah, personally I never understood this thing with black paladin Lance and never saw it as something that was ever implied in canon. If anything, we’re shown just how bad a leader Lance would be in season 3. I feel like it’s often glossed over or forgotten, but Lance was incredibly insensitive and selfish. Lance’s entire reason for wanting to lead is merely for the sake of his own glory. 

And the look on Keith’s face when Lance instigates him to the breaking point is absolutely heart-wrenching. He lashes out in another grief-stricken outburst, and the effect is immediate. The whole room falls silent as Keith panics at how much he’s revealed and quickly closes off again. Keith was mourning, grieving the loss of the one person who never gave up on him. He cared about Shiro more than anyone else in the universe. It’s clear he’s struggling to cope even all these months later, withdrawn and temperamental and always on edge. He’s traumatized, but Lance still has the audacity to disregard Shiro’s last and will and testament for the sake of his own damn ego.

But even after Lance sees how much he’s hurt Keith, even after he clearly looks concerned–he just doesn’t stop. For the sake of salvaging his own pride and nothing else, he continues to flagrantly spit on what Shiro wanted and just how much his will meant to Keith. And for what? Just to one-up Keith in some imagined game where no one else is keeping score? Sure. Tear on the guy in mourning when he’s just lost the only long-term support he’s ever had in his life and accuse him of being a lying glory hog. That’ll help. 

When he’s trying to pilot Black, Lance spends more time waiting in the seat than anyone else. While Keith is saying things like “I know this is what you wanted for me Shiro. But I’m not you. I can’t lead them like you,” and begging “please, no”–Lance is sitting there telling himself “This is your moment.” See the difference? Keith was concerned about the overall wellbeing of the team and wanted to do right by Shiro. Lauren straight up said the Black lion saw in Keith what Shiro did, and it was through their bond that she was able to sense Keith’s intentions and merit. Meanwhile, all Lance wanted was to be in charge because he felt like he deserved the glory and attention. I fail to see how he’s mature enough to be the leader over Keith when his entire drive for the job was flimsy and steeped in his own ego and taste for glory. 

But hey! You know what? That’s okay! Not everyone is meant to be the black paladin. And I think people have really lost sight of what that means–being Black’s pilot doesn’t mean you’re the “best” and it’s just a popularity contest to put your fav on type. The whole point of the lions combining is that everyone has their own strengths and they’re equal parts of a whole. And hey, they’re all still learning! It’s okay if Lance didn’t really have a grasp of what leading meant yet. Yeah, he’s eager to prove himself–something we see in Allura as well. And given the Blue lion’s nature as this “mothering” lion who fosters growth in aspiring pilots, it’s easy to see why she chose Lance and Allura. But then Lance also really grows up here and understands that Voltron is about being a team and not being on top. He respects Black enough to accept her decision and encourages Keith to take up the position instead of tearing him down. And just comparing how he acted at the beginning of the episode, that shows he’s grown a lot. I’m proud of him. 

So when fandom reinforces this idea that somehow Lance is the true black paladin and Keith is apparently incompetent, it’s always bothered me. I feel for one thing it shows people don’t really care about Keith. And for another, I think it’s people misinterpreting Lance and undermining his character development as well. If his strength in character was to acknowledge when to “put his own need for glory aside” and support what’s best for the team–then why take that development away from him?