#although they are getting more weapon updates so voltron is getting better

[hood-ex]

My fav thing about the Voltron lion is that it's supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe, but Shiro will be like, "Form Voltron!" and then Voltron starts getting it's ass kicked six ways to Sunday, so all the paladins have to disengage and fight separately.

[im-lance-your-fighter-pilot]

Another update on an earlier post

Also spoilers for Voltron Season 8, because I know not everyone will be finished by now

I’ve realised, after having a few days to process Season 8, that half the stuff I said I dislike, I either don’t actually dislike or I really do like..

I realised I was just being a little bitch and over reacting about the stuff I was surprised about that I didn’t want to happen in that exact moment

Lance with the Altean markings for instance. He’s actually so adorable with them and I’ve realised that having them doesn’t change him in anyway, they’re there because Allura gave him them, to remind him, and everyone else, that she will always be with them. That no matter what happens, she will always be watching over them, protecting them, cheering them on and being happy for them.

Another example, Lance becoming a farmer. Even if he said that he always wanted to become a fighter pilot, he chose to be a farmer and surround himself with the things he loves. He chose this because he had his time as a fighter pilot, four years of protecting the entire universe, never having a break that lasted more then a few days. Over that four years, he could have come to the relaisation that everything could change in a second. He could have realised that within a second, everything he loves could be taken from him. If he did realise this, it would made him want to surround himself with the things he loved for as long as he could, because the one thing he loved the most in the whole universe, was taken away from him because of someone else’s actions. That was Allura.

That brings me to my next point, Allurance. I love Allurance so, so much. Although I do think it was a bit rushed because it was as if Allura went from not liking him romantically at all, to actually going on a date with him within a second. Anyway, I do admit I wasn’t lying when I said I was kinda yelling at my screen telling Lance to get back to his one and only lover. My best friend can confirm, but that’s only because I do ship Klance more then all the other ships. I was very unhappy at first with Allurance because I desperately wanted Klance to happen, but I accepted that if it was Allura Lance was happy with, then I can suck it up and love Allurance.

Allura’s whole saving the universe scene (I really don’t wanna call it her death scene), I cried, I cried so much because she deserved so much better then that. Even thought I think that, the only part of that scene I would change is that fact she didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to Coran. The one she’s known her whole life, the one she had the closest and strongest bond with, her space uncle and they didn’t even get a proper goodbye. That fact just crushes my soul into pieces every single time I think about it.

Ok, the ending, I said I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but, again, having had time to process it, I’ve come to realise that I wouldn’t have had Voltron end any other way. Them seeing off their lions when their lions know that the universe is safe for now, it was one of the most beautiful moments in the whole series. And Allura shape in the sky and stars, it just backs up my point about her always watching over them.

Also about feeling let down because the trailer made it seem so much better then it was, I’m going to say it again, I was just being a little bitch and over reacting about that. I realised, even if I do think they did rush it the smallest bit, the cast and crew and just humans too. They can preform miracles when it comes to making a TV series. But I will also say that, I personally think, that if they stretched all Season 8s content into two seasons instead of cramming into one, the majority of the fandom wouldn’t have hated it so much. I won’t deny that a lot of the people hate it because Klance wasn’t a thing, or because Allurance crashed and burned, or even because Shiro married someone that wasn’t Adam, which I personally loved that he did get his happy ending, even if the writers only did that to say sorry for Adams death (I’m not sure how to feel about that topic, but a lot of people seem to be angry at Shiro getting married because of this), but even if one of the seasons had 13 episodes and one had 5 or something, I think the fandom would have liked it better.

But out of all the things I did say I didn’t like, I will stand by my opinion of Voltron and the Atlas combining. I really didn’t like it, because, as I said, I feel as if it just taints the whole Voltron image and legacy of Voltron being the most powerful weapon in the universe.

And I will stand by all the things I said I liked/loved about the Season, and my opinion on this Season changed a lot after a processed it because I wasn’t in an emotionally stable place then. But even now I wanna cry just thinking about the season.

Also I don’t want this to seem like an apology for saying those things, because like I said, I wasn’t in an emotionally stable place when I wrote the other post because I was upset about some parts of the season, happy about other parts, and angry at myself for expecting so much from the writers because of the trailer, and trailers aren’t always to be trusted I guess.

Oof this turned into something lot bigger then I expected.

And yea, I did realised this post seemed to be mostly based around Lance at first.

[klimpaloon-loves-superwholock]

I know this is a bit late, and I don’t usually make original posts, but I want to gather my thoughts on VLD s7, even though I literally never participate in fandom discourse lol. So I guess we’ll see how this goes. 

There were great parts of this season. Let’s start with that. 

First of all, Hunk was incredible and I’m so glad he finally got an arc where he could shine, even if I feel like it was long overdue. Seriously, I feel like Hunk was the best part of this season and I cannot state enough how much effect he had on my overall impression of the season. He basically carried the season singlehandedly and I don’t understand why searching through the tag rn I can hardly find any appreciation for him this season. (yeah jk I know why ha)

Everything they did with the Paladins’ families (from Hunk’s arc about rescuing his parents to Lance reuniting with his family and his relationship with Veronica to freaking Colleen!!!! just straight up stealing the show for two episodes!!! What an icon I love her so much!) was absolutely perfect. (I will say I’ve seen speculation that Hunk’s sister and her kids died since they weren’t there in his hospital room, which I desperately hope is not the case since that really should have been mentioned.) 

I also loved seeing Shiro take charge and become Captain of the Atlas without even seeming to realize that he was the man for the job. 

Sendak was a formidable and interesting villain who raised the stakes, which made it more satisfying when they defeated him. 

I enjoyed getting to know Romelle more and see her in action.

Coran and the mice’s team up to break out the rest of the gang was very good and funny.

KOSMO!!!!!!! A GOOD PUPPY!!!!!! HE HAS A NAME!! I LOVE HIM SO!!!

I enjoyed seeing Lotor’s ex-generals again (because I love them), although I do have some issues which I’ll get to later.

The new characters they introduced, mainly Rizavi, Leifsdottir, Kinkade, Veronica, and Griffin were all great and I loved them! They did a great job of making me care about these new people. (And Kinkade is drawn so pretty what the heck y’all sleepin on this beautiful dude)

Seriously Colleen was so great I cannot stress this enough. I’ve been feeling for this poor woman who thought that she’d lost her whole family since season 1 so I’m so glad to finally see her in action, fighting for her family and her planet.

They did a good job of setting up Admiral Sanda’s inevitable betrayal, even if it was a really stupid thing for her to do.

Ep 5 was great; I was super excited to see what the Druids looked like under their masks, Macidus and Keith’s teleporting fight was awesome, and it’s always great to see Allura’s magic develop more, even when I wish it wasn’t so unclear how/what she’s doing.

Lots of the fights were so cool, from the Voltron team taking down the Galra drones in the cave system in Ep 2 to all the MFE fights to Shiro’s rematch against Sendak to even Voltron’s fight against the Robeast. These fights, I’ve noticed, are always especially cool when they unlock a new ability like Hunk’s turrets and Voltron’s double swords. Also I forgot how strong Alteans are until Romelle just straight up ripped apart a drone.

As much as I overall didn’t like The Feud as an episode, it did have some great moments with Pidge taking down Bob, Allura and Hunk being cute in the background, and the team being overall really supportive and loving of each other. 

Shay came to visit Hunk!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, I also have a lot of problems with this season. Ones that, for me, are too serious to ignore. But let’s start with my more minor grievances, then work our way up to the big ones, shall we?

I don’t like Shiro’s new arm. It reminds me too much of Sendak’s and is too bulky/strange looking for for my taste. And for some reason my eyes have a hard time finding it? Like they’re drawn to the light emanating from his shoulder and not the forearm/hand. Idk, but I’m not a fan.

I wish Griffin had apologized to Keith for being such a jerk about his parents. I kept waiting for it since they had all these long glances with each other. I came to like him despite the bad initial impression only because he proved to be a good leader who valued every member of his team and knew when to step aside because someone else was better at a job. But I still kinda needed resolution for his rudeness, especially since he’s obviously grown since then and should want to make amends. 

Admiral Sanda’s just so freaking stupid????? Like, how did she get that high in ranking when she consistently makes such bad decisions???? Clearly the dictator who’s controlling earth who comes from a war-mongering culture that enslaves and destroys planets isn’t just gonna let y’all go once he gets Voltron. He’s either gonna continue using you as slaves because nothing’s stopping him or destroy you because you’re no longer useful. Listen to people who know the Galra better than you!!

I saw somewhere that Matt has a girlfriend now???? When did this happen????

They somehow got the ENTIRE BALMERA to Earth?!!!????!!?!?!?!? How did they build a teleduv big enough to do that!?!

Also, where did they get a teleduv? Did the Atlas have one? Or was that something that they built during the epilogue montage??

How did Keith summon his bayard telepathically?? Was that a Galra thing or a new Paladin ability?

How did Shiro manage to survive falling from space to earth on the outside of a ship while fighting Sendak?? I mean I’m really glad he lived, but??? How??

I don’t think we needed so much time dedicated to Sam Holt updating the Garrison and then the rest of earth on what happened in space. I kinda appreciated it since it’s been a long time since I watched the early seasons, but at the same time he didn’t tell them anything that was new information to us as viewers. The only things we gained from those scenes were how others reacted to this info. (And we still didn’t get to see the reaction of the person I was most interested in, Adam, but I’ll get to that later.)

This is a problem I’ve been having with the show since like season 3 or so, but how much time has passed? They actually explicitly said it at a couple of points this season, what with 3 years having gone by for most people but only a few weeks for the Voltron team, but why did that time difference happen? Also, how much time passed between the team leaving Earth and them fighting Lotor in last season’s finale? Because I could believe any time frame between 6 months to a few years for that, which makes a big difference in how old the paladins are. According to the show, Sam landed on earth 4 years before the team gets back to the Milky Way, so I guess Sam left the team a year before they faught Lotor??

I didn’t get the thing with Allura’s crown gem? Since when is that a power source? And I was really struck by the imagery of her literally throwing her crown away to help her friend, but I feel like it would’ve been more powerful if we had been given some information about what exactly that gem is and what it means for her. Just make this more clear for me. Also, Shiro has already lashed out and hurt people against his will, so I really didn’t need that angsty moment for him.

The B-plot in Ep 1 was tonally dissonant from the A-plot of Shiro’s flashbacks, and it ended up being totally useless anyway. As much as I enjoyed Romelle and Hunk’s banter in those parts, they would’ve been better placed somewhere else. They should’ve just dedicated the whole episode to Shiro’s flashbacks and given us more information about him.

If they were going to mention that Shiro had a progressive disease in his flashbacks, then they need to explicitly mention in the show that he doesn’t have it anymore. As it is, people who don’t know about the SDCC announcements are just gonna assume he still has it. If it doesn’t happen in the show, it’s not canon. Also, if he’s had this disease the whole time, then why is s7 the first time it’s mentioned? The way he held his arm in the flashback reminded me of the way he held it when his Galra arm activated for the first time. Did the arm help fight the progression of the disease like that lil wristband did? If so, that should’ve been explained and made clear a long time ago. It just bothers me that this is the first time we’re hearing about this major part of Shiro’s life that he’s been fighting with, and that in show we’re given absolutely no resolution for it.

I guess the gem powering Shiro’s arm and the Castleship diamond powering the Atlas connected somehow?? Which is how Shiro turned it into a giant robot?     ??????????????? I’m genuinely very confused on what was going on there. It needed to be made more clear. I was on board for whatever they were doing at first just because Shiro looked so pretty in that lighting, but they took it in the weirdest direction possible. Why would anyone care about Voltron anymore when you’ve got a bigger, stronger robot now? Voltron’s no longer the most powerful weapon in the universe - the Atlas is. And it only became such by coincidence. Which is just. Irritating.

The Feud episode. Oh boy. First of all, I got some serious emotional whiplash from the change to this episode. It just didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the season at all. Second, they just really did not have to spend that much time making fun of Lance for being stupid. Especially when he’s not. Also, the first two of the people he had to identify had masks on, and Lance had only met them briefly. ALSO you’re telling me that Lance, the most social and outgoing of the Voltron team, is the one who’s bad with names/faces????? ALSO spending less time teasing Lance would’ve opened up more time for giving Hunk and Allura their own activities. ALSO everyone else on the team gets a little speech about how they’re valuable, but Lance just gets “I don’t want to be stuck with him forever”?????? That’s so freaking messed up. Third, the whole premise of the episode was strange to me. Like why would an all powerful being who tests heroes do it in this way? It seems to me that that premise fits Ep 6, where they were stranded in space, much better. They were genuinely tested then, and the forces that attacked them and propelled them through lightyears of space were never explained, so saying that Bob did it and propelled them towards their goal as a reward for passing the test could’ve been a satisfying answer to those questions. And fourth, can I also ask why Morvok was the fourth player?? Like he’s a nonentity in terms of villains. And they still didn’t have the same number of players as team Voltron. Haggar’s still alive, so they could’ve put Sendak on there too. And for the fifth player they could’ve put on a fan favorite villain character. One who showed up in more episodes than Morvok did. One who died a while back and who the fans have wanted to see again ever since. Like, I don’t know, NARTI!! Ugh.

The Robeast. I just. This season could’ve ended on a pretty high note if they had just cut that out and just went straight to the lil epilogue after defeating Sendak. As cool as that fight was at parts, it caused a pretty low finale, which is pretty disappointing after last season’s incredible finale. I get that they needed to foreshadow Haggar’s return to this fight or whatever they’re doing for next season and that she’s been working on the lost Alteans, apparently, but it was just a strange note to end on. Especially with the weird addition of Atlas to the Giant Robot Squad. And Allura’s line “Seriously? We just defeated Sendak and now we gotta deal with this?!?!” (I’m paraphrasing) was a MOOD.

Okay, so this post has gotten kinda out of control, so I’m gonna have to save the biggest issue I had (betcha can guess what it is) for another post. So. Look out for Part 2 of this nonsense. Feel free to reblog with your own ideas/input!

[woohooligancomics]

Webcomic Whimsy: Dogstar!

Welcome to the Woohooligan Weekly Webcomic Whimsy! If you're a webcomic author and would like a review, you can see my announcement and review rules here.

Title: Dogstar

Author: Brandon V. Williams

Site: ComicFury • Tapas (Brandon recommends this site.)

Genres: Comedy, Superheroes, Action, Adventure, SciFi, Anthropomorphic, DuckTales Justice League

Rating: PG (?)

Updates: Every other Saturday (for now -- previous schedule was weekly?)

My Starting Point (requested by author): Page 0

Synopsis (from Tapas): A mild mannered pilot/magician's life changes dramatically when he crosses paths with the world's most famous crime fighter. This sets him on a journey of many adventures, in which he grows into something far beyond his imagination.

For a sci-fi comic with a title like Dogstar, the opening seems a bit small scale. Here the five villains meet to discuss taking over... the galaxy? The world? The pacific northwest seafood restaurant market? Nope... one town called Beacon City.

After reading a bit further, it turns out that impression from the title was off-base and the story as a whole isn't a space opera, it's really a superhero story done in the style of DuckTales.

The jokes on the first page do a good job of setting the tone, with the pirate's hook-fingers, talk of brain stealing, and the mysterious evil overlord's mysterious silhouette cleavage.

The lettering on this first page needs work. The text isn't large enough to read comfortably and doesn't flow within the word balloons, leaving that incongruous feeling when a round balloon meets text with a straight left edge. It's like putting a sexy dress on the Iron Giant. Lettering on the latest pages shows marked improvement.

Writing does a good job of establishing the tone as not being Warner Brothers like I expected and instead being more Fritz the Cat. I doubt there will be displayed nudity or uncensored swearing, but dick jokes are definitely implied in what's obviously a champagne room.

Page two also commits some lettering sins that weren't on the first page. Dialogue balloons covering character art with plenty of empty "white space" left untouched is the big one. Panels 3-5 should have been close-up shots.

Ha! So the heroes' solution for a slow response from an agent is electroshock. That sort of thing is usually reserved for villains like Darth Vader's force choke. I guess if he's really insubbordinate he gets the hose.

Bullock Towers looks surprised! |8

Is it just me or is "Junk Jaws" a more intimidating name? Metal Mouth is literally how we used to insult kids in high-school if they had braces on their teeth. Spyke's trying to insult the guy, but he just makes him seem cooler. "Time's up, Ball Breaker! ... Actually, my name is Testicle Trasher, but now that you mention it I think yours is better, I'm gonna go with that..."

Wait... there are robots and cyborgs like Metal Mouth and he and his goons are still using tommy guns? "We could have had M-16s, but we're going for a prohibition era gangster look, you know, it's vintage!" I guess these villains are hipsters.

Nice visuals on that first panel... are the cop cars a photograph with a posterise filter?

Spyke McGruff apparently has the Judge Dredd gun... although glue-mode is new.

Panel 3 should have been close-up.

The extra space before the exclamation point drives me nuts... the font is too small, so every time it looks like an I in the middle of the sentence. "What a moron I he's using..."

Plus I sprang extra for the wax... but not the undercarriage, that's a rip-off.

He splits after one hit? Where'd all the confidence from the new jaw go? He never even tried to bite Spyke.

Just like a hipster... they can cloak a blimp, but they're still using tommy guns.

Oh, finally on page 11, the actual hero of the story! :P Oh, you thought it was Spyke? Psyche! Remember the synopsis said he's a mild mannered pilot, not a bombastic "secret" agent.

I guess you're just not extreme enough man... that's what real adrenaline junkies do, scope out the only two giant vertical poles in a hundred acres of open field just to perform a stunt that could get us killed. Barell rolls are for pussies!

Artistically, I feel like the presentation of the poles could have been better. I don't think anyone's going to be confused by the art here, but I think a shot from behind the characters' heads on approach, followed by a side-shot of the plane passing between the poles, (preferably with an exhaust trail), would have been a little clearer and more dramatic.

Is that other thing that's coming a beer? I don't always drive my business into the ground, but when I do, I prefer a Dos Equis hang-over.

You know what kids really love? Nearly dying in an airplane trick! ;D

What the hell was that? Pointy teeth and glowing red eyes?... It looks like some kind of Shit-Spider-Demon... It looks evil enough, maybe you should ask it for some help with the magic tricks.

The door was open, but property damage is how I get everything I need... I'm a hero!

That's SECRET Agent Spyke! You've never heard of me... psst... don't blow my cover while I demonstrate my SUPER-misogyny shutting up this broad witha face-full of glue... mmm, yes, "glue"...

Dialogue balloons in panel 2 are in reverse order... Daniel's dialogue needs to be at the top to read first, before Spyke's reply.

The best pilot but man he's the worst at everything else -- business, social skills, knowing when he's likely to be shot at.

What?! That last page looked like a direct hit... Gotta work on that perspective.

Pretty sure that's supposed to be light filtering in the corridor from the hatch, but it sure looks like the kind of glowing purple ooze that gives people superpowers... or mutates turtles.

Page 19 and here's that turning point where Daniel becomes the hero of the story... I have to say, of the comics I've reviewed so far, this is one of the few that's well paced. 20-24 pages is the length of a typical printed comic issue, and he's right on time to make Daniel the hero as the cliff-hanger for the end of the first issue. Nice work!

The name of the mad scientist who's obsessed with collecting brains is "Nobrainer". That's like if you invented the Richie Rich character, and named him "Deadbroke Deadbeat". :P

Okay, but can we talk about tha name? Because I'm pretty font of "axis"... you know, as a tribute. Why not? I mean... it couldn't be any worse than Confederate Monuments. :P

Yeah, man, like... you gotta be chill for High Leader... High Leader is chill, so just, y'know, get your bud on and chillax... Woah! Dude my hands are HUUUGE! Who's got the snacks?

Dialogue in the 5th panel is in the wrong order. Yes, left-to-right, however, top-down supercedes left-to-right. Think of the panel like it's a page of a book. So, put your thumbs over the art, you just have text on the panel wherever it is. Which do you read first? As a rule, people will read the first line at the top first, even if it's shifted over to the right, rather than starting on say line 4 or 5. So Dr Nobrainer and Captain Blackjack should swap Triforces.

The fair agent's condition is good.

Great!

No, good.

Wait, his condition is bad?

No, good.

What's the fair agent's condition?

Good, sir.

Yes, what is it?

What's what?

The condition.

I don't know...

NEAR MINT!

...

The words "Successful" and "Initiated" shouldn't be capitalized.

We control the vertical. We control the horizontal... so just chillax while commander mysterious-boobs pumps some of the good shit in the air for you, we're talking primo chronic, man...

Psst... High Leader... I think you might be a little too high, you forgot to issue any actual demands for people to comply with... like... bring me the mayor, hand over the key to the city, or call 555-2-surrender?

I think Daniel just discovered his battle cry... like the thing's "It's clobberin' time!"... Daniel rushes into the fight, "I CAN BEND THEM ALL!" Mostly it confuses the enemy and gets them off-guard.

Yeah, what were you thinking? Catching this guy is no job for a squad of cyborg-super-ninjas!

This is a job for a midget senior citizen!

You'd be amazed what drinking Ensure does for your reflexes.

Of course he doesn't have a choice... what's he gonna do? Punch out some old grandpa? That's not what heroes do... heroes cause PROPERTY damage... didn't we cover this already?

Best way to get a magician to tell you his secrets? Brutally murder him... by sawing him in half. They have to respect the classics.

Not sure why the robot suit looks like MODOK... He was building an evil Voltron and could only afford the head?

I guess the pink cockpit dome is supposed to make him look like MODOK's brain.

White motion lines in panel 5 would have been better contrast, easier to see.

I can't believe he used up all his brain-hostages... anything that's precious to the villain is leverage.

Oooh... Dogstar is like Skywalker... so... I'm guessing no space-opera elements like I expected from the title...

Doesn't Double-R still think Double-M stole a super-W? Doesn't destroying the blimp without securing the weapon leave it open to salvage by "the wrong hands"?

Caaaapers... <drool>

Doooouble entendres... <drool>

The juxtaposition of the angry MODOK face with Daniel's shit-eating grin in the first panel! Well done, Brandon!

Actually I'm fairly certain that dirigibles don't just careen into the ground when an engine goes out, because the gas in the envelope provides lift while engines are purely for maneuvering... even if an aerostat does require forward motion to stay up, the descent after an engine failure is likely to be a fairly sedate affair, not nearly as dangerous as an airplane crash (which has an over 95% survival rate).

But, y'know... Hollywood.

Plane should be in the lower-right corner of panel 5 (leave Daniel where he is), and in panel 6 the perspective is nice, but there should be ground below the plane, and the clouds should be perpendicular to the perspective, not parallel to it. And from that angle, there should be little to no gray on them, because you're seeing the water vapor from above, where the sun is hitting it.

I think it's fair that Bullock Towers looks surprised again. :P

Nice shot of the crash -- good job on the smoke and flames.

I think the plane in that last panel should be angled up and to the right -- or at least rolled so the wings angle the other direction. The position of the plane makes the wings line-up with the carriage under the blimp and creates a visual tangent. This one is called a "stolen edge" or "parallel". It makes the plane visually blend into the blimp, which is obviously undesirable for clarity unless you have a very specific reason to want something to blend in a particular shot.

I saw the job offer coming, although Spyke being a vindictive dick about someone else saving his life and completing the mission was a little unexpected... it doesn't seem entirely out of character, but I tend to expect government agents to be team players (Fox Mulder notwithstanding). It's not a bad twist, given that a lot of the first chapter was fairly predictable... and I think it's a good wrap for this first chapter overall, including the job offer -- tropes aren't always bad.

Overall I liked Dogstar. Decent art improves over time (though the six panel layout seems pretty rigid and I think you should experiment with some alternative layouts -- an occasional wide shot, etc). I think if you enjoyed DuckTales or DarkWing Duck, you should definitely give Dogstar a look! :D

If you are a webcomic author and are interested in a review from me, you can check out my announcement and my review-request rules here.

If you enjoyed this and want to help me make more reviews, you can contribute on our Patreon or if you're short on funds you can also help by checking out and sharing my own comedy and laughtivist webcomic, Woohooligan!

Thank you for sharing yourself with us! Sam

[asrafarel]

On Shiro’s and Sendak’s similarities (or maybe I’m just seeing double)

(art by me) ************this is S3 spoiler free************* I haven’t even watched the last trailer yet. warning: long post It always pains me to see how most of the fandom is depicting Sendak as a bossy motherfucker with a short temper acting like a brutal fighter and enjoying non-con relationships. Seriously, have we seen the same show? Ok, Sendak is a villain (with a high potential for a redemption arc, please Dreamworks don’t let me down on this), but that doesn’t automatically make him an horrid asshole.

Yes, Sendak is a nasty opponent but he still has a lot of common points with Shiro and both stand on an equal foot in terms of leadership and fighting abilities (though I think that if Sendak had a less heavy and bothersome prosthetic he’d move better and thus maybe the result wouldn’t be the same, but I have nothing to support this theory). Actually, they have so many similarities they are literally mirroring each other.

First, let’s make a list of things we know about their shared past :

Shiro was detained on Sendak’s ship (along with the Red Lion)

=> Sendak is Zarkon’s first Commander, the emperor trained him personally. Sendak is loyal to death to the Galras (not to Zarkon, let’s double check this*) and trusted. He was given the responsibility to watch over a lion and the should-have-been-their-greatest-weapon-dude (I guess his name was Shiro or something).

They both had the Druids experimenting on them (although Sendak was willing)

=> We know (from his official bio) that Sendak lost his eye and his arm during his time on the frontlines (meaning quite some time ago, since that was before he was promoted in the hierarchy - only low ranks soldiers fight on the frontlines -, it also means Sendak rose up from the very bottom and earned his title through merit just like Shiro who started out as a cadet in the garrison) and volunteered to get a bionic prosthetic. Shiro stated that the Druids took his hand (yeah, hand, makes you wonder how much is actually missing).

Shiro has hallucinations about Sendak

=> Crystal venom is probably my favorite episode so far and it drops so many bombs about them, it’s impossible to think they never talked to each other before. The way Shiro provokes Sendak and the fact he’s getting a reaction from it tends to hint they had this conversation once, but reversed.  

So far nobody got under Shiro’s skin like Sendak did (not even Zarkon)

=> Seriously no one else did. This is (flashbacks aside) the only time Shiro panicked for real, like he completely lost his shit. Not Zarkon, not Haggar impersonating him or being stranded on a foreign planet wounded with angry animal on his tracks got him desperate like Sendak did. I know Shiro was hallucinating, but to him it was real and it was probably just a replay of past events (though I can’t prove this yet).

Now a list of their common points:

First in command of their respective boss (aka Zarkon and Allura)

Leadership skills (also charisma)

Lost an arm (opposite of each other)

Were Druids’ toys at some point **

Scar on face

Tacticians (have a good look at Sendak’s last sentries, they’re all half-broken and he managed to pull out a working plan with just 2 guys and 5 nearly out-of-order robots)

Composed demeanor (Sendak is more composed than Shiro tbh)

Matched in terms of fighting abilities, twice a draw (epic fist bump + last blow and in both situations they do have exactly the same stance, still the most epic fight to me)

Dedicated to their cause, never giving up even in desperate situations

Supportive and/or encouraging (Sendak praised Haxus easily)

“Climbing from the bottom to the top” career path (then falling into disgrace)

Both are the strongest around in their own group

(also they like to get lost in space)

(both names starts with an S *ba dum tss!*)

That makes 12 (14), but the core similarity is much more global. It encompasses all of this and is more like the general idea of their characters. Sendak is dark!Shiro in a way. They both have the same role and rank in their respective organisation, the same way of handling stuff coming their way with a seemingly cool and composed attitude, not letting their anger get the best of them.  

Sendak broke loose only when Pidge cut his arm off, crushing all hopes of winning and despite this he kept on fighting until he was trapped. Ironically, Sendak was made prisoner and detained on the Castle of Lions just like Shiro had been on his own ship. Reversing position and situation again.

They both are doing the same kind of choices (avoiding a fight if necessary, prioritizing tactics over frontal assault, giving everybody a role and benefiting from other teammate's skills -Sendak is the Commander/fighter/tactician and Haxus is the com tech/hacker/mechanic and their skills don’t overlap- etc..) and handling things in a similar way (they don’t give up, face desperate situation with determination, fight mental battles, etc..). It’s pretty fascinating because they are very different but at the time they’re totally similar.

Another thing that I realized while doing this analysis is that they have exactly the same career path. They started small and proved their worth. Sendak was named first Commander and Shiro is recognized as the best pilot on Earth. Then shit happens (Sendak lose to the Paladins and Shiro is framed for pilot error) and they both fall into disgrace.

Also, I’d like to pinpoint something in order to annihilate brutal-bloodthirsty-fanon-Sendak. During ep.4 (The fall of the Castle of Lions), when Sendak and Haxus are marching on the castle with their damaged sentries and Shiro opposes them, Sendak actually asks Shiro to let them through.

*then fight starts*

(Kinda dubious dialog out of context… Dirty jokes aside, it could have been foreshadowing for Crystal Venom: Sendak actually got into Shiro’s mind.)

What’s important here is that Sendak had no intention to fight Shiro if it could be avoided. He’s no bloodrager on the loose. He fights when it’s needed, avoid unnecessary troubles and is dedicated to accomplish his mission. Just like, guess who? Yeah, Shiro.

The choice of words is also very interesting. Sendak didn’t ask Shiro to get out of his way or to get down or to go away, he asked him to “stand aside” as in to stay out of the matter, to not butt in, to let him do his work. Maybe I’m stretching this but that’s not exactly what you ask an enemy and when Shiro rejects the option, only then, Sendak goes for the kill. What’s funny is that he didn’t kill him when he had the opportunity later. He didn’t even knock him out, he just tied him (while Lance, who wasn’t considered a threat wasn’t even tied). To me it’s more like the way you treat a former ally (maybe ally is a bit too much).

I really really really hope Sendak is going to get some screen time in S3 and that the veil on their common past is going to be lifted. The character has so much potential and also the ability to drive Shiro insane (not the same insane as Slav tho).

I still might update this at some point with the upcoming seasons.

Hope you enjoyed it!

----------------------------------------

Notes:

* Actually, the reason I think Sendak’s loyalty is to the Galras rather than to Zarkon comes from his first appearance. His very first quote is : "I fight for the empire. I conquer in the name of Galra. No foe has ever stood in my way and none ever will. Vrepit sa!" Maybe I'm stretching things too far, but to me it could be some sort of foreshadowing of Sendak turning against Zarkon (most likely Lotor) because he goes against the Galras as people. Remember, Ulaz said to the Paladins that Galras supported the empire because it would bring them stability, there was something genuinely desperate and hopeful there (incidentally hope is exactly what Shiro is to Ulaz). After all, their home planet had been destroyed, thus making them homeless too. Also, in S1e1 Zarkon refers to the Alteans as a foul race and that Voltron is rightfully theirs. We know nothing about the “dark history of the Paladins”. Galras probably have a very different opinion on who’s the bad guy. In S1e3, when Haggar asks Zarkon if Sendak can be trusted he doesn't say "yes, he just said he trained him and that only victory or death would stop him. So, I kinda fancy the idea of Sendak having certain aspirations for the empire and turning against whoever fails to reach said aspirations. Be it a Galra prince or whatnot.

And last thing but not least; Zarkon didn’t seem really forgiving regarding defeat/failure (that’s the fastest way to be demoted -cf. Morvok and the Kerberos commander- and in the Galra meritocracy that must means something huge), during S1e3 Sendak himself said: “Emperor Zarkon challenged us to rise from the mud”. That’s a cute way to say atone for failing him, but now that the emperor himself failed… what is Sendak going to do? How is he going to react?  

** This is what Sendak is implying by saying: “I see you spent some time with the Druids, they do love to experiment.” Meaning they used the first Commander as a pet project and probably not too long before he set foot on Arus since it’s implied Shiro got his prosthetic just a few days before being released by Ulaz. In any case, it’s less than a year ago meaning that Shiro probably met Sendak equipped with a less advanced prosthetic (or maybe no prosthetic at all). Also, and that’s very interesting, Sendak seems to discover Shiro’s prosthetic during the battle, which means the last time Sendak saw Shiro he still had his organic arm. @ferretfam thank you soooooooooo much for your help @canadarama here you go! Pssst! Sendak’s fans, give me your thoughts on this if you’d like @vrepit-sa @deception-and-disgrace @candyfoxdraws @ograndsovereign 

[lostpaladin-violet]

How well do you know your OC Asks

// Okay I’m taking ALL of the asks and answering them five at a time in posts

6: Does your OC have any supernatural powers?

No, but he has some cybernetic enhancements

7: Is your OC in a relationship?

No. He does have a platonic crush on Cobalt’s Paladin, but it’s not sexual in nature.

8: What are some of your OCs strengths?

He is fierce and agile. He has a great connection with his lion. In fact, the cybernetic eye was to allow for data transfer between his lion and himself. So, this way they can have more complex communications between each other.

Parlex values intelligence and knowledge.

He’s a bit of a dreamer, but it’s what gives him his spirit and drive.

He’s the force of determination and energy behind the activity of the Second Guardian’s lions. Without his, Violet’s, and Cobalt’s determination, the current paladins might have chosen to simply go into cryosleep to await the return of Voltron rather than being active during the original Guardian’s absense.

9: What are some of your OCs weaknesses?

He doesn’t have great experience interacting with people. He often doesn’t know what to say, or especially when to shut up. He’s either quite, or he comes across as snotty, or arrogant. Sometimes he’s civil, but then he’s never quite comfortable around people.

He hates crowds. Parlex has a great deal of anxiety and some insecurity. He’s the fifth paladin of Violet. He feels like he has a lot to live up to.

Parlex is a little timid and recalcitrant when it comes to making big decisions. He can’t stand being responsible for anything major when taking action against Zarkon. He has a lot of anxiety.

He hates guns. He sucks at them. Violet’s weapons are okay, but him, and a gun? Nope.

He’s a little shit and insults people at times. He thinks anyone who’s not keeping up with him might be stupid. He doesn’t like having to ‘slow down’ or to explain things. He just wants to DO things.

He is temperamental, like Violet. He’ll yell when he gets angry.

10: What is your OCs favorite outfit?

Secretly, he adores denim jeans, although Terran denim is scratchy. Luxian denim is better, but it’s usually green, which he hates. He ends up dying it, but he only has one pair of jeans. He loves wearing a long girly tunic over his a pair of his jeans for chillin’ with his lion.

He does like the way the Blade of Marmora dress. He’s seen a few in their ‘secret’ attire.

He totally envies the original paladin armor. All but Amber’s and Silver’s Paladin armor has changed. They had to change it to keep it from being identified by the Galra, and to update the technology and make repairs.

[eastofthemoon]

Where No One Goes Chapter 6

Title: Where No One Goes: Chapter 6 - Part 2 of What If The Storm Ends?Series: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Characters: Keith, Thace, Shiro, Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Coran, and Allura

Rating: G

Summary: After Keith’s encounter Thace, questions remain and he’s not certain he wants the answers to them. However, after Pidge’s request to locate the rebels, the two of them seek out the resistance with both of them not certain what they will find out.

Archive of our Own

Shiro frowned as he surveyed the area.  Rocks, dirt, some local purple foliage and they were at least hidden by the rocky terrain.

Shiro tapped the intercom in his helmet again.  “Pidge?  Keith?  Can you hear me?”

Static was the only thing that answered.  He didn’t like this.

“Maybe they took off their helmets,” Lance offered as he leaned against one of the large boulders.

“Could be, but I’m betting something is scrambling our signals,” Hunk said as he checked the scanner he brought along and whacked it again.  “I can barely pick up the lions’ signals and we’re standing only a few feet away from them.”

Shiro’s gaze hardened as she glanced to where both the Red and Green Lion were hidden.  “They can’t have gone far without their lions,” Shiro said as he began to pace, “unless they were captured.”

“Maybe they managed to find the rebels,” Lance offered.

“Could be,” Shiro said, softly.  “We better give Allura an update and then-”

“Hey!” Hunk cried as he suddenly pointed.  “What are you doing there?!”

Shiro and Lance spun around.  A figured peeked out from one of the dozen caves and ducked back inside as they were spotted.

“Wait, come back!” Lance called.

Shiro didn’t waste a beat.  He ran at top speed with Lance and Hunk both behind them.  They reached the cave entrance just as they heard feet run to the right up ahead.

“Stay close to me,” Shiro ordered as they dashed inside.  “We don’t want to get lost in here!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Hunk said as he panted.

The cave was dark and hard to see, so Shiro had to rely on his ears as they pushed ahead.  Thankfully, they proved to be able to move faster and saw a dark figure up ahead.

“Stop!” he called out.  “We just want to talk!”

The figure didn’t listen and Shiro sighed.  “Sorry about this,” he called as he leaped forward and grappled onto the figured.

An angry grunt was heard as they fell over and Shiro swiftly pinned the person’s arms.  The person yelled and struggled, but Shiro kept his hold and tried to make sure he didn’t injure him.

“Easy, I don’t want to hurt you,” Shiro said as Hunk and Lance caught up.  “Hunk, can you give me some light?”

“Sure,” Hunk said as he reached for a flashlight and switched it on.  The light revealed that they had caught a young male alien that looked like Rolo’s species.

“Get off me!” the youth grunted as he tried to kick Shiro off.

“Hey, Buddy, relax,” Lance said as he kneeled.  “We’re just trying to locate some friends of ours.”

“Afraid you found way more than that, Lad,” a voice boomed.

Shiro raised his eyes and was blinded as the room with flooded with light.  As his vision cleared he saw they were surrounded by lanterns and the people holding them.  He noted plenty of them were Galra and had weapons pointed straight at them.

Shiro flinched and he felt dark memories trying to fight their way to the surface of when he was first captured.  However, they managed to be subdued as a large alien rabbit stepped forward and broke the memories hold on him.

Hunk blinked and pointed confused.  “Um..is anyone else seeing a giant Easter Bunny standing in front of us, right now?”

Lance raised a hand.  “Um, I do.”

“Oh, good, not just me,” Hunk replied as he gripped his stomach.  “Was afraid it was the goo I ate earlier.”

Shiro said nothing as he released the alien youth and watched him run to the safety of the rabbit’s side as he stood.

“Look, we don’t want to fight,” Shiro said as he raised his hands up and narrowed his eyes.  “Are you guys the Galra resistance?”

The alien rabbit stepped forward and eyed Shiro like he was interrogating him.  “And how do you know about that?”

“We’re the paladins of Voltron!” Lance cut in as he waved his arms.  “We’re on your side!”

Mummering could be heard among the group and one Galarn youth scratched his head.  “Wait, there’s more of them?!”

All eyes turned to focus on him as a nearby female Galran rolled her eyes.  “Yes, of course there are more.”

“But I thought Voltron was operated by two paladins.”

An alien with four eyes stared at him in shock.  “Why would there only be two paladins?!”

“One for the top and one for the bottom,” the Galran replied simply.

“What?! No, there’s five,” the four eyed alien exclaimed.  “Two legs and three arms!”

Shiro, Hunk and Lance exchanged a puzzled expression.  

“Um..actually,” Hunk said as he stepped forward, “Voltron has two arms, Dude.”

The four eyed alien scratched his head.  “What?  But then why do you need the fifth one?”

“For the head!” Lance said as he pointed to Shiro.  “How could you forget the head?”

“My people don’t use our heads much!” the alien replied in a huff.

“Well, that much is obvious,” Lance muttered as he rolled his eyes.

“Alright, enough,” the rabbit said as he rubbed massaged his forehead and looked at them.  “You three are coming with us, and see if the other two can identify you.”

Shiro frowned.  “Other two?  You mean, Keith and Pidge?  So, they are with you?”

“How about you follow me and find out,” the rabbit said as he lead the way.

Shiro’s gaze hardened, but gestured for Hunk and Lance to move ahead.  

Keith, Pidge, Shiro thought.  Please be okay.

0808080808080808080808080808080

Keith grunted as he carried the crate through the tunnel Thace told him to take where the ships were stored.  He did as he was told and frankly Keith needed the distraction.  He understood it was more important to ensure the rebels were prepared to flee, but every now and then, Keith would try to bring up a question and Thace would instantly changed it.

The first two times, Keith could assume it didn’t mean anything, but by the fourth time, he knew Thace was just trying to avoid the questions entirely.  He dropped the crate on the floor and winced at the loud clang.

“It be easier to get this crate to talk than Thace,” Keith muttered as he wiped the dirt from his hands.

“Hey, careful with that stuff,” Ford cried as he poked his head from under a ship.  “I got enough junk to fix around here as is.”

Keith glanced and sheepishly rubbed his neck.  “Sorry,” he muttered.  “Just a bit frustrated.”

Ford gave him a quizzed looked as he rolled himself out from under the ship and stepped off the wheeled board he’d been sitting on.  

“Then how about we put that frustration into a good use,” he said as he reached into his tool box and brought out a purple tool that resembled a hammer.

“Here,” he said as he handed the tool to Keith.  “See those bolts?”  

Keith looked to where Ford pointed and saw on the side of the ship were bolts were sticking out.  “Those one there?” he asked.

“Pound them in,” Ford instructed as he brought out another tool.  “I need to test the strength of the side paneling, while you do that.”

Keith gripped the tool and suddenly the idea of pounding something felt very inviting.  He picked up the tool and began to hammer it in.  

The two of them worked silently as Keith banged and Ford used a scanner over the ship.  After a found minutes, Keith’s hands began to feel sore, but he could feel his frustration fade.  He panted as the last bolt was hammered in and wiped the sweat off his face.

“Thanks,” Keith said, while panting.  “I needed that.”

Ford gave a silent nodded as he read over his scanner.  “Alright, this one’s done.”  He gave a deep sigh.  “Only a handful more to go.”

Keith frowned as he glanced back to the other ships.  They weren’t much bigger than some transport ships he’d seen.  The rust on some of them hinted that they weren’t that new either.  They would not be Keith’s choice for flying into a fight with.

“You guys don’t have any ships for fighting?” Keith asked.

Ford sighed.  “We do, but only a couple,” Ford explained as he scratched his head with his cybernetic arm.  “If it was just a case of having to defend against one ship that be different, but Leah wants to ensure we can get everyone out fast as possible and these transport ships are faster.”

Keith frowned as he sat on a crate.  “It is your guys base though?  Shouldn’t you at least try to fight back?”

Ford turned and suddenly held a weary expression.  “Thace told you that Zarkon almost wiped us out before, right?”

Keith nodded.

“We tried to fight to the death then, but we were outnumbered and we paid a heavy price for it,” Ford explained and winced. “Lost a lot of good friends that day, and even after we regrouped we’re still not at the high numbers we were back then.  None of us wish to go through that again.”

Keith rubbed his neck, suddenly wishing he hadn’t brought it up. Thace had mentioned they lost a lost of people, but it didn’t strike him just how severe until now.  It was hard enough to believe he had lost Shiro for that long miserable year, he couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose that many friends in one day.  Although, Allura and Coran could probably relate.

 “Sorry,” Keith muttered.  “Wasn’t thinking.”

Ford shook his head.  “In my old age, I’ve learned there’s no point dwelling what you’ve lost.”  

He shook a wrench at Keith.  “You also learn there’s a time to fight and a time to run, and we’re certain now isn’t the time to fight.”  He gave a smirk.  “Although, that’s a lesson Thace had to learn the hard way himself.”

Keith frowned.  “Really?”  He drummed his fingers against his elbows.  “How long have you’ve known him?”

Ford gave a chuckle as he reached for some scrap metal.  “Believe it or not, I’ve known him since he was a kid.  I used to work for his father as his mechanic and for the ‘Glory of the Empire’ back when I was young, and stupid.”

He pounded the metal with his arm to straighten it.  “I faked my death when I decided to join the resistance and never thought I see Thace again until he ended up joining too.”  

Keith fingers twitched as he reached for his bag.  If Ford had known Thace for that long, maybe he could tell Keith something.  “Ford, can I ask you something?”

Ford paused in his pounding and gave a skeptic eyebrow.  “Depends what that is?”

Keith brought out his dagger and unwrapped the hilt.  “Ever see a dagger like this before?”

Ford frowned thoughtfully and ran a hand through his beard as his cybernetic handed picked it up.  “Well, haven’t seen one of these for a long time,” he muttered and gave it a swung.  “Few people keep these around.”

“Is it special?” Keith asked curiously.

“It’s a clan dagger,” Ford explained and pointed to the symbol.  “Before Zarkon, the Galra used to be divided up into different clans and each one had their own symbol.”  He tapped to the hit.  “If I remember correctly, this symbol represented the mountain clan, but I could be mistaken.”

Keith’s body tensed.  “So, it’s a Galra dagger?”  

That meant the dagger didn’t come from Earth.  It would explain why his mother told him to hide the symbol.  Probably afraid of someone from the Garrison clueing in it was alien.

“It’s Galran as much as I am,” Ford said as he picked up the scrap metal.  “However, Zarkon dissolved the clans so we’re all ‘one big happy family’,” Ford said darkly.  “The symbols are mostly used for decoration these days, but some still hold onto weapons with their clan symbol engraved as heirlooms.”

Heirlooms, Keith thought. As in stuff family passed down?

“Where did you get that dagger?” Ford asked, curiously.

Keith chewed his bottom lip.  “It used to belong to my dad,” Keith said as he held up the dagger.  “And..I noticed Thace has a dagger with the same symbol.”

Ford froze at the statement.

“Ford,” Keith said slowly.  “Do you know if-”

Ford held up his hand.  “Nope, I’m stopping you right there.  I’m not getting involved in that mess.”

Keith narrowed his eyes.  “So you do know something?”

Ford’s eyes hardened and he held up a finger.  “Kid, let’s be honest here, even if I do know something, am I the person you should be asking?”

Keith opened and shut his mouth with a growl.  “No, but…Thace keeps dodging my questions.”

Ford gave a huff.  “Yeah, well, Thace can be a real stubborn idiot sometimes.”  

“Keith!”

Keith turned and saw Pidge racing towards them.  “Geez, finally found you!  I looked everywhere for you,” she said while panting.

Keith swiftly put his dagger away and straightened his posture.  “What’s wrong?”

Pidge gave a nervous laugh.  “Time for us to face the piper.”  She scratched her cheek with her finger.  “Shiro, Lance and Hunk just showed up and are talking to Leah.”

“Oh,” Keith said softly as he ran a hand through his hair and looked to Ford.  “Don’t suppose we can hide out here with you?”

“You could,” Ford said, “but I imagine your leader will track you down eventually.”

Keith sighed as Pidge tugged at his arm.  “Let’s go and get the lecture over it,” Pidge said as she lead the way.

Keith gave a nod as he picked up his bag with his dagger inside.  Might as well deal with one problem at a time.

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Keith saw Thace had already beaten them to the meeting room.  He was standing next to Leah who was in the middle of a conversation with Shiro with Hunk and Lance standing next to him.

“So, you can understand the predicament we’re under,” Leah said.

Shiro had his helmet removed and was rubbing his chin in thought.  “Yes, but if you let me contact the Princess, we might be able to help you out.”

Hunk glanced over and spotted Keith and Pidge.  “Hey, there you two are!” he cried as he moved over.

“Hey, Hunk,” Pidge said as he approached.  “Glad to see you made it-OW!”

Hunk gave both Keith and Pidge a hard bonk on the on head with his his hands.  Keith stared in shock as he rubbed his sore head.  “What was THAT for?!” he asked.  It wasn’t like Hunk to hit someone like that.

“THAT was for running off without telling any of us!” Hunk scolded with a frown.  “Do you have any idea how worried we were!  I could barely eat!  Well...okay, I ate a little, but that was only for the purpose of giving me fuel to find you, and to not try to picture what had happened to you two.  And you DON’T want to know what I was thinking because I have a very vivid imagination-”

“Okay, okay, we get the point,” Pidge said with a guilty look.  “We’re sorry.”

“You better,” Lance said as he peeked around Hunk.  “I mean, I can understand not telling Shiro, but geez how could you leave us out of it?  Now Keith is going to have ‘finding the rebel base’ over my head too.”

Hunk gave a disapproving glare.  “Kind of miss the point of what I was saying, man.”

Shiro calmed Hunk by putting a hand on his arm.  “That’s enough, Hunk,” Shiro said gently and locked his eyes with Keith and Pidge.  “But WE are going to have a chat later, and you two are going to get some extra drills, and chores when we get back to the castle.”

“Noted,” Keith said with a grimace, “Shiro, we’re sorry, but we can’t leave-”

“We know,” Shiro said as Leah and Thace drew closer.  “Leah was just informing us about the situation.”

“Your leader has agreed to assist us,” Leah replied as she looked to Shiro, “which would be appreciated.”

“Hey, no biggie,” Lance said with a grin as he waved his hands, “we can fit a whole bunch of you guys on our lions and away we go.”

“It’s not that simple,” Thace replied sternly.  “We also have weapons, ships, databases that we have to transport and we don’t dare leave it behind.”

“If Zarkon or the empire were to find evidence of us they could use it to locate the other rebel cells,” Leah explained.

“So, we need gather everything up and load them on the ships?” Hunk asked.

“Yes, not to mention we’re in the middle of repairing those ships,” Thace replied. 

“We’ll do what we can for you,” Shiro said as he touched Pidge and Keith’s shoulders.  “However, if you’ll excuse me for a moment I need a private word with my paladins.”

“By all means,” Leah said with a nod.  “I have my own duties to attend to.  Once you’re ready Thace here can instruct what you need to do.”

Shiro gave a nod as he lead Pidge and Keith out of the meeting room.  Keith felt more dread come as Shiro lead them to a small unoccupied corner of the main chamber.  Some of the other rebels glanced at them, but it only lasted a moment before they once again became engrossed with their own task at hand.

“Alright, you two,” Shiro said, sternly.  “Hunk beat me to it, but you know it was dangerous to go off on your own.”

Keith sighed.  “Shiro, we’re sorry, but I knew if I didn’t go with Pidge she was going to go by herself and I thought it was better for at least one person to go with her.”

“He’s not wrong,” Pidge said as she folded her arms.  “Still, I am sorry we worried you guys, but I felt like we had no other choice.”

Shiro sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.  “I will take some of the blame for that,” he admitted quietly and he looked to Pidge.

“You were right, I should have been more opened minded about the rebels.”  He flinched as he glanced to the other Galrans in the main chamber with them.  “I have to admit, I’m a bit..reluctant to trust other Galra, especially ones we don’t know.”

Keith could understand that, especially coming from Shiro.  “If it helps..I do feel at least we can trust Thace a bit.  He did save me when I got stranded on the forest planet.”

Shiro frowned and pointed back to the meeting hall with his thumb.  “The male Galran in there, that’s the same Thace, right?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied.  “That was him.”

“Okay, good to know,” Shiro said as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath.  “Alright, so for now let’s focus on helping these rebels and let’s all agree we were wrong here.”

“Great, let’s do that,” Pidge said as she touched Shiro’s arm.  “Because I got big news.”  Her eyes softened.  “Shiro, my dad’s alive.”

Both Keith and Shiro blinked in shock.  “He is?” Shiro asked and touched Pidge’s shoulder with his human arm.  “Where?”

“That’s the tricky part,” Pidge said.  “One of the rebels here, Daien, he helped my dad and a bunch of other slaves escaped, but he doesn’t know where they went.”

“Hold it,” Keith said in disbelief.  “Daien?  That guy that tried to pin me and I slammed into a wall?”

Pidge nodded.  “Yup and I know he’s not lying.”  He fidgeted as she looked back to Shiro.  “He asked me if my name was ‘Katie’ because my dad mentioned me to him, and I know I haven’t mentioned it here to anyone else at all.”

Shiro still looked stunned and then smiled as he pulled Pidge into a tight hug.  “That’s fantastic,” he whispered.  “I’m so relieved.”

“Me too,” Pidge said as she gave a squeeze back.  “Hopefully, I’ll find a lead on Matt too.”

Keith patted her shoulder as he smiled.  He was glad their mission had been worth it for that alone.

Their hug was interrupted as a Galran rebel accidentally bumped into them.  He dropped the box he was carrying and watched as various medical supplies were spilled over.

“Oh, sorry,” he said as he bent to pick up some of the package syringes.  “Didn’t see you guys there.  In a rush to get to the healing chamber with this stuff.”

Shiro’s body tense as his eyes locked onto the syringes in the guy’s hands.  He gripped his prosthetic arm and looked prepared to fight.  Sensing the tension, Keith jumped in front of Shiro and kneeled to pick up the rest of stuff.

“Don’t worry about it,” Keith said as he handed it to him.  “Need some help?”

“Naw, I got it,” the guy said, and thankfully didn’t seem to notice Shiro’s reaction.  “Thanks, though.”

Keith watched Shiro as the Galran left and saw Shiro didn’t lessen the grip on his arm until the Galran was out of sight.

“Shiro?” Pidge said as she touched his human arm.  “You okay?”

Shiro shook his head and rubbed his eyes.  “Yes..um..sorry,” he muttered and forced a grin.  “I’m fine, really.”

Keith gave a skeptical glare.  “You’re certain?  Because you don’t seem fine.”

Shiro breathed deeply as he glanced around the chamber and his hands formed into fists.

“No, you’re right, I’m not okay” he said softly looked to Pidge and Keith.  “Guys, I’m sorry but I need to get some air.”  He pointed to where Hunk and Lance were waiting.  “Go regroup with Hunk and Lance and talk to Thace.”

He turned around to leave.  “If you need me I’ll be inside the Black Lion.”  He took another deep breath.  “I need to clear my head.”

“Alright,” Keith said, with a curt nod and didn’t dare question it.  “Let us know if you need anything.”

Shiro waved to acknowledge that he heard him as he walked off.  Keith still watched him as he and Pidge went to join their other paladins.  Lance was leaning against the wall, and raised his head in concern as he looked over their heads to where Shiro went.

“Where is Shiro going?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He went to sit in Black for a bit,” Pidge said as they watched Shiro leave the chamber.  “I think seeing all the Galra here is bringing back some bad memories for him.”

“Throw in the fact that we’re in enclosed tight spaces,” Hunk added and cringed, “and yeah that seems likely.”

Keith folded his arms in thought.  “We’ll probably have to spend the night here,” he said.  “I’m not sure how Shiro will handle that.”

They all knew Shiro did woke up from nightmares constantly.  It wasn’t uncommon for one of the paladins to find Shiro wide awake in his room in the middle of the night and sit with him to calm him down.  They had even started to secretly take turns of checking up on him while they slept.  That was going to be harder to do in a place like this and it was possible it was going to make his nightmares worse.

The small rooms and tunnels could feel way too similar to prison cells, especially in the middle of the night.  Didn’t help with Galrans right outside their door either.

“Probably not great, I wager,” Pidge added.  “What are the chances Allura and Coran can bring the castle here?”

“We just gave her an update,” Lance explained.  “They’re tied up at the moment with that alliance with Acradius, and since they just can’t say they need to leave to help without mentioning the secret rebel, they have to stay put for now.”

Keith snarled.  “So, that’s out,” he muttered.  “That’s going to make it tricky.”

“Maybe he can sleep in Black,” Hunk said with a shrug.  “It’s not the most comfortable, but she has a heater, it’s safe and he would be happier there.”

That’s true, Keith thought.  Wouldn’t be the first time we had to sleep in our lions either.  

They had been missions in the past where the safest place for the paladins to sleep was in their lions.  Add to the equation that the lions didn’t need sleep and would mostly likely keep an eye on Shiro, and it seemed like the best option.

“That could work,” Pidge said as she tapped her foot.  “Frankly, that’s probably our best option.”

Lance clapped his hands.  “Well then, in the meantime,” Lance said as he gave a sly grin and rotated his shoulders.  “I believe it’s time I introduce myself to some of these lovely ladies around.”

Keith’s eyes widened.  Uh oh, he thought.  Should have known he notice the number of women here.  “Uh, Lance, I don’t think-”

“Too late,” Hunk said as he pointed at Lance who walked off with Maya already in his sights.  “He’s locked onto one.”

Pideg snickered as she leaned against Hunk.  “Oh, this will be good.”

Keith wasn’t so certain, and stayed alert as Lance approached Maya as she was carrying a large crate.

“Hey, there,” Lance said with his best sly grin as he leaned against a wall.  “If you’re as strong as you are beautiful, I’m amazed you’re not running this place.”

Maya paused and blinked in confusion.  “Huh?  What does my beauty have to do with anything?”

Lance’s smile faltered slightly, but still refused to give up.  “What I mean is that you’re very strong and also pretty.”

Maya tilted her head.  “Then why didn’t you just straight up say that?”

“Because you’re worth the extra flattery,” Lance said with a wink.

“What?” Maya said with a raised eyebrow.  “I don’t get you.”

The Hunk and Keith groaned in unison as Pidge chuckled.  “Sorry, but Lance is trying to flirt with you,” she explained.

Maya raised an eyebrow and looked Lance over.  “In that case here,” she said and dropped the crate into Lance’s hands, in which he barely caught it.  “If you got time to flirt, you got time to help me carry these.”

Lance grunted as he struggled to keep his grip.  “This thing weighs a ton.  What’s in here?”

“Bombs,” Maya said as she picked up another crate.

All the paladins jumped in alarm.  “What?”

“They’re not activated,” Maya said coolly as she walked and paused in front of Lance.  “That is, as long as you don’t drop them.”

Lance forced a smiled.  “Uh, that’s a joke, right?”

Maya gave a smirk.  “Sorry, but I’m not as ‘funny’ as I am beautiful,” she said as she walked off.

Lance gave a pout, but said no complaints as he followed her.

“That could have ended a lot worse,” Pidge commented, thoughtfully.

“Indeed,” Thace said as he approached and caused Hunk to jump.

“Whoa, dude, you are good at sneaking up on people,” Hunk replied as he placed a hand over his heart.

Thace said nothing as he kept his eyes on Lance.  

Keith tilted his head at him.  “Something wrong?”

“Nothing important,” Thace replied, “it’s merely the Blue Paladin reminds me of a friend of mine.”

“Oh, yeah?” Hunk asked.  “Who exactly?

Thace shook his head.  “Someone who I pray never meets the Blue Paladin in person.”

Hunk and Pidge looked to Keith for an explanation, but all he could do was shrug.

“Where is the Champion?” Thace asked.

Keith fidgeted at that.  “He..went outside to get some air.”  

He hoped Thace wouldn’t ask any further, but all the Galran did was give a concerned frown and nodded.  

“Understood,” he said and looked over his tablet.  “Ford has requested some assistance with the ship repair, so I’ll bring you three there.”

“Ford?” Hunk asked with a quizzed look.

“Old Galran guy with a cyber arm,” Keith explained and shrug.  “Bit grumpy, but he’s alright.”

“I would suggest you not say grumpy in front of him,” Thace warned.

Pidge raised an eyebrow.  “Because he find it an insult?”

“No, because he would consider ‘grumpy’ to be an understatement,” Thace said as he lead the way.

The paladins said nothing as they followed and tried not to laugh at Lance who was now carrying two crates at once.

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Inside the cockpit of the Black Lion, Shiro was gripping his head as he struggled to breath.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he repeated to himself.

Breathe, Shiro, Black encouraged.  Don’t think of anything else, just breathe.

Shiro did as asked and continued to do so until he felt much more stable.  Black growled gently and he felt her warm presence wrap around him like a blanket until his heart began to beat normally again.

Better?, Black purred in his head for comfort.

“Yeah,” Shiro said as he swallowed some air.  “A lot.”

May I ask what happened?

Shiro leaned back and shut his eyes.  “I saw a Galran carrying syringes and well,” he gripped his cybernetic arm.  “Brought back some memories of when I lost my arm.”

That memory was still in bits in pieces.  All he knows was that he was strapped to a table as he kicked and screamed, but black out when a druid poked his arm with a syringe.  He woke up to find his human arm gone and the prosthetic in it’s place.

“Logically, I know the guy meant nothing by it,” Shiro said as he leaned against his hands, “but I couldn’t help but be afraid it was going to happen again.”  

He shook his head.  “Also, the dark caves and the number of Galra in there...reminds me a lot of the prison too.”

They are not the same Galra though, Black said.

“No,” Shiro replied, as he shook his head.  “It’s easy to say that, but still can’t help.  I feel like I need to keep my guard up.”

Black purred again to relax him.  But you are going to help them?

Shiro nodded.  “These guys are Galran, but they haven’t done anything to make me suspicious of them.  It wouldn’t be right to ignore them.”

And that is why you are my paladin, Black encouraged.  Still, I might suggest you spend the night here with me.

Shiro sighed.  “I should stay where the others are to keep them safe.”  It made him nervous to have his team out of arm’s reach where he couldn’t protect them.

They are safe, and you are only outside with me, Black replied.  They will understand and are more than capable to watch each other, if such a danger did rise.

Shiro swallowed, but gave a nod.  “You’re right, I know you are.”

Black continued to purr and Shiro leaned back in his chair as he reminded himself that in this moment, he was safe.