#and then she was like ‘well. that’s an idea bc Allura and I have no idea what to do for you bc you like so much stuff lol’

[jocelynships]

Man I wish my ex roommate didn’t refuse to give me back all my old DVDs bc I really wanna go on an 80s movie binge watch and I can’t find them anywhere 💀

[voltronisanobsession]

Hiiiii. Im gonna request again bc i love your writing and want more. So I got this idea while watching the episode where voltron crosses into an alternate reality and they meet Sven and Slav. What if the paladins (specifically Lance, Pidge and Keith) and their s/o had a way of looking into some of their alternate realities (maybe Pidge creates a way to see their alternate realities) only to find out that they are soulmates and fall in love in every reality they exist in together…like BRO SOULMATESSSSS IN EVERY REALITYYYY??? Kill me with fluff plz thnx ❤️‍🔥🥹

Soulmates in all Realities

OMG WHEN I TELL YOU I HAD A SIMILAR IDEA BUT FOR ALLURA!!!! I actually really LOVE this idea, im a sucker for soulmates💔 I had a little trouble deciding how I wanted to format this, but I decided on just writing them out than doing hcs, I really did enjoy this, free therapy. ALSO I WANTED TO INCLUDE HUNK ALLURA AND SHIRO BUT IMMA DO THAT IN A DIFFERENT POST‼️‼️ALSO IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO ANSWER💔💔💔

Lance

The team rushed to where Pidge had urgently called them to, wondering what could have been so important that she needed all of them together. Worried yet confused, murmurs sounded in the room as they all waited for the two final paladins to join them.

Shoulder to shoulder, Lance and you both animatedly spoke to each other, giggles and laughter bouncing off the halls of the castle, entering the room with dumb smiles on your faces. There was one thing that was special yet odd about your relationship, which was how fast and easily you were able to click with each other.

Despite only having met after rescuing Shiro when you all were back on Earth, Lances’ outgoing personality clashed well with your own, immediately creating a strong bond in the first few days of knowing each other. While it was strange for the others to see how fast you both grew close to each other, none of them really bothered understanding why this was the case.

Since knowing Lance, you have always felt a strong pull towards him, a feeling foreign from what the other paladins gave you. You had figured he was just the right person you met at the right time.

Lance however, knew from the second he laid eyes on you that you were different from any other person he’s met. He realized when he began talking to you that it felt more like talking to an old friend he’s known for years than an actual stranger he barely knew.

The chemistry between you two was obvious, and after some time you and Lance finally decided to clumsily confess to each other, leading us to the where we are now.

Everyone quieted down once you guys entered the room.

“What’s with the get together Pidge? We were on our third round of Hunks food.” Crossing his arms, Lance leaned his body against yours, causing you to stumble as you tried to keep your balance from his added weight.

Turning around, Pidge, along with Allura, both looked at the group with open and amazed eyes. “Remember how we were stuck in an alternate reality? I was able to save and keep a small piece of the comet when we were going to examine it! Allura and I weren’t able to do much BUT!”

She took a small mirror like object from the table it was settled on and showed it off.

“We were able to make this! Allura somehow was able to use her Altean magic to merge the comet into a functioning mirror, which can look into different realities! I’ve been messing around with it, this can look through realities based on whoever is holding it!”

The group stared in astonishment until Hunk spoke.

“Cool! Very cool, fascinating actually! But! How exactly is this gonna help us on our battle with Zarkon?”

“Uhh, not that much…” Allura sighed in defeat yet regained her energy.

“It’s really interesting though! When I looked through it, i was able to see myself in different lifetimes and different versions of myself! Thought we would show you guys as well.”

One by one, everyone looked through the small mirror, some smiling at the mirror while others showed conflicting looks on their faces. The mirror was finally passed to where you and Lance stood, eagerly taking it in your hands with excitement.

“Ooooh I wonder how I’ll look like!” You gingerly took the mirror into your hands, looking into it with eyes full of wonder. Once the image cleared on the crystal surface, you immediately recognized yourself in the center. Despite the differences your alternate self had, like your in hair length and unknown surroundings, you stared in amazement. Suddenly a new figure entered the mirrors image.

“Hey! Is that me??” Lance shoved his face next to yours, staring in shock as he saw the two versions of you holding hands and giving each other loving kisses on the cheek. This made you both flush as the group began circling around you, suddenly interested in what was happening.

Once yours and Lances’ face were displayed on the mirror, new images began appearing, each with the same reoccurring scene. In one reality, this Lance, whose hair was past his chin, held you in his arms, spinning you around. Another image flashed as you both stared in shock as you realized both of you were still together in this new reality as well.

Every new image had you guys in shock, eyes wide open until you finally decided to put down the mirror. A thumping had emerged during this time in your head, watching as Lance held onto his head in slight pain. At once, you already had an idea of what this meant.

“If you guys new each other in these different realities, it’s not any coincidence. Are you always going to meet in every universe?” The group stood in silence as Pidge spoke. You looked at Lance, knowing he understood as well from the look he gave you.

One full of pain and remorse, one of pure love. This was no mistake. The universe had always planned for you to be together.

“We’re soulmates.” You breathed out, the words feeling right and true to your heart.

“Soulmates.” Lance whispered, slowly beginning to smile until he lifted you up in the air, laughing with joy.

“WE’RE SOULMATES IN EVERY UNIVERSE!”

Pidge

Pidge fiddled with a mirror like object, watching its surface gleam under the bright lights of the castle. Huffing, she sat up and walked out of her room.

After barely escaping the alternate reality they went through, the group all had to take a breather from any missions.

Not only had Lotor gotten away with the entire comet, but Pidge has had this crushing headache that didn’t seem to go away no matter what she did. Not after meeting hers and yours alternate selves in that reality.

And it seemed that she wasn’t the only one affected by this as you have also complained about an agonizing throbbing in your head after the mission. It only got worse when you guys were near each other. Deciding it would be best to stay away for a while, you and Pidge reluctantly kept your distance in hopes the pain would go away.

But it was days like these that Pidge couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t bare with the nonstop throbbing in her head by herself. She knew it would probably make it worse, visiting you, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. Walking down the long hallways towards your room, Pidge let her mind wander.

Seeing you and her, along with Slav and Sven, made her begin questioning just how little they all knew of the different universes that laid beyond their knowledge. Seeing the way your alternate selves clung to each other, protecting the other from danger, made her smile.

Despite the obvious difference in appearance and names, they really did resemble you and herself, which frightened her a bit. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that you both knew each in that reality and in your own, right?

The closer the young girl got to your room, the more apparent her headache became. Groaning, Pidge knocked on your door twice before she heard shuffling coming from the inside. Slowly you opened the door, eyes tired yet alert as you looked down on your intruder.

“I knew it was you the second I felt my head began hurting again.” Despite the weak smile you gave her, Pidge felt immediately guilty.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just… I just needed to see you.”

Humming, you seemed to be thinking about something before opening the door fully, letting Pidge in. “You’re here already, might as well let you in.”

Pidge smiled and entered the room, immediately flopping on your bed and getting comfortable. You joined her, gently laying down to avoid making the pain worse.

The two of you laid in silence as you held her hand, enjoying each others company while trying your best to ignore the consistent throbbing that wouldn’t go away. It was until you noticed the mirror in her other hand that you finally broke the silence.

“What’s that?” Eyes drifting to where you were looking, Pidge raised the mirror so you can properly see it.

“Remember the comet piece I took for examination? I forgot I had it, so I decided to see what I could do with it.”

Pidge placed it in your hands.

“Those Alteans said that with the comet, they would be able to travel to different realities, so I thought ‘might as well make a mirror to see into other realties.’ I don’t if it works though. I wanted to try it with you.”

Looking at her with wide eyes, you began smiling. It always fascinated you how Pidge’s brain worked. Shuffling up into a sitting position, you dragged her up as well.

“Alright well let’s try this together.”

Not really understanding how to use the mirror, you turned it around until just staring at your own reflection. Suddenly, both of you watched in amazement as the mirrors image slowly warped to a different one.

“What’s happening?” The question was left unanswered as the image slowly cleared up, showing two familiar faces.

In the mirror, it showed what appeared to be you and Pidge, sitting at a table drinking something from their mugs. Their surrounding was unfamiliar, but the smile on the alternate version of yourselves captivated the two of you. Suddenly the mirror began flashing images quickly, each showing different versions of yourselves in alternate universe.

“How-”

Pidge was cut off by a striking pain going through her head. You quickly dropped the mirror, hands going to clutch your head as you whimpered in agony.

Images and scenes flashed through your heads, memories flashing quickly before you could even comprehend what was happening. Whispering from the memories echoed through your head, sounding much louder as your heart beat sped up.

These weren’t your memories. Yet all of them showed you in them. Dressed in various styles of clothing, hairstyles you’ve never had, all the images had your face in each one. And with you, there was one other person present in each memory.

Finally the intense flashbacks came to an end. Huffing, you brought a shaky hand to your mouth to cover the soft sobs that came out of you. It’s not every day your forced into remembering everything from your past lives.

Your eyes slowly drifted to where Pidge now laid starring off into the distance, watching as tears slowly fell down her face. Pidge turned her head towards you, reaching out her arms. You quickly pulled her into a crushing hug, emotions too strong for either of you to speak a word.

“I didn’t think we would find each other in this life time too.” Pidge whispered, her grip unrelenting on you. You let out a watery laugh.

“I guess the universe always planned for us to meet.”

After all this time, the pain that had bothered the two of you finally disappeared, leaving only two found soulmates in its wake.

Keith

“Keith do you know where Y/N is?”

Interrupted from his cleaning, Keith looked up from his blade to look at Pidge. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“No, I don’t. Is something wrong?”

She raised a small object from her side and showed him a mirror. Keith looked at it, glanced at Pidge, then back at the mirror.

“You want to show them a mirror?” Pidge nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! But I can’t find them anywhere. I was wondering if you can, you know…”

Keith finally understood why the short girl came to him. Sighing, he put down his sword and the small rag he was using and got up. He began walking towards the door with Pidge following after him.

Keith had this special… ability. No matter where you were, he always knew where to find you. It was difficult to explain to the others at first, trying not to sound creepy, but as time went on they were able to see what exactly he meant.

Since meeting you after saving Shiro all that time ago, Keith felt this strong pull towards you. Quite literally, it always felt like he was pulled towards your direction as there were times where he would wander around the castle only to see his body led him to where you were.

This happened so often that you even began noticing whenever Keith was around, even if you didn’t see him. But when you told him you didn’t feel the same intense pulling, he thought there was something wrong with him.

It didn’t last long though once he realized you could read him like an open book. Whenever he was upset about something, you would always happen to stumble into him and just know. Like something wrong was happening with him.

He was never able to lie to you about how he was feeling. Not when it seemed like you could look past all the walls he put up. When you could see through all of his confused emotions.

So that’s how you two were able to build up your relationship, him running to you whenever you were in trouble and you knowing whenever something was wrong during an intense mission, just by your gut.

“You know, I always wondered how you know where Y/N is.” Pidge broke the silence causing Keith to look down to her as he continued his walking.

No matter how many times he tried explaining it to the group, they couldn’t fully understand the science behind it.

“I mean. It’s like a force is pushing me to Y/N. My body just knows where to go.” Keith sighed. It was hard even for him to explain.

Pidge let out a thoughtful hum. The two continued down the long halls until they came to a double corridor. The young girl stepped up.

“Wait! Lemme guess which way she’s at!” Rubbing her chin, Pidge pointed to the right hallway, looking at Keith with a smile.

Keith let out a small smile of his own as he headed the opposite way, Pidge letting out a groan as she followed him through the left corridor.

They soon arrived to the hanger where the lions were all recharging. Pidge furrowed her eyebrows as she didn’t see you anywhere.

“I think your Y/N radar is a little off.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have an ‘Y/N radar.’” Walking up to the Black Lion, Keith furrowed his eyebrows once again, wondering what you were doing in his lion. Pidge stood beside him confused as she didn’t know you were inside the lion.

“Y/N?” The boy called out for you, only waiting a few moments before you came jogging outside to see both him and Pidge. You smiled at both of them.

“It never ceases to amaze me how your radar works.” Pidge walked up to you as Keith let out a noise.

“It’s not- ugh whatever.” Keith walked up to you as well, placing a gentle hand on your back, the nonstop pulling settling at last.

“What’s up guys? Did something happen?” You looked confused as Pidge smiled at you with Keith shrugging his shoulders.

“Look what I was able to do with the comet ore I had!” You looked at her with wide eyes.

“Wait you still had some of the comet with you?!” The girl nodded quickly.

“Yup! Allura said I could use it since it was too small for her and Coran to make anything useful with it so boom! I made a window to see into other realities.”

“You make that sound like a normal thing to do.” Keith grunted out as his hand rubbed your back.

Hitting him with your elbow, you rolled your eyes and took a seat on the ground, beckoning her to join you. Once she told you how it worked, she handed you the delicate mirror.

“I wanted to show you first before showing the others. I was able to see myself in other realities and I just found it so AMAZING!”

Smiling, you looked up to Keith who was still standing and patted the spot next you. He hesitantly sat down, his leg touching yours.

“Let’s see if we’re together in these realities.” You joked, causing Keith’s face to warm up and Pidge to gag in the background.

Placing the mirror in front of your face, you and Keith watched in awe as an image slowly began appearing. A foggy figure stood in the center of the mirror, clearing up to reveal you. Or a different version of you. Despite having your face, this version of you looked completely different! You weren’t human in that universe.

“Are you seeing this! Woaaahhh!” You were so enraptured by what you were seeing you barely noticed the new person entering the image when you faced the mirror to Keith.

There walked in what seemed to be a Galra? Yet this Galra had Keith’s face and smile. You quieted down, feeling Keith clutch onto your hand, urging you to bring the mirror closer to him. There you both watched as your alternate versions talked to each other with a soft look in their eyes. The image soon changed showing many different realities of yourselves, each of them with each other.

The mirrors images soon faded only showing yours and Keith’s faces staring back in shock. You slowly placed the mirror on you lap and looked towards Keith. He was staring at the object in your lap still until he felt your stare.

His eyes made contact with yours and then it all suddenly clicked. Why he felt a pull towards you. Why you were able to read his mind so easily. In your reality, you two were always meant to meet.

“I guess we’re…” Keith hesitantly spoke still staring into your eyes with a newfound happiness.

“Soulmates?” You let out a small chuckle of your own cupping his cheek. After the word left you mouth, you felt something twist inside of you. And just like that, a flood of emotions crashed down on you as you felt Keith’s love, confusion, happiness, and fear merge with your own.

You smiled and he smiled right back.

Pidge looked between the two of you in shock and confusion.

“WAIT WHAT?! SOULMATES??”

Both of you looked at her in shock as you guys forgot she was there too. You looked at each other and then laughed at her confusion. Time to tell the others.

[callmelyc]

Angsty post canon concept:

When Allura dies what if the Altean magic she used on Shiro and Lance weakens and that's how ppl find out Lance also died?

Both Lance and Shiro start with symptoms they can ignore and ones doctors brush aside. They get told it's fatigue, they get told it's after effects from fighting In the war like they had for all that time. Neither realize it all starts after Alluras death.

Then they end up with things unexplainable. Things like extreme full body tremors, sudden extreme chills and are icy cold to the touch no matter the temperature. Their bodies ache in the ways they had in their deaths but neither man admits it out loud too afraid of what that might mean so neither is aware they aren't alone is this bizarre and sudden turn of events.

It's not until Lance collapses and is rushed to the Garrison hospital that they discovered it something more.

His body deteriorating from the inside out seen visibly from their newest high tech scans. Rotting, closing down, slowing or lacking proper function like his body has given up. Like his body is referring backwards to lack of life but no one knows why.

It's almost like its frying itself from the inside out, it's path crawling closer and closer to his heart with every passing day like bolts of electricity pulsing more and more upward.

Shiro is the first to realize what it means once Lance is finally giving the symptoms they'd had to pry out of him. He realizes with dread that his fellow paladin has things that match up too close to his own.

He only realizes bc he's felt similar things, only his resemble his own death and he knows for a fact its thinfs in Excruciating pain, a pain he thought no one but himself would ever understand.

To get lance to admit what happened Shiro goes through the scans himself to prove his point. No one enjoys hearing Lances story, Allura hadn't even known she was capable of what she'd done to him So he's worse off than Shiro is and terrified of the idea of dying again this slowly

both get taken to an off planet hospital, one that could preserve their symptoms until the rest of their team and families could find a way to heal them

But without Alluras alchemy No one knew what to do.

First they try talking to the alteans on new altea but none have any knowledge of the alchemy allura had used for them

Then the team spreads out

Pidge uses her ranking in her field to gain any and all database information she can get her hands on

Hunk uses his connections To the Balmera and other species to attempt to find any information on healing abilities that might help

Keith is the most successful, the man he loves and his brother are dying and he wouldn't accept that one bit

He sends all the Blades willing to look for any possible Leads and anyone who might know anything about healing magic or alchemy

Keith is the one who comes across one of haggars old druids, one well versed in altean alchemy and one bitter at what had become of the craft

She had understood, to a degree, what Allura had done to Save both men

She had tied their life force to her own to ground them back to this plane of existence and now that she's no longer tied to one universe her connection has faded and so has theirs

"You must tie them to another life to keep them but this practice is taboo. If this next life dies they will with it."

Keith doesn't hesitate for a moment "just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

He ends up tying Lances life force to his own, Lance so sickly he didn't get a choice and Keith apologizes the entire way

He combs fingers through lances thinned hair hoping it brought any comfort to the man that had no energy to even stay awake anymore "you can be as angry as you want after this, as long as you survive I don't care anymore..."

Shiros husband does the same for Shiro

They know it's worked when their bodies stop dying and start to finally try to heal.

The damage so extensive they both spend months in newly crafted healing pods that do everything to try to reverse it.

Both come out whole, alive and maybe a little worse for wear than before All this took place.

But no one cares so long as they stay alive.

And, if when Keith tells lance what he'd done to save him, Keith earns a strict slap to the face for his recklessness that's followed by a gentle kiss.

Well, no one says a word.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 3

Propaganda Under Cut

Allura

Lots of people (myself included tbh) ship klance (Keith and Lance). In s8 the creators made Allura/Lance canon (but then they killed her off and left the ending ambiguous it was weird). Anyway the fandom treats her like she's the most terrible bitchy woman ever but all she wants to do is end the war and avenge her destroyed home planet. Yeah she wasn't always the nicest or always the best, but you could argue some other characters in the show aren't either and they aren't treated near as bad as allura. people really just hate her bc Lance liked her. I don't think allura/lance are good together, but I still liked her as a character and thought she was interesting and had a lot of growth during the show. she DEF is not evil like some people portray her as in fic or talk about her in captions on posts. I've seen people say that they HATE her and that she's the worst and I'm like ??? let her live (well sort of ig she is dead now). lots of fic writers use her as the villain which is so interesting to me bc the show literally has villains like use them. anyway allura so perfectly fits the bracket description she deserves better.

I hate to acknowledge my time in this fandom but I hate the way the fandom treated her more. Allura was treated like shit no matter what side of the Great Ship War you were on because she was always a threat to the biggest ships (klance and sheith). At best she got put into Background Lesbian or Consolation Prize Shallura (Space Mom-zoned) (She was not a motherly figure btw. She was just Black). At worst she was violently demonized for being ~racist~ (kinda not cool with the alien race that blew up her planet for a few episodes), complete with misogynistic language hurled at her (she got called a bitch sooo much). Allura was a good and cool character and the show did her dirty but the fandom was somehow worse.

i apologise for speaking the dark magicks, but amidst the voltron fandoms many, many transgressions, there were a particular subset of people who just hated this girl. the infamous klance wars of the 2010s kept this perfectly fine childrens cartoon character in the sights of shippers everywhere, and she (and her voice actress im sure) were subjected to years of petty squabble blown up to global perportions. ive seen hate, ive seen rants, ive seen fanfics that made her homophobic. girls been through the ringer, and even though voltron was never the show its fandom wanted it to be, i believe allura deserved better

Every Supernatural Woman

Supernatural is so mean to women and committed to queerbaiting but it still gives Sam and Dean lovers to kill. The writers kill and villainize them and the fans get the few that remain

wincest and destiel shippers cannot handle the idea of their blorbos having a Woman THREATENING their SHIPS god FORBID

It literally used to be a running joke that if a female character got introduced you knew she was going to die soon because fans would react so negatively to her "stealing" one of the boys away from the big ship, whether it be destiel or wincest

[uniquecellest]

I found out apparently DreamWorks made a whole ass other scene/script for Adam/Shiro in the flashback where they're best friends and have been flight partners for four years

And while that sucks just imagine with me two scenarios:

1) Adam still dies and Shiro remembers more of his time with Adam because he never got to tell his best friend how he actually felt despite everyone around them (Keith included) saying that the feelings were mutual but they never got together. Shiro possibly wishing that Adam would ask for Shiro to stay for him. Adam dying thinking his best friend and love of his life is dead. Back in their shared space, Shiro finds a journal and in it are multiple love letters/confessions from Adam to Shiro throughout the years. The second to last one was either pre/post Kerberos with Adam wondering if he's too late to confess, would Shiro stay if he asked? But how could he ask that of his best friend? The last one being just hours prior to Adam being sent out with the other MFE's and Adam admitting that he still loves Shiro after hearing that Shiro is still alive but having the feeling that their last interaction prior to Kerberos was their last one and he wishes Shiro all the happiness in the world.

2) Adam doesn't die. He and Shiro reunite with Keith teasing them bc he's a little brother of course he's going to tease his big brother and his brother's crush. The two talk and get together but keeping it on the down low until after the battle. After all, neither knows if either or both will survive this and they don't want any pity looks if one of them doesn't survive. Shiro is safe in the Atlas, he survives. No one knows about Adam for hours after the final strike, Shiro is worried and only Keith is keeping him sane. Shortly after sundown James, Ryan, Ina and/or Nadia comes in with news of a survivor just miles outside of the Garrison that the rest of the aforementioned found and are bringing back to base. Adam.

Shiro rushes to the infirmary where Hunk, Allura, Lance, and Pidge are wondering why Shiro is jumpy with Keith and Matt remaining calm knowing well that if they freak it only make Shiro worse. Matt makes a comment about Shiro being worried for his boyfriend (Matt's known them for a while and introduced Keith to the idea of tormenting them both with teasing with Matt teasing Adam more bc Keith took Shiro). The others look at Matt for clarification, he gives Adam's name which Pidge freaks put about bc Adam was her favorite teacher and her advisor - also Adam knew who Pidge was and called her Katie when it was just them - and she never knew that Adam knew Shiro or her brother.

Adam is allowed one to two guests at a time and everyone looks at Shiro. Shiro is the only one that goes in and remains all night. The next morning the two go and meet the others at breakfast (Adam discharged), their hands clasped together behind their backs. While the others are still unaware that Adam and Shiro are a thing Matt starts saying *how the biggest flirt from their time at the Garrison has met his match. Which confuses including Keith so Matt goes on about how Shiro was a completely different person during their time as cadets at the Garrison.

*I've seen some people say that Shiro was a lot like Lance when he was younger (I don't know if that's something that was said by the creators or a strong fanon but I love it either way) and I love that so much. I just imagine that it stuns Keith for a minute like he cannot look at Shiro without imagining him saying one of Lance's pick-up lines.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

20. “What were you like before I met you?”

Hmm… let’s make this interesting. Keyleth meeting the Mighty Nein and getting to know them.

20. "What were you like before I met you?" so this happened bc, not for the first time, i read "mighty nein" and saw "bells hells," and, not for the first time, saw "bells hells" and thought "orym." so basically, this in no way resembles the prompt, but it is what i have lol

All of the most important people in the world are leaving, scattering and coalescing into their various war rooms and private councils. The Hells are getting sidelong looks, which Orym can understand; yesterday, they were strangers, interlopers, nobodies—today, they're heroes.

He watches Dorian fall into conversation with his father and tries not to use his keen lip-reading ability to follow every word. He imagines a thousand different ways that conversation could go, but it's up to Dorian to tell him about which one it ended up being, if he wants to. Chetney's been flagged down by one of the Sanctuary's scalebearers, and Orym just has to see the phrase "C-POP" on his lips to know he wants nothing to do with whatever that is. Braius is being reconfronted by Highbearer Vord, but Orym has learned in their scant few hours together that if anyone can lie their way out of trouble, it's Braius Doomseed.

So he takes this moment to find the Voice of the Tempest. He appears at her elbow silently, making the Dwendalian representative she's speaking with jump, but the Tempest doesn't even flinch. "Hello, Orym."

"Tempest." He ducks his head. "Do you have a minute? I don't mean to interrupt."

"Of course." She bids goodbye to the Dwendalian and leads Orym away. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, uh, first I wanted to thank you for those titles, the ones you gave my friends. It...means a lot."

The Tempest snorts ungracefully. "You should have seen the first six drafts." She smiles down at him. "It was my honor, Orym. I know what it is to have the fate of the world on your shoulders. The very least we could do is acknowledge it appropriately."

"What were you like before I met you?" Orym asks.

The Tempest laughs. "Orym, I've known you since you were the size of a housecat."

He flushes. "I know, I mean—what were you like when you were...like me? Part of a group with the fate of the world on its shoulders?"

She drums her fingers thoughtfully along her staff. "Hmm. Well, I was younger," she quips. "More optimistic, I think. Definitely more naive. I really thought that if we tried hard enough, if we cared enough, we could stop all the bad things from happening." She smiles again, this time wryly. "My secret, though, is that most of the time? I still think that way."

Orym's heart sinks a little. "So...you never had any doubt? You just always knew you were going to get the job done?"

The Tempest throws her head back and lets out a barking laugh that draws the attention of the surrounding dignitaries. "Oh, fuck no, are you kidding?" She crouches down then, gets to his eye level in the way that has never once felt to Orym like a parent condescending to a child, but rather someone speaking to their equal. "Orym, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the doubt is there literally all of the time. Even today, putting forth that plan with Vex and Allura, I had no idea how that was going to go, if the others would accept it, if it's even going to work. But the alternative is doing nothing, and I have never been good at that."

"Is that why you're so strong? Because there is no alternative?"

"I am strong, Orym, for the same reason you're strong." Her fingers dance briefly between them, and suddenly, she's holding onto the stem of a pearly white snowdrop. "I'm strong because there are people counting on me to be strong. People I love. People I couldn't bear to let down." She hands him the snowdrop. It is soft and alive in his fingers. "You have those people. I know you do." He doesn't miss the way her eyes flick over to Dorian, who is just now walking away from his father. "And a word of advice? From someone who waited and will carry the regret of that waiting for the next millennium?" There's a twinkle of something almost mischievous in her eye. "Do not take too long to let those people know how you feel. You and I know better than most that you never know how long you have with them."

She stands then, tall and regal, gives him a wink, and glides away, leaving Orym speechless and holding the flower. He watches her disappear into the throngs of the Platinum Sanctuary, and then his eyes catch Zeru Wyvernwind walking down the steps. He stuffs the snowdrop into his pocket and jogs after him, suddenly finding himself with quite a bit to say.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 9

welcome the the ninth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics. 

1. drive me to distraction by @freshia

“Don’t worry, I got all the necessities.” he says, reassuringly, as if that’s what Keith is worried about. And then: “And if you ever want to see your Fall Out Boy t-shirt again, you’ll get in the vehicle! This is a robbery.”

Where Keith is sort of kidnapped for a road-trip with Lance, and is sort of okay with it.

road trip? college au?? best friends to lovers?? pining?? endless tenderness but never saying it put loud?? sign me tf UP. the last lines will fucking kill me every time like i literally have to close my eyes and force myself to breathe deeply. theres something so endless about refusing to speak your feelings out loud but they know what you mean anyway. god.

2. The Courage of Stars by @derryhawkins

The Lions of Voltron can turn into actual lions. Who knew, right? When Allura tells them of this news, Lance is ecstatic. The only problem? Lance figures out that he somehow has one of the strongest bonds with Blue. To keep the others from feeling bad about their own progress, he keeps this information to himself.

It doesn’t take long for certain others to think he’s not taking everything seriously.

this one is more langst than team-as-family, but i still love it deeply. i like it bc it has some nuance for allura, some explanation as to why she struggles to badly to connect with the paladins in the beginning. im not sure the series was ever finished, but this work in particular was, and i loved it! the lance & blue megabond is a treat to read every time.

3. Solar Flare by @heavenlyfires

Accompanied by the scattered applause throughout the ballroom, Keith lifts a slim brown hand in his own and presses a lingering kiss to the palm.

"It’s good to see you, Lance,” he says.

His voice is raw; his face feels naked. Keith’s known for his poker face, but here, in front of Lance, he has no self control. His emotions are spilling over onto his face like tears, too strong to be constrained.

He looks into Lance’s eyes and that suddenly doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

“Yeah,” Lance whispers, a gentle and devastating smile on his face. He reaches a hand up — soft, Keith notes — and tucks some hair behind Keith’s ear. His fingers trace a gentle path across Keith’s jaw; his eyes flick across his face but inevitably come back to meet Keith’s own, the blue in them impossibly seeming warm toned with the full fond force of Lance’s gaze.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Lance says.

Has Keith mentioned yet that he loves him?

"Solar flares occur when a buildup of magnetic energy... is suddenly released.” - Space.com

After almost two years of unbearable distance, Keith and Lance find themselves at a ball, together.

fuckin pining klance and binary star imagery, man. gets me every time. i love me some post canon green sock reality where everything is good and right and keith and lance are somehow still pining like dumbasses, but are whipped to the point of ridiculousness. absolutely love that for them. and the idea of klance as a binary star system will fuckin make me tear up every time fr bc they ARE they are a GOOD TEAM

4. Nine Blocks and To-Go Cups by @jackwillwrite

"Can I have...six things of expresso?" Lance asks.

"Shots?" Keith offers, although he dearly hopes that's not what Lance is asking.

(In which Keith isn't sure how he ended up as a barista working shifts in the god-awful hours of the morning, and Lance is a regular who somehow manages to make it bearable.)

im trying so desperately to hype this fic up and also not spoil it but let me tell u when u get the lil twist ending and the title finally makes sense u will be GAGGED. i know i was. i could not believe what i was reading i wanted to YELL. it was insane and my heart still gets all pumped when i think about it bc i was truly like NO FUCKIN WAY

5. a fissure in my vision by @ink-beneath-her-fingernails

"It appears... Well, the Ranithians were under the impression that we were all adults by Terran standards. When they realized that you four technically aren't, or at least not entirely, they decided to... test you."

"Test us."

Lance's voice is flinty; icier than any of them have ever heard him, and he wears a face to match.

It's not a question.

(Or: Sometimes, the Paladins can't account for everything that might happen. Sometimes, even allies with good intentions can lead to awful things. Sometimes, your own mind is your worst enemy.

And sometimes, being a Paladin really, really sucks.)

words cannot express how much this fic has haunted me. literally the worst possible reality without actually being the worst. yall think you’ve read a crossover before?? think again!! hunk and lance’s arcs especially knocked me fucking flat. like i was just aching for them so so badly. sometimes when i wonder what could be worse (in terms of how much it would suck for the paladins, not how it was written; this was written beautifully) than canon i remember the paladins could have suffered through this

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!  

[seypia]

i am interested in your figure skating au 👀 👀 👀 👀 feel free to tell me Literally Everything About It but also which disciplines do u think everyone would be in, i dont like make fanart or fic anything but in my skating au that is entirely in my head lmao i imagine her in pairs with hunk bc she really has badass pair girl energy

i think the only things i really have down currently are the disciplines (i have a rough idea of the plot too but like that will probably change in an hour)

- allura and romelle are retired singles skaters (used to be coached by honerva until she dropped allura and romelle left)

- pidge used to skate singles when she was younger but then becomes a pair skater with hunk

- lance used to skate singles but when keith arrives he becomes a pair with him

- shiro isn't a figure skater, he's a hockey skater instead

- coran is kind of just A Guy who takes romelle and allura on board as coaches when they leave their ex coach (honerva)

- shay is involved in this au as well and she does ice dance

- nyma is also here in this au, she skates singles and took alluras top spot after her fall

i really wanna involve matt and acxa but like wtf would they do

[kidge-planet]

Pidge's birthday!! (late..)

(contain kidge !! also, I didn't took the time to check for mistakes bc it's late, I'll check tomorrow! hope you don't mind!! )

Hunk rush in the hang out room of the castle of lions with a big smile on his face . Everyone looked at him with concerne .

"GUYS !! "

"what is it big guy?"

Lance said .

"I was one more time looking in Pidge's stufs and despite of finding weird stufs , I took her journal and journal and read it !"

"So what ? "

Keith asked .

"Hey birthday is tomorrow and she didn't told us . WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING!"

Everyone stayed silent and then Lance spoke up:

"Ok Hunk , first , you should stop playing in her stuffs because you know her , if she founds out , she'll kill you .. secondly , what interesting stuffs have you read in her journal? And lastly, how comes she didn't told us ?.."

Lance leaned in the couch with a face full of wonder.

"I can't tell you what I read , She'll get so mad .. and I have no idea of why ."

Hunk answered has he crossed his arms.

"Well. Should we do something? "

Shiro asked, unsure .

"OF COURSE WE SHOULD!! I haven't celebrated a birthday since 10 thousand years! Let's do a surprise party ! "

They all looked towards Allura that was looking exited by the situation and then turned to Shiro, asking if it was a good idea.

"Yeah. Ok. A party sounds fun. that'll clear our minds."

Shiro smiled at them.

"Let's do it then I'll bake the cake! How about a cake that tastes vanilla ?"

Hunk was happily jumping.

"How will you bake a vanilla cake in space?"

Lance asked with a curious look.

"Never said that It'll contain vanilla... ANYWAYS! If someone needs me , I'll be in the kitchen!"

"We should get organised!"

"Yea , the princess is right! ok ... So hunk is baking the cake. Allura , what do you think about you and the mice decorating ? "

"Decorating? that's a job for me!"

Allura jumped but then looked down at the mice that were frowning.

"A job for us , sorry."

she grabed the mice is her hand and smiled.

"I'll help you with that, princess!"

Coran added.

"All right! So they are decorating. I'll be getting a gift because what would a birthday be without a gift! I'll probably need someone to help me choose tho.. Lance? You know Pidge since a moment, right? you might be helpfull with that!"

"Of course! I'll help, you've choosed the best personne to choose a gift, everyone always loves my gift! Plus, I know exactly what to get her! "

"Good! Then Keith, I would like you to keep her busy and away from us while we prepare all that. are you ok with that?"

"Keith looked at Shiro with confusion."

"I mean... Do I realy havve to do that? She is always in green's hangar.. besides, I am maybe not the best to keep her busy.. Why doesn't Lance do it? "

"WOWOWOW!! Are you trying to steal my job? If no, never!! I'll be the one choosing the gift! "

Lance shooted at Keith, frowning.

"Lance, stop. Keith, we need your help with that. just keep her away from us.. Get it?"

Keith sighed at Shiro's words. Not that he didn't liked the idea of spending time with her or not like he didn't like he! He does! she is amazing and he admire her a lot! But, he felt like he didn't had a lot to tell her and that she'll just think he is boring.. That's what other people used to think about him back in school. He didn't wanted her to feel the same so he just oftenly tended to not talk to her out of missions.. ( Even if he felt like the both of them worked well together , he was scared to break that bond they had and even if he doesn't admit it, he is too scaredd to let her get closer because he knew that if one day she went away, he would suffer. A lot. )

"OK!! Everyone knows their mission! go! "

Everyone nodded but then, the door of the room opened.

"Mission? What mission?"

Pidge asked, standing in the entrance.

everyone stayed quiet and then Shiro spoke up:

"we were talking about the next mission!.. you know, we thought that to gather more information could help us a lot.."

'good catch, Shiro.'

Everyone though in union.

"Okkkk? Sure."

Pidge said with confusion in her voice.

they all stayed silent for a few tics.

"Sooo huh, Pidge, what are you doing here?"

Lance asked hesitantly.

"I was ust grabing some snacks and I wondered where everyone was.. Then I heard yelling here so I wanted to check if everything was ok.. But im going to head back to green's hangar.. Sooo... Bye, I guess."

They all awkwardly nodded towards her asshe left the room.

"Well, our surprise party almost blew to our faces.."

Lance complained.

"Yeah, that was close..."

hunk added.

"Ok, so we had to act fast, go!"

everyone walked out of the room, in their way to do what they were assigned to.

Keith walked towards the green lion's hangar. On his way, he was thoughtfull : what am I going to tell her? it's going to be so awkward..

he arrived in front of green's hangar and took a deap breath before to enter.

Inside, Pidge was working on some upgrades for her tech. She didn't notice Keith enter until he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Hey Pidge, what are you working on?" Keith asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Just some upgrades for my tech. What brings you here?" Pidge replied, still focused on her work.

"I was just checking on you, making sure everything's okay," Keith said, trying to keep the conversation going.

Pidge raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's unusual, Keith. Is something wrong?"

Keith shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. We don't really get a chance to chat outside of missions."

Pidge smiled at him, a bit touched by his gesture. "Sure, that sounds great. What did you want to talk about?"

Keith hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. He didn't want to make things awkward between them, but he also didn't want to waste this opportunity to get to know her better.

"Um, I don't know, just...stuff, I guess," he said, feeling a bit lame.

pidge giggled.

"Okkk?? Come, sit dummy!"

He walked awkwardly towards her and sat next to her at a respectable distance but close enough for him to smell her scent.

"So..."

She looked back at her computer and startedback to type on the keyboard before to continue

"What were you guys talking about earlier before I got in the room?"

She raised hereyes to meat his.

he panicked but tried to keep control.

"Huh.. Well.. Like Shiro said.About the mission."

She raised an eyebrow at those words.

"don't tell me shit, kogane."

They both paused a moment, he didn't knew what to answere. He even hhesitate to tell her about the surprise party but then took over his thoughts:

"Look, I can't tell you yet.. Please, don't try to get me to tell you anything beceause I wont."

pidge frowned and created an eye contact that one more time melted Keith in the inside. After a few tics, she undertood that she couldn't get him to tell her and she juste looked back at he computer.

"ok."

She said with annoyance.

He raised an eyebrow.

" Ok? That's all? Wow, didn't though you'd give up so fast."

He teased her friendly.

"Yeah. I figured that I would find out faster myself. But you guys are weird.. I gope for you that this isn't something too bad. Or else, I'll poison your coffee."

She joked.

"It's not too bad, no need to murder us.."

he said with a slightly serious taun.

"Ok emo guy, stop talking about it if you are not going to tell me.."

She didn't got her eyes of her screen.

Keith stayed silent and just looked at her typing in her computer at an impressive speed.

"How did you learn all that?"

He asked in amazement, not even noticing that he said it out loud.

Turned to him again.

"Learned all... What?"

He then realized that he said it out loud and blushed slightly.

"HUH... Well.. All you know about science and tech. I guess."

She thought before to answere.

"I am a very curious person, I think. I love to learn and I think it is passionating. It is pretty complicated to explain but it just making me feel happy. It was Matt that showed me all I know today. When I was younger, Matt was my heroe. I wanted to be a tech genious, just like him. I wish he was there.

Pidge's smile faded away.

Keith got closer, He couldn't help it, he couldn't just look at her like that. She meant a lot to him.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke up:

"Im sure they'd be proud of you. I don't understand a lot of what you do but, what I know is that you're doing amazing. You realy ARE a tech genious. We'll find your family back, trust me."

He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled back before to talk:

"Well, that's realy unlike you keith!"

She giggled as he frowned at her.

"Ho, come on, you know im not god with those stufs.. Im trying my best right now.."

He crossed his arms in embarassement.

She then stoped giggling and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen:

"Thank you, Keith"

They both looked at each other for a few tics. Keith could feel his cheecks getting warm. He couldn't tell why. he still managed to say a few words.

"it's normal... "

They kept talking for a long moment until Pidge fell asleep on her chaire, her head resting in the desk in front of her.

Keith could't help but think that she was cute. He got up and walked closer to her to put his jacket on her back, stoke a hand inn her haires and then leave with a feeling that he had never known before.

'My job here is done.'

He thought as he was walking to the common room of the castel. When the door opened, he let out a gasp.

"Wow."

Allura, Coran and the mice had decorated it all and it was a little... Too much.

"Do you like it?"

Allura excitedly asked has she was walking towards Keith.

"It's.. Coulorfull."

He hesitantly answered.

In the same time, Shiro and Lance entered the room with a surprised expression onn their faces.

"Wellllll.... That's something!.."

lance said, trying to hold in laughters.

Shiro turned to Keith:

"Where is pidge? Aren't you supposed to be with her right now?"

He asked.

"Well.. She was sleeping so I-

The door opened and Pidge walked in.

"AHA!! I knew something was going o-

Everyone stayed silent.

"Happy... Birthday?.."

She asked has she read the banner in the wall.

"How.. How did you guys knew about it?.."

She continued.

"Well..."

they got cut again by hank that entered the room with a cake in his hands.

"Hi guys! Nice decorations! Im sure Pidge would love it! Ho, hey Pi-

he stoped to talk and everything became silent again.

"Keith, you had onne job."

Lance said, frowning.

"He did his job! Im guessing you aked him to keep me busy, and that's what he did! But I knew something was going on so I pretended I fell asleep!"

she proudly said.

"Hold on, you were... Pretending?.."

"yup!"

she blinked toward him, knowing the sweet gestuure he had earlier: lending his jacket and gently troking her haires.

He blushed.

"Well! Thank you guys for thinking of me! that's very sweet! But I still want to know how you knew!"

After they explained it all to pidge, Hunk died, killed by a smoll smoll smollllll girl...

They had theire little party anyways! It was great and Pidge was glad that she had such amazing friends!

they're the bests!

bonus!! :

Lance: SOOOOOO how old are you now? 14?

Pidge:...16...

Lance: WHAT THE QUIZNACK-

(also..:)

(I got a little bored in class...JRJZISHS)

[crystal-rebellion]

Meep, hello! Been thinking about how crossover VLD/DotU Lotura would react to one another and your Beyond the Stars story came to mind, and while I love how DotU Allura immediately befriended VLD Lotor bc he’s so polite and diplomatically inclined, I can’t help but wonder - how do you think DotU Lotor would react to VLD Allura?

Like yes, she has the same temperament and righteous ambition, but unlike her counterpart she’s also so freaking powerful. Of course he would admire her, but would he also feel threatened? And how would she handle his abrasive behavior, since she could easily match him physically?

Anyway, I was just curious. Love your writing and hoping to hear your thoughts!

Ahhhhhh!

Aaaaaaaahhhh!!

(First of all, thank you, thank you, I'm so delighted you enjoyed that story so much - it started off as a silly crack piece that wasn't supposed to be serious, but ended up creating its own actual story.)

Second-- FUN FACT - I too, have wondered that same thing, and have a Part 2 started. I genuinely don't know if this will end up as a story in full, but I very, VERY much wanted to see what DotU Lotor and VLD Allura would do when they met.

Ahem - since it may end up being a sequel story at some point, and it's a little long, I'll drop it under the cut. But, here we go 👇👇

“What is this, Princess?”

“I believe the boys call it popcorn.  It’s something from Earth,” the princess gowned in pink explained, passing the striped bin between her palms to the Galtean emperor beside her.  “It’s good to see you again,” she added with a warm smile.

The strange man from beyond the rift smiled calmly down at her, clawed hands accepting the strange offering of food.

“Our paladins often bring strange delicacies as well.  I’m surprised they haven’t mentioned anything like this. I must ask them,” he conceded, popping a fluffed kernel into his mouth.  “It appears my advice has served you well,” he added, blue irises sliding to glance down to the blushing blonde beside him.

“I won’t say we haven’t had our differences, but yes.  I… shortly after you left, I corralled my courage and spoke directly with Prince Lotor.  We negotiated a cease-fire, and I agreed to offer to help him take his throne.  You were right.  About everything,” she added with a blush.

“And now you are his queen,” he observed in between bites of popcorn.

Allura’s shoulders rolled in a shrug and she gestured to their surroundings.

“It seemed natural.  It took… quite a while to prepare for the strike against King Zarkon, by the time we finally succeeded, we had become close enough that… well, at least I realized I didn’t want to just stay friends.  Or simply allies.  And now here we are, Castle Doom,” she grinned cheerfully up at him, in stark contrast to the gloomy surroundings.

The Emperor wordlessly popped another kernel past his lips, studying her quietly.

“Your husband has a curious taste in decor,” he murmured, his eyes leaving hers as he swept their surroundings, taking in the vast number of empty seats in the coliseum.

The two sat alone alone atop the pedestal marked for royalty, the only spectators to the match below.  The two competitors were none other than their very own partners.

Allura winced as a silver haired-woman hurled her husband across his own coliseum.

“...He’s going to feel that tomorrow,” she murmured, reaching over to steal a handful of popcorn from the emperor’s hands.

“It does indeed leave a bruise,” he murmured, watching his counterpart stagger to his feet and charge back at the woman, a warcry echoing from his lips.

“Are you worried for her safety?”

Allura’s bright blue eyes flickered up to her friend.

“No,” he answered simply.  The statement of faith marked as the warrior woman quickly dispatched her challenger effortlessly.  “Are you worried about him?”

“A little.  I had no idea there was an Allura of such strength on your side of the rift,” she murmured in awe.

Lotor dragged himself to his feet and glared angrily at his opponent.

“He’s certainly determined,” the emperor observed.

Allura coughed before popping a piece of popcorn past her lips.

“You have no idea,” she groaned, drawing a soft chuckle from him. “I’m pleased you’ve returned,” she added.  “It’s been fascinating to meet her.”

“It was very much her idea.  Not,” he paused, his eyes popping wide as he realized the implication and he quickly corrected himself.  “Not that I didn’t wish to return and thank you myself, but she was the one who spearheaded the research to figure out how to control the rift technology once I explained what had happened.”

“It’s such a relief to know it worked.  I had no way of knowing, on my side.  You know, that you had made it, or that she had found you.”

Galtean eyes glanced down at her and he could only exhale for a moment.

“Oh my stars,” she muttered after a moment, her hands covering her lips when Lotor landed on his backside, only to glare across the stadium.  “Please just give up,” she whispered to herself.

“Do you think he will?”

Allura returned his curious look with a flat one.

“Absolutely not.  At some point I’m going to have to go down there and drag him away before he gets a concussion,” she grumbled.  With a huff, she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“They aren’t so bad.”

Allura’s eyes popped wide as his words, coupled with his prior statement, clicked in her mind.  Slowly, she turned her gaze up to the calm man beside her; so vastly different than the one she called her husband.

“Has… did she…?”

A grin split across his lips.

“We had a slight disagreement about something.”

“Are you alright?”

His eyes widened in genuine surprise as he stared down at her in surprise, touched by her concern.  He studied her expression for any trace of derision or jest and found none.

He swallowed.

“I am now, yes,” he answered honestly.

Allura’s worry melted into delight, another cloudbreaking smile splitting across her features.

“Good,” she praised, looking away from him to regard the combat of wills on display below.

Slowly, Lotor returned his attention to the spectacle as well.

“After this, could we…”  He trailed off, hesitant to ask for such favors from his host.

“Would you like to return to Altea?”  Allura grinned, not even needing to hear the rest of his request.  “We wouldn’t even be here if King Lotor hadn’t challenged the Empress to an Honor Duel,” she added dryly.  “Of course he would want to do it here.”

He exhaled weakly beside her.

“...I like the aesthetic of your Castle of Lions better.”

Allura erupted in a fit of giggles.

“As do I,” she agreed.

“...Allura, I believe, would prefer Altea as well.  She… she couldn’t stop talking about it once I mentioned I had been to a place where it still existed.”

A strange mixture of both a warm happiness and a chilling dread settled across the queen’s heart.  While pleased she was able to offer such a thing to the Empress from beyond the stars, it was a chilling reminder that her planet - her people - in some places had not survived Zarkon’s warpath.

“Of course,” she said, her voice tight with emotion.

She blinked suddenly at the duel.

“Oh, this is finished,” she murmured, rising from her seat.  Gathering the folds of her pink and white gown, she bustled swiftly down the staircase toward the railing edging the wall of the pit.  “We concede,” she called out.

Lotor’s head snapped at the sound of her voice.

“I do not,” he called out.  “I’m not done!”

“Yes, yes you are,” she said delicately, smiling gently at her war-bred husband, her palms delicately folding on the railing.  He stared at her for a moment before looking back at the Empress staring at him coolly.

“I can’t lose to her!”

The queen stifled a giggle behind her hand and she shook her head once.

“You already have, Lotor.  I want to go home now,” she added with a pout.

Unable to deny the sunkissed woman anything she wanted, he exhaled and nodded once to his opponent.

“I… yield,” he ground out, the last word twisting in his throat as if it were something vile.

“Thank you.” 

Serpentine eyes flickered back to his wife as she spoke, extending her hand out toward him.  He wasted no time in mounting the wall to stand beside her.

“You were magnificent,” she praised when he only gave a disgruntled look over his shoulder at the silver-haired woman who scaled the wall to curl into the arms of her emperor.

“I lost,” he pouted.

Her fingers curled around the skull belt at his hips and tugged him closer.

“Yes, yes you did.  And that’s alright.  I want to go back to Altea.”

She turned and snaked her arm around his, leading him toward the other couple.

“The Emperor has requested a return to Altea, does that sit well with you, Empress?”

Allura tilted her head to the side as her elfin mirror glanced her way.

“You need not address me so formally,” she spoke, the lilt and cadence of her voice matching her husband’s.

“It seems strange to speak my own name, but, as you like, …Allura.”

“Thank you.  Come, I wish to explore this planet that is both so similar and yet so different from the one I grew up on.  I am pleased it exists still, at least somewhere in the universe.  In… a universe, I suppose.”

“Have you found other realities?  With other… people?  Like us?”

Brilliant blue eyes were riveted on her spirit sister in wonder, fascinated by the technology they had unearthed.

“We have not yet looked, though we suspect yes.  Lotor mentioned he’d left you the blueprints for the modulators… have you not… tried?”

Allura bit her bottom lip and she turned her gaze forward, continuing to glide side by side with the Empress, their partners trailing silently on their arms.

“I was a bit… intimidated by it.  Besides.  The rule was not until we had taken the Empire from Zarkon’s control.  This… peace across the galaxy now is very, very new.”

“My dear, I’ve been offering you the galaxy since I met you.”

The queen scowled at Lotor.

“Yes but I couldn’t trust you, with all your beastly mannerisms and conquering sprees.  What was I supposed to think?”

His nose wrinkled slightly in a scowl as the blonde turned her attention back to a smirking Empress.

“What?”

She didn’t reply to her blonde haired proxy, but instead swiveled her prismatic gaze to an equally bemused Emperor.

“They suit just as well as you predicted,” she murmured, eliciting a blush from the woman on her other side.

When her warlord husband only laughed triumphantly on her other side, her flushed deepened and she smacked his arm lightly.

“Hush,” she scolded. “We’re here.” She released the king’s arm and proudly strode up the ramp to the Altean ship that had brought them to Daibazaal in the first place mere hours ago.

[discordiansamba]

spontaneously remembered this old idea I only ever talked about like, once. Galra merpeople are also carnivorous. half-galra merman Keith who still has a full set of fucking. shark teeth in human form. he has to take vitamins bc he can't digest vegetables but his body still craves certain nutrients that he can't really get otherwise. can't turn human without the help of magic even though he's half-human and has lived on the surface for most of his life.

he briefly went back to the sea after the death of his father to try and find his mother, but didn't have any luck and ended up returning to the surface after a few years. he was officially reported as missing among humans, and eventually gets taken into the Shirogane family. He keeps his mer blood a secret even though he trusts Shiro with his life. ultimately prefers life on the surface.

versus Lance who loves living in the ocean but also likes coming to the surface so he can hang out with his human best friend Hunk. who definitely isn't supposed to know he's a merman but it's fine. Hunk's chill. He has it out for Keith on sight bc he knows a mer when he sees when and does not understand Keith's preference for the surface. what is wrong with you.

Allura who is going to college on the surface because she wants to expand her knowledge of the world. She is going to rule her father's kingdom one day, so she needs to know as much as possible. She chose a history major for this reason but you often see her in like, a dozen unrelated classes as well.

Romelle who is on the surface searching for her brother, who went missing after he went to the surface and never came back. Krolia who had to leave Keith behind to continue her investigation of the disappearance of countless mers over the years. Lotor who presents himself as human, but is lying through his teeth. Pidge and Matt who just moved to this seaside town and are enthralled by the rumors of Mers who walk among them. Shiro who just wants to help his brother find steady work instead of moonlighting between odd jobs.

(Zarkon and Honerva who rule the Galra mers with an iron fist long after their death.)

oh yeah, can’t believe I forgot about the vld merpeople au I had floating around where the Alteans are your Standard Merpeople™ and the Galra are giant deep sea merpeople. they can all turn human to walk on land- alteans naturally and the Galra with the use of magic- although in the latter case while they end up generally “human-sized” they’re still Very Tall and usually purple.

all the canon alteans are merpeople but so are lance and fam!! ofc keith is also half-mer…

[erithel]

Maybe bc I’m his age and I don’t idolize him like the fandom does so i’m not going to go easy on him and I’m going to be that guy: but shiro misstepped so much when he decided who can be leader and he really left Keith some issues for the trouble.

First of all, that’s not his decision to make. Setting aside the whole inconsistent lion stuff, that’s Allura’s decision. She is the head of Voltron and the one who assigned the lions to each person (sans Lance) in the first place.

Second of all Shiro never even informed her OR THE REST OF THE TEAM that he made this decision.

He made a unilateral call and then left Keith to get the brunt of it from the team. Shiro had plenty of time to tell the rest of them, and help get everyone used to the idea that Keith might ‘take over for me so this is how it goes’. Keith is not to blame for keeping the team in the dark, he’s a scared teenager and the team is not to blame for reacting as they did to the news because why weren’t they informed of this in the months they had with Shiro??

Thirdly Shiro didn’t even train Keith on how to lead a team. The solo missions they had together was Shiro just telling Keith “hey remember I am going to die one day so you’re taking over” “i’m going to die, i’m going to die one day soon. Going to die soon” Thank you shiro for that ominous totally not anxiety laden reminder but do you need to constantly tell your abandonment-issue-traumatize-lost-too-many-people brother that you’re a dead man walking??

Fourthly what kind of advice is that for leadership? He never even impressed on Keith the importance of relying on the others for support. He didn’t do that the first time when he went to Kerberos (an adult advice is to try to get Keith to have more peers his age who can be there for Keith so he won’t be lonely) and this time he just forgets that the rest of the team exists accept in the circumstances that Keith has to lead them. A leader relies on the people under them to have their backs and to lean on when they themselves are lacking, but Shiro didn’t even suggest to Keith that he should turn to the others if he needs help. He quickly shuts Keith down every time Keith protests and even if he’s unaware he’s doing it and it’s unintentional, he guilts Keith into facing this leadership role alone.

Fifth, because of the way the writing keeps isolating shiro and keith into their own little corner of arc writing, it makes it seem like Shiro picked the only person he’s familiar or close to and not based on merit. On a bad day I joke that Shiro probably doesn’t even know Hunk’s name because that’s how non existent their relationship and screen time together is. But with this writing it could be true, and shiro isnt around Lance or Hunk or even pidge long enough or as much as he is with keith to make a weighed inform decision.

I know the whole ‘keep the team in the dark’ is for writing effect and to dramatize the whole situation, but shiro didn’t set things up right at all. And if the implication that his spirit is the one influencing the black lion’s decision is to be believed? It’s a dick move and that whole sequence of the other paladins trying the black lion without response is unfair. I know he is dead at the time but he did say he is aware of what is going on outside too, so yeah. -Hunk anon

So to piggyback on what you're saying here, I'll address a couple things.

First and foremost, they should have established if it was ONLY the lions who could choose their paladin, or if it was up to Allura, or if the former leader could help make that decision. Again, it seemed to be a "whenever it's convenient" sort of thing. The one instance where our opinions vary, here, is that I think it would have been most interesting if it was up to the lions, and the lions only, because that would have really hammered in their sentience, as well as the understanding that if a lion picked you, they picked you for a reason. That if they picked you, you 100% deserved to be there. This was undercut by Keith randomly being able to pilot Black, and Allura choosing for them in the beginning. Secondly – you nailed it, in regards to how uncomfortable it was for Keith that Shiro never told Allura or the rest of the team that he wanted Keith to be the next leader. I think Keith knew how it would look – he knew that the others probably saw some favoritism from Shiro, and he knew if he said anything himself, it would be received poorly. And guess what? It was. The minute he let slip that Shiro wanted him to lead, the rest of the team started saying just how much they didn't want him to lead. You can see the immediate regret on his face after he speaks – and he was right to keep it quiet, given the reaction he got. Honestly, who would want to lead after hearing how bad everyone thought you would be in that role?

Most importantly, though, is what you said about training.

And look, one of the reasons I relate to Keith is because in a weird way I've been in his situation. I've been thrown into roles where all I can do is handle it the best way I know how at the time. Training is not having someone watch you and see what you do. Training isn't just teaching someone to copy what you do. Training is giving someone the opportunity to learn from you, while also allowing them to decide how they would handle a situation. If people are trained poorly, or if they are not trained at all, they will take on a new role with the belief that they now have to do everything by themselves. You're the leader, now, so you have to be everywhere at once. You have to help everyone, and you have to protect everyone. Because you're the leader, it's all on you. And the biggest problem, here, is that someone like Keith – who had spent basically his entire life ONLY looking out for himself and ONLY relying on himself – would never think to delegate, which, essentially, is the only way to successfully lead. The thought of delegation would never cross his mind, and he would eventually, and rightfully so, just burn out. I actually really disliked the episodes where Keith was freshly thrown into the leadership role because he had no idea what he was doing, and no one was remotely trying to help him. (I actually put this in my latest fic because it was so frustrating to me lol) It especially annoyed me that, after Shiro returned, he very openly and blatantly didn't respect Keith as the leader, even though Keith was only there because of him. He kept undermining his decisions, and telling him he was wrong in the way he chose to lead.

(I understand that Shiro was technically a clone at this point, but in the early stages how much of it was still him and how much of it was Haggar, really?)

Having someone blindly go into a new position/role/job and then reprimanding them for any mistake or simply telling them they are doing things wrong is not the way to train or lead. It's no wonder Keith wanted to get as far away from that situation as possible. He was told he was meant to take over the role of leader, which he did not want. Then, when he did it out of necessity, he was expected to know everything about it without training or assistance. Then when Shiro returned – the person he felt believed in him the most – he was met with the proof of what he had feared all along: That he would never be as good as Shiro, and that he wasn't meant to either lead or even be a part of this team. I know that Keith wasn't even meant to originally leave the team, but ironically, it's one of the things that makes logical sense, in my opinion.

[corvus--rex]

I've gotten really frustrated with how much I haven't been writing in the last several months. There are a mountain of reasons why, but even when I can sit down to do it, nothing happens (that part at least probably has something to do with my rampant adhd). This 1k start to the chapter has been sitting in my wip folder for a very long time now, and even though I know where the chapter is going (I have an entire outline ffs) I haven't been able to get anywhere with it. So here it is, as much of it as there is, the beginning of the actual chapter 14 (the rest of it is here)

With Keith’s party over, attention shifted back to the Halloween party over the course of the week.  Everyone was working on their costumes, Acxa informed everyone that she was making cupcakes and that Narti had given her a new drink recipe, and Pidge, being Pidge, had decided that she was going to make an oversized – and functional – pocket watch for her White Rabbit costume.  During a break at Oriande the day after Keith’s actual birthday, Lance checked his messages and jumped into the Halloween group chat immediately.

SilkDancer > The Mad Tea Party

SilkDancer: looks like we’re gonna need to change our party venue

TheRedKing: everything ok?

SilkDancer: I just got a text from my Mami 💖 they’re going to have Nadia and Sylvio for the night and just asked if I’d take them out trick or treating bc Rachel won’t be home in time for it and they always buy a truckload of candy for the neighborhood kids

Cinnamoroll: how do your parents feel about us having our party over there?

SilkDancer: I’ll find out brb

SilkDancer: we’re good

SilkDancer: hey, babe, how do you feel about coming along with me and the kidlets

TheRedKing: I think I’ll survive ;p

PigeonBot6000: we were going to use most of the same decorations for this party.  want us to come get them?

DancingQueen: Melle and I can pack them up and bring them to Oriande so no one has to make an extra trip

SilkDancer: love you Lura ❤

“All right, I think that’s everything,” Allura said as she dropped the last box of decorations into Lance’s trunk the next Monday.

Lance closed said trunk and hopped up onto the back of his car.  “Meh, even if it isn’t this is way more than enough.”

“And we’re all still on for Friday night, yeah?”

“Of course.  Gotta have a pre-party party to make sure everything’s set for the party.  And with that, I need to drag Keith off to see Florona for a last fitting before Friday, and then we’re dropping all this off at my parents’.”

“Give them my love and tell them I miss them,” Allura said as Lance slid off the trunk.

“You’ll see them on Saturday, Lura, but of course I will,” Lance said with a laugh.

Quite honestly, Lance wasn’t sure what he walked into or noticed first when he stepped inside Luxite.  Pidge was on her back-of-chair perch snickering, the familiar buzz of a tattoo machine told him that Matt was with a client, and Shiro and Hunk were setting up a table in the front gallery room ignoring the fact that Keith was sprawled across one of the leather sofas looking like he was completely done with every human alive.  One of the five of them was apparently in an odd music mood that day, the scene in front of him set to a mix of The Pixies and Radiohead.

“What happened in here?” Lance asked, sneaking in beside Pidge.

Pidge explained through barely contained giggles.  “So this guy wanted barbed wire – boring in the first place.  But he wanted it around his neck – they never get them finished.  Ever.  And the best part – he wanted it shaped like a hand with the fingers wrapping around from the back.  I saw the ‘sketch’.  It was awful.  I gotta admit, Keith was pretty patient trying to explain why his idea sucks.”

“What the actual fuck.  Even I think that sounds stupid.  Well, I’d better go rescue him from his own wallowing.  We have to go see Florona for a last fitting before the weekend.”

“We’ve got ours all done, although I did have to talk Matt down from trying to order a cheap fursuit off Amazon.  I love Halloween, really I do, and everything that goes with it, but this thing looked like a possessed Easter Bunny.”

“And on that note…”  Lance said and left Pidge to her giggle fit to drop onto the sofa beside his boyfriend.  He immediately found himself with a lapful of exasperated Alpha burrowing into whatever he could reach.

“Why do people have to be…like that,” Keith mumbled.

“No idea.  I’ve asked myself that every time I deal with an aggressive dance mom.  And as much as I would like to stay and snuggle, we have to get to Flora and then drop everything off at my parents’.  Come on, up.  Frank Black and Thom Yorke are definitely not helping with your mood.”

Keith allowed himself to be dragged off the sofa, pausing only long enough on the way out the door to grab his black leather jacket from where he’d left it on the back of the chair Pidge was perched on.  She smacked his shoulders several times for unsettling her, but he only laughed.

“You can’t hit for shit,” he said, still laughing.

“Nope.  But I know that about myself.  I go for the long game.  Watch your back, Kogane.”

Keith raised a single eyebrow at her while slipping his jacket on.  “You forget that I’m also a younger sibling.  You won’t get me that easily.”

Pidge made a show of examining her nails.  “You say that, but we both know that Shiro is about as subtle as a brick with this kind of thing.”

Lance sneaked in beside her, making her jump.  “Yeah, that’s true, but I’m the baby of five.  And my siblings are that sneaky.  Maybe you should watch your back, Holt.”

“HolyfuckingshitLance,” she wheezed, “Yeah, ok, you might have made a point.  But just the one.  And you can’t be here all the time to protect him.  I’ll get him when he’s not looking.”

Keith snorted.  “I think you forget that we live together.  I’m used to his deviousness.”

Pidge scrunched up her face, shoving at them both.  “Ew.  No.  Go away.  Go to your appointment.  I do not need to hear about Lance and his deviousness.”

“Yeah, babe,” Lance said while pulling Keith toward the door, “I don’t think Pidgey wants to hear about our…deviousness.”

“Oh god!  Ew!  No!  Gross!  Get the fuck out of here!”

[halfhappyhooligan]

a voltron au? in 2020? it’s more likely than you think

look. LOOK. i know that voltron is stupid and we hate it but lets be honest: everything up until season 3 was pretty good and had lots of potential !!

today i was rewatching voltron and a thought struck me: what if, instead of shiro being cloned, he was chipped and turned to the side of the galra?

so here it is, i did not blink since i thought of this

(warning, i have not seen voltron in a while and this is just knowledge i have stored in my moss brain and stuff i know from rewatching the first season)

au where shiro goes evil bc of what happens @ end of season one instead of the clone thing bc 1) haggar rly could not have made thousands of shiros after bumping into team voltron like what twice? its hella improbable and 2) just… weird

so instead they insert a chip in him that helps them spy and control him just like kuron (the clone) did minus the unlikely storytelling

eventually after the convo with sendak when he was in the pod trying to temp shirp, he does have thoughts about helping zarkon

(“im already infiltrated with the arm, i could just speed up the process by leaving now. save the team the trouble of investing in a leader that’s doomed to fail from the strart.”)

shiro ends up leaving team voltron in season 2 after zarkon goes crazy w the black lion n stuff

^^ this adds to Keith’s reasoning of joining the Blade of Marmora (shiro is his main stability and one of the main reasons he even stuck around with team voltron, so with shiro gone and keith questioning his place as the leader and paladin of the black lion, he decides the BoM is just.. what’s best for him) 

obviously lance isn’t happy with this (“you just told me that i’m a valuable member, now you don’t think YOU are? what logic is that?”)

ofc keith goes anyways

lance becomes paladin of the black lion

allura takes on the red lion

who has blue lion? ...idk this isn’t that thought out (maybe matt after pidge finds her family) (which will happen earlier in the plot since we can forget about the miniplot of black no longer responding to shiro)

enter lotor only this time he has a sidekick and what omg its shiro wow

shiro has that bigger version of his arm that was once offered to him

he’s stronger and scary, but his eyes aren’t the same, he has the strength of a galra but lacks the passion 

in the fight between lotor and zarkon, (and after, of course lots of self doubt and questioning) shiro comes between them and convinces lotor NOT to kill zarkon

then zarkon kills lotor

everyones like oh shit bc surely someone who’s life was just spared wouldn’t kill the person who seems to have the most power

but he did. bc he’s zarkon. and he’s fckn crazy.

shiro doesn’t go back to team voltron bc its too much too easily

instead he takes the place of lotor in the group of gals 

he convinces them all to rebel against the galra

eventually they teach him all about quintessence and all the shit lotor had planned that they can’t do anymore

(lotor wasn’t harvesting alteans in this universe bc what the heck even was that subplot that had little to no relevance to the main storyline?

instead he was trying to find a way to technologically bring back alteans (kinda like how allure’s dad was originally preserved in s1)

i know nothing about How Stuff Works and i dont remember much about quintessence n shit but the basic idea is that when tying in some of a persons artifacts with technology stuff and some quintessence then boom. a weird route from astral projection land to the team is created and ppl can come back or smth idfk

but lotor was never able to get the comet so shiro decides he and the gals will get that comet and try to bring back as many alteans as they can

^ all this while infiltrating as many galra fleets as possible + saving planets under galra empire

they personally visit every planet that lotor was in charge of and release them from galra control

they are able to bring back an altean (its romelle) and she talks abt her friend who lives on the balmera and they go to the balmera and its revealed that it was shay’s great grandmother so romelle asks where shay is and shay’s family is like with team voltron of course

so

they take her

obviously team voltron, the BoM and the Rebels r very hesitant to make contact but they decide to try it out

keith refuses to meet, instead he’s on the team that stands guard

reunions !! 

romelle and shay hit it off and hunk makes a dinner much like roselle’s past (allura and coran also hang out and they all vibe)

lance talks to shiro abt everything to do with keith and shiro is like dude do u??? like him?

and lance is like what? no ofc not—oh shit.

and keith ✨overhears ✨

pidge matt and shiro catch up n shit

meanwhile keith is like Hey Lance Uhhhhhh What The Fuck

they end up being like hey since we’re all here and we hate zarkon what if we make a plan to end the galra’s reign Right Now

so they do

and y’all.. it’s hella baller plan

except something is going wrong and in the middle of an attack zarkon is able to get the upper hand 

due to haggar’s magic and lance’s mental and emotional instability, zarkon is able to get in his head

everyone is trying to talk him down but they’re all under a lot of pressure

allura is also conflicted bc she wanted to be black lion bc she wanted to rub it in to zarkon’s face that she was stronger than he and that she could beat him at his own game

but the negativity and instability feeds into zarkon’s power and makes him and haggar stronger as they pull in voltron to finally take over the team and regain their status as the most powerful alien race

hunk realizes this and is like okay can y’all stop being negative? its clearly affecting them in a good way and it makes us an easier target

and pidge is like im literally a child pls i don’t wanna die i just got my family back it can’t end like this

shiro realizes what’s going on and he goes to save them

he uses all his energy, pulling in the positive memories (everything: first learning about space, becoming a teacher, meeting adam, meeting keith, first making team voltron, his friends and family--all of it) to push back zarkon and haggar’s powers and battle once more in the astral realm 

in defeating zarkon, shiro loses his life

afterwards keith enters the ship in a hurry and is like where the fuck is shiro where’s my brother what did you do what happened

and team voltron is like hey man.. we are so so sorry

and keith cries because the last thing he ever said to shiro was mean

lance feels like its all his fault since he was supposed to be a good leader

they talk about separately while hunk pidge and allura discuss

krolia is like keith we, ur family, are here for u

and axca is there and shes like um?? hey?? sry for trying to kill u bro

and he’s like i absolutely do not wanna talk i just lost my closest friend

they talk about it later

axca tells keith abt shiro finishing lotor’s work and abt bringing people back and well.. 

they use the methods to help keith visit shiro in the astral realm

shiro is like oh uh hey i was just having a drink w adam we r happy

and keith is like shiro u fuckhead why would u sacrifice urself

shiro sighs bc cmon keith you KNOW why “remember what i always said? we can’t focus on what went wrong..”

“we’ve got to figure out how to make it right” keith finishes

keith breaks tf down crying and screams apologizing

“i love u shiro. ur a like a big brother to me.”

and shiro is like yeah i know and ilyt but hey. everyone’s safe and happy. im safe and happy. & you deserve to be too. you don’t need me anymore.

so the galra rule is over and everyone goes to their respected planets

romelle and the other alteans as well as some galra babes hang in earth

romelle and shay r in an apartment together and have a garden

allura realizes she may not have been the strongest leader for voltron, and  couldn’t stop zarkon on her own but that physical strength doesn’t define her as a whole

her heart is strong enough to care for everyone, so thats what she does

allura starts running an inn for alteans filled with painted sceneries like altea in case anyone ever needs a reminder of home

when lance reunites with his family its a real tearjerker

rachel finally gets her jacket back and veronica is like So.. Axca 👀

the McClain’s host a huge party for everyone and it’s filled with lots of hugs and loud music and even tho lance was way too tired, he danced all night

he wouldn’t trade his family for the world—genetic and chosen

when hunk reunites with his parents they don’t let him out the house for hours, he tells them all about his new best friend shay as well as hundreds of his favorites stories from space

they are so, so proud of him

hunk spends the next days playing minecraft and animal crossing with pidge, giving their brains a rest from being on hyperdrive for 3 yrs straight

when pidge gets home she finally gets grounded by her mom, only being allowed to leave the house to see her old teammates

(same for matt and her dad)

(her mother cries so hard when they opened the door to the home)

the holt family holds movie nights filled with popcorn, cuddles, and tears

keith moves in with the holt family, and finally accepts that he has a home as well as a family

he often goes on trips with the BoM but mostly just stays on earth

after a Team Voltron sleepover in the altea inn keith and lance decide to get an apartment together and live their lives in love and in peace

everyone gets together once a year in celebration of shiro and the sacrifice he made for them

they use the ship to visit Astral Shiro and once they even met adam

everyone laughs and catches up and just... live their lives

everyone is happy

pls ignore any and all errors lmao

again, just a thought !! maybe i’ll write a fic abt it idk for sure but yeah

feel free to add anything <3

[tarantula-hawk-wasp]

been debating for a month which characters to include in a fic idea and which pov to use and that made me think that I truly have a tier list of vld characters that are easier and harder for me to write so ranked from easiest to hardest. all referring to earlier seasons bc that is the only sandbox i will play in.

Shiro - so easy for me bc 1 everything about him every line of dialogue etc is etched in my brain forever 2 im his age (roughly) and understand leadership personalities. I feel quite confident writing his pov

Hunk - I've paid a lot of attention to his dialogue and again characters I understand, anxieties I understand, second favorite character in the show. I wrote his pov once and I felt pretty good about that fic

Coran - the challenge with him is making up appropriate random altean shit but he's an archetype I love and think i could do well

Keith - he would be flexing my writing muscles but I have a grasp on his motivations, his concerns, his balance of awkward and impulsive - but only for early seasons idk what I would do with late seasons Keith

Allura - again with the coming up with Altean stuff to say. tbh she and Keith are tied, while I haven't written her (yet) she's got a challenging balance of duty, grief, and youth that would make me have to think hard about each line.

Pidge - its been a while since i was 14 and she has very different priorities than me, I think I would struggle to ride the lines of conflict between voltron and her family. also having to write technobabble about hacking is booo

lance - writing lance's pov intimidates me more than any other character tbh. mostly bc so many people do so much with his pov and his personality does not click with mine I would struggle to verbalize his priorities and do justice to his balance between goofy and sincere

literally just a list of my opinion based on my brain and like part of me wants to challenge myself to write from everyone's pov at some point but most of me knows i barely do 3 fics a year and my motivation is fragile. I think the nice thing about fandom and fanfic communities is that everyone has different characters and different povs that click with them and that they favor writing.

.

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 73: Care and After

Keith and Lance have to wait two movements to take a pregnancy test. In the meantime, Keith recuperates and some actual work gets done.

And I finally stop shitting on Krolia quite so much, bc I'm nice like that 😇

First  Previous  Next

Krolia stops by while Keith is in a deep sleep, offering the excuse that she’s bringing them more food and returning BleepBloop. Once she’s made her excuse plausible, the offerings placed in the cellar beneath the remaining packages she’d given them a movement ago, she admits her true purpose with a question.

“How is he?”

“He’s fine,” Lance murmurs, brushing hair out of Keith's face. He pushes one foot rhythmically against the wall, letting their hanging bed sway gently back and forth. “The night before last, he had some trouble holding his fever. I ended up putting him in a hot bath. Then last night, his fever broke fully.”

“When his fever dropped the first time, was it a false break or just a drop in temperature?”

“No… It was my fault. It got really cold out, and I forgot to feed the fire. He couldn’t keep up. He was still having chills, and was slightly lucid. He suggested I run him a bath. I don’t think he remembers, though.”

“A dip in fever is pretty normal for a first season. Galra are never as strong their first time around. You handled it well.”

“Mhm. I missed him, though.” Lance smiles, gaze soft as it travels over Keith’s face. “He’s my friend. My ‘Person’, y’know? And I’m his ‘Person’... I don’t know. It just- It felt like he wasn’t here anymore. Obviously, I’ll still be here for him every time, however he wants me, but I think I’ll always like it better when he’s being rude and demanding. Or complaining.”

The Altean’s mouth quirks. “I’m sure I’ll get an earful about something or other when he wakes.”

That quirk rises into a grin. He loves it when Keith gives him a hard time. It’s one of his ways of showing his love, and that he’s comfortable with him. It’s one of Lance’s favorite things.

Keith stirs in his sleep, whimpers against Lance’s throat. Long brown fingers slide up to his ear, massaging the base in just the right spot. Practiced. Caring.

When he glances up to the silent woman, she’s watching, expression perfectly neutral. When she speaks, it’s not bitter, only quiet. “Why couldn’t you be what I wanted you to be?”

“Do you know, I think you’re the first person to ask me that to my face? Most people I meet just give underhanded comments about whatever aspect of myself they take issue with.” Keith settles against him once more, sinking deeper into sleep with a sigh. Lance takes a moment to smile at him. “But either way, it doesn’t matter. I am who I am, and what I am, and if there’s one thing I’ll never apologize for, it’s that.”

Lance tips his forehead to rest against Keith’s. “He calls me his ‘good man’. I need to live up to that.”

“You’d fucking better.” The woman sighs. “I need to get back up to the compound. Take good care of him for me.”

“You have my word.”

 “So… My arm is dead. And your hair is in my mouth.”

“That sounds like a You Problem,” Keith mumbles, even as he shifts in a weak attempt to restore blood flow to Lance’s arm.

“The burdens of being the big spoon,” Lance murmurs, kissing the back of Keith’s neck while subtly trying to get fur out of his mouth. “Feeling any better? You’ve been sleeping all day.”

“A little. Guess I’ll sleep some more, take a bath, eat something, and then…”

“Find a way to keep busy for two movements?”

“Yeah.” Keith finds Lance’s hand slung over his waist, grips it tight. “I know I shouldn’t make such a fuss about this. It’s all chance, not a big deal if we’re not pregnant, but-”

“It is a big deal. Either way, this is going to dictate how the next few phoebs will go, or the rest of our lives. It’s an especially big deal for you, I know. All those social pressures and everything. But it’s ten quintants. We’ll get through it together, just like we do everything else, okay?”

“Okay.” A restless quiet stretches between them. “I need a bath.”

“You really, really do. Would you like me to run one for you?”

“Rude. But yes, please and thank you.”

“Trust me, I need one too.” Lance gets up, ignoring Keith’s grumbling when he does. “I’ll go first. You go back to sleep, or get a snack, okay?”

The prince kisses his cheek, sets one of Krolia’s leaf-meals next to him on their bed. Keith groans, not at all in the mood to return the affection. He’s so grumpy when he’s tired…

Ancients, Lance loves him.

When Keith finally emerges from the den, he’s freshly bathed, long, thick hair still dripping, hanging loose down his bare back. He’s a bit self-conscious, having noticed almost immediately that he’s lost a noticeable amount of weight. 

Lance, while (suspiciously) vocal of his appreciation for Krolia giving them food, is cooking them some fresh fish out front, complete with bread and vegetables. Keith notices that there’s definitely extra food there, no doubt in an effort to stuff him full of nutrients.

“Hey.” 

“Hey- Hi. How are you?” Lance searches him earnestly, looking for clues. 

“I feel like shit. But you probably figured that. Also, my head hurts from keeping my hair braided for so long.”

“Yes, I figured that. Do you want me to dry your hair for you?”

“Yes, please. But leave it loose.” Keith hands him a towel, sitting beside him on the ground. “I could swear I almost forgot what the sky looked like.”

“Well, right now it looks gloomy.” It does indeed, overcast and thundering. The world is cast in grey light, leeching the bright reds from the earth. Lance gently squeezes water from Keith’s hair, glancing regularly at their dinner to avoid burning anything. “Apparently, the storm ‘system’ that came over when your season started is still passing over.”

“Yeah, it happens this time of year. We’re nearing the monsoon season.”

“I thought you didn’t have seasons.”

“We do, but not temperature-y seasons. We have rainy seasons, dry seasons, harvest seasons, rutting seasons, lots of different seasons, but we definitely don’t have winter.”

“Rutting seasons?”

“The elk. They start bugling and mating and all that stuff. Then they calve, and the wolves have their pups.” Keith lifts his eyes to the heavy clouds. “It’s good you’re cooking now. It’s going to rain again in just a little bit.”

Lance finishes, leaving Keith’s hair ever so slightly damp, but at least no longer dripping. The Galra disappears back into the den, comes out with their cloaks instead of the towel. Lance sighs with relief, grateful for the warmth as a chilled breeze tumbles over them. Keith snuggles close, rests his head on Lance’s shoulder.

“Thanks for taking care of me. You did a good job.”

“Aw, thanks, beloved. It was my pleasure.” The rain finally starts, and Lance sighs. “I hope our food’s done.” 

“Seriously. I want to eat everything right now.” Keith grabbed the cast iron pan of vegetables while Lance pulled the rolls from the stone oven and grabbed the fish, sliding them off the roasting sticks and into the vegetable pan.

“If not, I’ll make a fire inside and finish it for us. Come on.”

They’re inside just as it starts pouring.

“So… When do we start thinking about names for our kits?” Keith sets their food by the inside fireplace, gets a fire going to keep it warm.

“Uh… I’m not sure.” Lance peels off his wet shirt, dropping it on the floor. “My grandmother dictated my and Allura’s name before my mother was even of legal age. Depending on which characters you use, ‘Lancel’ means ‘paladin’ and ‘providence’, or it can mean ‘bloody ruler’.”

“Well that’s a bit on the nose.” Keith scoops BleepBloop into his arms, scratching his little belly. “Which characters do you use?”

“My grandmother was an extremely unpleasant person. I suspect she wished for ‘bloody ruler’, but she died before I was born. My father chose ‘paladin’ and ‘providence’, most likely to spite her... What does your name mean?” Lance’s head pops out of a fresh shirt.

“No idea. I’d have to go to Earth to find that out, and no one alive knows where it is. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Do you want our kits to be like you?” Keith pulls a bread roll from the tray, tearing off half and handing it to Lance. He’ll start out slow, so he doesn’t get nauseous, but Keith’s determined to start gaining weight as quickly as he can. ‘Just in case’, as with most everything he does these days. He’s even dialed back on his training, choosing not to resume his sessions with the Blade following the end of his season.

“I’d rather they be like you. I’m untested, and have little in the way of practical skills. You’ve proven your resilience, and your strength. I want them to have that.” Lance throws himself down in his chair by the table.

“I hope they have your mercy,” Keith whispers. He hops up to sit on the table, planting one of his feet between Lance’s legs. “Your balance. Your ability to learn something new. To listen… You teach them how to be charismatic and leader-y, and I’ll teach them how to kill without remorse and make a shelter and fire starting with two sticks.”

“Oh, Ancients! They’ll be unstoppable!” Lance laughs, scales glowing with humor.

“As long as they’re better than Seran and Renli’s kits, I’ll be happy.”

“That is an incredibly low bar, beloved.” Lance laughs, kissing Keith’s knee. 

“Yeah… They deserve higher expectations. Not the best, because that’s not fair, or our best, because that’s fucking stupid, but I want them to be their best, and always strive to improve. Like you.”

“Like us.” Lance smiles. “And I absolutely agree. The other side of that is that it’s up to us to figure out how our children can use their various strengths and weaknesses to succeed in the high-ranking positions they’ll eventually hold.”

“You’re Alfor-ing,” Keith mutters. “You mean we’ll take an interest in our children and be invested in their lives because we’re their parents. We’ll encourage them to pursue their passions and apply them in a way that befits their status, because we love them and are involved in their lives.”

“Oh. Right…” Lance’s ears droop just a little. He looks sad. Probably because Lance never had a parent do that for him.

“Hey.” Keith nudges the inside of Lance’s thigh with his toe. When those blue-and-pink eyes meet his face, Keith’s mind draws a blank. What does he say to someone who’s just been painfully reminded of the neglect he’s experienced? “I love you.”

Lance cracks a smile. “I love you, too.”

“You’re important to me.”

“You’re important to me, too.” Lance sighs. “Can I have a hug?”

Keith smiles, sliding off the table into Lance’s lap, straddling him as he drapes his arms over the man’s shoulders. “Absolutely.”

Keith kisses his mate, careful to work a smile into it. He forgets sometimes just how desperate Lance is to break his family’s cycle, just how afraid he must be of following in his father’s footsteps (or lack thereof). To Keith, Lance is the man who can’t wait to be a father, who’s champing at the bit to be a king. He’s the man who wants to fix everything, even if he knows it’s not possible.

Tipping forward, Lance rests his head against Keith’s collarbone, and Keith twines fingers in his hair.

“My good man, don’t be sad.” Keith kisses, lays his cheek against his head. “You’re going to be amazing, I just know it.”

“I know.” The Altean draws in a great breath. “I know. I just-”

“Shh…” Keith rubs circles into Lance’s back, somewhat alarmed by his mate’s sudden distress. “We’ll do great, my love. I know it.”

“But why couldn’t he?” Lance whispers, voice trembling dangerously. Keith’s hands freeze. “I wanted it so badly.”

“I don’t know why. But you so deserved it.” Keith’s comforting skills reach their limit. “It’s one of the many reasons I want to punch him in his stupid face.”

Lance laughs, kisses the side of Keith’s neck. “There’s the Keith I know and love.”

“Sorry. I suck at comforting people.”

“It’s okay. You’re amazing at comforting me.” Lance pulls back, smiles up at the man in his lap, eyes rimmed with just a bit of red. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Keith leans down, kisses him deeply, hands cradling his face, thumbs sliding over his scales. Lance’s hands find their way under his thighs, lifting him up as he stands, setting him back on the table.

“Mm, how much do you love me?”

“Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

“Never. Not ever.” 

Keith believes his mate, one hundred percent. Not just because Lance’s hands are still on him, but because he just does. 

That doesn’t at all mean that he can’t mess with the man a little.

“We should confront your daddy issues more often.”

“Rude!”

 Quintants later, Lance and Keith have found something to keep them busy: their duties. After movements of neglect, Lanval reports that the people miss them, finding Alfor and Coran (mostly Alfor), less approachable. As a result, the pair are wandering through the imperial library, researching methods of population control and agricultural sustainability. Growth and capacity are constantly at war.

Krolia is on her own ‘research’ mission: how the fuck do Alteans actually think?

“Gentlemen.” Krolia nods as she approaches Shiro and Adam’s table on the other end of the library. “How are you?”

“Well enough,” Shiro says. Adam doesn’t respond, busy composing a message to an associate, named Lanval. Apparently this ‘Lanval’ serves as a sort of spy for the princes, keeping tabs on the general concerns and opinions of the commonwealth and court. “You?”

Krolia hums, lounging in a free chair. “I learned something quite interesting today.” Shiro hums. Adam momentarily lifts his gaze. “It would seem that Crown Prince Lancel isn’t quite what I imagined.”

“Mnh. sounds about right.” Adam doesn’t seem to care how useless his comment is. “How exactly did you finally come to that conclusion?”

“He said he missed Keith while he was in season.”

“Ah.” Adam finally tears his attention away from his desktop, smile more of a smirk than anything else. “He would. He’s sentimental like that.”

“I assumed he liked it any way he could get it, but it seems otherwise.”

“It’s an Altean thing, I think,” Shiro says. “They’re a reserved species, but generally respectful toward their spouses, despite their promiscuity. They can also be very playful with their mates, particularly in private. I’ve observed Keith engaging in playful banter with Lance on more than one occasion. I imagine Lance values that.”

“Lance values what?” Keith peeks his head around a bookshelf.

“You’re affectionate degradation of his character,” Adam says, smiling at the young prince. “Apparently he missed you during your season.”

Keith snorts. “What a dork.” The prince snatches up a scroll. “Hey, dork!”

“Yes, beloved?!” Lance calls from a different aisle.

“You’re a dork!”

“And you’re stuck with me, so what does that make you?” Lance rounds a corner. “Come help me with this. Apparently one of our mines on Arus is compromised. We need to write an emergency missive to close it, because apparently neither the colony nor the natives have the authority to halt production.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Keith frowns.

“We can revisit native citizens’ rights after we get them and our colonists out of dangerous mines, okay?”

“So long as we revisit it… Guess we’d better get to work. Also, we should bring back some windchimes for Hunk’s new kit. Kits love them.”

Krolia watches the two head off to wherever their desk is, Lance taking Keith’s hand, the two bickering back and forth about which one of them is more of a dork. Keith’s tail curls around the altean prince’s ankle, ultimately preventing his escape as he drives a hand into the man’s white hair, leaving it sticking up in all directions.

The prince’s shrieks carry throughout the quiet room.

Adam props his head on his fist, eyeing Shiro with amusement. “Any other anthropological observations you’d like to share, captain?”

“You’re not as chilly as you want everyone to think.”

“Excuse me?” Adam glares, bristling.

“Settle down.” Shiro sips his tea. “I was speaking of your entire species, not you. Though it is interesting that you-”

“Stop talking, or I will make you.”

Krolia settles back in her chair, watching the pair banter themselves, though not in nearly as boisterous a fashion. But before long, her eyes and ears slide in the direction of her son and his problematic mate.

It’s long been her belief that the best thing someone could be is someone like Akira. Someone who’s equal parts frustrated and optimistic, and not above putting their foot down and digging their heels in like a stubborn child. Able to learn, able to understand, able to reach out and extend themselves to others, no matter how different.

Creeping up to observe the pair, watching Lance pour over documents and old, outdated policy, Krolia can’t help but realize that the young Altean is in many ways quite similar to her own mate, right down to the way he’s always giving Keith at least a modicum of his attention, even if it’s to annoy him.

She hates to admit it, but her son could do much, much worse.

With that in mind, Krolia approaches the boys' table. "Have you investigated inspection and mining maintenance procedures and regulations? Perhaps there is some underlying cause."

Lance leans back in his chair, eyeing her carefully. Finally he nods. "I haven't." There's so much caution in his eyes. "Perhaps you'd like to assist with this? We'd appreciate it."

Krolia nods, waiting for Lance to transfer the appropriate documents. A quick scan reveals the problem. "This is extremely outdated, given our peoples' current understanding of physics and changes in mining practices. Let me pulls some documents and I can help you boys draft something new."

Keith wraps his hands around Lance's arm, whispers something in his ear. Lance smiles, nods. "If you would, we'd be very grateful. If you can do that, then we can come up with a plan to help implement new procedures, and provide any resources needed to transition to more appropriate protocols."

It's an unspoken thing, the way Lance gestures for her to sit at their table upon her return, the way he makes room for her books beside his own. When Keith makes tea, there are three cups. When they call for a servant to bring them food, Lance requests three meals. A simple choice -her simple, agonizing choice- means that once again, Krolia has an open seat at her son's table.

She doesn't miss how Lance nudges Keith, the silent look they share. She doesn't miss Keith's smile as he turns back to his letter.

Worth it.