#background shurtis

[stinkyvespepepe]

I hate the way people treat these three

they either villainize Adam, hate on Curtis, or ship Curtis with a random background character just to get him out the way

LET ALL THREE OF THEM KISS DAMN IT

and that means Curtis x Adam too not just shurtis and shadam

[shipposttt]

Ship of the Day: Adashi and Shurtis

Names: Takashi Shirogane (AKA Shiro) and Adam W., and Shiro and Curtis, respectively.

Ship Name(s): Adashi and Shurtis

Original Content: Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016-2018), adapted from the original Voltron series (1984)

Ship info:

Voltron is a show on Netflix following the Paladins of Voltron- the ‘Defender of the Universe’. Fighting a losing battle against the Galra Empire (a volatile alien group who had plagued the universe for millennia, destroying planets and enslaving the races on them), 5 paladins stumble upon one of the sentient lion mecha ships. These 5 ships ‘choose’ their paladin and combine to become the giant robot warrior Voltron as a team- with Shiro (Takashi Shirogane), the paladin of the black lion as the head, the leader. The series follows this group as they try to save the world and defeat the Galran Empire, with varying successes throughout the series.

Now, there were multiple queer ships within this fandom at the time such as Klance (paladins Keith and Lance of the red and blue lions), though the two canon ones were greatly controversial- Shiro and Adam and then Shiro and Curtis. Voltron ran across 7 seasons, with no mention of Shiro’s sexuality until the final season. It is in this season that Adam is briefly mentioned as his dead fiancé who had died in a battle against the Galran’s prior to the formation of Voltron. There is a lack of exploration into this, with a severe lack of character building for him- just getting introduced and killed off in a flashback and a visit to a memorial. Curtis was also introduced this season, as a background character,,, with about 2 lines total. His relationship to Shiro within this time is shown as purely ship captain/crew, with them being shown getting married within a postcard shown within the outro of the epilogue.

Type of Ship: Queer bait/ bury the gays trope

As previously mentioned, this was a very controversial move for Voltron, with fans being outraged, claiming they were queer baiting and feeding into the trope of ‘bury the gays’ and i am inclined to agree (yes, i was once one of these Voltron fans, no, i dont want to talk about that stain on my fandom history/j). By giving Adam no character development and instantly killing him off,  they bought into the bury the gays trope- wherein studios add gay characters to appease calls for representation and LGBTQ+ fans and then dont bother to flesh out the characters, making them one dimensional before killing them off so they dont have to actually display a queer relationship at all. Similarly, there was outrage over Shiro and Curtis, whose relationship was non existent and then just jumped to a singular image of their wedding day, yet again failing to actually explore any semblance of queer relationship within the show. I for one agree with the fans on this subject, feeling as though it was just included to tick boxes and to try to score points with the large amount of LGBTQ+  people within the fandom- which was clear based on their reactions to Pidge (Paladin of the green lion) and their exploration of gender.

Admin🦇

[haljathefangirlcat]

International Fanworks Day: Feedback Fest Recs: Cheating Edition

Or, after reccing some wonderful crossovers on AO3, here’s my crossovers and fusions! Or at least, the ones in English barring the new one I’m going to post on IFD proper on the 15th.

Finnish It! (or, When Typos Get Stuck In Your Head) (Doctor Who/RPF): Eleventh Doctor, Rory Williams, Amy Pond, Tove Jansson. G, background Rory/Amy and Eleven/River. Tiny misfired comment fill for the Eleventh Era Kinkmeme. Pure, simple crack.

Collaboration (The Librarians/Torchwood): Eve Baird, Jenkins, Ezekiel Jones, Cassandra Cillian, Jacob Stone, Jack Harkness, Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones, Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper. G, implied Janto, Jack/Jenkins, and Cassandra/Tosh. Humorous ficlet about the two teams working together.

Ships in the night (Voltron: Legendary Defender/Attila’s Treasure): Keith, Hagan. T, onesided Keith/Shiro and Hagan/Waldhari, background Shurtis and Waldhari/Hildegund. Post-series angst, awkward yet hopeful hurt/comfort, two characters who feel more similar to each other to me than they probably should and my attempt to make them bond over similar experiences that (admittedly) sounds more like a very weird Horrible Histories episode.

The (Willingly Sacrificed) Eye of the Heart (Of The Gallows' God) (Rhinegold & Attila’s Treasure/Boris): Ragin, Otter, Hagan, various others mentioned. T, mentions of Waldhari/Hildegund, onesided Attila/Hildegund, and onesided Fadhmir/Brunichild. Fusion AU with the characters from Stephan Grundy’s  Völsunga Saga retellings filling in for the cast of sharp, bitter, satirical Italian tv series Boris. Does it make sense? In my heart, it does.

Out Loud (Ace Attorney/Twilight): Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright. G, pre-slash Narumitsu. A Fusion AU for the Phoenix Wright Kinkmeme that’s crack on a stick with just a hint of angst.

In Patterns So Unlike The Measured Dance Of Stars (Ace Attorney/Swordspoint): Phoenix Wright, with Mia Fey, Alec Campion, and Richard St Vier all more or less in the background. G, implied Narumitsu, background Richard/Alec, (hinted) onesided Phoenix/Alec. Fusion AU and crossover. Pre-canon for the games, post-canon for the book. A slice-of-life Phoenix Wright Kinkmeme fill to a prompt asking for crossover pairings, but it ended up being the Vague Hints Festival more than actually shippy.

sur nos stèles je veux graver (que nos rires ont berné la mort et le temps) (Ace Attorney/Mozart L’Opéra Rock): Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Costance Weber, Antonio Salieri, the Judge, and a few cameos from other MOR characters. G, Narumitsu, Mozalieri. A Phoenix Wright Kinkmeme autofill that’s not quite a Fusion AU or a crossover, not quite crack or Crack Treated Seriously, not quite me clinging to my sanity or throwing it to the wind in exchange for musical and historical in-jokes. Post-canon for the musical, with a dash of historically inaccurate accusations.

Oldest Companions (Nibelungenlied/Waltharius): Volker von Alzey, Hagen von Tronje, mentioned others. G, pre-slash Volker/Hagen. Mashing together two different poems from the same tradition, each telling a slightly different story about the same characters, for a Chocolate Box Exchange treat. Ambiguously platonic celebrity crushes, first meetings, and implied angst.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Instinct (Part 1/3)

Summary:  In which the paladins are unprepared for the strength of Keith’s instincts and Pidge is taken off guard by her own feelings. Pairings: Keith/Pidge; background Shiro/Curtis

Also posted on AO3 (note: I no longer post to fanfiction.net)

---

Part 1

There was a small, brown package on her desk.

Her desk, in her family's private quarters, and further locked behind a passcode that few people knew.

Pidge frowned when she saw it, barely able to take her eyes off of it as she shrugged out of her casual jacket and hung it on a hook near her door. She'd only been away for an hour, attending another meeting to address the fact that technically Katie Holt never attended the Galaxy Garrison, never mind her instrumental role in freeing Earth from Sendak's control before going on to stop Haggar from ripping apart every reality.

No, no, none of that really mattered once the war was over and the Garrison was placed under the control of the Worldwide Leadership Council, whose proclaimed goal was “peacekeeping” for all of Earth.

Pidge scowled.

Millions of people displaced from their homes, exposed to the cruelties of a ten-thousand year old war, and they were most worried about their public image.

She hated politics. She especially hated them when it stood in the way of her doing anything useful with her time. So what if she'd hacked Garrison records at fifteen, enrolled herself under a false identity, and launched her own personal investigation in the wake of the disappearance of the crew on the Kerberos Mission? They should be thanking her for exposing such a flaw in their system!

Okay, maybe that was too much, but if she hadn't illegally attended the Galaxy Garrison as Pidge Gunderson, she never would have witnessed Shiro's return with Hunk and Lance. They never would have been there to help Keith escape with him. They never would have found the caves where the Blue Lion was hidden for so long. They never would have gone to space, awoken Allura and Coran, and freed so many different planets. Earth never would have been prepared for the invasion.

Pidge would never try and claim full credit for saving the universe, it was fully a team effort, but she knew she played a pivotal role.

She shook her head gently, clearing herself of negative thoughts. She had a mystery to solve and it was much more deserving of her time than dwelling on the way things were being run in the past few months.

Pidge cautiously approached her desk, searching the package for any clue about who could have left it there. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and on top was a tiny note card bearing her name in vaguely familiar handwriting.  She found herself relaxing at that. It was unlikely to be a threat if it was someone she knew well enough to recognize their handwriting.

She was careful not to jostle the package as she picked it up and began peeling away the wrapping. With no indication of who it was from, she let her mind wander to the different possibilities, based on who she'd given her personal code to.

Hunk and Lance were out of the question. The last she'd heard from Hunk, he had made it back out to the Dalterion Belt with his band of chefs (and Shay) and was seeing what food sources the various asteroids and planets in the area had to offer. Lance was busy with the small farm he ran with his family and was always quick to tell her when they were in the area to visit Veronica.

Shiro wouldn't go out of his way to sneak a package into her room when he could just pass it off to anyone in her family or give it to her directly. It just wasn't the way he liked to do things.

Keith was equally as unlikely, though she had to admit, she had no idea where in the universe he was currently located. Once it became clear that Earth was safe, he took up Kolivan's offer to lead a team of his own in peacekeeping efforts. He called when he could and sounded completely wrung-out whenever they talked, but there was a deep-rooted pride in his voice that spoke of how much he was enjoying his work.

It had been a while since she last heard from Coran and Romelle, who were both working hard at establishing order and blending cultures of the past with those of the hidden colony on the newly restored Altea. It was tough work and Coran often despaired at how much of their history was lost. Sometimes he'd send something to Pidge (bypassing all Garrison channels) either for her to research or as a gift, but always with a long note of explanation.

Maybe it was Matt, who knew how much her frustration was starting to get the best of her. He liked to surprise her with little gifts now and again, but like with Coran, he always signed his, if he bothered to wrap them.

Her parents then. Except not, because even they would have signed it or given it to her directly.

Pidge stared down at a metallic green box as she fully pulled away the paper. There was a simple latch on one side and hinges on the other, so she cautiously opened it up, prepared to shut it if there was anything weird or dangerous.

Hair pins.

At least a dozen of them, in an array of colors and styles; some practical and others more ornate, meant to be used as decoration rather than holding hair in place.

Looking over the box and wrapping one last time, Pidge determined that whoever it was from, they were determined to remain a mystery.

She'd just have to wear them in order to show her thanks.

---

Everything was a mess.

Shiro groaned as he received another message requesting a meeting to review Pidge's “questionable” standing in the Galaxy Garrison. He'd spoken openly about his feelings on the subject a number of times – just as Admiral Iverson and Commander Holt had done, as well as many others who knew her – and he didn't see why they needed him to repeat himself for a fifth time. They had it all on record! All they had to do was play any of the last four meetings or read the minutes from them.

But if repeating himself would be what allowed Pidge to get back to the work she loved without being scrutinized over her every action, he would do it. Again and again and again.

That didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed by it.

“Don't they have better things to worry about?” he asked bitterly, more to himself than his current house-guests, one of whom was sitting at his kitchen table eating leftovers.

Kosmo woofed quietly from beneath the table.

“Are they still complaining that I didn't go through the proper channels to dock on Earth, or whatever it was?” Keith asked. “Because we already explained why that wasn't possible.”

“Although highly amusing, I'm not sure Zethrid telling the port administrators to shut up and do their jobs correctly is a proper explanation. Why did you leave it up to her anyway?” Curtis asked, sounding amused. He neatly placed a plate on the drying rack and then reached for the next one, running his soapy sponge over the surface.

Keith shrugged. “She needs the practice. And I figured they'd give us some new bullshit excuse about why we can't dock again, which meant my best bet for smoothing things over was going straight to Iverson. He may not be my biggest fan, but at least he takes the time to listen to my requests instead of denying them from the start.”

Curtis's smile dropped and he looked immediately to Shiro, whose frown was firmly in place. “So we were right. They've escalated restrictions on entering and exiting Earth.”

“What am I missing here? Restrictions are common on every planet,” Keith said.

“Which is why we didn't fight them at first,” Shiro agreed. “You haven't been here since the Worldwide Leadership Council took over operations and have been forcing harsher and harsher restrictions to pass. The official word is that they're afraid an influx of new technologies and cultures could lead to the start of a fourth world war, but...”

Curtis crossed his arms over his chest. “They're clearly targeting the Galra. At least primarily, but there are others who have been affected.”

“Anyone of Galra descent tend to make people uneasy. Its understandable, but not when they're denying entry to known allies. We couldn't have won the war without Kolivan and the rest of the Blade of Marmora, but it seems that all it's taken is a year to forget all of that. Then there's this whole thing with Pidge...”

Keith snapped to attention. “What's wrong with Pidge?”

Shiro was slightly taken back by Keith's quick interest, but it was a chance to rant about another situation to someone who wasn't already in the loop, so he quickly summed up everything going on with Pidge, watching Keith's expression grow more thunderous by the minute.

“She's a hero and they're treating her like some kind of criminal,” he growled, fury in his voice. “No one cared about her age or any of that when we were busy fighting in a literal war, but now it's over and they think they can cast her aside? How can they do that to her, Shiro?” His anger broke, giving way to something Shiro rarely heard from Keith, except when he was concerned about someone he cared deeply for.

“We've been trying to work it out for months, offering any idea that could appease them and let Pidge join Commander Holt and Matt on the Defense Program, but we've made no progress,” Shiro said. “All that's done is had them restrict her time in the classroom labs even more.”

“We think they're trying to force her out. They want to cover up that they were bested by someone who was fifteen when she hacked the system.” Curtis voiced the (until then) unspoken opinion shared by everyone involved.

Keith was quiet for a moment. He reached under the table to pet Kosmo as the massive wolf nudged his leg for attention.

Shiro and Curtis gave him time to mull it over. It was a lot to take in on a normal amount of sleep, and it was clear from the bags under his eyes that Keith clearly wasn't getting enough rest.

It seemed not even Kolivan could train out the way Keith tended to broadcast his emotions, easy to read for anyone who cared enough to pay attention. Shiro could see the emotions playing out across his face – the anger on behalf of the youngest paladin, frustration, the furrowed brows of wonderment, and then stubborn determination.

Keith had some sort of plan formulating and Shiro couldn't wait to hear it.

Shiro gestured for Curtis to sit down with them at the table. (Why he felt the need to clean them every time he came over, Shiro did not understand. The plates were fine. Shiro could do them after he left, but no, Curtis insisted--)

“How quickly do you think they'd give in if I refuse to leave until she looks over the ship we arrived in?” Keith asked them.

“It's unlikely they would at all. They'd insist that you use one of the Garrison engineers and if you refuse that's grounds for imprisonment, no matter who you are. But... we could try?” Curtis sounded unsure of himself and Shiro couldn't help but reach over and squeeze his hand.

Keith raised an eyebrow at the action, but said nothing. Shiro was sure he'd be questioned later, once Curtis was gone for the night.

Curtis continued, slightly emboldened by the comforting gesture. “It's no secret that they don't like that you bypassed protocol and landed here, but they may be more willing to go with what you want if you extend your stay by other means. Like, say, a vacation?”

Shiro quickly caught on. “Not as a pretense, Keith. Contact Kolivan and tell him you're all finally taking some time off.”

“Going to tell me I look like shit next?” Keith asked.

“Not in those exact words, no.”

Violet eyes stared him down from across the table and then Keith tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I know the others would appreciate a vacation, even if they'll complain at first. I have eight others with me and they'll all need someone to show them around.”

“We have volunteers for just that,” Curtis said. “And I think I already know who can show Acxa around. She and Veronica got along well when we were all on the Atlas together. I don't know about anyone else though.”

Shiro was absolutely not volunteering to watch after Zethrid or Ezor.

“So, we take a vacation and on the last day make the request for Pidge to look over the ship?” Keith guessed.

Shiro nodded. “It might help if there are any repairs that need to be made.”

“Oh, like our communications system? Since somehow the Garrison couldn't hear us until we were already coming in for a landing, despite the fact that Kolivan, who is lightyears away, can hear me perfectly?”

“Best not mention that last part,” Curtis advised. “But yeah. It's even better, since Pidge enrolled herself in the communications program when she was here. Regardless of how she ended up in the Garrison, they can't deny that she studied the exact thing you need fixed, and she was good at it.”

Maybe it would work.

Shiro didn't have many positive things to say about the direction things were heading with the stranglehold the Worldwide Leadership Council had on the Galaxy Garrison, but it was more of a chance for Pidge to do something than they'd had in a while.

They just needed to be careful.

---

Even when it was just the four of them, dinner was not a quiet affair for the Holt family. There was always someone talking about the work they'd done that day or a new discovery that was made or even just something funny that they'd seen or heard.

Colleen wrapped up her enthusiastic description of a new variant of Juniberry she helped cultivate and while Sam launched into a round of questions, Matt leaned over to Pidge with a grin on his face.

“You know, Keith arrived today.”

Pidge looked up from her food, already more interesting in what her brother had to say than the ongoing conversation about plants. “Really? Is everything okay?”

“According to Shiro, he's here for a vacation with his team, and the first person he asked about is you,” Matt said, his grin growing wider.

Pidge knew that tone. It was the same one she and Hunk used when teasing Lance about his crush on Allura. She rolled her eyes, not for one second falling for his attempt to get her flustered. “Other than Shiro, I'm the only other person he knows is on base. It doesn't mean anything.”

“What doesn't mean anything?” Colleen asked.

“Nothing,” Pidge and Matt said in unison.

Colleen narrowed her eyes as she watched them pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. After a moment, she went back to her conversation with Sam, though neither Pidge nor Matt dared to bring up the topic a second time, knowing their mom would hone in on it in a heartbeat.

Pidge was thankful that Matt knew better than to involve their parents in his teasing. Their mom would definitely take it seriously, and while their dad would accept it as a joke at first, the more Colleen treated it like a genuine thing, the less he would see it as the teasing that it was.

The last thing she wanted was for them to insist on supervision while she was around Keith. How embarrassing would that be?

“So how's the Defenders Project going, Matt?” Pidge asked, changing the subject completely.

“You know we're not allowed to talk about it outside of the labs,” Matt said apologetically. “But without going into too much detail, it's going a little more slowly than we'd like. There are some new restrictions being passed on what goods can be brought to Earth and by who, and until they work out all of the details, we can't get in the equipment and materials we need in order to continue.”

“Seriously? What are they thinking?”

Sam set down his fork, turning his attention to their conversation. “In a way, it does work to our benefit. We have more time than expected to run checks and extra tests to ensure everything will work the way it's meant to.”

“Except that all we can do is run simulations, which can't account for the differences that Altean tech makes when combined with our own,” Matt pointed out, sounding bitter.

Colleen cleared her throat. “I think that's enough work chatter for tonight.”

Pidge and Matt exchanged a glance, silently communicating: “What else is there?”

“Well then, how about a little good news?” Sam asked. “We have officially been granted permission to host a festival celebrating the liberation of the galaxy from Galra control.”

“Wait, really? Dad, that's awesome!” Matt cheered.

Sam nodded. “I need you all to keep this a secret for now. They won't be making the announcement for another few days, since they're finalizing the location and central theme, so no talking about it to anyone else.”

His family was quick to agree to that and the rest of their dinner was spent trying to guess what a Garrison-run festival would be like.

---

Pidge woke up in high spirits the next morning and, after breakfast, slipped into her comfiest clothing with the intent of finally sitting down to binge the new show Rizavi hadn't shut up about for weeks. With the longer pieces of her hair pinned out of the way with two bright green clips, she flopped down on her bed and reached for her remote.

“Katie, you have a visitor!”

She tried not to groan as her mom's voice rang out, loud and clear. She swore if Rizavi was at the door, waiting to drag her and Kinkade off on another crazy adventure that was sure to land the three of them in Iverson's office, she was going to run away and join Lance on his farm, just to have a moment of peace.

Okay, maybe that was a little extreme.

Pidge would hate living on a farm.

She bid goodbye to her relaxing day in as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her small purse, knowing it was best to be prepared when it came to Rizavi. The other girl wouldn't give her a chance to speak, let alone grab her things. (Honestly, she loved that Rizavi included her in outings, she just wished the pilot knew how to slow down sometimes – a sentiment shared by Kinkade.)

Pidge took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door. “Ri-- Keith?!”

Standing near the front door was Keith, his black hair tied back in a short ponytail, looking mildly uncomfortable in what she assumed was clothing borrowed from Shiro. (The cuffs on his pants were rolled up, for one, and the t-shirt with Godzilla on it had been a gift from Matt.)

Keith smiled softly when he saw her. “Hey, it's been a while.”

Pidge found herself smiling back. “Too long. Welcome back!”

“Did I come at a bad time?” Keith asked, gesturing to her bag.

Pidge glanced down to see what he was talking about. “Oh, no! No, you're fine. I kind of thought you were Rizavi. She likes to drop by unannounced when she has free time and I've learned its better to be prepared before I open the door. Do you want to sit down?”

Keith shook his head. “Actually, I was hoping you would go out to the city with me. Shiro was going to take me so I could pick up a few things, but they called him and Curtis in for some meeting this morning. He suggested I ask you.”

That was not a request Pidge expected to hear from him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go shopping with Keith.

“I'll go, just let me grab Matt's keys,” Pidge said, turning away to grab her brother's passkey from its spot on the counter. She knew he would be down in the lab all day and wouldn't mind her borrowing it. “Mom, I'm going out with Keith!”

“Have fun, dear!” Colleen called back from elsewhere in the apartment.

Keith looked at her curiously as they left, moving out into the hallway and towards the exit. “Why do you need Matt's keys?”

“It'll get us into the garage so we don't need to take the shuttle or ask anyone else to drive us,” Pidge explained as she slid the card into her purse. “Technically I'm not supposed to have one, but the guards don't care as long as I'm careful and get back on time.”

“And here I thought I was the rebel of our team.”

Recognizing it for the joke that it was, Pidge teased back: “worried that I might steal your crown?”

Keith glanced down at her. “Depends. Do the guards really let you leave with a car or does it involve more sneaking?”

“Sneaking at first, but now they know me by name,” Pidge admitted. When he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes. “Well, alright then, King of the Rebels, what's the best story you've got?”

Keith took a moment to think about it, studiously ignoring the stares they received as they walked the halls.

Pidge figured they must have made an interesting sight. Her, the daughter of Sam and Colleen Holt, walking around in starry leggings and a too-big shirt that fit more like a short dress. And then him, almost a stranger to the Garrison after his time away, dressed in clothing equally as ill-fitting.

“I stole Shiro's car once.”

Pidge nearly stopped dead in her tracks. “You didn't!”

“I did,” Keith said with a nod. “He came to my school to talk about the space program and he brought this portable simulator so my class could try it out. I... I was difficult then, is the easy way to put it. Didn't get along with anyone. Didn't want to.”

Pidge had a sarcastic comment ready, but there was something about his tone of voice that had her hold her tongue.

“Anyway, all it took was one stupid comment and I needed to get out of there. Saw Shiro talking to my teacher and figured it was a lost cause anyway – the Garrison wouldn't want some troublemaker like me even if I did give it a chance. So I stole Shiro's car.” Keith shrugged as though it were no big deal. “I got caught, of course, and would have spent the night at a juvenile detention center if it weren't for Shiro speaking up for me. Even after all of that, he said I should apply to the Garrison. And the rest is history.”

Pidge let silence settle between them. She knew that he and Shiro were close, but it was the first time she heard the story of how they met.

“I, uh,” she paused for a moment to recall what they were talking about before. “I ran away from home and joined the Garrison under a false name. How's that for rebellion?”

Keith chuckled. “Not bad, but I punched Iverson and then ran away to live in a house in the desert before he could give me an actual punishment.”

“Wait, wait. Let me get this straight; you stole Shiro's car and you also punched Iverson? And Lance says I have no people skills!” She threw up her hands in defeat.

“So does this mean I'm still the king?”

“For now,” Pidge responded and for a moment had to wonder just what kind of challenge she'd accidentally initiated. But then they shared a glance and broke out into laughter over the whole thing.

They spent the rest of their walk just catching up on what they had been doing for the past few months. Keith spoke of the planets he'd seen and the people he helped, all the while keeping Zethrid and Ezor from terrorizing everyone with their playful antics. Pidge deliberately avoided her issues with the WLC, instead focusing on her personal projects and stories of Bae Bae running rampant through the base.

“Luckily, Iverson thinks she's hilarious and the MFE crew basically adopted her as their mascot, so she's living the best doggy life,” Pidge said as they reached a door to the garage. She took out the keycard and pressed it to the scanner so they could enter.

After a quick glance around to confirm there was no one around who would cause problems for them, Pidge held out the keycard to Keith. “It's your pick.”

Looking confused, Keith took the card. “My pick?”

“I know it's been a while since you last drove here on Earth, and I thought you might like to while you're here,” Pidge said with a shrug. “I normally drive one of the standard sedans, but the choice is all yours today.”

Keith took a moment to look around. There were all of the standard off-road vehicles favored by the Galaxy Garrison, built to handle the harsher terrain of the desert, but there were a surprising number of smaller cars mixed in, likely due to the expanded staff in the wake of the invasion.

Somehow, Pidge wasn't at all surprised when Keith gravitated towards the newest model of their Hoverbikes – one capable of switching between street and off-road modes. While it wasn't red like the one he drove while rescuing Shiro, it did have bright splashes of orange pain set against Garrison gray.

He climbed on first, checking over the controls and getting a feel for the bike, but soon he held out his hand to help Pidge up. While she got settled, he dug through a latched compartment until he found two pairs of goggles and handed one back to Pidge.

“Ready when you are,” Pidge said, carefully sliding them on over her glasses.

Keith took her words to heart and started the bike, which came to life with a humming purr and lifted up off the ground. He carefully guided it through the garage, hyper-aware of Pidge's light grip on his waist.

Pidge waved to the guards when they stopped at the main gate to scan the keycard one last time. “We'll be back by curfew!”

She squealed as Keith sped up on the other side of the gate, sliding her arms fully around his waist so she felt less like she would fly away at any second. Her hair whipped around her face, stinging slightly, and she pressed closer against Keith's back, using him to block the worst of the wind. Her heart pounded in her chest at first, but calmed down by the time they reached Plaht City.

Keith pulled into the first parking lot they found and miraculously found an empty space to pull into. Once he turned off the bike, he helped Pidge slide down and she laughed a little breathlessly, a massive grin on her face. He watched her pull free the hair pins and try to smooth out her hair, realizing after a few seconds that he was staring, and then joined her on the ground.  He pointedly looked away, taking in the changes that they city had gone through.

The rebuilding seemed to have gone well, though there were still a few skyscrapers under heavy construction deeper in the city limits. What really caught his attention were the colorful tents lining the streets, full of goods from all over the universe, and arranged in a way that they didn't block any of the brick and mortar shops who had also thrown up bright banners to entice people inside. All of it did restrict the flow of traffic, however, leaving just enough street space for bicycles and a new trolley system to travel both ways. (Keith supposed that if an emergency vehicle needed to get through, there was enough space as well.)

It was an entirely different Plaht City.

“So, where to first? Or do you just want to walk and pick places as we go?” Pidge asked.

“I just need clothes,” Keith said, warily keeping his eyes on the crowded streets. He swallowed, wondering if he was really up for being surrounded by that many strangers, even with Pidge there to watch his back. There were too many unknown variables for him to be comfortable with.

Pidge seemed to pick up on his worry, because she nodded and said “I know a few good places, so it shouldn't take us long to find what you want. We'll just go until you're satisfied with what you've found.”

The two set off down the street, Keith following Pidge and hoping that she was right. After being in space for so long, he felt grossly unprepared for dealing with large crowds – even with his current peacekeeping tasks. At least with that there were only a few locals he needed to talk to, usually the leaders and those they brought with them to help transport supplies.

Keith kept an eye out for any threats and ways to make a quick escape if it came down to it. He didn't realize he was doing it until Pidge softly called his name.

“We don't have to do this today, you know,” she offered. “You just got back. We could ride around the desert or something.”

It was a tempting offer.

Keith shook his head. “Maybe once we're done, but I don't want to keep borrowing Shiro's stuff.”

“Not a fan of Godzilla? More of a Mothra kind of guy?” Pidge asked teasingly.

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at the silly direction their conversation turned. It did wonders to help him relax and he wondered if Pidge was doing it on purpose. “I think giant monsters are more Shiro's thing. I'm more into cryptids. Local legends. That sort of thing.”

“So not Mothra, but Mothman. Got it.” Pidge grinned up at him, pleased by her own joke.

Keith wasn't going to let her have all of the fun. “Let me guess, you're a Bigfoot fan?”

“They are the classic cryptid, with variations all across the globe, and you can't go wrong with that. Besides, I can appreciate that they've made a game out of teasing Bigfoot hunters over the years,” Pidge said.

(How was that a real conversation they were having? It was surreal.)

“Well, now that I know you've secretly been a nerd this whole time, I have to show you this place Matt and I found. You'll love it!” Pidge excitedly reached for her hand, tugging him along as she began walking faster.

Keith increased his stride in order to keep up with her.

It didn't take long to reach their destination, which was a small clothing shop tucked away in a corner next to a salon and a pizza place. Pidge pulled him inside and cut straight to the back of the store, where Keith quickly discovered the reason for her excitement.

Specialty shirts, separated by their subject matter. Cryptids were all lumped together and sorted by alphabetical order, with a miscellaneous category for any that were more rare. Across the back wall was an even larger section labeled 'Area 51'.

Keith didn't know where to start.

Pidge let go of his hand and laughed gleefully as she dove into the nearest rack. “This is where Matt and I did our holiday shopping. Ooo, look!” She held up a shirt with a picture of a purposefully pixelated image of the Loch Ness Monster.

He snorted in amusement and Pidge went back to her search. While it wasn't a place he normally would have picked to do shopping at, he figured he could at least get a shirt for Pidge, as a thank you for joining him. It was with that goal in mind that he joined the searching, holding u anything interesting for Pidge's approval or disapproval, and laughing at some of the more bizarre (and sometimes inappropriate) ones they found.

They each bought a shirt before leaving, and it was with high spirits that they set off to accomplish the rest of their mission.

Pidge was an interesting travel companion. She could talk about nearly anything and didn't always expect for him to have a reply, but it wasn't idle chatter. She knew a lot about how the city rebuild was going and which parts had been left mostly untouched, versus what had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. More importantly, she did know the shops of the area.

By the time lunch rolled around, he had a decent set of clothes that would last him through his week vacation. After the last one, they grabbed a meal from the food trucks in the area and ate as they walked back to the hoverbike.

“Pidge, thanks for coming with me,” Keith said sincerely. “I'm sure you had other things you wanted to do today and I really appreciate it.”

She slowed down a little, staring up at him with a furrowed brow. “I can do those things anytime, you know? But you're only here for a little while and I'd give up a full week of work to spend time with you.”

Keith felt his cheeks heated up and he looked away from her, hoping she didn't notice. He struggled to find they right response without letting his own feelings spill out. “You, uh, might regret saying that when I tell you I'll be here for at least a week.”

“You are?” Pidge asked in surprise. “That's awesome! And okay, I slightly take back what I said before, because I know you'll want to spend time with Shiro too, but I really did mean it. I... I've missed having you around. More than I thought, actually...” She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts and clearly not expecting an answer.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, tossing their trash into the proper bins once they were done,and then there was no more talk as they drove the thirty minutes back to the Garrison.

[cinnamondocool]

I think one of the reasons I latched so hard onto Curtis is because, as the name of this blog suggests, I have a habit of loving minor and even background characters, sometimes for reasons I’m not totally sure of. Which can get frustrating because they never get much screen time, haha.

I first noticed Curtis during my rewatch of the series before Season 8 dropped. I saw him in Season 7 and on the poster for Season 8 and kept wondering “who is this guy?” I started watching for him in scenes and was excited when I noticed him on the main Atlas crew. During Season 8 I started to develop an inexplicable love for him (especially after the dog scene. He just seemed so sweet and friendly and kind of awkward), and hoped he’d get a name drop at some point (at that point I just referred to him as “Bridge Guy”).

Then came Clear Day. When I saw him in the crowd cheering Shiro on, I joked “He’s more supportive than Adam ever was.” (no hate for Adam or Adashi, I know their relationship was aces before their breakup) Then I started shipping him with Shiro, in part as a joke but as time went on I actually really started to like it. I thought it had a lot of cute potential. I knew it would never happen, Bridge Guy’s just one of those minor characters, it’s just a fun and cute crack ship that no one else will ship. I’m used to having those so it’s fine.

But then!!! The epilogue!!! Seeing one of these very minor characters that I attach myself to get MARRIED to one of the MAIN characters on a show, thus basically thrusting him to the forefront, was just so wild. It felt like some strange vindication for all the minor characters I’ve ever inexplicably loved. So basically I’m just endlessly proud of Curtis for rising above my and everyone else’s expectations and actually becoming something bigger than we ever thought. He’s one of those background characters that I love, except he got out of the background.

[bravepaladinsedits]

Hello! I'm the same anon from that Curtis ask a while ago haha! And I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said! It's still funny how these toxic Klantis say that Shurtis had chemistry when it's obviously Shieth that had the better chemistry than Klance, Shurtis, and even Adashi! Keith have saved Shiro's life so many times and Shiro always supported Keith and they showed a great amount of respect and love for another that I felt like Shiro should've been with Keith, not a background character who's a cardboard cutout or an ex who died 4 minutes after seeing him. As for Klance, I just prefer to see them as friends and nothing more or nothing less. They were just, not right for each other. Anyway, I'm still loving all you're edits! :D

We totally agree with this ask too! They’ll say whatever to save whatever little ego they got left. Sheith is a valid ship and that’s final haha :)

[queenofthenyx]

Shurtis/Curtashi VLD head canon

Kinkade asks to photograph Shiro and Curtis's wedding and they agree, of course. The camera work he did on that alien parasite video was phenomenal. Imagine what he could do with an actually good subject.

Well, Shiro's penchant for putting bunny ears on anyone in a photo with him and many photos without him is getting in the way of some of the more serious, beautiful shots.

He brings it up to Curtis. "Can you please get him to stop putting bunny ears in every photo?"

Curtis is shown the evidence. The Paladin-Only photo. The wedding party photos. The groom and groom shots. Shiro even managed to put the tell-tale bionic bunny ears on Kolivan.

"He's ruining them." Kinkade's self-appointed assistant Rizavi complains.

Flipping through the photos again, Curtis sees their point. He hands the camera back to Kinkade.

"I'll see what I can do." He tells them, off to find his new husband.

Curtis and Shiro spend the rest of their wedding reception diving into backgrounds, giving bunny ears, and generally ruining anyone's hopes of nice wedding pictures.

Cuz fuck anyone who would tell his husband not to be the dorky goofball he really is.

[demiboydemon]

Adashi, Shatt, and background Shurtis Prompt

The Paladins raid a Galra prison planet and find 90 clone Shiros. Some of them are doing push ups, some of them are crying because they miss Earth (or maybe someone back on Earth), and some of them are giving the other Shiros pep talks. Real Shiro marries Adam, and the clones marry Matt, Curtis, or go to other planets to start new lives. One of the the Shiros is straight, so he goes by Straighto instead of Shiro.

Unfortunately, Real Shiro, Adam, and Matt are all friends, and Clone Shiro often tags along with Matt. It’s awkward when they can’t tell the difference between Real Shiro and Clone Shiro, so Matt’s Shiro (clone) grows a Sportacus (lazy town) mustache.

[ao3feed-keithshiro]

Cherry Vanilla

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2MHCI1n

by achaoticwizard

Burning hot desires. Sweet delicious scents. Can demons truly feel complex emotions or is it all lust and anger? Keith is a half-demon, half-human trying to survive alongside his roommate, Lance, avoiding demon hunters, the wrath of God, and angry landlords. Keith has been fighting his demonic side for his whole life, trying to be as human as he can. But as he gets closer and closer to a quarter of a century, fighting his urges becomes increasingly harder. The pain is almost unbearable. It doesn't help that an incredibly attractive baker named Shiro happens to help Keith out during one of his lowest moments. Keith isn't sure he'll be able to fight off these urges anymore.

Words: 8598, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Matt Holt, Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Curtis (Voltron), Lotor (Voltron), Coran (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Demons, SHEITH - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Not Canon Compliant, Demon Sex, Angels, Monster Hunters, Supernatural Elements, keith is half demon half human, shiro is a human who owns a bakery, this isn't exactly incubus but incubus like, Porn With Plot, featuring the following background ships, Lotura - Freeform, Latte - Freeform, Punk, one sided shurtis, Lancelot - Freeform, One sided Keitor - Freeform, Hance - Freeform, more to be added - Freeform, Additional Tags to Be Added

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2MHCI1n

[discoursecatharsis]

What if the point of an LGBT character's story is that they end up marrying some random person? Say, it's a romantic tragedy and the whole point is that in the end they don't end up with the person they were "supposed" to be with, or the characters focused on in the plot realize they won't be happy together and end up finding happiness somewhere else, or I dunno, circumstances keep them apart in the end but the content focuses on a time when they were happy together? Allowed, or no?

Of course that’s allowed. People can do what they want with their characters/stories.

If you’re trying to twist that into being about VLD s8 and Shurtis though, sorry I’m not budging lol. Vld is a special case, there’s evidence of fishiness going on, interviews gave Sheith shippers false hope for something open-ended (”some people will see it as romantic” and “well yeah” when asked if the parallel between Shiro’s ex-bf and Keith was intentional) and then they pulled a last minute marriage to Shiro and a background character, the entirety of Shiro’s character and Shiro and Keith’s relationship/friendship/interactions (or lack of) feeling and or off in terms of writing in the final season. It’s not the same as the scenario you gave here, imo. Yeah the vld creators can do what they want, but fans who followed the show for 2+ years have a right to be upset if they think the ending wasn’t up to par or satisfying, especially in the specific context of vld and s8

[ao3feed-klance]

Open Up Your Loving Arms

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Ja8LXm

by Lyra_Kero

It's been a few years since Shiro's dated anyone. Now that finals are over, Keith's determined that his brother go out and find a man. Or have a man find him. Whatever is fine.

Words: 1603, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Adam (Voltron), Pidge (mentioned), Hunk (mentioned), Matt (Mentioned), Allura (mentioned)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), past shiro/curtis

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Meet-Cute, club, Alternate Universe - College/University, background klance, Shocking I know, I don't know how I feel about Shurtis, but Adashi deserved better, First Dates, broganes, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Siblings, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Flustered Shiro (Voltron), Smooth Adam

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Ja8LXm

[ao3-feed-shadam]

Open Up Your Loving Arms

by Lyra_Kero

It's been a few years since Shiro's dated anyone. Now that finals are over, Keith's determined that his brother go out and find a man. Or have a man find him. Whatever is fine.

Words: 1603, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Adam (Voltron), Pidge (mentioned), Hunk (mentioned), Matt (Mentioned), Allura (mentioned)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), past shiro/curtis

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Meet-Cute, club, Alternate Universe - College/University, background klance, Shocking I know, I don't know how I feel about Shurtis, but Adashi deserved better, First Dates, broganes, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Siblings, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Flustered Shiro (Voltron), Smooth Adam

source http://archiveofourown.org/works/18750688

[ao3feed-voltronlegendarydefender]

Oh no

read it on the AO3 at Oh no

by DarkGardenia

As the drama caused by their haters fades into the background Shiro is faced with a new problem... Getting his best friend a boyfriend!

Words: 583, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of Letters and Fruits

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Curtis (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Curtis/Shiro (Voltron)

Additional Tags: background shurtis, pre-klance, season 8 friendly, curtis friendly, shurtis friendly, curtashi friendly

read it on the AO3 at Oh no

[noirsongbird]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Adam/Keith (Voltron), Adam/Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Lotor (Voltron), Allura/Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk/Romelle (Voltron), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Iverson (Voltron)/Original Male Character(s) Characters: Adam (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Curtis (Voltron), Iverson (Voltron), Sam Holt, Lotor (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Romelle (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura (Voltron) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Past Abuse, Mind Control, Brainwashing, Stalking, Erotomanic Obsession, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Adam is alive, allura is alive, Lotor Is Good Actually, the Kadam and eventual endgame Adasheith are consensual, the Shurtis is not, consent obtained via dark druid magic is not consent folks, Additional Warnings in Chapter Notes Summary:

Takashi Shirogane's wedding should be a happy occasion, attended by family and friends from all across the universe. It should be a celebration of the peace and prosperity they all fought so long, and so hard, for.

Should.

Allegedly, Shiro found his happiness and left the battle behind him. The question is: what did Curtis do to make that possible?

If Adam were being entirely honest, he wasn’t sure why he’d accepted Shiro’s invitation to his wedding. He wasn’t even sure why Shiro had  sent him one, really. They’d barely spoken for months, and Adam supposed that could only be his fault. He’d hoped that things might be better—that they could at least be  friends again—but even though they’d talked out how things had ended between them and Shiro insisted he understood and it was okay, and he forgave Adam for all the awful, shitty things he’d said back before Shiro left for Kerberos….well. Shiro’s attitude suggested something very different.

Adam’s best guess, up until he received the wedding invitation, was that all that talk of forgiveness had been out of pity, or out of some desire not to compromise Adam’s recovery from three years spent enjoying the tender mercies of Commander Sendak. Shiro had tolerated him for as long as it took to be sure Adam wasn’t going to completely fall apart, because Takashi Shirogane was too good a person to let something like that happen. Then, as soon as he was sure Adam was alright—or as alright as he was going to be, under the circumstances—he’d done what he actually wanted, which was to be done with Lieutenant Adam West.

Which definitely did not explain him asking Adam to be part of his wedding party, along with the other Paladins and Emperor Lotor. All of them, Adam got. He even understood why Keith got chosen as Shiro’s best man, and he had to admit, he felt for him, because all through the wedding and his best man speech, Keith looked like he wanted nothing more than to be the one on Shiro’s arm. It was a feeling Adam perfectly understood.

My fix-it for the Ending that Should Not Have Been, because mm, no. Featuring alive Allura, good-all-along Lotor, and dark!Curtis. :3 I hope you guys enjoy!!

[ao3feed-lancelot]

right here waiting

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2F0xpab

by NoirSongbird

Takashi Shirogane's wedding should be a happy occasion, attended by family and friends from all across the universe. It should be a celebration of the peace and prosperity they all fought so long, and so hard, for.

Should.

Allegedly, Shiro found his happiness and left the battle behind him. The question is: what did Curtis do to make that possible?

Words: 4921, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Adam (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Curtis (Voltron), Iverson (Voltron), Sam Holt, Lotor (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Romelle (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura (Voltron)

Relationships: Adam/Keith (Voltron), Adam/Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Lotor (Voltron), Allura/Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk/Romelle (Voltron), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Iverson (Voltron)/Original Male Character(s)

Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Past Abuse, Mind Control, Brainwashing, Stalking, Erotomanic Obsession, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Adam is alive, allura is alive, Lotor Is Good Actually, the Kadam and eventual endgame Adasheith are consensual, the Shurtis is not, consent obtained via dark druid magic is not consent folks, Additional Warnings in Chapter Notes

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2F0xpab

[ao3feed-safeklance]

He's like, the future

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2RJP1O0

by cafri_jonique

Years after the first paladin dinner where the Voltron lions said their goodbyes to the paladins, Keith is in the Blade of Marmora, Shiro and Hunk are aboard the Atlas, Pidge is working at the Garrison on Earth, and Lance is on his farm in Cuba, surrounded by his family.

After Krolia and the rest of Keith's unit insist that he take a break from Blade work, he has nothing to do except sit in his middle-of-the-desert shack back in Texas. That is, until Acxa comes to his door with the offer of actually doing something productive. Or, at least fun. And maybe that fun includes seeing Lance.

Keith is so screwed.

Words: 3365, Chapters: 1/13, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Veronica (Voltron), Acxa (Voltron), Lance's Family (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk (Voltron), Shay (Voltron), Krolia (Voltron), Allura (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Post Season 8, klance, Family, Gay Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), background veracxa, background hunay, little bit of Shurtis, Fluff, Feels, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, additional tags to be added as i go along

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2RJP1O0