#but alluras characterization in this au plagued me

[rueitae]

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough - Chapter 3

Read on Ao3

Keith finds himself a part of a team and he likes it very much. He also has his mom, which is nice. He’s also terrified because he’s 13 and this is the canon equivalent of the pilot episode. (about 3300 words)

~~~~~

“They are children!” Shiro’s desperate voice boomed past the door. “It’d be one thing if they were older cadets, but they haven’t even - they haven’t had their first class yet.”

It wasn’t his loud voice that shook Keith to his core, but rather the way his hero’s voice broke at the end - for him and the other kids - that rattled him. Shiro was so invincible and strong and smart and amazing… 

Keith knew broken when he heard it.

“We have not been given much of a choice,” Allura said sympathetically. “I do not like it either, but I can feel the pull of their quintessence - I’ve no doubt you are all meant to be the Paladins of Voltron.”

“And she’d be right!” Coran piped up. “King Alfor tied the Lions to Allura’s quintessence, she knows better than anyone.”

“Pssst,” Lance hissed annoyingly - yet quietly - in his ear. “I can’t see the alien princess - scooch over!”

Moments later, Lance was squirming to get underneath him and Keith lost his view of the bridge, waylaid to the other end of the door. 

Hunk moved out of Lance’s way and sighed. “Maybe we shouldn’t have eavesdropped.”

“Are you kidding?” Katie aired incredulously, seated on her knees on the other side of the door. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Earth is being invaded as we speak. We all have family there, I want to learn everything I can to help.”

Lance hummed in agreement, chest puffed out in indignation. “I should be in there, I piloted the Blue Lion here.”

Keith frowned. “I thought you said it was on autopilot?”

“Oh burn,” Hunk snickered. 

Lance glared back. “You’re the one to talk, Hunk. You listened in on the entire phone call I had with my m-” His anger faded as suddenly as it appeared, face long as if he’s been abandoned. 

Keith knew that feeling too. 

“Mom,” Lance finished lamely. 

Keith bowed his head in solidarity. Even more than they spy on an adult meeting, he felt like he was intruding on something too personal by just being here. Especially when he’d just found his own mother, and their families are back on Earth - at the mercy of an alien race that he was half of.

There had been a lot for him to process over the last day. Keith wasn’t sure it had quite sunken in.

“We can’t sit here arguing for much longer,” Krolia interjected in the meeting. “Zarkon already has the Red Lion and its been millennia since anyone has seen any of the others. He will be hunting down the Blue Lion and Lance with prejudice. We have to move.”

“We are sitting duflaxes here,” Coran chirped, though his tone is far less peppy than when he awoke from the cryo-pod. “Perhaps we could contact this Blade of Marmora, we could certainly use all the help we can get.”

“No.”

“Princess…”

“I cannot,” her voice broke. “Not yet.” She took a deep breath. “But we do need to move and gather the Lions before Zarkon can.”

Shiro growled in frustration. “Still, there must be someone else…”

“Sendak will be here in two varga,” Krolia interrupted, arms crossed. Her aura carried agitation and restlessness. “At the very least we need to get everyone out of here.”

“We cannot leave the Castle,” Allura fretted. “The Black Lion is locked away in its hangar. It will only open once the other Lions and their new Paladins are gathered.”

Keith held his breath as Shiro takes a deep one. When he opened his eyes, Earth’s best pilot looked worn and defeated. “Then we really don’t have a choice. We can’t let Zarkon have the Lions, can we?”

“Absolutely not.”

Krolia and Allura stared at each other, surprised they had spoken the same words at the same time. 

Allura cleared her throat, cupping a fist to her mouth. “Your home planet has already seen why,” she addressed Shiro. “Voltron is the only thing stopping Zarkon from doing the same to the entire universe.” She bowed her head. “He had a good start ten thousand years ago… I can’t imagine how far he’s come now.”

Keith bit his lip. Across the universe, there were kids just like him whose parents were separated by Zarkon’s stupid war. It wasn’t fair.

He stood before he realized what he was doing.

“Keith, what are you doing?” Hunk whispered harshly.

“I want to help!” 

The adults stared at him in surprise. Righteous fire burned under his skin, angry at Zarkon for doing this to the universe… angry at himself, because if not for Zarkon, Krolia and his father never would have met. 

He got to exist at the expense of the universe. 

Keith decided right then and there that he will do everything in his power to make it up to everyone. 

Coran crossed his arms, looking like his father whenever Keith was in trouble. “I distinctly remember not inviting you kids to this conference.”

Keith opened his mouth to retort, but he doesn’t have to. 

Lance stood next to him, fists clenched with a dark look in his eyes. “I’m already the Blue Paladin, right?” he declared clearly in his best effort to sound authoritative, though it doesn’t take long for his voice to crack, his hands shaking. “That… that means I have to be in talks like this. It's my d-duty...right?”

He sounded so… so alone. Keith knew how that felt, after so many years without any family. 

“I’m helping too!” Katie interjected angrily, popping up between him and Lance. “My family - all of our families - are on Earth. We don’t even,” her face softens, brows creasing in uncertainty and fear, “know if they’re safe.”

The anger still burns, but it began to feel more like a strength; the others backing him up feels more like a warm campfire on a cold night. 

Hunk wrapped an arm around his shoulders, though he faced the adults. “Everyone in the universe is hurting, right? And we can do something about it? We… we should do something.”

“Please,” Keith implored, strengthened by the support. “Tell us what we need to do.”

There was a heavy silence before Shiro sighed, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He nodded. “Let’s focus on what we can do now.”

For the first time since meeting her, Allura smiled. “Thank you.”

Straightening her posture, Allura stepped forward onto a dias at the top of the bridge. As she touched each of the twin pedestals, the room erupted full of stars - a map! On it, the five Lions scattered across the universe.

“The Lions do not take just anyone for their Paladin,” Allura explained. “They each seek individuals with specific characteristics. I believe you five have those special qualities, as Lance has already proven. 

“This is what we must do.”

~~~~~

After declaring his service to the universe, waiting was the last thing Keith expected to end up doing.  

Because apparently the Red Lion didn’t want to be found. 

“The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It’s pilot must rely on instincts rather than pure skill.”

That suited Keith just fine. His instinct had led him back out to the desert, where he was able to reunite with his mother against all the odds. 

It would have been nice to use this down time to ask her about a lot of things - how she met his father, details about why she had to leave, other family he might have. But right now she was with Lance and Hunk, looking for the Yellow Lion. The only other person he wanted to confide in was Shiro, but he was with Katie, looking for the Green Lion. 

Keith’s job kept him at the Castle, sitting on the wide steps that led down to the lower bridge, waiting on Allura for any clue on the Red Lion’s whereabouts. His Lion. One of only five in the entire universe. The only weapon that could defeat Zarkon from conquering the rest of the universe. 

He was thirteen. And the second oldest of the proposed Paladins. 

Keith always wanted to do something important. His father always used to say he would grow up to do amazing things. But he wasn’t even close to grown up - just a delinquent, alien kid (the same aliens conquering the universe, Keith thought has he held himself close). Maybe he should have thought about volunteering to be a Paladin through a bit more before saying anything. 

“Deep in thought, my boy?”

Keith jumped not just at Coran’s voice, but the fact that the red-haired Altean man loomed over him. Friendly countenance or not, his presence chills Keith. Not just that the Galra were responsible for the destruction of his (and the Princess’s) planet, but also they were a reminder that Earth could very well see the same fate. The more he had time to think, the more Keith realized that their situation was incredibly vulnerable. They may have the universe’s most powerful weapon, but Earth may as well be a hostage. 

“It’s nothing,” Keith lied, pointedly looking away. 

Coran somehow took that as an invitation to sit beside him. 

“You kids are being very brave,” Coran said, his tone carrying a tinge of sadness and plenty of sympathy. 

Keith clenched his fists, curling his knees to his chest. He knew all about sympathy. Adults always looked at him like that - before getting to know him and then never seeing him again.

He doesn’t want that to happen with his mother. At least he knew she hadn’t left because she hated him, but now he’s terrified she will change her mind when she gets to know him. Blame him for not keeping Dad alive. 

Keith doesn’t realize he was shaking until a hand on the shoulder stopped him. 

“Keith,” Coran said softly. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine,” Keith responded quick enough that even he knew it was too quick. “I just don't want to screw up. This is important.”

Coran took him into a hug before Keith knew what was happening. 

“I am sorry that this is a burden you must bear. I swear I will do everything in my power to help.”

Coran doesn’t let go and the longer he was held, the less Keith wanted to let go, instead intertwining his fingers on the cloth of Coran’s suit. 

“And I know your mother will as well,” Coran continued, as if knowing exactly what was on Keith’s mind. 

Even if it doesn’t come from Krolia herself, it’s nice to hear. 

A light cough broke Keith from the peace. He leaned up and away from Coran as Allura approached them.

“I have found the whereabouts of the Red Lion,” Allura told them, though she does not look happy about what should be excellent news. 

Keith’s stomach churned. What if the Red Lion doesn’t choose him? What if Allura was wrong? “Where is it? I… I should try and go get it, right?”

Allura shook her head. “No, not until the others are safely back. The Red Lions is… it is on Sendak’s ship. I cannot send you there on your own in good conscience.”

The thought of going on one of the Galra warships on his own terrified him. It wasn’t like lashing out at school, the Galra would not send him away with a harmless punishment. The memories of the early invasion footage run through his mind, of robot soldiers killing indiscriminately - they would shoot him first if he were to go on the ship, no questions asked. 

But they needed the Red Lion. Everyone was already doing their part, except for him, even though he’d been the first to promise his help. 

“I can do it,” Keith insisted, his voice sounding much clearer than he felt. “We have to have all the Lions to form Voltron right? That’s what the Blue Lion told us back on Earth.”

“Not at the risk of your life, Keith. There will be far too much of that in the future,” Coran said. “If we wait for the others, we can come up with a plan together.” 

Patience yields focus, is what Shiro would say.

~~~~~

Keith couldn’t afford to be patient in the end and yet he knew this was now the stupidest thing he had ever done. 

But there was no turning back now. The pod he’d borrowed was destroyed.

With no weapons and no armor of any kind, Keith ran down the corridors of the Galra battle cruiser. He passed rows of magenta light and dark grey walls, but every few minutes he arrived back at the same purple insignia. 

Keith huffed. “You have to be kidding me,” he wheezed, utterly deflated. Perhaps he should have listened to Allura and Coran, and taken Shiro’s mantra. 

Patience yields focus. 

Keith breathed in. Then out. Slowly.

The Blue Lion had called to him in the desert. He may not have been destined to be its pilot, but perhaps he could talk to the Red Lion like he had the Blue Lion. If the feeling was similar, all he had to do was concentrate. 

So Keith closed his eyes, and reached out. 

He looked and looked, his mind coming back to Krolia finding him, the news reports on the television before they all went out, the pain and sorrow when his father died, the loneliness he’d felt since then. The fire of anger burned bright the more he thought of all the innocent people being hurt.

An amazing thing happened, Keith felt like smiling. He felt the ember of the others backing him up like… like teammates. Like friends. There were coals igniting under the relationship with his mother and a steady blaze of Shiro’s promises - promises that he had so far kept. 

A roar - a slightly higher pitch than the Blue Lion - echoed in his mind. 

Keith grinned and opened his eyes. “Gotcha.”

He ran unhindered, following a trail of ashes he hadn’t seen before, not even stopping when he reached giant double doors. They open and Keith doesn’t spare them another thought as he finally stops and beholds the Red Lion. 

With no enemies in sight, Keith slowed to a walk, catching his breath. The Red Lion was even more awe-inspiring than the Blue Lion, every inch of it felt like a raging inferno but Keith was not afraid, even if it was the element that took his father from him. With Red, he felt he could save anyone from a fire. 

Just like Dad lived to do. 

With renewed conviction in his promise to save the universe from Zarkon, Keith dared to place a hand on the force field Red had around itself. All Lance had to do was knock, maybe Red just needed a touch. 

Nothing happened. 

An icy fear threatened to cover all the embers of joy in his heart. If he wasn’t the Red Paladin, who was? Keith’s entire plan was based on flying out with Red - he has no other way to escape. He’d already taken such a huge risk getting here. 

Clinking footsteps sounded in the distance. Keith gasped and turned to look towards where the hangar door was still wide open. Robots that made up the core of the Earth invasion force lined the corridor two across. He had nothing to fight with, if Keith doesn’t do anything, he would die. 

A control panel was only a few feet away from him. Opening the airlock would be suicide without any protection on.

Keith gulped and turned to the Red Lion, acutely aware of his own trembling. 

“Allura says you’re one of the good guys, and that we might be a good match,” he began, his heart beating faster and faster as the footsteps grew louder. “I don’t want to die yet - I just met my mom and I might have friends for the first time ever. I don’t - I don’t want to lose that. So please,” Keith begged. “Please help me. I want to defend the universe.”

Red roared louder than before and its eyes flashed yellow.

~~~~

Keith moaned in contentment. His pillow was soft and his position warm. Large fingers ran through his hair and he smiled, the light scratching could only be coming from Krolia. It felt… nice to be cared for like this. He wanted it to continue. 

“I should do a perimeter check,” Krolia said softly. “Sendak and Haxus could have escaped, they aren’t idiots.”

“You stay with the Paladins,” Coran answered. “I’ll have a looksie around. I’ve still got the strength of a Yxthulax and the mind of a Teveran even after all that time in the cryo-pod.”

Keith had no idea what those things were, nor did he care much as long as he could continue resting. 

Forming Voltron had been… exhilarating. Never had he ever felt so connected to a group of people. Defenders of the universe, Shiro had said after the battle. Keith smiled and curled up in delight at the memory. This was his team, so unique in the universe that it couldn’t be compared to anything he knew of. They were going to save everyone - save Earth - he was sure of it. 

“I can go,” Shiro interjected. 

“You should be sleeping, Shiro. That battle took much out of you,” Coran advised. 

“I’m not really sleepy,” he countered. 

“Then look after your team.” Keith could almost see the soft smile on Coran’s face. “I haven’t seen a group so exhausted since the original Paladins all got the flu together!”

Shiro afforded him a half laugh. “All right. Thanks, Coran.”

Keith flipped over onto his back as the door whooshed closed behind Coran. “What time is it?” he groaned, still in a sleepy fog. 

Lance and Hunk are sprawled out next to each other across the room and Katie was similarly fast asleep slumped over on Shiro, who sat alert with his back against the wall. 

“You still haven’t slept enough,” Krolia said gently. “None of you have rested since before we left Earth.”

Keith’s eyes wander to Shiro, expecting him to still be angry for going after the Red Lion himself. But instead, the Galaxy Garrison pilot smiled warmly. “She’s right, Keith. You were really brave today. Scared us all half to death,” he admitted, “but if you hadn’t gone after the Red Lion, I’m not sure we’d all be here now.” He sighed lightly, eyes downcast as if accepting a truth he would rather not. “I’m going to have to trust you all a little more. We’re a team now and we have a big job to do.”

“And you will not be alone,” Krolia added firmly. “The Blade of Marmora already has a network of spies that runs deep into the Empire. We will have safe harbor at headquarters so that you can prepare your bodies and minds.”

Keith frowns and shifts to sit up. “Train you mean? But we formed Voltron. We can go after Zarkon and end this. Earth is in trouble now. What about…” his gaze wandered over to his new teammates. He doesn’t know Lance and Hunk’s families, but he’d spoken to Matt Holt a time or two, and Katie’s father practically wrote half the coursebooks he’d been asked to buy. They were all still back on Earth… while he had everyone he cared about right here in this room. 

It didn’t seem fair. 

Krolia wrapped an arm around his shoulders and brought him in close, a comforting hug that Keith melted and clung into. “You’re a good person, Keith. Just like your father. Don’t ever lose sight of that.”

Shiro offered and easy, tired smile of his own. “We’ll go back, Keith, I promise. When we have allies and a plan. We’ll save them, I promise.”

A soft rumble in the back of his mind supported Shiro and Krolia both, a consistent hearth that hasn’t left him since the Red Lion opened up to him back on Sendak’s ship. 

Each one of them had chosen him. The least he could do was give that trust back.

[angst-in-space]

voltron fic recs april 2018

fics added to my fic rec masterlist in april 2018. check out the link to the masterlist to see all my previous fic recs! happy reading ✨

To Dance Till Dawning || PunJedi || Keith/Lance || T+ || 79.5k || chs. 3/3 (complete)

"If it wasn’t for the goddamned rabbit, Lance wouldn’t be in this mess."

Somehow on a detour to a date, Lance manages to get himself embroiled in a war that ended millennia ago, a shady sickness plaguing the Kingdom of Altea, and one very disagreeable, very emo púca. He really, really should've stayed home.

"Keith had screwed up. Royally screwed up. Zarkon plus Haggar plus Lotor plus Alfor plus Allura level of royally screwing up."

Somehow, out for a run in the forest, Keith manages to find himself involved with a kingdom that wanted nothing to do with him, the ghosts of his past, and one incredibly annoying, incredibly talkative selkie. He wished he had stayed under his rock.

my notes: this fic really blew me away, and honestly i'm shocked it doesn't seem to be that well-known...y'all please shower this fic with kudos or i stg. but in all seriousness, this is a really brilliant au. it's a faerie au which is something i don't think i've read before––i was so excited to hear about it and it exceeded my (already very high) expectations. the world-building is incredible, the characterization is perfect, the plot is so engrossing, all the friendships/relationships are developed so well and the klance is so sweet. i recommend this one so highly omg.

follow your heart (and follow my lead) || loulola || Keith/Lance || T+ || 43.4k || chs. 3/5 (incomplete)

It takes winning a gold medal at the Olympics for Keith to realize that he’s reached an impasse in his life. His career as center position for Team Canada’s olympic ice hockey team is flourishing- there’s a gold medal in his hand, after all. But the medal, a coveted achievement, hangs heavy in his hand, dead weight dragging him down. It brings him no satisfaction. He’s... stuck.

Then he meets Lance McClain, Team Canada's best shot at a gold medal in olympic figure skating. It's no secret that Lance is talented, and he captivates everyone on and off of the ice- Keith included. And it's Lance who convinces Keith to take the biggest risk of life: leave ice hockey to pursue figure skating, with Lance as his guide and partner. 

No one said it would be easy.

my notes: Olympic au where Keith is a hockey player and Lance is a figure skater but then Lance convinces Keith to give up hockey for figure skating. Really nicely written, wonderful characterization, and the Klance in it is really sweet. It's just such a fun fic!

it’s you that’s haunting me || perfchan || Keith/Lance || T+ || 37.4k || chs. 6/6 (complete)

Keith is a loner; his interactions with others tend toward clumsy or strained, but he has a persistent enthusiasm for the paranormal. Lance is a recent college grad; caught up in his day-to-day, he wouldn’t call himself unhappy, but suddenly feels that his life lacks direction. When Lance is introduced to Keith’s ghost hunting videos, his interest is piqued and he can’t help but want to tag along. Initially opposed, Keith soon finds himself warming to the company of the living.

A little tongue-in-cheek, a little cliché, and a little bit of a slow burn. A not-too-serious ghost hunting AU.

my notes: i love ghosts/ghost hunting so i was so excited for this and it definitely lived up to my expectations! this was genuinely spooky and a lot of care/detail went into all the haunted settings. plus the klance dynamic in it is perfect, and their banter is so well-written and funny it had me laughing out loud. but they're also so sweet and caring with each other, too. all-around just super fun to read.

All The Way Down || speaks || Keith/Lance || T+ || 39.4k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

“You make it sound like we’re going into battle,” Hunk laughed worriedly on Lance’s other side. “I thought this was like, some kind of carnival.”

A chortle bubbled of out Coran’s throat as he slapped his side in amusement. “Some kind of carnival, he says! What an understatement! Allura, I think it’s high time to show the paladins precisely how and where we’re going to be spending the next three days. After you, Princess.”

A happy, childlike grin rapidly overtook Allura’s regal professionalism, and then a brilliant chink of light shone into the castle hall as she opened the front doors to the mountain they’d landed on twenty minutes ago.

Lance went slack-jawed as his eyes adjusted to the white-blue light of Krossin’s distant neutron star, and he almost stumbled as he and the other paladins followed Allura and Coran out onto the grass to take in the view laid out before them.

This place was a utopia.

my notes: at first glance this sounds like just a fun little "oh the team goes on some trip to a space carnival and wacky shenanigans ensue" but trust me it's much more than that. yes, there are plenty of wacky shenanigans, but also this is quite the emotional rollercoaster (pun intended). the setting, first of all, is super detailed and vivid and so creative. but also the characterization is fantastic and the klance is so well done. (side note: if you like pining lance then man....you gotta read this one.) i actually teared up a couple times reading this. trust me, it's that good.

I know nothing else, I know only this || laallomri || Keith/Lance || T+ || 28k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

“I feel like I’m in a bad teen movie,” Keith says as they creep down the hallway of the base.

“Well, we are sneaking out,” Lance says, “and we’re lying about where you’re gonna be the next few hours. If we really wanted to be accurate I’d have thrown pebbles at your window and you’d have climbed down a tree.”

He’s walking a little ahead of Keith, so he glances back at him, frowning. “If Kolivan’s in charge of the base, does this make him your dad in this scenario?”

“I think he’s too old for that,” Keith says. They round a corner, tiptoe down another hallway. “Maybe he’s the grandpa.”

In which Keith finds time in the midst of defending the universe to live out some of the tropes of a corny teenage romance.

my notes: this fic was so cute and made me smile so much! the humor in it was great and it made me laugh a bunch of times, but also keith and lance are so sweet and earnest with each other in it. also just wanna say hunk is characterized super well in this and there's really great hunk & keith friendship moments as well. 

(Don’t) Ghost me || spiritcrimson || Keith/Lance || G || 3.1k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

Here’s the thing: Lance is used to rejection. He’s been rejected plenty, and sure, it stings for a while, but then it fades, and he’s back in the game. Namely, back to swiping through people on Tinder.

But when Lance runs into the guy who ghosted him, and he's been moping over ever since, randomly, at a cafe they were supposed to go to for their date, he realizes the Universe is either sending him a sign, or just mocking him. Knowing Lance's luck, it's probably both.

my notes: binch i love rom-com/meet-cute scenarios so i loved the premise of this and it was so good! keith and lance are both so in-character and adorably/realistically awkward. 

say my name (and every color illuminates) || Talking_Bird || Keith/Lance || T+ || 27.8k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

Lance never thought he had a soulmate, but when he finds himself dreaming about a boy on Varadero Beach and in a southwestern desert, he learns they have an incredibly rare soul link–-one that allows them to form an unusually strong bond before they meet, but also exposes their greatest vulnerabilities to each other.

my notes: man, how do i even begin to describe how much i love this fic? it's seriously one of the most beautiful fanfics i've ever read. it's really soft and atmospheric, but it also packs a huge emotional punch. i'm telling you ... it takes a lot to make me cry, but there were several (several!) points in this fic where i literally could not read through the tears streaming from my eyes (some happy tears, some sad tears). what can i say? jessie is a genius and she has absolutely blown me away once again. you gotta read this one because it's absolutely stunning.

my own fics that updated this month:

red skies || Keith/Lance || T+ || 39.1k || chs. 4/?? (incomplete)

Lance doesn't know where he comes from––only that he was found in a forest on a distant planet when he was an infant, with no sign of his origin except a blue talisman around his neck. Nowadays he's content to travel the universe with his best friend Hunk, scavenging and selling goods. But that all changes when a girl named Pidge hitches a ride with them, and in the same day the trio finds a crashed ship carrying nothing but a boy with no memory of who he is ... and a red talisman that matches Lance's.

previously recommended fics // my fics 

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #62

A bit of life news: I am moving to a new position at my workplace working for a team that is currently very backed up, so my free time at work that I usually use to read fanfiction is about to disappear for the foreseeable future. It’s a good career move for me, and once things calm down I might have even more time and even be able to work from home. But in the meantime, yeah, I dunno how much fanfiction I’ll be reading. Whatever I do read will definitely get put in a list, though, haha.

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

Passing Grade by IcyPanther Words: 6,998 Author’s Summary: If Lance stayed in the shower long enough maybe the water would wash everything away. Maybe it would make him forget unwanted hands and the scratchy couch. Maybe… A sob tore through his throat. No. There was no forgetting. But he did have to paste on a smile and try to because no one could find out. Otherwise it was all over. AU - College My Comments: Mind the tags. There was a time when I sought out fics with this exact scenario because it fed something very needy inside me. It still hits all of those buttons super hard, and I really enjoyed reading this sort of story again, featuring my favorite character, written by an author I trust. I’ve already re-read it a couple of times, and I’ll be returning to it again, I’m sure.

The Cost of Winning by IcyPanther Words: 9,598 Author’s Summary: “The Blue and Green Paladins serve no purpose to the Empire,” the Galran commander smirked at his bound captives. “And as such you have no use except as arena fodder.” He chuckled. “Give us a good show before you die.” / Lance is determined to protect Pidge and save her from the arena. She will not die here. Over his dead body. Hopefully it’s not quite that literal of a promise. My Comments: Superb fic, possibly the best I’ve read from this author yet. The action is great and the plot is tight and suspenseful. Wonderful platonic Pidge and Lance, both getting beat up, both badass and protective of each other. This kept me at the edge of my seat.

All That Glitters Isn’t Gold by IcyPanther for wingedflower Words: 9,998 Author’s Summary: It started with Allura wanting something shiny for an upcoming gala. She, Pidge and Lance venture to a marketplace to find just the thing in a billed afternoon of relaxation and fun. But what they ended up finding was not jewelry at all. / “Welcome to Tyrol’s slave trade, Tyrol at your service. Or, well,” a dark grin lit the trader’s face. “I suppose you are at mine.” My Comments: Mind the tags. I really enjoyed this fic, though it went to some dark places for a little bit. Always fun to see Lance bonding with his teammates. And also getting hurt and then comforted.

And Molasses by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 4,008 Author’s Summary: “That’s not enough.” Hunk motions to the cookie mountains. “I need to make more.” “How many more? I can bake.” Hunk gives her a skeptical look.Pidge crosses her arms. “My cookies might not turn out as perfect as yours, boo hoo. At least they won’t be contaminated with the plague.” My Comments: Excellent sickfic with wonderful characterization for Hunk, right on the money. Pidge stepped up to the plate and took it like a pro. I could definitely see this happening, no question.

Atlas Cannot Stand by AnaliseGrey Words: 3,609 Author’s Summary: He and Lance had taken Red in to infiltrate a low-traffic Galra base- or at least, it was supposed to be low-traffic; it was just their luck they’d try to hit it when some dignitary was visiting. They’d made a good show of it all things considered, but in the end they were outnumbered and overrun. Lance had been up high, covering him from a catwalk, but was surprised by sentries coming at him from both sides of the walkway; there hadn’t been anywhere for him to go, and they were on him too fast to use his jetpack. Once they had Lance, Keith had surrendered quickly, not wanting to get Lance hurt. He could still feel Red growling quietly in the back of his mind, trapped in the hangar he’d left her in when they arrived. So far, her particle barrier was holding, but she wasn’t leaving until he was, and he wasn’t leaving without Lance. My Comments: The torture is pretty brutal in this one, but I loved the bond between Keith and Lance and how desperately they wanted to help each other.

May They Rest at Ease by ambivalentlangst Words: 2,539 Author’s Summary: Soldiers are created to say “vrepit sa” and die in a blaze of glory for their empire. They are not created to babysit kids, but some don’t mind, because someone has to keep the cubs safe. The universe they defend certainly doesn’t. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I adore this. So much. The two soldiers who palled around with Pidge, Hunk, and Lance essentially adopt them as their cubs, because those are three are far too young and don’t deserve to suffer. This fic makes my heart sing. It’s so sweet and lovely, despite the savagery of war.

Everywhere Cats by Engineer104 Words: 7,363 Author’s Summary: A mysterious mishap transforms the Lions of Voltron into…cats, who are more troublesome for their Paladins than for Zarkon’s Empire My Comments: Super fun and cute! I will continue to mourn the relative dearth of animal transformation crack in this fandom until I am satisfied, but this was a good fix, though nowhere near enough. So cute, sooooo fluffy.

I Once Loved the Stars so Truly, but I Have Learned to Fear the Night by Spazzcat Words: 5,638 Author’s Summary: Samuel Holt has loved the stars his entire life, despite where he ended up because of it. Ironically it’s not until after his rescue that he starts to hate their gentle gleam in the darkness, a cruel reminder of everything he’s lost. My Comments: Lovely alternate version of Sam finding his family. It hurt, but the ending made up for it, and the language along the way was gorgeous and vivid. Great OCs, too.

In the Dust under the Stars by cleanlittlesecret Words: 5,521 Author’s Summary: The woman entering his office must be close to seven feet tall if not taller, has long and pointed ears, and is entirely purple. She has to duck to avoid hitting her face on the doorframe, and Iverson is so busy staring at her with his mouth open that he barely hears Mick say something before shutting the door behind her. What in the Sam Hill is this? (Or, AU where Krolia stayed on Earth to raise Keith, and most people are not as bothered by her as they probably should be. Plus some other changes.) My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely canon divergence AU with a great Krolia and a cute though impulsive Keith. The details really made this story come alive; it’s very well-written and enjoyable to read.

Poison by IcyPanther Words: 2,876 Author’s Summary: Lance is fine. Or, at least he keeps telling himself that. He’s most definitely not a victim of the unknown disease with no cure sweeping through the city. Nope. But now he’s coughing up blood? Maybe… maybe he isn’t so fine after all. / “H-Hunk,” he whispered. “I… I think I’m s-sick.” Hunk let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Yeah, Lance. You are.“ My Comments: What a great Lance-centric sickfic with super good comfort and a tense plot. I’ll never tire of these kinds of fics.

The Grim Particulars by yet_intrepid Words: 5,575 Author’s Summary: “Can’t believe Kolivan trusted these guys,” Keith mutters. He shifts awkwardly in the tight space, trying to alleviate some of the pressure on his arms, which are cuffed behind his back. “I always knew they were sketchy.” “They’re illegal weapons dealers,” Shiro replies. “Of course they’re sketchy.” Keith grunts, half-angry and half-amused, and gives up readjusting his position. It’s just as well, really, Shiro thinks. They’re in a tiny closet on a tiny ship, and there’s barely room for them to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee. My Comments: Beware the tags. This is a grim story, as the title implies, not for the faint of heart. But good, as everything from this author. It catches you in the gut. Gave me some deep thoughts, too.

Thicker than Water by Fernandidilly_yo Words: 4,574 Author’s Summary: (Set right after season 5 episode 5)“How long?” Keith asks, taking another step into Kolivan’s office, his legs feel unstable underneath him, his body disconnected and flimsy. “How long have you known Krolia is my mother?” My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I really like nuances of this story. Keith’s reactions and emotions all feel very realistic and true to his character, and I liked Kolivan in this too. Great stuff.

Bits by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 3,107 Author’s Summary: Violence is an acquired taste that Hunk inevitably accommodates. My Comments: Angsty and harsh and a little grim, but I absolutely believe that Hunk is like this. War is hard, and it’s not fair.

dear child of mine by glitteringconstellations Words: 2,365 Author’s Summary: Krolia went to Earth in search of a Lion, and found a family, instead. She learned what it meant to love and be loved, and she learned that sometimes, loving someone means letting them go.Or,Krolia cradles Keith in her arms for the last time. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Sweet and sad and lovely. I love this vision of Keith’s mother and father before the war. Or during the war, but in a peaceful interlude.

Mama is… by nigiyakapepper Words: 4,134 Author’s Summary: “A spy!” “Spy!” “Up in space!” “ ’pin space!” Keith is two. It’s one of his good days, judging by the boy shrieking with joy for no other reason than the enjoyment of the act. K - - - - -, his dad, moves as if to chase him around the sofa in their living room. Little Keith moves in turn, a ‘patta patta’ of tiny feet stomping on linoleum. He giggles while clutching his shirt—then full on screams and toddles away when his dad lunges after him. - - Who Keith’s mom is as Keith grows up. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely snapshots of Keith throughout the years, missing his mother. I’m so glad he had such a good father, but then it hurt to lose him, too.

In Darkness We Shall Fight by Haleykim84 (tristen84) for BlackFriar Words: 6,795 Author’s Summary: Shiro and Keith are on a stealth mission that goes wrong. With no back-up and Keith injured, they struggle to get out alive. My Comments: A rollercoaster of a fic, fantastic action and wonderful teamwork and protectiveness between Keith and Shiro. It felt sort of classic, in a way, the OG duo back at it again. Fun and exciting read.

Of Crossing Swords and Crossing Lines by wingedflower for IcyPanther Words: 8,144 Author’s Summary: Written as part of a fic exchange with IcyPanther, following the prompt “shopping trip went wrong”. For the first time in his life, Keith sees something at the space mall that he actually wants. He’s willing to do everything to get it - especially if it involves ignoring Lance, who tries to talk him out of it. Things end up as well as expected. My Comments: A great, fun read with some interpersonal conflict and Lance getting hurt. Always a great combination for fic.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Beacon (43262 words) Shadows of Stars (182291 words) A Dragon in Thy Pocket (10018 words) As Color Fades Away (293755 words) Weekend Guests (16351 words) I'm not the Lance You think I am (79775 words) Back from the Edge (10869 words)

[airagorncharda]

I finally watched Voltron, and quite liked it! My review of the show, and also the fandom, is below:

So, the show is right up my alley, I liked the animation and characters a lot, and I’m very very pleased with the effort the writers have gone to to include a multitude of representation, especially considering it’s a remake of a show that had extremely bland character designs! Genuinely I ended up really caring about the characters and I’m excited for the last season.

So my feelings on the show are, like, 70% positive! 

That being said, I definitely have some--

°˖ ✧ Complaints about the show itself!   ✧˖ ° 

Characterization:

Mainly, that the characters were basically 2d characters until like season 6. Five seasons is a long time to wait before giving anybody character development, guys. Or even, like, character TRAITS outside of their base trope. 

Hunk is a big guy / the fat comic relief character, so his character traits involved eating, cooking, vomiting, and being a coward, and the jokes about him were all about him being fat. Oh, also he’s the “stable” one of the group. This is a complaint on multiple levels, since it’s fatphobic and obnoxious, but it’s also obvious and two dimensional character design.

And all the characters were like that, basically. 

Allura was arguably less so than the paladins, but only to a point. When Matt showed up, he was more 3d in the first like 2 minutes of screen time than the entire main cast had so far displayed in multiple seasons, because all of his character traits weren’t instantly predictable. Side characters tended to be more interesting and less predictable than main ones, which was just kind of weird.

Shiro and Adam:

I honestly just wish that the writers had been allowed to make their relationship more explicitly romantic, and thus make their breakup more explicitly a breakup. Instead it was kind of vague, which I understand wasn’t the writer’s faults, but it still felt a little weird.

Lotor:

I just feel like they slightly mishandled the end of his arc. I wish they’d either made him more clearly 100% wrong, or else more clearly explained why he wasn’t 100% wrong, which brings my to my last one:

“Galra need Quintessence!!” ft Lotor

This is my main complaint about the show (at least 20% of my frustration with the show is this one thing), because.....

Why?

Why do they need it? Did I miss a line where it’s literally ever explained why the galra NEED quintessence? Or even WANT it, as an empire? We know why Zarkan needed it, and why individuals need it (it’s immortality juice with drawbacks they don’t care about) but I never got the impression that the entire galran empire is immortal-- and even if they are, then they shouldn’t be. “Help us maintain our immortality at any means necessary!” should have been answered with “No.” followed by “Learn to deal with your mortality like everyone else.”

Literally, Lotor was like “We just need unlimited quintessence, and then the galra will do whatever we want!” and nobody in the entire cast was like “cool, we’re on board so far, but like, what exactly do you need it for?”

I still don’t understand what it was all for.

°˖ ✧ Complaints about the fandom! ✧˖ °

I feel like I’m kicking a hornets nest by even bringing this shit up, because:

This fandom is goddamn cursed:

Nobody in this fandom seems able to agree on the character’s characterization, I suspect largely because they barely had any for 5 seasons. Instead of saying “these are my headcanons” and letting it go, though, I keep seeing people being adamant that their headcanons are canon and anybody who disagrees is wrong / bad.

People in this fandom appear to be largely unable to stay in their own spheres of interest and let other people enjoy other interests. Every tag is full of negativity.

I think it’s a really bad sign when most of the best artists and writers in the fandom try to keep away from the fandom, and a lot of people have been deterred from watching the show at all because the fandom is so apeshit.

I’ve seen people being called a lot of names, told they should die, and called pedophiles based on which adult characters they ship with each other. It’s been a wild ride and I only dipped my toes into this fandom. I’m not planning on going much deeper.

K/l/a/n/c/e is a plague:

Let me be absolutely clear, I am not talking about the ship. The ship is fine, I can see why people like it, I have no problem with it. 

The problem is the shippers that it is impossible to avoid.

There doesn’t appear to be a single tag I can go into that doesn’t contain meta about this ship being canon. People who ship this ship are the worst perpetrators of my previous point (they’re the ones I’ve seen saying all that shit), and they flood other tags with negativity, and meta about their own ship. 

I’ve never been more tempted to refer to someone’s ship as their agenda, either. The only thing that seems to matter to them is whether or not it’s canon, which is... wild... because that’s really not the point of shipping? And because it’s not canon. Sorry, but there’s only one season left, and they haven’t laid any groundwork for it. Also neither of them is the canonically mlm character, and I doubt they’re going to turn this show into one with 3 main mlm characters within the last season.

And yet.

When I say there isn’t a single tag I can go into that doesn’t contain meta about this ship being canon, btw, I’m not exaggerating. I went into the Allura tag. Meta about how k/ance is “canon”. The Shiro tag. Meta about how k/ance is “canon”. The Allurance tag. Meta about how k/ance is “canon”. The Lotor tag. Meta about how k/ance is “canon”. The fucking "Garfle Warfle Snick" tag! Meta about how k/ance is “canon”. “Adam Voltron” tag??? Fucking meta about how k/ance is “canon”.

And even when it’s not meta, and it’s just comics or art or fanfic ideas, the thing that frustrates me is that it’s constantly things like “What if Lance [does something Shiro already did @ Keith] @ Keith!” and “What if Keith [does something Allura already did @ Lance] @ Lance!” and “What if Keith and Lance [did a thing two other characters have already done]!” with zero self awareness that their AU has already happened in the literal show, just with different character combinations than they’re interested in. They seem to only care about those two characters, and only care about them in relation to each other, and it’s exhausting.

Allura:

1) People who draw Allura looking less black than she does in the show are cowards. It doesn’t happen often but it does happen and it’s Bad.

2) People who are baffled by the concept of Allura and Lance having a relationship, and spend lots of effort trying to convince people that they’re friends or that the possibly canon endgame of them dating “came out of nowhere” and “doesn’t make sense” etc. 

You’re racist and we can see you.

Shiro and (mostly) Adam:

The people who decided that Adam was Shiro’s love interest after Adam was introduced in a flashback in which he broke up with Shiro (as far as I can tell they were mostly k/ance shippers who were excited to have a “gotcha” @ sh.eith shippers) and then lost their absolute minds when Adam died... exhaust me.

The people who are calling Adam’s death “bury your gays” and “queerbaiting”.................. exhaust me a lot. The context of Adam’s death is not what either of those terms mean.

I understand that it hurts when queer characters die, because so many queer characters historically have died. That doesn’t mean every single time queer characters die is automatically homophobia. This show did not kill all their queer characters, and it didn’t even kill it’s MAIN queer character, OR kill the main queer character’s love interest (because that’s never what Adam was presented as or meant to be). And Shiro IS a queer character. He’s not being baited, he’s still queer even when Adam isn’t present. Newsflash, Adam’s purpose as a character was to convey canonically that Shiro’s been queer the entire goddamn time.

I don’t necessarily like that they chose to kill him, but I don’t think the context was homophobic. He died in a war, along with many other people. 

And furthermore, who did you want them to kill? They needed to kill at least one existing character from one of the main cast’s backgrounds for narrative reasons. The options they had, because of how much effort they’ve put into filling this show with representation, were:

Characters of color

Pidge’s mom

That’s... literally it. Characters or color and women (especially older women), btw, are also constantly killed off in media the same way queer characters are, to further other character’s narratives. This is what happens when the cast is primarily rep for marginalized people and the story involves war. Characters die. And when the only characters that exist are from marginalized demographics, the choices about who dies are never going to feel good. That doesn’t make them based in bigotry, or even necessarily bad choices, just because they hurt. 

°˖ ✧ Conclusions! ✧˖ °

Fun show with a few frustrating elements and a cursed as Fuck fandom.