#everyone say fuck you ace for being a problem child with anger issues. that is not helping the plot man cmon. we gotta get to yuba

[arbitrarycategories]

ch 2 of time travel with sabo! in this chapter we sit down and introduce ourselves like we are in kindergarten again. except half the group doesn't do that. and multiple people try to pick a fight.

[the-starry-seas]

You gotta tell me more about Whisper's problems. How bad could it *really* be for ne and Sol to be drinking buddies?

LOL well-

The biggest thing is, well, y'know. The kind of people who say "an army of child slaves sounds like the perfect way to solve problems" are probably the kind of people who dehumanise said army of child slaves. Jango straight up calls them livestock. Plus the whole barcode and CT numbers thing. Enough to give anyone issues when it's all they know! And that's not accounting for the extra trust issues coming from the fact that the Aces were betrayed by a clone from their own company.

Also I have a really incoherent set of thoughts about clones not having personal autonomy or the ability to say 'no', and the ways that can break them. And about how much worse that is for clones with touch aversion, like Whisper. And about how nonverbal episodes can make anything difficult, but are potentially lethal in a life-or-death situation. And how with emotions being all... fucky wucky, sometimes the only way to feel something is to get punched in the face. Kiss with a fist is better than none, etc etc.

(I also have a lot of thoughts about there being a different version of the clone chip that's installed with "live" programing, when sending a clone back to Kamino for reconditioning would take too much time. These chipped clones have to obey every order they're given, even if it would kill them to do so, and are forbidden from fighting back against anyone hurting them. I have even more thoughts about Whisper being threatened with a chip like that and being scared shitless because ne could never let the Aces endanger themselves to protect ner.)

This is entirely headcanon, but, Kaminoans are transphobic as hell when it comes to the clones. The army was made male on purpose and there's no reason for them to not stay that way. They hear about a clone changing up their gender and consider it a 'programming aberration', something tweaked in the DNA that makes the clone a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs in comparison to the 'real' soldiers. For one thing, Whisper is not fond of being called an aberration. And apart from the effect transphobia has on a kid, it's just stressful to wonder what's enough to get you taken from your family.

But that's not ner only aberration, as far as the Kaminoans are concerned! Or would be concerned, if they knew that Whisper was autistic. Which also brings a whole new set of Shit Whisper Doesn't Want To Deal With. I'm ready to kill someone with my bare hands like a gorilla after 15 minutes in a Wal-mart supercentre, and Whisper spent ner entire life in either a multi-million-people city or a war zone. Considering ne has no idea what a coping mechanism is (presumably some kind of machinery), is it really any surprise that ne has a load of emotional disregulation and anger issues?

The Aces did a lot to protect Ember and keep his deafness a secret. An unintentional side effect of that is that he sees his deafness as a Problem that would get them all killed if anyone figures it out. Did the Aces try to accommodate Whisper's own disability and accidentally teach ner the same thing? Does Whisper think there's something wrong in ner brain, and that ne needs to be fixed to be normal so ne's no longer a problem that ner family has to keep covered up? Yep. It sucks when your family teaches you shame, especially when they never meant to.

Also Whisper is asexual and demiromantic so like. That is also very alienating when you realise that you're not physically capable of feeling something that everyone else considers a defining trait of being human. Which also definitely ties back into the whole angle of Kaminoan dehumanisation, and the whole "ah fuck gotta fix the brain to be normal" thought pattern.

But the big thing is the child murder! In canon, one of the Cuy'val Dar had a fight ring, and multiple cadets died from their injuries. Whisper got kicked into the fight ring when ne was seven years old. Ner first time there, ne ended up killing ner opponent. And ne was efficient enough about it that Priest kept bringing ner back for more fights. Killing other cadets (some of them younger than ner) since childhood has, what's the phrase... deeply fucked ner up.

There's also the fact that ne internalises everything instead of relying on ner family for help or support. Everything is ner fault, therefore ne has to fix it all on ner own, too. It's like a damage multiplier against ner emotional state. The other Aces don't even know about the fight club thing, ne told them it was intensive training for consideration for an ARC program. That's gonna be a fustercluck.

[serenheist]

What Jin is like in a relationship/ Jin as a boyfriend Tarot reading

I just realized I describe some things in this reading that won’t make sense to you guys cause I used my angel tarot deck in the picture but I’m using my other tarot deck to look at the pictures and describe what I get because the angel deck isn’t as visually expressive compared to my other one lol whatever.

How long does it take Jin to get into a relationship? & Does he prefer long or short term relationships The sun reversed, ace of cups, page of wands knight of cups, judgement reversed

Jin seems to get into relationships so what quickly but moreso having a problem of being too intense. There’s a lot of showing off, over bearing energy. When he meets new partners he can come across as too egotistical and the partner can feel outshone. He could be caught up in the excitement of new relationships. He might have gotten into a good amount of relationships quickly because the Princess of wands is younger immature energy and gets caught up in the idealized worship of someone. I think he likes that purity aspect in someone in a new relationship whether that literally means he likes virgins👀 or he just likes someone who appears pure but has a fiery passionate side. But still this has made him more arrogant like “I can get anyone” energy and at the same time left him burnt out. There’s always a burnt out energy with these guys.

Now it looks like he wants something more long term. It looks like he’s starting to slowly move away from that party everyday lifestyle and jumping into a new relationship quickly. Very slowly though. I get the image of him now ignoring calls of past hookups cause it’s no longer fulfilling. It’s somewhat lonely though because he lost some people he used to hang out with in that lifestyle and decided to go off on his own and find fulfillment on his own. There’s also no longer being invited to places with friends that you used to go to to possibly meet people.

Past & present love life past: 4 of swords, avenoir 1 present: 7 of wands, queen of cups

In the past a lot of people flocked to Jin and I think he enjoyed having so many options and all the fun of it but having more and more and people being attracted to superficial things left him taking a break from dating stuff. This reminds me of some dumb shit like when you’re the cool one cause you bring all the booze to the party but it’s fleeting popularity and no one actually likes you as a person but they like the fact that you got the alcohol. When people meet you they’re expecting the life of the party and after awhile you just wanna avoid everyone and everything.

Present: it looks like Jin is being defensive in his love life right now that he’s blocking a great connection someone that isn’t even far away. He could be too much in his head and rejecting a lot of people who just wanna fuck around. I wonder if he actually has a specific person in mind because this queen of cups is literally telling the 7 of wands dude to come here while he’s too busy trying to fight off these unseen “enemies”. Idk it doesn’t look like he’s with this person represented by the queen though but if he wanted to they’re seriously right there, there’s water flowing from the queen of cups to 7 of wands on the ground he could just keep walking instead of wasting his time on past stuff.

What is he like in a relationship samadhi 29, the keeper of whispers, dolphin, sad embrace 54, G. hobyah 61 reversed, 6 of wands

When he’s in a relationship he isn’t distracted by all the people trying to cozy up next to him. He doesn’t care how hot someone is he only has eyes for his person even when so many people like him. I think he’s become more open minded in the sense that he accepts his partner more as they are and won’t try to make them into something they’re not. He likes to play around and have fun and be social and all that but he’s also protective and caring for someone he’s in a relationship with.

Though it seems like he can go through a lot of stages of ego problems and feeling sorry for himself I’m not sure why. He has a lot of confidence but his desire to be center of attention can bring conflict. I gotta say though I think he’s not the best at communicating when conflict arises like he can’t articulate himself in a way without resorting to trying to be playful when it’s not needed. The keeper of whispers really reminds me of the because even I can’t articulate it. It’s about having access to all this vast knowledge and not being able to express it at all.

What is his ideal type Abaddon, 33 translucence, Penelope dreamweaver 28 reversed, queen of pentacles, 39 protecting treasure, cat, 5 of wands reversed

Okay his type is what we pretty much already know, with the Queen of pentacles being a great homemaker and nurturing sensual etc but I’m getting there’s sort of an energy of being successful or maybe from a wealthy family but having to keep up appearances and being bored out of your mind. This person works way too hard and their inner self wants to go off and leave the mundane world and go off and actually enjoy their own fantasies and dreams. They could be from a family where they weren’t allowed to pursue a more creative path and had to stay in the family business but this person is very creative and has a lot of anger towards not being able to do what they want. Their father especially is probably the head of the family and very controlling and strict on them because they could be the heir to the family fortune or oldest child etc.

There could be internal conflict or outer conflict with their family about what they want to do but I think they’ll ultimately choose what they want to do because they have too much of an independent spirit and it’s inevitable. This person is highly selective about who they become friends with I think because they have a lot of trust issues with people just wanting to be their friend because they’re well off. But I see them having a mysterious air, elegant and confident or that could be what they project to the outer world the real them is having a more wild child attitude. They feel like they’ve been living in a superficial world for too long and ready to go into the unknown and hang out with different kinds of people not just from their social background. They love the night and are very affectionate when they get used to you. There’s a certain ruggedness to them Idk if they’ll actually dress more free and wild but they might have longer hair and let it go free and I feel like they’d love big outdoor concert venues and underground shows a lot. Like huge edm festivals where you dress up in wild outfits. Jin would love that type of free spirit energy that’s bold in the face of adversity. But I still think he wants them to look “presentable” for lack of a better word, in front of family at least for show but they’re actually a freak tbh.

What is his love language the dark lady reversed 20, epoch 7

Since he spends a lot of time occupying himself with his career and the outer world, his love language is quality time but moreso a nice meal at home with someone he loves, soft blankets nice music, phones on silent and away from the stresses of life

Random Ramblings: Bruh I am not satisfied with this reading lol My mind went blank idk why. With the other readings it was easy af and flowed. But I think I was overthinking for this one, it took me several days to do this shit like I could not relax at all. But then again I’m probably too hard on myself cause I’m never satisfied with my readings.

[yourhappypappypatton]

5 analogical

#5: Can we just pretend like we’re normal for once? Pairing: AnalogicalWord Count: 1060Warnings: Cursing, Depression, Anxiety, mental health problems, near panic attack, mentions of bad parentingSummary: Humman! Au analogical getting together. 

Logan and Virgil were not a normal couple. One was a child protegee, everyone was always so invested in his academic accomplishments, he never had the chance to truly be a child and really be emotionally and mentally healthy. He had to grow up much too fast, so more often than not he simply chooses to ignore all of his emotions, this has earned him many unflattering titles throughout the years. Simply because he’s not empathetic, prefers to work out issues using logic rather than tact, and at times doesn’t yawn when somebody in his immediate vicinity does, does not mean that he’s a psychopath, thank you very much. The other partner was a depressed, anxious child, one whose parents neglected his mental health, and told him to simply get over it. This caused his mental problems to get bigger, and bigger, until he finally got a therapist, Dr. Picani, when he moved out.

 The two men were both emotionally and mentally vulnerable. They needed to find solitude from their problems, and they found that in each other. They met in their sophomore year of College in the library, Logan was perusing a thick book that was nearly the size of his head, writing down notes every once in a while, and Virgil was a few tables over, nearly edged into a panic attack.

Logan had noticed the other man’s erratic breathing, abandoned his task, and helped ground Virgil. He asked if he had permission to touch Virgil, and upon receiving an affirmative, he began to slowly rub circles into the anxious man’s back, directing him to use breathing exercises and to look around for five things he can see, four things he can hear, three things he can feel, and so forth. After getting Virgil down from his near attack, Logan introduced himself. Virgil was drained from the high emotional state he was in, so his mental floodgates could hold less of his thoughts in, so he mumbled “I’m Virge, and you’re kind of pretty.” at that time, many other patrons of the library could have attested to have hearing the human equivalent of the Windows Error Noise coming out of Logan’s mouth. Eventually, he helped Virgil back to his dorm. The encounter was a little awkward for Logan, but he felt that it was the right thing to do, awkwardness aside.

Second semester came along, and with it came some new classes. It just so happened that Logan and Virgil had a class together. Near the end of the first day, Virgil approached Logan somewhat awkwardly and apologized for his actions in the library all that time ago. Logan brushed it off. He didn’t need an apology for something so small in the grand scheme of things. Logan honestly tried to shake off Virgil after that, he had never needed a friend before, and he wasn’t going to start needing one now. Logan had logged into his tumblr after the fiasco of a class and began vaguing about college life, and then posted a few lines of poetry to clear his head before going to his next class. He checked the social media after class and was a little surprised when he saw that someone had messaged him. @panic!ateverywhere…? Was that a reference to something?

Logan opened up the message, and it was a fellow college student. they somehow related to Logan’s position. Apparently they had approached someone in class today, and they had simply brushed them off. How curious, that situation was nearly an exact parallel to Logan’s own. He offered a few objective words of advice to the student to speak to the fellow classmate… if he had only known that the man, Virgil, would use those exact strategies that Logan had suggested to the online user just a few days earlier. Logan raised an eyebrow at that, and then remembered a post that he had saw a while back, saying that you should comment on one’s shoelaces to see if they are also from tumblr, because apparently asking somebody if they are on that specific social network isn’t a “thing to do”.

Logan asked the question, and Virgil looked at him in confusion for a few moments before it dawns on him. He mumbled back “Thanks. I stole them from the president.” Logan nodded once. “Am I to infer that you are @Panic!ateverywhere?” Virgil nodded dumbly. “Yeah, that’s me. Does that mean you’re @LogicallyInfered?” Logan held back a smirk as he copied Virgil’s prior action. “That would be correct.” “Oh… cool.. So, would you- like mind my company… or? Ugh- nevermind.” Logan rested a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “I would not object being friends with you.”

After a while, everyone on campus knew that Logan and Virgil were the dynamic duo. Virgil became more open and snarky the longer he was around Logan. Logan became more emotionally open, going so far as to yell “falSEHOOD!” on more than one occasion, and shocking the entire room. The two were inseparable, and it wasn’t really a surprise to anybody when they began dating about a year after meeting one another. Their relationship really didn’t change all that much except now there was a title, a little more cuddling, and kissing… thing is, even with all of this progress that they’ve made throughout the years, they were still damaged.   Day of graduation, Virgil was combing his hands through Logan’s hair, trying to get rid of his nervous energy. “Lo, I don’t know if I can go through with this. I’m too fucked up for actual society, society won’t let me live off of tumblr commissions and existential crises. I can’t be normal like everyone wants me to be, I just can’t! Logan, they won’t understand… they can’t!” Logan turned around, stopping Virgil from playing with his hair. He grabbed Virgil’s hands gently and pressed a kiss to the back of one of them, his favourite way to show affection. “My dearest, we can act normal for just one day. After today, we can be as odd as we want, I shall help you make your living off of tumblr, and possibly even your many crises. That one British man did it via YouTube.” “Dan Howell?” “Affirmative. We shall figure something out for you, my love.” The two were undoubtedly still damaged, but they had each other.

(A/N) I know I changed the prompt a little bit, but supportive Logan is my lifeblood. I got really into this one. goodness, I love my boys.  If you want to send me a prompt, click here! 

Taglist taken from the Editable Taglist Spreadsheet under the cut.@sanders-sides-thuri@logically-asexual @trivia-goddess@vivimarius@storytellerofuntoldlegends@strangerthings-and-phan@watch-me-introvert@tree4life25@sarcastic-anxious @emokittenlikesgore@paxtonlovestea@neko-ereri@happypappypatton@confinesofpersonalknowledge@urtrashhq@thegirlwiththedragonheart@fandergecko@too-random-for-me@hissesssss@deathbyvenusftw@ill-interested@johnnyboylaurens@the-prince-and-the-emo@inkyroo@staticsanders@allthemetalsoftherainbow@depressed-alone@icbatocomeupwithausername@walking-encyclopedia@magicmapleleaf @pieces-of-annedrew@saphirestrike@asalwayss@anxiousoddish@romanssippycup@virgils-anxiety@redundant-statements-for-400@skylagamingfea@clueingforblogs@rainbow-beaniegirl@vampyrsarah@all-these-trees-stealing-mah-o2@hghrules@migraine-marathon@alextheodd@sandersfanders @pansexual-cat@hanramz-the-fander@darude-sanderstorm@kurna-kovite@royallyanxious@thestoryofme13@silentwhistlingwind@madelynna@a-blog-just-for-sanders@galacticallynonbinary@trashfireiplier@the-optimism-of-the-ostriches@sanderssides-deathangel@lacandra@starry-eyed-haiku-dreamer@digitally-analog@shygirl4991@sides-of-a-sunset@strangerthings-and-phan@musicphanpie-b@superintrovertfangirl@silversunshine2012@makemeaplant@out-of-existence@koalaaquabear@deep-ocean-blues @catsandrandomness@rose-gold-roman@aliferous-ly@musicsavedmefromdeath@devastate-my-space@heythereprincey@yourhappypappypatton@dudlebuggs@sanders-trash-4ever@on-lock-like-attica@siriuswhiskers@thenerdycube@pinkeasteregg@an_anxious_gay_mess@multi-fandom-trash-x9000@kirsten-the-freak@thepusheenqueen@artistictaurean@funsizedgremlin@pal-im-not-clever @logan-exe@thecrimsoncodex@unknownsandersfan @dementeddracon@ive-given-up-on-it@blazeimagines101@sanders-fam-ily@trashypansexual@toujours-fidele@grey-lysander@sehtah@sugarblob0@do-rey-me@septifanderplier@hottopicvirge@rptheturk@urte1108@ffsas-side-account@shadow-walker-1201@milomeepit@fricksonsticks@baileystarsketches@yurai-brokeit@voices-and-stardust@deadinsidebutliving@acechirou@ocotopushugs@lynisnotamused@datonerougecookeh@lana–22@kentato-kenart@robanilla@anxie-teaa @logically-sided@osnapitzbc@areyousirius-noheisdead@ruuworld@aikogumi@kickthecel@theworldismysupernova@jughead-is-canonically-aroace@purplesatankittycat@mercythemermaid@etherealweekes@pearls-of-patton@ahoardofsides@memesanddreamsinc@jade-dragon226-fan@mollycassmith@nightmarejasmine @ace-v-p-d @pandagirl0730@acrobaticcatfeline@thomas-must-get-to-sleep@sesame-icecream@dreamerhowelll@nyxwordsmith@roman-is-a-gay@reba-andthesides@thesilentbluesparrow@angered-turtle@fanatic564

[lynfantasy]

This is YOUR fault!! -- fanfic

For Lotor Week 2017 @voltronweeks Day 2: Broken (sorry this is a day late) AO3 link

Summary: Lotor was honestly minding his own business, just walking around campus at Voltron University, when a random girl ran into him. It really wasn't his fault her laptop broke, but, well, it's easier to just agree when a feisty redhead girl starts yelling at you.

Genfic, no shipping, Lotor & Pidge (platonic)

Human AU, College/University AU, fluff

Rated for general audiences

Warning: cursing, yelling

I’m sure that this prompt was meant to be deep and/or angsty, but have a broken laptop instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

To be fair, it really wasn’t actually Lotor’s fault, but, well, when a feisty redhead girl screams in your face that it is, there’s really no way to fight that. It’s far easier to just… go along with it. Case in point: Lotor was minding his own business, walking through campus at Voltron University at a brisk but unhurried pace, certainly not fast enough to pose any real risk to anyone traveling at a reasonable speed.

Unfortunately, one particular girl was flat-out running straight at him, and Lotor did not have time to do much more than slow down before she directly collided with him. Lotor took a step back to avoid falling, but he was otherwise unaffected. The girl didn’t fare quite so well; her own momentum had caused her to bounce off of him and fall on her backside, and her unzipped backpack and its contents were sprawled across the pavement. Her round glasses sat askew on her nose, and the flannel shirt tied around her waist had been shifted down to her hips as she’d slid back slightly in her fall. When she moved her arms, it was clear to see that her elbows had been scraped up pretty badly, nearly to the point of bleeding. She groaned in pain as she gently shifted her weight, trying to get up.

Lotor offered a hand to her and said, “Oh dear, are you alright? You should really be more careful, running around campus like that.”

Her expression turned sour at the implication that the incident was her fault (which, to be fair, it really was), but she accepted his hand, so Lotor gently pulled her up to her feet and helped steady her, only letting go of her hand once he was sure that she wouldn’t fall down again. “Thanks,” she muttered as she brushed herself off and set her glasses straight, “but I was being careful enough! You need to watch where you’re going too, you know!”

Lotor felt… strangely uncomfortable. At his previous university, no one would have dared to speak to him like that, but he didn’t have the same reputation here at Voltron University that he did at Galra University (for a good reason – he rather hoped, actually, that no one would make the connection between Lotor Imperator, son of President Zarkon Imperator of Galra University, and Lotor “Sincline” here at Voltron University). He froze for a moment, biting back a harsh reply and composing himself before saying, “I do apologize for my speed; however, you underestimate your own. I did see you right before you hit, but I simply did not have enough time to properly react.”

She glared at him with fury in her large, honey-colored eyes. She was probably trying to intimidate him or at least make him feel the force of her wrath, but she mostly just looked rather cute and child-like with her wide eyes behind her large glasses. Her short, reddish-brown hair was doing her no favors either as it fluffed around her round face and made her look pretty adorable. She reminded Lotor of an anime character or a particularly grumpy kitten.

She glared at him for at least five seconds before she finally broke eye contact with a huff and said, “Fine, whatever. Can you at least help me pick up my books?” Without waiting for a reply, she began gathering her stuff and shoving it back into her too-small backpack.

Lotor began to help her gather up her books, but he’d only picked up a few when he heard her cry of dismay. He looked over to see her gingerly picking up her obviously-damaged laptop. She opened the screen to reveal cracks spread across the screen from the lower right corner, emanating outwards like rays of light while twisting and branching like lightning. It would have been almost beautiful if it wasn’t such a costly loss.

“Damn it!” the girl yelled. “Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck…” She carefully pressed the button to turn it on, and her expression was simultaneously relieved and pained when the screen came on, illuminating the cracks but proving that the computer itself still worked aside from the broken screen. She gently closed the laptop before taking her flannel shirt tied around her waist and using it to wrap up the broken piece of tech to protect it from further damage before sliding it into her backpack. She then turned to Lotor with an absolutely enraged expression. “YOU BASTARD!! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!”

Putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender, Lotor took a couple steps back as the girl marched over to him. “Please, calm down,” he placated. “This isn’t my fault.”

“THE HELL IT ISN’T!!” she yelled, and Lotor instinctually tensed up in response. The girl sneered as she looked at him. “Some rich kid striding around campus like you own the place, not bothering to look out for people because you assume the world’s gonna bend around you—”

“I’ll pay for it!” Lotor blurted out in an attempt to make her stop with her accusations. He was certain that she didn’t even know how accurate those statements had been to the kind of person he used to be, the kind of person he was trying very, very hard not to be now that he had a second chance. “I… I can cover the expense. I’ll pay for it. Just tell me how much.”

The girl froze; she obviously hadn’t expected him to cooperate so easily. Her anger was replaced with suspicion as she looked him up and down, reevaluating. Finally, she seemed to accept his offer. “Alright,” she said, “but it’s not going to be as simple as just buying a new one. I built this.”

Lotor swallowed harshly, but he kept his tone even as he replied, “I can pay compensation for your time and buy you all of the spare parts you need. Money is not an issue.”

“Of course,” she scoffed. “Rich kid like you going to make your daddy pay for it?”

Literally biting his lip to keep himself from rising to her challenge, Lotor took a few deep breaths. “Actually,” he finally started in a measured tone, “I have been… cut off from my family’s fortune. However, I managed to steal large sums of money from my parents before that happened, and I am now using that money to invest. That is why money is not an issue. If you have some sort of distaste for stealing from the rich, I’m afraid I cannot help you.”

“Oh.” Finally, she looked at least a little apologetic. “Right, okay. Um. I have no problem with that. I’m sure it was justified.”

“How much money do you need?”

The girl fidgeted uncomfortably, absent-mindedly playing with the edge of her shirt. “I’ll have to assess the damage, search for parts both online and in-person… and this model is getting fairly old, so I might have some trouble buying new parts…”

“Perhaps you could use this as an opportunity for an upgrade?” Lotor suggested.

She eyed him with a hint of her former suspicion. “I guess I could, but I’d be starting from scratch. I’d love to do that as a side-project, and the end result would be worthwhile, but the cost—”

“—is unimportant,” Lotor insisted. “I will buy you a high-end laptop if that is what you want.”

“Why?”

Lotor hesitated, considering his words. Finally, he answered, “I have treated people in ways I am not proud of in the past. I cannot really make amends – most would not give me the chance to – but perhaps I can pay kindness forward?” He stopped, hoping that this was enough of an answer, but the girl kept looking at him with an intensely questioning gaze until he added, “Also, your words rather stung, and I was rather hoping to prove you wrong by showing how generous I can be.”

The girl gave an amused snort of laughter and finally cracked a smile. “Alright,” she relented, “I’ll let you buy me a better model. Just let me do some research first.”

“Right, of course. May I give you my number?” Lotor offered.

She gave him a deadpan look. “I’m ace. And aro.”

“Good for you. I’m gay, but that does not change the fact that you will need a way to contact me if I am to pay for your replacement computer.”

“Oh,” she said softly, cheeks coloring a little with embarrassment at her assumption. “Right, okay. Maybe an email instead? I prefer that to phone calls.”

Lotor nodded and agreed, “Of course, not a problem. Should I write it down, or…?”

“One sec.” The girl pulled out her phone and poked at the screen a few times before saying, “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Alright, it’s Sincline, that’s S-I-N-C-L-I-N-E, dot Lotor, L-O-T-O-R, at Voltron dot E-D-U.”

“Sincline.Lotor@Voltron.edu?” she read back to verify.

“Yes.”

“Perfect. And the name…?”

“Lotor Sincline.”

The girl paused for a second before laughing a little at herself. “Right, that should’ve been obvious. Okay. I’ll email you soon.”

Lotor hesitated for only a moment before asking, “What is your name, if you don’t mind?”

“Pidge Holt,” she replied without any pause. “I mean, technically my name is Katie, but everyone calls me Pidge.”

“Well met, Pidge.”

“Uh…” Pidge seemed a little uncertain about the formal greeting. “Same, dude. Lotor. Yeah.”

Lotor stifled a chuckle and ignored the pang in his chest as he thought of his old friends at Galra University. The girls would have probably liked Pidge a lot. Still, there was no reason to dwell on the past. Lotor watched as Pidge struggled to fit everything into her backpack, which looked ready to bust at the seams. “Perhaps I should buy you a new backpack, too,” he offered, only half-joking.

“Dude that would – Do you mind if I call you dude? I call everyone dude, even Allura – that would be amazing because I swear this thing is gonna fall apart any day.”

‘Allura Altea?’ Lotor wondered, but he decided to save that question for another time. “I’ll buy you one, then,” he replied. “And I do not… I really don’t mind.”

“Okay, cool.” Pidge swung the backpack up onto her shoulder. “Well, later then!”

Lotor smiled. “Yes, I… I’ll see you later.”

As Pidge walked away, Lotor couldn’t quite shake the warm, happy feeling that he’d just made a new friend.