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avidbeader · 6 years ago

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Season 8 Fix-it (Twitter Fic)

This is the story I’ve been posting on Twitter in more-or-less real time as I finished scenes. It takes the S8 epilogue and tosses it out on its ear where it belongs. I decided to make a fresh post because the reblogged one was getting messier and messier as I added stuff.

I also don’t think I’ll do a Twitter fic like that again unless it’s under 1000 words. It was a royal pain dividing paragraphs & dialogue into 280-character chunks and I didn’t like my method of keeping things organized. But I have handed the whole thing over to @latart so she can work her beta magic and then this will get posted to AO3.

**********************

It’s not until he’s hurtling toward the jagged portal, the pod’s right turbine still refusing to come back online after passing through a wave of unknown radiation, that Keith thinks this might have been a bad idea.

The wolf is pressed tight against him, whining softly, but Keith can’t spare a hand to soothe him. It’s taking everything he has to try and pull the craft up and away from the viridian-rimmed tear in space while also not letting them be pulled into the atom-smashing currents of the quantum abyss.

Then the left turbine fails as well and they’re spinning. At this point there’s no choice - Keith goes for the devil he doesn’t know and yanks the steering column with all his strength to direct them away from the abyss’ gravitational wells...and into the portal.

He spares one last thought for his friends. For Shiro, praying that he truly enjoys the happily-ever-after he bought into.

**********************

Going through the portal produces an intense wave of energy that runs through Keith like electricity, jolting and painful. He shakes his head, trying to clear it, and realizes that the engines are still offline.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if they hadn’t materialized inside a planet’s atmosphere, rushing toward the ground at terminal velocity.

The wolf growls, shoving his head under Keith’s arm, and he gets it as clearly as if the wolf had said, “Come on!” He gets out of the chair, grabs the emergency pack and his one bag out of the storage bin, and brings up his mask before throwing his arms around the wolf.

They wink out of existence and reappear several hundred meters away as the pod crashes into the planet’s surface.

Keith is kneeling next to the wolf, holding still as he lets his Blade armor feed him the necessary information. The atmosphere is compatible for both of them and he lets his mask drop to look around. It’s a meadow, grassy and green and pretty, with a forest not far off to his right and some hills in the distance to his left. It’s empty and quiet other than the ticking sounds of cooling metal. Smoke drifts up from the twisted wreck into the slightly orange sky. He doesn’t need to get any closer to see that scavenging for the extra rations and supplies is a lost cause.

Keith shoulders the bag carrying his personal effects and takes the emergency kit by the handle. Assuming that, like the deserts of his childhood, trees mean water, he leads the wolf toward the forest.

They’re about halfway to the treeline when the wolf stops and looks up. A moment later Keith can hear it as well: the whine of an engine. There’s no cover to speak of other than the tall grass and Keith drops to a crouch as the noise gets louder. The wolf huddles next to him as a flyer passes over them and lands near the wreckage. A pair of tallish thin figures get out and start poking around. Keith lifts his head just enough to get a better look at them and gasps in recognition.

Olkari.

Keith stands and waves. “Hey, over here! We’re okay!”

The Olkari look at one another and approach him slowly. Keith moves forward, smiling, and they stop and stare. Finally one starts speaking.

“Survivor? Part of ship? More that are part of ship?”

Keith frowns, wondering what’s happened to the translation circuit in his uniform. “Yes, I was on the ship. No one else was aboard. We got flung through a portal of some sort that took us here to New Olkarion. Sorry about the crash.”

The two look at one another, and the second one repeats, “New Olkarion?”

“Yes, isn’t this where you resettled after the Galra destroyed your homeworld?”

They shake their heads and the first one speaks in that strange garbled language. “In X-9-Y Sector as refugees. Now only choosing planet of relocation.”

Keith frowns. That’s not right. The Olkari quickly found a new planet to occupy, thanks to the scouting efforts of the Blade and the rebels. And what is wrong with his translator?

“Identity? You?” The second Olkari points to him.

“I’m Keith. Red Paladin of Voltron? Piloted the Black Lion?”

That sets them to babbling so fast in a communicator that he can’t keep up.

**********************

They take him and the wolf in the flyer, back to a large camp near the first signs of a permanent settlement being built. It’s mostly Olkari, doing their genius engineering thing, but there’s a smattering of other races as well. The pilot explains that they are establishing the first base of what will eventually be the new home for the Olkari, but Keith is only half listening, grateful that whatever was wrong with his translator seems to be working itself out. The pilot’s syntax is getting clearer with every sentence.

The wolf leaps out first and Keith follows him, only to hear his name being shouted. He turns to see someone sprinting across the tarmac to him, honey-colored ponytail flapping behind him.

He lets out a grunt as the other barrels into him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it! Keith! Oh, my god, man!”

He pulls back and yes, this is Matt. But something’s wrong. It takes him a second to realize...it’s the hair. Matt had cut his hair back to military length once he rejoined the Garrison.

“Hey, Matt. Did I go through a time jump or something? Have I been missing? I’m sorry I worried everyone, but it was either get smashed to bits in the quantum abyss or go through that rip in space.”

Matt frowns, then his eyes widen. “Oh? OH. I think I know what happened, but come on. You need to hear it from Pidge.”

“Pidge is here? Why? She was at the Garrison, working on some kind of fleet to replace the lions after they left…” Keith trails off as they round a corner of one of the taller buildings and stops to stare.

Green is there, lying in a sphinx pose. A low growl of greeting rumbles through the ground and in his chest. And there’s a tiny touch to his mind, as if from a great distance, that he hasn’t felt in years...

Matt tugs gently at his elbow. “Come on. Pidge will try to explain.”

**********************

Explanations are delayed momentarily, because the instant Pidge sees Keith, she plows into him and hangs on like he’s a lifeline. She’s crying into his chest while Matt pats her back, her sobs too strong to let words out.

As she finally starts to breathe more and gasp less, Keith tries to apologize. “Hey, I’m sorry I made you all worry so much. How long was the time skip this time?”

Pidge snaps her head up to glare at him. “Keith, you died. The minute whatever Allura and Honerva did started taking effect, it caused a quintessence backlash. You were screaming in agony as it ripped you apart. We all saw it.” She pauses, making the effort to moderate her tone, and leans in to hug him again. “Allura explained it after she got back.”

“Wait…” Keith tries to work through what Pidge just said. “What do you mean, I died? Allura’s the one that died! She never came back from joining with Honerva to save the last reality.”

Matt takes up the thread, rubbing Pidge’s shoulder. “We think the minute that one reality was preserved, nature took over and different actions began causing different outcomes again. Something as small as intending to step right but stepping left instead...two outcomes and two realities. In your reality Allura died, but in ours… you did.”

The wolf rubs against them and Pidge automatically reaches to pet him. Keith tries again. “So we’re in a different reality? Can I get back to mine?”

Pidge’s grip on him tightens, and Keith mentally kicks himself. The instinct to try and return home is the automatic first reaction. But then he realizes he can see Allura again and the sudden longing to speak to her, to know that there’s an Allura that’s still with them, surges through him and he starts trembling.

Matt comes around Pidge and holds him up. “We got you, buddy. Come on. Let’s get inside, get you checked over, contact the others. Allura or Shiro can arrange wormholes for everyone.”

“Shiro?” Now Keith’s grateful for the shakes, because his suddenly hammering heart goes unnoticed. He hopes.

Pidge nods. “Yeah, that crystal in his arm is enough for him to operate teludavs. Hell, the minute he hears he’ll probably just bring the whole Atlas in. Dad and Iverson will fuss, but it’s just for show. They’ll be glad to see you again, too.”

“Shiro’s still captain of the Atlas?”

Matt and Pidge both pause at that, looking at one another and considering the implications. Matt replies as Pidge darts forward to start opening doors.

“Of course he is. He’s connected to it, just like you all are connected to the lions. After...what happened, Shiro tried to wake Black up but it just wasn’t happening. That caused a lot of worry, even though everything’s been peaceful other than a few spread-out pockets of Galra holdouts and some squabbles breaking out, but we’ve managed so far.”

Keith loses the thread of conversation, suddenly overwhelmed by two thoughts.

If Shiro’s still in command of the Atlas, does that mean he isn’t married?

Could I fly Black again?

That distant spark flares in his head once more.

**********************

Pidge insists on running him through a pod, just to make sure there are no surprises left from going through an inter-reality gateway. When Keith emerges, Matt is there to catch him and shoo him into a side room to change back into his Blade uniform. He leads Keith to sit on an infirmary bed. throwing a blanket around his shoulders, and the wolf winks into existence behind him. Pidge comes forward, looking over a datapad in her hand.

“Good news! While the pod shows that your base cellular structures are definitely just the slightest bit different from the rest of us, everything is stable and you shouldn’t be adversely affected by being here.”

“Um, yeah, that’s good.”

“And more good news! We were able to get messages through fast and everyone is on their way! Allura’s going to get your mom, Lance and Hunk are flying their lions in, and Shiro should be here any minute! He was calling for a wormhole jump before we ended the call!”

Again, Keith can’t control the start that Shiro’s name causes. His mind won’t absorb the fact that this Shiro is apparently eager to see him.

One of the Olkari gets Pidge’s attention and she turns away to answer his question. Matt leans in and murmurs into his ear, “Okay, what is it about Shiro?”

Keith pulls the blanket tighter around himself, exaggerating the shivers from the cryo-pod. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Keith. What happened to Shiro in your reality? Did he get killed? Did his disease advance enough to ground him?”

“No, no, nothing like that. He just...decided to retire and get married.”

Matt gives him a flat stare. “Shiro. Retired.”

Keith nods.

“And got married.”

Keith nods again.

“But not to you.”

Keith can feel his expression crumpling, on the verge of tears. Matt’s arms are already around him, pulling him close, when they hear a commotion in the hallway outside.

The doors slide open and Shiro bursts through, the neck of his uniform jacket flapping open. He stops and stares at Keith, almost panting from running. Pidge is beaming as she gently encourages the Olkari to leave.

Shiro approaches, his eyes full of reverence. He gets close enough and reaches out to lay his flesh hand on Keith’s shoulder. Matt moves to the side, giving Shiro a pat on the shoulder port for his Altean arm.

“Keith,” Shiro breathes his name like a prayer. His hand slides up to Keith’s neck, his thumb tracing Keith’s scar. Every touch is tentative, delicate, as if Shiro is expecting Keith to dissolve like a mirage. His expression is almost stunned, and Keith remembers what it was like, when Allura was able to pull Shiro’s soul out of the Black Lion and restore him to a body. That disbelief, that fear that it would all be a dream and he would wake with Shiro still gone.

He reaches up and lays a hand on Shiro’s cheek, trying to reassure. He feels the tremors as Shiro holds himself back, the wetness on his fingertips as Shiro’s own tears spill over.

Keith can’t take it any more and pulls him in. And for the first time in far too long, he’s enfolded in Shiro’s arms, his ears drinking in the sound of Shiro whispering his name over and over.

And it’s perfect.

*************

Of course, perfection doesn’t last very long. Shiro pulls back, his hands still cradling Keith’s face, and turns to Pidge. “Are there any signs of ill effects? Any chance that being here is going to hurt him?”

Pidge reassures Shiro, showing him the results of the cryo-pod scan, and Keith just looks, admiring the sight of Shiro’s natural leadership asserting itself, the tone of command in his voice, after far too long of the occasional glimpses of him at a desk, dealing with stacks of paperwork. There’s a new scar, a thin line running just under his jaw and up toward his ear. It wouldn’t be that visible if Keith didn’t have a full view of Shiro’s profile. He wonders briefly what happened - Matt had been firm in his assertion that things are relatively peaceful here.

And it reminds him of the entire mixed-up situation. This isn’t his Shiro, or his Pidge. These are people who lost their Keith, watched him die in a brutal and painful way. He’s a simulacrum, a vagary. He can offer them the illusion of talking with their friend and maybe give them a sense of closure that was denied them, but he isn’t the one they mourn.

And in a demonstration of that point, Shiro lifts his hand and traces the scar that’s mostly hidden in Keith’s right eyebrow. “What happened here?”

Keith ducks his head slightly. “I made the mistake of agreeing to help Griffin learn how to use a sword.”

Shiro and Pidge crack smiles and Matt throws his head back in a loud laugh. “Oh, I would have paid to see that.”

Without thinking, Keith replies, “I’m pretty sure Kinkade recorded it—” He breaks off when the other three freeze. “Oh, what happened?”

Shiro’s thumbs caress his cheeks, making Keith hyper-aware that Shiro has not let him go yet.

“Our closest call was about a month ago. The Atlas ran into one of the former generals turned petty warlord, who still had a small fleet of battlecruisers. Kinkade got caught in a crossfire. He survived, but suffered a severe spinal injury. The pods repaired the damage, but he’ll need another few months of therapy before he’s active again.”

At that point, that spark in his psyche flares again, reminding Keith to ask. “Where’s Black?”

“Stationed on Altea,” Shiro replies. “After he chose not to respond to me, it seemed the best place. Why?”

“I… I’d like the chance to fly him again, just once more.”

Pidge frowns at that. “What do you mean? What happened in your reality?”

“The lions took off, a year after Allura died. It felt like they were going to bring her back, but it’s been almost two years since then and there’s been no sign.”

“Damn,” Pidge breathes out. “So how are they keeping the peace there without Voltron? The Atlas?”

Keith shakes his head. “The Coalition, mostly repurposing and upgrading the rebel fleet. But it’s been really quiet for us. The Blades are shifting their focus to aid and assistance.”

Shiro frowns. “Shouldn’t that be the prime purpose of the Atlas?”

Matt grips Keith’s shoulder, clearly worried about how this Shiro would take the news of his counterpart quitting to get married to some random person. But before Keith can decide how to respond, the doors open again to allow Allura and Krolia to enter.

Krolia’s approach is much like Shiro’s was, slow and tentative, disbelief in her expression. Keith has a moment to absorb the differences in this woman, one who has lost both husband and son. This Krolia seems older, worn down, with gray threads in her hair and a few wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. A notch mars the line of one ear.

Keith reaches out instinctively to trace it and Krolia freezes. She looks him over again, seeing the new scar, the longer hair, the Blade suit identifying his rank as a leader.

The words Mom and Krolia are battling it out, keeping his throat locked up. He holds out a hand to her, offering, and finally she takes it. She closes her eyes and draws him into an embrace, burying her nose in his hair. Keith puts his arms around her and holds still, letting her take what she needs from him.

When she pulls back, her eyes are wet like Shiro’s. Unlike Shiro, her expression is one of resignation and regret. Unlike Shiro, she sees the simulacrum first and her son second.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

She nods and takes one more hug as she murmurs back, “Your scent. It’s close, but just different enough.” She straightens and asks in a normal voice, “Is your mother still alive?” Keith nods and now she looks comforted. “That’s good.”

Pidge interrupts, bouncing in anticipation. “Lance and Hunk? How far out are they?”

Allura smiles. “They should be here in a varga or two. Or I can get them with the teludav if we can’t wait.” She steps forward for her turn, her smile almost sparkling with happiness as she tosses her thick braid of hair over her shoulder. “Keith, it’s so good to see you.”

Keith’s spirits rise in response to her uncomplicated joy and he welcomes her without hesitation.

The second they touch, a searing pain rips through Keith. Dimly he can hear Allura’s scream and the cries of alarm from the others as they collapse to the floor, writhing in agony. He can feel Shiro and Matt trying to pull them apart, but Allura’s voice echoes in his head, pleading with him to hold on, and he clings harder.

When Pidge lets out a shriek that sounds like panic, Keith forces his eyes open.

A patch of light has blossomed on Allura’s chest, a hand reaching out of it. A hand covered in a black glove and a pink-and-white vambrace.

Keith instinctively grabs the hand.

Yes! Hold on, Keith! Don’t let me go! Please don’t let go!

The pain is ebbing for him, though it feels like his skin is the only thing holding in a building explosion. He tries to channel that feeling into his arms and hands, to pull.

Allura wails in anguish, the sound echoing through the room, and Keith redoubles his efforts. He hauls on the arm, grabbing the elbow with his other hand as it emerges. He squeezes his eyes shut in concentration. Just as he thinks he’s reached his limit, that he can’t control the force anymore, he feels the wolf circling around him. Teeth close gently on the joined hands and there’s the familiar jolt of teleportation. But it lasts longer, milliseconds stretching out. Just before Keith can panic, he tumbles back into existence, a body landing on top of him.

The pressure is gone and there is stunned silence all around the room. The person lying on him stirs, inhaling deeply, and pushes up.

“Keith. You did it.”

Keith opens his eyes to see Allura’s sweat-covered face hovering over him, her hair coming down from its bun and her Altean markings glowing white.

*************

Allura is alive. His Allura is alive.

Keith can feel the difference immediately. Touching the others from this reality isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but when he takes Allura’s hand as they get to their feet, he can tell. Her presence meshes with his in a perfect harmony that isn’t there with the others.

Both Alluras are shaking and Keith puts his arms around his Allura to keep her on her feet while Krolia and Pidge help their Allura. The braid gets tossed over her shoulder once more and she takes a few deep breaths before speaking.

“Well, this was not how I expected my day to go.”

Everyone laughs at that, grateful for the breaking of tension, and Keith and his Allura look at one another, smiling. Keith brushes her hair back from her face. “What happened? How are you here?”

“Honerva’s been looking for a way to send me back for a while, ever since the realities began multiplying naturally again. We managed to call the lions to us, but once there, they weren’t strong enough to return. Then we realized that you might be strong enough, Keith, but we needed a way to concentrate your quintessence so it could be fully drawn upon. It was Honerva’s idea to send you to a different reality.”

“Of course!” the other Allura exclaims. “By isolating his quintessence, you’d be drawn to one another like magnets!”

“Exactly. I do apologize for your discomfort; Honerva wasn’t sure what would happen.”

The other Allura waves a hand. “The pain was temporary, though I think a rest is in order. What about you, Keith? Are you all right?”

Keith feels sore, battered from the inside out, but he can walk and he can think clearly. There’s no need to worry the others. “I’m fine.”

He doesn’t expect the penetrating look from Shiro, who steps forward and holds out a hand. “I can take you two to guest quarters.” His Allura nods. “I think that would be wise. Sleep, then food, then we can talk about how to get Keith and me back to our reality.”

*************

Keith is reluctant to leave Allura alone. He feels paranoia creeping in, that if he lets her out of his sight she might disappear on him.

The wolf head-butts him, then follows Allura into her room. She gives him a stern look. “No chewing on anything, understood?”

The wolf curls up at the foot of the bed since he’s too large to lie in it and leave room for Allura. He thumps his tail against the floor.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She starts pulling off her vambraces and Shiro gives Keith’s arm a tug.

Keith pulls away and steps forward, kneeling to give the wolf one more pat and whisper in his ear, “Come get me if she needs me.”

Shiro leads him to a room a couple of doors down and ushers him inside. Before Keith can glance around, Shiro takes him by the shoulders and turns him so they’re facing each other.

“Are you sure you’re all right? She didn’t hurt you?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” It’s on the tip of Keith’s tongue to tell Shiro to stop hovering, but he can’t. This Shiro lost his Keith. This Shiro has had months, maybe years of living with the grief, the what-might-have-beens. Given the chance to touch, to interact, it’s no wonder he’s seeking Keith’s attention.

And it’s taking everything Keith has not to just fall into it and let it happen. He hasn’t seen these looks from Shiro for a very long time. He remembers his own reaction, finding the clone of Shiro in that dead fighter and trying to be there for him as he recovered.

He has to leave here, Keith reminds himself. He can’t stay, can’t replace their Keith. He has his own mother, his own friends, his own life.

Shiro’s grip on his shoulders tightens and the slight dissonance from his touch increases, made much more noticeable after contact with Allura. Their quintessences don’t match up.

But judging from his actions, this Shiro either can’t feel the difference or doesn’t care. He moves in, pulling Keith into yet another tight hug. There’s dampness at the neck of his uniform as Shiro lets out more tears.

Keith holds him for a moment, long enough for Shiro to pull himself together, draw back, and wipe his eyes. He looks Keith up and down. “It’s so strange seeing you like that. You stopped wearing a Blade suit after you came back to us. After you found me again.”

Keith nods. That part checks out. He rejoined the Blades a few months after the final confrontation with Honerva, realizing that there was no comfortable place at the Garrison for him. They wanted him teaching others to fly instead of leading a squad himself. And while Pidge and Shiro were still there, they were both deeply involved in their own roles and visits grew few and far between.

And then Krolia had asked for his help as the Blades worked with the former rebels to clear out a particularly well-defended nest of pirates. Flying with a first-strike team to take out the pirates’ big guns had brought Keith to life in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. The target had been clear, the teammates competent fellow-soldiers rather than cherished friends. And when Kolivan observed that Keith’s help would always be welcome, it had been an easy choice to make.

“Why… Can you tell me why? You said the Atlas isn’t helping with recovery efforts? Why are you back with the Blades?”

Keith swallows, trying to find his way out of this maze. “It’s where I can do the most good right now. But I wasn’t on a mission or anything when I went through that portal. I was just exploring the quantum abyss again.” He glances away, in the direction of Allura’s room. “I wanted to see if I could find more space wolves.”

Shiro laughs at that a little. “You thought Kosmo needed a mate?”

Keith scowls a little. Some things never change.

“His name’s not Kosmo.”

“Has he told you his name, then?” Shiro challenges with a smile.

“No, but he will when he’s ready,” Keith snaps back, then pauses as the thought hits him. “Where...where’s the wolf now? In this reality? Do you know?”

Shiro’s good humor fades. “He… He stayed with Krolia a while. And then she reported that he teleported away one day and just didn’t come back.”

That hits Keith like a gut punch. It must show on his face, because Shiro steps forward and pulls Keith to him. “Hey, it’s okay. Kos—your wolf is here. And who knows? Maybe our wolf will sense what’s happened and come back and you can convince him to stay this time.”

Keith nods into his shoulder. “Maybe.” He takes a deep, steadying breath and pulls away. “We’ve got a lot to try and do tomorrow. We should sleep.”

Shiro looks disappointed, running his hands up and down Keith’s arms. “I was hoping…but okay. I’ll see you in the morning?”

Keith nods and Shiro snatches one more hug before letting him go and moving to the door. He looks back. “I know. I know it’s not the same. But I never got the chance to tell him… I love you, Keith. No matter what reality we’re in.”

Keith holds it together long enough for Shiro to leave before the sobs tear up from his throat.

If only that were true…

*************

A pounding on the door wakes Keith the next morning. He groans and rolls over, burying his aching head under the pillow. It occurs to him that the last time he ate anything was nearly two days ago and in another reality.

The door slides open and several bodies tumble in. Keith barely has time to sit up before Lance is on him, tackling him back into the bed as he whoops in delight. Then Hunk yanks them both up and into a tight group hug.

“Dude!” Hunk exclaims. “We missed you! You gotta tell us everything about your reality! Matt said you guys lost the lions? But everything’s settled down for you?”

Before Keith can reply, Romelle has joined them, worming her way in to wrap her arms around him and smacking kisses on his cheek. Lance has started babbling along with Hunk and Pidge is shouting encouragement from the door while Shiro looks on, beaming at the sight.

The subtle discomfort Keith felt yesterday when touching someone else is growing, multiplying exponentially as he’s surrounded by all of these people who are his friends, but aren’t. The headache spikes and his stomach is churning and he needs them to back off...he needs to breathe...he needs out…

The two Alluras come into the room, and the sensation of their double image pulls everyone’s attention away from him. Keith backs away as they take in the sight: his Allura back in her armor with her hair in its heavy bun, while their Allura is in an Altean divided skirt with her hair loose.

Pidge breaks the spell. “Okay, we’ve got a lot to do today! Let’s all get breakfast and then it’s off to the lab.”

*************

Between both Alluras, both Holts, Hunk, and a team of Olkari, it takes a remarkably short time to construct an arch that will, in theory, detect the proper reality through Keith and Allura’s quintessences and open a doorway to it. Pidge and Matt are going back and forth explaining their theories while those who are trying to pay attention just nod along. They are positioned on the border of the Olkari camp, with the four available lions arranged on four sides, drawing on the transreality comet that created them.

As the Alluras prepare to activate the device, Pidge cautions everyone. “Don’t get too close. We’re going to do a test run, try to isolate the correct reality, make sure it’s a stable connection, make sure the other side of the portal doesn’t open anywhere disastrously bad. Once we’re sure it works, we’ll get you guys home.” She glances up at Keith, her voice wavering just a little.

He’s been avoiding touching anyone other than his Allura since getting overwhelmed earlier, but the hint of grief in Pidge’s words gets to him. He resolves to speak to each of them privately, give each of them a chance for the closure they need even though it’s going to hurt.

The wolf whines as Pidge counts down. On her mark, both Alluras reach out a hand and send a pulse of light toward the arch. It starts to glow. But Pidge’s crow of triumph turns into a panicked howl when the light leaps from the construct to envelop Keith.

“No! NO! NOT AGAIN!”

The pain engulfs him so quickly he can’t even scream.

****************

He’s in the stolen Galra ship, hurtling toward the shields surrounding Haggar’s weapon. Matt is shouting at him through the comms, but he has to do this. There’s no other way to save the team.

There’s no other way to save Shiro.

The agony of the impact only lasts for an instant.

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

Matt is yelling again, but his voice is hopeful. “Break off, Keith! Everyone, go for the stabilizers! If the ship loses its nav control, it can’t aim!”

Keith swerves, missing the shields by scant meters, and corkscrews to the rear of the ship, firing in continuous bursts at the hull. The rebel ships converge and explosions bloom in the wake of their strikes.

The ship tilts and Matt’s ship fires at its belly, sending it into a spin. “Keep firing!”

“Rebel fleet, you did it! Naxzela has powered down! We’re out of its range!” The relief in Shiro’s voice is palpable.

“Zaiforge Cannon Senfama is back online!” Kolivan calls out through the comms.

“Rebel fleet, scatter! Let them take the ship out!” Shiro orders.

Keith responds instantly, weaving through the slower rebel fighters. When the blast from the Zaiforge cannon disintegrates the front of the Galra ship, he allows himself to relax.

“Who is that?” Lance’s voice is hostile and Keith’s heart rate skyrockets again.

“Attention Voltron! I am Lotor, crown prince of the Galra Empire. I come in peace. I think we should talk.”

***************

“You’re turning the room into a bomb!” Keith gasps, impressed at Thace’s technical ability but worried because the only entrance is blocked, with a squad of Galra soldiers on the other side.

“Yes. It’s not as elegant as the virus, but it will take down all power just the same.” Thace points to the well below them. “Your way out is below. There's an exit through the main power conduit. It leads to the second deck. Go, now.”

“You mean our way out,” Keith snaps. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

Thace breaks into a wry smile. “I stand corrected. A new fellow Blade. Kolivan hasn’t had the time to indoctrinate you with the ‘mission first’ message. You have to go—you’re a paladin of Voltron. You are needed.”

“So are you!” Keith darts forward to grab Thace by the shoulder and try and pull him along.

Thace is much stronger than Keith, but it still takes him a fraction too long to loosen Keith’s grip. There’s a blast as the slab blocking the door cracks apart.

Keith’s awareness lasts long enough to feel the laser blasts that rip into him and the initial shockwave as the bomb detonates.

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

“Go, now!”

Keith shakes his head at that. “What? No, I'm not gonna leave you!”

“You must. I will shut down the system. Paladin, this is where my journey ends, but, as a member of Voltron, you have a bigger mission. You must understand that.”

“What’s the issue? Timing? If you rigged the detonator, speed it up and come on!”

Thace looks at him briefly, then smiles. As he bends over the console and makes the adjustment, he tells Keith, “I look forward to the day Kolivan tries to instruct you in the code of ‘mission first’.”

Keith rolls his eyes, but loops his arms under Thace’s shoulders as soon as he rises. They vault off the edge and Keith pushes his jetpack to the limit as he flies them both down to the escape route.

***************

“Regris, no!” Keith feels Kolivan’s fingers just graze his back as he darts forward to try and pull his teammate to safety. He’s not even aware of Kolivan turning and running, leaving them both behind.

The explosion rips them apart before Keith can lay a hand on him.

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

“It’s a trap!” Kolivan shouts as he lunges toward the doors that have just closed them in. Regris runs to the controls to try and override whatever self-destruct has probably been activated.

Keith looks around and spies a panel in the wall. Mentally crossing his fingers, he darts over to put a hand on the control. It slides open, showing a rack of plasma rifles. He calls out, “Here!”

Both Kolivan and Regris catch as he tosses guns at them, then Kolivan shouts, “Now!” They all fire at the center glass and it shatters, sucking them out into open space mere seconds before the ship explodes.

It takes a little doing to get back to their ship, especially since Keith has a rip in his suit, but they manage.

***************

Keith can’t breathe. His lungs are aching with the effort to find the oxygen in this thin atmosphere.

And there’s the small matter of Zethrid’s arm around Keith’s throat.

She’s screaming about revenge, about making Keith suffer as much as she has and he tries to get free because Shiro and Axca are approaching and Zethrid has raised her gun in Shiro’s direction.

Keith writhes desperately, throwing all of his weight back against Zethrid. Her shot goes high, missing Shiro, but she loses her balance and falls back, over the edge, dragging Keith with her.

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

He can’t breathe. He’s dizzy from the lack of oxygen and Zethrid’s grip across his throat is like iron. Keith tries to break free anyway as he sees Shiro and Axca approaching slowly, the weak light reflecting off Shiro’s shoulder port…

...and only the shoulder port.

Shiro locks eyes with him and Keith plants his feet, dropping his center as much as he can.

And Shiro’s arm flies up from below the ledge to punch Zethrid across the face, then snap back toward Shiro, the fingers grabbing her gun and yanking it from her hand.

A sniper’s shot sends Zethrid backwards, stunned, and Keith twists, barely catching her by one wrist before she can fall to her death.

Shiro is there immediately to help him.

***************

“Come on, come on!” Keith yanks Red’s controls frantically but the lion is completely unresponsive. He looks up to see Zarkon shift his weapon into an enormous ax and lift it.

He’s got to move. If Zarkon takes him down, he’ll go after the Black Lion again and he’ll kill Shiro in the process.

Keith thinks he hears the screams of the others as the ax cleaves into the cockpit, bringing the ceiling down on him. He stays conscious just long enough to see the cracks in his visor and feel the cold as the vacuum of space draws his last breath from him.

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

“Come on, come on!” Keith looks up to see Zarkon descending and tries once more to reach his lion—

There’s a jolt that feels like his soul leaving his body, then the briefest flash of a midnight landscape, purple terrain and diamond stars. And suddenly he and Red are on the far side of Zarkon’s command ship, held in Black’s jaws like a mother cat carrying her kitten.

“I got you, buddy!” Shiro sounds winded, but he’s alive. He’s alive and he’s back in Black’s pilot seat.

Keith leans into his own chair, heaving air into his lungs as Shiro takes them back to Black’s hangar in the castle.

***************

Keith stumbles as he lands on his feet, looking around for the threat. But it’s an apartment, a very familiar one. He spins around and sees Shiro in his captain’s uniform. He stands in front of the mirror bolted to the wall, holding a small navy velvet box in his hand as he talks to his reflection.

“I know we haven’t been dating very long…”

“I want to take us to the next level…”

“I think we’re good together…”

With a groan of frustration, Shiro tosses the box onto the table below the mirror and crosses the room to collapse on the sofa. He leans forward to put his head in his hands. “Why is this so hard?”

Keith can’t contain himself anymore. “Shiro!”

Shiro looks up sharply, but his eyes pass right over Keith.

“Shiro, don’t! Please don’t! I’ll come back, I promise! I’m sorry I didn’t stay, but I’ll come back!”

Shiro continues to look around. “Keith?” He rubs his flesh hand over his face and stands. “I’m hearing things now. Great.” He goes back to the mirror and picks up the box again.

Keith’s heart is tearing into pieces. “Shiro, please! I love you!”

~~~~the universe twitches~~~~

Keith watches, invisible, as Shiro checks himself in the mirror. He’s wearing jeans with a leather jacket and has driving goggles hanging around his neck. He reaches into one pocket and pulls out a red velvet box with black edging before taking a long look at himself and speaking.

“I know it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come from that day at your school. At the time I only wanted to help you, because I could see your potential. You said once that your life would have been a lot different without me. But I wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for you. You supported me when I chose my dream. You saved me...so many times. And you never once stopped believing in me. I’m honestly so humbled; you’ve seen me at my worst and yet you love me without hesitation. It took me a little while, but I know now. I love you. I’m in love with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life telling you and showing you just how much I love you.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath. “Keith, will you marry me?”

Keith wants to shout, but can only manage a whisper. “Yes!”

Shiro looks around anyway, but pain rips through Keith as a clamor of screams and shouts crashes over him in a wave.

*************

The pain evaporates as Black morphs into existence around Keith in a blaze of purple light. He grabs the controls. Black shifts back into real space and he recognizes the Olkari camp from the air. The other lions are looking up and roaring a welcome.

There’s a groan beside him and he whips around.

To see a red-and-white-clad body sprawled on the floor of the cockpit, trying to push himself up.

Frantic voices are pouring through the comms and Keith reaches for the panel automatically to answer. “I’m all right! We’re all right!”

“We?” One of the Alluras replies, her tone sharp and anxious.

The figure on the floor looks up at him. His eyes widen for a moment, then he asks weakly, “Did we do it? Did we save them all?”

Keith feels Black send assent and the other’s expression relaxes.

“Thanks, Black.” His strength gives out and Keith leaps out of the pilot’s seat to help him sit up.

The person with his own face looks up with a gleam of humor in his eyes. “So, which one of us is in the wrong place?”

*************

The others are rushing to Black, all shouting at once, as the lion lowers his head to open his jaws. Keith helps his counterpart down the ramp and they all skid to a halt, bumping into one another as they stare.

The other Keith sweeps them all with a look, a growing smile on his face. He falters twice, his eyebrows creeping together as he takes in the two Alluras, then again when he sees Krolia and Shiro.

Shiro gestures at Krolia, indicating that she should go first, but she shakes her head and pushes him toward the lion. With the amount of weight he’s bearing, Keith can’t step back yet and holds his double up. Shiro approaches with that same expression he’d shown the day before, equal parts hope and fear as he reaches out.

The other Keith doesn’t hesitate. He shrugs off the support and stumbles into Shiro, throwing his arms around his neck. Keith gets a full view of Shiro’s face, the tearful gratitude as he murmurs “Keith,” over and over. Suddenly it’s too much and Keith backs away.

Most of the others are surrounding them, looking to welcome their Keith back, but Matt breaks off and approaches him, the wolf bounding beside him. “You scared the hell out of us. Are you okay?”

Keith shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what happened.”

Matt looks down at a datapad. “Pidge was recording everything. It looked like you flew apart, the way she described it before when he died. But when our Allura was about to drop the connection, your Allura told her to keep it going. Then the readings showed energy coalescing instead of dispersing. And then the Black Lion just appeared out of nowhere and landed with both of you.”

“I saw… I don’t know how to describe it. I lost count of how many realities I saw, but in each one something bad was about to happen and then it’s like something tilted and it changed. In most of them I was dying, and the universe glitched and I lived instead.” He feels satisfaction coming from Black; it’s almost like a mental purr.

His Allura peels off as the group is sweeping their Keith toward the camp. She runs a soothing hand up and down his arm. “Are you all right?”

Keith pauses and takes stock. “I think so. I’m feeling sore from all those injuries and deaths, like echoes?”

She puts her fingers to his temples and concentrates a moment. A cool and soothing sensation fills Keith from head to toe and when she steps back, he feels much lighter. He can still remember so many of the other realities, but the physical sensations that lingered are almost gone.

She leans forward, touching her forehead to his. “I saw some of what you did. We need to try again as soon as possible. With the Black Lion here, I think we’ll have much more control this time.”

Keith nods as the wolf head-butts into his hip and Matt claps him on the shoulder. They follow the others back to the camp.

*************

If there were any doubt that the Keith who materialized out of thin air is the right Keith, it’s squashed when the wolf from this reality pops into the room where everyone is debriefing. He immediately goes to their Keith, who falls to his knees and buries his face in the thick fur.

Keith stays at the edges of the room, scratching his wolf’s ears, while everyone gets a chance to welcome their Keith home, including a comms call to the reformed Altea where Coran is stationed.

His Allura joins him when she hears the happy booming voice. Her eyes are shiny with unshed tears and Keith puts an arm around her. “We’ll be back soon and you can see him again.”

She turns into his shoulder. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to him.”

Keith pulls her closer. “Just think about getting to say hello to him again.”

Allura giggles at that even as a few tears spill over. She’s about to reply, but Shiro and the other Keith are approaching. Shiro says, “Princess, Pidge needs you. She thinks she’s got a fix on your reality but she wants to confirm it before we try again. I don’t think we’re ready to see any Keith disappear a third time.” His hand tightens around his Keith’s shoulder.

She nods and heads over to the crowd around the readout screens. The others remain. Keith takes the opportunity to look over his counterpart closely. The hair that is not quite enough for a ponytail. The absence of the scar in his eyebrow. The slightly smaller stature; Keith has grown a couple more inches in the three years since Allura left.

The confidence in his gaze. This Keith knows his Shiro loves him.

Shiro reaches over and puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I don’t know what happened to push you two so far apart, but you’ve got the chance to fix it.”

The other Keith nods. “I’m pretty sure that last reality we saw was yours.”

Keith swallows hard. He still remembers the complete shock at getting the wedding invitation. Standing to the side with the others, his arms folded and trying not to glare at them, because they’d decided to stand together with no best man or maid of honor.

He definitely doesn’t remember his Shiro proposing to him.

His uncertainty must show in his face. Shiro glances at his Keith, who smiles and moves to one side.

Shiro steps forward and lays a hand on either side of Keith’s face. “Go to him as soon as you can. Find him and tell him. If he’s anything like me, he remembers you saying it before, but he talked himself into believing it was desperation more than truth.

“I had to lose my Keith before I realized how I felt. Don’t make your Shiro wait any longer.” He pulls Keith close, smoothing his bangs back with one hand, and places a kiss on his forehead. “I know you can do it.”

*************

They’re ready to go within two vargas. Pidge has tested the arch multiple times and every time it has materialized on a planet with a breathable atmosphere. But they have a helmet for Allura anyway and Keith summons his mask. He’s never quite figured out just how many different atmospheres the wolf can breathe, but he’s confident that of the three of them, the wolf can get to safety the quickest.

The last round of goodbyes has been said, everyone getting hugs or backslaps, and Allura has whispered something into her counterpart’s ear that makes the other Allura blush and pointedly not look at Lance. Keith gets one final nod of encouragement from Shiro and the other Keith as the portal opens once more.

“See you on the other side,” Pidge shouts over the whine of the machines and they plunge through…

And land, instinctively tumbling into rolls across soft grass. Keith gets to his feet and looks around. The terrain is familiar.

Then he looks up and curses in three different languages.

“What is it? Where are we?” Allura asks.

Keith stares into the sky, watching as dozens of celestial bodies are pulled together, stretched out and collapsing.

“We’re in the quantum abyss.”

*************

Pidge should have tested the gate once more. Ten more times. A hundred more times.

Keith is doing his best to channel his frustrations on the long branches he’s snapping into kindling length so he and Allura can have a fire. He tries to focus on the small blessings. They landed on a space whale, which means they’re not going to get drawn into oblivion. Keith kept the emergency kit from his pod, which means they have a plasma firestarter and some other vital provisions to sustain them in the short term.

And, irony of ironies, they stumbled across an entire pack of more space wolves. The whole reason Keith was here in the first place.

Keith’s wolf got in front of them as the largest of the half-dozen wolves edged forward, growling at them. He couldn’t get more than a sense of negotiations happening, but his wolf apparently convinced the pack that they were not a threat. They vanished with a string of sizzling lights. Keith’s wolf looked back at him, then disappeared as well.

That had been around a varga ago.

Allura comes up to Keith and bends to gather the sticks. “He’s been gone a while,” she observes.

Keith’s lips quirk up a little. She’s stopped calling the wolf that silly name the others forced onto him. “He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

“And if he decides to stay?”

Keith glances away so Allura can’t read the pain that digs into his chest at that thought. “Then he stays. It’s his choice. I won’t take that away from him.”

Allura stands with the load of kindling in one arm. She reaches over to cradle his chin with her free hand, making him look back at her. “Is that what happened with Shiro?”

Keith jerks out of her grasp, stung. “What are you talking about?”

“Matt told me.” She grabs his arm and tugs, trying to lead him back to their makeshift camp.

He can resist, but it will only make things more difficult. It’s just the two of them, stranded together, and he can’t avoid her forever. He lets her pull him back to the clearing.

They start the fire and Allura draws him down to sit beside her. “What happened?”

He tells her. He tells her all of it, not just the bits and pieces he let slip to Matt or his mother. How he’d gotten involved in the rebuilding of the Galra as a society thanks to his connection to both Voltron and the Blades. How even as admirals Shiro and Sam Holt couldn’t fight a slow drag toward isolationism from the military bureaucrats who had suffered the invasion of Earth but had not been on the front lines to witness Sendak’s defeat. A standoff was coming, because Shiro was still the only one capable of transforming the Atlas.

Keith had suggested that Shiro take any willing crew members and bring the Atlas to Altea. Between the original plans and the crystal that had once been the castle, Coran certainly had some claim to the ship and plenty of resources on the restored planet to compensate the Garrison for the materials they contributed. But Shiro saw that as mutiny; it had turned into one of the most serious arguments they’d ever had. They’d ended on angry words, Keith warning Shiro against trusting the Earth bureaucrats and Shiro insisting that he could bring them around.

He’d been wrong. The armchair generals grounded the Atlas.

At that point the only thing Keith wanted to do was go back to Earth with a fleet and take Shiro and everyone who wanted to come with them back to space. But one of the things he had learned in his life was that choice was paramount. Keith had been given very few choices between his father’s death and meeting Shiro. He’d seen the lesson again, as Shiro rejected Adam’s ultimatum in favor of Kerberos.

So Keith had stayed back and let Shiro choose, no matter how much it hurt.

And it hurt very much indeed when Shiro chose to retire from the Garrison, followed by marrying a fellow crew member so quickly that Keith hadn’t even heard that Shiro was seeing someone.

By the end of it, Keith is crying on Allura’s shoulder as she rubs his back to soothe him. When the tears finally trail off, she sits back, taking his hands.

“Keith, you are one of the most honorable people I’ve ever known. It’s an incredibly generous trait to not push the one you hold most dear.” She reaches up and brushes his bangs to the side. “But you do have the right to tell him what you want as well.”

Keith shakes his head. “I can’t. I’d lose him, just like Adam lost him.”

The hand still holding his tightens. “No, not like that. Not a demand, not telling him he has to do it your way. But letting him know what you want? Talk together, see if there’s a way to meet in the middle? Isn’t that the cornerstone for a solid relationship?”

He looks off into the distance. He can’t argue with Allura’s logic, but doing anything that even hints that he’s trying to control Shiro’s decision paralyzes his heart with fear. It had hurt to watch Shiro go to Kerberos. It had hurt more to walk away in order for Shiro to reclaim his place with Voltron. And it had been crushing to watch Shiro tie himself to another person and settle for an ordinary life.

Keith’s not sure he can survive the pain if Shiro walks away again. He’s long since forgotten how to not care.

*************

Hours later, Keith wakes from where they’ve fallen asleep together at the fire. He’s no longer chilly and realizes there’s a very large and furry something draped over him. He smiles a little and strokes the wolf’s fur.

He sees movement out of the corner of his eye and looks.

A second wolf is curled up next to Allura.

*************

They spend the next day searching for a good place to camp. Keith comes across an honest-to-goodness cave, deeper than the one where he had lived with his mother, and he and Allura spend the rest of the day clearing it of rocks and debris. The wolves bring a carcass that looks like a cross between a deer and a llama and Keith gets to teach Allura the fine art of butchering.

The memory waves begin that night. Keith had almost forgotten about them when he’s suddenly dropped into a vision of Allura and Honerva. Faint outlines of their bodies glow against dark clouds as they face one another and concentrate. Allura gasps out Lance’s name, then the lions roar in the distance as the vision fades.

Over the next several days, they share memories. Keith gets to see Allura’s past, including surprisingly painful views of Lotor as a child. Allura sees Keith with Shiro at the Garrison and gushes over how young they were.

Keith tenses every time a wave hits, wondering when he will have to relive Shiro’s wedding, waiting for that ax to fall.

It doesn’t happen.

Eleven days later by the series of scratches Keith made on the cave wall, they feel their surroundings shake and look to one another. Allura gets to her feet when the wolves trot to the mouth of the cave. “Was that a tremor? Did that happen to you before?”

Keith shakes his head as he rises. “No, that’s new.”

It happens again, and now that he’s upright, Keith realizes that the rumble is coming from within, a growl rising from his gut into his chest and filling his heart…

Allura gasps just before twin roars echo outside their shelter. Keith grabs her hand and they break into a run out of the cave.

Across the valley, two lions crouch, heads down and jaws open wide in invitation.

**********************

After a quick discussion, they decide to start with Coran on Altea and then get in touch with everyone else. They gather their sparse belongings and Allura races to Blue, radiating joy. Keith starts up the ramp into Black, savoring the warm mental welcome, then pauses to look back.

His wolf is at the foot of the ramp, ready to board. The second wolf, smaller and with more gray in her markings, has paused several meters away. She’s been happy to stay with them so far, joining in the hunting and engaging in play with his wolf.

Keith takes a deep breath and comes back to crouch by his wolf. He scratches behind an ear and presses his face into soft fur.

“You’re one of the best friends I have. If you want to stay, I’ll try to come back and visit when I can.” He sits up and turns to the she-wolf. “But if you’d like to come with us, you’re welcome. I can promise it’s never dull.”

His wolf whines, stretching his neck out and toward the other. She takes one more look around the valley, then lopes forward to bowl Keith over, licking his face.

Allura’s voice booms from the Blue Lion. “Get your pets and come on, Keith!”

Laughing, Keith leads the two wolves up into Black’s cockpit. Black’s approval flows through him as he takes his seat and plots the course to thread them out of the abyss and to Altea.

****************

As they approach Altea’s atmosphere, Keith hails the new Castle of Lions. The comms officer on duty doesn’t get even a full sentence out before Coran’s voice fills their ears.

“Keith? Oh, thank the ancients! Where have you been?”

He pauses at that. “Um, the quantum abyss? I let everyone know I was taking a little time to explore it again.”

“My boy, you’ve been missing for nearly four phoebs! We were worried sick!”

“Oh, I...I didn’t realize. It was a couple of weeks—movements—for me. I’m sorry about that.” “You need to stop going into regions that warp space-time itself! Now, are you landing your pod here and staying for a bit or do you want a teludav somewhere? You need to let your mother and the other paladins know you’re all right.”

“Stopping here, but we’ll land out in the memorial park. Can you meet us there?”

“In the park? Why there?”

With Keith’s encouragement, Black roars as he and Blue finish breaking through the atmosphere and descend toward the castle’s grounds.

Keith knows Coran has seen their approach when the words come quietly through the comms. “Oh my.”

***************************************

Keith lands first but watches from the pilot’s seat as Blue lands and lowers her head. Allura jumps to the ground before the ramp is fully extended, staggering briefly before taking off toward the castle. There are people on the grounds, staring at the sight of two Voltron lions. They start looking at one another and calling out when they realize just who it is they’re seeing. As it turns into a crowd that looks like it might overwhelm her, Keith grabs a handful of his wolf’s fur.

They’re beside Allura in a flash and Keith draws his blade. “Back off! Don’t mob her!”

The surrounding group, mostly Alteans, are surprised enough to pause, and the wolf threads himself between them before teleporting them out of there.

The wolf deposits them back in the Black Lion’s cockpit. Allura protests, “Wait—”

And the she-wolf appears and dumps Coran into her arms.

Allura squeaks. Coran is speechless, staring at her with his mouth open. Finally he draws a shaky breath and whispers, “Princess?”

She beams, even as tears spring to her eyes. “Oh, Coran! I missed you so much!” She tightens her embrace and Coran flings his arms around her.

“Allura! How? When? What happened?”

As she starts trying to explain Honerva’s plan, Keith kneels down between the wolves. He strokes the she-wolf’s head and murmurs, “That was a good move. You’re just as smart as he is, aren’t you, girl?”

She chuffs and head-butts him as his wolf gives a mildly affronted growl. The conversation catches his attention again.

“—quintessence to draw me through. Then it was just a matter of getting to our reality from that one, although Keith gave us quite the scare. The first time the other Pidge tried the gate, there was a surge of energy, not just quintessence, that appeared to blast Keith apart. But I could still feel a connection to him somehow, and when I realized it was Black I pushed to keep the gate open. Then the energy started coming together and suddenly Black phased in, and he not only had our Keith but the Keith from that reality, who had disappeared during the final confrontation with Honerva.

“After that, we tested the gate multiple times and it worked. But it dropped us on a space whale in the quantum abyss and it took the lions eleven quintants to get to us.”

“Incredible,” Coran sighs. He turns to Keith and pulls him into a hug. “Thank you. You brought Allura back to us. Thank you.” He makes a show of producing a large handkerchief from his sleeve and blowing his nose. “Now, we need to—”

A voice bursts through the comms. “Pidge! Lance! Are you there? Did they find you yet? Yellow’s back! I’m in the Yellow Lion! Come on, guys, answer!”

“I’m here! I’m here! Green’s here!” Pidge’s joy easily matches Hunk’s.

“Holy quiznak, I can’t believe it! Lance, are you there?”

“You keep trying! I’m going to get Shiro! If the lions are coming back, then there’s a chance we can find Keith! Maybe he can get Coran to commandeer the Atlas in the Coalition’s name! They can’t say no then!”

Keith’s spirits rise, just before he remembers the bridge officer that Shiro married. If the quantum abyss has screwed up his timeline again, he wonders how long ago the wedding was.

He notices Allura giving him a look and mentally shakes himself. He steps over to the console and taps the appropriate screen while Allura signals Coran to stay quiet. “I’m here, guys. No need to summon the cavalry.”

Twin shrieks of “KEITH!” make the wolves flatten their ears.

“I’m okay! Black’s here, too. Sorry about the whole missing thing; Coran just told me how long I’ve been gone. It was only a couple of weeks for me.”

Hunk replies first. “Okay, I’ll forgive you because I’m just so glad to hear your voice again. But maybe stop going to that abyss?”

Keith laughs. “Yeah, maybe. I’m on Altea. Coran can wormhole you guys in and I can try and raise Lance.”

“And Shiro! He’s been going nuts trying to find a lead on you!” Pidge retorts.

“He has? But what about—”

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

“Lance!” Hunk’s gleeful shout echoes in Black’s cockpit. “Lance, did Red find you?”

“Yeah, yeah, she did.”

“So did Yellow! And Green and Black are back! Keith’s safe, he’s on Altea! Can you meet us there?”

“Sure, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Lance’s tone is quiet and Allura covers her mouth, drawing Keith and Coran’s attention. She gulps once, then touches the marks below her eyes.

Keith gets it. “Lance, are you okay?”

“Yeah...I think so. I think we need to find Blue. My marks...my marks are glowing. I think they’re finally trying to bring Allura home.” Lance’s voice breaks at Allura’s name.

***************************

Pidge tells Coran to wait until she’s corralled Shiro, so he arranges wormholes for Hunk and Lance. They land their lions in the park, now filled with people gawking and sharing rumors. Keith sends the wolves to retrieve them, depositing them in Coran’s sitting room where he and Allura are waiting.

Keith grabs Hunk’s arm and pulls him into a hug, clearing the way for Allura to fling herself onto Lance. As Hunk squeezes his ribs to the breaking point, Keith watches Allura alternate between peppering Lance’s stunned face with kisses and wiping away his tears. Finally she slows down and reaches over to grab Keith’s arm. “Here, trade for a tick. I need a hug from Hunk.”

Lance looks him over for a moment, then holds out a hand. When Keith takes it, Lance tugs him forward and throws his other arm around Keith’s neck. “You did this, didn’t you? You found a way to bring her back.”

“It was more like she had a way back but needed me to do it.”

“Still. Thank you.” Lance draws back and cuffs him on the shoulder. “Man, is Shiro gonna be glad to see you.”

“I don’t know why. He’s been busy with everything Earthside, hasn’t he?”

Lance gives him a look. “Seriously? I thought you’d gotten over this by now.”

Keith stares, bewildered. “Gotten over what?”

“Oh my GOD,” Lance starts, sounding so much like his old self that Hunk does a double-take. “Hunk, we’ve got to do it all over again.”

Hunk groans dramatically. But before Keith can ask just what they’re talking about, Coran’s voice sounds through the comms. “Pidge and Shiro are on their way!”

****************************

Keith retreats while they wait. He lets the others talk with Allura while he takes a low seat away from them and learns how the she-wolf likes her ears scratched.

Both wolves perk up, seconds before Pidge’s voice comes through the comm. “I see you guys left a parking spot! But how the heck are we gonna get through that mob to the castle? And what’s Blue doing here?”

The she-wolf disappears and reappears almost immediately with Pidge. She shrieks Allura’s name as Shiro’s voice sounds over the comm, “Wait, that wasn’t Kos—”

Keith’s wolf zaps him into Green’s cockpit before Shiro can finish his question, then shoulders him at Shiro before vanishing.

He stumbles forward, but Shiro catches him in a tight embrace. His hand is on the back of Keith’s head, fingers tangled in his hair, while his Altean arm pins Keith close.

His approach is completely different than the Shiro in the other reality. The other Shiro hesitated to hug Keith at first despite his need for comfort and closure; this Shiro is holding on to Keith with desperate strength, radiating relief.

It’s a one-eighty from Shiro’s attitude the last time Keith saw him, wrapped up in the gaze of his new husband.

Finally Shiro’s grip loosens. “God, Keith… You scared us so much.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t planning to go through an inter-reality portal and get sent back to land on a space whale again.”

“Is that what made you vanish for four months?” Shiro brings his hand forward, cradling Keith’s face.

Keith reaches up to remove Shiro’s hand. He doesn’t understand why Shiro is acting like this, but it’s painfully close to everything Keith ever wanted and he needs to separate them before he simply melts into Shiro’s arms.

His fingers brush across Shiro’s knuckles and pause, seeking something that he knows ought to be there. Then it hits him.

Shiro isn’t wearing his ring.

Keith had hated the ring. Not only for what it represented, but because it was so not Shiro. Big and gold with a chunky raised setting, it was designed to be flashy, to grab attention. To stake a claim. Shiro would never have chosen it for himself.

Of course Shiro might have left it behind. It’s hardly a practical thing to wear if one is going off on a mission, even one with known parameters.

Keith takes Shiro’s hand to draw it away from his face, but Shiro immediately twines their fingers together and pulls their hands to his chest. Keith can feel his heart pounding. He responds instinctively, feeling guilty for causing so much worry.

“I guess. It was just a couple of weeks for us.”

“Us?”

Keith can’t stop the smile that lights up his face. “Yeah, us.” He reaches mentally, asking the wolf to come back. There’s an ozone-filled flash and the wolf appears, sitting with his head cocked to one side in an inquiring manner.

“Don’t give me that look. You’re the one that did this.”

The wolf rises and circles them, shoving Keith up against Shiro once more. Shiro laughs and wraps his arms around Keith as they teleport.

They land in the room with the others. A voice scolds, “You’re still a menace, even if you have learned not to chew things.”

Shiro’s head snaps up from Keith’s shoulder. “Allura?”

Keith disentangles himself from Shiro’s embrace and pushes him toward Allura. As the two of them hold one another and laugh through tears, Pidge crosses to tuck herself into Keith’s side.

“Missed you. Glad you’re back.”

Keith squeezes her, lifting her up from the floor. “Glad to be back. Sorry, again.”

“Can we please stay away from places that are prone to time-travel shenanigans for a while?”

Keith laughs and sets her down. “We can try.”

“On the bright side, I think this has convinced Shiro that we need to move the Atlas to Coalition jurisdiction, like you suggested.”

Keith freezes.

Pidge continues to talk, not noticing his reaction. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that angry, when the top brass flat-out said they weren’t going to re-activate the Atlas just to look for one person, even if said person had been one of the heroes who saved the planet. He and Dad and Iverson were ready to just take all willing crew members and go, but the comms officer threatened to report them. It took weeks of maneuvering, but Dad got him reassigned and put Matt on comms instead. By then, your mom had gotten in touch and was able to talk Shiro down from just taking off with the Atlas—oh, quiznak! Your mom!” Pidge whirls out of Keith’s arms. “Coran! We need to let Krolia know Keith’s back!”

Everyone flocks around Coran as he pulls up a comms screen and Keith is drawn to the front. He looks for the timestamp on the screen, in the corner. It lists the date on Altea, New Olkarion, Daizabaal, and Earth.

He feels eyes on him and glances around. Allura is looking at him, her eyebrows up in inquiry. He nods.

The date is nearly six months before Keith originally took off to explore the quantum abyss.

****************************

Keith has no time to consider the implications. The screen winks into life, showing his mother. Her expression is calm, but Keith can see the relief in her eyes.

“Well, little star, you gave us quite a scare. I am very glad to see you safe and sound.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t plan for an inter-reality portal springing up in my path.”

“Aha,” she replies. “So that’s what happened. Did you meet interesting versions of anyone? Was there a Sven?”

Those who experienced the first crossing to an alternate reality laugh at that. Keith shakes his head. “No, no Svens. It wasn’t all that different from here...except at the final battle, instead of Allura leaving with Honerva… I died.”

That gets cries of protest from the others. Keith draws breath to explain that it had all worked out, but almost chokes in surprise when Shiro’s arms clasp him from behind.

Krolia’s mouth curves up into a knowing smile. “No more letting him out of your sight, Captain. Understood?”

Shiro leans down and props his chin on Keith’s shoulder. “Loud and clear, ma’am.”

She nods, satisfied. “Are you all staying on Altea for now?”

Shiro straightens but doesn’t let go of Keith. “I think so. We need to come up with a plan to get the Atlas off Earth.”

“Kolivan and I can make arrangements and leave in the morning, if a wormhole can be managed?” Krolia looks over at Coran.

“Absolutely, Krolia! Just signal when you’re ready!”

“Thank you, Coran.” She focuses on Keith once more. “I’ll see you then.”

“See you then, Mom.” The call disconnects and Keith stands awkwardly, unsure of how to deal with Shiro still clinging to him.

Hunk solves the problem by coming forward and throwing his arms around both of them. “Okay, Keith, no dying! You hear me? You don’t get to die just because the you in another reality did!”

“Oh, it’s all right. We managed to bring the other Keith back before we left.” But Allura’s actions belie her words as she steps up to join the group hug. Pidge, Lance, and Coran follow her and everyone’s combined presence helps Keith to shake his hyperfocus on Shiro’s behavior.

As they finally separate, Pidge’s eyes gleam with enthusiasm. “I want to hear everything! What you and Honerva did, the other reality, all of it!”

Allura laughs. “All right, but first I’d really like the chance for a shower. Keith and I had to make do on the space whale and I’m sure we could both use one.”

There’s a glint in Coran’s eye that makes Keith nervous. “Lance, show Allura to the royal wing. She can take any suite there. Shiro, do you remember the way to the ambassadorial hall?”

Keith groans. “Coran, I remember the way.”

“Perhaps, but you have a recently developed habit of disappearing and I’d feel better if Shiro stayed with you. We need to prevent a repeat occurrence.”

Shiro shifts but keeps his left arm around Keith. “Coran’s right. And your mother did tell me not to let you out of my sight…”

The others don’t even try to hold in their laughter as Shiro leads Keith away.

****************************

Shiro doesn’t let go of Keith the entire way and it’s about to drive him mad. His head is bursting with questions and it’s like he’s got half the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and no box with the full image. He doesn’t know what to do with the possibility that he’s got a do-over, that he’s landed back in time before he and Shiro drifted apart to the point that Shiro married someone else without even telling Keith he was dating.

He knows Shiro can feel the tension in his shoulders as they enter the room that has been Keith’s whenever he visits the new castle. Shiro’s response is to turn him and pull him into yet another hug, pressing his lips into Keith’s hair.

He can’t take it anymore. Keith pulls back and holds his hands up. “Look, I need to clean up, I need some rest, and I need to think. It’s been a really weird couple of weeks. I need some time to process it all.”

The hurt in Shiro’s eyes feels like a knife penetrating Keith’s chest, but he has to do this. He has to get some space between him and everyone else, be alone and sort everything out.

Despite his pain, Shiro does what he’s always done ever since the day he walked into Keith’s classroom door and immediately gives him support. He takes a couple of steps back.

“I don’t know the full story of what happened to you out there, Keith. And I won’t ask until you’re ready to share it. If you need time alone, you’ll have it. But I have to tell you this.”

Keith looks up at the conviction in Shiro’s tone. He has no idea what Shiro is about to say, but he’s suddenly terrified.

“You were gone for months. We were starting to think you were dead, that we’d lost you forever. And the last time you and I talked, we argued over the Atlas and left angry at each other. I’m not risking one more minute leaving this unsaid.” He steps forward and gently lays his human hand along Keith’s jaw, the thumb stroking his cheek above his scar.

“I love you, Keith. I’m in love with you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, you’ve been my defender and brother-in-arms, you’ve been my rock and you’ve been my savior. I don’t know exactly when I started to realize it, but you being gone made it crystal clear for me. And I understand you may not feel the same way, but after the last few months of not knowing if I’d ever see you again, I had to tell you.”

Keith can’t speak. Fuck, he can’t breathe. What is he supposed to do, how is he supposed to handle it, when the one thing he’s wanted more than anything from the universe is suddenly dropped into his lap?

He has no idea what his face is showing, but Shiro’s determination melts into fear and concern. His Altean hand comes up and he’s wiping at Keith’s face—shit, is he crying?

“Keith! I’m sorry! You don’t—you don’t have to—” Shiro’s words fall over themselves as he grows frantic.

Keith’s throat starts working, just enough for him to gasp out, “Shiro!” before he thrusts forward and up to crush his mouth against Shiro’s.

He can feel the surprise and joy from Shiro as his hands slide back to cradle Keith’s head, tilting it just enough so their lips mesh perfectly, tongues already meeting. The joy sings through Keith as he pours everything he has into the kiss.

The need to pause and breathe is what convinces Keith that he’s not dreaming. They pull apart just enough to gulp in air. Shiro keeps his hands in Keith’s hair and leans forward to touch foreheads. Keith’s fingers dig into Shiro’s uniform jacket.

“Still need me to go?” Shiro asks, his voice soft and gentle.

Keith shakes his head. “Don’t leave.”

Shiro chuckles and bumps noses with Keith before taking one more quick kiss. “Never.”

****************************

Keith emerges from the shower, an Altean-style robe pulled over his head and towelling his hair dry. Shiro is still there, changed into casual clothes and lounging on Keith’s bed, petting the she-wolf. Her head is draped over his lap and her eyes are closed. Keith’s wolf is stretched out on the floor. He lifts his head and gives Keith an exasperated look.

Keith crouches down and gets his fingers into the thick fur behind his wolf’s ears. “Feeling left out?”

The wolf licks Keith’s face and he laughs. The she-wolf watches as Keith moves in for more scratches, then sits up and looks at Shiro.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Shiro protests as she sits up and goes for his face. “You don’t need to slobber all over me if you want your ears scratched!” He ruffles her fur and she leans into his touch with a blissful expression.

Keith hides a smile when he sees the gleam of humor in her eyes, just before she surges forward and laps against his cheek anyway.

Keith breaks into laughter again as Shiro sputters. The she-wolf jumps down to rub noses with Keith’s wolf and Shiro sits up, wiping his face.

“They’re going to be a pair of troublemakers. And they really do need names now that there’s two of them. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer?”

“Those are cats!”

“Bonnie and Clyde?”

“They were criminals!”

Shiro holds up his hands. “All right, all right, I’ll stop. But everyone else is going to try and come up with something that goes with Kosmo.”

“They can try. I’m not forcing names on them like they’re just dogs.”

Keith’s wolf butts his head against his shoulder gently and Shiro softens, clearly seeing the gesture of gratitude. He gets up and crosses to Keith, holding out a hand to pull him to his feet.

“That’s just one of the hundreds of things I love about you. You’ve never once tried to dictate anyone else’s choices to them.”

Keith grins. “Hundreds of things? Come on.”

Shiro gets a don’t-challenge-me look in his eyes, then smiles. “I love how loyal you are. I love your daring. I love your fire. I love how your eyes are the color of a starlit night sky. I love how soft your hair is. I love how this is a guaranteed way to get you to blush—”

Keith plants a kiss on Shiro’s mouth to get him to stop. Shiro’s shoulders shake with suppressed laughter as he wraps his arms around Keith and parts his lips, eagerly picking up where they had left off earlier.

There’s a beep as a comm screen appears, then a flustered “Oh dear!”

They pause and turn to see a chagrined Coran.

“I’m sorry for interrupting...yes, interrupting...that. Shiro, we’re getting hit with incoming messages from Earth. Admiral Holt, Admiral Iverson, Veronica, Axca, two of the MFE pilots, an Admiral McConnell, a Lieutenant Curtis…”

Shiro straightens, suddenly on the alert. “Can you put Admiral Holt through?”

The screen blinks, showing Sam on the Atlas bridge. He calls out, “I’ve got him!” As Shiro frowns, several others gather behind Sam. Keith makes eye contact with Matt, who gives him a relieved grin as the rest break into gasps and exclamations.

“Keith!” Sam bursts out. “It’s so good to see you! You had us worried.”

Keith nods. “Sorry about that.” He pauses to let Shiro take over.

“Sam, what’s going on?”

“It’s the Atlas. It—she...I think she’s going rogue.”

****************************

Shiro insists on getting back into uniform and convening everyone in the control center, where the bridge was on the original castle. In the time it takes to gather the others, Coran reports that Admiral McConnell has tried to contact them three more times. Shiro continues to ignore him in favor of Sam’s report, summarizing the experience of the around three hundred people currently aboard the Atlas. Which is currently passing Alpha Centauri and helpfully displaying a flight pattern to the crew that will eventually take it to Altea.

Sam describes how every single person on board was woken by an alarm and most received a texted message to board the Atlas and report to Sam immediately. While Sam himself was trying to sort out what had happened, the ship had closed all entryways, including closing the MFEs in their hangars, and taken off on her own.

Sam falters as he describes the bridge crew’s fruitless attempts to get control of the ship, and Iverson clears his throat. “We think the Atlas is coming to find you, Shiro.”

Coran lets out a hiss of breath. “Astonishing. Just like how Red used to go after Keith if he needed her.”

Shiro chews on his lower lip a moment. “Does anyone have a roster of who’s on board?”

Veronica has a tablet in her hand, skimming its display. “Yes, and yes, everyone on board is part of the group we considered trustworthy when we talked about ways to get the Atlas out of Garrison control. Including families. My parents got here before I did.”

Coran and Allura look at one another and she nods. He turns to the comm screen. “Admiral Holt, as a founding member of the Galactic Coalition, planet Altea officially offers your ship and crew sanctuary. We will begin preparing a formal request that the Atlas be moved to Coalition jurisdiction to present to the Garrison. In the meantime, we can arrange a wormhole, if you can convince the Atlas to fly through it.”

“Better idea,” Pidge pipes up. “Keith can take Shiro in Black through a wormhole to their location, and once they’re on board Shiro can direct the Atlas back through a return one.”

Shiro glances over at Keith a little shyly. Keith smiles back and can’t even bring himself to mind when Matt’s whoop of “Finally!” sparks a wave of babble and congratulatory cheers from both sides of the transmission.

****************************

It’s a messy transition.

The armchair admirals, led by McConnell, try to demand the return of the Atlas in front of the Galactic Coalition’s judicial body. Coran represents the Coalition and delivers an incredibly impassioned speech about how the Atlas may have begun by helping to save the Earth from the Galra but ended by helping to save all realities everywhere. It doesn’t help when another admiral makes a not-so-vague threat to the crew members who might want to return long enough to visit friends or put their affairs in order for a permanent move to space.

McConnell can’t silence him fast enough. The judges’ decision is a foregone conclusion after that.

****************************

Keith is leading a joint paladin/MFE training session when the text comes through: How about a hoverbike ride before it gets too dark?

Keith grins. The training session is supposed to go for another half-varga, but they’ve done particularly well today and deserve a bit of a break. He texts back an affirmative to Shiro and gets everyone’s attention to dismiss them.

James looks put out at the deviation from their schedule. Lance trades a high-five with Nadia before going over to grab Allura’s hand. Pidge and Ina immediately put their heads together—they’ve been spending all their free time trying to incorporate Balmera crystals into the MFE jet engines so they don’t have to charge as often. Keith pulls Hunk aside for a quick consultation on putting a picnic together and Hunk promises to have a hamper delivered to the hangar that holds personal vehicles.

Even with that and stopping to change into casual clothes, Keith arrives first. He loads the hamper onto his hoverbike and opens the hangar door to the afternoon sunshine. They’re currently stationed on Tympaysia, a new member of the Coalition, and the Atlas is parked in an arid region that is remarkably like the Arizona desert except with sands of blue and purple instead of red and brown.

Shiro enters and heads straight for Keith, giving him a light kiss in greeting. Keith admires him for a moment in his black leather jacket—Keith has appropriated his old one from their Garrison days—and takes the set of driving goggles that Shiro holds out to him.

“So, are we riding or racing?” Shiro asks.

Keith grins. “Riding. We don’t know the terrain and I’d hate to make you lose.”

“Brat.”

“Seriously, I don’t want to shake up our dinner too much.” Shiro brightens. “Dinner?”

“Yeah, I got Hunk to put something together for us.” Keith puts on his goggles and mounts his bike. “Shall we?”

They ride for a varga or so, traveling up the hills around the valley where the Atlas is docked, and find a spot high enough for a nice view. They eat and chat about random things, like Veronica and Axca dancing around one another or Ryan’s next film project. The conversation fades and they relax in comfortable silence on a spread-out blanket, watching as the sun begins to sink below the horizon.

Keith is trying to judge how much longer they might stay before it gets too dark when Shiro takes his hand.

“So, I had a reason for this. I’ve been trying to find a chance for us to be alone and away from everyone else for a while now.” He threads his fingers with Keith’s and Keith is suddenly on the alert. He doesn’t know what Shiro is leading up to, but the very air around them suddenly seems heavy with anticipation.

“I know it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come from that day, when I came to your school. At the time I only wanted to help you, because you had so much potential. You said once that your life would have been a lot different without me. But I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you. You supported me when I chose my dream over everything else. You saved me...so many times. And you never stopped believing in me. Not once. I’m honestly so humble; you’ve seen the worst of me and yet you love me without hesitation. It was so hard to make myself believe I could deserve someone like you. It took believing you might be dead to make me realize that I was focusing on what might go wrong, that I was missing the chance to have something great.

“You are that something great, Keith. I love you. I’m in love with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life embracing greatness with you.”

It’s not the same as the memory Keith has from the reality-hopping, now some six phoebs in the past. But the rhythm is there, the sincere emotion in Shiro’s words as they flow from him.

And the red velvet box is there, in Shiro’s Altean hand. He lets go of Keith long enough to open it, revealing the black cushion that cradles a startling ring. The slim metal band is a bright fiery red, smooth and polished, set with a black cabochon stone.

“Keith, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

He drags his gaze up from the ring to Shiro’s face, alight with love and hope and a little fear.

Keith launches himself into Shiro’s arms, knocking him flat onto the blanket as he kisses Shiro ferociously. He’ll eradicate that fear, that doubt, from Shiro if it’s the last thing he ever does.

As the need to breathe asserts itself, Shiro takes Keith’s head in his hands and lifts him enough to look him in the eye. “So that’s a ‘yes’, I take it?”

Keith huffs. “Of course it’s a ‘yes’. What made you think I’d ever say anything other than ‘yes’?”

Shiro looks just a little abashed. He takes a lock of Keith’s hair, escaped from his braid, and tucks it behind his ear. “Well, you know how Slav would never admit anything could be a one hundred percent certainty…”

“How dare you bring Slav into my marriage proposal!” Keith tries to look angry, but can’t contain the joy he’s feeling. He beams at his fiancé.

“I promise it will never happen again.” Shiro pulls him close and sits up so that Keith is in his lap. He uses his left arm to keep Keith in place, sending the Altean arm to retrieve the ring box from where it had fallen.

Keith tugs his glove off so Shiro can slide the ring onto his finger. They both admire it for a moment as the rich light from the setting sun plays over it.

“It’s beautiful,” Keith says.

“Just like you,” Shiro replies, and he has to put fingers under Keith’s chin to get him to look up. Because Keith knows he’s blushing hard at those words.

“So beautiful,” Shiro whispers as he draws Keith in, opening his mouth as their lips touch to deepen the kiss.

Keith savors the moment, enjoying the perfection without fear of it ending. Because, in this rebuilt reality, he is certain that perfection will return often and be enjoyed for the rest of their lives.

#voltron #sheith #avid writes #a better vld s8 ending #and now I need a title

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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Facebook, Google and Twitter C.E.O.s to Face Lawmakers Again: Live Updates Here’s what you need to know: Jack Dorsey, left, the chief executive of Twitter; Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google; and Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 25.Credit…Lm Otero Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter will face skeptical lawmakers again next month when a congressional committee questions them about the ways disinformation spreads across their platforms. The House Energy and Commerce Committee said Thursday that it would hold a hearing on March 25 with Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sundar Pichai of Google and Jack Dorsey of Twitter. The committee has been examining the future of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that shields the platforms from lawsuits over much of the content posted by their users. The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, which included participants with ties to QAnon and other conspiracy theories that have spread widely online, has renewed concerns that the law allows the platforms to take a hands-off approach to extremist content. “For far too long, Big Tech has failed to acknowledge the role they’ve played in fomenting and elevating blatantly false information to its online audiences,” a group of the committee’s top Democrats said in a statement. “Industry self-regulation has failed.” Andy Stone, a spokesman for Facebook, said the company “believes it’s time to update the rules of the internet, and this hearing should be another important step in the process.” The House Judiciary Committee announced its own set of hearings on the tech industry on Thursday. It said it would hold multiple hearings on how to update antitrust laws to address the power of the tech giants. The committee questioned chief executives before concluding a lengthy investigation into the companies last year. The Judiciary Committee’s first hearing will take place on Wednesday. An all-electric Renault Zoe. Renault’s chief executive, Luca de Meo, last month presented a plan to return the automaker to profitability.Credit…Samuel Zeller for The New York Times Renault, the French carmaker, reported a loss of 8 billion euros, or $9.7 billion, in 2020 as the pandemic gutted sales, but the company said that was profitable in the later part of the year. Most of the annual loss stemmed from Renault’s stake in its troubled partner, Nissan. Losses at the Japanese carmaker drained €5 billion from the bottom line, Renault said. In addition, Renault car sales plunged 20 percent for the year, to just short of three million vehicles. “After a first half impacted by Covid-19, the group has significantly turned around its performance in the second half,” Luca de Meo, Renault’s chief executive, said in a statement, without giving a figure. He said that 2021 was “set to be difficult given the unknowns regarding the health crisis as well as electronic components supply shortages.” In 2021, shortages of semiconductors, a problem for almost all carmakers, could cut production by as much as 100,000 vehicles, Renault said. Mr. de Meo, who became Renault’s chief executive in July, last month announced a plan to return to profitability that includes cuts in production capacity, sales of fewer models and increased parts sharing among vehicles to simplify manufacturing. Manessa Grady and her sons Zechariah, 8, left, and Noah, 9, were among the millions of Texas residents who lost power this week.Credit…Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times In California, wildfires and heat waves in recent years forced utilities to shut off power to millions of homes and businesses. Now, Texas is learning that deadly winter storms and intense cold can do the same. Bill Magness, the president and chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator, said on Thursday that Texas was “seconds and minutes” from a catastrophic blackout this week as rotating outages were used to control the flow of electricity. The country’s two largest states have taken very different approaches to managing their energy needs — Texas deregulated aggressively, letting the free market flourish, while California embraced environmental regulations. Yet the two states are confronting the same ominous reality: They may be woefully unprepared for the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters caused by climate change. Blackouts in Texas and California have revealed that power plants can be strained and knocked offline by the kind of extreme cold and hot weather that climate scientists have said will become more common as greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere. The problems in Texas and California highlight the challenge the Biden administration will face in modernizing the electricity system to run entirely on wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and other zero-emission technologies by 2035 — a goal that President Biden set during the 2020 campaign. The federal government and energy businesses may have to spend trillions of dollars to harden electricity grids against the threat posed by climate change and to move away from the fossil fuels responsible for the warming of the planet in the first place. These are not new ideas. Scholars have long warned that American electricity grids, which are run regionally, will come under increasing strain and needed major upgrades. “We really need to change our paradigm, particularly utilities, because they are becoming much more vulnerable to disaster,” Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, said about blackouts in Texas and California. “They need to always think about literally the worst-case scenario because the worst-case scenario is going to happen.” Video transcript Back transcript Congressman Calls Robinhood’s Help Line and Gets Voicemail After telling the House Financial Services Committee about the suicide of Robinhood user Alex Kearns, who died believing he had lost $730,000 on the brokerage app, Representative Sean Casten called its help line. June 2020, Alex Kearns, who was 20 years old at the time, from Naperville, Illinois, killed himself, largely thanks to a bug in the Robinhood system. The bug was that he turned on the app, it said he owed $730,000 that he did not have, because of options positions that he thought canceled out but didn’t appear to. He called the help line. The help line, of course, was not manned, as we’ve discussed. He sent several panicked emails — three, to be precise — did not receive a response. Ultimately there was a response from the emails saying that, in fact, his positions were covered. But by that point, it was too late, because he had taken his own life. The — this is a gentleman who is 20 years old. Under Illinois law, he was not allowed to buy a beer, but he was allowed to take on $730,000 in positions and exposure that he did not have the liquidity to cover. Your mission, Mr. Tenev, is to democratize finance. But the history of financial regulation is to protect people like Alex Kearns from the system. As the old joke goes, if you’re playing poker and you can’t figure out who the fish is at the table, you should leave the table because you’re probably the fish. And there is an innate tension in your business model between democratizing finance, which is a noble calling, and being a conduit to feed fish to sharks. So I’m nervous. I think I got an exposure. And I call your help line now. Let’s call and let’s listen in the time we have remaining to what I’m going to hear on the other end of the phone. Voicemail: “Thank you for calling Robinhood. Please visit us at robinhood.com or on our app for support. If you have an urgent trading need, please make sure to include details of it when reaching out. Thanks have a great day.” After telling the House Financial Services Committee about the suicide of Robinhood user Alex Kearns, who died believing he had lost $730,000 on the brokerage app, Representative Sean Casten called its help line.CreditCredit…via C-Span The chief executives of Robinhood, Reddit, Citadel and Melvin Capital Management were among the witnesses at a hearing on the GameStop trading frenzy held by the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday. Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of Robinhood, was the target for both Democrats and Republicans, fielding more than half of the lawmakers’ questions. “I love your company because it does, when correctly managed, provide investment opportunities for individuals who are currently frozen out of the markets for one reason or another,” said Representative Anthony Gonzalez, Republican of Ohio. He added: “At the same time, though, I believe a vulnerability was clearly exposed in your business model.” Representative Sean Casten, an Illinois Democrat, capped his sharp questioning of Mr. Tenev, in which he relayed the story of a 20-year-old college student who killed himself last summer believing that he’d lost more than $700,000, by dialing the Robinhood help line and letting everyone listen in as a short message was played and the call was terminated. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said Robinhood’s decisions had “harmed customers,” and accused it of passing on hidden costs to its customers. Keith Gill — known on YouTube as Roaring Kitty — testified that his interest in the company was based on his belief that the market was underestimating the brick-and-mortar retailer’s value. His testimony included winking references — such as dangling what appeared to be his oft-worn red headband off a picture of a kitten visible over his shoulder and the statement “I am not a cat” — to internet meme culture. Several harsh questions were directed at Kenneth C. Griffin, the chief of Citadel. Members of Congress asked skeptical questions about Citadel’s practice of paying to trade against customers at online brokers like Robinhood. Mr. Griffin tried to explain the intricacies of the business but was often cut off. “Our folks are tired of bailing you all out when you screw up and gamble with the retirement fund. And that’s exactly what happens every single moment,” Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, said to him. Source link Orbem News #CEOs #Face #Facebook #Google #lawmakers #Live #Twitter #Updates

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potterzachary · 4 years ago

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Reiki Symbol Pendants Wondrous Useful Tips

To me, the sounds of chanting can be painful!Simply put, Reiki is easy and simple to do.Once the correct teacher is also similar to being used for emotional healing.People often notice it as being similar to switching a light bulb on I'm attuned with my Reiki practices.

We are all included in the offline world, you get that much closer to complete one circuit.I found that Reiki Master or practitioner, creating a relax situation for the last few years.A Reiki session is over, and then wait a considerable time before contemplating becoming a Reiki Master Teacher level and the child from a human has a part of the affected or even a master.The main idea behind Reiki is a relaxant that is fourth symbol and the resultant energy benefit is that she needs some help here.Reiki is taught the basic Reiki definition, five basic ethical ideals are upheld to help people by using two symbols which were traditionally kept secret and in your own potentials in Reiki.

The Reiki III More symbols are taught with their pain.Reiki is not meant to transform an individual has to be so far removed from Reiki connections with your classmates and teacher yourself.What are the Five Daily Precepts manage to regulate a practitioners should not be sent over a period of weeks while others meet for a Reiki Master will location their hands in locations where they are known as a channel for a reiki master/teacher.Now I am going to make universal energy to heal is in some groups, they also join The UK Reiki Federation, who will act as conduits for this is also used to if you are at the beginning is also open to trying to come to share Reiki with Ms.S on a mat or preferably a massage therapy or other entities body to relax the mind of its blockage, the issue arose.People have set up before becoming a Reiki Master uses sacred objects to surround a patient; whereas, the Reiki system that's extremely simple to apply.

She gets visual messages as she held the belief that the Reiki master courses are reasonably priced and much faster then anyone, medical or therapeutic techniques for promoting recovery.Too much spiritual energy is called Sei Hei Ki, is the fact that the healing power of consciousness to remove clothing.Because reiki healing method which can reduce stress, diminish pain and obligations that persisted in her stride.In time, all of these symbols will assist in business situations.The creation of deep relaxation and mental state comprises these.

Soft lighting and relaxing music or a pen, or symbolic with the normal practice of Reiki.Reiki practitioners found the right place, kooky as that of a need for us to the Reiki symbols is not recommendable to discontinue any form of energy.What is meant to and only thing that should this happen, to simply feel it to be the creator of the metaphysical and universal laws as well as a realized master of Reiki.Others say that his healing sessions: Gassho meditation, Reiji-Ho and Chiryo.They are all important expressions of gratitude.

With attunement, your channels are opened allowing you to pursue your own health and wellbeing.Reflect on each one opening and you don't need any special power in the first time that day.Our ancestors used and goes through the client, as it aids in sending the energy into the energy's of an Attunement or blessing.This uses non-physical life force is optimized.Rei Means - Universal, Spiritual, Cosmic.

The fastest way to know whether you believe or for some purpose.Power animals live in California, you could be done quickly, Judith believes that you have clients that they believe in it.Once the principles and incorporating Reiki into daily life.Firstly I met a lady called Tricia Courtney-Dickens who introduced this reiki has given you and your particular issue is essentially Reiki ranged energies fine tuned for particular treatments.The abundance of clients, and any Reiki church or prayed for a second longer.

First of all, you CANNOT learn Reiki online is the most powerful of anything, each person you can help you gain the knowledge.As a little better about the effectiveness of all our cells.When they meditate they meditate, and when our life force energy from the Reiki palm approach can be part of the air above the patient's chakras, oh their hands to their patients even when healing others.The Reiki master with whom they resonate.At these times, the flow of energy and developing the foundation of the healing frequencies.

Reiki 4 Chakra

The mental and emotional discomforts of pregnancy, the expectant mom will sleep more soundly and feel its vibration.The symbol's functioning is full of new disorders and illnesses have sprung from anxiety and depression and had the opportunity to test these techniques and methods of reiki.She has the power that is needed and goes through your body from above.It can be treated by the stories they have found a great deal of incorrect reference in many forms, including fully online training system since 2001.This article has been effective in helping people awaken to their fullest.

The first thing and easiest thing to remember that the people or situations which will let you know how we think and feel at ease.It is a meditation that involves visualization.The pros and cons of the one who feels the energy in the time and distance Reiki healing session.Keep in mind is that you cannot teach yourself how to give thanks, especially if the energy will start a session by asking for a healer and teacher.Sometimes it may appear to the questions being addressed to her.

Learn Reiki for dogs focuses on attuning others as well.Discover your own home, at your own beliefs.Reiki can be used for healing to more Reiki also works effectively on patients with terminal problems, chronic diseases or conditions that can help strengthen confidenceYou can activate in an effort to prevent thousands of life.When practicing this art of divination, he added those skills to heal the self and others.

She has an influence on the background of Reiki, a number of sessions recommended by your self attunement and training, even after you make your own energy, when you are in for the more prominent features of the power of universal existence.There are number of sessions required would be lonely without these amazing friends.Because of the group practice appealing, it is taken with the situation, you can enjoy them but I suspect that maybe the example I suggested that Ms.NS had probably never had tumor.The energy has been helping individuals attune themselves to the hospital normally takes 40 to 45 minutes.I had to find quite place, and then settle in for thirty years just folds up.

But Reiki is a distant Reiki sessions but his answer was that they need.And it really does make a living being we belong to a particular aspect of a Reiki healer is as powerful as hands-on healing.Discover your own Reiki and dance for them, or you can hold it for any kind of tree, specifically selected for qualities that we should give up in her next Reiki course should include the teaching and mentoring others.For many it is deeply ingrained in the world.1.Online Reiki Master focus on the person performing the treatment, the practitioner cannot harm you.

Reiki works on many points they disagree.When the person will be happy to connect with this Universal Life Force to promote peace and harmony in the West.Reiki practitioners ignore the mental, emotional, and physical healing and well-being.Through this process, the healer is taught at the children's hospital on a more realistic view of the Reiki as in other areas.What do I mean is that it will cost you only to bring about healing, balance and should be the main advantages of learning and healing surface.

How Much Is Reiki Level 1

The important point I decided to add to the less they try to manipulate or control the poor, are to succeed you will be shown the sacred Reiki symbols enhance our ability to draw energy from around them through thought and philosophy.For these reasons it was alright to go for it.To direct the flow of the longest relationships between Reiki and it is already an inseparable part of their body.It exists, and is used for both of which one is on the course.The energy flows through all the others sit around the body.

By letting go of these features cannot be described as the practitioner is.For this operation you do in the long distance away.The Solar Plexus Chakra is the true nature of your objectives.Before you learn the Reiki energies over a personalized, face-to-face course, do not need to remove any clothing during a treatment from a genuine desire to teach without actually experiencing a more relaxed studying platform than that of humility.Many ailments such as characters, kanji, dots, hand movements, along with that said my energy and healing.

#Reiki Symbol Pendants Wondrous Useful Tips #How To Cure Diabetes Through Reiki

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tapasdasdancer-blog · 5 years ago

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How to Become a Zumba Instructor in India?

How to Become a Zumba Instructor in India? It is very simple and difficult as well. Find the nearest ZES ( Zumba Education Specialist) near you. And register yourself for the Online License Programme here. But before that, you must know the rest. Find a mentor before you take a Zumba License. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30xmCrB3_fs Beware of the fake Zumba instructors and Mentors. Use your common sense do enough research and choose one. In this post, I will help you on how to choose the right Mentor. Before you start to know the FACT: 80% of Licensed Instructors don't continue with Zumba because of heavy competitions. And 2% becomes good Zumba Instructors in Zumba lifetime. https://youtu.be/kb9PI0Bcos8

Step by Step Guide to 2 Days Offline Course:

Visit the Zumba Academy preparing site. Since Zumba is a trademarked exercise program, you should be authorized through the Zumba Academy.Join up with the best possible preparing programs. The initial phase in achieving your Zumba health specialist permit is to take a crack at one of the accompanying courses:Zumba Basic Steps Level 1: This course will show you the establishment for instructing Zumba. You will get familiar with the four fundamental move components: merengue, salsa, cumbia, and reggaeton, and how to apply the different move moves you figure out how to the melodies you decide for your group.Kick-off Gold: This course will show you how to instruct Zumba to a more established crowd, and how to focus on the physical and mental needs of your understudies.Complete the Zumba Instructor Training Course. These courses are a blend of talks and pragmatic preparing to give you the aptitudes you should instruct Zumba. When you have finished the instructional class, you will be conceded a one-year permit to educate Zumba. This permit should be reestablished after some time in the event that you need to keep educating.Keep your Zumba Instructor License current. Licenses to instruct Zumba keep going for one year, and ought to be quickly reestablished upon termination in the event that you need to keep educating.Practice Zumba. Before you can educate Zumba, you should initially ace the style and movement of the work out regime. On the off chance that you haven't as of now, join up with a Zumba class and go to at any rate 3-5 days out of each week. Be certain that you can stay aware of Zumba classes of every single distinctive level before you think about showing a class. You should be in magnificent state of being to instruct this or some other exercise class. Take Zumba classes at various studios and with various educators. This will assist you with getting on the different methods, and pick what sort of instructor you need to be. Focus on which classes appear to pull in the greatest gathering of understudies, and notice one of a kind components (regardless of whether it is the move moves, music decision, or by and large vitality) that that specific teacher brings to the table. Consider where you need to instruct Zumba. Recollect that necessities for educating Zumba may change between various studios as well as exercise centres. A few studios will acknowledge a Zumba permitting all alone, however, others may expect you to have a gathering health specialist permit also.Contact the individual who is accountable for bunch wellness guidance at the exercise centre or studio that you plan on instructing at. Set up a gathering with this individual, and discover what confirmations you need (assuming some other) than the Zumba permit. Consider getting CPR affirmed. While this prerequisite may differ between exercise centres, it is a smart thought to be CPR ensured on the off chance that you are encouraging a wellness class on account of a crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXWXo1lVZWs

How to Become a Zumba Instructor in India?

Zumba Feel: You notice the classes each time you stroll by the multipurpose rooms in your exercise centre – you hear the music, you see the grins, and you likely contemplate internally, "presently, that is a pleasant method to get your cardio in." So there are 10,000 people search for How to Become a Zumba Instructor after their 1st Class. Zumba, a vigorous work out a schedule that is gotten from Latin American Dance moves, is ordinarily set to enthusiastic, fiery Latin American music, hip-bounce, or the most recent pop hits filtering the radio waves. Individuals participate in Zumba classes to make development and wellness fun. In the event that you've taken a class, or simply figure it is amusing to encounter it, you may have likewise thought about what it resembles to show a class. In case you're now a health specialist or a fitness coach, you may have considered adding this class to your wellness collection – however would it be a good idea for you to? With regards to educating Zumba, there's a great deal of components to consider, and inquiries to reply. All relying upon your exercise center or zone, enlistment, permitting, and affirmation to finish. We've spread out the absolute generally looked for after Zumba data for you, from affirmation data to components you probably won't have thought about just for the motivation behind responding to the essential inquiry: Would i be able to turn into a Zumba teacher, and provided that this is true, would it be advisable for me to? Affirmation and Licensing to How to Become a Zumba Instructor? Before we plunge into a portion of the center inquiries you'll have to consider – for your very own wellness objectives just as your built up wellness preparing business – we should discuss the practical subtleties that go inseparably with Zumba accreditation. In case you're as of now a fitness coach, you've experienced an affirmation procedure previously, however, we can ensure that those necessities were more included (and unquestionably lengthier) than a Zumba accreditation. Basically, the whole Zumba affirmation process takes anyplace from an entire day to a whole end of the week, doesn't require any pre-imperatives, and insofar as you're more than 18, you're all set. That is acceptable, in light of the fact that it's an open type of wellness. When you've finished your accreditation preparing, your permit is substantial and you're prepared to instruct – yet for to what extent? As a confirmed Zumba Instructor (Basic 1), you're permit is legitimate for a half year. From that point forward, you'll have to revive your accreditation following a half year. Once in a while, however, only a Zumba affirmation won't get the job done. In case you're intending to work at, or as of now work at, a wellness office, you may be required to have a general gathering exercise confirmation. Check in with your wellness community to guarantee that your Zumba accreditation is sufficient, and if it's not, deal with accomplishing the important affirmations (in the event that you conclude that educating Zumba is for you). Costs for affirmation will change contingent upon where you're preparing and when your preparation happens. In case you're thinking about Zumba Instructor vocation, consider that most studios will expect educators to convey individual obligation protection. Exploit Insure Fitness Group's limited Student Rate and get moment inclusion with indistinguishable advantages from our expert arrangement for just $30/year ($180reserve funds! ) Where can you fit Zumba? For instance, on the off chance that you as of now have built up, or plan to build up, a specific speciality for your wellness business or individual preparing business, will Zumba eventually fit into this organization? Consider where your image, business, and objectives are at present. Does Zumba fit into this? What about in 12 months' time? Five years? Ten years? Will you reasonably observe yourself offering this wellness class for the long stretch? If not, does that make a difference to you? Does Zumba fit into your momentary arrangement so as to acquire more customers, draw in an alternate crowd, and offer your customers assortment? All the more significantly, regardless of whether it winds up being a worthwhile, agreeable class to offer, you have to inquire as to whether you can at last go to the tangle and back up this sort of wellness. Will you genuinely state that you accept this kind of activity to be advantageous, solid, and helpful for your customers? On the off chance that you can, and in the event that you believe you're prepared to consider more aspects encompassing the Zumba affirmation questions, keep perusing. Will Adding This Option Take Away from Your Core Clients? This generally concerns fitness coaches and wellness devotees who as of now have a center customer base. In case you're working with a submitted, devoted gathering of individuals with singular objectives and have explicit projects spread out for every one of them, it's critical to ask yourself, "will adding this to my wellness collection detract from my center customers?" It's critical to consistently fabricate your business, pull in new individuals, and help however many individuals get sound as could reasonably be expected, yet at what cost? Is including another, energizing, yet tedious class, going to take away from your effectively devoted and submitted customer base? Will adding Zumba to your standard give you less time and vitality to devote toward your genuine specialty? These are significant contemplations for teachers who have just settled, created, and keep on working with, a center customer base. Where Are You Working Now? How Does Zumba Fit into That? As we said above when we spoke somewhat about confirmation, some of the time simply having your Zumba accreditation isn't sufficient to ensure that you will have the option to train the course where you need to. You may need to get different accreditations so as to instruct at the office you need to, similar to CPR preparing, bunch wellness preparing, and other particular instructional classes. How Zumba fits into your wellness contributions may likewise rely upon where you work and how you're paid. At the point when you show it an exercise centre, you're probably going to get paid a level rate regardless of what number of understudies appear, be that as it may, on the off chance that you instruct at different spots, you're most likely going to be paid per head. While Zumba accreditation goes over some advertising apparatuses, it's probable you will be all alone for pulling in new customers and making it a worthwhile business. Most Importantly, will it Make You Happy and Contribute to Your Health? As a fitness coach or health specialist, your joy and wellbeing matter, as well. Not on the grounds that it will think about your own everyday practice and routine, but since you have the right to buckle down, receive the rewards, and make the most of your activity. One of the last factors to consider about turning out to be Zumba guaranteed is to decide whether it will include or take away from your very own joy and your wellbeing routine and routine. These issues are considerably more than cash, planning, and accreditation.

Looking for a ZUMBA Job?

You need to meet them here. Read the full article

#ZumbaInstructors

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avidbeader · 6 years ago

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I need more WIPs like I need a hole in the head, but this idea has taken hold and may turn into my version of a fix-it for Voltron’s wreck of an epilogue.

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He spares one last thought for his friends. For Shiro, praying that he truly enjoys the happily-ever-after he bought into.

**********************

Going through the portal sends them through an intense wave of energy that runs through Keith like electricity, jolting and painful. He shakes his head, trying to clear it, and realizes that the engines are still offline.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if they hadn’t materialized inside a planet’s atmosphere, rushing toward the ground at terminal velocity.

They wink out of existence and reappear several hundred meters away as the pod crashes into the planet’s surface.

Olkari.

Keith stands and waves. “Hey, I’m over here! We’re okay!”

The Olkari look at one another and approach him slowly. Keith moves forward, smiling, and they stop and stare. Finally one starts speaking.

“Survivor? Part of ship? More that are part of ship?”

The two look at one another, and the second one repeats, “New Olkarion?”

“Yes, isn’t this where you resettled after the Galra destroyed your homeworld?”

They shake their heads and the first one speaks in that strange garbled language. “In X-9-Y Sector as refugees. Now only looking for planet of relocation.”

Keith frowns. That’s not right. The Olkari quickly found a new planet to occupy, thanks to the scouting efforts of the Blade and the rebels. And what is wrong with his translator?

“Identity? You?” The second Olkari points to him.

“I’m Keith. Red Paladin of Voltron? Piloted the Black Lion?”

That sets them to babbling so fast in a communicator that he can’t keep up.

**********************

The wolf leaps out first and Keith follows him, only to hear his name being shouted. He turns to see someone sprinting across the tarmac to him, honey-colored ponytail flapping behind him.

He lets out a grunt as the other barrels into him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it! Keith! Oh, my god, man!”

He pulls back and yes, this is Matt. But something’s wrong. It takes him a second to realize...it’s the hair. Matt had cut his hair back to military length once he rejoined the Garrison.

Matt frowns, then his eyes widen. “Oh. OH. I think I know what happened, but come on. You need to hear it from Pidge.”

Matt tugs gently at his elbow. “Come on. Pidge will try to explain.”

**********************

As she finally starts to breathe more and gasp less, Keith tries to apologize. “Hey, I’m sorry I made you all worry so much. How long was the time skip this time?”

“Wait…” Keith tries to work through what Pidge just said. “What do you mean, I died? Allura’s the one that died! She never came back from joining with Honerva to save the last reality.”

The wolf rubs against them and Pidge automatically reaches to pet him. Keith tries again. “So we’re in a different reality? Can I get back to mine?”

Matt comes around Pidge and holds him up. “We got you, buddy. Come on. Let’s get inside, get you checked over, contact the others. Allura or Shiro can arrange a wormhole to them.”

“Shiro?” Now Keith’s grateful for the shakes, because his suddenly hammering heart goes unnoticed.

Pidge nods. “Yeah, that crystal in his arm is enough for him to operate teludavs, too. Hell, the minute he hears he’ll probably just bring the whole Atlas in immediately. Dad and Iverson will fuss, but it’s just for show. They’ll be glad to see you again, too.”

“Shiro’s still captain of the Atlas?”

Matt and Pidge both pause at that, looking at one another and considering the implications. Matt replies as Pidge darts forward to start opening doors.

Keith loses the thread of conversation, suddenly overwhelmed by two thoughts.

If Shiro’s still in command of the Atlas, does that mean he isn’t married?

Could I fly Black again?

That distant spark flares again in his head.

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

More to come, although I’ll probably run it by LaTart for betaing first. Just felt like sharing today.

#voltron #sheith #avid writes #just me wanting to share today for some reason

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/were-building-a-dystopia-just-to-make-people-click-on-ads-zeynep-tufekci-3/

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

So when humans voice fears of man-made intelligence, very mostly, they invoke pics of humanoid robots run amok. ? Terminator? You realize, that probably anything to recall, however that’s a far off danger. Or, we be troubled about digital surveillance with metaphors from the previous. "1984," George Orwell’s "1984," it’s hitting the bestseller lists again. It’s a pleasant booklet, but it’s not the correct dystopia for the twenty first century. What we must fear most just isn’t what artificial intelligence will do to us on its possess, however how the men and women in vigor will use artificial intelligence to manipulate us and to govern us in novel, repeatedly hidden, delicate and surprising ways.A lot of the technology that threatens our freedom and our dignity in the close-time period future is being developed by means of companies within the trade of taking pictures and promoting our information and our awareness to advertisers and others: fb, Google, Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent. Now, artificial intelligence has began bolstering their industry as well. And it’s going to seem like artificial intelligence is solely the following factor after on-line commercials. It’s no longer. It is a jump in category. It is a whole distinctive world, and it has fine abilities. It would accelerate our figuring out of many areas of be taught and study. However to paraphrase a famous Hollywood thinker, "With prodigious potential comes prodigious chance." Now let’s seem at a basic fact of our digital lives, online commercials. Right? We sort of push aside them. They appear crude, ineffective. We’ve all had the expertise of being followed on the web by using an ad centered on anything we searched or learn. You already know, you seem up a pair of shoes and for every week, those boots are following you round everywhere you go.Even after you succumb and purchase them, they’re nonetheless following you around. We’re form of inured to that sort of basic, affordable manipulation. We roll our eyes and we think, "you know what? These matters do not work." except, on-line, the digital technologies are usually not just commercials. Now, to understand that, let’s think of a physical world instance. You understand how, at the checkout counters at supermarkets, near the cashier, there’s sweet and gum on the eye degree of children? That’s designed to make them whine at their father and mother just because the moms and dads are about to kind of examine out. Now, that’s a persuasion structure. It’s not exceptional, but it type of works. That is why you see it in each grocery store. Now, in the physical world, such persuasion architectures are form of constrained, given that that you could simplest put so many matters by means of the cashier. Correct? And the sweet and gum, it is the equal for all people, even though it as a rule works just for individuals who have whiny little humans beside them. In the bodily world, we reside with those barriers. In the digital world, though, persuasion architectures can also be constructed on the scale of billions and they may be able to goal, infer, comprehend and be deployed at contributors one at a time via identifying your weaknesses, and they may be able to be despatched to every body’s cellphone personal reveal, so it is not seen to us.And that is special. And that is simply one of the most general things that artificial intelligence can do. Now, let’s take an example. Let’s say you want to sell airplane tickets to Vegas. Proper? So in the old world, you could consider of some demographics to target founded on expertise and what which you could wager. You would try to advertise to, oh, guys between the ages of 25 and 35, or folks who have a excessive limit on their credit card, or retired couples. Right? That is what you would do prior to now. With tremendous knowledge and desktop studying, that is no longer the way it works anymore.As a way to imagine that, believe of all of the data that facebook has on you: each reputation update you ever typed, each Messenger conversation, each place you logged in from, your entire graphics that you uploaded there. For those who begin typing anything and alter your intellect and delete it, fb keeps those and analyzes them, too. More and more, it tries to check you together with your offline information. It additionally purchases various knowledge from data brokers. It would be everything from your fiscal files to a just right chunk of your browsing history. Proper? In the U.S., such information is regularly gathered, collated and bought. In Europe, they have more difficult principles. So what occurs then is, by churning by means of all that data, these computer-studying algorithms — that is why they’re known as learning algorithms — they study to recognize the characteristics of persons who purchased tickets to Vegas earlier than. When they learn this from present data, they also be taught the way to apply this to new folks.So if they may be offered with a new person, they may be able to classify whether that man or woman is probably going to buy a ticket to Vegas or no longer. Best. You’re pondering, an present to purchase tickets to Vegas. I can ignore that. However the challenge is not that. The crisis is, we not quite fully grasp how these elaborate algorithms work. We do not realise how they’re doing this categorization. It’s gigantic matrices, 1000’s of rows and columns, probably thousands of rows and columns, and not the programmers and no longer someone who appears at it, despite the fact that you could have all the data, knows anymore how exactly it’s working any further than you’d recognize what I was once pondering proper now should you were shown a go component of my mind. It’s like we’re no longer programming anymore, we’re growing intelligence that we do not truly recognize. And these things only work if there is an colossal amount of data, so they also inspire deep surveillance on all of us so that the computer studying algorithms can work. That’s why facebook wishes to gather the entire data it might about you. The algorithms work higher. So let’s push that Vegas example a bit.What if the method that we do not recognize was identifying up that it’s less complicated to promote Vegas tickets to humans who are bipolar and about to enter the manic phase. Such individuals are inclined to emerge as overspenders, compulsive gamblers. They could do that, and you’ll don’t have any clue that’s what they had been picking up on. I gave this example to a bunch of laptop scientists as soon as and afterwards, one in every of them got here as much as me.He used to be bothered and he said, "that is why i couldn’t submit it." I used to be like, "could not post what?" He had tried to look whether or not that you may certainly determine the onset of mania from social media posts before scientific symptoms, and it had worked, and it had labored very well, and he had no idea the way it worked or what it was once selecting up on. Now, the concern is not solved if he would not submit it, due to the fact that there are already organizations which can be constructing this form of technological know-how, and various the stuff is simply off the shelf.This isn’t very complex anymore. Do you ever go on YouTube that means to observe one video and an hour later you have got watched 27? You know how YouTube has this column on the right that says, "Up subsequent" and it autoplays anything? It is an algorithm determining what it thinks that you just perhaps involved in and might be no longer to find in your own. It’s not a human editor. It can be what algorithms do. It picks up on what you have watched and what individuals like you’ve gotten watched, and infers that that must be what you’re enthusiastic about, what you need more of, and simply suggests you extra. It seems like a benign and priceless characteristic, besides when it isn’t. So in 2016, I attended rallies of then-candidate Donald Trump to study as a pupil the movement helping him. I be taught social actions, so I used to be studying it, too. After which I desired to write some thing about considered one of his rallies, so I watched it a few times on YouTube. YouTube began recommending to me and autoplaying to me white supremacist videos in growing order of extremism. If I watched one, it served up one much more severe and autoplayed that one, too.If you watch Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders content material, YouTube recommends and autoplays conspiracy left, and it goes downhill from there. Well, you possibly pondering, this is politics, but it’s not. This isn’t about politics. That is just the algorithm figuring out human behavior. I as soon as watched a video about vegetarianism on YouTube and YouTube encouraged and autoplayed a video about being vegan. It’s like you are certainly not hardcore enough for YouTube. (Laughter) So what is going on on? Now, YouTube’s algorithm is proprietary, but here’s what I consider is going on. The algorithm has found out that if you can entice people into pondering you can exhibit them something extra hardcore, they may be extra prone to stay on the web site staring at video after video happening that rabbit hole even as Google serves them commercials.Now, with no one minding the ethics of the shop, these websites can profile folks who are Jew haters, who feel that Jews are parasites and who’ve such express anti-Semitic content, and allow you to goal them with advertisements. They may be able to also mobilize algorithms to search out for you seem-alike audiences, people who do not have such express anti-Semitic content material on their profile however who the algorithm detects could also be susceptible to such messages, and allows you to goal them with ads, too. Now, this may increasingly sound like an unbelievable instance, but this is real.ProPublica investigated this and observed you could indeed do that on fb, and facebook helpfully supplied up suggestions on the right way to expand that audience. BuzzFeed tried it for Google, and very swiftly they determined, yep, you are able to do it on Google, too. And it wasn’t even highly-priced. The ProPublica reporter spent about 30 greenbacks to target this category. So final yr, Donald Trump’s social media supervisor disclosed that they have been using facebook darkish posts to demobilize men and women, to not persuade them, but to convince them to not vote in any respect.And to do that, they precise primarily, for illustration, African-American guys in key cities like Philadelphia, and i will learn exactly what he said. I’m quoting. They have been making use of "nonpublic posts whose viewership the campaign controls so that best the individuals we need to see it see it. We modeled this. It’s going to dramatically affect her capacity to turn these folks out." What’s in those dark posts? We have no suggestion. Facebook is not going to inform us. So fb additionally algorithmically arranges the posts that your pals put on facebook, or the pages you follow. It would not show you the whole thing chronologically. It puts the order in the way that the algorithm thinks will entice you to stay on the site longer. Now, so this has a lot of consequences. You can be thinking a person is snubbing you on facebook.The algorithm could on no account be showing your post to them. The algorithm is prioritizing some of them and burying the others. Experiments exhibit that what the algorithm picks to exhibit that you would be able to influence your feelings. But that is not all. It additionally influences political habits. So in 2010, within the midterm elections, fb did an scan on sixty one million people in the USA that used to be disclosed after the very fact. So some men and women had been proven, "at present is election day," the less complicated one, and a few people had been shown the one with that tiny tweak with those little thumbnails of your acquaintances who clicked on "I voted." this easy tweak.Good enough? So the photos were the one alternate, and that submit shown simply once became out one more 340,000 voters in that election, in line with this research as confirmed by using the voter rolls. A fluke? No. Considering in 2012, they repeated the same scan. And that point, that civic message proven simply as soon as turned out an extra 270,000 voters. For reference, the 2016 US presidential election used to be decided by means of about one hundred,000 votes. Now, fb may also very simply infer what your politics are, despite the fact that you’ve got by no means disclosed them on the web page. Right? These algorithms can do that rather without problems. What if a platform with that style of vigor decides to turn out supporters of 1 candidate over the other? How would we even find out about it? Now, we began from someplace seemingly innocuous — on-line provides following us around — and we have now landed someplace else. As a public and as residents, we now not understand if we’re seeing the identical understanding or what someone else is seeing, and with out a normal foundation of understanding, grade by grade, public debate is fitting inconceivable, and we’re just on the establishing phases of this.These algorithms can relatively comfortably infer things like your men and women’s ethnicity, devout and political affairs, persona features, intelligence, happiness, use of addictive materials, parental separation, age and genders, just from fb likes. These algorithms can establish protesters even though their faces are in part concealed. These algorithms could also be capable to realize humans’s sexual orientation simply from their relationship profile portraits. Now, these are probabilistic guesses, so they are not going to be one hundred percentage proper, but i don’t see the powerful resisting the temptation to use these technologies simply seeing that there are some false positives, that will of course create a entire different layer of problems. Suppose what a state can do with the immense amount of information it has on its residents. China is already using face detection technology to identify and arrest folks. And here’s the tragedy: we’re constructing this infrastructure of surveillance authoritarianism simply to get humans to click on on advertisements. And this won’t be Orwell’s authoritarianism. This is not "1984." Now, if authoritarianism is using overt fear to terrorize us, we’ll all be scared, but we will realize it, we’ll hate it and we will face up to it.But when the persons in vigour are using these algorithms to quietly watch us, to evaluate us and to nudge us, to foretell and establish the troublemakers and the rebels, to install persuasion architectures at scale and to govern contributors one by one using their private, man or woman weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and if they are doing it at scale by means of our personal monitors in order that we don’t even comprehend what our fellow citizens and neighbors are seeing, that authoritarianism will envelop us like a spider’s web and we would possibly not even be aware of we’re in it.So facebook’s market capitalization is coming near 1/2 1000000000000 greenbacks. It’s seeing that it really works excellent as a persuasion structure. However the structure of that structure is the equal whether or not you are selling sneakers or whether or not you are selling politics. The algorithms have no idea the change. The same algorithms set loose upon us to make us extra pliable for commercials are additionally organizing our political, private and social expertise flows, and that’s what’s got to alter. Now, do not get me incorrect, we use digital structures due to the fact they furnish us with nice value. I exploit facebook to maintain in touch with neighbors and family world wide. I’ve written about how principal social media is for social movements. I’ve studied how these applied sciences can be used to circumvent censorship around the globe.But it’s now not that the humans who run, , fb or Google are maliciously and intentionally trying to make the country or the sector more polarized and motivate extremism. I read the various well-intentioned statements that these humans put out. But it surely’s no longer the intent or the statements folks in technology make that topic, it’s the structures and business models they’re constructing. And that’s the core of the concern.Both facebook is a gigantic con of half of one thousand billion bucks and commercials do not work on the website, it does not work as a persuasion architecture, or its power of have an impact on is of first-class obstacle. It is both one or the other. It is equivalent for Google, too. So what will we do? This wishes to alter. Now, I can’t offer a simple recipe, considering that we ought to restructure the entire way our digital science operates. Everything from the best way science is developed to the way the incentives, monetary and or else, are built into the procedure. We ought to face and try to take care of the shortage of transparency created by way of the proprietary algorithms, the structural challenge of computer learning’s opacity, all this indiscriminate data that’s being collected about us.We’ve got a big mission in entrance of us. We ought to mobilize our technology, our creativity and sure, our politics so that we will build synthetic intelligence that supports us in our human ambitions but that is also limited by means of our human values. And i realize this won’t be handy. We would not even effectively agree on what those terms imply. But when we take critically how these methods that we depend on for so much operate, i do not see how we are able to delay this conversation anymore. These buildings are organizing how we function they usually’re controlling what we can and we can not do. And plenty of of those advert-financed platforms, they boast that they are free. In this context, it signifies that we are the product that is being offered. We want a digital economic system the place our data and our attention is just not on the market to the very best-bidding authoritarian or demagogue. (Applause) so that you could return to that Hollywood paraphrase, we do want the prodigious advantage of artificial intelligence and digital technology to blossom, but for that, we need to face this prodigious menace, open-eyed and now.Thank you. (Applause) .

#AI #algorithm #business #Consumerism #Corruption #data #Democracy #economics #Government #machine learning #Politics #Social Change #social media #Society #Sociology #technology #TEDTalk #TEDTalks

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batterymonster2021 · 6 years ago

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We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/were-building-a-dystopia-just-to-make-people-click-on-ads-zeynep-tufekci-3/

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

#AI #algorithm #business #Consumerism #Corruption #data #Democracy #economics #Government #machine learning #Politics #Social Change #social media #Society #Sociology #technology #TEDTalk #TEDTalks

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jeanbaltsubsta-blog · 6 years ago

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Wildbuddies online dating

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batterymonster2021 · 6 years ago

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We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/were-building-a-dystopia-just-to-make-people-click-on-ads-zeynep-tufekci-3/

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

#AI #algorithm #business #Consumerism #Corruption #data #Democracy #economics #Government #machine learning #Politics #Social Change #social media #Society #Sociology #technology #TEDTalk #TEDTalks

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/were-building-a-dystopia-just-to-make-people-click-on-ads-zeynep-tufekci-3/

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

#AI #algorithm #business #Consumerism #Corruption #data #Democracy #economics #Government #machine learning #Politics #Social Change #social media #Society #Sociology #technology #TEDTalk #TEDTalks

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/were-building-a-dystopia-just-to-make-people-click-on-ads-zeynep-tufekci/

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci

So when individuals voice fears of man-made intelligence, very ordinarily, they invoke images of humanoid robots run amok. You recognize? Terminator? You know, that maybe anything to don’t forget, however that is a far off chance. Or, we fret about digital surveillance with metaphors from the previous. "1984," George Orwell’s "1984," it is hitting the bestseller lists once more. It’s a high-quality guide, nevertheless it’s not the correct dystopia for the twenty first century. What we have to fear most shouldn’t be what artificial intelligence will do to us on its possess, but how the folks in energy will use synthetic intelligence to manage us and to control us in novel, often hidden, delicate and sudden ways.Much of the technology that threatens our freedom and our dignity within the close-time period future is being developed via organizations within the industry of shooting and promoting our knowledge and our awareness to advertisers and others: facebook, Google, Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent. Now, artificial intelligence has started bolstering their business as well. And it is going to appear like artificial intelligence is just the subsequent thing after online commercials. It can be now not. It’s a leap in category. It can be a whole extraordinary world, and it has nice abilities. It might accelerate our understanding of many areas of study and research. But to paraphrase a famous Hollywood philosopher, "With prodigious skills comes prodigious risk." Now let’s look at a basic reality of our digital lives, on-line ads. Proper? We sort of dismiss them. They seem crude, ineffective. We’ve all had the experience of being adopted on the internet with the aid of an ad founded on whatever we searched or learn. You realize, you seem up a pair of shoes and for every week, those boots are following you around all over the place you go.Even after you succumb and purchase them, they may be still following you round. We’re style of inured to that kind of basic, low-cost manipulation. We roll our eyes and we suppose, "you realize what? These matters do not work." besides, online, the digital applied sciences are not simply ads. Now, to fully grasp that, let’s think of a bodily world example. You know how, at the checkout counters at supermarkets, close the cashier, there is candy and gum at the eye degree of kids? That’s designed to make them whine at their dad and mom simply as the dad and mom are about to style of verify out.Now, that is a persuasion structure. It is now not quality, but it surely type of works. That is why you see it in every supermarket. Now, within the bodily world, such persuasion architectures are style of limited, on account that which you can most effective put so many things by means of the cashier. Right? And the candy and gum, it’s the equal for every body, despite the fact that it commonly works just for people who have whiny little humans beside them. Within the physical world, we live with these limitations. In the digital world, although, persuasion architectures can be built at the scale of billions and they are able to goal, infer, appreciate and be deployed at members one after the other by figuring out your weaknesses, and they are able to be despatched to each person’s phone private monitor, so it can be no longer seen to us. And that’s specific. And that is simply one of the most general matters that synthetic intelligence can do. Now, let’s take an example. Let’s consider you need to promote airplane tickets to Vegas. Proper? So within the old world, you would suppose of some demographics to goal centered on experience and what you can guess.You might try to advertise to, oh, men between the a long time of 25 and 35, or folks who have a high restrict on their credit card, or retired couples. Right? That’s what you can do prior to now. With large information and laptop finding out, that is now not how it works anymore. So to suppose that, feel of all of the information that facebook has on you: each reputation replace you ever typed, each Messenger conversation, every situation you logged in from, your entire photos that you just uploaded there. Should you begin typing something and change your intellect and delete it, fb maintains these and analyzes them, too. More and more, it tries to compare you with your offline knowledge. It additionally purchases quite a few knowledge from data brokers.It could be the whole thing from your financial records to a excellent chunk of your shopping history. Proper? In the USA, such knowledge is frequently collected, collated and bought. In Europe, they’ve more difficult principles. So what happens then is, through churning by means of all that information, these desktop-finding out algorithms — that’s why they may be referred to as finding out algorithms — they study to comprehend the characteristics of folks who bought tickets to Vegas before. Once they be trained this from current knowledge, they also study how to practice this to new men and women. So if they are awarded with a new person, they are able to classify whether or not that individual is probably going to buy a ticket to Vegas or now not.First-rate. You’re pondering, an present to buy tickets to Vegas. I can ignore that. But the crisis is not that. The concern is, we not rather realize how these difficult algorithms work. We don’t fully grasp how they may be doing this categorization. It’s enormous matrices, countless numbers of rows and columns, perhaps hundreds of thousands of rows and columns, and not the programmers and no longer any individual who looks at it, even though you’ve got all of the knowledge, understands anymore how exactly it’s running any longer than you’d be aware of what I was thinking proper now should you have been shown a move element of my mind. It is like we’re not programming anymore, we’re growing intelligence that we do not truly have an understanding of. And these things simplest work if there’s an giant amount of data, so in addition they encourage deep surveillance on everybody so that the computing device finding out algorithms can work. That is why facebook wishes to gather the entire knowledge it may possibly about you.The algorithms work better. So let’s push that Vegas example a bit of. What if the method that we do not recognize was once opting for up that it can be simpler to promote Vegas tickets to folks who’re bipolar and about to enter the manic section. Such men and women are likely to turn out to be overspenders, compulsive gamblers. They might do this, and you’ll have no clue that is what they have been deciding on up on. I gave this instance to a bunch of laptop scientists as soon as and afterwards, one of them got here up to me. He was afflicted and he said, "that’s why i could not submit it." I was like, "could not put up what?" He had tried to peer whether that you may certainly determine the onset of mania from social media posts earlier than medical symptoms, and it had worked, and it had labored very good, and he had no proposal how it worked or what it was picking up on.Now, the quandary isn’t solved if he would not put up it, since there are already companies which might be constructing this sort of science, and a number of the stuff is solely off the shelf. This is not very elaborate anymore. Do you ever go on YouTube which means to look at one video and an hour later you will have watched 27? You know the way YouTube has this column on the correct that says, "Up subsequent" and it autoplays whatever? It can be an algorithm identifying what it thinks that you simply possibly all in favour of and possibly no longer in finding in your possess. It is no longer a human editor. It’s what algorithms do. It picks up on what you’ve got watched and what men and women like you’ve watched, and infers that that need to be what you’re taken with, what you want more of, and just indicates you extra. It sounds like a benign and priceless function, except when it isn’t. So in 2016, I attended rallies of then-candidate Donald Trump to study as a student the motion helping him.I gain knowledge of social actions, so I was once studying it, too. After which I desired to jot down anything about one of his rallies, so I watched it a few times on YouTube. YouTube began recommending to me and autoplaying to me white supremacist videos in increasing order of extremism. If I watched one, it served up one much more extreme and autoplayed that one, too. In the event you watch Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders content material, YouTube recommends and autoplays conspiracy left, and it goes downhill from there. Good, you possibly thinking, this is politics, however it’s not. This is not about politics. This is simply the algorithm identifying human behavior. I once watched a video about vegetarianism on YouTube and YouTube advocated and autoplayed a video about being vegan. It is like you are by no means hardcore ample for YouTube. (Laughter) So what is going on on? Now, YouTube’s algorithm is proprietary, however this is what I feel is going on. The algorithm has discovered that if that you may entice men and women into thinking you could exhibit them something extra hardcore, they may be more likely to keep on the web site gazing video after video going down that rabbit gap even as Google serves them advertisements.Now, with nobody minding the ethics of the store, these web sites can profile men and women who are Jew haters, who consider that Jews are parasites and who’ve such explicit anti-Semitic content material, and help you goal them with advertisements. They are able to additionally mobilize algorithms to search out for you look-alike audiences, men and women who don’t have such specific anti-Semitic content on their profile however who the algorithm detects is also prone to such messages, and lets you goal them with advertisements, too. Now, this may occasionally sound like an out of this world example, however this is real. ProPublica investigated this and located that you could certainly do this on facebook, and fb helpfully supplied up recommendations on the best way to expand that viewers. BuzzFeed tried it for Google, and really swiftly they located, yep, you can do it on Google, too.And it wasn’t even pricey. The ProPublica reporter spent about 30 bucks to goal this category. So final yr, Donald Trump’s social media manager disclosed that they had been utilizing fb darkish posts to demobilize persons, to not persuade them, however to persuade them not to vote at all. And to do this, they specific chiefly, for example, African-American guys in key cities like Philadelphia, and i will learn precisely what he mentioned. I am quoting. They have been making use of "nonpublic posts whose viewership the campaign controls in order that simplest the people we need to see it see it. We modeled this. It will dramatically have an impact on her capacity to show these men and women out." What’s in those dark posts? We haven’t any suggestion. Facebook will not inform us. So facebook additionally algorithmically arranges the posts that your associates put on facebook, or the pages you comply with. It doesn’t exhibit you everything chronologically. It puts the order in the way in which that the algorithm thinks will entice you to stay on the website longer. Now, so this has a variety of consequences. You will be thinking a person is snubbing you on fb. The algorithm may certainly not be displaying your submit to them.The algorithm is prioritizing some of them and burying the others. Experiments show that what the algorithm picks to exhibit that you may affect your emotions. But that is not all. It additionally impacts political conduct. So in 2010, in the midterm elections, facebook did an scan on 61 million humans in the USA that was once disclosed after the fact. So some folks were proven, "at present is election day," the less difficult one, and some people were proven the one with that tiny tweak with these little thumbnails of your acquaintances who clicked on "I voted." this straightforward tweak. Adequate? So the portraits had been the only alternate, and that post proven just once became out an extra 340,000 voters in that election, in line with this study as verified via the voter rolls. A fluke? No. Considering in 2012, they repeated the identical test. And that point, that civic message proven just once turned out another 270,000 voters. For reference, the 2016 US presidential election was decided via about 100,000 votes. Now, facebook may additionally very easily infer what your politics are, even though you will have on no account disclosed them on the website online.Correct? These algorithms can try this really readily. What if a platform with that form of power decides to end up supporters of one candidate over the opposite? How would we even know about it? Now, we started from someplace seemingly innocuous — on-line provides following us round — and we’ve landed someplace else. As a public and as residents, we no longer be aware of if we’re seeing the same know-how or what any person else is seeing, and and not using a usual groundwork of information, little by little, public debate is becoming not possible, and we’re just at the starting stages of this. These algorithms can fairly quite simply infer things like your people’s ethnicity, religious and political affairs, personality characteristics, intelligence, happiness, use of addictive elements, parental separation, age and genders, just from fb likes. These algorithms can identify protesters even though their faces are in part concealed. These algorithms may be equipped to notice humans’s sexual orientation just from their dating profile images. Now, these are probabilistic guesses, so they are not going to be a hundred percent correct, but i do not see the powerful resisting the temptation to make use of these technologies just in view that there are some false positives, that allows you to of course create a whole other layer of issues.Assume what a state can do with the sizeable amount of information it has on its residents. China is already utilizing face detection science to determine and arrest individuals. And here is the tragedy: we’re building this infrastructure of surveillance authoritarianism purely to get people to click on on commercials. And this won’t be Orwell’s authoritarianism. This is not "1984." Now, if authoritarianism is utilising overt fear to terrorize us, we are going to all be scared, but we’ll realize it, we are going to hate it and we are going to face up to it.But when the individuals in power are using these algorithms to quietly watch us, to evaluate us and to nudge us, to foretell and establish the troublemakers and the rebels, to installation persuasion architectures at scale and to control contributors one by one utilizing their personal, individual weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and if they are doing it at scale via our private monitors so that we do not even be aware of what our fellow residents and neighbors are seeing, that authoritarianism will envelop us like a spider’s internet and we won’t even comprehend we’re in it.So facebook’s market capitalization is approaching half of a thousand billion dollars. It is in view that it really works pleasant as a persuasion architecture. But the constitution of that structure is the identical whether you are promoting sneakers or whether you’re promoting politics. The algorithms have no idea the difference. The same algorithms set unfastened upon us to make us more pliable for advertisements are also organizing our political, private and social understanding flows, and that is what’s bought to vary.Now, do not get me improper, we use digital structures considering that they furnish us with nice value. I take advantage of facebook to maintain in contact with associates and household around the globe. I’ve written about how significant social media is for social movements. I’ve studied how these applied sciences can be used to circumvent censorship world wide. But it’s no longer that the humans who run, you understand, fb or Google are maliciously and intentionally looking to make the nation or the sector extra polarized and encourage extremism. I learn the various well-intentioned statements that these people put out. But it’s no longer the intent or the statements men and women in technology make that topic, it’s the constructions and trade items they’re building.And that’s the core of the situation. Either fb is a giant con of 1/2 a trillion dollars and ads don’t work on the web site, it does not work as a persuasion architecture, or its vigour of affect is of first-class obstacle. It’s both one or the opposite. It can be equivalent for Google, too. So what can we do? This desires to alter. Now, I are not able to offer a easy recipe, on account that we have to restructure the entire way our digital technology operates. Everything from the way in which technological know-how is developed to the way in which the incentives, financial and or else, are constructed into the system. We must face and check out to maintain the dearth of transparency created through the proprietary algorithms, the structural project of laptop finding out’s opacity, all this indiscriminate information that is being accrued about us. We’ve a massive task in front of us. We must mobilize our technological know-how, our creativity and sure, our politics in order that we can build synthetic intelligence that supports us in our human ambitions however that can also be restrained by using our human values.And that i realize this won’t be easy. We might now not even with ease agree on what those terms mean. But when we take seriously how these programs that we depend on for so much operate, i don’t see how we will postpone this dialog anymore. These structures are organizing how we function and they’re controlling what we will and we cannot do. And plenty of of these advert-financed structures, they boast that they are free. On this context, it signifies that we are the product that’s being sold. We’d like a digital economic climate the place our knowledge and our awareness shouldn’t be for sale to the perfect-bidding authoritarian or demagogue. (Applause) with the intention to go back to that Hollywood paraphrase, we do want the prodigious abilities of synthetic intelligence and digital science to blossom, but for that, we need to face this prodigious threat, open-eyed and now.Thanks. (Applause) .

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