#i need a Writing Process tag or smthn

[villanevehaus]

Thank you so much for answering all of those questions. I really appreciate you taking the time!

All of that makes a lot of sense, especially the show don’t tell. Now that you’ve pointed it out, that’s a big part of why I love reading your works so much - I can clearly picture everything without the character telling me something.

It seems like so, SO much work goes into your stories (like 2 full time jobs worth of work) and that’s incredible. Your process is really interesting. The way you outline is fascinating. Have you ever made a huge change like halfway through? Or had an event that you wish you included?

I’ve never thought of writing future scenes and kind of going back to where the characters are at now and making sure they get to said place in the future - that’s so brilliant!! Okay, last question for now, I promise. Do you ever get writer’s block or lack motivation to write?

Thank you so much for letting me pick your brain. - anon33 ❤️

You're very welcome, I appreciate the curiosity! And ngl I think until you'd asked, I hadn't fully realized how much I put into my stuff, so... thank you also for that!

I'm really trying to rack my brain in terms of if there have been huge narrative changes and I really can't think of any!

I think because of how my writing process kind of fluctuates between 1. rigid scenes (often canon scenes from the media I'm pulling from- Black Swan, Bound, etc- that I can't change a lot) that are just malleable enough for me to add my own stuff to, 2. scenes that are entirely my own, always driven by a necessary beat of some sort, and 3. how to tie those together, I kind of end up almost having like. a mental map of sorts? Aside from moving some stuff around to better fit the beats ('this makes more sense in ch6 instead of ch5, then it feels less drastic when this other thing happens in ch7' kind of thing), I'm usually pretty on the path I've set out on.

I feel like I might be overcomplicating this a lil bit BUT you're the one asking questions so I'm assuming you're okay with extra answers: aside from whatever beats I'm working on, I don't really plan out my original scenes, especially when it comes to dialogue. I don't go into it with a plan that Eve will talk about X, Y, Z, and then Vil will say A, B, C, I tend to just see where the conversation takes them- even in TME's case of therapy sessions I don't have a plan beyond the character beats.

- Eve is beginning to trust Vil, but not enough to be entirely honest about anything they haven't already talked about. Her walls aren't down, but they're a little lower when it comes to certain things that (in Eve's mind) have been established as safe to talk about with Vil.

- Vil is starting to figure out how to pull at whatever darkness she perceives within Eve without accidentally getting herself shut out. She respects when Eve says 'next question' because she knows from experience that she won't get what she wants if she pushes- that pushing will do more harm than good... but she still wants to pull.

Even within BB too!

- Eve feels comfortable with Ox, but she's so unused to being asked what she wants, what feels good for her, how she thinks of things, that that's what's stressing her out. She's juggling being with a woman for the first time (something she's very new to wanting) and being truly respected for the first time.

- Ox wants to be with Eve, but she also wants nothing more than for Eve to be comfortable. She knows that Eve has some hangups about being with each other, and doesn't want her to 'go along with it' just because Ox wants it.

So when it comes to dialogue or scenes or both, that's what I end up using more than Plot Stuffs. If I know that Eve isn't ready for something, she isn't ready- and I'm not going to make Ox push her on it for the sake of speeding up her being ready because that's not how that works!

As with literally everything, TME is a lot more complicated. If I know that Eve won't talk truthfully about her addiction, and the dialogue I'm working on veers toward that topic, then I write Eve according to her current beat- she's not going to suddenly decide she's actually going to be honest just because I, the writer, have decided that it's 'time' for her to be honest for Plot reasons. That feels unearned, and also not in line with the story/Eve! And with that, I can play with some fun conversational stuff: if Vil pushes too far, that impacts Eve's level of trust down the line. If Eve opens up, that gives Vil more insight into why she opened up.

This got both long and complicated but I think what I'm rambling toward is ultimately saying that I write the plot around the characters, not the other way around- so if the plot changes at all, I see it coming because I am shaping the bones.

In terms of events I wish I'd included the only thing that really jumps to mind is in Eve Undone: Vil apologizing to Eve for being shitty about Niko/Hawaii, but that's in Meteor/ites now, so!

For the writer's block/lack of motivation question: short answer, no...? My current grammarly streak is 59 weeks, something I am not sure how to feel about ngl! I hesitate to call it writer's block since I actually can't think of a day that I've gone without opening docs (lol) but I do find that being able to bounce between all my WIPs is massively helpful for if I'm feeling stuck. Two TME documents (TME proper and the 'holding cell' of scenes from chapters I haven't written yet), BB, Meteor/ites, and Undoing are all really different headspaces, styles, etc- if I'm not feeling 50s fluff, I can hop over to the Astankohva's and see what they're up to, if that's not working then how about we check out something from TME Vil's past?

I've talked previously about how I do a LOT of writing on my phone (like right now!) and I think that definitely impacts the process, too. Unless I've been possessed to do so by a scene, I don't really actively Sit and Write for hours: I was in my dentist's waiting room today and wrote a few lines of dialogue while I waited for my appointment, yesterday I was struck by a character realization while I was doing some drawing and went to make a quick note before returning to it, the previous day I reworked a scene in the chapter that I just put up. In all honesty I think if I weren't writing, it'd just keep clogging up my brain. There have been more than a few times where I've been trying to articulate something that's been brewing in my skull- plot arcs, character stuff, whatever- that's turned into a massive deluge of information that I may have not entirely realized was all up there! @eveandpsyche attest to me going "i have a thought" and then two hours of rambling later, I walk out with several pages of backstory that had been apparently just living in my head.

Thank you for asking me so many questions, I mean it very genuinely when I say that I appreciate it/them/you and enjoy answering them :)

[curseplay]

UNDER THE CUT IS A TIMELINE / DEEP DIVE INTO PARIS' EX, WHITNEY COSIMA. tw for: sexual assault, drug use, emotional manipulation, abuse, and revenge porn. whitney is an influencer based in los angeles that, unless you live under a rock, you've definitely seen on your instagram / tiktok feed before. the majority of her content is "lifestyle" based, and she's especially famous for flaunting her old money lifestyle (think grand balls, princess dresses) and merging it with a contemporary one (think clubbing, modern glamour). she has excessive makeup, hair care, and vitamin brand deals . . . and before she met paris, she was a very good friend of lauren watts.

lauren and whitney met at a talent agent's industry party when the former was 15 and the latter was 18. at this point in time, lauren was extremely vulnerable and angry, never spending time in her house due to her mother remarrying. whitney took advantage of this and wasted no time integrating her into her own friend group, all of whom loved to engage in very reckless behavior. lauren idolized her and considered her a best friend, doing anything she instructed because she was convinced it would make her similarly well-liked and successful. through whitney and her friends, lauren developed an alcohol addiction and dabbled in brief heroin use.

their friendship crashed and burned when lauren, who was 17 at the time, was with whitney and her boyfriend at the time at their apartment. whitney and him were planning to have sex, but when she didn't want to, she offered a drunk lauren up instead. lauren did not know what she was consenting to and changed her mind halfway through, to no avail. after going home the next day, she didn't speak to whitney again for weeks. when they finally did speak again over the phone, whitney told lauren she was overreacting and that she essentially didn't have a leg to stand on. lauren withdrew from the public eye until her junior year of college, during which she met andie.

whitney's online influencing platforms took off exponentially after she stopped talking to lauren and broke up with her boyfriend for unrelated reasons. through her connections in the LA area, she learned that lauren's band was playing a series of original songs and covers at a small venue and decided to attend. it's there that she set her sights on paris, the band's clearly excitable and new in town guitarist. she approached paris at an after party, but only when she was sure that andie and lauren had left for the night. she quickly seduced them, and the two began talking after.

this talking stage lasted two weeks before whitney and paris decided to make things official. paris, completely unaware of her history with lauren beyond them being "old friends," was extremely excited to tell their bandmates about their relationship. lauren keeps the details of her history with whitney a secret to spare herself the embarrassment of admitting her assault. still, both she and andie quickly begin to resent whitney for her treatment of paris.

at this point in time, SILK was working on their debut album, and whitney was less than understanding re: paris' schedule when it came to her work despite them granting her plenty of grace for her influencing duties. patterns in their relationship quickly began to emerge. whitney would purposefully be sweet to paris and then change her attitude on a dime in order to condition them into walking on eggshells around her. then, she would victimize herself when paris attempted to smooth things over by claiming that she wouldn't have had to act in such a way if she had simply been treated right.

paris was also whitney's first wlw relationship. as a result of this, she habitually treated paris like the men she had been with previously because of her masc presentation. this skewed paris' already destabilized perception of herself into being ashamed of her masculinity due to whitney's pushing toxic masculinity onto her. whitney would often force paris to do things during sex that she wasn't comfortable with, such as being generally rough with her, filming their encounters, and more.

after about six months of this, paris breaks down crying in a bathroom at a party in which whitney is not in attendance due to a work trip. andie and lauren find them, during which they reveal the depth of how whitney has been treating them, confirming their suspicions based on their recent behavior. the two of them stage an intervention to get them to break up with her, but paris drags their feet, claiming they don't know how to because they love her. when whitney arrives back in LA, paris manages to break up with her politely, but is bewildered by how well she takes it. whitney essentially tells her that she "doesn't believe things are really over."

SILK releases their debut album and begins their supporting tour for it. during this tour, after a few months of radio silence from whitney, she reappears at one of the first stops and invites paris out to "talk things over." against her better judgment, paris agrees, and the two end up sleeping together again. from here, a new cycle begins: paris hooks up with whitney, agrees that they'll never do so again, and breaks that promise when she shows up begging to get back together. eventually, the love they receive on tour from SILK's growing fanbase, as well as lauren and andie's support, convinces paris to end things once and for all.

they agree to see whitney again, and when she expects them to concede and officially get back together with her, they tell her the opposite and that they don't want to see her ever again. whitney takes this breakup considerably less "well" than the other, threatening to "ruin her life" if she leaves. thinking this is just an empty threat, paris does so, and goes on to finish the tour leg in full.

things are quiet for another few weeks as SILK's main worry becomes figuring out how to get out of their contract with the degere label after being approached by kennedy delumen, a talent scout and manager for the alleycat label under no future records. during the band's negotiations with kennedy, whitney begins spreading the word that paris was physically abusive towards her, and soon after, a sex tape of the two "mysteriously" surfaces online. instead of dropping the band amidst the scandal, kennedy fast tracks their signing and digs into the weeds of the leak herself.

paris briefly withdraws from the public eye after the incident as kennedy works through defamation charges against whitney. her counterattack threatens to damage whitney's reputation, causing her to "rephrase" her statements surrounding the nature of the relationship. still, she refuses to admit that she was the one who uploaded the tape, and uses her wealth to settle the issue out of court, much to kennedy's dismay. she continues to focus her PR work on salvaging paris' reputation which, due to whitney's flimsy attempt at defaming her, happens rather naturally over time.

still, while the public settles on her side, paris struggles to deal with the trauma of the relationship. she blocks whitney on all platforms and resigns herself to being single for the entirety of the second album cycle, enjoying her time with andie, lauren, and the fans instead of pursuing anything serious. the band grows extremely close with kennedy as a result of the conditions of her joining the team, to the point where she becomes family.

as for whitney, she manages to move on rather quickly from the scandal after laying low by virtue of ignoring it and any association with SILK. she never loses a single sponsorship and continues to linger in the same social circles as the band.

[iris0gardens]

Heyy bestie 👀 idk if this is weird cos we're mutuals and all but i heard you do requests and i am parched for more legion Wrench 😩 How comfortable are you writing him with a younger reader? (Mid/late 20s) Perhaps he meets Jacksons hacker friend or smthn. I can offer art in return, anything you want 🙏

⊱Late night talks⊰ Legion Wrench x Reader

"The amount of stupid you have in you, is impressive...i like it"

TAGS: Big vibes, Jackson and sushi, implied romance, cuddles and chaos talk ;)

description: Jackson needed Wrench´s help with getting a heavy box to his new apartment. There he got introduced to a grey hat stranger, turns out he had alot of common with and vibed with.

-Requested by my lovely moot @bardsins! (check them out, amazing art <3-

"Fair warning Reggie. I have a roommate now and they are...particularly interesting." Jackson warned the masked man as they were walking up the stairs to his apartment. Wrench´s mask changed to question marks as he tilted his head to the side towards Aidens son. "What do you mean...are they dangerous? no...ARE THEY IN THE MAFIA?!" The blond haired responded with caution in his voice as he got louder. He gripped the box he held harder as he watched his friend stop for a second to process before proceeding movement.

"SHHHH what? no?..they do the same stuff we do..just solo. They are a grey hat with a tendency to cause chaos...like someone i conveniently know."Jackson shushed Wrench as he rolled his eyes, he went up a couple of stairs before making a turn into a corridor with doors on each side. "Just don't bomb them with Questions immediately. Pretend i never told you and lets get this over with." he begged Wrench as he took out his keys from his pockets and turning towards Wrench with a beg in his eyes before stopping at a door.

"I can try. but no promises though"Wrench responded casually with a shrug and stopped walking near Jackson as the black haired man infront of him proceeded to open the door.

As the door opened, faint music was heard playing from one of the rooms in the corridor as they both stepped in, Jackson letting the door close behind him as he called out for his roommate "YINNNN, IM HOME AND BROUGHT A FRIENDDD". A moment later, the music stopped and a voice responded with a quick "LIVINGROOM" before the music continued shortly after. Wrench looked towards his friend with question marks plastered on his mask and the opposite just shrugged before heading towards the Livingroom with a response. "Wrench, dont worry about it. Put the box down and follow me"

Taking a second to think, Wrench slowly put down the box at a near table at the door before following his friend to the next room. "ayy Jackson! I got you the sushi from the starfell Party from today. Its in the kitchen." The stranger to Wrench greeted Jackson casually as he walked into the room, standing behind Jackson and analysing the person. H/L H/C hair, a black zip hoodie along with a grey shirt that said "mess with hacko get DDOSo" which he found amusing. The person was sat on the couch casually, laying on it while having their legs over the end of the couch as a bag of chips was layed against them. "Dope! Y/N, meet my friend Wrench. Don't mind the mask" The black haired male introduced the two before heading towards the kitchen in a hurry to get his sushi.

A silence fell among them while Y/N looked at Wrench up and down. "so-" they both attempted to start a conversation before a soft chuckle admitted between them. "nice, soo...you are the Wrench? former dedsec member and now full time merc?" Y/N asked with a smirk on their face as they adjusted their position on the couch they were planted at. They were now sat on the couch instead of laying on it, patting their side as an invite for Wrench to take a seat. Wrenchs mask displayed question signs before returning to his usual Xs as he slowly walked over to the couch before proceeding to sit on it.

He made sure there was a safe sentence between them before casually responding "yeah...your Y/N right? probably not your hacker tag. What is it? only fair to share" his mask displaced his usual happy led´s before switching back. His opposite chuckled before laying their head on the back of the couch. "you caught me red handed, sweets. its H/N (hackername)." Before another word left Y/Ns mouth, Wrench gasped dramatically, placing his hands infront of his mask as his mask turned to Os before displaying his excitement. "no fucking way! Grey hat hacker and activist H/N???? I heard of your work! Nice to finally put a face to the name."

They both had a nice discussion over their careers as Jackson returned to them only to excuse himself. "Sorry, love birds. I gotta dip now. Aiden needs my help with stuff. "The protest from the two weren't heard due to him leaving so quickly with a small bye. He left the room and soon the front door was heard opening and closing, indicating that he left them fully to themselves. Y/N sighed, shaking their head with a small smile "classic Jacks, always jumping for his dad. always nice to see in this fucked up world.".

After a joke or two they returned to talking about the world and their interests, noticing the small similarities, they got stuck on the topic of who would win...two robot dogs or 10..lions? They couldnt fully agree on it and laughed about it.

"The amount of stupid you have in you, is impressive...i like it" Y/N laughed out between laughter, leaning against Wrench´s arm as support. The male tensed up for a second before easing into it with a soft smile plastered under his face. "yeah...I like your personality too. its feisty and you obviously know how to pack a punch." He responded as he laid his head against theirs.

"wanna get drunk and play mortal combat?"

"Are you asking me out? if so..FUCK YEAH"

They proceeded to get drunk and go against each other in mortal combat, leaning against each other semi cuddling before it turning into a passionate make out session. Sadly however due to the Writers incapability to post smut on tumblr (if yall want, i got ao3 now ;) ), before proceeding into deeper grounds, they passed out in each others arms.

After waking up awkwardly in the morning, it didnt stop them hanging out more often after and soon becoming the chaos couple of London.

-Hope yall enjoyed this lovely piece of art for my lovely moot. I was big time inspired. Reminder my request are open and i would love to take them! :D-

-if you check out my mutual! you get a cookie ;P-

-not keen on constructive critism as I do this as a way to enjoy myself and share it, so PLEASE NO COMMENT ON MY WRITING STYLE UNLESS ITS A GRAMMER ERROR. THAMK YOUU-

[rimetin]

Hola espinch u3u

Por el ao3 wrapped as meme: 16, 18, y 30

Tu respuesta puede ser en ingles, claro uwu - solo queria hacerte una prueba 😳 ten un buen dia chuac chuac u3u

oml eres un pez astuto,,, damn right my reply can be in english bc bro im not THAT advanced 😩 pero solo tuve (que?) buscar UNA palabra (and conjugation for that verb)!! ¿Estás orgulloso de mí uwu ?

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

bitch u know its "Trafalgar D. Water Law needs a hug" im not even gonna go check that bc i KNOW

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Huh this is a good question. Hm. Hmmmm. You know, i wanna say Cora? I mean i dont have anything from his pov (yet), just a short conversation, but it wasn't the easiest to nail down his voice. And maybe Sanji, it's a balancing act writing him for sure.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

The response def ;3; people are so nice and so many kudos and comments and new friends aaa!! But uh actually writing and process and shit hmm well i always forget im kinda good at humor so that. And a bigger one was how easily i started working on smthn longer rather than short one shots - bitten by the cold series, the modern au, the third corazon wip. A few years ago i would never have imagined myself writing multiparts and look at me now diving in headfirst lol

Muchos gracias por las preguntas cariño!! Ask meme me?

[emakenz]

another hannibal x reader fanfic idea

Reader is a special agent alongside Jack and is similar to Will but not quite, reader's just as reserved but more anxious than anything. Has a lot of empathy like Will, but usually misinterprets the information given, as reader usually doesn't process things as a neurotypical, or even Will, would. But on the right occasion, on a huge case, reader is in the right and Will is in the wrong, and Hannibal's intrigued by reader's mind. Reader seems dull and presents similarly to a lost puppy, anxious and confused easily, all unintentionally but it's just how they are. But Hannibal finds them interesting, he sees potential in them like he did Will, but this is different. He sees how reader is around others and how much they dislike interaction, other than the very few people they DO like, and how awkward and uncomfortable they tend to be. He wanted to see how far the discomfort goes. He doesn't hurt reader or anything, he just invites them for dinner, and as he expected, they decline. They don't know him much and are kinda intimidated by him. He feels the need to gain their trust, have them attached to him, imprint on him. He can see through their facade, how much they crave contact, but they're so scared. He wants to coddle them. Earn their trust. Reader never accepts his invitations, and Hannibal would usually consider such rude, but given how reader isn't good with socializing and processing, he doesn't. The case reader solved earlier had been broken in at this point and they all found their culprit, going in for the arrest, but there happened to be more than one person opposing the team, and reader manages to get majorly hurt. Hannibal wasn't at the scene at the time, but later when he finds out about reader's mishap on TattleCrime, he panics thinking they died. He just started taking interest in them and they turn around and die on him? Freddie didn't know about reader's survival so of course she left the page ending in a cliffhanger. Hannibal waits and waits for days for news from the site but nothing new comes. He hasn't been called in for the FBI at all recently. Jack hasn't called or notified him of anything. He was antsy. During Will's routinely visit in his office, Will discloses reader's shape, that they're okay. Hannibal eases with the information and asks for their whereabouts and visits them the next day, with soup. They're all woozy from the meds they've been given and are an open book for Hannibal to skim through. He spoon feeds them as he sat beside their bed, they would normally shy away and avoid the contact but the drugs kept them sedated. He revelled in it. Having them open and honest and so obedient and cooperative just had him on a high. He visits them daily until they're released, he doesn't let them go home though, he takes them to his home to watch over them and help them heal under his care. They're still kinda out of it from the meds, and really just likes how sweet Hannibal is to them and reader just clings onto him after a week or so. He got what he wanted. As reader sobers up and heals 99%, they don't remember much of anything. They just go along with staying by Hannibal as he takes good care of them. They're anxious, and that won't ever change, but Hannibal tends to ease the tension in them. He calms them. A soothing agent. Reader attempts to be independent often but Hannibal has none of it and takes care of everything. They're off duty until he says they can go back, he's considered their provider at this point, therefore he says what goes. Whether the connection between reader and Hannibal is platonic or romantic or even paternal/familial, it's still a very tender, loving, and affectionate bond. Hannibal being touch starved and reader being clingy, a match made in Maryland.

If anyone actually writes this, please tag me and credit me for the plot! I wanna read smthn like this but i dont wanna spam an authors inbox with this, its too much, id feel horrible tbh. But yeah :)

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #41

This is two and a half days’ worth of recs. I had to make a list or it was going to be obnoxiously long. I’m slowly catching up to all my open tabs, but it’s taking some work. You may notice a lot of Lance birthday fics in this post. My writing time has also taken a bit of a hit, unfortunately. Next chapter of The Godsent Wanderer is languishing at nine hundred words. (The Adventure Zone’s finale dropping today did not help.)

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

Who is in Control? by WildWolf25 Words: 13,995 Author’s Summary: Shiro wished more than anything that they could go back to those days, full of catching grasshoppers on sunny afternoons and rigging up elaborate Goldberg machine-style boobie traps around the house to drop water balloons on Matt’s sister. Back when the biggest conflict they faced was Shiro trying to convince Matt that they couldn’t build a life-sized, fully-functioning robot for their project in the elementary school science fair. Back when their hands were covered with grass-stains and dirt rather than blood-stains and scars. Back when both of them had two hands made out of flesh and blood, rather than metal and wires. (Matt is turned into a weapon by the Galra. When he is “captured” by Team Voltron, Shiro and Pidge help him come back to himself) My Comments: Heartwrenching but satisfying way to bring Matt into the Voltron fold. Be aware of the tags. This fic gets pretty dark at times, though it’s all viewed through memories, which gives it some distance. Wonderful to see Katie and Matt reunited, as well as Matt and Shiro. Shiro says some very important things to help Matt after all he’s been through.

Hugs and Besos by Ninja_Librarian Words: 5,504 Author’s Summary: “Well, there’s only one planet that has Varadero beach, pizza shack looking over the water and the garlic knots and… my mom’s hugs…” She didn’t believe a word the Garrison officials told her. After all, she knew her son better than they did. My Comments: Gorgeous, beautiful, perfect Lance’s mom POV. All of the backstory is so sweet and fits Lance perfectly, and I can just feel the love coming off the page. Wonderfully satisfying conclusion, too.

the best day of the year by FluffyBlue Words: 1,709 Author’s Summary: Lance forgot about his birthday, but his team certainly didn’t <3 My Comments: Aw, so sweet. Show that boy some love. What a good team.

not so little after all by victuri Words: 2,542 Author’s Summary: How to successfully create an alliance: bluff your way through a diplomatic meeting. It helps if you’re afraid. My Comments: Good gosh, I adore Lance and Allura developing a mutually benificial relationship. It took some work, but he gave her the confidence to be absolutely MAGNIFICENT here.

Birthday Surprises by A_Zap f Words: 2,948 Author’s Summary: On a certain day, each of Team Voltron finds themselves the recipient of a package. It doesn’t take them too much to figure out who’s leaving them anonymous birthday presents. Pretty much a 5+1 fic of the times members of Team Voltron are given a birthday present and the time they decided to return the favor. My Comments: Ahhh, this is so cute! I adore Lance being kind and thoughtful to his teammates and getting that love back in return. Beautiful fic.

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough by hufflepirate Words: 6,506  Author’s Summary: Remix of oldmythologies’s Lost in the Fog, which is AWESOME and should probably be read first. Shiro is gone, and none of the remaining paladins know what to do about it. When the rest of the team visits Black to talk to Shiro, Pidge listens in, but can’t bring herself to face the lion - or the place where Shiro vanished. Not until she’s ready to bring him home. My Comments: Completely fabulous alternate perspective and expansion on another amazing fic. I loved Pidge’s perspective on everything, and extended reunion scene at the end was so so so good. SO GOOD. Ahhh, it made me so happy, I can’t even tell you. 

Hold Me Close by SerenePhenix Words: 2,221 Author’s Summary: Keith was not made for the cold. My Comments: Poor Keith. Good thing he has his team to take care of him.

Day 2: Hypothermia by GemmaRose Words: 1,781 Author’s Summary: Downed in a shuttle during an ambush, Coran must survive a blizzard with only his wits, centuries-old survival training, and what meagre supplies he can scavenge from the wreck. My Comments: HURT CORAN! So rare, so precious. Great characterization, he felt very steady and strong even as he sort of accepted that he was probably going to die. Super glad he didn’t, of course. The team can’t do without him.

Rockabye by SerenePhenix Words: 2,171 Author’s Summary: Pidge has to stop the bleeding and is terrified. Coran is there every step of the way even when hundreds of miles away. My Comments: GAH, this fic is intense. Love Coran being the rock Pidge needs, even from far away, keeping calm and talking her through it even while I am positive he’s freaking out on the inside.

dead battery by babitty Words: 3,345 Author’s Summary: a drabble that popped into my head so i sat down and wrote it out real quick. I’m sure people have done this or smthn like it already but fuck it. Lance brought his phone into space. And when Pidge finds out the battery is dead, she helps him out. Bc he’s family. I wasn’t sure what to name Lance’s sister, but i think Mari works??? I honestly don’t know, i may change it even though this is just a drabble. also this is not pidgance at all, i’m rlly hopin that’s clear enough Edit- so apparently mari is canon and I’m real good at guessin names lmao My Comments: Really cute fic. I love Pidge helping Lance fight his homesickness, followed by all the team bonding as they look at the pictures on his phone. The second chapter made it worse, or maybe better. Poignant and heartachey, but sweet.

To Light The Way by A11e_B00klover Words: 13,169 Author’s Summary: When her father dies in mysterious circumstances and leaves her alone with nothing but questions, Allura sets out to find the truth, come what may. Or the time Allura decides to go Sherlock with her family-friend Coran and the five friends she makes in the process. (for the Voltron Gen Minibang 2017) My Comments: A little slow to start, but there are some great ideas and fantastic characterizations in here. Fun modern AU where the team forms a Leverage-type crew to battle corporate corruption and find the truth. I could do with more.

Nobody Learns by SassafrassRex (Serbajean) Words: 30,570 Author’s Summary: He knows there was a time, before he was at this camp. *** Wiser people than Matt knew to steer clear of stars, dreamers, and all other fantasts. *** It’s a pretty strange fate, that Matt had played supporting cast in the story of his own life. *** If they try and they win, you’ll hate them for how they leave you behind. If they try and they fail, you’ll hate yourself for having to tell them let go of their pipedreams. *** “Could mean you need some better friends” – And Shiro has got to know how punchable his face gets whenever he grins like that. *** Shiro’s got it in his head that he could be selected for the Kerberos mission. Matt wishes he would give it up now. Before he burns himself out. *** Written for the Voltron Gen Mini Bang, with the wonderful artist, dylogger!!! Also prequel to All-Pervading Corruption My Comments: This is a prequel to a previously recced fic, but it stands alone fine. This fic is STUNNING. I love the characterization for Matt and Shiro. All of the backstory makes a lot of sense, and their friendship is so strong, weathering a lot of storms along the way. With this kind of background, it not only makes sense that Shiro would sacrifice himself for Matt, but it feels inevitable. All of the “current day” stuff in the prison camp is very harsh and hard to read, though, so beware. In that context, all of their college day shenanigans gain a kind of golden edge to them. Those were the good days. They just had no idea. It was hard at the time. But Matt is strong, and he’s a survivor, and he fights. He fights so hard. Amazing fic. The art complements it perfectly.

Earth Isn’t So Far by safety_dancer Words: 1,356 Author’s Summary: “Geez, Hunk! You scared us! I come running, thinking maybe Zarkon had teleported his ugly self into the- is that a cake?” My Comments: I really love all the presents everyone gave Lance in this one. They were so thoughtful and sweet.

Gift Me the Stars and Night Sky by Not_Jazz Words: 1,299 Author’s Summary: Lance never asked for anything. He was happy to just have his family. So, his family decides to surprise him. Or: Lance’s Best Birthday Ever My Comments: Gah, this is ridiculously adorable. The story about tiny Lance made my heart hurt in the best way. What a little sweetie pie, and I’m so glad he has his space family to be with him now.

What We Least Expect by inkbadger Words: 1,712 Author’s Summary: When Lance forgets it’s his birthday, he doesn’t take it well. So he retreats to the Blue Lion. But his team aren’t about to let him celebrate his birthday alone. That’s what family’s for, right? My Comments: So sweet. Everyone cares so much.

Candlelight and Supernovas by Faequeen40 Words: 12,614 Author’s Summary: Deep in space, Lance is really missing his family as his birthday comes up. The Voltron crew go about trying to throw him a birthday party. My contribution for Lance’s Birthday Week! My Comments: I really love how long this is and how everyone got their moment to shine. All of the bonding was sweet and lovely, and everyone put so much EFFORT into making sure Lance had a good and happy day. So heartwarming.

Wild Boys by Cocopops1995 Words: 13,437 Author’s Summary: Shiro wakes up back in Galra captivity. But he’s not having any of that this time. This time he’s determined to escape or die trying. Along the way he meets up with some familiar faces, some more unexpected than others. My Comments: Really fun action fic featuring BAMF Shiro and rebel Matt, among other things. A much more enjoyable way for Shiro to get back to the team than we see in a lot of fics, haha. All of the reunions were top-notch.

Summer Days (Drifting Away) by Atalto Words: 2,630 Author’s Summary: The team take a break from Voltron to regroup and recharge for the final fight against the Galra. Pidge discovers that she doesn’t really like alien beaches, no matter how human they are. My Comments: I expected fun in the sun and got emotional hurt/comfort and cuddling. I’m not complaining at all.

Little Fingers Hold the Tightest by Utsukushin (UserFromPluto) Words: 12,817 Author’s Summary: After the final battle with Zarkon, the Voltron team begins a desperate search for Shiro, but not even Slav’s ramblings on quantum realities could have prepared them for what they find. Shiro has been turned into a child–a bright-eyed, scarred little boy with one arm and no memories–and although they try their best to accommodate the change into their already-chaotic lives, no one quite anticipated just how challenging it would be. My Comments: Ahhh, this fic is amazing and adorable. Tiny Shiro is so cute, but he’s still getting flashbacks and nightmares and needs a lot of care. All of the paladins interact with him in the sweetest ways, and the art is beautiful, too.

The Burden of Adrenaline by spitfire00 Words: 1,329 Author’s Summary: Pidge carries an injured Shiro out of a hostile situation using pure spite alone. My Comments: PIDGE! What a badass! This little fic got my own adrenaline pumping, for sure.

It’s Like a Lithium Ion by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk) Words: 5,314 Author’s Summary: On their way to the Balmera, Keith runs across a homesick Lance and tries to comfort him. Then he finds Pidge and accidentally gives her an idea and gets roped into helping. It’s a win-win though, because in the end he’s found a way to help Lance. My Comments: Such a sweet fic. Love everyone working together to try to communicate with Earth so the kids can have a way to relieve their homesickness, and Keith was a darling for sticking it out.

Oh, Won’t You Comfort Me? by Ironic_Swag7782 Words: 2,123 Author’s Summary: Crash landed on an icy planet, one broken kit of armour, damaged lions, Lance getting dangerously cold? Shiro could safely say this mission could have gone better. My Comments: I’m always up for Shiro and Lance huddling for warmth. They’re both trying so hard to take care of each other, even in bad circumstances.

Flirting Lessons by sinelanguage Words: 2,099 Author’s Summary: Allura consults her worst– and only– flirting expert for advice. My Comments: Super cute fic with the worst pickup lines ever and Lance being a good wingman. Somehow it all works out in the end. I love Lance and Allura’s friendship.

Lean On by SerenePhenix Words: 1,712 Author’s Summary: Allura tries to complete a mission while feeling anything but perfectly well. My Comments: Short, sweet sickfic featuring dizzy Allura, smart Lance, and protective Coran.

Magnesium Fires by MoonlitWaterSunnyRiver for Mellisah Words: 1,328 Author’s Summary: In retrospect, wandering into a haunted house with no backup had been a bad, bad idea. But it’s amazing how much time you have to consider these things hanging in midair with a poltergeist deciding whether or not to munch on you. Poltergeist: 1. Keith Kogane: 0. Things Pidge can hold against him: too many to count. My Comments: This is so fun and funny and cute. Keith is just trying so hard, but it’s a good thing Pidge is capable of saving him.,

A Leg to Stand On by Aclyr, hufflepirate Words: 26,526 Author’s Summary: Hunk has never wanted to be in charge of anything, but when he gets stranded on an unknown planet with a concussed Shiro, light-years away from where they were supposed to be and unable to contact the rest of the team, he has do it anyway. A galaxy away, the rest of the team is short on resources and shorter on personnel, but they’re not about to let Hunk and Shiro go without a fight. (Story by hufflepirate, art by Aclyr) My Comments: Everything about this fic is utterly perfect. Hunk is anxious, but a badass anyway, and concussed Shiro is like a confused baby chick who needs to be herded back to the nest several times. The frantic search the others go through to find them is very suspenseful and heartwrenching, and you can just feel the tension and stress everyone is struggling with. Great action, great characterization, great emotional moments. I love it to bits. The art is also amazing.

Day 1: Fever by GemmaRose Words: 2,141 Author’s Summary: With Shiro missing and her Paladins scrambling to find him, Allura can’t possibly justify taking a break. My Comments: Short, sweet sickfic featuring fanting Allura and protective Coran.

Have Faith. by halelujah for InsaneJuliann Words: 2,750 Author’s Summary: Four times where the Black Lion reassures the Paladins that all will be well, plus the time she’s reassured herself. My Comments: Post Season Two fic with a really sweet characterization of Black. Hunk is particularly adorable, as well.

hope of a better tomorrow - VLD fanfic remix for babitty! by volleycatnika for babitty Words: 3,190 Author’s Summary: How the five paladins missed Earth and came together to comfort each other (a 5+1 fic). My Comments: Lovely team bonding fic. 

Fics with Season Three spoilers under the cut. After this list, I will no longer be tagging spoilers, since it’s been two weeks now since the season came out.

What’s my name? by greenglowsgold Words: 3,538 Author’s Summary: No one ever knows who they’re going to be until they are. Names don’t always work forever. She doesn’t know who this is, but he isn’t Shiro. My Comments: Season Three spoilers. I love Pidge’s journey here, and this would be a clever way to deal with the Not-Shiro problem. Her stubbornness and determination in the face of everyone else’s disbelief is perfectly her.

You’re Brave and You’re Loved by Talking_Bird Words: 6,464 Author’s Summary: Shiro is gone, but the universe still needs defending. When Keith becomes the new Black Paladin, the team assumes Allura will replace Keith as the Red Paladin. It doesn’t quite go like that and Lance has some insecurities to overcome. My Comments: Season Three spoilers. I honestly liked the way the show did it, but I this version is nicer, with Lance getting some much needed encouragement and love. Mild Klance.