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phoneybeatlemania-bit-the-dust · 3 years ago

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I’d disagree with the anon that Paul was “incapable” of love, but I do agree he was very distanced, and pretty cruel (to women) when he was younger. (It was unfortunate they bought into the love at first sight myth, but he was also a charmer, and dropped affection and got colder after fucking them.)

But I just can’t see romantic interest on Paul’s end. I’m sure he loved John, but a lot of the “sexual/Romantic evidence” really can just be as construed as platonic love. I feel there may be some confirmation bias looking for “clues”. (Not an attack on anyone, but some of the analysises seem to try too hard, really).

He does make references, with the whole “calling him babe during concerts”, and “in bed” but that could just mean he’s not uncomfortable with coming off “gay”. He has a quote about it somewhere I think. He’s supportive of the community at any rate.

This is kind of my own bias, but at times I think he…plays it up a little during the present day? Again, I’m positive he did love John a lot, but with how he is, a charmer, good at manipulating his image, he knows there is a benefit to building up the “magical” Lennon McCartney dynamic. John’s dead, and the old conflicts have faded, so he has no reason not to. I don’t think he’s anti-social, or a psycho or anything, but he certainly does put a lot of thought into his image, especially now, with how he wants to leave his legacy.

I’m less knowledgeable about John, and the speculation about his mental illnesses, but on his end, I can certainly see it. Maybe he’s just blind, but the looks are very much…yeah. He does seem to rely Paul a lot, and hold him in very high regard (REGARDLESS of what those old male biographers might make of him). You just know he was suffering over Paul, poor bastard.

Not sure if anything happened. I think Paul knew though, and either ignored it, or was kind, knowing John wouldn’t act on it. OR he didn’t notice! With the whole “we shared beds A LOT. you would think he’d make a pass at me, darling~”

I guess that’s how I see it. I don’t really have strong feelings on the nature of their relationship, or want them to be “confirmed”, so I try to be as objective as possible! Not a shipper, but not a male biographer. In fact, I was very put off learning the ship was a thing at first! With every fan base “having to” ship the main male leads, that’s what I thought this was. But after three years, reading actual books, primary stuff, I’ve began to change my mind on its legitimacy, and this was my conclusion. But new information can always change!

(Sorry for the long long analysis, god! I just took my adderall and I should go eat! Feel free to block me for spam/harassment.)

Yeah, this is basically my big mclennon dilemma: did Paul love John?

Of course he loved him, but I mean did he harbour any homosexual feelings towards John - and I just go back and fourth on that a lot.

In my last response to an anon I wasn’t necessarily trying to argue that Paul was romantically/sexually attached to John, because all in all, I don’t believe he did - but it probably came off that way because I didn’t particularly like the way the anon had phrased some stuff (like calling him “a master manipulator” and “incapable of love”) and so I just sort of wanted to show that the relationship was more nuanced then just “john was simping for paul”. My overall point with that response was more so that whilst I think Paul struggles in showing real affection and emotions, I don’t think he was incapable of love prior to Linda. I think he did really love John (in whichever form of love you want to take it: romantically, platonically etc.)

And so my point I guess wasnt so much that Paul was always capable of love (because I think he did at least love his family, his close-friends, probably Jane etc.), but maybe more so that he was always capable of intimacy with another person, though he struggled with it.

But yeah, he was quite cruel to a lot of the girls he slept with in the 60s, but I wouldn’t say that suggests he was incapable of love (i know thats not what you’re saying but other people might interpret it through that lens) I would just say he was young, dumb, ridiculously rich and famous and not emotionally mature enough yet to really empathise with most of those girls. Not trying to completely excuse him, but like, i dunno, i always just try to view people from the most human perspective. Everyones an twat sometimes yknow

I also really struggle to see romance on Pauls behalf towards John - the only times I think “wait but maybe he did fancy john back” is when I read some of his lyrics (like in ‘Coming Up’, ‘Yvonne’s The One’, and to some extent ‘Here Today’ - though I think interpreting Here Today as strictly platonic love is still a valid interpretation). I mentioned this in a different post though, that analysing his lyrics just isnt particularly convincing for me, because it feels more like speculation - and also as someone who does write songs, I know that a lot of lyrics just arent as deep as we wish they were. It is really difficult to be truly introspective and honest in a song, without exaggerating or hyperbolising or fictionalising any autobiographical aspects.

I do see your point with Paul possibly playing up the “Lennon/McCartney m a g i c” - im not entirely sure how much I agree, but I do agree to some extent. I think he’s always been very image conscious, and being in what is probably the all-time most famous pop band definitely wouldve heightened that. Even as a teenager I think he’s always just had this natural charm about him, and that tends to stem I guess from a need to be liked; I think you can see it in every interview he’s ever done to be honest. Its not necessarily a bad thing, (because id take a charmer over a rude knobhead any day) but I guess it sort of just shows that Paul is flawed like everybody else. Also, just read @mothernatures-sons tags and I agree with her - Paul just knows when to be a nice person! Nothing wrong with that! It isnt manipulative like the last anon suggested, its just how most people are: polite :) Ive heard a lot of anecdotes from people who have worked with or met Paul and the majority of them say he was a just a nice guy. Not saying he was never an arsehole (cause yeah he was pretty cruel to those girls in the 60s) but I think overall, hes a pretty good guy 👍

On the other hand though, you could also say that superficial journalists are looking for superficial answers - and Paul knows what the people want to hear. But occasionally ill hear an interview that does seem more intimate then most - I havent listened to it in awhile, but the interview he did with Sean I remember felt more honest to me then most. And when he said he’d like to spend the day “in bed” with John, to me that felt like a genuine and fitting response. Because, whilst it has sexual connotations, it also just feels like he’s saying he’d just like to sit around, chat, dont chat, just whatever with John for a day. Like he would just like another moment of intimacy with him.

I think we are pretty much in agreement on most of this though! At first I was also like “nah, mclennon isnt real, teenage girls just love shipping guys!” (I am a teenaged girl and I can confirm this lol) but then it just sort of became apparent to me through reading more and more about their relationship that there probably was something more on Johns behalf. If John wasnt in love with Paul, then it feels as though a lot of things he said and did just dont add up (the big one for me is him marrying Yoko so soon after Paul married Linda - like I really cannot come up with a heterosexual explanation for that!)

But when it comes to Paul, though ill have moments of doubt, I dont think he was in love with John (homosexually) and I do think a lot of the evidence on Pauls behalf seems like a stretch (but like you, im not having a go at anyone, because I understand that it is easy to carried away, plus its fun - but realistically, most of Pauls evidence just is not convincing to me). He’s comfortable with his sexuality, and I really do try to respect that and not force a gay interpretation of quotes or songs from him, unless it is genuinely making me question his sexuality and mclennon.

PS dont worry, I didn’t take this is spam at all!! And also, I would never block someone just for disagreeing with me! I enjoy discussion and I think its good to engage with people who disagree with you! To be honest, id only block someone if they were purposely being a real arsehole <3

#mclennon #discussion

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turtle-steverogers · 6 years ago

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I Am More Than Memory (part 5/?)

parts 1 2 3 4

warnings: mental illness, mentions of death

editing: nah brah

ship: platonic ralbert ,,,, kinda

this ended up being less angsty than i anticipated so ,,, sorry? youre welcome?? however you wanna take it

“You mentioned that he only recently showed up. Why do you think that is?”

Albert’s gaze met the therapist’s as he tried to remember is name. Something like Darren or Donny or-

His glanced down to his name tag. Oh, Denton, that’s right.

He shrugged, “I dunno.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

Albert averted his eyes, flinching when he met Race’s taunting stare from across the room, “Guess it finally caught up with me,” he sighed.

“What caught up with you?” Denton pushed.

Albert scrubbed a hand down his face, heaving a deep, yet unfulfilling breath, “I don’t know.”

“I think you do,” Denton nudged, softly, “Take me through it.”

Race hopped off his perch on the armrest next to Denton, traipsing over to sit next to Albert. Albert tried his best to ignore him as he answered.

“It was my fault,” he started, hesitantly.

Denton raised his eyebrows, motioning for him to continue. Race chuckled, twirling a few strands of Albert’s hair between his fingers. Albert resisted the urge to swat him away.

“Spot was, uh, well,” he paused, gathering his thoughts for a moment, “It was his right of way, like, we had the green arrow. But then this idiot driver blasted through a red light and I saw it, but I didn’t say anything. I don’t know why. I just froze up and by the time my mind stopped being useless, Race was already, uh, gone.”

“Still here,” Race sang, pinching Albert’s cheek.

“Shut up,” Albert mumbled.

“What?” Denton furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at the space next to Albert knowingly.

“Nothing.”

Denton grimaced, looking like he wanted to say something, but deciding against it, “Well,” he said, returning to their previous conversation, “It sounds like it was the other driver’s fault.”

Albert let out a frustrated noise, imperceptibly shrugging off Race’s hand a bit, “Yes, but I saw the truck, like, ages before it hit us. If I had just-”

“Albert, have you ever heard of the fight, flight, or freeze response?” Denton asked, cutting Albert off.

Albert frowned, “I thought it was just fight or flight.”

“It was,” Denton nodded, “But recently, psychologists added the term ‘freeze’ into the saying to indicate the response during a traumatic situation in which we kinda go rigid. The fight or flight kicks in when your body is willing you to survive- when there’s hope. But the freeze kicks in when there isn’t hope,” he stopped for a moment, allowing Albert to process what he had said, “I think your subconscious knew there wasn’t really anything you could do to stop that truck from hitting you,” he finished quietly.

Albert sat quietly for a moment, blinking back tears. It was true. When he had punished himself internally, it had seemed like he’d had all the time in the world to warn Spot of the truck. But, in hindsight, he’d only had a few seconds. Far too short of an interval to work past the initial panic that had shrouded his mind.

Race’s eyes turned cold and he knelt in front of Albert, attempting to block his view of Denton.

“Albie, hey, Albie look at me,” he urged, placing a hand on Albert’s knee, “Look at me, dude, hey.”

“Albert,” Denton called softly, “What’s going through your mind?”

Albert stared at his hands, thinking, before looking up past Race into Denton’s soft stare, “I couldn’t have done anything,” he breathed, “It wasn’t my fault.”

Panic clouded Race’s eyes as he pulled on Albert’s shirt sleeve, “Albert. Look at me.”

Denton smiled- a comforting, warm gesture, “Can you still see him?”

Albert swallowed, “Yes,” he shook his head, “But fuck him.”

next we get spot some uhhh help

or do we?

stay tuned

thanks for reading, chiefs

hmu to be added to my tag

TAG LIST: @bencookisagod @we-dont-sell-papes @suddenly-im-respecsable

@aw-jus-let-em-try

@well-the-kids-do-too @spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn @thatpoorguysheadisspinning @spec-s-pecs

@andthewoildwillknow @the-newsies-justice-for-zas-blog @sunshine-e-cigarettes

@have-we-got-news-for-you @musical-shitposts @thebroadwayaesthetic

@thomasbeingthomas

@irondad-spiderson-duo

@snakesarenonexistent

@i-got-no-clue-what-im-doing

@kpop-kk

@mentallytiredgoat

@yxseminx

@be-more-chill-evan-hansen

@stopthe-presses

@elmers-half-a-cup

@and-i-lostmy-shoe

@spot-me50-papes

@honeynutpoptarts

@newsies-ensemble

@bennie-badeend

@auspicioustarantula

@faithmil

#newsies fic #newsies #ralbert #racetrack higgins #albert dasilva #oof #we been shook bros #yeet #crish crash motherfuckers #idek what im saying

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caskit2 · 6 years ago

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Gorillaz Analysis

Caskit’s not ready to throw all their cards on the table but the time has come!!!

Okay then, I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to talk about here with Gorillaz cause DAMN!!

I love gorillaz,

I love the characters

damon is a gift that we just dont deserve

But how did I end up in the fandom pool?

Well for one, I have heard of gorillaz music back in middleschool but at the time I was busy with Invader Zim and Inuyasha as well as jumping into this band wagon as well (Full metal Alchemist)

so by the time I turned to look at Gorillaz was when phase 3 was JUST wrapping up and making way for phase 4. which means I jumped into a fandom that had characters that I knew NOTHING ABOUT. Do you know what that means?

It means I also had no understanding or knowledge of why people shipped “this or that” in the fandom, but I gained some intel on the characters and the growing plot of the story, but other than that, I didnt understand why I was drawn to a particular “ship” in the fandom.

*actual expression made, im not joking*

Once upon a time, caskit discovered 2doc and was not surprised that this was a ship. I have seen similar stuff that has a common theme that i was drawn to at the time. I was more interested in why fans ship them so I dived in head first into the boiling lava and came to a conclusion.,.....

I dont see them as able (capable?) of ever ending up in the way that most 2doc shippers would pick. The two are chaotic on levels of different tiers of “weird and gross” and I dont really have a reason as to why i was drawn to the ship, but It made me want to analyse what exactly a stable relationship is!

I basically walked around in that area of the fandom and didnt really form any “attachment” to it. I never really experienced a “healthy relationship”, lived in childhood and teen years were I went through life avoiding relationships. So I didnt have a good start, but I knew eventually that I would have to explain myself.

I feel bad that I wouldnt be able to give a solid answer to what makes me want to sit down and analyse any scenario that has “present abuse undertones” but I know that in the past and how I grew up with what I was exposed to...That I would come to realize how unhealthy it is just for me.

This post isnt particularly about 2doc itself, but its more about discussing how I handled MY reaction to something that I have seen over and over. In a way, I could see those abusive tones that were present.

Basically Caskit never experienced good healthy relationships and decided that it was a good idea to use gorillaz as a processing strategy....not a good idea in the end cause...OOOHHHHHHH

It confused me more than before!!!

I got friends that tag their stuff, and I dont really get so bothered with peoples own opinions, cause I was more worried about how I would come to understand everything.

When I think about how fans are dividing and putting up a wall to keep “haters outa my yard” it usually has to deal with shipping stuff, and character hating. And I guess I was confused about everyone’s perception of the characters.

Talking about the characters, I dont have a “least favorite to most” cause I have specific connections to them in different ways.

I can find similarities to noodle for the expectations she had in a band at age 10 and growing up (plus we are both gays that dont like to publicly talk about relationships)

I connect with Russel cause I lost a piece of myself after a paranormal encounter and 3 near death experiences and suffer hallucinations. His protective demeanor to little noodle clicked with me. I see him as the Heart and soul, dedicated and warm friendly guy. ( you mean a decent human being right?)

I relate to 2d in a way that I share his enthusiasm, and mad bravery to live with the same guy who ran him over and caused 2 accidents that are permanent.

I relate to murdoc in a weird way... His childhood hits too close to home for me, as a CSA survivor of 2 incidents, pain addict and victim of abuse, draws similarities. But there were things that he has done that match things to my past like the abusive father, and dwelling on the darker aspect of a bittersweet reality. I was expressing physical violence to “show affection” and was never called out for it. I was not just a victim, I was also the abuser and since it was something that murdoc is faced with, is why I hated him. He is (for me) the thing I hate about myself.

When I saw more and more fans hating on murdoc I wondered if people would ever think I was the same as him. Fans didnt like the way he treated 2d and the rest of the band, And I agreed. Fans hated him for lying and causing drama and I agreed.

His ignorance was a comedy slapstick (dressing in a nazi uniform cause he thought it “looked cool” despite russel telling him that its not a good idea) and was seen as the “crazy hooligan that has delusional dreams of fame” and it bothered me that jamie used this to cover up allot of obvious issues that needed to be addressed. and the way that the fandom treated him made me think about how I would be accused of being like him.

(thank goodness I didnt cause a car accident and have to sell my soul to satan for a shot at fame with a kickass band and didnt make uncomfortable sexual jokes or ignore others that tried to help me.)

I can separate what justifies the hate on murdoc when it comes to abuse and causing shit to go down. becuase I did those things in the past, but it didnt take me more than a decade or more to realize that what I did was wrong! I didnt take forever to change for the better. so Im frustrated at him for taking so long to turn around and go “holly fuck im a bastard! I should probably fix that”

Yeah NyOO ShiTT HunnayYY!!

I dont hate him for being an idiot, I hate that he symbolizes all things wrong about me that never got closure!

him admitting to being the cause of 2d’s social anxiety and eye damage as well as the abuse is easier said than done! but the fact that he is letting everything out of the “in-denial basket” is nice for me to see, cause right now Healing and progression in closure to issues of trauma is what is important to me.

The endgame for my perspective on 2d and murdocs relationship is this:

I dont want to ship them

I dont even see it as a thing regardless of character development and both guys working through their own shit themselves.

I am not the best person to explain what a toxic or abusive relationship can be.

Why? becuase I lived through it and I was both the victim and abuser to myself and grew up without a good relationship (and I have a fear of positive affection) so I dont enjoy going through the same pattern as before where i shipped abuse in the past as a “dumb 13 year old weeboo”

I dont view their relationship as romantic, or platonic, or healthy.

I just want the boys to enjoy their own character growth individually.

I would like to eventually see a friendship with them But I’ll be more excited if instead the whole band eventually gain a healthy relationship with everyone.

Year 2018 marks the year I jumped in head first into gorillaz as a blind fruit bat

(I call it the year caskit played with fire) for cosplaying ‘murdoc fuckn wrinkles’ at a convention around the time the fandom was yelling at him and jamming to 2d’s album.

Caskit jumped into the shipping lava all for Behavioral analyzing and hopped over fences to see other fans perspectives of characters they liked and hated just to make sure Caskit could understand the illuminati that is Gorillaz.

I made friends all over the fandom, and thanks to a few people, I gained more confidence to push my art skills and create some kickass art of Gorillaz.

And yeah I yap yap about murdoc ( looks over @russelhusselhobbs im sorry you put up with my bullshit) but remember peeps.

I like hearing about the others and have gotten more into 2d’s character as well as Jumping over the fence to go hang out with russel fans and listen to fangirling from friends and just trying to be a freakn fairy godmother and deliver some good representing art.

And for those who aren’t aware, my past artwork is probably gonna float around so if its signed as Caskit or Caskit19 then its mine and if you see my old 2doc stuff.....,

for the trigger.

But YEAHHHHHH!!! I wanted to throw all this on the table. and I dont know how to feel about that...(I swear my friend jokes with “need some feel good inc for Caskit” ) Kinda contemplating my choice between sticking my head into a hornets nest or jumping into a dark water trench.... the hornets nest sounds less likely to give me a seizure induced panic attack so ill go for that. ( I have a tolerance for inflicted pain so no you cant hurt me by using violence cause I dont have any consideration for myself and my safety)

But yeah now I can get back to drawing fun stuff. (hopefuly caskit wont have to bore you guys with stupid shit ever again! xD)

#murdoc niccals #gorillaz #russel gorillaz #2d gorillaz #noodle gorillaz #past 2doc #Caskit is into friendships and healthy relationships #Frosted respect flakes are delicious

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maychorian · 7 years ago

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Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #44

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!

The Monster in the Mirror by squirenonny Words: 42,621 Author’s Summary: Keith pulls Shiro from a dying Galra ship. He’s injured, severely dehydrated, and barely conscious–but he’s alive, and Keith has to believe that’s enough. But as Team Voltron struggles to piece itself back together, Shiro begins to wonder whether something in him has broken beyond repair. Light-years away, Matt Holt pulls Shiro out of a pod in a Galra laboratory. All Shiro remembers about his captivity is the phrase “Operation Kuron” and a face identical to his own staring back at him through the open door. Now Shiro and Matt have to track down Team Voltron before Haggar’s machinations tear them apart. My Comments: Shatt at the end. I absolutely love this take on what happens after Season Three. All of the characterization is wonderful, and I love how the fic deals with Kuron and his relationship with the rest of the crew. Adding in Rebel Matt just brought it up to eleven. It was exciting and heartfelt and had a great flow–once I started reading it, I didn’t stop. The fic also set aside some time to deal with Lance’s insecurities, which was really, really lovely. I enjoyed this thoroughly.

Synergy by Kokochan Words: 74,064 Author’s Summary: The vines were large, stiff, gnarly, and thick-stemmed, with blue leaves as big and round as dinner plates, but Shiro’s battle-arm was able to sever several long straggles with ease. The vines draped easily enough over the shuttle and hid it quite handily from view. “Good enough, I suppose,” Shiro said, glaring at the empty greenish-blue sky. “Come on, let’s… Hunk? What’s the matter?” Hunk was staring at something behind him. “Shiro, don’t make any sudden moves just now, but there’s a really big lizard thing standing right behind you. Um. Two of them.” Surprised, Shiro turned, albeit carefully. He’d never even heard them approach. That was rather impressive, considering the size of the beasts. It was as though someone had taken a pair of Arizonan horned lizards and rebuilt them more on the lines of a tiger without leaving out any of the spikes, then expanded them to about the size of an Indian elephant and added six large, intelligent blue eyes. Understandably, Shiro froze in place. My Comments: This fic is more focused on OCs than I typically enjoy, but it’s all about the worldbuilding. This take on Galra society is definitely an AU, but it’s so cool, and the fic really does its own thing. It’s very well-written and enjoyable to read, and there’s plenty of team bonding and good characterization for Team Voltron as well as the OCs. Give it a shot. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, as I was.

Say My Name by showmethelions (sightandsound3733) Words: 1,996 Author’s Summary: The Castle’s malfunctioned again, leaving an injured Paladin a little worse for wear. My Comments: Oh gosh, poor Shiro. Poor Pidge. This is heartbreaking.

VLD Whump Week by Rangergirl3 Words: 2,489 Author’s Summary: Day 1: Fever Keith gets a fever. I guess this is…sort of set around the beginning of Season 3? My Comments: Nice pair of fics featuring hurt!Keith and some good team support. This author’s stuff is always so intense, especially when it involved Keith.

Just Enough to Fly by mckinlily Words: 1,814 Author’s Summary: It’s not that the Lion’s don’t want to work with their new paladins. It’s just each Lion has a very distinct way to communicate—and not one everyone understands. Keith, Lance, and Allura struggle to adjust to the Lion swap. My Comments: I really like this sort of meditation on how Black, Red, and Blue are different, and how that presents difficulties for their new paladins. It makes a lot of sense.

Late nights, and Long talks by TheBlackLagoon Words: 1,404 Author’s Summary: Lance can’t sleep, and apparently neither can Red. Lance shares some stories, and she listens. (This is literally just a way of giving Lance the hug he deserves) My Comments: Aw, so cute. Lance and Red deserve to bond.

The Drone Disadvange by spitfire00 Words: 3,392 Author’s Summary: Pidge suffers the consequences of her previous battle. Allura helps soothe her mind. Sequel to “The Drone Advantage” My Comments: Poor Pidge. Being the last one standing isn’t easy, even when you manage to save everyone else. Great follow-up to a great fic.

Comb through by dragonesdepapel Words: 1,693 Author’s Summary: The strands brush her neck again, the pencil skitters away to the other side of the room, and Pidge is one slight inconvenience away from giving up on this project altogether. My Comments: The Garrison Trio is so good and adorable, always. Love Hunk and Lance giving Pidge sibling-like attention and care.

The Worst Part by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 2,550 Author’s Summary: The problem with having identical immune systems is what hits one hard also takes down the other. Shiro and Ryou deal with it My Comments: Absolutely adorable continuation of a series in which Shiro’s clone is rescued and becomes his twin brother, basically. The sibling bantering and fighting in this fic is super cute. And adorable. Did I mention adorable?

Little Crystals by VelkynKarma Words: 448 (1/?) Author’s Summary: A collection of prompts & fills from tumblr, finally being assembled on AO3 by popular demand. Different prompts feature different themes and characters, but all stories will be platonic. Ratings range from general to teen, lengths are entirely unpredictable. My Comments: You should just go ahead and subscribe to this now, because everything velkynkarma writes is amazing. I’m really glad she’s collecting these on AO3 so I can comment on them more easily.

Five Wars and a Moment of Peace by MoonlitWaterSunnyRiver Words: 2,823 Author’s Summary: In every universe, Shiro is a soldier. It’s part of who he is. In some universes, he fails. Those are the ones he remembers. My Comments: Tagged as possible romantic Sheith but can be read as gen. This is an interesting and heartbreaking premise, well-executed. The fluff at the end is much appreciated.

Krypto the Voltron Dog by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) for buttered_onions Words: 8,380 Author’s Summary: “krypto the amazing space-pup. the bestest space-pup of all” -Butteredonions On a mission, Shiro finds a dog. An Earth dog. My Comments: Absolutely adorable and delightful and heartwarming in every single way. If anyone in the universe needs and deserves a puppy, it’s Shiro.

Whump Week by fairy_laughing Words: 8,978 Author’s Summary: Prompts for the VLD Whump Week August 13-20. August 13: Fever Keith is the fire paladin, he should be able to handle a little sore throat and mild fever, right? Right… (season 1, before leaving Arus) August 14: Hypothermia Classic huddling for warmth trope with a Shiro-Lance-Keith sandwich. (season 2) August 15: Near Death and/or Blood Loss Pidge knows a lot about the human body. August 16: Torture Coran is unbreakable. August 17: Insomnia and/or Mental Illness Shiro can’t sleep, won’t sleep, near Allura.August 18: Poison Diplomacy is also 1.8% avoiding poison. August 19: Internal Damage and/or Head Injury August 20: Free day! My Comments: Mild Klance in one chapter and established Shallura in another, but most of the chapters are gen. This is a great variety of whumpees, all a pleasure to read.

Mother Knows Best by Longpig Words: 2,467 Author’s Summary: When Lotor falls mysteriously ill, there is one person his generals can think of who may be able to help… but will she? My Comments: I find Lotor more interesting and compelling as a villain than likable as a character, so seeing him featured in a sickfic doesn’t give me quite the same hurt/comfort happiness as seeing my favorite members of Team Voltron. This is nonethless an interesting character study and perspective on Lotor and everyone important in his life, and I stories like this do help me understand the appeal.

Put On A Mask by StorySongs Words: 1,603 Author’s Summary: The team unexpectedly learns another one of Shiro’s triggers. My Comments: Everyone does such a great job of supporting Shiro in this. It was a punch out of the blue, but they dealt with gracefully.

The Most Brilliant Stars by wordsaplenty Words: 5,442 Author’s Summary: We Galra have many advanced methods of interrogation and torture. But me, I’m a fan of more, old fashioned, techniques. His hands settled on a serrated knife, at least six inches long. “So, Red Paladin,” he sneered, moving to stand next to Keith, “I believe it would be a waste of my time to ask you questions. You do not seem to be the type to let go of secrets.” Suddenly he plunged the knife into Keith’s shoulder, giving it a twist. **Belated Entry to VLD Whump Week: Day Four: Torture My Comments: Brutal beginning, and the recovery time is not without its bumps. Great character moments, though, and a satisfying resolution.

Must be Mice by vrepitsals Words: 1,459 Author’s Summary: Coran is running. He’s running with the fate of the universe on his shoulders. He’s running to their final destination, their last option, the zero point zero zero one percent chance they have of survival, of finding a way out of this mess. My Comments: You’ve heard the crack theory that the mice are the original paladins? Here’s a surprisingly angsty exploration of that premise.

Voltron Whump Week 2017 by hufflepirate Words: 8,969 Author’s Summary: I didn’t do the whole week, but I did end up with some monster fics when I meant to write microfics. (Well, not that monster. Just… 4k is not micro.) Day 2 - Hypothermia - Hunk fights his way through the snow to get everyone back to their lions after a diplomatic meeting. He isn’t fast enough to keep Lance from getting hypothermia, but Blue is waiting for them and everyone’s ready to support each other. Also features LOTR jokes. Day 4 - Torture - Coran hangs from his wrists and thinks back on his training in resisting torture. He’s happy to think Allura’s far away, safe with her lion, but she has some thoughts of her own about letting him be in pain. She isn’t her father, but he’d give just as much for her. Day 6 - Poison - Allura and Hunk are poisoned at a diplomatic dinner. Hunk knows what to do in the immediate moment, and the rest of the team is there to fix it afterward. Allura and Hunk grow closer through the experience. My Comments: These are some of my favorite works to come out of Whump Week. I especially loved the Coran-focused fic. Such cool worldbuilding in the midst of a terrible situation, and the ending with Allura was so beautiful and fitting. Highly, highly recommended.

Sabbatical by eugyne (AreteNike) Words: 2,641 Author’s Summary: There are a few moments of clarity in the hell Shiro lives, but not many. My Comments: Superhero AU in which Shiro is being mind-controlled by Zarkon until Matt sets him free. Short but intriguing and well-written.

For One So Small by Stratagem Words: 1,407 Author’s Summary: Eleven-year-old Lance gets to hold his baby sister for the first time and ends up naming her. My Comments: It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die.

A Sky of Stars by Bandity Words: 2,797 Author’s Summary: Lance was having a good night. So he wasn’t really sure how he ended up lost and wandering around the woods alone. His team would come for him, right? My Comments: A little more on the lighthearted side, but still a rough road for Lance, poor dear. Good thing the team found him quickly.

The Reluctant Soldier by Bandity Words: 4,167 Author’s Summary: Lance is badly injured on a mission and struggles with his role as sharpshooter. My Comments: Absolutely FABULOUS aftermath in this one. Lance goes through both a physical and emotional wringer, and needs support from every single one of his teammates to get back in fighting form. This is one of my favorites.

Lava by bookwormgir1LH Words: 1,339 Author’s Summary: Sometimes you have to get inventive to avoid boredom. My Comments: The floor is lava in space! Absolutely adorable. I love that Allura and Coran get in on the game.

So Cold Even My Hair Is Numb by wordsaplenty Words: 2,479 Author’s Summary: It was cold. That was Keith’s first thought. Why was it cold? Where was he? Why was it dark? Last he remembered there was a fight? Right? He had a job to do, he was supposed to help Lance. Lance! AKA what happens when, one conscious and one unconscious, paladins are stuck in a dark lion with the temperature rapidly dropping. **Belated entry to VLD: Whump Week: Day 2 Hypothermia My Comments: Tense and suspenseful. Whump week is the gift that keeps on giving.

lacerate by againstmygreeleaf Words: 26,012 Author’s Summary: A collection of one-shots for Voltron Whump Week! 1: Fever- Wherein Hunk’s nausea is not caused by his anxiety. 2: Hypothermia- Wherein Keith gets a taste of the Blue Lion’s element. 3: Near Death and/or Blood Loss- Wherein Pidge and Hunk find themselves in a tight spot. 4: Torture- Wherein Allura is set up and pays the price. 5: Insomnia and/or Mental Illness- Prompt modified to be Mental Torment, essentially. Wherein Shiro perceives a series of particularly unfortunate events and much more. 6: Poison- Wherein it’s Pidge vs Nature. My Comments: Every single one of these is absolutely fantastic, but probably chapter five with Shiro is the most devastating. There’s a lot of gore, so be aware of that, but I love the character interactions, and the comfort after the hurt is usually enough to make up for what the characters have been through. At least somewhat. Lance is particularly adorable and supportive and sweet, and for once he’s not the one getting hurt. Much.

Worst Case Scenario by stover Words: 8,711 Author’s Summary: Pulled out of a cryo-pod and into a devastated world, 18-year-old Lance McClain meets a veteran survivor of a global epidemic that was supposed to have ended ten years ago. My Comments: The action scenes in this fic are incredibly intense and well-written, and the setup is incredibly intriguing and feels like it has the potential for much, much more. It’s marked as the first story of a series, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Take These Broken Wings by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 27,867 Author’s Summary: When Shiro disappears, the Black Lion goes dead, the team struggles under the new understanding of what it means to fight a war, and changes in leadership. Stepping into the position is difficult, and Keith doesn’t know the right answers.But then they hear a radio transmission about the return of the Champion. My Comments: Heartwrenching and messy, but completely believable, from the character interactions to the final resolution. Shiro goes through hell, AGAIN, and he does not come out unchanged.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Ten Days (58957 words) Truce (180865 words) Scattered (75718 words) - now complete familiar (100126 words) - now complete As Color Fades Away (132309 words) Gate Keeper (91441 words) The Ones Who Were Left Behind (41869 words) Fusion Confusion (19269 words) The Wounds We Heal, and Those We Don't (22034 words) - now complete

#voltron legendary defender #weekly voltron fic recs #fic rec #vldgen

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