#is it any wonder that shiro is my favourite character

[princessallura052]

So I've been struggling to find inspiration and giving myself a break allowed me to figure out why. Ever since the loss of my admittedly fake friends, it's been hard to talk about my main fandom Voltron. Today I'm going to let out all the thoughts I've been wanting to ramble about and have no one to ramble about to anymore because it's hurting my inspiration.

I don't have a particular order to this so I'll just begin. My favourite character and Paladin is Keith Kogane. His journey is very much something I can relate to. Someone the world decided to give up on but there was one person who never gave up on him and asked for nothing in return. Like Keith had Shiro I had my Mom.

Unlike most others, I actually prefer Keith as the Black Paladin. I don't hate him as the Red Paladin and thought Red's fierce protectiveness over him was both adorable and hilarious, however I also enjoy character growth being a writer myself. I feel as the Red Paladin, he remained quite the lone wolf and hotheaded. The Red Lion is someone who would have encouraged that impulsiveness because as we saw King Alfor was the same way.

Being in the Black Lion forced him to grow and mess up then learn from his mistakes. He's more similar to Shiro than to Lance which is interesting because he's younger than Shiro and we don't know what Shiro would have been like at Keith's age. Perhaps Shiro adopted him because he saw a bit of himself in Keith and wants to support that. I won't go into too much detail on why Keith makes a great Black Paladin because I have a whole post on that already.

Another thing I love is the brotherly relationship with Keith and Shiro. The society nowadays has become a little bit corrupt because we cannot have two men say I love you even if they add you're my brother without it being made into something sexual. Before the gays come after me (not that I care but you guys take up so much space in the dang comments) I would feel the same if Shiro was a girl and Keith said you're my sister I love you. I would not ship them together but that said the platonic relationship between them is beautiful. The I will die for you or I will die protecting you that is mutual between them. The way Keith was able to pilot Black to save Shiro despite not being her Paladin was so hot! He looked so cool...oh gosh I'm fangirling now hehe. Ok moving on from how hot Keith is. He is hot though right? Anyhoo!

I ship Keith with Allura. Ironically I shipped them together before I knew about the 80s Voltron and although it took me awhile to accept how much I love these two together due to bad fans. Our fandom is toxic guys. It's sad but true. But I feel this show is too good not to ramble about.

Season 7 is my favourite Voltron season. I don't like that they made Shiro gay but that's also because I feel in a reboot you shouldn't change a character's original sexuality. It's like me deciding to do a rewrite of the Harry Potter books and have it be a TV show on Netflix and I decided to make Hermione a lesbian. It's so disrespectful because it's like it's a fanfiction that's actually official which does not feel fair. Also I may not like the whole LGBTQ+ agenda but even if I did, it's cheap representation. I wouldn't want a woman of colour in media if it was just for brownie points and it's not going to make any difference if the character was a white woman.

But back to positivity!! I like season 7 because it feels like a war story. People die. The stakes are higher and heck the Paladins almost die at the end. But my two biggest reasons are Keith and Kallura. It was wonderful to see them address that Keith basically did what he was terrified of his team doing to him. He left them and that being thrown in his face dang that was powerful for his development. He was a complete different person after that. Being there for Hunk, supporting his team wherever they needed him to be.

The second reason is this season to me showed that Keith loved Allura and how much this was sadly a missed opportunity. When the Paladins are captured by Sendak and Keith regains consciousness for like a couple of seconds, the first person he checks on is Allura. She is the first person his eyes travel to and then he falls back unconscious. Dang it was not only a missed opportunity for Kallura but it also showed Keith was more physically resilient than the others even Allura. Are half-Galrans stronger than Alteans? That certainly makes Lotor pretty powerful then.

So I let out a lot of my thoughts in here but there will be more specific posts later. Character analyses and all, pairing stuff, villain stuff etc. this feels good.

[seraphirism]

hi, i hope your day is going well! so— when I saw your posts with Belen and Shiro I woke up so fast it's not even funny this news made my day much better thank you lot!!

Belen is such a bbgirl i can't abd Shiro then being a brat is such a contrast😭😭😭

Bellen is so baby girl and girly pop core that i can find no words to describe him besides those. and there’s Shiro over there who looks like he’s seconds away from killing anyone who tries to approach him. i can’t wait to read more content about what it’s like in the second floor of the villa 😭

i imagine it’s completely silent besides Bellen talking to Shiro who’s completely ignoring him; Shiro’s going to be waiting for Bellen to take the hint but Bellen’s taken said hint and chucked it away into the forests of the West ✨

coming to what you said; thank you so, so much 💗!! I’ve been not feeling the best (mood wise) after some family stuff happened. I’m really sharp when it comes to what others are feeling but to my own emotions I’m hella oblivious 😭. I didn’t realise it until almost a week later that I was actually upset about that matter.

i postponed answering your ask so i could continue opening and seeing it in my inbox \(//∇//)\!! it made me feel really happy, seriously ✨

it makes me so incredibly happy that someone saw what i posted and felt better; i mean it was our cat-boy and mr-elf after all✨🤣

calling him Shiro still feels so weird 😭 I was really sure that devs would reveal his actual name when he becomes playable. plus, he still has no last name. he’s the only devil butler who has no last name. hmm, so that’s strange.

by the way, who are your favourite characters, anon? and have our new butlers replaced any of your favourites (as is the case for many of the players✨?)

thank you once again, lovely anon \(//∇//)\ for your kind words! I hope you have the most wonderful weekend and next week ahead!

[hinamie]

hi hina! i hope you've been well 🩵 for the art asks: 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 🎨🖌️🖼️

Mariam !!! It's so good to hear from you I hope you've been well also <3 <3 <3 this will get long

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

oooooh I've had an idea in my head for an s/e piece inspired by visuals from the blood sweat and tears mv for like 5 years but no matter how hard I throw myself at it I can never get it to look right so i've just been waiting until i manage to catch lightning in a bottle i guess :< (((I also found a few notes in an old "to draw" folder from like 2 years ago that include but are not limited to: jjk band au with guitarist brothers yuuji+sukuna/bassist megu/drummer nobara; gojo in crocs. ))))

6. Which artists inspire you right now?

HHHHH its the same crowd as usual i am so hides face in hands bc they intimidate me /pos :'))))) vacuumchan, ohprcr, gloomyhome, trickywagon, meru90 to name a few ANYWAY RUNNING HIDING

15. Biggest artist pet peeve?

this is a tough one im such a hater and everything inconveniences me ,,, when the perfect csp brush costs money >:C,, when u cant find reference from this One Specific Angle >:C,, when u dont realize youve merged the wrong layer until you've been working for hours and all of a sudden your folders are out of order and its a mess >:C SPEAKING OF MERGING LAYERS hot take i think that they should invent a way to let u merge layer modes without converting them all to the same type. let me put my multiply with my glow dodge !!! cowards.

16. What’s the most daunting part of your process?

rendering :') so much of it is trusting the process and there are so many ugly phases that make u wonder if u were ever good at art to begin with

17. What inspires you?

hdsj i mean im a fanartist so i think it goes without saying that I'm mainly inspired by the content I like ,, but i also am very inspired by fashion !!!! saw a guy walking the other day with a hoodie that said CASH FOR SOULS | COLD HARD CASH | CA$H4SOULZ.com and i had to take a picture of it like a creep bc tht + Sukuna ??? hello??? anyway yea ive got a pinterest board dedicated to insp-y clothes and a notes folder dedicated to jotting down cute outfits I see in public

18. Do you have any larger projects you’d like to pursue?

I've always wanted to do speedpaints ! but even more than that I want to do something aNYTHING with my ocverse but alas...time.....planning....plot.. so in the meantime they simply live in my head bouncing around like globs of wax in a lava lamp

19. Favourite character(s) to draw?

megumi jjk gojo jjk sukuna/yuuji jjk kotori love live rina love live ichigo tokyo mew mew + shiro n eden from My Brain ,,, im crying the duality of my fav chars is either feral shounen twink or idol/magical girl and eden is both simultaneously actually

22. When is your prime time to work on your art?

usually mid to late afternoon but it depends on the season because it gets so HOT in my room in the warm months which I dread >:( How it works is if I start in mid-late afternoon then I'm able to hit my stride and draw basically through the entire evening (also because of the aforementioned Heat I vastly prefer drawing in fall/winter because that means I don't have to evacuate my room at 4pm sdfhdgshd)

23. Do you listen to music or watch shows while you work? If so, what’s your favourite?

I have to have music or something on while I'm drawing or the fans in my cintiq will drive me insane . Sometimes i listen to music that matches/drastically contrasts the piece I'm working on but most of the time I can't be bothered and just throw on my youtube mix which consists embarassingly of mainly vocaloid and utau ,, though sometimes if a piece is kicking my ass and I need to just hunker down and get shit done then I'll put the entire discography of an artist I like on shuffle (some favs include 1D/waterparks/former vandal/harumaki gohan) and for some reason the Predictability activates intense productivity mode?? I cant explain it gdsj its like I have music on that I like but it's not jumping around between artists so I don't get too distracted or excited whenever the song changes

[ashinan]

so this is all @butteredonions fault because, okay, listen. LISTEN. I saw the art by @cherryandsisters that had Poe Dameron and Keith back to back and I kind of. died. a bit. because it was perfect. and then while talking to the darling Miss Onions, she said ‘what if?’ and now I’m here. this isn’t going to be the only fic I write in this sudden verse. I’m so mad at myself. but also screaming. anyway. here. have the voltron/star wars crossover that spawned overnight.

familiarity in misalignment

The stars were stunning here. D’Qar didn’t have such an unfettered view of the stars, and when Poe was in his X-wing, everything blurred by in a swirl of light and dark. Here, on the observation deck of a ship in another reality, it was - nice. Quiet. Different from the nightmares that pricked his memories full of holes.

Tucking the blanket under his thighs, Poe dropped his elbows on his knees. The constellations were just off, enough of a tick to the left to give Poe a headache. But compared to his hell of a night, it was soothing. Familiarity in misalignment. Poe snorted. Well, he hadn’t expected the nightmares to just leave him be because more exciting things were afoot. 

Yawning, Poe tucked his chin into his palm and smacked his lips. The stars blurred. The dark between reached like fingers, curled and vicious and digging - jerking his head up, Poe exhaled. Stars. Coping. Well.

The door behind him hissed. Poe frowned, twisting before the observation screen. Ah. One of their hosts. During dinner (which had been some of the strangest food he’d ever eaten, though Rey and Finn had been pleased as punch), Shiro had asked pointed and bafflingly specific questions about the lightspeed tech they had aboard their ships. He’d delved into the mechanics of it with Rey and the physics of it with Poe. Every inch the leader. Prodding for answers, uncertainty in the tense line of his jaw and the narrowed pinch of his eyes. Always on the defense.

Now, in the delicate light of the observation deck and with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Shiro reminded Poe surprisingly of Finn.

“You’re up late,” Poe said. Shiro blinked, head snapping up in surprise. His shock quickly melted into a blank smile, fingers clenched in the blanket. Poe frowned.

Shiro cleared his throat, his tone stiff and formal. “I didn’t realize anyone else would be up. Are the rooms not to your liking?”

“They’re fine, kid. It’s not often I get such an amazing view of the stars, is all.” Poe gestured. “Come on in, pull up some floor. Do you know the constellations here?”

Shiro hesitated. The sweats he wore were too long, nearly covering his toes. His sleep shirt was too small. The metal fingers of his right hand twisted heavily in the blanket he’d wrapped protectively around his shoulders. Poe raised a brow. Shiro’s jaw shifted. He stepped inside and the door slid shut behind him, cutting off the light from the hall and bathing everything in a soft blue glow. Poe wiggled to the side, patting the floor beside him, and Shiro tentatively folded down beside him.

“So, constellations? You know ‘em?”

Shiro shook his head, adjusting the blanket around his knees. “Not in this quadrant. I knew the ones before, though. What are the stars like in your reality?”

“Slightly different.” Poe cradled his cheek in his palm, gaze bouncing over Shiro’s haggard expression. Circles under his eyes, sallow skin, hollow cheeks. Poe clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. “You don’t look so hot.”

Scrubbing at his nose, at his scar, Shiro tilted his chin down. The stars caught on the metal of his wrist. “I’m fine.”

Poe snorted. “Mhm. I know a nightmare face when I see one, kid. Nighttime can be a load of bantha shit if you let it. This your coping mechanism?”

Blinking, Shiro furrowed his brow. He remained quiet. Watching. Weighing options. Poe waited, tapping a finger against his cheek, holding Shiro’s gaze. For a moment, he dropped the facade of a carefree and battle hungry pilot, allowed Shiro a peek behind the curtain.

Circles under his eyes courtesy of Kylo Ren and his fucking control issues.

A tick in his jaw he couldn’t quite contain.

Rippling shivers in the fine bones of his wrists, burned into his bones from the manacles he would never be free of.

A moment. An understanding. Shiro’s mouth dropped open. Poe quirked a brow. “Now you’re getting there.”

Swallowing, Shiro clicked his teeth together. Exhaled. Tucked himself deeper into the blanket. “How long have you had them?”

“The current ones I’ve only had for a few months.” Poe glanced out the window at a lazy comet spiralling between starlight. “The others are oldies but goodies from my glory days before the Resistance. Different horrors thrown together to make sleeping a right dick.”

Quiet stretched between them, as delicate as the spidersilk light of a fading star. Poe bounced his gaze from constellation to constellation, never straying into the darkness between, remaining stubbornly within the light. His thoughts were sharp but his body was fuzzy. The nightmares lurked, petulant.

“I’m -” Shiro started, stopped, started again, “I don’t remember the dreams. Just the feelings. Sometimes I catch glimpses but it’s just smears of colour. The feelings though. Those hurt.”

Stars, this was a mess. Falling into this reality had been disorienting, but war was the same across the board: a bundle of exhaustion and fear, of close calls and near misses, of not so lucky moments and screaming grief. The kid was young. Scarred in a way Poe couldn’t quite comprehend, more than the horror carved into his skin. Unfair, that. War was unfair. How it had hooked its claws into Shiro was even more so.

Sighing, Poe scrubbed his hands through his hair. “What helps?”

“Not talking about it,” Shiro said, quirking a smile when Poe laughed.

“See, I keep trying that and it does squat. Let’s try one of mine instead.” Straightening his spine, Poe lifted a hand and tilted his palm, spreading his fingers wide until each fingertip touched a star. “We don’t know the constellations here, but we can play around with that. Come up with some fancy names for stars we see and claim them as our own.”

Shiro laughed, a gut punch sound that rattled wrong. Poe nudged their shoulders together. “Come on, kid. If I’m doing your coping mechanism, it’s only fair you do mine.”

“What’s the hand thing?” Shiro asked, mimicking the wide spread of Poe’s fingers. His eyes narrowed and he adjusted the angle. Most pilots got it on the first try. Poe hid a smile. Finn never understood this exercise, but every single pilot Poe had coached had picked it up damn near immediately. Shiro was no exception.  

Tilting his head, Poe explained, “Helps you pick your stars. Each fingertip represents the beginning of a different constellation. Let’s see if we can’t come up with something to wow the others, huh?”

They spent the next hour or so locating and mapping the stars with their fingers. Shiro’s posture relaxed the further into the game they got, until a proper laugh escaped him when Poe explained exactly what an Ewok was and why the constellation beginning on his middle finger was the spitting image of one. The tense line of Shiro’s jaw eased; his shoulders dropped and his gaze went bright with mischief and excitement. A proper response to a game. The kid deserved a bit of nonsense considering the position he was in. A single night where the nightmares were secondary to a bit of silly fun.

By the time the lights started to mimic dawn in the observation deck, Shiro had laughed himself hoarse and tired, snickering as Poe recounted the story of Luke Skywalker and the Tauntaun. Poe picked out a last constellation, quietly naming it Bey before dropping his hands into his lap. The last prickles of darkness at the edge of his thoughts drifted away into starlight. Shiro exhaled shakily. Poe waited.

“Thanks for this,” Shiro whispered.

Poe shrugged. “Honestly, it helped me too. Talking is great and all, but sometimes just chasing the nightmares away with the light is more satisfying.” Poe quirked his lips. “Also, Finn doesn’t get it. He always ends up calling me a cheater.”

Shiro laughed, proper and worn. “How do you cheat at star naming?”

“That’s what I said!”

The lights grew brighter. Shiro broke their conversation with a truly incredible yawn. Poe pushed to his feet, groaning at the pop of his hip and the numb tingle of his thighs. Shiro followed him up, yawning again, blanket hunched up around his ears. They burned most of the night away playing chase with the stars. Hopefully, that was enough.

Poe clapped a hand to Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro blinked blearily at him. “Get some sleep, kid. I’ll keep everyone in line until you can join us again.”

“I’m okay.”

“Nope, none of that, we’re not doing that again.” Even though Shiro was taller, Poe marched Shiro to the door and nudged him back toward the Paladin quarters. “I didn’t share a top secret coping mechanism only to have you pass out in your breakfast. Now, go.”

Cracking a smile, Shiro staggered his way down the hall, yawning wide again as he disappeared around a corner. Stifling his own yawn, Poe picked his way back to the guest quarters, to where Rey would be fighting with Finn over the covers and the both of them would quietly ask if Poe wanted to talk. Strange new reality, strange constellations, but same concepts.

The lights rose in a mimicry of a sunrise.

[ashxketchum]

Okay so after a weekend of consistent playing, I'm here with my thoughts on Pokemon ScarVi.

First disclaimer, I'm playing my e-shop purchased copy of Pokemon Violet on my Switch Lite and have not yet experienced any intense bugs or glitches that are being shared online by other users. My one problem as of now is that my character takes a while to display when I'm shopping for hats and stuff or changing the uniform.

So moving on, I LOVE PALDEA! The architecture and topography is wonderful and very rich and so easy to get lost into. And I mean that literally too because love and light to Gamefreak for thinking that I, a functioning adult, will not get distracted for 1 hour following a trail of shiny objects on the ground 😔🙏🏻 I want to publicly apologise to Galar Champion Leon for making fun of his directional skills all these years, I'm sorry Leon I love you and I now know how hard it is to stay on track 🫶🏻

The Pokemon designs are objectively fitting for the region, subjectively a hit and miss, and yet despite of it all somehow (YES YOU'RE READING THIS RIGHT) I'm yet to add Pikachu to my main team 😭 This has never happened before, I mean Pikachu is my lord and saviour I love it more than life itself, but then some of the Paldean pokemon are just too cool to be boxed! So my current team is this:

Captain Q the Quaquaval [My starter]

Zoro the Cyclizar

Charlie the Charcadet [Soon to be Ceruledge]

Bombirdier [No nickname because that's a bomb ass name right there]

Mimi the Pawmo

Shiro the Grafaiai

I obviously am short on time so I've been taking it slow, I've done 3 gyms, 2 titans and 1 star base so far. I thought of following a set order but then I kept getting lost in the wild, so now my current process is just taking on whichever challenge I can navigate myself towards 💀

Nemona is pretty cool, and also so down bad for the protagonist haha 😆 If Ash came to Paldea after his PWC, she would 100% become instant besties with him.

Arven was a bit annoying at first sight lol, but after finding out his backstory, I started to like him a lot. A soft boy who can cook, sign me the f up!

Director Clavell is so funny, iykyk 🤣

I have a lot of theories about Cassiopeia and Penny and Team Star, but I'm gonna try and finish that route to see if my predictions are correct before I say anything! [NO SPOILERS PLEASE!]

And my absolute favourite thing about the game, WE CAN WASH OUR POKEMON!!! Honestly it's just such a fun, intimate moment people share with their pets in real life, and now we get to have that with our pokemon too! Also the reactions the pokemon give out while getting washed are really cute, and while I suck at placing the ingredients correctly on a sandwich, this is the one thing I truly enjoy about the picnic option.

So that's all, I hope I make more progress in the coming week!

[fantasyforbeginners]

Just wondering, you don't have to answer if you don't want to <333

What are your favorite character dynamics in books and movies? Or character tropes, either limited to one character or affecting character interactions?

Oh I have been waiting my whole life for this question, thank you so much! As always tropes depend equally upon execution (we've all seen them poorly done or read/watched something we Should like, by all means, that just didn't click with us) but here are some of my favourite dynamics / character archetypes w/ recommendations

Dynamics

Platonic Power of Love / Platonic soulmates. Please see: How to Train Your Dragon, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Loveless by Alice Oseman

Ties into found family, that is my #1. Bio siblings who also choose each other, unconventional extended family dynamics, workplace families, misfit families, just all the found families. Give it to me, every time. Please see: every recommendation on this list, Ducktales (2017), Six of Crows duology, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Grump X Sunshine but like in the specific "Grump has abandonment issues, Sunshine is like a golden retriever or paragon that helps them believe in life again, and the Grump's eventual opening up helps reaffirm / reward Sunshine's belief in people" way. Please see: The Dragon Prince, Inside Job

Mid-20s something who is too young to be a parental figure to the scrappy pre-teen kid they just found but someone's gotta parent the child, they Guess. Please see: vaguely Crazy Ex Girlfriend

Opposite but related trope of Adult trying to protect and raise their Chosen One child, trying to cope with the reality that they can't protect their child and that the kid ultimately belongs to the world. See: Aang and Monk Gyatso from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Christianity (hi Jesus and Mary)

Friends to Lovers. Even if they're enemies, there's gotta be a strong friendship stage / component, or I'm rarely gonna be entirely convinced. (But I'm also on the aromantic spectrum, so that defs influences me). Please see: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dragon Prince, Heartstopper

Villains / antagonists who are competing against one another or are reluctantly working together. I love the instability, the way it can make one villain work with the heroes, the snideness and differing goals. It's so good. Please see: Trollhunters (Tales of Arcadia on Netflix), Spider Riders (2006)

Platonic or Romantic "I was just going through the motions of my life until you woke me up and changed Everything," I love that transformative shit. Please see: The Dragon Prince, Infinity Train (s2)

Basically just "There are people you haven't met yet who will love you" every time. Please see: The Good Place

Foil sibling relationships, and if it's also intergenerational? Chef's kiss. Please see: Gravity Falls, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dragon

Slightly more serious older girl and more carefree younger boy. He helps her to lighten up and let loose, she helps him mature. Also angry girl and soft boy. See: every ship I have almost loved, Infinity Train, The Dragon Prince, Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland (aka where my ideals for love came from when I was five, feminist girlboss movie of my childhood)

Love of any kind transcending death and time, Please see: How To Train Your Dragon franchise, Titanic (1997), Julie and the Phantoms

Loyal dutiful Knight / Lady or royal dynamic. Please see: The Legend of Zelda games

On that note, co-leader character dynamics. They have the same goal and uniquely mirror each other's devotion and drive, they're willing to put duty and share that maturity with each other? Eat that shit up every time. Please see: Shiro and Allura from Voltron if the show hadn't ended up being terrible, The Dragon Prince, Julie and the Phantoms, Roy and Riza from FMA (which I still need to watch)

If there is a big possibly scary creature and they have a tiny human and they love each other, I will fall for that friendship every time. Please see: How To Train Your Dragon, Transformers: Prime

Basically please watch The Dragon Prince if you haven't already, it's everything I've ever wanted or needed in a show.

Character Archetypes

So much of this just comes down to "Selfless leader burdened by duty and responsiblity" just with variations so keep that in mind

Older character haunted by memory / knowledge, knowing they are an unfitting protector to the new younger generation who needs them, re: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Team leader who feels like it's their responsibility to take care of everyone else whether or not that's actually plausible / the case, re: Rayla in The Dragon Prince

Paragons in general, re: Optimus Prime, Aang, Ezran

Strategist leader who is smart as all helll, if a little (or a lot) ruthless, re: Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows

Moses archetype who returns to liberate people from physical or emotional servitude / abuse, re: The Prince of Egypt, what Finn from Star Wars could've been

Character who's a little egotistical and a tad dim, but they really care about / will protect their family and comes through when it matters, re: Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, it was foundational for me; also Louie and/or Dewey from Ducktales (2017)

Driven angry girl with goals who will do anything to achieve them so long as it doesn't mean diminishing herself, re: Jane from Peter Pan 2 was my blueprint, Reagan from Inside Job, MT from Infinity Train

Just any woman with goals (and a man who supports those goals), re: Grace and Simon from Infinity Train until it got fucked up in the best way

Female tough girls and bullies with a softer side, a la Clarisse La Rue from Percy Jackson (not Amity from Owl House)

Exiled / outcast character with a massive guilt complex, re: Aang from ATLA, Rayla from The Dragon Prince

Nurturing characters with fierce tempers, re: Callum from the Dragon Prince

Chosen ones. I know it's cliche and I do not care, that shit can be compelling as hell. Honourable mention to: main character is trying to protect the chosen one (a sibling or friend), or there are multiple chosen ones running around

If they're a really good older sibling I'm probably sold, re: The Dragon Prince, Over the Garden Wall

Soft spot for gentle giants and lancers who can call the protag out on their shit while also knowing when to support them, re: Cyborg from Teen Titans

Grandmothers who have no time for anyone's shit

Women getting to have more 'masculine' roles unquestionably, men being satisfied in more 'feminine' child caring roles, re: The Dragon Prince

Revolutionaries, misfits, anyone rebelling against a system or two with a splash of solidarity as a bonus, again, most of the things on this list. (Milton's Paradise Lost is so fun)

Heroes and Villains who have actual similar personalities and flaws and it's not a superficial "we're not so different," re: Luke and Percy from Percy Jackson

Also that thing fantasy does where like, all the different groups and peoples will pitch in and come together for a common cause, it's so good and I will go for that shit every time. Truly one of my favourite tropes for all time

This might be more general than like, specifics (i.e. characters tending to each other's wounds) and I could honestly do a list like this all about like, Themes I love the shit out of, since I write from Theme first in a lot of ways and character second, but I hope you enjoyed my very specific list!

[canariie]

A Babysitting Misadventure

Rating: K+ for all the fluff

Synopsis: Momo Hinamori didn’t quite know what she was in for when she was tasked to take care of Ichika.

Characters/Pairings: Hitsuhina (of course!), a little Renruki and our favourite squad 10 vice captain Rangiku Matsumoto

Word Count: 2.5k

Author’s Notes: This is for @tinaillustrations​ as part of the Hitsuhina  2020 Exchange! I really was in between this and another fic but I love domestic fluff so this won out haha. It has been years since I have written fanfiction so I hope you enjoy it! I know I’m a little rusty but I cannot wait to share more with the Hitsuhina community! :)

-----

Momo Hinamori was having a good day. She had finished the work that Hirako-taicho had left her before he went to visit Hiyori-san in the Living World. She was almost done reading the book that Nanao had let her borrow. And it wasn’t even past noon.

She stretched her arms in front of her. “I can’t wait to take a break!” She was just about to get started on another pile of documents when all of a sudden the door crashed open—Renjii stood panting, with a crazed expression and a baby carrier in his hand.

“Hinamori!” His eyes filled with relief. “I am so glad you’re here!”

The brown-haired girl walked up to him. “Abarai-kun, what’s wrong? Why are you out of breath?” She bent down to look at baby Ichika who was sound asleep, in deep contrast to her father.

“Rukia—emergency— mission—,” he huffed, “distress call—I need to go!” He only had the strength to force out short phrases as he seemed at the point of collapsing.  

Momo looked at him with great sympathy. “You must go then!” She looked down at Ichika. “But why do you need me…?”

He grabbed her shoulders. “You’re a girl— you can take care of her!”

“What!” Momo exclaimed. “Abarai-kun!” But it was too late, the red headed vice-captain had already shunpoed away. Only baby Ichika fast asleep in her carrier remained as proof that the last 2 minutes really occurred.  

The petite vice-captain sighed in exasperation, her side bangs fluttering away from her face.

“Mou…what am I going to do now?”

---

Momo wasn’t worried—yet. She had spent some time with playing with Ichika when both Renjii and Rukia were around. However, she had never taken care of the baby by herself. Glancing down at the carrier she placed on a seat next to her desk, Momo felt an apprehension in the pit of her stomach.

Well, Ichika-chan is still sleeping, so I should take advantage of the opportunity to work.

Momo busied herself and was in the midst of starting the third pile when a high pitch wail spooked her out of her chair.

“Oh no, Ichika!” Momo picked up the crying baby, immediately trying to console her. She hopped from side to side, in attempt to soothe her but Ichika did not quiet. She quickly looked around in the back of the carrier for anything that would help but couldn’t find anything. Ichika continued to wail and Momo felt her heart break.

“Mou, I need help!” At her wits end, Momo grabbed the carrier in one hand and ran out of the office. She was sure that she looked like a comical sight with a crying baby in tow, but she was determined to find someone to help.

However, as she made it through the divisions, she kept on hitting dead ends. At the first division, Nanao was out on errands, delivering paperwork for the upcoming meeting. At the third division, Captain Rose answered the door with a wary glance at the crying baby, but informed her that Kira was out on a mission. Momo had then stopped by the fourth division but Isane was out in the fields doing healing training.

And even though Momo was slowing down, Ichika continued to cry loudly, inciting shinigami to look at the two with pity. How could one small baby have so much energy to cry? She was so tired that she felt like she could collapse right then and there from all the running.

“Hinamori?”

Momo turned. “Rangiku-san!” The blonde was coming out of her quarters, hair unkempt and rubbing her eyes from sleep. Momo had never seen Matsumoto so not put together—but she was the only person so far who seemed to be available to help. “I am so glad to see you!” Momo exclaimed.

“Well, I can’t say I’m glad to hear you!” Matsumoto covered her ears. “Why’s Ichika-chan crying?”

“I don’t know!” Momo cried. “I’ve been trying to calm her down but nothing is working! Abarai-kun left me with just her carrier so I can’t even do anything!” To add to the point, Ichika seemed to cry even louder.

“Well that won’t do,” Rangiku muttered. “Hmm…I think I have something that might help.” She disappeared and Momo could hear some noises coming from inside. Shortly after Matsumoto appeared with a baby bottle full of milk. “Here, I found some milk in the fridge inside.”

Momo took the bottle gratefully but stopped. “Why do you have a baby bottle?” she asked dubiously.

“It was for a drinking game,” Matsumoto responded dismissively. Momo raised her eyebrow but thought better to ask further. She gestured the bottle to Ichika who eagerly latched on and drank, closing her eyes to sleep again.

Momo sighed in relief. “Ahh, it worked! Thank you so much Rangiku-san!” But Momo looked up and the blonde was already gone. Momo would have been insulted if she weren’t so relieved that Ichika had finally quieted down.

Knowing that there was only one more person she could ask for help, she quickly set out with the sleeping baby in tow.

---

Toushiro Hitsugaya was having a decent day. He slept well the night before and had woken up early to train. He had already completed his stacks of paperwork and was reviewing the report for his meeting with Captain Commander later in the day. It was also far more productive than he could say for his vice-captain who was conveniently late to work though it was far past noon.

He was just skimming the report when he heard the door slide open quickly.

“Hitsugaya-kun! Would it be alright if I stayed here?” Momo asked.

“I have to work,” he responded, not missing a beat and continued reading.

“But Hitsugaya-kun, I need your help!” At this, Toushiro looked up and was surprised to see how frazzled his childhood friend looked. Her hair stuck out in a disarray and she had an urgent look in her eyes. Then he noticed the sleeping baby in her arms.

“Why do you have Ichika?”

“Abarai-kun had to go help Rukia-san on her mission! He left Ichika-chan to me but didn’t give me any of her toys or baby bottles! She started to cry and I tried to soothe her but she wouldn’t stop—only until she drank something! Now she’s asleep but I don’t know when she’ll wake up next!” she exclaimed, clearly at her limit.  “I’ve been holding her for so long that I haven’t been able to use the restroom!”

“You couldn’t have asked anyone else to help?” He raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing her so out of sorts.

“I tried! I really did!” Momo cried out. “Hirako-taicho went to the living world, Kira’s on a mission, Nanao-san was busy with paperwork and I asked Rangiku-san.” She sighed dejectedly. “But she left me.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Toushiro responded dryly. Momo looked at him pleadingly, to which he sighed. “Fine, you can stay here.”

She felt an immense wave of relief wash over her. “Yes! Thank you so much Shiro-chan!”

“Hinamori! Enough with that nick name!” he grumbled, crossing his arms, looking off to the side.

“I’m sorry Hitsugaya-kun,” she looked up at him through her eye lashes, with the full intention of softening his annoyance. “Thank you for letting me stay here.” She smiled sweetly for extra effort knowing that her childhood friend could never stay mad at her for too long.  

Toushiro’s cheeks warmed up. “Whatever, you’re welcome” he muttered.

Then it hit her. “Ah, Hitsugaya-kun! Can you hold her for a second? I’m going to go use the restroom!”

“Me?” he sputtered. “Hinamori, I have never held an infant in my life.”

She was already handing the sleeping Ichika to the white-haired captain’s reluctant open arms. “Don’t worry! You’ll get the hang of it! Just make sure to support her neck and let her head rest on our shoulder…and hold your arm underneath.” Momo adjusted his arms and hands. “There! You’re good to go!”

Toushiro was most certainly not comfortable at all. He looked like he was staring at a tiny hollow on his shoulder, his turquoise eyes filled with apprehension.

“Hinamori, I don’t think this is a good idea…” He looked up and realized she was already gone. He sighed and sat down on the couch, making sure to watch baby Ichika who was fast asleep despite a seemingly uncomfortable position.

It really was the first time that he had seen a baby so close. He adjusted his arms so he could see her face clearly. She really does look like Kuchiki...

Toushiro remembered how enamored Hinamori and Matsumoto had been with the baby when she was just born. They had all visited the squad 13 vice-captain after she had given birth and was resting at home. Abarai had sat behind her the whole time, supporting her up on the futon. Toushiro couldn’t believe how wrinkled the baby looked, but both Abarai and the young Kuchiki’s gazes down were nothing short of full of love. He glanced to the side to see Momo staring at the trio affectionately, and Toushiro couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

“Hitsugaya-kun?”

He turned to see Hinamori’s face looking down at Ichika with the same look as before. She had settled herself nicely next to him and was smiling to herself. “You got it!” she whispered gently. Momo smiled up at him. “See, I told you, you could do it!”

Toushiro felt his ears go hot. “H-Here you take her!” He lifted the baby off of him and onto Momo who quickly opened her arms. “Ahh, be careful Hitsugaya-kun!” Momo adjusted her position, but it was no use as Ichika started to stir. A look of confusion and fear passed by her face as she didn’t recognize the unfamiliar surroundings. Ichika’s bottom lip trembled and Momo felt the baby’s reiatsu hitch before she proceeded to wail again—and if possible, louder than before.

“Shiro-chan, I don’t know what to do!” Momo cradled Ichika in her arms, turning from side to side quickly in hopes to calm the baby down. But it was futile as the small baby howled, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks.

“Ichika,” he spoke with quiet authority.

The baby opened its violet eyes as Toushiro leaned over her and started moving his index finger, almost as if he were writing in the air. A blue light started to glow around his hand and suddenly dancing figures of ice emerged. Ichika’s wailing quieted to a coo as she watched the ice figures dance through the air and flutter down in front of her.

Momo stared in awe at Toushiro sitting next to her. Though they were shoulder to shoulder and he was releasing his reiatsu, she couldn’t feel the bite of the cold. She knew it had to do with him controlling his power so it wouldn’t harm her or the baby—that thought warmed her inside.

The ice sprites moved closer to settle on her arms, walking up to move closer to Ichika before disappearing in snow sparkles. The baby gurgled in excitement and reached a little fist to touch the snow.

She then pushed herself forward suddenly and Momo had to tighten her hold so she wouldn’t slip out of her arms. Toushiro sensed this and draped an arm on the couch behind the petite vice-captain so that she and Ichika were supported by his chest. At the back of her mind she registered she was so close to her childhood friend that she could feel the tickle of his hair on her cheek.

The show continued with Toushiro conjuring new characters and figures that enchanted baby Ichika with wonder. The exhaustion from her crying soon slowly overcame her as her eyelids fluttered close again.

“How did you do that Shiro-chan?” Momo whispered softly, as to not disturb the quietness of the moment.

Toushiro shrugged his shoulders, eyes still focused on the now drowsy baby. “I figured that Kuchiki-fuukutaicho would have created something out of ice for Ichika whenever they played together—knowing her penchant for Chappy.” He let out a smile.  “She probably just misses her mom.”

“You’re amazing Shiro-chan.”

He turned to retort at her, but stopped at the look of admiration in her eyes.

“Hinamori…”

The two friends both looked down when Ichika started mumbling “Kaa-chan” before settling into a deep snooze. They both unconsciously smiled together.

Momo don’t know how long she and Toushiro sat there watching in quiet fascination at the sleeping baby in her arms. They both didn’t say anything, too wary of disturbing this rare peaceful moment. And though the neither of them had ever dealt with a newborn baby like this, it just felt right.

Momo was so focused on holding Ichika she didn’t notice Toushiro curl his arm around her to tuck her closer to him and that he moved his face towards her’s.

“Captain?”

The two broke apart to see Matsumoto staring at them, which made Momo wonder how long she had been standing there. There was a knowing look in her grey-blue eyes and a soft smile on her face.

“We have to leave in a couple minutes for the meeting with Captain General Kyoraku.”

Toushiro cleared his throat and removed his arm from Momo, which she realized that she missed right away.

“Right, Matsumoto.” He looked away trying to regain his composure. “We’ll leave soon.”

“I should go as well,” Momo said softly, as to not wake baby Ichika and to avoid Toushiro and Matsumoto’s stares. “Thank you for your help Hitsugaya-kun.” She placed the sleeping child in the carrier before hurrying herself off the couch.  “I’ll see you both later,” she quickly said as she dashed out leaving the 10th division officers behind.

Once the fifth vice-captain left, Matsumoto turned around slowly with a smirk on her face and raised eyebrow. “Did you enjoy your time with Hinamori-chan?” her voice dripping with implications.

Toushiro straightened his captain’s robe before pushing himself up and brushed past Matsumoto into the hallway. “Let’s not be late Matsumoto,” he said ignoring her previous statement.

“Don’t think this is over Captain! We must discuss this afterwards! I want to hear all the details!”

“There’ll be no such thing,” he replied shortly.

“Well, I think you might want to considering what I have…”

He turned to her as she dropped her soul pager in his hand, walking past with a confident gait. She winked as she looked over her shoulder. “I think you’ll want to save that photo.”

In confusion, he looked down at the photo on the small screen and his turquoise eyes widened. For on the screen was an image of a smiling Momo, gazing adoringly at baby Ichika, tucked in Toushiro’s arms. What shocked him was the soft look on his face directed at Momo. Though there was plenty of room for them on the tiny couch, they were so close together that it looked like a young couple and their child—he could feel his ears heat up.

“Don’t worry Captain, I’ll send it to you later,” Matsumoto called sweetly.

Toushiro huffed. Not that he cared.

But she had better send that picture to him later.

----

Author’s Notes: I hope you enjoyed! I had the end part in my head for days but it took my some time to start it and flesh out the middle. 

There’ll be more in the future :) 

[jojiship]

Studio Ghibli Films: Thoughts & Rankings

I have been binging Studio Ghibli (and other anime films) since May. I saw a lot of people in Youtube rank them and I decided to do it as well. While I don’t have a camera to record myself, I decided to post my ranking of its films. First of all, I want to say that this is quite a subjective ranking and it’s personal. These are my opinions and of course, everyone can have opinions of their own. Second of all, I think all of these films have their good sides, but there are ones that I enjoyed and there are ones I didn’t enjoy. Either way, I recommend people to watch all of these films. You won’t regret watching most of them.

This post ranks the films from the 5th to 1st. Obviously, there will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

5. Princess Mononoke (1997) – I would watch the animation of the nature in this film for hours in loop. It’s so wonderful, beautiful and breathtaking. Whether it’s animating the lake, the forest or even just the trees, I was in awe of it. It truly makes you appreciate it and again, Studio Ghibli shows you how much they love nature themselves. Now, let’s talk about the film. The film was amazing. The best word for it is amazing. The plot was so different and yet so captivating. There wasn’t a moment in this film where I was bored and where I felt it dragged along. Seeing this battle between humans and nature was what I had to see. When I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate this film as much, but now, it’s definitely one of my favourite films and in my top five of Studio Ghibli films. All the characters were incredibly well written, especially Ashitaka, San and Lady Eboshi. I love how there was no villain in this film. Yes, Lady Eboshi and her people were ruining the forest, but they were also trying to live their lives and grow as a community. I loved how everyone played a part in the village, the men, the woman and even the disables, had roles. You don’t see this in many films and I like that Princess Mononoke showed us that. The boars and the wolves were interesting to see as well. The bond that San had with her family and how she hated humans because of how she was raised. The ending was great. I liked that Ashitaka decided to stay and help with Irontown rather than go with San like some people expected him to. The only thing that truly bothered me was the face of the Forest Spirit. It haunted me for days which prove how much it creeped me out. If someone told me that the face of the Forest Spirit was their sleep paralysis demon, I would believe them in the spot.

4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - The first Studio Ghibli film that I’ve seen is My Neighbor Totoro. It’s the kind of film that reminds me of my childhood and it’s the one that gives me a nostalgic feeling. I love it so much that it’s definitely the film of Studio Ghibli that I’ve seen the most. It has this charm that should be more prevalent in other animated films, especially films for kids. Every scene is truly like magic. Whether it’s the umbrella scene at the bus stop, or the scene where the tree grows, or even the scene with the cat bus and the girls. Satsuki and Mei are enjoyable, vibrant and interesting characters. The bond between them reminds me a lot of my bond with my older sister. You can definitely say that I was a lot like Mei as a little kid (Yes, I did get lost one time and made my whole family, especially my sister lose their mind). Again, this film embraces the beauty of being a child. It shows the curiosity, the innocence, the energy and the imagination that most kids possess at that age. Totoro is such an interesting character design and it’s no surprise that it’s the logo of Studio Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro speaks to my inner child and reminds me of the good old days. It’s a film that I’ll recommend to everyone, but especially young kids. Also, it’s the Studio Ghibli film that makes me smile through the whole of it. If I’m feeling sad or if I’m not in a good mood, I watch My Neighbor Totoro and it never fails to make me feel better.

3. Spirited Away (2001) – Objectively, I think Spirited Away is the best film that Studio Ghibli has ever produced. Personally, it’s the third, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the second and first. It’s a matter of preference that I have. Again, I watched this film as a kid and I did enjoy it a lot. I always called it one of the best animated films. I rewatched it in May after years of not watching it and I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid if not more. Miyazaki created an unforgettable film with an astounding plot, amazing characters and an exciting world building. Chihiro is your typical kid. She can be whiny and scared just as every kid is her age. The growth that she goes through the film was amazing. Watching her work hard and her progress was such a good watch. You could see her struggle with cleaning at first, but soon enough, she got the hang of it. Also, as much as I love the film, I couldn’t help but think that her parents were a bit dumb. Like my parents wouldn’t have done any of the things her parents did. My dad wouldn’t have sped like that in such a dangerous road and they definitely would have turned around after coming close to the temple. Either way, I’m glad that they screwed up though because it gave me this film. The other characters like Haku, Yubaba, Zeniba, Lin and many others were brilliant. Out of all this, I enjoyed Haku the most. The way he helped Chihiro was so nice and their whole bond was fascinating to see on screen. The guests in the bathhouse were designed so well and were just so good. I don’t have any words to describe the scenes with No Face or the spirit of the polluted river because they are out of this world. No wonder this film won an Oscar for best animated film. The details, the story, the animation, the characters, the soundtrack and the world building all deserve an Oscar of their own. 

2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - I don’t think I’ve ever cried with any film, book or series as much as I cried with this. Even when it ended and I had turned my TV off, I was crying. It’s one of the saddest films I’ve ever watched and truly, the saddest film Studio Ghibli has ever made. It touched my heart immediately when it started and it ended up ripping it at the end. I knew that it wasn’t going to have a happy ending, the beginning tells you that it’s going to end quite sadly. Yet I was taken back by the scenes, especially the last scenes. The story of Seita and Setsuko is a story that many kids have experienced in war. In most war films, we are shown battles, we are shown armies, soldiers etc., but not in this film. In this film, we saw the personal history of siblings trying to survive war and bombings. Seeing Setsuko hallucinating was heartbreaking and it was in that moment when I started to cry. When Seita said that she never woke up after that, I couldn’t control myself. Funeral scenes have been hard for me to watch lately, but not a single funeral scene has broken my heart like the one in this film. The scene where Home Sweet Home played in the background left me speechless and I still don’t know how to explain how I feel with that scene. Grave of the Fireflies is a film that is all too real and it made my whole body hurt at the end. Although it's ranked second in my list, it’s the one who I’ll probably rewatch the least out of all Studio Ghibli. Takahata is truly an incredible director and this film proves that better than any other film of his.

1. Whisper of the Heart (1995) – Talented. Inspiring. Brilliant. Relatable. Amazing. Show-stopping. Spectacular. Never the same. Totally unique. Whisper of the Heart is undoubtedly the best Studio Ghibli film I’ve watched. I enjoyed everything about it to the last details. I didn’t even stop the film to get water even though I was thirsty as hell. That’s how much I loved the film. I never related to characters as much as I related to Shizuku and Seiji. I write and I used to play the violin when I was younger. While I stopped, I still enjoy every story that has something to do with violins. Shizuku was such a normal character that spoke so much to me and to everyone I recommended this film to. Many of us have been in her position where we didn’t know what we’re going to do in the future. While Shizuku had many interests, you could see that she was stuck. I liked that she was inspired by Seiji to see if she could be good at something and she learned that she did have some sort of talent for writing. But just like Seiji’s grandfather, Shiro said about polishing her talent. I think many people, especially people who paint, draw, sing, compose, write and build, should listen to his words. They shouldn’t expect perfection at their first try and that they should give it time and hard work for their skills to become amazing. When I first started to write, I needed to hear Shiro’s words. This film is such a beautiful coming of age story that I think everyone should see no matter the age. Now, let’s go to the romance of the film. Hands down, Shizuku and Seiji are the best romance in Studio Ghibli films. While I love Howl and Sophie and Jiro and Naoko, it’s Shizuku and Seiji that won my heart. They had such a good romantic journey. Their scenes were just astoundingly beautiful, especially the one in the end. When I saw him by the tree, I started to giggle and I always screamed. It was just incredible to watch. Every interaction they had made me love them more. I repeat, the best Studio Ghibli couple. When I finished the film, I wanted to find a guy like Seiji. Too bad we were in lockdown and I was unable to find him. The use of Country Roads was amazing. I always loved the song and now, it’s one of my favourite. What upsets me about this film is the death of its director. If Kondo hadn’t tragically passed away in 1998, I think he would have given us other amazing films like Whisper of the Heart. I can say that this movie whispered in my heart and I’ll never forget it.

[dreamy-heichou]

Anime Tag Game

I was tagged by @roxi4, thank you so much!! :D This was a lot of fun though some questions got me thinking really hard lol

1. Last anime you watched?

It’s a new anime movie on Netflix called A Whisker Away (or Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu), it was really cute, funny and touching!

2. Last anime you binged watched?

Beastars. I was a little reluctant to start watching it but once I started I couldn’t stop lol

3. Recommend an anime and state your reason?

CAROLE & TUESDAY

This anime has everything: cute moments, funny moments, serious topics and a bit of angst. It’s about two girls trying to find their place in the new world they live in, Mars, which is where some part of humanity went because of the decaying state of Earth. They both have their struggles, their stories, but what unite them is music. The show is centered on them trying to make their debut in the music industry on Mars, and wow is the music amazing in this anime! All the songs are in English (except one in French) which was a real surprise for a Japanese anime, but it suits the characters perfectly! Totally recommend giving it a try!

4. Anime you have not finished watching yet?

I have a few lol, though right now I can’t remember which one and MAL decided to not work right when I’m doing this akjld

5. An anime you do NOT recommend and state your reason?

Okay, so before I go into this, just know one thing: I love Tokyo Ghoul. I really do, but I love the original story, the manga.

Concerning the anime: the first season was okay, they deleted a few things which I found was a shame, but it wasn’t bad.  But Tokyo Ghoul √A... It was a complete disaster and ruined the story and the characters (especially Kaneki ugh) imo. It makes things so confusing if you want to watch Tokyo Ghoul:re afterwards too!

So yeah, if you want to give Tokyo Ghoul a try, honestly I wouldn’t recommend Tokyo Ghoul √A at all. Read the manga, read a synopsis of this part of the story online if you want to watch the rest of the anime, but not this season.

6. List your top 5 favourite anime?

Oh boi I never know... I haven’t watched that much anime tbh (I prefer reading manga) and not as many caught my attention to the point that I can call them ‘favourite’, but I’ll try...

Shingeki no Kyojin

Sword Art Online (I know what most people think of this anime but I don’t care. It’s a flawed show but I love it nonetheless. I’m a simple person)

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (they’re going to make a new adaptation soon I can’t wait!!!)

Fruits Basket 2019 (the anime hasn’t finished airing yet but it’s one of my favorite manga and the new adaptation is amazing!)

7. Of your top 5 anime, list 2 of your favourite ships from each show?

Snk: Ereri (duh!) and um... I have several other ships I enjoy but none stand out more than another honestly :/

SAO: Kirito x Eugeo (my second OTP, love them!!) and that’s it lol

Fate: Shiro x Rin

Higurashi: Keiichi x Rena

Furuba: Kyo x Tohru and Kureno x Arisa

8. Of your top 5 anime, list 1 ship that you do not like?

I haven’t said that one a lot because I’m not about spreading hate, and unless someone asks me I see no point in talking about it. Only my friends knew to this point... Eru**ri. Like just... No.

9. Of your top 5 anime, list 1 crack ship?

Ajdkdj I don’t know?? I’m not a big shipper usually, SnK is an exception, and I don’t think any can be called a crack ship lol 

10. Of your top 5 anime, list your favourite character from each show?

Levi Ackerman (SnK)

Kirito (SAO)

Oh damn... Rin or Archer I guess lol (Fate)

Rena <3 (Higurashi)

Kyo Soma (Furuba)

11. List 3 of your husbando/waifu and what anime they are from?

Levi (SnK) - my #1 and the man who owns my heart

Kirito (SAO)

Gavin/Haku (Koi to Producer : Evol x Love) -  I’m totally cheating with that one because the anime hasn’t aired yet lol but it’s from a game that I’ve been playing every day for almost a year now and this man is definitely 100% my husbando, can’t wait to see him animated!! (Haku is his Japanese name apparently but in the English version of the game he’s called Gavin)

12. Favourite anime genre?

Damn, again, I have no idea lol. I guess I like it when there’s not too much drama and not too much humor, like just the right amount of both? Then I like when there’s a touch of fantasy, or if it’s an Isekai. It’s easier for me to say which genre I don’t like tbh lol

13. Weirdest anime you have seen?

Weirdest? Hmm... Let’s go with Shinsekai Yori (From the New World) Honestly I liked that anime, some parts were total genius like holy damn! But when I started watching it I was so confused and kept asking myself “what am I watching? What’s going on?” but I kept watching it nonetheless because I was so curious :’) It isn’t a bad kind of weird, but some parts really grossed me out, like.. The rats... *shivers*

14. Subbed or dubbed?

Subbed, always!!

15. Fanart or Fanfic?

I only read fanfics for Snk tbh (once upon a time I was reading Naruto fics lol), so let’s say Fanart (tho I like both)

16. Protagonist or antagonist?

Depends on the character and the story, but mostly protagonist

17. Funniest anime you have seen?

I haven’t watched a lot of comedy anime, so I’ll go with Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)

18. Saddest anime you have seen?

Oh boi... I have a few for which I cried my eyes out honestly...

First: Uta Kata. I’ll never forget how fucking depressed I felt at the end of this anime. I watched it in middle school and the ending got to me so hard, I still remember how I felt even after all this time (I wonder how I’ll feel if I rewatched it now?)

Then there’s also Clannad, I was crying my eyes out for several episodes in the After Story, and since Roxi mentioned it, AnoHana. 

19. Anime character you dislike the most?

Okay, easy one. No matter how many times I see him, no matter in which version because somehow he’s like a cockroach and can’t stay in one fucking anime, I always feel like putting my hands inside my computer and strangle him: Mato Shinji.

It’s insane how he was voiced by the same seiyuu who gave his voice to my favorite character of all times! It blew my mind when I realized that; Kamiya Hiroshi sure is an amazing voice actor!

20. Recommend an anime movie?

I highly recommend the first movie I talked about, A Whisker Away, but that’s not the one I want to recommend now though.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (or Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou)

This movie is just simply amazing and beautiful, though I must warn you that the plot is quite angsty. Like I definitely cried at the end of that movie too. It’s set in a fantasy world, and... okay I suck at summary so let me just copy/paste one:

“Though only 15, Maquia knows she will live for centuries without aging past adolescence. She belongs to the Iorph, a clan of ageless beings just like her. Maquia's elders warn her not to fall in love with anyone outside their realm, lest she wish to encounter true loneliness in the end. But fate pushes Maquia out into the mortal world one night, when an invading territory separates her from the clan. There she discovers an orphaned baby, Ariel, and takes him in as her own child. From this point, Maquia will suffer extreme heartbreak in the name of motherhood, as she watches Ariel grow and seeks to reconnect with her lost Iorph friends, all torn apart by the cruel world of Mesate.” 

100% recommend it if you’re not afraid of drama and like fantasy!!

------

Damn that was a long tag game!! Sorry, I ramble a lot :’)

I tag: @talkereritome, @dearlevily, @soapy0-0, @jaegerists, @flamoria, and anybody else who wants to do this! It’s a long one so only do it if you’re up to the challenge ;)

[shiro-0197]

God no I'm sorry 😭😭😭 the way Tumblr eats all my drafts, and now your replies. (Someday I'm gonna eat Tumblr grrrr) that must've been so frustrating tho, I'm sorry love.

someday we could go to a country with Highlands together. It'll be super cold and nice. And the views would be really really pretty too!! WE COULD EVEN BE AMONGST THE CLOUDS >//< aww yes I hope you'll be able to try them soon in the future!! I died and had to stay in bed for an hour, (because my spice tolerance is nonexistent <3) but yeah I'm better now! Name is: "대박 ghost pepper noodles" the Korean word 대박 literally translates to "awesome" but— 😭😭

oh I see!! I hope school goes well, it's good that you're excused for a part of the day :D and aww I understand. Replying can be lengthy sometimes, so please please only do it when you're free and comfortable >:(( we're in no rush, after all :D

I was studying earlier too. and I texted my principal about the exams ( because apparently none of my teachers know anything about it, and I was so frustrated with everyone being so clueless ) she just replied with a : "hi Ariana, will let you know on Friday" like excuse me, ma'am. GRRRRR >:( STOP BEING CLUELESS.

awww that's okay!! I'm sure those prep slides were really pretty too :D aww that's sweet of you. some of my online friends sometimes sit in on my Leo events (if it's open to everyone) and it's pretty fun when they do (once, one of them had to talk for like, an activity and my club mates were like "SHE HAS AN ACCENT??". It was hilarious hehe) zoom is great for that reason, and only that. they're just ready-made slides tbh, I use canva :D

Shiro, love, you won't disappoint anyone, I promise you that. I'm sure your mom is more proud than you know, and from the way you talk about her, I can tell that she truly adores you. tho I also understand your worries. If you want to rant or anything, you know I'm here. And I'll just continuously reassure you of how amazing you are :)

that's my boy 🥺🥺 grr, you're so feisty, please imagine me holding a "you go, Shiro" sign everytime you tell someone to fuck themselves :D Laurent is indeed amazing. He's my favourite character for that exact reason >//< there's another character, from a book I read, just like that. His name was uhh, Kieran. And he knew so many different languages, and was just in general; super smart. I remember being so in love with him when I first read it (The title of the book is "genius")

HAHA. ikr. They're all hot, and most importantly; smart. nevermind, when I meet you someday we can cry over them together 😭🤚 pffft no offense, but being evil is hot sometimes 😾 (I mean, Kieran was evil. So's Moriarty :] and I am: a simp for them all)

aww bae that's okay 🥺🥺 your feelings are valid, and it's not wrong to express them whenever you feel like it. Grrr if I ever see your dad, he might be missing a limb >:( sorry, that was violent, but I get especially mad if anyone upsets someone i love )

exactly?? It's been a year?? Where's that blink meme where someone blinks and it's suddenly 2021. Oooh that sounds really nice!! Adding it on my list of things to try in March >.< Honey is really delicious. especially all those desserts which have a lot of them.

glad I made you laugh >////< grr my sense of humour is just so weird tho, so I'm glad you aren't freaked out by it.

KAJDKSJSKS SIR WAIT. There was an explanation for that u but I guess it got cut off in my notes 😾😾 IT WAS MEANT TO BE A Ü (smiley) but I was using my computer and I couldn't add the two dots above, so I typed "imagine the eyes" (but apparently that part got cut off and now it just looks like a random alphabet SKJSKSK IM SORRY 😭😭😭

I understand, the lack of opportunities can really get on one's nerves. But oh yes, Japan and Norway are beautiful countries. Apart from Japan, I've been really into Korea and Switzerland. The Alps 😻

grrr y'all have tough exteriors. But it's so rewarding when you finally get them down, tho I think, you guys have tons of other layers to yourselves. I guess that's just the charm, I find it endearing, because it just means there's a lot more than meets the eye :)

MY FRIEND MAKES FUN OF ME FOR LIKING PINK. HE TEASES ME MERCILESSLY SKSJSKSK (so I published a poem line in the school magazine to get back at him for it, because I'm petty like that)

that's so funny >.< There are two girls, and a girl and a guy, who share the exact same names in my class, and it's so funny because they're opposites of each other xD

he really is precious. The best leader, I would literally die for him, he's wonderful. yeah the book actually started out different, with them just being best friends. Best plot twist 😭😭 AWW

NOOO I'm sure it's cute, in it own way? :P tho that meme tho. LDJCJSBSKS. Don't worry, hehe, the character may be .... Unpleasant to look at?? , but you're not the least bit at all :)

how was your day btw? My day sucked ass and was literally the worst day in the history of uh, days. Yeah. sad. tomorrow will be better.

God, you're so adorable wtf. Marry me rn. AKDJSKSJS I didn't find it lame at all, (tho were you flustered? Because that was cute as hell xD) I love you too 🥺🥺

—☃️

It's okay, it's not your fault. We could storm the Tumblr building together or something..:3

Oh I really hope we can!!! I love cold weather. You can wear sweaters and hoodies and all that💞 and you have an excuse to cancel everything and cuddle up with a blanket or someone else😝

Im so glad you're better now!! Spice sickness or whatever is the worst😔 WBHDJWKX that's hilarious I hope I come across those soon! Let's see who wins😼

Yeah, about that, they started making us do after-class activities, which now leaves less time for the stuff I have to do .... which sucks . But I'm managing, I think, so it's cool xD yeah, I've always been kind of cautious about the timing, it's nice to have a little freedom now, thank you so much <3

Wow😭😭 our teachers usually have the dates set two weeks before the exams, we always recieve a message. Though I've been there, where the teacher have no clue, it's so annoying😭😭

Ohh, that's so cool! I hope I will be able to visit one someday. Though I dont think itll be too soon, but I'm looking forward to when I can😝 also that's funny, whenever I speak people go "he doesnt have an accent???" Even though I so obviously do. They just have no idea 😭

Okay..... that's the best words of encouragement I've ever received, I'm so touched- thank you🥺💘

Bwahah, that's gonna make my day every time 😭 Yeah, hes my favorite too!! He seems like a simple himbo at first, but the more we see of him the better he gets. (That sounds cool!!! I'm gonna check it out when I can!)

Thank you🥺 also, dont worry, I wouldn't mind that. I'd love that, actually, wanna go rip off guys arms together?

MZJXKGJJAKXKAKX IT'S ALRIGHT HAHAH, ITS REALLY FUNNY SO DONT WORRY😭😭

JSNFNMWMDMS IM GONNA MAKE FUN OF HIM FOR MAKING FUN OF YOU how could he . I will eat his eyeballs. Also I 100% agree with the poem and I'm glad you posted it. I hope some people thought about it.

Wow😭😭 its honestly so funny, because they're all so different and yet their names fit them so well either way.

Also, wow I feel so bad it's been almost a week since I responded😐 I'm really sorry. I've been writing snips of this message any time I could and yet it still took me days xD I'm getting free, though, so I'll try to respond faster now. I missed talking to you so much😭 thank you for your patience🤍🤍🤍

How've you been? I'm pretty good, tired but feeling good because I can finally respond😩 I hope your day went well. Love you!♡

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Eternal eclipse - Klance Month Week 4

I have no idea where I was going with this but it happened, so yeah. I do wanna redo week 2 of @monthlyklance at some point, but I’ve got a mer bang to finish, so don’t be too surprised if the last prompt for this week is late. Enjoy I guess. Eclipse/Victory

“I’m the sun and your the moon.”

“What does that even mean?”

“We’re apart, but an eclipse is a moment worth watching.”

Keith burst into laughter. “That made no sense.”

“Yes it does!”

“No it doesn’t.”

Crappy webcams couldn’t distort the pout on Lance’s lips.

“What I mean is when they do get to pass each other, it’s one of the world greatest wonders and us being reunited would be the airport’s greatest wonder. Or at least, me getting to see you would be mine.”

While the analogy made no sense what so ever, knowing that he was Lance’s always put a smile on his face. Even when they were miles apart.

He and Lance met at a convention and had a slight competition over who had the better mecha lion cosplay from their shared favourite show, Space Warriors. Keith wouldn’t admit it then, but Lance had won with his Blue Lion cosplay, seeing as the people he came with were engineers and had made the moving pieces of their costumes. Lance himself, despite being a professional stage manager, was able to create the light up weapons they used. Keith made his Red Lion cosplay with hard work and long nights but he was willing to wave the white flag, if Lance hadn’t been so smug about it. In the 3 days of the convention, they always seemed to bump into each other, competing over the smallest things, like who could get a better score in the game room or who could find the better deal on a plush in the dealer’s hall. Even though they spent a good amount of time arguing, Lance had given him his number and told him to call if he ever wanted to admit Lance was better.

Keith was mostly never planning but he was working on a cosplay and the top didn’t look right and he had no other friends who liked cosplay, so he texted Lance.

‘Ah, so you admit I am the better cosplayer. it’s fine, no need to send a voice memo saying so. By the way, the shirt is the wrong colour if that’s the character your going for. You can actually order to correct colour from Jo Anne’s if you want to make it yourself. Check H&M or Forever 21 for similar looking shirts in the correct colour.’

While he rolled his eyes at how utterly smug the guy sounded, he took his advice. It was easier to get the shirt and fix it up himself and it was actually surprising how close to the real thing he needed was. Their relationship continued in asking for advice on cosplays or line ups for conventions and then he happened to find Lance’s Instagram.

Keith kept his cosplays and personal life separate, but Lance combined everything. Pictures of his cat, pictures of the beach, pictures of his friends as they lounged around, somewhat professional pictures as Lance worked, even though Keith knew enough about theatre to know Lance should be completely in the dark in the booth. So, Keith started asking questions about his life, Lance asked about his and they started to become friends. Lance could still be as snooty about his cosplay skills as possible but he was always helpful when it came to offering advice. Somehow it took finding a small fandom they both liked to make them closer.

“Whoa, wait a second. You like Kirarin Revolution?”

“Yeah?” Keith had been playing his usual cosplay making focus playlist and the second opening had come on and Lance heard it over the phone.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone who likes that anime? Almost no one knows it! I’ve been trying to find someone to be my Hiroto to my Seiji for a cosplay. What convention are you going to next?”

“Um, Galaxy Con?”

“Prefect, text me your sizes. we’re doing a cosplay together.”

“Wait, my size?”

“How else am I suppose to make your cosplay?”

“Wait what?”

Lance would not be swayed and when he arrived at his hotel on badge pick up day, like a hound dog, Lance found him and put him in his cosplay to do finishing touches. He even styled his wig for him.

“Why don’t we do this more?” Lance asked as he fixed the feathered pieces for the coat.

“Because you live in LA and I live in Texas.”

Despite Lance claiming not a lot of people knew the anime, they had made quite a hit at the convention. He became good friends with Hunk and Pidge and got to see another side to Lance that wasn’t hidden in smugness. Lance was actually a pretty nice guy and once they had separated again, they still kept that closeness they gained during that convention. They had even started to stream animes together, texting each other on everything.

Even with the distance between and the fact that they didn’t always go to the same convention and see each other, they kept getting closer and closer. One day, they were video chatting and Lance had been falling asleep on himself. His cat had joined him and was asleep herself and looking at him with his face squished by his hand, his half awake eyes and how he was all cosied up, Keith couldn’t help thinking he looked really cute.

He might not of been one for relationships, but was he even considering doing a relationship when your significant other lived so far away. Ok, maybe not that far, but long distance was hard. There was a reason it had such a stigma around it, even if people claimed it could work out.

Keith broached the subject and while ecstatic that Lance felt the same, he’d been as worried as Lance was. They were such good friends, what if this relationship didn’t work?

It took a lot of communication to make it work. Keith tended to keep things inside, including his nerves about how to act around Lance when they could meet at conventions. Lance was always nervous he’d be too clingy. There was a good moment where they stopped talking because not talking meant things couldn’t change or get worse. It was miserable and if it hadn’t been for Shiro – and Hunk on Lance’s side – it would of kept up. Once they talked everything through, it got better. It wasn’t like they’d go ages without seeing each other. Keith always saved up his vacation days at the Fire Station for conventions and he was always working so often anyway that the guys kept insisting he take more time off. Plus they loved teasing him about Lance, trying to sneak into the background of any video calls.

Lance would talk to Keith during shows that he knew the cues for like the back of his hand. He considered it worth getting in trouble for. he’d always count down to the next convention they’d meet at, somehow always knowing where he’d bump into Keith. they’d been doing it for a year now. There were long periods were they couldn’t  see each other at conventions, maybe due to flight issues or work and the distance, while manageable, did hurt. Keith didn’t know why he didn’t just take a random week off when the theatre Lance worked with was in the dark and just spend the week with him. Maybe the fear that without conventions, they’d fall apart. Not a healthy way to live, which was why he was sure Lance announced on this very chat he was coming to visit him. Which kinda lead to their discussion on eclipses. When Lance was in town, in between actually hanging out and not sticking to a convention schedule, he wanted to make a couples cosplay with him. they’d been bouncing back ideas, almost going with Zuko and Sokka from ATLA (even though Keith knew he was more into Zuko and Katara), when Keith went on a tangent about the BNHA manga.

“You know I rarely read manga half the time.” Lance complained.

“I think you’ll like this one. The artist made this little drawing moon Todoroki and Sun Izuku and tododeku shippers have been going insane. it’s a whole huge thing now. I mean, everyone already says things like ‘oh the moon and sun get to kiss each other during an eclipse’. I must of seen 1000 fan arts of those two getting their kiss.”

“Oh! We should do that! it’ll be like us!”

which then lead back into their current conversation.

“Lance, when I get to see you, it’s not going to be a one time thing to kiss you. If it’s up to me, I wouldn’t stop. We might not even get any cosplay work done because I’ll be too busy kissing you.”

“Ooh, eternal eclipse. Kinda like the final battle with the Dead Moon Circus.”

Keith furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Sailor Moon? My god Keith, we might not be doing any cosplay stuff if I have to school you on essential anime.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s not essential.”

“Keith, it’s changed the whole game. it’s essential.”

Keith could put up being school with ‘essential anime’, as long as he got Lance with it.

[bearly-writing]

I read all your bad things happen fics and they are sooo good! Especially the one with the tracheotomy! Could you please do caning + Shiro?

Thank you so much! The tracheotomy one is probably my favourite too :) I’m so sorry this is so late!

Crosses are posted, circles are requested. Thank you everyone who’s requested something - I know I’m getting through these painfully slowly, but I’m still open to requests for Voltron or the Batfamily :)

A Pound of Flesh

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Prompt: Caning

Characters: Shiro, Lance, Keith, Hunk, Pidge

Warnings: Violence, Blood and Injury, Implied torture, Corporal punishment, Caning, Scars, PTSD

Summary: The alien beside Shiro pulls out a long, rattan cane, dark with the liquid it’s been soaked in, and Lance feels another wave of nausea swell in his gut at the sight of it.

Read it on AO3 here!

They’ve stripped Shiro out of his armour. Dressed him in some sort of ceremonial robe. Even out of armour the Black Paladin cuts an impressive figure, all straight-back military posture and hard-earned muscles, but he looks strangely small up on the stage, surrounded by the hulking Catus, without it. There’s something…vulnerable about him that Lance doesn’t like.

The Paladins are lined up in front of the stage, the crowd loud at their backs - spectators in the world’s shittiest sport. There are two Catu on either side of them, but they aren’t pointing their weapons at them, or paying them much attention at all. Mostly, they’re focused on the stage, expressions tight with anticipation. That’s not an oversight either. Unlike Shiro, the other Paladins are still clad in their armour. Lance has his bayard, strapped to his thigh. If he wanted to, Lance could storm up onto the stage right now, mow down every one of the bastards that wants to hurt Shiro, and spirit their leader back to the castle. And, God he wants to.

But he won’t. Because Shiro, the self-sacrificing asshole that he is, asked them not to.

He’s clearly not the only one struggling with it, though. Beside him, Keith is practically vibrating, jaw clenched so tight that Lance imagines he can hear his teeth cracking, even over the roar of the crowd. Pidge isn’t much better. One of her hands is clutching her own bayard so tightly that it’s trembling with the strain.

As if he can sense their rapidly fraying control, Shiro shoots them a look from the stage. This close, Lance can see the light sheen of sweat glistening on his face, sticking the robe to his chest and shoulders. There’s a slightly glazed look to his eyes that makes Lance’s heart clench. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t have the effect that Shiro was probably hoping for. Keith snarls loud enough that one of the Catu beside them turns, but there’s no reprimand.

Only Shiro’s getting punished today.

Up on the stage, one of the Catu grips Shiro’s arm - unnecessarily hard, Lance thinks - and drags him towards the middle of the stage, where the sinister wooden contraption that Lance has been trying not to think about sits. Shiro goes easily enough. Whatever his headspace is like right now, he’s with it enough to know he’s not supposed to be fighting this. Lance isn’t entirely sure if that’s a good thing - part of him is desperate for Shiro to break free, to not go through with this.

Instead, the Catu shifts his hold to Shiro’s wrists and Shiro lets him. Lets him maneuver him into place in front of the stand. Lets him cuff his wrists, and then his legs to the wood until he’s stretched face-first over the frame. Lets him tug the silk pants of the robes he’s wearing down to bare the pale flesh underneath.

Instinctively, Lance looks away. A moment later, he can’t stop himself looking back.

It feels…invasive, to see Shiro like that. Their leader is usually religiously covered up - to the point where Lance isn’t sure if he’s ever even seen Shiro without sleeves. With the trousers of his robe pulled down, and no underwear underneath them, Lance is seeing a lot more of Shiro than he ever expected.

And he doesn’t like it.

It’s not just the expanse of flesh, it’s everything else. Because there are already marks all over him. The realisation hits Lance like an electric shock – a short, sharp burst of horror. It shouldn’t be a surprise. It shouldn’t. Lance knows that Shiro’s time with the Galra wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Knows that Shiro has scars beside the neat white line across his nose.

But seeing it is a different matter. Seeing Shiro strapped into that contraption, pale skin bared, vicious slashes carved into the vulnerable flesh – it hurts. It hurts to see the scars that litter Shiro’s skin – stark white stripes, a knotted mess of tissue over the small of his back, the curve of ass and the tender skin of his thighs. It makes Lance’s throat tighten with reflexive anger. Because they mean that Shiro’s been here before – been subjected to torture at the hands of the Galra, and that he’s going to be forced to go through it all over again.

There are other scars too: thick, jagged slashes over the curve of his side, a deep, gnarled divot in his hip that looks as though a chunk of flesh has been torn out, a ring of white puncture marks in his thigh that must be from teeth. Keith growls beside him, low and angry in his throat, and the sound thrills through Lance. They should have fought harder to stop him. They should have known.

One of the Catu steps out onto the stage and a hush sweeps across the crowd. The sudden silence presses close in Lance’s ears, feels almost like a living thing against his skin. There’s a low groan – Hunk, Lance thinks – that echoes eerily around the arena, but nobody seems to react to the sound, or even acknowledge it, besides the Paladins. When Lance turns, Hunk’s eyes are fixed on the stage, skin shockingly pale, looking a little like he wants to be sick. Lance can relate. Before he can offer any reassurance – and honestly, he isn’t entirely sure if he can, not here, not now – Pidge grips their friend’s hand tightly in her own. Hunk shudders as her fingers close around his, swallowing with a wet bob of his throat, and his eyes slide shut. Lance wishes he could do the same, only, his eyes are drawn back to the stage with an almost magnetic force.

The alien beside Shiro pulls out a long, rattan cane, dark with the liquid it’s been soaked in, and Lance feels another wave of nausea swell in his gut at the sight of it. The Catu holding it is huge. The hand gripping the cane is as big as Lance’s head, and his skin is thick and almost armoured, covered in overlapping discs the size of dinner plates. Lance can’t help wondering how hard the alien could hit with the broad width of his shoulders and the bulge of his biceps behind it. Can’t help wondering how hard of a hit the Catu being caned can usually take, with all that protection. He shivers at the uninvited thought of exactly what a punishment like that would do to Shiro’s considerably more vulnerable flesh. Lance can only pray they’ve taken all of that into account.

When the Catu on stage steps forward, a strange shiver of anticipation ripples through the crowd. Then silence is almost a physical weight until the Catu breaks it, speaking in a surprisingly deep voice that seems to reverberate through the air.

“The Black Paladin will serve 24 strikes of the cane.”

24. Lance feels a bit dizzy. Just one looks enough to tear Shiro apart.

The Catu steps up beside the wooden structure. Shiro tenses, then goes abruptly lax, as if he’s forcing all of his muscles to relax through sheer force of will. Lance’s heart is punching so strongly against his throat that he feels lightheaded. Even the air feels tense, so thick that Lance can barely breathe. He isn’t sure if he’ll survive the first hit, let alone any of the ones that follow. Lance imagines that the moment the cane touches Shiro’s skin, he’ll disintegrate – burst into a shower of dust beneath the pressure of his own pulse.

Then the Catu lifts his arm. Brings it down in a short, sharp swing, and cracks it against Shiro’s skin. The sound is like a gunshot. It rings through the air so loudly that for a moment Lance is sure it’s him that’s exploded. In disturbing contrast, Shiro is almost silent – a sharp burst of air punches out of his throat, but it’s almost entirely lost beneath the snap of the cane.

Another hit. Lance thinks this one might be even harder, but Shiro is still silent. His hands flex where they’re strapped together over his head, as if he wants to grab for something – to hold on through the pain – but they only close around air. Bright red marks are already blooming across Shiro’s skin. Lance can’t help but wonder, a little morbidly, if the scar tissue is helping, or if it’s hurting him even worse – whether the thick skin is almost numb, or whether it’s even more sensitive. Can’t help wondering, as another lash of the cane lands on Shiro’s skin, exactly how much pain Shiro has been trained to take before he breaks.

The thought tastes bitter in his mouth.

At the fourth strike, a tight noise of pain finally breaks through Shiro’s defences. It spears right through Lance, sharp in his throat, and Hunk echoes the sound with a whimper of his own, his eyes still squeezed shut. His hand is gripping Pidge’s so tightly – or maybe it’s her that’s squeezing – that both of their fingers are white.

There’s blood on Shiro’s skin now. It’s shockingly bright, even against the blush where the other hits have fallen. When the next strike lands, droplets of crimson splatter across the stage and Shiro lets out a high, strangled cry, jerking in his bonds. Lance chokes back a similar sound before it can burst out of his mouth.

‘Stop it!’  

Keith’s voice cuts through the air like a knife. It startles Lance badly, but the Catu don’t even twitch. Not even when Keith steps forward, trembling, fists clenched tight. The alien holding the cane doesn’t even break his stride, bringing it down against Shiro in a hard strike that the Black Paladin grits his teeth through.

“I said stop.” Keith’s voice is a low growl that honestly surprises Lance. He’s not sure he’s ever heard his friend sound like that.

Another sharp crack. Shiro’s cry is almost as loud, reverberating through Lance’s head. Something wet splashes against his cheek, but when Lance reaches up in horror to scrub it away there’s nothing there. Just his imagination.

He does have to make a grab for Keith though, as the Red Paladin launches himself towards the stage, a furious snarl on his lips. Lance’s fist closes around his wrist and he’s almost jerked off his feet as Keith’s momentum carries him forwards.

“Stop! Keith-“ he gasps, but it’s lost beneath the awful moan Shiro lets out, as the Catu ignores the scuffle happening beneath them. Clearly Keith hears it, though, because he turns on Lance.

“I’m not going to let them keep hurting him.”

“We don’t have a choice – Shiro doesn’t want you to stop them.”

To Lance’s surprise, Keith goes limp at that, sagging against him with quiet, cut-off sound. On the stage, the Catu brings the cane down harder than before, so hard that Lance is surprised it doesn’t snap beneath the force, and Shiro screams. Dark, red welts streak across his flesh, wet and gaping and awful, and Lance knows that they’ll add yet more scars to the mosaic already slashed across Shiro’s skin. The thought has his throat tightening against bile. Shiro doesn’t deserve this. God, Shiro doesn’t deserve this.

Another scream, sounding torn out of Shiro’s throat, and Keith flinches where he’s pressed against Lance. Lance isn’t entirely sure how this happened, but he wraps an arm around him, and holds firm. It helps a little, as he watches another blow fall.

Shiro is trembling, arms jerking in their restraints, and his legs are limp, no longer holding him up as he sags against the wooden frame. Part of Lance is guiltily relieved that he can’t see his leader’s face, shrinks away from the pain he knows must be there, or worse, the total lack of pain. It’s easy to imagine that Shiro’s face is blank, eyes hazed with a flashback. Those scars had proved that Shiro has similar memories locked away somewhere in his head.

Shiro whimpers as another hit carves a chunk of flesh out of the sensitive crease of his thigh. How many is that now? Lance hasn’t been keeping track. There could be two hits left, or twenty. Shiro’s skin is an open wound of raw, wet flesh. It must be nearly over now. It has to be.  

It’s not.

Lance has the strange sensation of being suspended in time as he watches the blows fall, again and again. The rise and fall of the cane is strangely hypnotic, and Lance feels far away from his body, as if he’s looking down at himself from above his own head. Up on the stage, Shiro has given up on holding himself upright, utterly limp against the frame. Even his screams have stopped. Lance has no idea if he’s even conscious anymore. Looking at the mess of Shiro’s skin, stomach clenching painfully, Lance hopes he isn’t.

Finally, finally, the Catu’s arm drops to his side and he steps away. Despite the force he had been putting behind the blows, there’s no indication that the alien’s been exerting himself at all – he’s not even breathing heavily, and if he is sweating, Lance can’t see it against his strange, rough skin. When he turns towards the crowd, there’s another ripple of something Lance can’t quite identify.

“The Black Paladin has completed his punishment,” the alien says in that same, unsettlingly deep voice. And Lance doesn’t even have time to process the words before Keith is pulling away from him, leaping up onto the stage before Lance can drag him back. He scrambles after him, heart in his throat. What if the Catu are insulted by Keith’s obvious anger? What if the interruption to the ritual makes it all pointless, and Shiro has just taken the punishment for nothing? He reaches for Keith, but his fingers brush against smooth armour and slide off without any grip. This is bad.

But the Catu simply steps aside as Keith barrels single-mindedly towards Shiro, Lance scrambling in his wake. No one stops them as Keith draws his knife and slashes the cuffs holding Shiro’s wrists above him, face set in grim determination. No one stops Hunk and Pidge from clambering onto the stage after them either, and Lance lets himself finally feel a cool trickle of relief. It’s over. They can take Shiro back to the castle and heal him up and keep the stupid alliance intact. Shiro did it.

Their leader slumps bonelessly against Keith as his wrists come free. At first, Lance thinks he might be unconscious, but as he gets closer he sees that Shiro’s eyes are open, pale and hazed, staring blankly from beneath half-lowered lids. The look sends a chill skittering down Lance’s spine. He steps forward and starts working on the restraints around his ankles, as Keith holds Shiro upright over the frame, so he doesn’t have to see his face anymore. Bending down like this brings Lance uncomfortably close to the wounds slashed across Shiro’s flesh, and he has to carefully avoid looking at them, focusing on the thick leather wrapped around Shiro instead. It comes away easily enough, and then Keith is grunting as Shiro’s weight falls against him.

“Here,” Hunk’s voice is soft, but Lance can hear an edge to it that suggests he might be sick at any moment. Then Shiro is being shifted, pulled gently away from the frame as Keith and Hunk take his weight between them. There’s a soft whine as the movement tugs at Shiro’s skin. For a moment, Lance has to stay kneeling where he is as he struggles to control the sudden rush of anger swelling in his throat.

“’M sorry,” Shiro murmurs as Lance straightens, and he glances sharply at their leader’s face, catching Keith’s expression of surprise as he does so. Shiro’s eyes are still strangely blank, wide and white in his face. There’s moisture clinging to his eyelashes, clumping them together, dark and spiky against his cheeks, and tears carve silver tracks down his face as his head rolls loosely against Keith’s shoulder. His gaze is fixed on Pidge, standing close by Hunk’s shoulder, but Lance isn’t sure if he’s actually seeing her.

“Matt.” The name swells with a wet sob, thick and painful. “I’m so sorry Matt. I tried –“

When Lance glances at Pidge, she’s so pale that he’s worried she might faint. Something flickers across her face – pain or grief – but it’s gone so quickly that Lance can’t be sure. “It’s OK,” she says, her voice smaller than Lance has ever heard. “It’s OK, Shiro, don’t worry about it now.”

It’s impossible to tell if Shiro hears her, or understands. Probably, he’s seeing someone else, some other time. But he falls quiet anyway, either satisfied with her response or too out of it to care.

Hunk clears his throat. “Lance, can you…” he trails off, but Lance follows his gaze to where the loose trousers Shiro was forced into are bunched around his calves.

“Oh.” Lance fumbles, not entirely sure what to say, or do. The thought of bending down and pulling Shiro’s trousers up has heat burning high on Lance’s cheeks, tingling at the tips of his ears. Surely it’s better to just leave them down? Those wounds aren’t going to appreciate anything touching them. But at the same time Lance recognises that being dragged through an alien planet with his pants around his ankles is something Shiro definitely won’t appreciate. “Right.”

He pulls them up as quickly as he can until he reaches the raw flesh at the top of Shiro’s thighs. He can’t look at Hunk or Keith as he eases them carefully up to his waist. He especially can’t look at Shiro. The Black Paladin makes a sound at the back of his throat, too quiet to properly make out, but loud enough to ring in Lance’s ears. As he steps back, Shiro blinks at him, and a frown creases the skin between his brows. Lance’s stomach turns. He hurt him.

“Come on.” Hunk still sounds faintly sick. “Let’s get him back to the castle.”

They move slowly, Shiro mostly silent, even though it must hurt – only the occasional whimper making it through tightly clenched teeth. Keith throws a dark look over his shoulder as they leave the stage. “The Princess will be in touch,” he snarls.

For a moment Lance comforts himself with the image of Allura, her fury almost enough to rival Keith’s when she finds out how badly they’ve treated the Black Paladin. She wouldn’t risk the treaty though – not after everything Shiro did to keep it. Still, it’s a comforting thought, as Lance follows the others back to the castle, watching blood soak through the thin material of Shiro’s trousers.

***

“You’re never doing that again,” Keith snarls, before Shiro’s even had a chance to shake off the fog from the healing pod, ducking under his arm as he says it. Shiro blinks for a moment, bemused, but he leans his weight against Keith easily enough, and he offers a smile to the other Paladins as they crowd close around him.

“I can’t promise anything,” Shiro says, catching up quickly, shrugging the shoulder that Keith hasn’t tucked himself under. “Anyway, I can handle it.”

“I don’t care.” Keith’s voice is hard as flint. At the same time Lance says, feeling nauseous in a way that hasn’t left him since Shiro first stepped onto the stage: “We saw the scars, Shiro.”

Shiro’s smile falls and he straightens, pulling away from Keith and settling into what Lance likes to call his ‘leader pose’. “Well, this is a nice welcome back.”

Maybe it’s meant to be funny – or Shiro’s trying to dispel some of the tension that’s so thick it’s almost solid in the air. Maybe it’s serious, because Shiro isn’t smiling. Either way, the others ignore him.

“You called me Matt,” Pidge accuses in a small voice. “You were having a flashback to the - to the Galra.”

Her mouth twists around the name.

Shiro’s face twists too, and this time the grief is obvious, even though Shiro is trying to disguise it as something else.

“Even if you weren’t,” Hunk cuts in, “it was awful. You should never have had to do that, not for some stupid treaty.”

There’s a pause, then: “I’m sorry. I understand why you’re angry, and I’m so sorry you had to see that.” He stops. Scrubs a hand over his face. It’s trembling. “But you understand why I had to do it right? This alliance is important, and – and they’re right, in a way. When we’re on other people’s planets, we have to obey their rules.”

“Even when they’re total bull?” It comes out louder and harsher than Lance had intended. He can feel heat burning across his cheeks and the back of his neck, flush with anger and embarrassment. Shiro’s eyes flicker to him. But before he can answer, Hunk butts in.

“You wouldn’t have let them do that to any of us. If we’d all had to take the punishment, you wouldn’t have cared about the alliance.”

Silence. There’s a strange heaviness to the air. It seems to settle close to Lance’s skin, too thick, too…something, although Lance isn’t quite sure what. An expression that might be guilt flickers across Shiro’s face. Then it’s gone, and in its place Shiro simply looks tired. Exhausted. Lance wonders if the marks have scarred, or if the healing pod wiped them clean.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says, again. No one says anything in return. Lance thinks of the scars littering Shiro’s skin – of the ones he probably hadn’t even got to see and probably never will. He isn’t sure there’s anything to say.

[as-many-times-as-it-takes]

As it was and as it always would be...

It’s been a long, wonderful journey and Voltron Season 6 was everything I hoped for. My heart is still raw from bawling over the beautifully scripted, animated and voice acted work of art. Here’s my contribution to the massive outpouring of love and affection for our favourite boys and the amazing team behind it all.

It’s such a personal victory as well. As a gay man, it’s not like I haven’t seen any quality gay relationships in the media at all. But I haven’t seen anything like this. To see a love born of ongoing mutual affection, compassion, loyalty, dedication, and support is just amazing. Yeah sure, it’s a show, but think about it. Hundreds of thousands of people will grow up to this as their childhood cartoons. They will grow up learning how to love and grow from their favourite heroes. Adults, like myself, all over are seeing their own life and values validated. 

Because I think this is so important. We fall in love with characters and their lives become a part of our own. And we can grow and learn with and from them in ways that could be more difficult on our own. Keith’s struggles in expressing himself, his feelings of abandonment and his struggle to believe in himself are very real problems and I identify with them strongly. Hell, you’d have a hard time finding someone who is a fan of Voltron who wouldn’t know which lion they’d love to pilot or role they’d love to take. So how awesome is it to add not just combat heroics, but relationship and personal growth? It’s been so wonderful watching Shiro and Keith’s personal journey especially in their equality. To focus on how neither is the ‘dominant’ or ‘sole supporter’ but that they support each other equally. When one falters, the other one carries them. When one is down, the other helps to pick them up. When one begins to give up on themselves, the other is there to remind them that they are loved unconditionally and give them that boost they need. Both are strong on their own with their own strengths and weaknesses. But together they are stronger and they endure. These are life goals. These are aspects worthy of looking up to and living by. When Keith told Shiro he loved him and when Shiro settled into Keith’s arms with “You found me.” I burst into tears. Not just tears of joy and happiness, but a wave of complicated emotions I’m still sorting through. Validation, relief, wonder, a sense that I wasn’t the only one cheering this on, that so many others were seeing and feeling the same way. Words cannot express how much this season impacted me and how much of a gift it was. A thousand, million thank yous to the Voltron crew for everything that you have given us and everything that is to come. Your story has become so, so much more to so many of us.

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukiuta Monthly Publication - Special Issue : Haduki You’s Profile + Q&A

I promised my friend Shiro that I’d translate this if she did her work so here’s me being santa again on the second Christmas day (don’t expect something from me on the third, I’m not a super human. But expect the last rabbits kingdom chapter before the year ends).

This time I decided to include the profile part too (I didn’t include that in Hajime’s and Shun’s translations in the past because those are on the wikia already). Also this is from 2014 when You’s age was 17 (not a typo).

Special thanks to @ryota-kunstranslations for assistance and proofreading! Please don’t repost/reuse my translations.

The one faithful to all women and ‘enemy of males’ is a free, loose man. Haduki You　CV. Tetsuya Kakihara　Music: Utata P

Age: 17 years old

Image colour: red

Height: 176 cm

Affiliation: Procellarum

Birthday: 13th of August

Bloody type: O

Combi: Nagatsuki Yoru (September)

■ Initial settings ■

■ Faithful to women and an ‘enemy of men’

■ His home is an imposing and quite rich temple. He’s the unsteady and egoistic third son of a monk, but it seems he will take over the position of head of the house in the future?

■ His intense preferences (applied to both people and food) are all based on these mysterious rules created by him.

■ He’s a troublesome man who likes to make fun of those around him, and he has no sense of wavering in his words and deeds.

■ He looks laid-back, but in fact he possessed by a strong sense of duty and has a one-track mind. ….... However, he’d never show that even if his life would be on line (personal story). He gets shy about strange things, though, that mostly applies to his childhood friend Yoru, too (September male representative).

■ He gets along well with Koi (February male representative). Both of them talk foolishly and get excited often.

■ Additional settings + α ■

■ He adores curry. He has versatile opinions on curry and has cooked it many times. 

■ His hobbies include taking walks and reading fashion magazines. 

■ He professed his love for older women, and most of the time his girlfriends were also older. 

■ On the other hand, he likes teasing Iku and Rui who are younger than him to see how they would react. He and Koi share the same energy so they keep things lively but, there’s a rumor going around that he actually likes taking care of people. He and his childhood friend, Yoru, didn’t really speak to each other during middle school. Please confirm the events of what happened in the drama CDs. 

■ He likes high places, where there are no people, and the feeling of freedom. 

■ He’s bad at group activities since they’re bound to bring many rules and restrictions, which he hates. 

■ Since he’s a moody person, he tends to not do stuffs even if he can actually do them. 

■ Yoru’s grandfather who takes care of the temple back at their hometown is his natural enemy. He starts to complain as soon as he sees his face, so in order to avoid that, he runs away. 

■ He’s right handed, he’s eyesight is 1.2 for his right eye and 1.0 for his left eye. It seems like he has a fixation on refusing to wear glasses because he believes he has a face that doesn’t suit them and that his eyesight will definitely not get worse.

■ Strong points (things he’s good at & preferences): women / dancing / curry / things related to design / freedom / high places / his seniors / the feeling of freedom / strolls / being fashionable

■ Weak points (things he’s not good at & dislikes): restrictions / rules / group activities / grandfather Nagatsuki / men in general / being fixated on sports / green pepper

★Q&A★

Each character had to answer questions sent to Tsukiradio by all the listeners!

Q. What’s your favourite music genre?

A. I’ve been told it’s unexpected, but I keep listening to western music from around 1960, classical music and things like that as if I’m in a daze. When I have to follow the meaning of some Japanese lyrics, I can’t listen to them like that (laugh). Recently I got into songs I can dance on like electroclash, trance, and those with high energy.

Q. What are your hobbies?

Taking walks and reading fashion magazines. I guess dancing turned into one too but only recently. I started to take lessons throughout my entertainment work, but I want to do it properly. Ah, making curry is also one of my hobbies.

Q. How long have you known Mattsun, who has made his appearance in the drama CD? Have you gone out with him to pick up girls? What about Yoru?

An unexpected Mattsun topic (laughs). The last time all 3 of us hung out together was when we were in the fourth grade in elementary school, it’s been some time since then. He’s the type of guy who talks to anyone, and he has a pretty plain face. I remember maybe going out with him to hit on girls 2 or 3 times before. They only come to me so he complains a lot. I don’t think Yoru has gone with him to do that though. He’s not really that kind of guy (bitter smile).

Q. Among foreign languages, what’s your favourite? German?

Ahaha, I like German. Isn’t it interesting to hear how the rhythm plays out at the end of each German word? I also want to be able to speak English. Doesn’t it look as if I’m going to make my debut in all of America?

Q. Does your school uniform include only a blazer? Or is it an integral one?

In middle school it was an integral uniform, in high school only a blazer. When we walked around in public, it seems like the uniform was kinda popular as it had a good design. Guys wear neckties and girls ribbons. Each grade had a different colour between green, blue or red, but my grade had red.

Q. When did you have your first love? Please tell us about memories from that time!

I was very clingy to my kindergarten teacher. She was beautiful and gentle. I brought her a bouquet of dandelions and told her “Become my bride in the future”~. And yet, at the same time I graduated kindergarten she resigned because she was getting married. I guess it’s true that first loves don’t come true….

Q. For how many years have you been separated from your siblings? Are you getting along with them?

Quite a long time. My eldest brother, Sou, is 26 and he’s really serious and stubborn. The middle one, Tooru, he’s 22 and lives life the way he wants to. It feels as if he’s like me, always moving about. Our relationship is like any other that three brothers could have. Even if we don’t need anything from each other, we still text to a degree. But despite not seeing each other for a long time, it’s easy to tell each other ‘Heya’, ‘Yoo’ or talk like usual.

Q. Have you ever confessed to someone?

I’m kinda hesitant to admit but, I haven’t really. I’ll wait for the time when someone would accept my confession. Sly, right? I wonder if I’ll ever get to confess my love like a mad man…….

Q. Out of all the things Yoru-kun has cooked, what’s your number one favourite?

All of them are good. …...All of them are good. ← Not decided on one.

Q. What your favourite girl hairstyle?

Semi-long. Even better if it’s a perm. But, it’s kinda exciting to see how much they can arrange their hairstyles.

[paladinsnevergiveup-blog]

An Open Letter to Voltron: Legendary Defender and DreamWorks

AUTHOR: @astralsheith

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/astralsheith/status/1074317099730919424

READ ON WORDPRESS

What happened to Voltron?

Back in October, screenshots from the final episode of Voltron’s eighth and final season were leaked online. The fandom split down the middle regarding who thought they were real and who thought they were fake and bad behaviour sprung up from both sides. I tried to maintain as neutral a stance as possible, waiting for an official statement to be made but none ever came and confirmation on the leaks came when the final season dropped on Netflix on December 14th. I had always remained hopeful that the leaks were fake, because the implications of them were troubling to me, such as Allura dying and Shiro’s last-minute wedding. My trust in Voltron’s showrunners (Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos) and creative team’s storytelling kept me going and I was, ultimately, excited (if sad about Voltron ending) to see the last season of a show I hold close to my heart.

Lo and behold, here we are, and it is somehow worse than I thought possible.

I can’t say that I hated Season 8. They were some stunning and powerful moments, to be sure, and as always, Studio Mir’s animation was incredible and breathtaking. The documentary episode was clever, dynamic, and brilliantly animated. Honerva’s arc as the show’s final villain was, in my opinion, one of the strongest points of the season. But when the dust settled after I’d finished watching I realised how disappointed and hurt I felt by this season. How, in the end, Voltron’s final season largely felt...hollow. As if the passion and heart that had been put into the previous seven seasons had been lost or smothered somehow. And the air of silence from the showrunners, the cast and crew that has bookended both the build up and response to Season 8 feels not only deafening but damning to how this final season ultimately turned out. Both the cast and crew and the fandom should be celebrating. The show ending may be bittersweet but ultimately, we should be celebrating the successful final season of an incredible show that has given so much to so many people.

Instead, people are crying - out of disappointment, hurt, a sense of betrayal. People are physically sick. Unable to eat. Unable to sleep. Children (Voltron’s supposed target demographic) are upset and confused by what transpired in Season 8.

What happened? What happened between SDCC of this year - when the cast and crew seemed so alight with passion and love for the show and the fact that they’d achieved the momentous feat of having a queer main character like Shiro - and now, with a final season that has left fans in pieces and its showrunners seemingly running as fast as they can from what their beloved show ended up being? For what purpose is this the outcome? Did LM and JDS get tired after working for so long on this show? Did they bite off more than they could chew? Did DreamWorks and other IP holders decide to, ultimately, take matters into their own hands and mold the final season into the Voltron they’d wanted all along? Robot action, transformation sequences, power-ups - those are all amazing if there’s some meaning behind them. That did not seem to be the case in Season 8. Season 8 was something separate in terms of its story and its characters than what had been developed in Seasons 1 through 7.  

What happened to Voltron?

There are several things that are wrong with Season 8 that I could discuss. How about I start with Shiro? Shiro is my favourite character in Voltron and has been from since I started watching the show. At first glance, he might seem the prototypical hypermasculine and stoic leader type but there was such a kindness to him, a willingness to look out for his team no matter the cost, that made him different. An ambition to explore the universe and a passion to help people in need. A sense of humor that was dorky and dark in equal measure. He dealt with trauma. He faced immense adversity. Yet he survived. More than that, by the end of Season 7, he seemed to be thriving. Former Black Paladin of Voltron and current Captain of the IGF Atlas. And he was a gay man - a gay man not defined by his sexuality by any means. There has always been so much more to Shiro than meets the eye. Except in Season 8 - in Season 8, for the most part, all that made Shiro so wonderful as a character in a so-called kid’s show was...gone. He was “Captain”. He shouted orders and directions and rarely did his personality get any real chance to shine. The arm-wrestling in the episode Clear Day was probably the most engaging Shiro was as a character in the entire thirteen episodes. He didn’t have to be the focus of the season - that was clearly Allura and Honerva and that’s great - but he should still have been the character we’ve come to know and love and admire over the last two years or so. But he wasn’t. He just wasn’t.

Furthermore (and I am well aware I might just get written off as a “spiteful shipper” for this), the relationship between Shiro and Keith in Season 8 all but vanished. Putting aside the question of whether Shiro and Keith being canon as a romantic couple was ever on the table for Voltron, their strong friendship was all but erased from Voltron’s “canon” in Season 8. This is a relationship that has been a pillar of the show since the very beginning. Keith’s introduction to the show was him saving Shiro. His first bit of dialogue on the show was Shiro’s name. They’ve had near-entire episodes dedicated to their relationship - Across the Universe, The Blade of Marmora, The Black Paladins, A Little Adventure. What other duo in Voltron can boast that? Maybe Zarkon and Honerva but not even they - as two of the main villains of the show and the catalyst for the entire war that takes place throughout Voltron’s story and plot - have that much plot and character attention as Shiro and Keith have had regarding their bond. Shiro and Keith have soundtracks specific to their relationship.

What could possibly have happened to warrant the kind of erasure they faced in Season 8? How is it I can point to several moments throughout Season 8 where Shiro and Keith’s relationship could have continued to shine yet there was almost nothing there? Was it censorship? Was DreamWorks and Co. unable to handle a gay main character having a close relationship with his male best friend? Because it certainly feels like that’s the case - a fear of what Shiro and Keith could have been by the end of Voltron (even as best friends) and a desperation to backpedal. Was it “think of the children”? Yet how are you “thinking of the children” when Lotor’s melted corpse is allowed on screen? Is body horror and violence “safe” for children but meaningful relationships involving queer main characters are not?

And then there’s Shiro’s wedding in the “epilogue”. I won’t deny that the image of a gay main character such as Shiro, marrying and kissing another man, isn’t (on the surface) powerful in its own way and could perhaps prove to be a gateway to more male queer representation in Western animation. Yet when that man is a man I only the know name of because I watch Voltron with captions, when that man is mistaken for Shiro’s dead ex partner by Netflix’s audio description, when that man is marrying Shiro at the seeming expense of Shiro’s entire character, it can’t help but feel cheap. A PR stunt for “representation points”. A quick-fix due to the backlash Voltron faced after Season 7 and Adam’s death. There’s no weight or true meaning behind it. No development. The fact that Voltron’s supervising producer last work for Voltron that he posted on his Instagram was him drawing and animating Shiro’s wedding weeks (September 13th) after said backlash kicked off (mid-late August) does not feel unrelated or coincidental to me. It doesn’t feel genuine. It doesn’t feel true to the story Voltron’s been telling these past 2 ½ half years.

Allura. Oh, Allura.

I can’t think of a solid reason why the decision was made to kill Allura off. I’d like to think that the original idea was to have Voltron be sacrificed but DreamWorks was reluctant to let go off the eponymous robot and Allura was the only character close to powerful enough to be convincing of rebooting all realities, along with Honerva. But who's to say that’s even close to the truth? And why not have it be solely Honerva? I would have believed that if they were truly committed to a “redemption in death” for Honerva. Why Allura? Why go against Allura’s character of arc of moving away from destructive self-sacrifice, learning to trust her team, finding a new family in the paladins? Why have the paladins so readily accept Allura’s decision? “We are always stronger together” - yet Allura is the only paladin to sacrifice herself? She faced so much loss as a character - why have her lose her life, too? Allura was never meant to be a martyr. She was meant to live. To move past her father’s legacy and help rebuild the universe. Lead her people. Experience Altea again. And the relationship between Allura and Lance in Season 8 was wonderful and sweet but in light of Allura’s death can’t help but feel somewhat contrived for maximum emotional impact when they say goodbye. Allura’s death, ultimately, felt unnecessary, unfair, and ill aligned with what I thought were Voltron’s primary themes. Power of love, of friendship and family, of teamwork. What’s the point of a team if, in the end, they do very little to help save the universe and the burden is left on one person alone?  

And the rest of the team in Season 8 suffered, too. Pidge barely interacted with any of the other paladins. Hunk displayed some great moments with his love of cooking and how that helped people but the heroics he displayed in Season 7 seemed to fall to the wayside. Lance’s signature goofiness seemed to get lost in his constant worry over Allura. I am grateful for his newfound maturity but it shouldn’t come at the expense of what made these character so distinct in the first place.

I have loved Voltron. I still do, even if I am currently working through these difficult emotions regarding its final season. I have defended it in the past from irrational “critique”. Seven seasons of great storytelling does not vanish in the wake of a troubling and disappointing ending. At some point, I will continue with my rewatch. Right now, I think that would be difficult. I’m not trying to point specific blame at any one person or party in particular, as I don’t know the truth of what happened during Voltron’s production (as much as I would like to). I just know that Season 8 felt like a lie. Not only a lie but a bad lie. A transparent lie. And I and so many other dedicated fans would greatly appreciate the truth. I don’t need to see what Season 8 would have originally been, if there is such a thing. I can honestly quite easily imagine it, because Voltron’s previous seasons had set it up so thoughtfully. But I would be grateful for an explanation, for a break in the silence, for someone involved with the show to come forth and help the fandom move forward in the wake of Season 8.

What happened to Voltron? Tell us, because we’re ready to listen.

[grxnite]

The Leakira Thing

So recently, the wonderful world of the internet has been introduced to a concept known as Defenders of Tomorrow, basically a fan-created Voltron spin off.

I leave the fandom for a week and I come back to one of the biggest shitshows on the Internet. People fighting about ships, complaining about whiny teenagers, writing thousand-word discourses on why Voltron Season 7 was either a blessing or a curse... it kinda feels like we’ve gone from being a small corner of the Internet filled with wholesome love for a few animated characters and their giant robot lions, to a toxic playground surrounded by junkies apartments and dodgy KFC’s.

So, in true Harley fashion, I’m tryna sort some things out. Give a new light to a cave filled with ravenous bats, if you will.

I literally have no problem with Leakira, or Defenders of Tomorrow, or whatever people are calling it. Maybe I should specify my train of thought: I have no problem with a fan-made Voltron: Legendary Defender spin off (after all, V:LD is exactly that; A fan-made spin off based on Voltron ‘84), I have no problem with the new muse people have found, I have no problem with the idea of a cyberpunk theme (because that’s honestly my favourite concept), I have no problem with the usual, innocent, harmless creators getting involved in an Internet idea. Some of the concept art is amazing! Some of the character ideas are amazing! Look, those who aren’t really doing any harm and are just there to create are pretty damn chill.

What I do have a problem with, however, is the group of infectious people who are there to whine, and the people in the V:LD fandom who are there to whine about the whiners. It’s like I’m constantly surrounded by butt hurt white girls who get offended when someone tells them that ‘semi-bisexual’ (being bisexual but only being sexually attracted to one sex/gender) isn’t real and they’re just looking for attention for being straight (which they are, but that’s a discourse for another time).

To the people whining about ‘klance’ not being canon: please, get over it. I ship klance, I like the idea of having a same-sex couple in the show, and I get that we had Shiro/Adam but the laziness behind that relationship is, again, a discourse for another time. Your ships won’t always become canon. Fuck, have you seen the Marvel fandom recently? Or since 2015? Look, execs are going to do what makes the company money. If that’s queerbaiting, sure! If it means ‘messing up your ships’ then sure again! This is just how it works. Get over yourself.

To the people whining about Defenders: yeah, some people are toxic. But people always are. Every fandom has a section that you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole (and trust me, Defenders is not it), but the most that people can do is accept it, live with it, move on. Point out the flaws, even if it means writing something like this and pointing out the problems in your own fandom. People who are starting the Defenders creation are mostly pretty cool. They’re artists and writers and musicians who have found something to work on. Something new. Something vaguely original.

So, my part: I would love to get involved in a future spin off. I would love to be able to voice act (I’d stop using a pseudonym then). I love the cyberpunk theme, I love a lot of the concept art, I know people who would love to make music! For now, I love watching a lot of it unfold. The creativity and cooperation between (most!) people online has rendered me honestly speechless.

So, in summary? People. Chill. See things in a new light. See past the toxicity of a small minority and look at the creativity of a rising majority. Watch how the small community unfolds. Watch how it cooperates.

And please: everyone just stop the hate. We could all be dead by next year for all we know, do you really want to spend this time fighting about a Netflix programme?