#lance centric because hes my favorite

[ronihilator]

writers block has me fucked up because it doesnt put my creative inspo on pause. wdym i have an in detail, world built, fully fleshed out story in my head but the second i sit down to write? open that doc? i wanna tear my jaw off and cry because WHATTHEFUCKK

[icypantherwrites]

Was hoping to be able to ask this on anon because I’m shy haha, but my favorite character was Pidge and I absolutely love your writing and was wondering if there was a compilation of any of your Pidge-centric works anywhere? I was super into Voltron years ago and now there are. A lot of fics to sort through 😅 no pressure or anything, just curious to know if there is something like that!!!

Sorry about the anon asks, but I had to turn them off as too many people used them to send me really awful messages (as you can see below they still do it on AO3 >>) and I just couldn't deal with that any more.

To your query though, I actually used to try to keep an updated archive of all my works sorted by character on Tumblr and embarrassingly I cannot find it (but it hasn't been updated since at least 2021 so it's super outdated), so I've done my best to remember all of my Pidge-centric works (most she's the whumpee, but some she's just heavily involved in the story/Pidge emotional angst or character-centric or Pidge&another character relationship moment) but I hope this might help. There's a few unmentioned type "snippet fics" from my Patreon that exist but are not listed as no summary for them. If you check any of them out and have a moment would love to hear from you in the comments on the fic what you thought ♥

In no particular order:

Human Nature -- this is a series of the following three works:

What it Means to be Human: Pidge had always taken pride in the fact she’d been told her mind was like a machine. She just… Never expected to find out that it actually was. Or; Alternate Universe Fic where Pidge discovers she’s an android and begins a journey to find what being human really means.

Interlude: What Makes Us Different (But Also Human): Where Pidge and Keith discuss what about their heritages of android and Galran are the same, different, and discover how truly human they actually are.

Made With Love Pidge has come to terms with the fact she is an android, but she still has questions. And the only people that can answer them are the ones who have known her for her entire life. It’s time to find both Matt and her dad and learn the truth about what happened to her.

"I Am a Fighter"

Summary: The Galra capture Pidge and present her with a choice. Either she makes the weapon they want… or someone dies. Pidge prides herself on her genius, on her logic. But this? This is not a choice. This is torture. She’s being forced to decide if the universe’s fate outweighs the lives of a few individuals and no one, no one, should be allowed to make that call. She has to though. Again and again.

But when a familiar face is dragged before her she can feel her resolve crumbling. Because Keith is not a nameless prisoner. He is her friend, her family. And yet his blood is already dripping from her hands.

A Broken Arm For a Broken Soul 

Summary: Shiro is breaking. Pidge can see it: the exhaustion, the pain, and the growing, splintering cracks. And while Pidge doesn’t know how to fix broken people she does know how to fix broken things. And Shiro’s prosthetic arm the Galra forced upon him is a broken thing. She doesn’t know how much it will help, but… but maybe, if she can fix that then Shiro won’t be quite so broken anymore.

A Needed Distraction

Summary: Mini fic of Lance giving gifts to each team member, Pidge's chapter :)

Koala Hugs (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary: They’d been told that the guest houses were supposed to keep them safe from the deadly low temperatures of the planet. And while for Pidge that is indeed the case, she learns it’s not so for Lance as she’s awoken by a projection of pure terror from the Blue Lion, who can sense her Paladin dying. And now as Pidge hurries to Lance’s guest house and finds him so so cold and still, she can only hope she’s not too late.

Battle Scar

Summary: Scars can cut deep and not just physically into the skin. Pidge finds herself forced to confront a memory when Lance catches sight of a scar she had previously kept hidden. But maybe… maybe this is for the best.

Always 

Summary: Pidge and Lance are on an undercover mission to retrieve supplies they desperately need for their journey back to Earth. Despite the odds everything seems to be going in their favor; Lance is charming the local gang and Pidge is hidden away as backup and they are this close to calling it a success.

And then everything goes wrong.

Not only are the gang members now hunting them, Lance has been poisoned and its affecting his memory. Pidge somehow has to keep them both alive until rescue comes, a feat made more difficult by the minute as Lance forgets first short term details, then the mission, and now... now he’s forgotten her. But no matter what happens Pidge knows she’ll protect Lance and he will protect her. Always.

Pidge + Stitches (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary: “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

The question came out shriller than Pidge wanted but she wasn’t able to ask it any other way as Keith lit a fucking huge metal needle on fucking fire that he planned to put through her skin next to her.

Stardust:  In You and In Me (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary: Pidge is so tired. She can’t sleep though, not until she finds something. Her family is out there, but no matter how hard she tries, no matter how hard she searches, she can’t find them. The universe is just too big. Coran gently disagrees.

Crash and Burn 

Summary: Lance and Pidge crash the supply pod following a freak asteroid storm. And Lance... Lance is hurt. Badly. He's bleeding out and there's no time to wait for rescue. Pidge has to save him. And the emergency flare... Well, it's the only thing she's got.

Red Where it Belongs (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary: How much blood, Pidge faintly wondered, had she lost now? What percentage? The human body couldn’t lose more than forty percent of its blood before death occurred and hypovolemic shock symptoms started around fifteen percent.   She stared at her blood covered hands, at the puddle growing around her, feeling the way everything was going numb and made her guess.   At least twenty percent.   Twenty percent more to go.

Ready to Be a Dragon - (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary:  Lance is a Shifter. He’s familiar with many forms, has his favorites, but there’s one that stands above the rest: a dragon. And with Pidge’s magic that dream has now come true. But what should have been a perfect day of soaring through the skies with Pidge to celebrate his new form comes to a screeching halt when a band of soldiers spots them and wants the glory of slaying a dragon. And even though Lance isn’t technically a dragon… they aren’t going to take no for an answer.

Birthday Wishes

Summary: Pidge blinked. She blinked again. The date remained the same. Today… today Matt would be twenty-five. Her eyes widened with horror. Was, she frantically corrected herself. Matt was twenty-five today. Because he was alive. He had to be.

A Day at the Beach 

Summary: A day at the beach takes a terrifying turn when Pidge falls victim to a deadly allergic reaction. Now the only question that remains is what will kill her first: anaphylaxis or the ocean?

Break It 

Summary: Don’t be scared, Pidge told herself. That was the most important thing. The constant clanking and tugging and crying all around her was very detrimental to that plan. So too were the shackles digging into her ankles and wrists, linking her to every other person on the chain of slaves, that sent her constantly stumbling as they abruptly stopped and started.

Chase Away the Nightmares

Summary: Pidge is hurt. She’s hurt bad. And yet there’s nothing much Lance and Hunk can do. They’re stranded in the middle of a warzone on a hostile planet and help isn’t coming for a long while. No matter what though they will protect Pidge. They’ll keep her from further harm; from the aliens, from injury and even from her own nightmares as her head wound blurs reality and fiction. And maybe, hopefully, soon the nightmare will be over for them all.

Plummet 

Summary: They’re dangling off of a cliff where falling means certain death. And while Shiro’s grip is strong on Pidge’s hand the cliff face is weak. And now time has finally run out.

Scavenger Hunt

Summary: The team has returned to the Space Mall but shopping isn’t what’s on Lance and Pidge’s minds. They’ve got something better planned: a scavenger hunt. It’s a battle of the stealthiest and Lance is the cool ninja sharpshooter so he’s got this in the bag. Right…?

As the World Falls Down Around Us 

Summary: Ever since Pidge revealed she was a girl her team seems to have become a bunch of overprotective, overbearing idiot males and it’s pissing her off. She’s still the same person and more than capable of taking care of herself. But in her determination to prove herself independent she winds up injured. Badly. She can handle it on her own though. She doesn’t need their help.

But hiding her injury has dire consequences and now it’s not just her freedom at stake but her life.

And Lance’s.

The world is falling down literally and figuratively around them and Pidge realizes she can’t save him alone. She needs help. Lance’s help. And as dire as the situation is there’s almost something optimistic about being trapped at the bottom: the only place to go is up.

Now if they can only reach it before time runs out.

Finding the Light (series of following two fics, TW for rape)

Sit Beside You: "I'm fine," Pidge repeated, as though trying to convince both herself and Lance. "I am. Nothing's wrong. I'm okay. I…" Her hands were trembling and she tucked them beneath her arms in the most pathetic looking hug Lance had ever seen. "I'm fine. It's over. I'm fine. Not a mark. So nothing happened. I'm fine." / Pidge is not fine. None of them are. But hopefully, eventually, they will be.

Right, Wrong and the Normal In Between: Pidge didn’t want to think about it. She knew better now than to deny that it had happened or that she was fine but all she wants is for things to be normal again. But normal is a concept that keeps getting further away. Pidge realizes just how far out of reach it is when she freezes in battle and memories distort reality. Everything is wrong. Nothing is right. But Allura doesn’t think it’s so black and white. There are a lot of steps in between and she’s going to help Pidge walk that path and find her way once more.

Rivers Stain the Ocean - (Patreon Exclusive)

Summary: When Lance messes with Pidge’s color coding system the only thing to do is retaliate in kind.   So she dyes him completely blue.   It’s harmless though, will wear off in a few days, and the experience will teach Lance to never touch her stuff again. A win-win if Pidge does say so herself.   Except for the part where the planet they visit the following day to form an alliance has this whole thing about a prophecy and being cursed and deceived by a being of blue. And in order to save both their planet and Voltron...   They’re going to kill Lance.

What Makes a Team

Summary: Lance has been feeling a little lonely of late. Allura’s off with Lotor, Shiro’s been keeping busy on his own and Hunk and Pidge are wrapped up in this whole “Team Punk” concept that has them holed up for hours in the lab. So when he’s invited to accompany the two geniuses on a resource gathering mission he couldn’t be happier and plans to make the best of it.

And then everything goes wrong.

They’re trapped, injured, and if blood loss doesn’t get Lance first then suffocation definitely will. They need a plan but Hunk is down for the count and Lance knows he’s no good for coming up with something of that caliber. But his team needs him and he’s got to think of something. Otherwise… this cave is about to become a tomb.

Inches From Death

Summary: Being captured by the Galra is a lot less frightening than Pidge thought it would be. It’s boring, really. Well, until Lance slowly starts suffocating to death inches from her and she can do nothing to save him. Now… Now it’s terrifying.

A Squeak in the Code 

Summary: Despite the late hour Pidge has no plans to sleep until she finishes running her current algorithm. Four determined little space mice have a very different plan in mind.

Crimson Shock 

Summary: What should have been a routine mission takes a terrifying turn when Pidge is injured. She’s trying not to be scared because it’ll make Hunk more so and she needs him not to be but it hurts so much and the world is growing dark and she is so so scared.

Give Me a Sign

Summary: Matt isn’t sure why he was targeted for a ransom request. He wasn’t a nobody in the Rebels but he wasn’t a somebody either. What did these aliens think the Coalition would offer for him? But as the transmission turned on Matt got his answer. Because those weren’t Rebels on the screen. It was Katie.

Heavy is the Toll of War (series of following two fics)

The Cost of Winning: "The Blue and Green Paladins serve no purpose to the Empire," the Galran commander smirked at his bound captives. "And as such you have no use except as arena fodder." He chuckled. "Give us a good show before you die." / Lance is determined to protect Pidge and save her from the arena. She will not die here. Over his dead body. Hopefully it's not quite that literal of a promise.

The Price of Peace: They may have escaped the arena but things back home are far from all right. Keith is struggling. Shiro is hiding. Lance is suffering violent flashbacks and she's having nightmares too. It's wrong. It's all wrong. Pidge hates it. She wants her space family back. Not this broken version of them. It looks like she's just going to have to fix it. And Lance is going to help.

Over the Edge (my very first VLD fanfic ever :))

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple nature hike. What it turned into was anything but. And now Pidge and Lance are just hoping they can make it back alive.

"Pidge!" came a scream. And before she could even process that she was falling, that she was going to die, a dark hand shot over the edge and wrapped bruisingly about her wrist, but she had never been so grateful to be in pain. Lance's panicked face met hers, although there was a steely glint of determination that so, so many overlooked. "I've got you," he panted, throwing his other arm forward and grabbing even more of her arm. "It's going to be okay."

A Sister In (My) Arms

Summary: Pidge is fevered, fatigued, and yet somehow here she is climbing almost a thousand stairs for the good of the Coalition. But she isn’t doing this stupid ceremony for the stupid Coalition. She’s doing it for Allura. And Allura will be there to catch her when she finally falls.

Trick or Treat 

Summary: Pidge (gently drags) Keith with her to go trick or treating at the Garrison sponsored Halloween event. But what is supposed to be all in good fun takes a dark turn when they realize that someone is following them…

Burnt French Toast

Summary: Every Mother’s Day per tradition Pidge and Matt make their mom practically inedible French toast and are then saved by the local bakery. But there’s no bakery this time. Just burnt French toast. And after three years of missed Mother’s Days, of leaving without answers and causing their mom even more pain, Pidge is horrified that this was all they could do.

Stabbing Pain 

Summary: Where Shiro jumps in front of a spear to save Pidge, gets impaled, and insists he is all right as he’s very painfully bleeding out.

Follow You Home 

Summary: Voltron is heading home. Except, for Keith, the destination of Earth isn’t his home, not really. There’s no one waiting for him there. And, he tries to tell himself, that it’s not like the space family he'd made up here with Voltron would abandon him as they go seek out their own loved ones on Earth. But he’s so used to being left behind, forgotten, why should this time be any different? Fortunately, Pidge is right there to remind Keith just how much he belongs with all of them.

[tangledbea]

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of hate/criticism go around for TTS lately from fans and non-fans, so I wanted to ask what are your favorite themes about the show, and what are the main reasons you’d recommend it to someone?? Love your blog!!!!!

If I'm entirely honest, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to people. There would be a lot of caveats before I did, such as, "If you don't mind x thing," or "If you're interested despite y thing."

If there's one thing I do adore about the series, though, it's that Eugene does get a backstory. It's not developed as much as I would like, but the show went out of his way to give him a best friend he's known since childhood and a crime lord he used to work for and a woman he almost married, who is the daughter of the crime lord, which means he would have married into the crime family. That is so interesting, for real, and opens up a lot of questions that go through my head way more often than I talk about. What made him and Lance go separate ways? Because Eugene was clearly not a team player in the movie. He could work with people, sure, but he had zero qualms double-crossing them to take all the wealth and glory for himself. What exactly went down with Stalyan? Lance describe it as "stole The Baron's prized Stalyan." And yes, I know full well that when they wrote "Big Brothers of Corona," they had not yet planned for Eugene to have an ex-finace, so the whole stallion/Stalyan thing was a retroactive decision. But the question is still there! In "No Time Like the Past," young Eugene was 15 and had a thing for Stalyan, but they seemed to not quite be dating yet, like he was still trying to impress her. But the prologue of "Big Brothers of Corona" takes place "eight years ago," and we now know that Eugene was 23-24 in season one, which means the prologue took place when he was 15-16, and The Baron already had it out for him at that point, so... when was he supposed to have been marrying Stalyan??? So much intrigue! There's so much lore there, and none of it relies on magic or what's going on with Rapunzel to exist!

So, I guess the primary thing I'd recommend about it is getting more Eugene content, period. Even when I don't like the way the story is going, I love Zac's voicework and Eugene's sass and sarchasm.

And so, dovetailing off of that, the series does have good New Dream content. I might not like how all of it is done, but there's so much about it that I do like. Today I was driving to lunch and the score from the epilogue proposal came on, and I teared up. That scene still makes me feel so much (affectionate).

Back in the day, there were a lot of people who only watched the episodes that Varian was in. I can easily see myself only watching episodes that are New Dream-centric, or feature Lance prominently.

And you know what? I'm not going to pretend that the soundtrack isn't rockin', or that the animation isn't some of the most beautiful I've seen in recent years in television series. Whether I like the plot or not, the acting is superb.

[erithel]

A good example of how much this fandom shifted in its opinion of lance and how not invested the fandom is in him as a character is by comparing any lance-centric and keith-centric character posts.

If someone posts about lance, just about his character or reactions to scenario and looking for introspection, the post will get 1 or 3 notes/likes/metric. It will inevitably have someone bring up keith and how he would react to the situation and make mention of klance or shipping.

If someone makes a keith character post about his reactions/pov and looking for introspection, that post will get a crazy amount of notes, no one will bring up lance or klance cause rightfully it’s not about that.

This is the same with art pieces. Same artist can draw the boys at separate times but if keith isn’t in the lance art piece it’ll never be noticed.

There’s just a sad shift in fandom thinking Keith is worth more in value and can stand alone if he wants to but Lance’s character isn’t worth as much unless he’s in the ship or Keith is included. And with post season 8 and him dating allura, they think all his bad traits outweigh his good so there’s no value in giving him the time and care.

It really fostered this environment where Lance’s positive canon traits or distinguishing canon scenes are just overlooked and ignored. Or worst, they’re given away to other characters. I guarantee you that if you asked klancers about lance and the blade of mamora they will have no idea that he canonly led them on a mission and protected them from slander and scorn. And people still react to Lance dying for allura that one time as brand new information they never heard of, or it isn’t as important as Keith almost dying for the team because he did it for Allura. Or they take his and keith’s dynamic or him being the comforter to his teammates and gave it to James Griffin or Hunk.

The way the fandom dismisses his issues is already frustrating(having seen things like Lance has no problems or cause to feel bad or to dissect) evident enough but when klancers tie his worth to keith like they do with any of the other characters, the state of the fandom just makes me sad. He’s not a character unless he does something for Keith otherwise he can easily be replaced by any other character, who people also don’t invest time into, but isn’t as “mean” to poor Keith.

Don’t get me wrong I love Keith a lot. He’s one of my favorite boys of all time. But it’s hard to deny the way the klance fandom currently treats him and lance is exactly like how the showrunners do.

So I was thinking about this while reading this post, and initially I was gonna say that I guess this just didn't enter my social media sphere because I mainly post comics, so I don't see the difference in likes for individual art pieces etc.

BUT

Then I started thinking about some of the comments I've gotten on my ongoing comic GONE, and it...kindof fits.

I got a couple comments directed at Keith that were in the vein of "just go hug your man, get over yourself," but they soon switched into those same comments directed at Lance.

And basically the whole comic is meant to showcase how traumatic it would be to almost lose someone you love, and how Lance wouldn't just be able to bounce back from it. It is meant to show that Lance's anger and grief and guilt are all emotions to be taken seriously. That those are valid things to feel, and that it's not just immediately going to be okay.

And I can't even tell you how many comments I got directed at Lance that were basically pushing him to just be okay already. To just get over it. Telling him "what's your problem? Keith's alive and that's all that matters, right?"

(The whole thing basically turned into a study of how people react to physical trauma vs mental trauma, but that's a whoooole different rant subject).

I think the part I'm having the hardest time comprehending is how it has come up several times that Lance is being written as an [insert character here] type. And I just...???

I love Keith, too, don't get me wrong, but Lance is so much more fun to write and to draw because he can have all the emotions, and they are all strong. And imo he had the most potential for growth and character development out of the whole team - which means that they gave us hints of all that in canon, even if they didn't follow through.

So actually, you know what? I'm just gonna link my friend's fic here, because if you haven't read it already and want some seriously well written Lance validation that makes total sense, you should read this fic: Pitch Black. (you should read it anyway)

[pirdmystery]

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

hey would you look at that!! not sure i’ve heard of this guy before…

first impression - oh what a precious babygirl. oh what’s this? he has problems???

impression now - (years of inner turmoil later, blood dripping out of my ears and nose while typing this) what a precious babygirl! He has problems!

favorite moment - god almighty how could I possibly choose… ok here’s what i think i’m going with. you know when after remire when he cracks for real in front of everyone for the first time. and then if you talk to him at the monastery he’s like “wow I’m so terribly sorry you had to see that side of me it’s just that I can’t stop thinking about tearing the flesh from the bones of our enemies. anyway what did you want to talk to me about? something about a dance contest? oh please for the love of god do not ask me to dance.” just. like. that’s my boy in a nutshell right there :)

idea for a story — i am going to lovingly redirect you all to ao3 user reflektion, where at the time of writing there are no works that do not feature him! ok that was a bit of a cop out. a dream that i doubt i’ll ever realize is a collection of ficlets about all the different ways he could have lost his eye.

unpopular opinion — this is so hard bc like. there’s 3h fandom at large and then there’s the little corner of fandom I’m part of that is in general pretty dimitri centric and what would qualify as unpopular varies greatly depending on where you are. here’s what i’ll go with that feels like it might run slightly against the current of how people on here treat him in general: dimitri is not the main character or “hero” of fe3h. azure moon tells his story and it does a fantastic job at that but it isn’t telling the most comprehensive story of what could or should become of fodlan as a whole. I don’t know that him becoming king is the best outcome. It’s just the one I focus on the most personally, because I am obsessed with him.

favorite relationship - i think uhhhh. i think everyone here knows. that I’m a little not normal for dimilix. maybe more than a little. unquestionably that is my favorite dimitri pairing. the depth to mine there is endless i mean literally endless, every single day i have a new thought about them that knocks me out. what don’t they give me. what can’t they do. childhood friends to childhood enemies to teenage divorcees to pining lovers to depending on the route even worse enemies the cause of each others literal deaths OR lovers or king and advisor lance and shield closest friends two halves of a whole fbdvsxfjgbdjdj….

that being said ofc i have appreciation for plenty of his other relationships as well. dimidue is godlike and not comparable to any other relationship I’ve ever seen in anything. his… vassal. i love his relationship with all the lions. i would also like it if hilda braided his hair.

favorite headcanon — MODERN PUNK DIMITRI… yeah. that’s all!

[crystalelemental]

I think now’s a good time to talk Alola Villain Arc.  “But...Kalos isn’t even over ye-” Yeah but this is important.

Friends.  I am officially preparing myself for the worst with Alola VA.

Look, there are a lot of possibilities, and they’re all not ideal.  The one consistency is that so far?  Every region got protagonist alts.  The only exceptions, in a roundabout sort of way, are the Kalos protagonists (who could still get something but god I hope not since they literally just got alts), and Rosa/Nate who are BW2 specifically.  There is a very, very high chance of Selene and Elio alts.

Similarly, most regions (not all, but most) get their Champion in there.  Johto and Unova are thus far the only ones who didn’t.  I feel like there’s actually no chance in hell that Hau or Kukui get alts here.  I don’t think either carries much popularity, which was the defining factor behind Lance and Alder’s lack of presence, while Iris just got something right before.

Antagonists, hilariously enough, have been inconsistent.  Archie and Maxie didn’t get anything new, nor did Ghetsis.  Lysandre remains to be seen, but he hasn’t even shown up yet, so who knows.  The antagonists themselves are not a given, and considering Guzma and Plumeria do not seem to have much popularity...I’m not sure they’re getting anything either.  Which kinda sucks, because I feel like this should be their chance, and it’s just not gonna happen.

Which leads to my biggest concern: Aether Fam.  Listen, they are what Gen 7 is about.  No one matters like they matter.  Lillie has gone almost a full year without an alt, and if you think she’s not hitting 6 with the VA you are out of your mind.  Gladion is a possibility because of the family association, but is far from guaranteed.  I’d just be real mad if he got nothing.  But the big question...is Lusamine.

Lusamine feels like she has at least some popularity behind her.  I’m not gonna say a ton, but at least some.  The problem here is Maxie and Archie.  When villains don’t get a new alt, their Master Fair gets rerun.  Lusamine...has a prior Master Fair.   That has not yet been rerun.  Which means...they could set Lusamine aside, rerun her old Necrozma alt, and call it good.  Which means no Nihilego.

And to be honest, this seems wildly likely, given the direction of Kalos’ VA.  They seem inclined to just...side-step Lysandre’s ambitions.  I’m not even sure he’ll play a major role.  Instead, their focus has been on...Looker.  Who I like!  Looker’s a cool guy, I am 100% on board with Looker-centric story.  Better still, this points to Anabel.  If Emma gets something with Kalos, Anabel gets something with Alola almost for a certainty.  Which is sick.  But also means...story-wise, the focus is going to be on just the impact of the UBs as a threat to Pasio overall, with Lusamine being incidentally associated as an expert.  They’re not going to focus much on her as a character, just like they’re not with Lysandre.  And that...sucks.

Because it paints this idea that the VA alts are going to be protagonists, Lillie, Lusamine rerun, introduction of Anabel as a general pool.  Which isn’t a terrible spread, but once again sidelines the villains in their own stories.  And I’m kinda bothered by that?  I don’t like that Ghetsis didn’t get anything with Unova.  I don’t like that Maxie and Archie are side-pieces whose presence gets one-upped by Giovanni again.  I don’t like that we’re gearing up for Lysandre to be borderline irrelevant in his own arc.  And if they do it to Lusamine, who remains my favorite antagonist, I’m gonna be bothered.  I just...feel like these arcs could be doing better about emphasizing the villains.

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

I posted 2,474 times in 2022

17 posts created (1%)

2,457 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@reynaruina

@duladear

@spvps

@shamedesigner

@sometimesiwanna-disappear

I tagged 799 of my posts in 2022

#voltron - 192 posts

#vforce11 - 184 posts

#voltron force - 180 posts

#buddyworks - 102 posts

#buddyart - 86 posts

#darrell pidge stoker - 84 posts

#toast talks - 84 posts

#vf pidge - 83 posts

#voltron force 2011 - 75 posts

#vld - 70 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#and like! people have already spoken about how ben and other characters have been uncomfy with the idea of not being able to stay human

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Chapter 2 is up! Once again cross posted into FF and AO3

This one is going to followed by a break I had the weekend to work with this but life isn’t pull punches right now, so I posted an interlude that goes right after the chapter too!

4 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#4

I'm caving, here's some VF HCs but pidge centric because he's my babygirl

Pidge and Larmina do get along but Larmina acts cold to him because he never could tell her why he had to leave so ubruptly after The Incident, she saw it as him pulling away and acting like every other adult in their life

Speaking of, Larmina and Pidge used to be glued together almost like siblings or the favorite cousin in the family, her ninja skills came from him

Pidge can't eat marshmallows, all Baltons can't. It's likely the high fructose corn syrup in it that ends up punching them in the gut and sends them into a bad drug trip

He has heterochromia! His glasses hide it most of the time but his eyes are normally brown, they're green because his eyes have a reflective backing to it which is what we see

got like 4-5 cats, Salami (the oldest), Oscar (the middle child), Miwa (the alien one), and Kevin (the kitten), and also green lion who he will die for before giving up his pilot seat

this man is not straight, I refuse to believe it, he is still interested in women though. Currently have him as Panromantic Demisexual

speaking of romance: I pair him with all the pilots gotta be honest, mainly shipped with Lance, Hunk, the new royal advisor, and the head of the castle guards

he does pole workouts, helps with core body strength and grip, he tries to keep himself balanced with exercise he thinks is fun

had a falling out with the original mice, ended up building the robot ones himself but he underestimated his abilities and now they're sentient :/

he's quite literally the teams trump card, with more years of combat experience than the team and his specialty in incapacitating enemies, theres a time and place though so he never goes all out

I have more but this is already getting long, don't be surprised if I upload more but centric on the others

4 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

#3

Using this to help flesh out the character for my plot

VF Hunk HCs 💛✨

Pulling from the comics, he’s from a big family, literally, he’s the youngest out of about 5 siblings and also the smallest out of them all

Yes the team has met them and they all get along, his family loves Pidge the most since he’s the baby of the team

He’s got tons of tattoos, he has a sleeve on one arm and the other is just small ones

the sleeve was taken from this art so thank you @chibi-pix for letting me do so

the small ones are more Voltron themed, taking from the vld lion symbols and also just a lion tattoo because he deserves it

Also has many many piercings, he’s the reason why Larmina and Pidge got some because frankly they’re so rad

He’s got a burn scar on his eye to match yellow that also has a funky eye, he got it from protecting a kid from some flaming debris, he couldn’t block it all and it got on his face

This man is ALSO a genius because how the fuck does he land in an engineering position if he doesn’t know just as much as Pidge does

He acts like a meat head mainly because it was the mask that kept him safe while working for Wade, he has trouble taking it off when he’s back on Arus with the team

Usually the team eats what the kitchen staff make but sometimes Hunk steps in and makes a dinner for them instead, if he can grill he can cook normally

Cooking is also the way he gets the cadets to bond, he likes being the cool uncle but he also does want to teach them things

his carnivore tendencies means they cook a lot of meat based dishes

He helped give some personal touches to the uniforms, while the design itself is kept basic and uniform (aha) everyone wants their own touch of something

In his case he and pidge got short sleeves as they work in the hangar a lot, will probably add to this soon but in terms of uniforms that’s all I got

His anger issues didn’t fully go away to be honest, he learned to reign in it yes but it comes out when kids and mothers specifically are in danger

That’s because he really does care for kids and he remembers his own mother and if he doesn’t want his own to get hurt he won’t let anybody else’s get hurt either

He’s the only one with a normal ish family, he’s got two parents and siblings that are all alive and well

He does have some issues based on how his family treats each other but they mainly get along even if it isn’t entirely healthy

I swear I’m working on my rewrite, script writing is just hard 😫 I’m currently working in the first episode which is basically the same as the canon one with some changes to the Drule side of things so hopefully I’ll be able to post soon

6 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

#2

In the spirit of my last reblog here's a shitty icon edit 💅

If used as an icon you can't tell how bad the lines are lol

8 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

18 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bestworstcase]

ur opinion on 5 (or however many) most prevalent/aggravating/etc. trends you've seen in the tts fandom

ohoho. in no particular order,

#1: "they did lance so dirty! he deserves better!"

ok.

the sentiment is correct but it's not the thought that counts!!

#2: character bashing in service of angst or whump

this is not a tts-specific phenomenon but it feels exceptionally pervasive in tts fic, perhaps partly because there are so many different characters who attract this sort of treatment. frederic, quirin, nigel, andrew, the captain, cassandra, rapunzel, zhan tiri, and the rest of the separatists are all characters i've seen get this treatment of being warped into abusive, sadistic, or utterly callous caricatures of themselves to generate angst for the author's faves, and with certain characters (frederic) (andrew) (zhan tiri) it's almost impossible to find fic that DOESN'T do this to them, and it's... very tiring. it makes finding fic that i actually enjoy something of a chore, because while there are tags i can filter out (a la "zhan tiri being an asshole" or "bad parent quirin"), most people who write this sort of fic don't tag their character bashing. it's obnoxious.

#3: the "shut up about varian!" problem

i like varian. i think he's a neat character. i even bumped him up to main character status for bitter snow. but there's a subset of his fans who act like the entire show revolves around him and it exhausts me.

like, no, the show is not badly written because moonvarian didn't happen. the hair stripe isn't that deep. varian being in s2 more wouldn't have fixed the pacing problems. cassandra using the truth serum on varian wasn't somehow worse than anything else she did in s3, and it's weird that there's pockets of the fandom where the mind trap is seen as this awful thing cass does to varian? hello?? it's weird that people rip rapunzel apart for the crime of not making varian her top priority at all times. it's weird that there are so many fics where zhan tiri is obsessed with varian to the point of calling him "young demanitus." it's weird that momtiri was a thing at all. it's weird that there's so much fic and fandom chatter about [eugene/rapunzel/lance/cassandra] being an adoptive parent or sibling figure or even literal sibling to varian. like... there are certain corners of the fandom where it's All Varian All the Time and you literally cannot bring up other characters or plot points without someone spinning the conversation back around to varian and like, while i get the impulse to go This Is My Favorite Character And I WILL NOT Shut Up About Them, i feel like with varian it goes to this weird extreme?

and it just sort of puts me off him, a little, because it's so prevalent that it's hard to avoid without like fully blocking all varian content, which i don't want to do because as noted i do actually like him! i just don't think he's the center of the tts universe!

#4: demanitus x zhan tiri

just... just no.

people really read that zhan tiri would have a female VA in s3 and went "oh so were she and demanitus lovers?" and people really saw the flashback in plus est where he banished her to acid hell and went "so they were in love, right?" and i just... seriously?!

this is the one silver lining to the fandom's disinterest in giving zhan tiri any character development at all

but like Fuck Off She's A Lesbian

#5: the widespread, utter disregard cass fans & esp cassunzels have for cassandra's boundaries & feelings

i've talked plenty about this one before but my god the amount of cass-centric fic out there, written by cass fans, that paints cassandra as this maladjusted social outcast with no idea how feelings work who just needs rapunzel to come in and tear down her walls so she can learn the joys of interpersonal connection is INFURIATING. or cass-centric fic written by cass fans where cass takes the moonstone as a self-sacrificing bid to "save" rapunzel and her anger afterwards gets painted as just... something zhan tiri manipulates into feeling and really underneath she's secretly miserable and pining for rapunzel's love? the amount of cass-centric fic written by cass fans where cass having boundaries and being frustrated, upset, and angry when they're trampled over is portrayed as cass being maladjusted, or cass not being able to accept that rapunzel loves her, or cass having trust issues, or cass needing to learn to let people in - ffs, so much cass-centric fic is flat out UNREADABLE because of this.

and this isn't even getting into the romanticization of the princess/knight dynamic that is rife in requited cassunzel circles, because i guess the exact same dynamic that destroyed cassandra's mental health in canon is peachy if she and rapunzel are dating? or how eugene's constant low-grade nastiness towards cass is interpreted as a sibling dynamic, or how the average cass fan doesn't think rapunzel Maiming Her and then Refusing To Apologize and Openly Blaming Cassandra is a good enough reason for cassandra to take the moonstone if zhan tiri hadn't stepped in to "manipulate her" into it, or how rapunzel is framed over and over again in cass-centric s3 fic as "saving" cassandra from her own anger.

like. christ. i'm so over it.

[kittyvibez100]

Best Voltron Legendary Defenders fics I've read so far [klance centric] :

1.

Summary: After a run-in with an angry queen, Keith is left to travel through alternate realities — ones that are entirely too good to be true — because in each and every one of them, he's dating Lance. Keith struggles to find his way back to his own reality, all while trying not to fall more and more in love with Lance in every new one he experiences.

Note: Um hello!?! This fic was absolutely amazing and I loved the whole story trope. It was executed so perfectly and it's just amazing. Reading the tags for the first time I was like "wtf" skskskss but then actually reading the fic omg mwah, chefs kiss. Loved this story.

2.

Summary: It’s been two years since the first case of the Great Plague was recorded, and one year since the Silence began. Despite this, and despite the fact that he can’t remember the last time he heard from his family, Lance still holds out hope for finding them. Keith, on the other hand, thinks holding out hope for anything is useless. He hasn’t had the best of luck with depending on people in his life, after all. Which is maybe why it’s so surprising when he finds himself depended on Lance and everyone else they come across

Note: I don't usually read Apocalypse aus because I am a coward and people can die holy shit it's scary. But THIS had honestly changed my mind. I loved this so much

3.

Summary: Lance McClain constantly dreams of the day he'll finally meet his mysterious soulmate. They don't say much, if anything at all, but they leave him with gorgeous paintings temporarily tattooing his skin. It's not exactly the situation he hoped for, but when he feels the connection between them, he can't bring himself to resent them. As much as he wishes his soulmate would just talk to him, he's resigned himself to being patient. In the meantime, he has a loving family and good friends to help him get by.

Keith Kogane dreads the day he'll finally meet his obnoxious soulmate. He's just an art student who's struggling to find his place in the world. There's so much he hasn't been able to control in his life, and the thought of having a soulmate, just another thing in his life which he also has no control over yet can't do anything about, is a little terrifying. So he ignores the words that occasionally appear on his skin. He has other things to focus on: like being a new student at a big university where his childhood friend and step-brother go

Note: Have I mentioned that my favorite trope is soulmates. Please this fic is so so so good. 5 star rating it was AMAZING. I'd recommend listening to Invisible String by Taylor Swift while reading this. It just sets the mood.

4.

Summary: Becoming “hook-up buddies” with Lance Sanchez was just supposed to be a small, insignificant fraction of Keith’s life. But of course, things don’t work out that way at all.

aka a Friends w/ Benefits AU that nobody asked for where Lance wears sleeveless hoodies, plays basketball in abandoned parking lots, and follows his dreams, and Keith comes from a high class, reputable family who never let him have any dreams of his own. They go home with each other and don't expect it to matter until it totally does.

Keith POV and Lance POV

Note: KSJDJSNSJS OH BOY THIS ONE. One of the early fics I'd ever read for Voltron and I loved it. Please, it's a whole lot of smut so proceed with caution.

5.

Summary: Keith has a lot going on between his duties as class president, way too much homework, and being groomed to take over his mother's corporation. He’s gotten very used to pushing things down and ignoring them in favor of doing what is expected of him, so it’s easy to shove that whole ‘gender’ thing he’s been dealing with lately to the very far corners of his mind. He doesn’t have time to think about it anyway, and he DEFINITELY doesn't have time for the loud, pushy, overfamiliar showboat of a new kid who just crashed into his school and his life. No matter how attractive he is.

Lance is lucky; not many kids from his neighborhood get the chance to attend the prestigious Merriweather Academy - and by ‘many’ he means ‘zero.’ Winning the lottery for a scholarship was a combination of his own hard work and sheer luck. He knows it’s going to be a culture clash, but it’s just for a year, right? If it means getting into a better university, he can suffer through anything.

Until he starts falling for the prickly class president, and has to question everything about who he is, and what this might mean for his future

Note: please if I were to recommend any fic on this list it'd be this one. This story is beyond amazing it's so good seriously. Definitely give it a read. One of my favorites honestly. [Still ongoing tho]

6.

Summary:

Lance has dreamed of travelling since the first time he heard stories from his family as a child. Now, having finally the time and money to do it, he goes on a trip to Europe to see some of the most culturally rich cities on the continent. Except he keeps bumping into the same guy over and over again, in random cities, doing stupid shit, and ultimately dragging Lance into his trouble, too.

Basically an AU in which Lance and Keith become impromptu travel buddies and get into trouble

Note: if you need a good breather fic that's just so amazingly refreshing from the long ass day you had then read this mf.

7.

Summary: If it were anybody else, Lance would think they’re messing with him for fun.

But Keith is Keith, straight-forward and guileless. If he’s touching Lance more, it’s only because he’s gotten more comfortable. And on one hand, that’s great, that’s—Lance feels very honored. His heart is doing backflips and aerial stunts and everything. On the other, this is really not helping with his raging crush.

His breaking point turns out to be when Keith, exhausted after a day of subspace meetings, drops his head onto Lance’s shoulder and sighs.

It’s a sigh that says, now I’m comfortable, that admits, I’m recharging, that practically screams, you help.

Hands in his pockets, he lets Lance bear his weight as if he trusts Lance to handle it. Great. That’s just—how dare he. How dare he be so vulnerable with Lance? Who does that?

It’s so enraging that Lance just blurts out, “I’m going to need you to stop doing this before I fall in love with you even more, asshole.”

Keith freezes.

-

Or, five times Lance acknowledges his feelings for Keith and one time Keith reciprocates.

Note: *screams into pillow* *squeals excitedly* yep, that was me throughout this entire thing lol

[there are so many other one's that are great that I can't remember right now.]

[chaoticevilbean]

Voltron HC’s for my Humans Are Weird Lance-Centric Story

Lance became immune to most poisons because he wanted to be like Westley in The Princess Bride

Lance has worn heels, dresses, makeup, extensions, etc, multiple times His sisters and brothers helped him learn the skills

Lance has learned how to fix engines, along with other basic/simple engineering skills, because of his brother Marco

Lance is an amazing chemist and knows how to make an impromptu bomb with sweat, a bobby pin and something made of glass, because of his sister-in-law Bella

Lance speaks practically every language to communicate with his friends Lance can cook and bake relatively well because he helped his mother and grandmothers cook

Lance may not be Pidge’s level, but he is a white hat hacker who made money after being hired by multiple governments to make sure they weren’t vulnerable because his brother-in-law Theo dared he couldn’t

Lance knows how macgyver basically anything because of the many things he had happen with his cousins and siblings

Lance can use bows, throwing knives, darts, blowguns, and guns really well, as well as a sling and has a throwing arm of incredibly accuracy because of his father encouraging it (and a boomerang to honor his favorite character Sokka)

Lance knows juego de mani and limalama because Veronica told him to learn to protect himself without weapons and he wanted to make her proud

Lance can sew, knit, crochet, etc, because he wanted to help his mother and grandmothers and sisters

Lance is a disguise pro because of his sisters

Lance is amazing at acting and lie detecting because of his younger relatives and siblings

Lance can dance in practically every way, revealed through pole dancing and aerial silks, and Lance is so flexible Hunk insists he has no bones, all because he played Twister and limbo and refused to lose - and then took gymnastics and dancing classes when his aunt found out and paid

Lance has multiple service animals because his mind doesn’t work like others and he has various needs - each animal does something different

He had a boa constrictor for his anxiety, a parrot to tell him when he accidentally switched languages, a goose to make sure no one hurt his feelings (accidental or purposeful), and a small snake that they couldn’t identify that helps him focus

Therefore, Lance handles all animals extremely well and they automatically love him - several times, he comes back to the Castle with new animals that they can’t get rid of and have to take along

Lance has run and won three marathons so his older brother Phillipe would be motivated to exercise

Lance can swim, climb, and jump better than most people, including Pidge, Hunk, and Keith. He can only swim and jump better than Shiro - they’re matched for climbing, unless they’re in trees, in which Lance wins, because of siblings and relatives

Lance can eat Carolina Reapers without crying because of bets

Lance can sing and knows many styles, including opera - his voice is incredibly strong, and he is told to not sing opera unless there is something protecting other species from the volume - his family would sing together and he took lessons after his uncle started crying at his ‘angelic voice’

Lance is the best diplomat because he understands people and how to get them to loosen up and have fun, which causes them to accept his ‘pack-bonding’ and want to be his ally/friend - because everyone back home was family

Lance can storytell with the best of them because of his grandparents telling their own stories and him mimicking them as he told them about his day

Lance once broke his leg, sprained his wrist, dislocated his shoulder, and scraped himself up really badly because he fell down a steep hill on an island - a few friendly sharks and dolphins came together to help him make it back to home (Hunk’s home because he was visiting)

Caffeine does nothing to Lance - he can consume a gallon of pure espresso without dying or so much as twitching, and he won’t be affected at all. He cannot be addicted, and it’s because his uncle would give him coffee and soda as a little baby when his parents weren’t looking, but he came over semi-irregularly due to travel

Lance cannot get hungover and it takes a whole lot of alcohol to make him drunk. He’s gone to several open clubs, and gotten many drinks bought for him both normally and in a dress and heels - his family had competitions often and he participated from fifteen onwards and somehow was again immune for the most part

Lance can eat a whole pineapple on his own (it was a dare that he worked up to) Lance can whisper at many different volumes and in many ways. He can also throw off his voice. Hide-and-seek tag was fun, especially in the dark where you could freak out whoever was it

Lance can flip knives and screwdrivers and such. He can also throw simple objects with deadly accuracy (pencils) because his brother came out as gay and was bullied, so he learned to flip knives and transferred that to school items, which then transferred to bullies finding their backpacks pinned by a colored pencil that was thrown nearly hitting their necks.

Lance can make a fire easily due to bonfires on the beach. He has no fear for it, and knows minor blacksmithing because him and Veronica liked to make things out of stuff they found on the shore.

Lance has cute hiccups and sneezes, like a little kitten, but only Hunk knows. Whenever someone sneezes or hiccups, Hunk gives Lance a look, waiting for the moment when the cuteness comes. It hasn’t… yet

Lance can do a million what if’s and figure out deep theories for each because his family got bored easily

Lance can mimic practically anything due to a combo of games with siblings and survival skills - and learning to screech in his sister’s ear

Lance can make up a million different swears because they weren’t allowed to cuss around the younger kids. He knows how to come up with the so fast that Pidge wonders if it’s another language for him

Lance is the most protective - Hunk is the only one who’s truly seen what he looks like in a rage (the Galra see - and their ship goes down before they can tell anyone - thank you Black Lion) - Lance will never lose someone in a crowd, and no one can kidnap someone around him - he spent years herding kids in crowded areas and saving them from creeps. He will never lose someone.

Lance is so empathic that he befriends several Galra teams and those eventually join the Blades - he watched his younger relatives fall down and had to kiss lots of boo-boos

He had so many female relatives, Lance knows how to handle periods better than some girls

Lance goes calm when scared - he had to handle whatever danger there was before it could hurt or affect his family - he supercalculates and becomes a supersoldier/assassin

Lance has the best intuition and every human learns this - he knows when something is low quality, when something or someone cannot be trusted, when something is wrong, etc. - Hunk vouches the first time when it’s just humans, and the second time (outside of a battle or something), the Alteans are forced to listen when the four other humans insist Lance should be trusted - it helped him avoid danger

Lance handles stress so well, he barely feels it. His adrenaline is completely on beck and call. He never told anyone but his family because no one else he knows of has achieved a mental switch to the adrenaline rush. He can use hysterical strength on command, but he’s only done it once before. He just goes as calm as when scared if he gets too stressed or if everyone else is too stressed

Lance is the best at grooming - thank you sisters

Hunk and Lance have tattoos and pierced ears (Hunk has a large traditional tattoo on his back); Lance has several tattoos on his center back (flowers and skulls and leaves) with some spreading outwards (vines with more flowers and stuff growing out) and has band tattoos on his shins and biceps; Lance has many piercings in his ears that no one notices unless he’s wearing earrings - his siblings took him to get the tattoos and piercings, and his mother took him to get the first piercings and his father the first tattoo (a small flower on his shoulder blade)

Lance is best at child games like tag and hidenseek because of his family Sometimes, Lance speaks in such complex slang and metaphors that even Hunk barely understands him because he and his siblings and cousins wanted to speak to each other (gossip) without eavesdroppers

Lance cannot control his curiosity well because he had to explore things for and with his family and knew he could handle the situations if they went wrong

Lance loves cute things because of pets and nieces and nephews

Lance learned to talk backwards and can go silent for a long time without losing his voice because of dares

Lance has a high pain tolerance even if he hasn’t been hurt in a long time and it’s helped him (sharks and dolphin incident, saving Coran, just contributing to fight and help his family and friends even in pain) - however, he will likely be extremely dreamy when that happens

ONE DAY: Pidge makes a teleporter and manages to get a friend back on Earth to set up another. She also gets communications up. 

Shiro talks with Adam (this is Adashi and Alluratt), and gets sent some official medals to show he’s a General because of all he’s done and been through. 

Hunk’s mothers and sisters send him homegrown ingredients and some better tools. 

Pidge’s mother spends half the time telling Sam, Matt, and Pidge off for leaving and the other half asking if they’re okay and then sends them each a care package. 

Keith also talks with Adam and gets sent a knife “to remind you of home”. 

Lance’s family takes an hour just introducing themselves to Keith (who Lance insists stays with since he said he didn’t have family - “you can share mine then”) and then spends a good many more telling about what happened; they send over a bunch of shoes and clothes and sewing/knitting supplies and chemistry supplies and etc so he won’t get bored and then Veronica asks him if he can ask Pidge if the teleporter can do it with living things. 

She says it can, but don’t have anyone come because of the danger - Veronica sends Lance’s service animals and they all missed him so much and instantly like the team. 

Maverick is the goose (*tell dad that joke with a straight face*)

Princey is the boa constrictor

Alexander is the parrot 

Cleopatra is the unidentifiable snake

Maverick tries to peck Keith whenever he makes a rude comment on accident, so Keith starts learning what’s hurtful and how to rephrase his thoughts so they’re not as hurtful but still honest.

Princey loves Hunk and tries to hug everyone.

Alex imitates Coran’s voice and uses that from then on unless Coran is around then he’ll bark like a dog once to alert Lance that it’s the real deal - Alex knows that helping Lance is important and Coran helps Lance so using Coran’s voice helps a lot. 

Pidge wants to know what Cleo is, but Cleo doesn’t leave Lance’s side unless necessary because he ‘disappeared’ for the animals.

The other collected animal assortment learn how to help Lance from his service animals and soon he almost always (except battle) has at least three other creatures besides his service ones following him and helping.

Lance took drama class and was in the play put on by the class, but worked backstage as stage manager (was on the floor and used his intuition for lights and sound and stuff)

For the drama club play - he was the lead almost every time no matter how many times he suggested someone else might be better.The one time he wasn’t, he was the love interest (he was Mais Merian instead of Robin Hood)

He always got special recognition when backstage and that time as the interest despite him nominating literally everyone else

Lance has met Mothman - that’s all he tells Keith and co, but he used to get together every Saturday night for stargazing with Mothman and a lovely sasquatch, and they kept in touch when he left for the Garrison; Veronica helped them and let the cryptids know that Lance was okay after communicating with the Paladins.

Mothman was named Emilio by Lance and nicknamed Em. The sasquatch was named Alli.

Lance has been “adopted” by packs of wild animals several times and not always packs. He once was pushed by a bully over the edge of the crocodile enclosure at a zoo (bully just pushed, didn’t mean to make him go over) on a school field trip when he was twelve. They couldn’t get the crocs to give him back til his abuelita came over with a chancla and scolded them until they gave the boy back. 

He was allowed back into the zoo for free so long as he helped when the animals were cranky or needing shots because they were always calm around him. 

He befriended every animal. 

Rosa the gorilla was a lovely little lady who would sing with him and she would start singing the moment she heard/saw him. They had a special song just for the two of them to sing. 

Lance went viral, but not many recognize the twelve year old as him, especially because people stopped posting when it became clear he wasn’t going to stop and they got used to it. 

Keith remembers the hippo video and wishes he could’ve joined that boy. When it is eventually revealed that Lance is the Animal Tamer, he promises to get Keith his own hippo (his uncle bought the zoo when it started to close down a few years back -same people work there, just different ownership. Lance knows his uncle won’t mind) 

Keith is ecstatic and refuses to believe Lance is lying, and Shiro and Pidge worry and are shocked. Hunk knew.

Lance learned to hang upside down like a bat for long periods of time because his family had a huge vacation house with rafters but the house got crowded since everyone would come and Lance would stay in the rafters with Veronica to provide more room and both became known as the Bat Twins. 

Lance uses this to scare the Blades by telling Keith to tell Kolivan about vampires and then hanging from the vents and hissing at people while wearing black and dark red and a cape that he made. 

He also has fake fangs and red contacts so no one recognized him but the humans and now everyone is on the lookout for the vampire in the vents. 

Keith and Shiro never leave the team or disappear. The Blades approach the Paladins seeking an alliance.

Hunk and Lance were pen pals at three because of Lance’s aunt who knows one of Hunk’s moms, and they met at five when the aunt brought him back. 

He went every year for both short and long trips, and the island Hunk lived on accepted Lance into the community, so now he has traditional tattoos on his lower back and across his shoulders that meld with his previous tattoos easily. 

He got the lower back one when he was thirteen and the shoulders when he was fourteen. The bands are a combo of Cuban and Samoan culture in their styling.

Lance had worked on some of his relatives’ farm after school since he was seven. He knows how to milk a cow, herd flocks, lasso (probably lassos a thief at some point), hogtie, farm (plants), make animal calls and whistles, get chickens to obey, ride a horse and a bull, use a scythe like a pro (and terrify Pidge and Shiro on their makeshift Halloween while Keith attempts to figure out how a cryptid, a quiznacking GRIM REAPER, got aboard. Hunk just stands back to watch the chaos), bargain/barter like a pro, withstand extremely strong winds and other storm conditions without falling over (he can walk, make himself heard, and even run and jump and climb like normal), tell when something is sick or ready to be harvested/milked, tend to many animals, speak in farmer slang, and has memorized the planting requirements for many crops.

Lance can stand off in a growl/roaring match (baring teeth and trying to seem bigger) against bears, Alli the sasquatch, wolves, and several Galra soldiers. He came across many Earth predators and knew that his logical mind could overcome his primal instincts that would make him give in to a wild animal. 

Therefore, whenever Lance and co happened on one and needed to scare it off, he would do so by not giving in in the slightest, which eventually broke the other, especially since it was always obvious he was protecting his family. 

If it was two ‘mamas’ (Lance is ‘mama’), then both seemed to feel it and would stand down and head their separate ways.

The Galra found out when Lance stood off against a commander in a ground base and got the enemy to give in. Once the commander was submissive, the others gave in and the base was converted (secretly) to the Blades.

After all, Lance didn’t try to hurt them, simply continued on his way. And he was heard getting the others to not destroy the base because “these soldiers aren’t with the Empire. At least, not because they want to be. They’re with the Empire because it’s all they know. Let’s leave them be now.”

The Blades found out as a whole when a Blade tried to tell Keith off of going on a small reconnaissance mission because he was too small.

Lance came to the defense, and unbeknownst to the Paladins, Lance was then on known as the Caretaker of the group, a type of alpha that doesn’t lead, but is very protective of their pack and is willing to do whatever necessary to protect them. Shiro is the alpha, but even he will give in to the Caretaker if faced off with the alpha side of it.

Lance then finds himself taking less fire during battle, which helped him focus better on protecting his team, because the word got out and the Galra don’t attack Caretakers or kits because they’re the most important. Together they are the future.

Lance is both a kit and a Caretaker, attempting to protect his fellow kits, and that means that they are very hesitant to attack. They have to rethink strategies to avoid lethal offenses due to Lance’s willingness to take the hits and the fact that they are all kits.

There is one adult in their group and it’s a crazy middle-aged Altean.

Kolivan sees the Caretaker up close and personal when he ‘loses’ Keith. Before Lance can do more than growl and prepare to shout and cuss out the Blade for losing his teammate, Keith comes busting out of the vents spouting off about how he was training and then he was asked to go find the vampire and even though he knows the truth it was too good an opportunity, and then he thinks the Blades lost track of him and then he heard the Paladins boarding and it wasn’t Kolivan’s fault, it was an accident.

Lance immediately backs off and tells Keith to use the Castle’s training room. He seriously just got back from the reconnaissance mission, take a break.

Lance can handle many different temperatures because of the weather back home and his siblings often taking him out camping.

Back home, everyone was family to Lance. On Hunk’s island home, everyone around them was family or friends.

Lance and Hunk can walk, talk, sing, dance, and overall move in unison to the point where they seem telepathic. They can do so for a long time.

Their record is three days, where they woke up and went to sleep at the same time and helped each other make food and overall astounded their fellow Garrison cadets. Pidge was there and can vouch that it was terrifying.

Lance will always rescue someone in need. It gains them many allies from Galra, Empire supporters who only support it because it’s all they know, pirates, fauna, some flora, a few allies who were going to discuss the alliance until Lance helped a kid up or saved an animal without any incentive. They all saw a caring nature in a vicious predator and decided that was the perfect ally.

Lance celebrates Hanukkah, Christmas, Días Des Les Muertos (check spelling), a bunch of other holidays and a lot of birthdays because of his large family. He keeps it up in space by either putting up decorations in a few rooms (sometimes rooms that no one visits so they won’t be taken down) or going around saying something like “Happy Marco’s birthday!”

Lance has an incredible sense of smell because of diapers, cooking, identifying nature and other things so he can tell what is in something rather easily and can even track down stronger smelling things with relative ease.

Lance is the flower crown making champ and can make all sorts of styles since his nieces and nephews always wanted them

Lance and Hunk have the worst dark humor and it’s a major surprise, but it comes from being exposed to other people a lot and Lance had social media.

His Instagram is of animals and nature, his Twitter is of weather and the beach and more nature, his Facebook is his crafts and art and occasionally some songs (just audio clips and you can’t really identify him with his voice, he even did opera once), Reddit has theories and he’s incredibly respected for his ideas and theories especially because it’s just for fun and he says that, Tumblr is random stuff and everyone loves him (both the fandoms and the hipsters).

None of his accounts have his face or information, so he’s completely anonymous. Hunk learned from Lance.

Lance has wonderful rhythm because he had to get thirty kids to sing Cotton Eye Joe and do the dances at the same time

Lance never took ice skating lessons but is really good and has had several people offer to teach him or ask him to join an event/team

[rueitae]

Writing Roundup 2020

This is a writing reflection I’ve been doing for myself every year for the last four years. Its a positive boost to myself see how far I’ve come and look back on my progress for the past year and look forward to the new year. 

Everyone is welcome to use this same format if they’d like to do the same! 

~~~~~~~

Stats:

Words written:

330,000, which is nearly half of all the words I’ve written on Ao3 in the last three years. 

One Shots Posted (all fics plance unless otherwise stated):

In the Arms of the Ever(pink?) Tree (4463 words)

For the Plance Secret Santa exchange. Post s8 date/not date on a snowy moon. Love confession. 

Birthday Treats (2129 words)

For Pidge’s birthday this year! Domestic family fluff, breakfast in bed, plance kids.

Begin Again (Together) (4805 words)

Canon divergence from before episode one! Pidge and Lance are established dating when alien intervention brings them to where they are supposed to be: with the Blue Lion. Just a brief look into what the AU would look like. 

Common Ground (4521 words)

A treat for my friends who introduced me to Magic Knight Rayearth and pointed out some fun character parallels. There is this beautiful art Arya made to go with it because we’re all trash for both series. Plance meet up with Fuu and Ferio post series for both couples. 

Bonded To You (1808 words)

For the Langstron Halloween Exchange! Established plance with a baby Lance is trying to keep safe from a witch who would take advantage of the child’s heritage. 

It Tasted Good (6785 words)

Pikelavar for Pikelavar Month! The premise is crack, but it's mostly treated seriously. Pike ate the Jewel of Jitan by accident and doesn’t realize it until Haggar finds them. Meklavar gets Protective.

The Remainder of Days (3188 words)

Part of my Bad Things Happen Bingo. Fantasy AU where Pidge is a minor forest goddess and Lance is her neighbor mortal farmer. 

I Love You a Lily More Each Day (3232 words)

Another of the Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon compliant where Lance is undercover at a flower shop and knee deep in an illegal smuggling operation. 

Lease on Life (4978 words)

This one was also part of Bad Things Happen Bingo and was an experiment. It’s POV of an oldest plance kid, canon verse. Her parents’ Paladin days come back to haunt them one night. Some cute family stuff too in there. 

Ready to Dance (4135 words)

For the Valentine’s Day exchange! Post series. Lance tries to get back into the party scene and Pidge rescues him from a disastrous night. 

Loopholes (5476 words)

Technically I didn’t write this fic this year, but a very kind reader asked if I would post this to Ao3, so it was my first fic of the year on Ao3. It’s Lotura! Originally a gift for a dear friend I’ve had since elementary school. It’s a fantasy AU where Lotor stumbles into Allura’s kingdom needing help. 

Next to Me (7311 words)

Also for Bad Things Happen Bingo, this is probably one of my favorite fics of the year. This is the canon verse AU that went all wrong in s7, and Sendak succeeds in destroying Earth. Lance and Pidge end up not only his prisoners, but also two of the last humans in the universe. Ends open ended, but it became a series in the end!

Into Me (14248 words)

The sequel to the above fic. There are two versions, this and the one below. The title tells all. Lance and Pidge come to terms with their new life aboard Sendak’s flagship and do their best to keep the other comforted.

Into Me (non-explicit version) (7228 words)

Exactly the same as the fic above, only this one is SFW

Sunshine (3831 words)

A Bad Things Happen Bingo! One of my favorite concepts. Canon verse. Pidge gets sick while she and Lance are on a scientific mission. 

Showoff (635 words)

A really short fic for a friend on their birthday, featuring their plance kids!

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

A fic I have been wanting to write for a very long time. I love the concept of Pidge as a Disney Princess in the sense she has the forest guardian theme and all these animals love her. So there’s some play on that as the Paladins stop for lunch on their journey back to Earth in early s7. Lance comes to a realization and they have a chat surrounded by the animal friends. @anchoredtetherart did a phenomenal piece to accompany it. Please look at it in awe here.

The Hardest Part (3960 words)

For Bad Things Happen Bingo! An AU of the episode The Reunion where Pidge doesn’t return when she’s supposed to. 

A Planned Sacrifice (4988 words)

Another Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon verse. Pidge assumes that being a sacrifice for the ‘forest god’ is strictly ceremonial and at worst a wild animal. It’s actually Sendak, who no one has seen since Shiro shot him out of the Castle. He remembers Pidge and is far too pleased to see her again, tied up on a silver platter. 

Almost Forgotten, but Not Gone (3946 words)

Bad Things Happen Bingo. AU sometime in s1 where Haxus isn’t as dead as Pidge thought. 

Touch (7519 words)

Written for the Lance Goes Boom bang! It was inspired by @fenixseraph ‘s amazing art here! It’s a different take on The Way Forward, where Pidge and Lance are separated from the rest of the team and placed in their own cell. And the Red Lion causes issues. 

Chaptered Fics started/added to:

Wolf In Thieves’ Clothing (4516 words)

An AU of The Castle of Cagliostro from Lupin the Third series. Lee, you have my thanks forever for making me watch this finally. Pidge is a literal princess whose kingdom is in the middle of an internal coup. Lance is a gentleman thief who rides with his best buds Hunk and Matt. Their paths are destined to cross again when Lance goes back to the castle he used to call home. 

Game of Love (4593 words)

The most crack of the bunch. AU of Fall the of the Castle of Lions where Sendak and Haxus get away with it all. Pidge and Lance are prisoners on Haxus’ new ship, and Lance finds an opportunity for eventual escape when he learns that Haxus has a crush on his second in command. Operation matchmaker begins. (happy ending planned for all)

What Tides May Bring (20704 words)

Collab with the fantastic @anchoredtetherart for MerMay! Established plance as mermaids and guardians of their elements with adorable mer child. Then angst because they are all captured by a ‘research’ institute. 

Seasons of Magic (16546 words)

I actually added a chapter this year! Ongoing collection of one-shots with mage Pidge who lives in the country and cultivates her plant magic and makes potions with the assistance of her dragon familiar, Lance. Mostly domestic fluff. 

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words)

Added another chapter this year to my Keith-centric AU. It’s basically VLD but five years early and they’re all literally child Paladins. Keith gets to meet Krolia earlier and its fun to go into tween friendships as they try and navigate the reality of their situation. 

Seeds (48833 words)

Added a ton earlier this year. A collection of plance fics all or mostly under 500 words. All meant to be adopted by others if interest strikes. Covers many genres.

Chaptered Fics Finished:

Resolve to Fly (75799 words)

Written for the Pidge Angst Bang. My artist @alchemie0 did an outstanding job capturing the feel of the fic. Look at the art here! Canon verse AU where Pidge encounters Haxus, who has crashed on Earth. She helps him repair his ship in excitement and good faith, which he pays back by kidnapping her. For two years she survives as little more than a housepet on Sendak’s ship. Gen.

Who's Protecting Who? (28989 words)

Also technically not written this yeah, but posted. A collab with Hush waaaay back in 2018. It's a plance Altean AU with Pidge as distant royalty and Lance as a bodyguard.

A Dish Served Cold (21533 words)

Finally finished this one! Canon verse in which Pidge accidentally runs into Sendak on an isolated planet. Sendak takes advantage of this encounter and tries to return to the Empire with her in tow. Much Pidge whump. Gen

Reflections: 

Best title 

I still really really love Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words). Because it's too soon for the Paladins to be Paladins, and for Keith it's not nearly soon enough for Krolia to return. It just feels like it has a lot of heart to it. I hope I can keep it going, but my ideas are incredibly scattered for it. 

Worst title 

Touch (7519 words). Yeah it’s a play on ‘Don’t you touch her’ but it feels soooo dry. 

Best/worst last line

Best: This was really, really hard choice this year, but ultimately, making up for the terrible title, its Touch (7519 words) 

“It feels good to escape the ship with all of his teammates, secure in the knowledge that he has a way forward not just as a Paladin, but also with Pidge.” 

- Not only did I manage to fit the title of the episode in there, it's got that hopeful tinge to it and reflects on personal growth both internally and with Pidge. 

Worst: This one isn’t necessarily bad from Begin Again (Together) (4805 words), but it could be better. It didn’t get quite the epic sense I was hoping to pull from it.

“Okay,” he smirks, hand firmly on the throttle. “Operation save Earth starts now.”

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Definitely wrote way more. Even with posting two fic that are essentially the exact same, I still ended up writing nearly half of my total Ao3 word count this year. (330,000/670,000). Doing Bad Things Happen Bingo was a bit part of that - I was very inspired at the beginning of this year - but also there were many events I participated in (8 total!!) on top of my personal projects. 

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

A really hard decision this year, because there are several that make me really happy. I think oddly enough though, it’s Game of Love (4593 words) because of its potential and how much crack it is. It has such whacky rom-com energy to it but also that underlying angst of the situation I can fall back on. My favorite trope to explore is what happens to the characters when they’re captured. I just really enjoy the concept and the challenge to make such a concept believable with minimal suspension of belief. 

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Using kudos as my gauge (and not counting the chapter fics), the winner is: 

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

Not surprising because Ivy’s art is STUNNING.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

I think that’s It Tasted Good (6785 words), the pikelavar fic. Pikelavar is underappreciated in general

Story that could have been better?

For all I was excited to write Sunshine (3831 words), it didn’t quite fall the way I had imagined in my mind. I don’t know if it was the structure or I was running out of steam or what. All i know is that I wanted more but all I could concentrate on was that scene where he’s caring for her in bed. Maybe I was just too ambitious.

Sexiest story?

No brainer it's Into Me (14248 words). Literally. Which really shocked me that it happened. Didn’t think I’d write any smut at all, let alone this year. This particular fic just kinda called out for it 

Saddest story?

The prequel to the above fic: Next to Me (7311 words). How much more sad can you get than Earth being destroyed, being Sendak’s prisoners all while trying to tell each other ‘i love you’ without seeming weird because you’re the last humans in the universe. 

Most fun?

I think it's Ready to Dance (4135 words). Just Valentine’s fluff and impromptu slow dancing in the park at night. 

Story with single sweetest moment?

I’m picking What Tides May Bring (20704 words). Listen, mer Lance and mer Pidge playing with their mer baby in their domestic paradise is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. Dad Lance has my heart. 

Hardest story to write?

The last chapter of A Dish Served Cold (21533 words) was like pulling teeth. I’m pretty happy with it in the end but at the time man it was so hard. 

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I wrote smut. It was...weird? But also strangely calming. I wrote more for another fic but it's still a WIP. I definitely need to be in the mood to write it. 

Proudest Achievement:

The Pidge Angst Bang. Resolve to Fly (75799 words). Look at that word count. I only wanted something under 3k at first, so it was just going to be Pidge meeting Haxus. But by the time I finished that part it was already 10k. So even though I was going through a rough part of my life, I just kept going and it ended up being my therapy. I’m really proud of the fic and I love my artists’ pieces. It really lifted my spirits. (You should all really go check out the Ao3 collection of all the bang stories and art they are AMAZING you won’t regret. If you love Pidge angst they are all must reads.)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

I’d like to finish my Bad Things Happen Bingo card and then focus on my current WIP, that includes the Seeds collection. There are days I still feel a bit overwhelmed, and I’m still trying to find a routine after moving. I’d like to do more events too, but I think I need to be more selective about which ones I do. I don’t want to burn myself out. 

Apart from that, I’d really like to try and give back to the community more. I’d like to start consciously writing fics for others without an event to go by. 

Past Years:

2017

2018

2019

[discordiansamba]

Your stance on Lance fics is valid but also like. I got into the Voltron fandom more for the fics than for canon, so I ended up with Lance as my fav character even though I kinda disliked him in canon. I liked any Lance-centric ~uwu soft insecure boy Lance~ fic regardless of how it fit with the show bc I didn't care about canon anyway. I enjoy the narrative of "misunderstood soft boi is accidentally mistreated and then everyone realizes how great he is, actually". In other fandoms I hate ooc characters in fics but idk like... I liked the idea of Voltron as fodder for fanfiction better than the actual show. If I cared about the show more, Kieth would probably have been my favorite.

Gonna be honest, I can’t sympathize with this at all. You can do a lot better than reading fics that purposefully write everyone out of character just to make one character look better- why wouldn’t you want to read a fic where Lance gains self-confidence in himself because everyone recognizes the skills and talents he brings to the team without the need for them to be unnecessary mean at first? You’re kind of selling the guy short there, in my opinion.

Like. Lance’s problem isn’t that other people think he doesn’t contribute to the team, but that he thinks they do, and there’s a world of distinction there in that difference. Also it makes him into a boring, shallow one-dimensional character because Lance not only is insecure and underestimates his skills, but at the same time, he definitely over-estimates his skills in something that’s half-act, half earnest belief. It’s an interesting dichotomy and I don’t know why more fic authors just leave it lying on the floor like that!!! Do something with it!!

[klancefics-cache]

canon verse klance fic recs

these are some of my more recent favorites that i’ve been rereading a lot! enjoy <3

hey mom, i met a boy by disasteralex

“Do you think you can love two people at once?”

“I think you can love different people for different reasons but in equal ways. But that doesn’t mean any of those loves are lesser than the rest.”

The war was hard. Its end is even harder. But when Lance breaks, Keith and the others are there to help him heal.

Somewhere along the way, Keith finds his place in the universe, Shiro gets his happy ending, and Lance learns to fall in love again.

sweetheart by jilliancares

“Sorry, babe,” Keith says. He even smiles, no doubt proud of himself.

And Lance knows it’s his fault. He started it, after all, but at least the biting term of endearment made sense when he was the one doing it. Keith had been talking to him like they were some old married couple. The kind who’ve been married too long and don’t love each other anymore and gripe over meaningless shit, only managing to piss each other off even further.

That’s why Lance called him dear. Because it made sense in the situation. It was a calculated insult. A strategic jab.

Keith, on the other hand, is weaponizing the term of endearment without any rhyme or reason, simply to get back at Lance.

Or: Keith and Lance have gotten into the habit of using pet names as condescending insults. They're not really terms of endearment.

Coming to Terms by gtgrandom

Once again, there are six paladins and five lions. As the team makes their way home to Earth, Lance musters the strength to say goodbye to his friends. Klance-centric, minor Adashi/Shadam.

Or - Keith has lots of feelings and Lance wants to leave the team.

(The S7 and S8 that could have been)

+ fanart

Due West by europa_report

“Why did the blue lion choose you?”

Lance’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. He was an expressive boy. He wiped the shock away quickly though, smiling easily as he took a small sip from the drink he held.

“Dunno. We had a connection, I felt it the second I stepped into that cave. You know, the one Keith-“

“I know,” Krolia said tersely. “I found it.”

-

Flashbacks to Krolia's interactions with the blue paladin, as the pair fight for survival on a barren planet, stranded on their way to Earth

in this moment, you mean everything by rosedvst

“You really wanna kiss me, Kogane?” Lance asks, suddenly serious. His fingers twitch anxiously and his teeth gnaw at his bottom lip.

Keith looks at him through the screen, right into his blue-brown eyes. (He can never tell what color Lance’s eyes are--they always seem to be shifting and changing in the light, just like the inside of a kaleidoscope.) “Yeah,” He breathes. “Yeah. You just said you wanted to make me a mixtape in a declaration of your love to me. I want to kiss you so hard right now.”

deadline by jilliancares

Lance receives a prophecy he didn't ask for — one that comes with a countdown on his wrist and the knowledge that he's going to die.

--

A 30-day-challenge written entirely using prompts!

(And in case you're not one to read tags, just know I'm not a sadist and Lance is my favorite character. In other words, you can expect a happy ending.)

review: this one had me FUCKED UP it’s a must read

[kitweewoos]

Kayti Recs Fics (An Incomplete List) - Part Two

Back at it again! Here’s another list, because I had fun, and I want to promote some great fics and some great authors! Check them out, give them love, follow the authors! (I’m trying to grab different authors for each one, but some will inevitably pop up multiple times, looking at you, Al, because turns out all of my favorite fics are written by the same authors). If you want to rec me stuff back, hit me up!

Check out Part One here.

7+1 times lance hunter falls in love by lazyfish ( @bobbimorseisbisexual on tumblr) - Lance Hunter centric, multi-ship, T, 2k

The thing about falling in love is that it always teaches you a lesson - and Lance Hunter has a lot of lessons left to learn.

Just One Night by AgentofShip ( @agentofship on tumblr) - Hunterfitzsimmons, E, WIP  

Jemma has the most amazing and unexpected sex with the sweet and sexy bartender and his equally attractive friend but with how busy her life is, she decides that it's better to make it a one time thing. Until their paths cross again in the most awkward way and she has no choice but to reconsider.

Pulled Under by Springmagpies ( @springmagpies on tumblr) - Fitzbobbi, G, 1k

One of the first things a captain teaches his crew is not to talk to mermaids. However, when ship carpenter Leo Fitz meets one while repairing the ship, he can't help but disobey the rule. For he has never met someone as interesting at the mermaid Bobbi Morse.

you were still pretending (i knew i wasn’t) by DoctorFitzy ( @holdendadcliffe on tumblr) - TrevorDeke, G, 3k

In which Trevor learns that Deke has never been to a carnival.

An Odd Family Tree by Cheeky_the_Monkey ( @the-hidden-writer on tumblr) - Fitzsimmons Family, T, 28k

A series of snippets from the lives of the FitzSimmons family, set post 7x13.

Fitz snorted. “Are we sure that soulmates would be able to create a Deke?”

All of a sudden, the couple froze. They hadn’t said that name aloud in years. It was like an unspoken agreement between them, that they would both lock that name and the memories associated with it in the deepest, darkest corner of their hearts. It stayed that way for just over twenty years. They had moved on and had tried to forget.

The worst part was that they had forgotten, and they knew that, from this moment on, they would never be able to forgive themselves.

Also, the series of events that lead up to the birth of their grandson.

The Golden Stage of Autumn by for_the_love_of_wolves ( @for-the-love-of-wolves on tumblr) - Fitzhunter, T, 1k

Fitz and Hunter say goodbye. (Written for number 28: "Drive safely.")

England Keep My Bones by stanningjay ( @stanningjay on tumblr) - Fitzhunter, E, 25k

Post WWI London, England. Alastair Fitz runs the Framework, one of the city's most powerful gangs. His son, Leopold Fitz, struggles with his father's toxic notions of what it means to be a man, trying to live up to the heavy expectations as the heir apparent of the Framework. He's searching for a friend, and he finds Lance Hunter--a brawler newly recruited by his father's men. Lance Hunter, however, has some pretty big secrets of his own.

BONUS ROUND:

Men Out of Time by @the-writer-girl-nerd - Daisy/Sousa/Deke, WIP 

[emphasis-all-mine]

hi mem!! a few months ago i read your fic--the one where james griffin couldn't help his parents falling in love--and i fell in love with it. it makes me unbearably happy in this nostalgic, melancholy way. just absolutely beautiful. now, im starting to write my very first fic--an adam-centric adashi piece--and i'm wondering if you have any tips for a first-time fic writer? plot tips? characterization tips? background music tips? coffee tips? anything you have, i'll take. thank you so much!! ily

Thank you!! Somewhere A Clock is Ticking is one of my fave things I've ever written and I legit cried during both the writing and editing process of that story so it makes me so glad you enjoyed it!

I'm really excited for this fic! I think Adam is such a good character to start with if you're working on your first because we know very little of his canon persona–and that means you get to unleash all your creativity to flesh him out. He can be from any background, speak any language, have little or a lot of family, etc. I love getting to create an Adam-sona anytime I write him in. Sometimes he's a calming partner, a stubborn and stern teacher, or a wine-uncle fun idea machine.

I have a LOT OF TIPS but I'll try to keep this to the point because really I could ramble for days on this subject so feel free to message me or hmu again for any follow up:

Write a story that you would want to read. I know this seems obvious but the easiest things for me to write are when I think "I want to read THIS in a fic and it's so specific that I will just go ahead and make it for myself and not care if anyone else likes it." Write for your own enjoyment, first and foremost.

Make a soundtrack first. I can only speak for myself but when I set up a story I also set up a playlist in my head and I write while listening to it. Sometimes I think of it like a movie soundtrack and different songs belong to different sections. IDK it helps me when I have to switch tone or POV or write a lot of action without dialogue? I sometimes do use those relaxing beats to study to soundtracks/streams, if that helps? I say try to avoid podcasts bc they can muss up your concentration with dialogue but to each their own. Hit shuffle and keep an eye (ear?) on what music works best for you!

Give your character a weird quirk or a strange habit or a funny story their parent/bff/sibling can tell from their childhood. Some of my personal favorite headcanons are: Keith loves Dolly Parton, Lance attempted to eat a jellyfish off the beach as a child, Allura puts milk in before tea, Shiro has a secret terrible sense of humor and can't hold his liquor, etc. You can even make one up, the more specific the better. Right now I'm poking around with a story idea involving Lance being really into limericks.

You are going to project at some point, and that is so okay. Put a story in about character A and character B doing a silly thing you and your friend/cousin/whoever did when you were a kid. Make that quirk be something you do (like maybe you're a 30-something college graduate that still lisps and stutters when she tries to say the word 'specific' haha what? Who?) But seriously, stories that have a grounding in reality help the reader suspend disbelief especially if you're working with a fantasy/scif-fi canon or AU. Writing Adam as a time-traveling were-panther? Make him that, but he's also super-into Magic: The Gathering and he teaches all his fellow time-traveling were-cats how to play and now they all kick his ass and he sometimes regrets it. It gives your reader a way to relate to your character and they'll be more willing to suspend disbelief for zany hijinks or they won't see someone that's too perfect or too invincible.

Your audience can infer more than you realize, so don't be afraid to not tell them if something is funny or sad or beautiful. Just write what it is and let them make their conclusions. Tell them that the first kiss between two characters was messy and wet and someone bit the other's lip but then they rest their foreheads together and laugh and just breathe, hands intertwining. You don't have to say 'they did so romantically', because if you describe a thing that you think is sweet or funny or romantic in an honest way, it reads through.

To quote the Beastie Boys, I like my sugar with coffee and cream? But yeah, always good to have prepared some writing snacks and beverages and take breaks!

Hope this helps! Good luck!!

[crystalelemental]

“alphakuriboh: Eh, you already know I disagree with you on Ash so leaving that part alone, tho I also don’t know that he really counts as an Anniversary alt so dunno what he’s taking away from since we didn’t really get any other info yet. As far as new move type, it’s unclear if it’s unique to him or not. It’s some kind of like, powered up regular move that you have to unlock somehow first? Not sure.

What constitutes a “cohesive anniversary” anyway? It’s not like the units in the previous Anni events have had much of anything in common besides slamming down a bunch of fan favorites and free shit.”

They’ve only been a slap-dash as long as I’ve been here.  First year was rounding out the Kanto protags, it’s why people were expecting the Johto protags as a thing around second anniversary as a follow-up.  1.5 anniversary brought in all the remaining Champions and introduced the first Master Fair.  I’m not expecting a huge theme, but given the setup of “Champion focus,” I had expected some kind of theme around that.  While it almost definitely meant Cynthia and Leon, it had the opportunity for Diantha to get an alt, Iris to get an alt, or even Lance given that some people seem to have wanted it.  You know, an opportunity to thematically drag in an option that may not be as popular.  And that’s all gone now, so I’ll proceed to not get my hopes up.

I’m in such a bad mood I really want to fight about Ash, but it’s probably for the best this way.  Didn’t they state pretty directly that it’s coming out on the anniversary date?  Regardless, I hate the move, and I hate anime presence in this video-game-centric universe.  The move is just adding nonsense, I’m really not confident I’ll like it, but depending on how stupid it is I can let it go.  But uuuuuugh do I not like the sound of “Buddy Moves.”  It sounds like Ash’s stupid snowflake cheat bullshit that makes me hate Greninja as much as Lanto-T.  As for the anime issue...man, if this sells well, it’s Three Houses in FEH all over again, you do realize that, right?  Like they’re going to just overwrite everything about the games for the anime, because it performs better.  We already know about why SS Serena sold well, if Ash follows suit it’s fucking over.  The hell is a Jasmine or a Caitlin, those aren’t important in the anime, relegated to darkness forever.  Every female protagonist is now just Ash’s travel companion.  I’m already angry and it’s not even happened yet.  I did not want this, and Ash as a free unit like a Master BP or whatever could’ve at least sidelined the story issues, but apparently that’s not happening.