#the fresh prince of the galra empire

[atlas7seo]

Everytime I think I'm free, Voltron comes and grabs me in a choke hold. So I'm dragging yall down with me. Here's season summaries of the Voltron Rewrite I'm working on that has taken over my life. I call it my Bootstrap AU which will make sense later.

Inhales* yes this happening...

Season 1 -Defenders of the Universe

Garrison student(Lance, Hunk, and Pidge), expelled student Keith, and Lieutenant Shirogane suddenly find themselves in an alien castle courtesy of a giant Blue Mechnical Lion. Upon arrival they stumble into a 10,000 year long war against an Alien Race called the Galra. Voltron, an ancient weapon, is the only way to stop them, however, no one knows where it is. Follow the Crew aboard the Altean ship as they attempt to get the ship operational, track down lions, and discover their destiny as fated Paladins of Voltron all in a fight against the Galra. Season 1 ends with the Paladins forming Voltron for the first time and becoming Defenders of the Universe

Season 2 - The Voltron Coalition

Now that Voltron has finally been found and formed, the Paladins and Alteans attempt to form allies and liberate planets. Follow our crew as they free planets, negotiate with rebel forces, and infiltrate Galra occupation. All the while searching for a mysterious Ulaz who rescued Shiro and Ulaz's mysterious organization. Season 2 ends with the Paladins meeting the Blade of Marmora and one of their leaders, Lotor, disgraced Prince of the Galra.

(Let's address the elephant in the room. Lotor. Okay, so when I was planning my rewrite, I realized that Lotor is both so compelling and so flat. So, instead, in my rewrite, Lotor is a disgraced prince (still like the original). He sees how the empire is hurting his people who are just civilians, and when he tries to reason with his father, he is disgraced. Lotor didn't make the Blade, but he allied with them in an attempt to return the Galra to what they once were. Lotor is somewhat selfish because if it was between Galran citizens or another planet, he'd pick his people. He only rebelled because he saw how his father was hurting his people. He doesn’t actually care about the universe, his people are what he values, but that changes with *character growth*)

(Also Pidge has found Matt by the end of this season)

Season 3 - The Galran Empire

Season 3 follows our crew and the Voltron Coalition as they formulate plans to end the war at its head. They will form an alliance and plan with the Blade and Lotor. This will be an all out attack on Zarkon including the allies in the Coalition. Half the season will be the plan in motion with multiple parts in an attempt to finally stem the problem at its root. The season ends with Shiro and Lotor dealing the final blow on Zarkon and a rogue wormhole begins to pull him through, but in Zarkon's rage drags Shiro with him.

Season 4 - A New Era

With the loss of Shiro fresh in their minds, Voltron struggles to find stability in this new era. First they realize that despite Zarkon being defeated, the Galra empire is still a threat so they must be able to form Voltron again. *Cue lion switches no matter how much I hate them... Now the Paladins will be allied with Lotor as he attempts to claim the Galran Throne. Throughout they will face Haggar, Robeasts, and the dying flames of the Galran empire. During this chaotic period, they will searching for Shiro and Sam Holt. The season ends with the Kral Zera where Lotor ascends the throne.

Season 5 - Fires of Purification

After facing defeat during the Kral Zera, one of Zarkon's top generals, Sendak begins to gather the remaining "loyal Galra" including Haggar to form the Fires of Purification. This season will continue the search for Shiro and Sam while also being stuck in a Galran Civil War. Voltron, Lotor, and the Coalition fight to stop Sendak from gaining control of the Universe. The season ends with Sendak offering a trade. Shiro and Sam for Lotor. (Like in the actual season 5 because I liked what it did for the story). Voltron and Lotor form a plan and rescue them as Sendak retreats with his tail between his legs.

Season 6 - Moving Foward

With the win against the Fires and the return of Shiro and Sam, it seems things are looking up, but something isn't quite right. With little fanfare Sam chooses to return to Earth to prepare them for the universe. This season is mostly made up of interpersonal conflicts and "what now". The universe is mostly free save for a few pockets of Galra uprising that the Coalition can handle relatively easily without Voltron. The Paladins face the problem of what they should do now and if they can even go back to how things were before the war. While also worrying about Sendak and the remnants of the Fires of Purification. Throughout this, Shiro is also acting really weird. Cut to the real Shiro, but on a Space Whale. (Yes I'm bringing back the weird time distortion whale) When Zarkon grabbed Shiro they landed on a space Whale. So Shiro is trying to survive and get back to Voltron by himself with only Zarkon's corpse as company. Shiro is the one who discovers the Altean Colony (in my rewrite, Haggar is the one running the colony) and he then discovers Haggar's plan to trick Voltron with a clone of him. It's a mystery thriller season switching between the Paladins and the real Shiro as he desperately attempts to get back to his crew to warn them before its too late. The season ends with Shiro warning them too late and Haggar's plan succeeds. Voltron is torn from their allies and catapulted across the universe along with a lost Romelle.

Season 7 - Dead Sector 73

(Ok before I continue the summary, I'm going to explain what I did with Earth. So Weblums eat dead planets in order to use that quintessence to make new solar systems and planets. In my rewrite, Earth's solar system and the space sector around it was a series of dead planets Weblums ate a long time ago and Earth is the first planet to begin exhibiting life in this previous dead sector. Earth is the first living planet in Dead Sector 73. Okay now onto the season summary.)

Sam returns to Earth and begins preparing them for the Galaxy. Back to the Paladins, Haggar has successfully removed Voltron from the equation and begins to rally allies to the Galra's previous motives and moves to retake the universe. Voltron finds themselves lost in Dead Sector 73, a section of the universe Weblums have already eaten and has begun the process of life. They realize they can't reach their allies through comms or anything. But they notice they are somewhat close to Earth. So they set off to reach Earth in the hopes of communicating with the Coalition. When they reach Earth, however, they find Sendak has taken over Earth as a last ditch attempt to get revenge on the Paladins for destroying the empire. And on top of that, that they have been missing for nearly a year. (Weird time distortion stuff like the space whale because of the dead space). They also discover that Sendak is the reason they can't use their comms as he's jamming all signals that travel outside the solar system. The season ends with them defeating Sendak and finally getting ahold of their allies.

(Now I'm going to do some more world building stuff. This is information previous seasons would originally have already told, but I'm putting it here. So the Blades have the motto "Knowledge or Death" and I want to use that somehow. So in my rewrite, the Blade sort of stole the philosophy from the ORIGINAL Galran empire. The war began not because of quintessence poisoning, but because the Galra believed Knowledge or Death. It was a disagreement on ethics and how far you should go in the pursuit of science and knowledge. This disagreement about how to handle the quintessence plane between Zarkon and Alfor sparked the initial conflict as Zarkon wanted to save his wife no matter what. However, due to millenia of exposure to quintessence it degraded Zarkon's mind to the point that he became the villain the show knows today)

Season 8 - Tomorrow and Yesterday

When Voltron and Earth finally reach the Galatic Stage, they discover Haggar has been reigning terror over the galaxy using the Alteans from the colony. While the Coalition and the Galra of Lotor's empire are holding ground, they are beginning to lose. This is when it's revealed that after Zarkon lost his mind to quintessence, Haggar was the one running the show. She must have progress, and now Alfor and the Alteans are no longer in the way for it. (Haggar is still Honerva and born Altean). This season focuses on defeating Haggar and freeing the Alteans from her brain washing. In the end, Honerva destroys all universes by attacking the quintessence plane in pursuit of "scientific knowledge." The Paladins kill Honerva but realize that everything is gone. This is when the Lions come to them. They reveal that sacrificing themselves can restore their universe. "Restore our universe? But what about all the others?" The Lions tell their Paladins that they in themselves are a Causal Loop. The Lions must be sacrificed to restore their universe, and sacrificing them in the quintessence plane it causes them to appear in the past as the materials that Alfor uses to create the Lions. The Lions are forever in a perpetual loop being created and destroyed to maintain the universe. However, each time they do this, they are sent back to another universe as well. It's a multiplying paradox. They are created and destroyed infinite times to restore everything Honerva destroyed. (I did this because I wanted to include the multiple universes the show had, but also, according to my rewrite, the original Voltron could also technically be canon somewhat. It just that in that universe. Allura sacrificed herself, causing the Lions to no longer go through the loop). When the Paladins return, they realize the quintessence plane is sealed off. No one in their universe can ever reach it again. The universe is saved, and the Paladins walk forward to tomorrow, knowing that yesterday is in good hands.

The End

Okay so that was a lot. I hope that if you reached the end of this, you enjoyed it. Do you think I improved it? Or maybe it's just as convoluted and bad as the original, but I tried my best to take all the ideas from Voltron and fit them coherently. Since these were just season summaries there's a lot of stuff I didn't include that I am including in my in depth rewrite like Keith being half Galra, and shipping and stuff. But this rewrite has been eating at my brain for two weeks so I had to put it somewhere.

The reason it's called the Bootstrap AU is obviously because of the Causal Time Loop. No real reason why I added it, I just thought it was fun and funky and shows how the Lions are things that the characters can never truly understand.

[yagine-doodles]

I don’t draw for fandoms often cause I always worry that I’m not drawing the characters well enough, but I couldn’t resist doing a Lotor doodle.

Kind of an experiment with screentones too.

[d-cockroach-blog]

The Fresh Prince Of The Galra Empire by mistake.jpeg

I’m just I have no words

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 43: Lost and Found Part 1

Shiro and his team are sent to retrieve a high-profile individual. They don't exactly get what they came for.

First  Previous  Next

They’ve been riding all day, Shiro and his team. The pine forest isn’t at all one of the roughest places to be, though it isn’t the easiest either. Wild wolves roam the ground and kronil loom in the trees. Not to mention vakalt, grinongins, and riesmekts.

“Remind me again what Zarkon wants with this traitor,” one of his men grumbles. Haxus, as usual. Patience yields focus.

“He wants to see his littermate, so he has asked us to summon him to the Imperial Compound. Akira hasn’t seen the Emperor since before Prince Lotor was born, and he reportedly has a kit of his own now.”

“A kit? As in one, single kit?” Ulaz asks, confused. “Are he and Emperor Zarkon far apart in age?”

“His mate’s been serving nearly twenty decaphoebs, so no. Just one, nearly grown.” Shiro frowns. “Odd, but maybe there's a reason. We’re nearly there.”

“We should be out killing Alteans, not inviting traitors over for dinner,” Haxus bites.

Shiro suppresses a sigh. All Haxus cares about is killing. He himself has begun to grow tired of it, suspects that perhaps his liege has as well. Zarkon’s marriage to an Altean managed to settle their disputes for a while, but the citizens were still finding each other a… ‘nuisance’.

With the invention of prolonged space travel, both peoples were struggling to be kind to their closest neighbor. So different from one another, Daibazaal’s first visit from Alteans had led to misunderstandings. The discovery that they were not alone had rapidly shifted from a relief to an inconvenience, then on into war.

“What the-” Drama turns, peering with keen eyes into a particular stand of trees.

Shiro twists to look. “What is it?”

The lieutenant frowns, suspicious as she inspects the forest. “I thought I saw something.”

“A kronil, sir?” Firn draws his sword. “Should we form up?”

Sniffing the air, Shiro rotates his ears, surveying the forest. “... I don’t smell anything, but yes. Drama, take point. Entri, take her left. Firn and Grat, take her right. Stagger yourselves. Sendak, Haxus, flank on either side and just behind us. Make sure nothing comes up on us from the back.”

“Yes, sir!” The squad rearranges their elk, keeping the disturbance and their firepower on their right. Shiro remains in the middle, where he can more easily monitor everyone.

“Sir? What if-”

“Don’t worry, Entri.” Shiro turns back to smile at the young soldier. The Galra has very little experience. Shiro's taken the youth on more as a favor than anything else, but she has talent. She’s just a little more timid than Shiro would prefer.

“Kronil are dangerous, but if it was a kronil, we’d likely smell it by now. It’s probably just a primate.” To Shiro’s relief, that seems to set Entri at ease.

“It was bigger than a primate,” Drama whispers. “But I agree it wasn’t a kronil. Thank the gods. I’m not in the mood to get turned inside out today.”

“Maybe tomorrow?” Grat teases.

“Alteans?” Sendak murmurs, gaze piercing the trees.

“Doubtful. If it was an Altean, we’d have seen white or nothing at all.” Shiro scans the edge of the forest for- there it is. A small trail cut into the trees. He frowns, eyeing the-

“A bit overgrown, isn’t it?” Drama murmurs. “Looks pretty unused.”

Sendak grunts in agreement. “What respectable bearer would want to live in the woods like a hermit?”

“General Krolia,” Grat whispers in awe.

“No fuckin’ way,” Sendak counters.

“Way. She ran off with Akira several decaphoebs before her first season!”

“So a traitor and a runt. Sounds like a perfect match,” Sendak grunts.

Shiro rolls his eyes. Haxus and Sendak sound like an equally perfect match.

“She’s advanced faster than you, sergeant. She’ll be a commander before long,” Ulaz murmurs. “Took over Akira’s required service. Better for the kit, I suppose. Or perhaps Akira refused to fight. He left in protest of the empire.”

With a hum, Shiro pushes to the front, black cloak falling over his elk’s back. “We’ll have to go through in a file formation. Haxus, right behind me. Sendak at the back. Everyone stay close and watch the trees.”

A short ride into the trees, and they come across a den. It’s simple, traditional, three connected domes, stones sealed together with clay, a sun- and weather-beaten cloth covering the entrance. The top of one of the small domes has crumbled inward. The oven in front, a collection of stones, seems long since crumbled to pieces, the fire pit charred.

“Sir, are you sure there’s someone living here?” Firn whispers. “It seems abandoned.”

Firn is right. Frowning, Shiro dismounts his elk, passes the reins to Haxus. It looks like no one’s cared for this den in a centaphoeb. Everything is quiet and still. Ulaz dismounts, coming up behind him as he crouches in front of the fire pit.

“It’s warm.” Someone is here, but something is very clearly not right. He turns to Ulaz, whispers quietly. “Watch my back.”

Creeping toward the den, Shiro readies his blade, keeping it loose in its sheath. Ears pricked, he pushes the tattered cloth aside. He notices that someone attempted to mend a hole in it, tried with an unsteady hand to reinforce the fraying edges.

Inside, the furniture stands still among scattered earth, leaves and twigs. Ulaz whistles softly, points to scrapes trailing from the legs of a small stool. In another, larger chair, is a threadbare blanket. Careful not to touch it, Shiro sniffs the fabric. The scent is strong. Fresh.

Ulaz comes after him, sniffing the blanket. “Sir.”

Shiro nods. It doesn’t smell at all like a Galra of breeding age. It’s soft, sweet, young. In need of protection. The kit. He offers the sire of one, about to be four, a communicative look. Ulaz nods. He can handle this.

They’ve both experienced this before, and it doesn’t get easier.

A rustle to their left, and Shiro keeps point, Ulaz watching his back in case it’s a diversion.

This room is for sleeping, a tattered bed still hanging from the ceiling. A sense of dread begins to simmer in Shiro’s chest as he eyes the single indentation in the thinly stuffed bed.

“Sir.”

“I know. I see it.”

A commotion outside has them running, Sendak’s shout raising alarm. Shiro skids to a stop, notices one of their elk is down, his soldiers glaring up into a tree. Entri has her sword drawn, Firn and Grat have their bows, and Drama is seething. Sendak throws a rock and-

A yowl in response. Shiro runs up, stares up into the branches of a nearby pine. His jaw drops, heart falling with it.

In the tree is a scrawny, naked kit, hissing, snarling, glaring down, ears pressed flat against their skull. Feral. Kits always go feral left alone like this. It happens too often, and there's not always anything they can do for them. One this old? Shiro doesn't like their chances.

“Hey, it’s okay. What’s your name?” Entri asks. Trying, but lacking the needed experience.

“Fuck that shit.” Sendak surges forward. “You! Get your ass down from that tree right now, or we will shoot you down!”

The kit hisses, shrinking as small as they can in the tree. The strip of longer, thicker fur down their back stands straight on end. It’s clearly been a while since they saw another person. They're timid, not eager for a fight. It's a good sign. It suggests they recognize their own kind.

“Sendak, stand down. Everyone get back.” Everyone steps back as Shiro steps forward, Drama still grumbling about her dead elk. “Right.”

The kit shifts, eyeing him as he approaches.

“Well, well, well. Intersex. Not every day you see one of those, eh Shiro?” Haxus snickers. “Oh, and a tail. Weren’t for their size, they’ll be downright pretty when they grow up.”

It’s true. The kit has to be around seventeen to fit the timeline, and yet they are indeed small, still on the slender side. Their tail is wrapped tightly around the branch as they lean forward, hissing fiercely, claws extended, digging into the bark of the branch. A tangled braid hangs down their back.

“Hey. It’s alright.” Shiro sets his blade down on the ground, holds his hands up in surrender. The kit growls, huddles against the trunk of their tree. “Do you have a name?”

They only hiss, eyes narrowed to slits.

“Okay, it’s okay. Um.” Shiro hesitates. “Do you- Do you know a man by the name of Akira?”

The kit blinks, softening enough to reveal large, violet eyes.

“Is- Is he your sire? Do you know him?”

Curling against the trunk of the tree, the kit’s ears droop. Seems they can understand what Shiro’s saying, but he has a sickening suspicion that they haven’t had someone to speak to in some time.

“Where’s your sire, kitten?” Shiro murmurs. “What happened here, hm?” After a long pause, the kit relaxes a bit.

“Hey.” Shiro reaches up to try and touch them, but they flinch, curling tighter against the tree. The sun is going down, cold starting to creep in. Shiro cuts the cloak from his armor, hangs it on a branch just below the skittish stray. They stare at it for a second, glancing between him and the cloak, then slowly reach down, lifting it up to their own branch.

“You can have it. It’s nice and warm. And don’t worry about the elk. It’ll taste good, and we can get another one when we get back to the compound. Nobody’s mad-” Please keep your fucking mouths shut, guys. “-and we’re all good, okay?”

Sniffing the cloak suspiciously, they seem to find it satisfactory, wrapping it around their shoulders, still curling into the tree trunk. Now that their alarm has dissipated, all that’s left is a trembling kit sitting mostly naked on a tree branch.

“Okay.” Shiro breaths out soft and slow, takes careful steps back, his squad following his lead. “When- When you’re ready, maybe you can come down?”

The kit stares at him for a long moment, then ties the cloak so it hangs off one shoulder. They sit quietly in the tree, watching. Shiro turns away. “Alright, soldiers. Let’s set up camp. We need to figure out what happened here.”

Up in the tree, a pair of violet eyes doesn’t waver for an instant, following the captain wherever he goes as night sets in.

[starfaring-princelotor]

How would you care for you lover if they were pregnant? In the future of course if youre not ready for children now, but Id love to know how you'd look after them. Maybe if they even have more than one, would that affect anything?

Ah, children are the seeds of the future, no? Is it so impossible to think I have thoroughly thought about having a family to call my own? 

Pairings: Lotor x Reader

★ Disclaimer: I do not ship Lotura and I respectfully ask that this story to not be tagged as Lotura. This is a Lotor x Reader/Self-Insert OC story which is in no way related to Allura at all. Please be respectful of my chosen pairing.  ★

Listen

LISTEN

You don’t understand how shook Lotor is when you say those two words.

I’m pregnant.

The Prince feels EVERYTHING.

Fear, joy, anxiety, worry, pride, oh my stars, he is so proud.

More importantly 

Lotor is fucking HAPPY.

Like his soul has ascended because surely this news?

Best thing that passed through his ears that he MUST have died from shock.

He doesn’t pass out, but he needs a wall to hold and steady himself.

Like that old man clutching his heart meme.

Is his situation ideal right now?

What with the war going on?

Voltron? 

Zarkon’s empire growing stronger and stronger? 

Lotor’s banishment?

No, not exactly suitable to raise children.

So, Lotor will MAKE it perfect for you.

It is not like he never thought about having children before.

In all honesty, he probably thought he did not have time to raise a child in a loving, caring environment.

Let alone find someone who would be willing to bear him a child.

He may be a Prince, but he is not liked by the Galra.

Heritage is important to him and, well, he wants his child to have a sense of belonging.

Not like he did struggling growing up.

What with how awful he was raised by Zarkon and Honerva.

Like fucking hell.

Lotor would NEVER raise his children like they raised him.

Fuck you dad, I’ll make my own family with love and support.

Lotor does not want his history, his past grievances, his war, to be on his child’s shoulders.

So, you know, he had planned.

Very carefully.

He took into account all of his royalty history and how that could possibly affect you and the child.

Every scenario he played out always started with you safely hidden away.

Somewhere no one could even hear about you and the baby.

Generals, continue my work without me. My love and I will be taking a leave of absence.

He does not give a reason for he should not need to explain at all.

I am sorry, but I really feel that Lotor would not even trust his generals to be around you.

10,000 years and he has enemies everywhere.

Does he trust them? 

Yes. 

To an extent.

Too close that if he were vulnerable, they would know where to strike.

That includes you.

But this is his child, his FAMILY, and although he considers his generals part of his family, too.

He wants to play it safe at all angles.

The risk is too high to keep you around others while your belly grows.

Again, Lotor’s paranoia and ingenious mind come into play.

He takes you to some isolated planet that has NOT been tainted by Zarkon yet.

It is not exactly cozy, but listen.

He will try to explain it to you.

Darling, my love, I know this is not the ship nor your home planet, but it is safe.

Please understand I want you and the baby to be safe at all costs.

You know what he really means.

I am a dangerous, wanted man.

There are dangerous people after me.

After you.

So yeah, some small house big enough just for you two and, soon, three.

Lotor is a proud soon-to-be father.

Almost…too proud.

I will teach them all I know, darling.

Fighting and surviving and loving and cooking and reading the stars and -

He also does all the typical things that come with pregnancy.

Feed you, take you out to get fresh air, all the mundane care.

Let’s you cry on him and he tries his best to sooth your worries.

Mostly just by holding you, possibly laying his hand on your belly just to remind him.

Remind YOU

This is ours?

Yes.

We will be okay.

Lotor gets fiercely protective.

Not to the point where his emotions will get in the way should someone choose to harm you.

No, now he is Prince Lotor, the analytical war-raised Galtean who is a force of nature to be reckoned with.

He shows no mercy, only a quick and absolute death. 

Though, during the deep, dark nights where he gets little rest.

Lotor just still can not believe it.

He had doubts in his early life that he might never have a family.

That is one reason why he just turned to working to find a way to achieve his other goals.

But now that this dream is up in his face?

This opportunity?

He will take it head on.

Lotor knows there will be…complications with the birth.

He brings the best Altean doctors from the Colony.

Doesn’t tell them where they are going, only that he requests their aid and, well, who are they to deny him?

However, he still will cut off any way they can communicate with anyone outside the planet.

Safety first.

The Prince even has the purest form quintessence with him, just as a precaution to help you should the pain be unbearable.

He is both Altean and Galran.

He has no idea how your body will handle his genes and yours.

Imagine his surprise when the good doctors do their check ups and tell him.

My lord, the baby is doing exquisitely well.

Oh, good, that’s one fear of his put to rest.

Every day your belly grows bigger and your ankles get sore.

If you are out on a fresh air walk and get tired, he will kneel on one leg and let you sit on his offered thigh.

Lotor, what are you doing?

You are tired, no? Come, sit. Rest.

Pat pat his thigh and you are actually humbled by how dedicated his is to your comfort.

You know he would even carry you back with ease should walking be too tedious for your feet.

He will massage your aching feet.

Lotor is a humble man while watching you nearly fall asleep from his relaxing thumbs kneading your heel.

I can’t say this enough.

Lotor planned the fuck out of this.

“Have you thought of a name-”

“Atlas.”

“W-wha-? Already? But what if its a -”

“Celeste.”

Lotor loves pressing his ear to your belly.

Whether to feel the baby kick or…

Perhaps if he strained really hard, he can hear the heartbeat

“Strong. Our child is going to be strong, my love, I can hear it.”

During all this? 

Sleeping at night, he is the big spoon.

All the time.

In fact, he is probably a little too suffocating in general, hovering around you at every waking hour.

Should you request time alone, he will do it.

By standing outside the door.

Like his entire being can not bear to be away from you.

Guarding, listening very carefully if you need anything.

He’s silent, so you do not detect him still out there.

Perks of star-faring race.

Now, the actual birth.

He is frantic, heart beating way too quickly in his chest.

Looking back, he probably wondered if he was having a damn heart attack.

I bet the moment your water broke, he raced to the doctor’s room and practically dragged them to you. 

Lotor is holding your hand the entire time.

“My love, my darling, my celestial Goddess, the keeper of my heart and soul.”

What he wouldn’t do for you to take this childbirth pain from you.

As much as he wants this, wants a child with you by his side, he knows this has not been easy at all for you.

But oh, when his kin is crying and wailing.

And he hears the doctors say “Healthy.”

Lotor is kissing your sweaty forehead, nuzzling you, praising you.

Thank you, thank you, my love, look. Our child…our family…

His heart? 

FULL.

His soul? 

FULL.

He knows things could have been worse.

Mixed species rarely come out perfect.

But with you?

Somehow, it worked. 

Was it your body? 

Your physiology? 

He did not know.

Did not really think too deeply into it right now.

Yeet those insecurities.

Especially when he’s holding such a small being in his large arms.

“Our child…has my nose. My ears…”

And when that baby peers up at Lotor for the first time?

He is smiling and utterly smitten.

This baby has his entire soul wrapped around one tiny finger.

Lotor sheds one tear, one jeweled star sapphire gem for his pride and joy.

Listen, Lotor is always calculating.

There is never a quiet moment in his head, especially now that he has a family that any enemy could hold against him.

But the moment his child falls asleep in his arms?

Everything in his mind is silent.

For once, he is able to just take in the sight of holding you and the baby in his arms.

He does not leave your side at all for a full month, too enamored at the scene of you cradling the bundle of joy.

It is the sight of his family that pushes his will and dedication not only for you, not only his child, but the future he needs to ensure for all three of you.

Stars and moon above, he is a father, and he will use all his skills he learned from 10,000 years being  alive to protect his family.

[larathia]

Quintessence and Lotor.

A thought I should’ve put here but forgot about until after I posted:

Lotor is not like Haggar or Zarkon, in that he’s born bonded to a Dark Energy Being (DEB). This has some effects on him.

* He doesn’t age at anything like a normal rate. Ten thousand years in, and he looks maaaaybe twenty. Now, we can assume he’s had free access to a basic level of quintessence simply because he’s the Prince, and has apparently got control of whole planets even after he’s exiled. (Basing that on the dude still LOOKS like a prince, has his own generals, clearly is not hurting for resources or cash.) But he ages reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally slowly, and may well have stopped physically aging long before the series begins.

* The man is fixated on the idea of limitless quintessence. His methods are different, quite likely because he genuinely loathes his parents, as well as a practical need to be out of Haggar’s control, but that doesn’t change that he. wants. quintessence. Lots of. And never considers that maybe weaning the empire off such dependence is necessary.

Now...the most controversial aspect of Lotor’s character is how he dies. And let’s face it, he dies loopy. He dies maniacally homicidal, completely unhinged. So what happened?

Well, bluntly, a perfect storm happened and Lotor was at ground zero for it.

* He is dhampir, which means even though he’s had the hunger for quintessence his entire flipping life, he usually can manage it quite well. It’s not a new state or a change for him, it’s a fact of his existence. He’s also half Altean, which means his paranoia/insecurity/negative emotions aren’t going to display as overtly as a full galra like Zarkon would. He’s closer to Honerva’s need to study and control through knowledge. But he is a dhampir. The DEB is part of him. And it is a button that can and ultimately was pushed.

* Quintessence amplifies emotional states. When Lotor went into the field for the first time, it was all good - he was with someone he loved and trusted, there were no threats, no fear. It’s a straight up positive experience, and becomes a Deeply Special Moment when amplified. But the second time? Oh let’s just unpack what he’s taking with him the second time. His girlfriend hasn’t just dumped him, she flat out judo-tossed him across the room. He’s lost all his friends. Haggar shapeshifted into his mother at him and tried the ‘we’re not so different’ speech. So he’s hurt, heartbroken, mortally offended - and oh yeah, in actual danger because Voltron considers him an enemy, and all this happened very quickly. I think it can be conceded that this is an emotional state where even those of us that aren’t half galra, dhampir, and so on might well say/do some things we’d later regret. And then our purple elf goes into the quintessence field, where all of these already intense and negative emotions get gasoline poured on them.

Well, that just wakes the dark side right up, doesn’t it? The dhampir gets handed a goblet of fresh blood right when he’s in a (probably otherwise would’ve been temporary) mood to tell the whole world to fuck itself. Say hello to my crazy friend. Once the DEB is out of the box, as it were, it doesn’t go back in, and Lotor meets his end. One more life destroyed by the dark energy beings of the rift.

[nomadicism]

I struggled to put it into words too. But from way back when we first saw Lotor his design appealed to me since he’s a gender inverted lady of war. Long flowing hair in battle and the armor skirt and even thigh high boots. The initial pitch with Lotor seemed to have made gender be a huge part of his character since all the ladies would have been under his command before that got scrapped in order to not have Zarkon be sexist. I would even dare bet that in the DnD episode Lotor will be the maiden

Lotor as the maiden in a DnD episode would be hilarious.

I’ve generally read his character design as act of defiance on his part—a decidedly Altean-themed look combined with elements of Galran scientist uniforms—it’s his “fuck you dad I’ll grow my hair out if I want to,” while also doubling as subverting tropes applied to female characters. He definitely has shades of “dark action girl who really needed the heroine to be her friend” going on.

At the risk of a rambly-word-vomit: there are three things that have always broke a Voltron sequel/alt-continuity/reboot/etc for me: (1) art style; (2) the treatment of Allura; and (3) Lotor’s characterization. (I’ve included some in-line links to my other Lotor meta posts that I think are relevant).

When it was announced that DreamWorks was going to create a new Voltron series, I was incredibly pessimistic because all prior attempts were broken for me based on those three criteria. Excluding the Robotech/Voltron crossover and Vol 2 of the DDP comics, the characterization of Lotor just could never rise beyond the limitations of Voltron DotU (and those two continuities still had issues).

I love Sincline as a villain within the setting of Golion because he’s completely appropriate for the type of story that Golion was telling. I can’t blame the non-Japanese speaking DotU writers who were given raw Golion tapes (while expecting Daltanius tapes instead) and no script to work from for giving us “Problematic 80s Lotor”, and not being able to wipe out the misogyny towards Allura that was baked into the animation—however—successive series/continuities had no damn excuse for not trying to do better by both of those characters.

I have a complex about both Lotor and Allura and how—as much as I love 80s Voltron and can laugh at it now—that show really affected me as a child and gave me a high bar for any form of fiction that portrayed similar characters, for as you so eloquently put it—“suffering through” the kinds of scenes that continuously happen to female characters—have their start in 80s Voltron for me and I had to stop watching/reading a lot of fiction for a while, as I waited for writers to catch the fuck up with the times. So that’s the baggage that I sat down with when VLD first dropped.

The bar has been low for so long, that I was overjoyed that there was no Lotor at the start of VLD, and after the first few episodes I was so pleased with how so many content/context problems that have plagued the franchise were being inverted, fixed, played with, and solved, that I was excited but anxious to see what they would do with Lotor. It was clear that we weren’t going to get another iteration of Stalker-Space-Barbarian-Lotor, but I was anxious that his characterization wouldn’t break the show for me as it has in the past.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled with the way both Lotor and Allura are written and designed and I can even enjoy a Lotura ship which I certainly never did before. I’m ship agnostic, but always down for ships that subvert tropes or do something otherwise unexpected in a story.

But, like you said, “Lady of War Lotor”: I’m loving it.

That is such a great lens with which to view this iteration of his character. The scene in Oriande really gave me Magical Girl show vibes (Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Wedding Peach, Revolutionary Girl Utena, etc) but more on the Utena side of things for the gender inversion. I’m totally down for Allura playing the protector role (e.g. princess saves the prince), because in any other concept of Allura x Lotor, it would be assumed that he would be her Knight Protector, but in that scene, she’s the one doing the protecting, and he’s the “smart nerdy plot device” that is Allura’s vehicle for her story fulfillment and not the other way around like it usually is.

That was the conclusion that I came to in my answer to @blackmoonbabe ’s question about lotura, when thinking about how the writers handled their dynamic. I still think that we might see this revisited on the flip side, with Lotor doing something to protect Allura, but it’s better that she’s the one who gets that scene first. I don’t think that we’ve seen the last of magical girl show moments with those two.

And that slave comment from Sendak was really interesting because it reveals another layer of how Lotor has been viewed by other Galra, especially those with power. In a way, that’s always been a part of his characterization in prior continuities, in that Zarkon views him as a “tool of the empire” or “instrument of evil.” We’ve just never seen that objectification taken to this level before.

You really nailed that comparison to how that’s never a comment directed at a man by another man. Even with Lotor’s feminine qualities, it’s not a stretch to assume both Sendak and Lotor are coded as cis-gender and straight.

Additionally, Zarkon’s line in Blacksite, referring to Lotor as “my wayward son” really struck me as something that a strict, 1950s father in-denial would say about their not-quite-closeted gay son. I wonder if that was an intentional connection to make—especially with Zarkon’s “my darkest shame” comment in Blood Duel (which can also be read in multiple ways).

To me it feels like Lotor is a byronic archetype that has these gender trope inversions applied (which works very well for byronic archetypes), I’m not sure if he’s meant as a faux action girl, but I can see where that’s coming from.

All iterations of Lotor usually end up having predictable paths to failure based on his obsessions and over-confidence, and that’s mostly how I viewed the times where he’s come up short. His losses definitely makes for a better story because if he won all the time (and he does have wins) then there wouldn’t be any challenge. A character can be competent and still come up short, and in the past this was usually only seen with female characters and some male villains.

The writers still pull from prior continuities (not just DotU), and core concepts behind Lotor’s character remain, but VLD Lotor is a really fresh take on it, and those gender trope inversions you’ve identified are a key part of that.

[camachameleon]

Cam’s Voltron Fic Rec 3/∞

VLD Rec Lists:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Here’s a Fic Masterlist for my other fandoms. ( ** =  favorites )

    **Recoil/Release by Cheshyr

Word count:  22,387 (13/13)

Summary:  When Keith is bitten by an alien creature with venom that causes your dominant emotions to be amplified, the team is ready for a day of dealing with an incredibly angry paladin.

Which means they’re not ready at all for what actually happens.

Comments:  The almost stream-of-consciousness writing of Keith’s parts are really gut-wrenching because it’s as if you are experiencing it with him. (Warning for panic attacks- if you are triggered at all by that sort of thing you may want to sit this one out, it gets pretty graphic). A couple good song pairings for this fic to set the tone are Broken Crown and World Gone Mad.

    **Synergy by Kokochan & Spanch

Word count:  74,064 (10/10) 

Summary:  The vines were large, stiff, gnarly, and thick-stemmed, with blue leaves as big and round as dinner plates, but Shiro’s battle-arm was able to sever several long straggles with ease. The vines draped easily enough over the shuttle and hid it quite handily from view. “Good enough, I suppose,” Shiro said, glaring at the empty greenish-blue sky. “Come on, let’s… Hunk? What’s the matter?”

Hunk was staring at something behind him. “Shiro, don’t make any sudden moves just now, but there’s a really big lizard thing standing right behind you. Um. Two of them.”

Surprised, Shiro turned, albeit carefully. He’d never even heard them approach. That was rather impressive, considering the size of the beasts. It was as though someone had taken a pair of Arizonan horned lizards and rebuilt them more on the lines of a tiger without leaving out any of the spikes, then expanded them to about the size of an Indian elephant and added six large, intelligent blue eyes. Understandably, Shiro froze in place.

Comments: OH. MY. GOSH. OK. SO. This bad boy is Part 1 of 3, so far, with a total series word count of 241,404 at the moment. This beautiful titan of a series is named Of The Pack, and it updates with great speed, considering it has two top tier authors working on it. The several OCs in this story are so lifelike and realistic and fit so well into the universe that I forget that they aren’t actually canon and I kind of miss them when I’m reading other Voltron fics. My favorite part is the world-building it does. Everything about this fic is so dynamic and multi-dimensional, from it’s characters to the epic plot - this is the exact opposite of lazy writing. I am so here for badass Pidge, and the matriarchal Galra culture and the dragons. I👏LOVE👏THIS👏FIC👏

Also there’s magic! (with a scientific explanation, of course)

A cool song that I think goes nice with this fic is Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw.

  The Kids Are Alright by pugglemuggle

Word count:  10,430 (3/3)

Summary:   Three Garrison Cadets Missing After Freak Satellite Crash

By Mara Garrett, News Editor | The Guardian | Monday, June 13, 2103 7:40 A.M. ET

Two seventeen-year-olds and a fifteen-year-old went missing Friday night after a rogue satellite crashed into the desert a few miles away from the Galaxy Garrison Training Facility, reports say. Garrison officials were quick to cordon off the area, claiming many of the remaining satellite fragments were dangerous and unstable. Government search parties have been sent out into the surrounding desert areas. Details are forthcoming.

—

Her brother is missing. Lance’s sister isn’t about to sit quietly while the Garrison keeps lying to the press. No—she’s going to get to the bottom of this.

(Or: The paladins’ families team up to find their kids and overthrow the corrupt Garrison regime. Told through news articles, prose, the internet, and art.)

Comments:  The format of this is very intriguing and fresh. We get to see scenes of our favorite paladins through the eyes of their friends and families, from before they disappeared and the aftermath. The open ending is still satisfying and leaves you with a sense of determination and hope for these characters that you just couldn’t help but get attached to. If you’re big on government conspiracies then this is the fic for you!

  **Patty Cake by Froldgapp

Word count:  7,829 (6/6)

Summary:  Quiet, aloof, and alone, Keith is distant from the rest of the team. Hunk begins to suspect why, and it’s only when the red paladin pushes himself too far, the Voltron gang realise he’s just as vulnerable as the rest of them.

Comments:  Aaaaahhh this fic. Something about this one has me coming back to reread it all the time even though I always cry. It is just so angsty but in a more poignant, sharp, breathless kind of way. Some of the things the characters say send painful stinging jolts into your chest and you can feel your heart cracking and then you get angry because how dare (I mean ch4 tho holy sh*t). I just want to hug Keith so much ugh. Hunk’s protectiveness of Keith gives me the strength to finish this masterpiece every time. Also, this can kind of be Sheith if you squint (or not, if you don’t).

  The Message by Shipstiel

Word count:  132,787 (45/45)

Summary:  (4:07) okay, but considr this, and hear me out here (4:08) so like, a photobooth u can do with ur pets like there’ll be lil costumes that u can dress them up in, and u can do liek, period costumes and shit with them (4:09) omg, can u imagine, u and ur cat/dog, and theyre in a lil 1800s dress and one of those lace umbrella things omg so cute

(4:15) Why the FUCK are you texting me at four in the morning with this

— 

Keith is texted by accident by some idiot one day, and honestly he’s not even sure why he responds. Or why he keeps responding. Yet somehow he finds himself drawn in, and okay, so maybe this fool is mildly entertaining after all. Who would’ve thought.

Comments:  Slowburn Klance Wrong Number AU. These two are so cute I just can’t. This is the perfect story if you are looking for something effortless and relaxing to read. Even though this contains some softcore Langst, it is still a very cute and heartwarming story about two dorks slowly falling in love. It features Lance’s mother who I fell in love with here, and the kind of supportive nosy best friends that everyone wants in real life (i.e. Hunk, Pidge, and Allura).

  **The Quiet by MilkTeaMiku

Word count:  66,700 (32/32)

Summary:  Does he not realize he’s dead?

Keith can see ghosts. As a part of his Garrison training, he’s sent to a hospital to do one year of medical clerkship - it’s there that he meets a charmingly irritating chose who definitely needs to learn what boundaries are.

Comments:  Modern Ghost AU with eventual Klance. This fic is the most suspenseful story I have ever read in my life. Idk if it’s just me, but I just have this feeling building up paragraph by paragraph of an impending… something. And it has my heart racing which is crazy because it isn’t even particularly fast-paced. There’s just a heaviness to the words that have the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. I literally have to take a breather from reading sometimes to calm down. 

A couple cool songs I think set the mood for this fic is Smother and Mirror.

  Finding Home by spacegaykogane

Word count:  26,966 (6/6)

Summary:  After the wormhole collapses, Keith finds himself stranded on a strange planet. Alone. Until Lance comes along. With their lions dead and resources limited, Keith and Lance need to put aside their differences and work together to get home. Wherever that may be, now.

Comments:  Klance. I love Stranded fics where they have to work together to survive and bond over that. So yeah this one has some whump obviously, bc you know, crash landings aren’t very fun. This one is angsty but its balanced out by the fluffiness in the end.

  Cuddle Puddle by nothingwrongwiththerain

Word count:  46,782 (6/6)

Summary:  Unexpectedly, Shiro’s hand landed on the top of his head. Apparently with Lance and Hunk taking up all the shoulder real estate, Shiro would settle for ruffling Keith’s hair.

Keith was fairly certain his soul was about to detach and abandon his shaking body on the couch. He was surrounded, in the complete and total sense of the word, by other people. Not once before, not in his whole life, had he dealt with a situation like this one.

Or, five times Keith found himself too close for comfort and one time he couldn't get close enough.

Comments:  Klance featuring ace!Keith. Don’t be fooled by the fluffy summary, this is a very angsty fic with lots of Keith whump. Basically, as stated by the author, this story is about ‘Keith struggling with physical contact and learning to accept people care about him’. I love touch-starved Keith stories, like this one. I love the scenes with Kidge bros, featuring a super supportive Pidge. 

  At the Beginning by Sakuraiai

Word count:  64,203 (12/12)

Summary:  Inspired by Anastasia

King Zarkon of the Galra empire lost his only way in to the Kingdom of Altea. In his anger, he put a curse on the royal family. The young, adopted half Galran prince Keith disappeared when the palace was overrun, never to be seen again -- or so it seemed. The only surviving princess, Allura, grieving for her child, offers a reward for Keith's safe return.

Con artists, Lance and his best friend, Hunk plan to pawn off a phony to the princess, hoping to reap the rewards. They hold auditions and choose an orphan man who has a remarkable resemblance to the missing prince -- all the way down to his fluffy Galran ears.

Comments:  Can anyone say Anastasia AU?! I waited with baited breath for each chapter to come out and I was not once disappointed. I love the integration of the different alien races in this timeless story, it all works out so well. Keith just wants to find his mommy and I just want to cry. Also Kidge bros are still my fav as always.

  out of orbit by rbillustration

Word count:  78,135 (19/19)

Summary:  Dragged apart by Haggar’s attack on the wormhole, the paladins and Alteans struggle to survive and find one another again. Luck has placed them all within the same galaxy… but their fortune ends there. Lance is stranded with a badly-injured Shiro and his relief at finding their leader still accompanying him soon turns to terror. Keith may be the only who can rectify the situation - but the Galra have him in their grasp, and they don’t want to kill him. They want him as one of their own.

Comments:  ANGST. SO MUCH ANGST. A brainwashed Galra!Keith plus a Possessed!Shiro. This is the perfect recipe for disaster if I ever saw one. If lots of blood bothers you proceed with caution. I love stranded fics.

A good song rec for this one is Darkside.

  VLD Rec Lists:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Here’s a Fic Masterlist for my other fandoms.

[wingedauthor]

Lotor joins the Paladins HCs:

Prank Edition

Poor little Lotor has no idea he's just joined the two ultimate pranksters. Literally everyone on the castle has been victimised by these two trolls.

Of course, everyone on board the Castle of Lions has some level of distrust for Lotor when he arrives. But Lance and Pidge get over that quickly when they see an opportunity: Fresh Meat

So they start with a classic. Green hair dye in the shampoo trick. Make him look like a 🍆. (They already see him as a bit of a dick soooooo)

However Prank Culture is rare in the Galra empire so Lotor legit freaks out when he sees his hair green.

Like his scream is heard through the entire ship.

He is both legit angry and concerned that something is wrong with the castle's water supply.

So much so, even Allura and Coran get worried. But then they see Pidge and Lance rolling on the floor laughing. "Three birds one stone!" They keep chanting... Whatever that means.

They take Lotor aside and try their best to explain humans have odd ways of showing affection towards each other. One of which is laughing at each others' misery.

Thankfully the dye was only temporary and soon washed out (but of course they kept pictures)

Next was the whip cream to the face prank. This was a little harder to execute since Lotor was a light sleeper but they caught him on a night after an exhausting battle.

The ex-prince just wanted some sleep. Not air horns and laughter when he smacked himself in the face full of cream (courtesy of Kaltenecker)

A few more harmless pranks later, Lotor is completely fed up and plotting their demise.

That is till Lance approaches Lotor with a proposition.

You see while Lance and Pidge often team up for pranks, Lance has been unsuccessful in pranking Pidge. She's just too smart.

Hunk gets in on this too. Overnight the three of them make perfect replicas of her tech. Then upload a virus onto the fake ones.

Lotor's job is to switch the equipment while the Paladins are on a mission. He safely stores her real computers inside the next room.

Hearing her scream when she finally heads to her room makes Lotor understand why pranking can be so fun.

They let her freak out a little bit about her computer catching the BOFA virus before coming clean and showing her equipment is fine.

Pidge can't stay mad forever and they all share a good laugh.

It's then Lotor understands them pranking him was their way of including him.

Allura and Coran still don't get it. Humans and now Galra are such strange creatures.

[artswaps]

yes to the fic recs!

OKAY SO, here is a list of gen/platonic fics that are MOSTLY Keith-centric: 

SUPER FAVOURITES: 

These are the ones that are particularly well-written, in-character, or just have a unique and interesting plot. 

Interstice by prettyshiroic (one-shot, 34790 words)

In pursuit of Lotor, the paladins find themselves thrown into a pressing situation deep in the Orconia system. Tensions run high on planet Tukarius, with the future of the universe depending on securing an unexpected alliance. It starts with diplomacy, and it just might end with Keith.

aaah this one was just uploaded a couple days ago but it’s already one of my fav fics ever?? REALLY well characterised, and it packs a big ol’ emotional punch. Very satisfying ending, too, with fantastic character growth. You can tell the author put a lot of love into this. And it has some great platonic klance moments, which y’all know is my jam. 

Hound by story_monger (multi-chapter, 47561 words)

Keith has a lot of practice being alone; you might almost say he’s good at it. When he finds himself seriously injured and stranded on an unknown planet, he knows he’s not alone there. And here’s the worst part: even after rescue and after things return to normal, Keith gets the distinct sense that whatever was on that planet has followed him. He doesn’t have proof. But he knows it’s there. He knows it’s not going to stop until it gets what it wants. 

Another of my absolute favourites. Really engaging plot, some goddamn beautiful prose and a lot of well-written tension. It’s tagged as a horror fic, and there are some potentially sensitive themes (check the tags!) but I promise it’s nothing too graphic, and the ending was actually pretty sweet. The fic deals with a lot of time skips, the first half of each chapter dedicated to the year Keith spent in the desert, and the latter half dealing with the situation in present-time. That setup was used super effectively, and I loved it a lot!! 

When the Cat’s Away by VelkynKarma (multi-chapter, 22758 words)

Fresh after the Olkari liberation, the Voltron Alliance is contacted for assistance in rescuing valuable young hostages from their Galra occupiers. Voltron accepts the challenge, but when the prison break proves to be more complicated than anticipated, they need to change up their tactics…and rely on a few unexpected, and extremely tiny, allies.

Keith is all for defeating the Galra and rescuing the hostages, but he’s not entirely certain how to feel about his newest paladin partner being a mouse, and not a Lion.

Keith has to partner with one of the mice for an infiltration mission at a prison facility. Literally just 4 chapters of Keith kicking ass and bonding with Chuchule. It’s cute and I love it. The mouse is the most badass character in this fic.

(The rest under the cut!!)

The Black Paladin by GriffinRose (multi-chapter, 80488 words)

The empire is not as defeated as the team thought, which make’s Shiro’s disappearance that much more bitter. Everyone’s a little lost and confused, some physically, some mentally. No one knows what’s going on, and honestly the appearance of some Prince guy is the last thing they wanted.

But they’ll be damned if they let this prince stand in their way of finding Shiro.

A post-season 2 fic. It’s part of a series, and I recommend reading all of the stories because they’re all great!! This is less Keith-centric than the others on this list, and everyone gets their fair share of time in the spotlight, but there’s some great stuff in here about Keith struggling to be the Black Paladin. A lot of team bonding and the Paladins learning some neat Avatar-style bending. 

Black by Any Other Color by mckinlily (one-shot, 4430 words)

Team Voltron is in shambles. Lost and hurting in the wake of Shiro’s disappearance, they can hardly stand each other, let alone work together. And in the midst of this, Hunk finds Keith in the Black Lion’s hangar.

Hunk learns something about Keith, leadership, and his role as the Yellow Paladin.

This one is really more of a Hunk fic than a Keith one, but has some awesome hurt/comfort between the two. Lovin’ that good good Heith friendship, and some focus on Hunk character growth.

Pillar in the Dark by VelkynKarma (one-shot, 12930 words)

Hunk always gets the worst missions. But when Keith starts acting strange on their recon mission to find more allies against the Galra Empire, he starts to think maybe this is the worst one of all.

Listen I just really love Hunk, okay? Another great Hunk and Keith fic with Hunk looking out for his friends. The illness in this fic is a tad more graphic than most of the other stuff on this list. I suggest reading the author’s notes before reading this, just in case it’s something that might be upsetting for you.

Recoil/Release by Cheshyr (multi-chapter, 22391 words)

When Keith is bitten by an alien creature with venom that causes your dominant emotions to be amplified, the team is ready for a day of dealing with an incredibly angry paladin.

Which means they’re not ready at all for what actually happens.

Read the tags on this one, it contains some sensitive themes. Maybe not the most in-character fic, seeing as a lot of it relies on speculation and headcanons for Keith’s past, but I still added it to my favs because the idea was super interesting and it contains a lot of those great found-family feels. Keith gets bitten by a gross space fish that amplifies his emotions, and has an all-round miserable time in which he is very, very afraid.

Scattered by avidbeader (multi-chapter, ongoing, currently 72195 words)

Separated by Haggar’s parting shot, the Alteans and their new Paladins must regroup and find one another across the galaxies. Along the way, they will discover tragedy, treachery, and hope.

Post season-one fic. It’s kinda Keith-centric towards the latter end of things, but this is another one that focuses on the whole team. Everyone’s having their own adventures after being split up by the wormhole incident. Lots of family feels. And only one chapter to go before the conclusion!! 

No Greater Gift by usernicole (one-shot, 20062 words)

Keith gets a cat, learns the True Meaning of Family, and falls in love. In that order.

This one is actually klance, but it’s fairly mild and mostly comes in towards the end of the fic. I had to add it to this list because I think it might have actually cured my depression?? Keith accidentally adopts a cat that sneaks aboard his lion and many shenanigans are had in trying to keep his new pet a secret. 

OTHER SUPER GOOD GEN/PLATONIC FICS:

Enduring by prettyshiroic (one-shot, 6293 words)

About Keith dealing with chronic pain

Insomnia by GriffinRose (one-shot, 15278 words)

Post season-one wormhole incident fic

Rats, Cats and Nosy Neighbours by hufflepirate (multi-chapter, 17937 words)

Keith lives in an apartment building in which everyone is an animal-lover

Closure by wolfsan11 (one-shot, 7859 words)

Post-series fic. The team is just about ready to return to Earth. Keith isn’t quite as excited as the rest of them.

Nails by BlueRoboKitty (one-shot, 3435 words)

Post season-two, Keith’s been biting his nails and Lance has had enough of it. 

Five Times: Keith and the Dads of Marmora by EdgarAllenPoet (one-shot, 4816 words)

“Antok, the paladins are so young.  Antok.  Listen.  They’re toddlers.” Just another Dads of Marmora fic. 

Heirlooms by Purpleneutrino (one-shot, 6333 words)

About Keith trying to fix something that’s wrong with Red, and in the process encountering some fond memories of his father. 

[aquaburst3]

And because I’m bored and to organise my own headcanons for my Reverse Voltron fic…especially for the villains, these are what I imagine the mirrored versions of the Paladins and Lotor’s team to be like. (As a side note, I might do another post like this for some of the side characters like Shay, Merla, Cossack, Hazar, Romelle, Avok etc in this fic if anyone wants me to do it)

If you don’t want to be spoiled to my Reverse Voltron fic, don’t read this!

(Keep in mind, the Paladins and Team Sincline are reversed so the former is more morally grey like canon Team Sincline…if that makes sense.)

The Villains

Alfor: He was once a just, kind man, being exactly like his canon counterpart. Once he was in severely injured during battle with one of the monsters from the rift and was on Death’s Door Step, Haggar decided to test out a new substance on him that she was starting to do experiments on–Quintessence. Despite knowing he would object to being a lab rat and already was wary of the stuff, she did it anyways to save his life and collect some data on the substance that she could never properly test out before. Once he woke up, and also thanks to a serve blow to his prefrontal cortex in that same battle, Alfor begins to change, becoming more brash, quick-tempered, violent towards his enemies (not his family, especially Allura), callous, and arrogant, who thinks he’s automatically morally righteous.  As he takes more and more Quintessence and the death of his wife (she died from natural causes), these negative traits only amplify and he becomes corrupt and misguided. His goal is to spread justice and peace throughout the universe, transforming it into an utopia, but at any cost, including blowing up Diabazaal to close to the rift while everyone was on it, turning people into non-cogs along with much more. He also thinks in order to complete his goals, he needs to get the lions back along with his old bond with Red which he thinks he’s still ought to after everything. The closet comparison I can come up with is Dartz from YGO and Kuvira from Korra.

The Canon Paladins

Them as a group: As a group, like the canon paladins, they are very tight and  like a family. They are all working for Allura at the Castle of Lions, which in this AU basically the entry level fighters of the Altean Empire and are fresh out of training except for Shiro, for some reason or another. They are bound by one goal–to spread peace throughout the empire. Over the course of the story, the characters’ eyes open to what is truly happening and while they still believe in peace, they disagree with how Alfor is going about it, deciding to side with the rebels cause of stopping Alfor. Also, they are all Altean in this version and resemble their canon selves if they grew up in different circumstances (or I hope the latter is the case).

Shiro: Since he was born Altean in this AU, he wasn’t tossed into the arena to live out the alien version of the movie Gladiator or kidnapped by aliens. Instead, he’s a young promising commander in the military, however due to one of his first missions gone wrong, which also resulted in Matt and Sam Holt going missing, he is under close watch by Alfor, being forced to bow his head down, keep his trap shut and play nice out of fear of become a non-cog along with being haunted by said mistake. He’s also the first one to have his eyes completely open to what Alfor is really doing and rebel against the empire, telling these thoughts to Keith first. Also, thanks to his military background, he had his arm amputated after said mission failure, being replaced by his robotic arm from the canon, along with getting his scar as well. Personality wise, he’s like his canon self on the surface, however, the best way to describe him is he’s like if Shiro had Kuron’s personality with some slight hints of when Haggar made herself look like Shiro during s1. He’s a knight in black armour.  He has a sense of honour and loyalty, caring about his teammates, especially for Keith and Pidge, but can get hostile, calculating, prideful and arrogant. He can also do a fantastic evil laugh...even if that’s something he’d hardly ever do. (As a side note, am I the only one that loves Shiro’s evil laugh during his first fight with Haggar?)

Keith: He’s pure chaotic neutral vs canon!Keith’s chaotic good. He was orphaned as a baby, being given to Kolivan, who is a part of the Mamora (basically this AU’s version of Pollox from DOTU/Go Lion) royal family, because of Keith’s mother’s last wish. Despite Kolivan’s efforts to control and discipline Keith to be a proper prince throughout most of his life and because he didn’t have a Shiro to ground him most of his life, he’s an uncontrollable ball of angst and fury, who makes very brash decisions for his plans, even at his own expense. He also enrolled in an Altean academy as another one of Kolivan’s schemes to discipline him, but he ended up being an amazing pilot and excelling at it, befriending Shiro and then his placed under his commanding squad after graduation. He is also half Galra and is unsure of what his other half is, but gets a good hunch when he sees Lotor’s group.  Over the course of the story, thanks to the influence of his teammates and especially Shiro along with the eventual realisation of what he’s actually doing, he slowly begins to resemble canon!Keith more and more.  

Pidge: She’s like pre-redemption Peridot from SU.  She uses technology, especially her robots, which she uses to send out to fight people, and computer hacking, as weapons. She’s more sarcastic then she is now, and more then likely taunt the hell out of Lotor and the Generals.  On a different note, since she grew up on Altea, she has longer hair along with working with Shiro to find her brother and father again.

Lance: The best way to describe him is that he’s like DOTU Lotor with a stronger/ well developed personality (without being as creepy towards women) and FMAB Greed.  He starts off as a brat, being vain, both egotistical and insecure and selfish, but does have a strange sense of honour to him and cares tremendously about his bio family and his friends. Like Sincline, he can be charismatic and is a flirt, even flirting with Lotor’s canon generals and Allura, much to their dismay. However, like FMAB Greed, he does transform over the course of the series to become less selfish and egotistical along with stopping flirting with Team Sincline. He is still an amazing sharp shooter.

Hunk: He’s a larger guy, so you don’t think much of him, until he outright destroys you. Like his canon self, he’s a mechanical genius as well, being able to tinker with machines to do his bidding. Outside of these traits, he’s like his canon self, but a bit more confident at the start. Also, Hunk and Shay are dating, thanks to Lance and Pidge, who was roped into his scheme, who hatched a plan to make them admit that they have feelings for the other.  (As a side note, since Alfor doesn’t destroy planets for Quintessence like Zarkon does in the canon, so the Balmerians and Alteans have a mutual relationship, working along side each other more.)

Allura: She’s akin to VLD!Lotor in some ways or like a more intense version of Mai from YGO. Like canon Allura, she is a very just person with a kindness and warmth to her, but still has her haughtiness and her black and white thinking along with being spoiled. She believes in her father’s goal to spread peace, without being truly aware of the lengths her father is going to, and prove herself to her father that she is a strong warrior and leader. She thinks she’s doing right by all of this, but really isn’t. She’s a strong leader, but also someone who’s gone mad with the idea of everything being perfect. Thanks to her just awaking up out of cyrosleep and her father going great lengths to keep Allura sheltered, she’s also extremely naive to what lengths her father truly is going to reach his goals, thinking he is just being diplomatic like in the past instead of…all the shit he’s doing in the present. Also like canon Allura, as she sees more and more what is truly happening around her and what monster her father transformed into, she turns against her father and tries to take him down.

Coran: He’s like his canon self. However, out of fear and loyalty to his life-long friend along with many attempts to curb some of Alfor’s plans, he bows his head down and stays quiet to what he’s doing.

Team Sincline

As a team: The girls are very much like their canon selves, with some key differences due to their different upbringings and are less sadistic. The dynamic between Lotor and the girls is very similar to the show, but has a shaky start since Lotor doesn’t know any of them outside of Acxa and visa versa, but do bond with time as they try to get to know each other more and learn how to work together. They are more willing to do a lot more morally questionable/dubious methods to try to meet their goals then the paladins in the canon like tricking them with a distress signal and snagging the Black Lion from the Castle of Lions.  So they’re more moral grey, but lean towards the good side of it instead of the darker side like their canon selves. Unlike the canon, they are human outside of Lotor and Acxa, who is half Galra or Altean (still hoping around about that one).

Lotor: He’s much like his canon counterpart, being a cunning, intelligent plotter and a strategic smooth talker, but is less manipulative and ruthless in his calculations (so no flinging random grunts at anomalies to see what happens or sending people he finds annoying to The Planet of Sandworms from Dune). He has more slip-ups compared to his canon counterpart due to both not having as many resources as his canon counterpart (since Lotor doesn’t exactly have an army or robots at his disposal) and just not being as experienced.  Zeth, Nasrin and Azora (especially the latter of the three) think he’s very stuck up and snotty at first before they see his more casual side. Lotor keeps at a distance at first because of circumstance before he loosens up around them.  Unlike Allura, he’s trying to do anything in his power to avoid being like his father, who he didn’t get along with when he was alive, due to Zarkon still be a classiest, ridged man in this AU, and wants to break free of his father’s shadow, proving to himself that he can be a strong man in his own right. Also, once he woke up from forced cyrosleep few years prior, he’s a highly wanted fugitive of the Altean Empire with a bounty on his head, trying to hop around the empire in order to avoid Alfor’s gaze…kinda like what happens in S4 of the canon, but before the start of the story.

Acxa/Asha: She is pretty much exactly like her canon self, but more inexperienced and can be more brash in her decisions due to not having her temper be as controlled throughout her life. Due to her father dying a couple years ago, she bounced around the foster system, struggling a lot in the wake of his death.  She’s also curious about her alien half of her heritage and learn more about her mother. She tries to be the big sister/ “Team Mom” of the group, despite being the same age as them, trying to keep her teammates in line and helping them out when they are in trouble, even to the point of neglecting her own issues at times.

Narti/Nasrin: She’s like a mixture between Toph along with canon Pidge and Hunk. Nasrin is the biggest question mark to the rest of the group, due to her keeping her distance from them before she begins to grow close to them. Thanks to being blind and mute, she was sheltered by her parents, who treated her like a fragile doll that can shatter at any moment and she grew to resent their treatment of her. Despite being blind and mute, a curiosity grew in her to learn more about the world around her and rebelled against her parents. After pestering her parents for a long time to enrol at the Garrisons out of life long interest, they let her go and they fix her eyesight as part of enrolment.  While she’s there, she becomes suspicious of the school and finds out about what happened on the Kuriboros Mission, seeking out to find out more and more about it until she stumbles across alien signals. Personality wise, she is stubborn, curious, confrontational, sarcastic,  and steadfast. She is also eager to prove herself and gets defensive when others doubt her.  Once she does warm up to her fellow paladins, she does see them as family and is always there for them. She’s also Muslim as well.

Zethrid/Zeth: She’s a mixture between canon Keith and Hunk or like DOTU Hunk with a more well developed personality. She’s always like, “Let’s go! We need to fix things and save people.” more then anything else. She does love a good fight, but more on the sparing side for the fun of it to test how strong she’s gotten. She’s also the most straight-forward thinker of the group outside of Azora, which helps things out a lot. Like Hunk, she cares about her friends and tries to support them. She has a dry wit to her as well. Due to her military parents, she tries to live up to their expectations, but sometimes feels like she fails to do so along with feeling like she’s living their shadow.

Ezor/Azora: She is like a mixture between canon!Lance and Ty Lee with some hints of Charlotte from Princess and the Frog. She’s a genuinely optimistic, energetic and cheerful person, instead of using a Costumer Service persona as a mask against her enemies like in the show. She cares tremendously for her friends and wants the best for them, willing to take a bullet for them if they are in danger.  Like Ty Lee, she came from a very wealthy household, having a wealthy Guatemalan business man  as a father and a Japanese mother. Because of this, she can be vain and selfish along with being repulsed by things and situations she dubs “gross”, but she slowly out grows this and trudges her way through it (for example, she would be grossed out by food that looks unappetising or moving through a smelly air vent, but tries to get through the situation). Due to growing up with many siblings and being the middle child, she sometimes acts eccentrically in order to stand out at times. She has a dry sarcastic wit to her at times as well. Fighting wise, she is very acrobatic like in the canon from years of marshal arts and cheer-leading. (As a side note, since her and Narti are human in this and humans don’t seem to have special powers in the Voltron universe, they don’t have their mind reading and cloaking abilities.)

Honerva: She’s the “Coran” of the group, but her personality resembles the more serious and intelligent nature of Go Lion/DOTU! Coran…if he was more 3d of a character (no really, I still swear he was just there to spout out exposition and complain about how Allura shouldn’t be getting into trouble and pilot Blue along to protect Allura a little bit). After  waking up and hearing about the death of her husband, she wants to do anything to make Alfor pay for what he did. She is haunted by her past choice of injecting Alfor with Quintessence, since she feels personally responsible for what he became afterwards. Personality wise, she’s like her canon self at the very start of the flashback before Quintessence began to corrupt her. Honevera’s less cruel and manipulative… not having her darker powers thanks to not beefing up on Quintessence for millennia. She’s still pretty ambitious about her work, getting easily caught up in it, having Helicopter Mom tendencies that pissed Lotor off when he was younger… and in the present. She can get rather controlling of aspects of Lotor’s life, slowly learning that Lotor is 18, went through a lot and capable of making his own decisions.  Despite this, Lotor loves her to death and they get along a lot vastly better than him and Zarkon, but they still have a rocky relationship.

[khalix-hyetology]

Season 3 of Voltron had a lot of character building. It focused also on socio-political elements within the Galra empire again only this time close to home with Prince Lotor. It showed other nations, Keith and Lance bonding, Allura taking up the helm and fighting and deepening the show’s overall history and mythology. The show goes for slow yet detailed story building. If in S1 it worked on also filler episodes and S2 on socio-political arenas of other nations, this season decided to build on character interactions, socio-political rifts and overall narrative. It plays on different angles in different seasons to keep the show fresh but also realistic. If S2 was  focused on Keith’s origins we now focus in S3 the origins of Voltron and the original Paladins. I think the show has VERY good writing. Some of its mythology is something I don’t completely like but I feel it does add colour and contrast to the series and makes Sven’s mumblings actually become a reality.  Definitely a 9.5/10

[crimson-mage-02]

Voltron Legendary Defender Season 8 Fix It Fanfic: The Prisoner’s Dilemma Sneak Peak

A/N: Here is a sneak peak of my second chapter! Hope you all like it! I maybe posting it, later this week. I’ll be very busy and occupied with school stuff and homework, so please forgive me for the delay. 

Lotor looked over the horizon of a kingdom with Kova sitting on the balcony. He pet him as he overlooked the people in the village. Lotor had been in this planet for a year and he worked along with the people that lived in this planet to seek new wonders. He then heard footsteps from behind, smelling a familiar fragrance. Lotor smiled as he smelt the fresh tea. “Ven’tar, you shouldn’t have.”

Ven’tar laughed lightly as she poured the tea in a cup for the Prince of the Galra Empire. “But I must, you are our guest here I must give you something to eat, I insist.” Lotor just smiled and took the cup gently from her soft, gentle hands.

“Thank you as always.” Lotor thanked her as Ven’tar smiled warmly at him. They watched the sun set together as they discussed some important matters. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Ven’tar asked as she pet Kova who meowed in pleasure, fondly.

“I must prove my father that I am successful as well. It is best to keep professional.” Lotor replied as he set the cup on the table inside his quarters. “But until tomorrow’s meeting, I rather spend my moments with you.” Lotor held her hands affectionately while gazing into her eyes. Ven’tar smiled as she put her hand over his heart. “I sense you have greatness in your heart, Lotor. Never forget that.”

[maychorian]

(no) fear of drowning - Chapter 3

For @platonicvldweek, seven ficlets from (not)Shiro’s POV post-S4. Day Three Prompt: Tricks/Treats. Shiro knows that Haggar has played tricks on him. He just doesn’t know what they are. On AO3: (no) fear of drowning

Shiro couldn't stop thinking about his clone. The clone's mind had been blank, empty, the others said, no memories, no thoughts, nothing. But what use would a Shiro with an empty mind be to Haggar? She must have planned to fill it with something. It was only the clone's physical deformities that had caused her to discontinue her plans. She had wanted something else.

She had wanted something specific. Something that required a body that looked exactly like Shiro's. Maybe she had been trying to reclaim the Champion, trying to shape him into a weapon for the Empire, as she had originally planned. In that case, the clone's mind would have been filled with savagery and combat skills, loyalty and zealotry, little more. But surely Haggar could do that with other minds without having to start from zero. The Robeasts she kept sending after them proved that.

The more Shiro thought about it, the more convinced he became that Haggar had intended to send the clone to infiltrate them. Voltron was a thorn in the Empire's side, even more so since the establishment of the Voltron Coalition. Haggar had tried to destroy them with an enormous, solar system-spanning bomb, and she had failed, so it only made sense that she would try something more subtle now. Something tricky. Something they wouldn't see coming.

But they had seen it coming thanks to Lotor. Shiro still didn't trust the Galra prince as far as Pidge could throw him, but that was twice now he'd rescued them from Haggar's schemes. Perhaps he just hated Haggar more than he hated them.

Shiro kept remembering something Hunk had said back when they had been arguing about whether they could trust Ulaz. Shiro's arm was connected to his neural pathways, directly to his brain, and they didn't understand the Galra-designed tech at all. It was possible that Haggar could have implanted false memories in Shiro's brain. Theoretically. That statement had haunted Shiro from the moment he heard it. He'd already known that he couldn't trust his own mind, not with all the blank spots, the hidden spaces, the moments when he glitched and froze like a computer that couldn't process the task given to it. But that idea made it far, far worse.

What if it was the other way around? What if Haggar and the druids had been using Shiro's arm to draw his memories out and transmit them back to the Empire? Shiro had thought it was a possibility when they were running from Zarkon and didn't know how he was tracking them, but maybe Haggar's plans had been more subtle, more tricky, even then. Maybe she had been siphoning Shiro's memories into his arm in order to implant them in a clone. No transmission, just...storage.

Maybe that was why his second capture was such a jumble now. Maybe they had used that opportunity to download the memories that had been stored in his arm so they could use them somewhere else. That could be why his recollection of that event was so scrambled, why he kept seeing things that didn't make sense and weren't possible. It hadn't been a hallucinogen messing with him, but something much more awful. A probing finger stuck directly into his brain, stirring it around.

The thought made Shiro's stomach churn. But he couldn't dismiss it. It was exactly the sort of thing that Haggar would love to do.

Maybe this was why he kept dreaming of drowning in pink liquid. During that second capture, he must have seen himself, his clone, floating in a tube. Of course he would dream himself in the clone's place with imagery like that rattling around in his bruised, error-prone mind.

He kept equating himself and his mind to a computer, which was a useful though imperfect analogy. So he went to Pidge.

Pidge was in the green lion's hangar, hanging out at a work table covered with an incomprehensible mish-mash of technology, wires and components and monitors from a variety of planets, though Altean tech dominated. Her old laptop from Earth was perched off to the side, hooked up to a number of alien components like some kind of Franken-computer. A hovering Altean monitor showed the face of Matt Holt, laughing in the middle of some sibling in-joke Shiro couldn't begin to understand if he tried.

Shiro halted in the doorway, a lump rising in his throat, and just watched. He shouldn't interrupt. He didn't know how often Matt was able to pull away from his duties with the rebel forces in order to chat with Pidge, but he knew it wasn't every day. This was a special occasion, and he didn't want to intrude. Those two deserved all the time in the universe.

But Pidge looked over and saw him in the doorway, and her smile broadened instead of waned. She waved him over with big, expansive sweeps of her arm. "Shiro! Come in! Tell Matt that I'm a genius and I'm always right. He doesn't believe me."

Matt scoffed and almost fell over himself laughing, eyes sparkling with glee. Shiro smiled hesitantly and moved closer, undeniably drawn by their warmth and happiness. They were so easy with each other, so confident in each other's presence, despite the long separation and all the pain they'd both been through. He was humbled by it, in truth.

Matt saw him through the screen and waved enthusiastically, smiling fit to bust his face. "Shiro! It's good to see you!"

Shiro smiled back. "Good to see you, too."

"Of course!" Matt poked his cheeks with his index fingers and gave Shiro the cheesiest grin he'd ever seen. "It's always a treat to gaze upon my handsome visage."

Shiro guffawed. "Yeah, it is."

Matt ducked down with a squeak, utterly disarmed by Shiro's affectionate sincerity. Pidge giggled and punched Shiro's arm. "Ooh, you got him. Nice one!"

Shiro grinned at her. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Pidge shook her head. "Nah, we were just shooting the breeze." She pushed a few electronic doodads out of the way on her work surface and patted it invitingly. "Pop a squat. Is there a reason you came looking for me?"

Shiro hesitated, then hopped up to sit on the work surface, hands clamping down on the surface on either side of his knees as if to hold himself in place. "Actually, yeah. I...I need a favor."

Pidge sobered immediately, as did Matt, reading the seriousness in Shiro's expression and body language. "What's up?"

Shiro explained. Not everything, but enough to convey the urgency of his request. He told them his thoughts that even though his prosthetic arm might not be actively transmitting information to Haggar, it could be somehow storing his memories for later retrieval. He mentioned how he thought that might have contributed to his inability to parse his latest capture and imprisonment at Galra hands, though he said nothing about his suspicions regarding how it might involve a clone.

Pidge's face became even more serious, and Matt leaned closer to the screen, peering through the distance, trying to get a better look at his arm. "We did check for that, you know," Pidge said. "Back when Zarkon was tracking the black lion and we had no idea what was happening and how to stop it. Hunk and I took a ton of scans of your arm and analyzed them every way we knew how."

"Yes, but we were looking for the possibility of active transmissions, not a passive storage component." Shiro lifted his prosthetic arm and flexed it back and forth, metal hand closing into a fist. "Could you please check again? Please? I just... I think I might sleep better."

Pidge looked solemnly into his face for a moment, then nodded, firm and certain. "Yeah. Of course. We'll do all the scans again for fresh data, just to make sure nothing changed during the last time they got their filthy hands on you, and Hunk and I will be even more thorough in checking it out. I promise. Matt will help too, right, Matt?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. I wish I could be there in person, but if nothing else Pidge can send me the data to analyze, and I can go over it with all the resources I have. Maybe the rebels have something else, some other angle I can take on it." He looked directly at Shiro through the screen and smiled, strong and reassuring. "If anything is wrong, we'll figure it out. I'm sure of it."

Shiro smiled back. He felt himself slump where he sat, and he knew how tired he looked. If anyone could fix this, he was sure it would be the three smartest people he'd ever met.

The scans were exhaustive, and exhausting. Pidge used every piece of diagnostic equipment she had gathered to her extensive collection, then ran off and bugged Coran for more. Matt suggested a few others, watching all of the proceedings with avid interest. The Holt siblings chattered up a storm, discussing every step of the process as they went along. Shiro was grateful. He didn't have to answer questions, didn't have to do anything but follow instructions, moving his arm this and way that, sitting here or there or laying down on the floor while Pidge pushed over the more unwieldy pieces of equipment to hover over him. Their voices blurred into a haze, and he tranced out and let them do their thing.

As soon as they were done, Pidge sent him off to bed while she and Matt started preliminary analysis, and Shiro was glad to go. He slept better than he had for weeks, secure in the trust that his friends would find out what was wrong and how to fix it. Everything was going to be okay.

But they didn't find anything. Matt, Pidge, and Hunk were just as thorough as they promised. They spent days on the analysis and brought in Coran, a few rebel tech experts, and even a couple of Blades to consult. And in the end, they could neither confirm Shiro's suspicions nor advise how to get rid of the insidious programming or component or some other trick of Haggar's that he was still positive lurked inside his arm.

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Hunk told him with a frown, and Shiro knew he really was. They had all truly, deeply wanted to be able to give Shiro ease of mind by telling him that there was nothing wrong with his arm. Or if there was, that they could remove it. But they couldn't, and they wouldn't lie and tell Shiro everything was okay when they had no proof.

"That's okay, big guy," Shiro said, his left hand circling his right wrist in a self-conscious grip. He heard the sigh in his voice, and he winced. Hunk did too. Shiro mustered up a smile. "You did everything you could. I'm grateful, truly."

Hunk smiled back, a little weakly, and Shiro wandered off to the think.

He gave himself a couple of days, turning it over every which way in his mind, but in the end, there was only one conclusion he could come to. He didn't know what the dreams of drowning meant. He didn't know what Haggar and her druids might have done to him. He didn't know what tricks could be lurking in his arm, in his body, in his mind.

In the end, he did what he had to do. He called Keith, found him whip-strong and graceful in his Blade of Marmora uniform. "Shiro?" Keith's eyebrows raised, dark eyes raking back and forth as he took in Shiro's haggard appearance. "Are you okay?"

Shiro cleared his throat, then shook his head. "Keith, I'm sorry. I know you don't want this. But I have to ask you, again, to make a sacrifice. I have to ask you to give up what you want to do and do what I need you to do instead."

Keith's mouth tightened, and his eyes hardened. "Shiro, what is this about?"

"Listen, I... I can't trust myself, not anymore. So I need you to come back. I need you to fly Black and lead Voltron again."

[braincoins]

Title: Ragged Diagonal Fandom: “Voltron: Legendary Defender” Summary: No one wants Allura to marry Lotor, but she may have to out of a duty to her people and her bloodline. Ships: Shallura Warnings: Barely-edited, language Author’s Notes: "The line of life is a ragged diagonal between duty and desire." -William R. Alger

For the MAS server and especially our Overlord, @smolsarcasticraspberry ! Shiro's not technically Altean here, but the Magical part sure applies! Also, thanks to @materassassino for the beta! <3 (6102 Words - Also on AO3)

           Allura studied herself in the full-length mirror and tried not to cry. Everything about this felt wrong, but she was convinced it was right. It was the only thing she could do. It was what she must do. As the last princess of Altea, this was what was necessary. Her father’s voice rang in her ears, speaking to her of the necessity of sacrifice for a greater good. She bit her lip and bade her reflection not to cry. She would do what her people required of her, always.

           She smoothed her hands over herself in her mother’s wedding gown, the color of sunlit juniberries. Elegant, a touch old-fashioned (perhaps more than a touch after ten thousand years), but classically lovely. It felt like a sacrilege to wear it for this, but she had nothing else. She could remember the pictures Mother had shown her of her wedding day to then-Prince Alfor. She’d been radiant, clearly and obviously in love with her handsome groom, who was obviously doting upon her, smiling widely.

           Allura had foolishly assumed her own wedding day would be as happy as theirs had been.

           Don’t cry.

 7 Quintants Ago

           “What?” All the warmth in the room had been blasted away as she stared in disbelief at Coran. “You aren’t serious.”

           He cleared his throat and put his hands – and the missive in them – behind his back, standing straight and proper. She’d watched him do this a thousand times; he was hiding behind his role as Royal Advisor. Well, he wouldn’t have characterized it that way, but it was how she thought of it. “I am, unfortunately, quite serious, Princess.”

           “But… Lotor?” Lance made an ‘ew’ face from the seat at his station. “He’s so…”

           “Slimy,” Hunk finished for him.

           “And he’s Zarkon’s son!” Pidge reminded them all. Allura would’ve called the reminder unnecessary but clearly Coran was getting forgetful in his old age. “We can’t trust him!”

           “And what about Sh-…?”

           “Keith,” Shiro interrupted before the Red Paladin could finish the question. Allura couldn’t bring herself to look to the leader of Team Voltron. Even unfinished, Keith’s question had cut her the deepest.

           There was an attraction building to Shiro that she was getting hard-pressed to push aside. When she felt on the verge of collapse, he shored her up. When he laughed, she felt her heart soar. When it seemed like their task was impossible, he rekindled her hope. It was getting foolish to deny how much she cared for him.

           Which made Lotor’s offer of marriage all the more ludicrous. “Why would I even consider marrying the son of our most hated enemy? You don’t really believe his nonsense, do you?”

           “I don’t believe him when he says he’s ‘overcome with love for you’, but I can think of any number of reasons,” Coran replied. “Purely from a strategic view, if he’s willing to bring you inside the Galra Empire and give you access to their systems, it’d be a huge help.”

           “Ohhhh, so she agrees to marry him just to get in there, get info, maybe do some sabotage, and get out?” Hunk said, a smile starting on his face.

           Allura was about to say that was an excellent plan when Coran shook his head. “Information, yes, but the rest of that, no. There are also non-strategic reasons to consider this a viable actual match.” He was looking dead at her as if she ought to know them.

           She opened her mouth to inform him that he’d clearly gone utterly frumtash in his dotage, but then it occurred to her. “Oh.”

           “Oh? What ‘oh’?” Lance pursued.

           Allura looked down at the floor, hoping Coran would explain it. And, of course, like a good advisor, he did. “Allura is the last Sacred Altean. In the entire universe, she’s the only one who can operate the teludav. She’s the only one who can safely and respectfully obtain crystals from a Balmera. She is the last of the Royal Line.”

           She looked up again in time to see him raise the missive from Lotor. “Included with his offer of marriage are Lotor’s blood and DNA scans. It proves that he has Sacred Altean blood – probably courtesy of Haggar.”

           “Oh, there’s a mental image I didn’t need,” Hunk muttered, sounding like he might throw up.

           Coran looked back to her. His eyes were sorrowful. “I’m sorry, Princess. The decision is yours, of course, but…”

           “I have a responsibility to my people,” she finished for him, nodding.

           “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” That was Keith, who sounded almost insulted.

           “Please, Paladins,” she said. “I need some time to think.”

           “Lotor wants a reply within 40 vargas,” Coran put in.

           “He shall have it. For now, the bridge is yours, Coran. Excuse me.” She turned and walked away, trying to keep herself at a properly regal speed until she was away from them all. Only then did she run the rest of the way to her quarters to throw herself onto her bed and sob.

             She looked up when her door chimed at her some vargas later. She hurried to hide the signs of her tears before she called out, “Come in!”

           The door admitted Shiro, carrying a tray. “Hunk wanted you to have these,” he said, nodding down at the cookies. “He promises they don’t have any scaultrite in them this time.”

           She smiled. “That was thoughtful of him, thank you. You can just set them over there, please?” She gestured towards the vanity.

           He nodded and took them over. “And… I do need to talk with you. I know you must have a lot on your mind right now, but I thought I could help.”

           “Help? I don’t see how, Shiro, but I’m willing to listen.” Please, she pleaded with him silently, find me a way out of this mess. He was a strategist, an excellent leader. Her heart began to lift at the thought that her… no, the Black Paladin of Voltron had figured out how to save her.

           He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the tray of cookies. “I know you’ve felt it, too, Allura.”

           Oh, Ancients, I love it when you say my name. “Felt… it?” she asked aloud.

           He still wouldn’t look at her. “The… the attraction between us.”

           Her heart started thudding. A way out and a love confession at the same time? The cookies – though surely tasty if Hunk had made them – were hardly necessary when Shiro was giving her so much at once. She wished he’d turn around so she could see those dark and lovely eyes of his.

           “I have,” she admitted, hoping to encourage him.

           “I thought I could just put this conversation off. I felt it could be safely put on the back burner, set aside for more important considerations like saving the universe. But I see now how wrong I was.”

           Just say it. Turn around and say it and then hold me, Shiro. I badly need to be held. I need to be cared for. Even if you don’t have a way out of this, just tell me you love me and wrap me up in your arms and we can figure this out together after that, please.

           He lifted his head and turned to her. She finally got to see those lovely dark eyes of his, but they were hard and cold as stone.

           “I need you to understand that it’s nothing, Allura.”

           She blinked at him. “What?”

           “If any part of you is holding back from this arrangement with Lotor because of me, stop. Because there’s nothing. I’m not…” He looked away from her. “I’m not interested in you that way, Allura. And Coran’s right: you could feed us information from the inside, in addition to saving your bloodline.”

           Her blood went cold for the second time that day. She stared at him.

           He was still speaking. “This is a good idea, not just for your people but for our mission. Play the doting and dutiful wife, cater to his ego. Once he’s convinced that you’re completely obedient and enthralled with him, you can get us…”

           “Get out.”

           He turned to look at her in confusion. “What was that?”

           “Leave. My. Quarters,” she ordered him icily.

           He nodded. “As you wish, Princess.”

           When the door shut behind him, she crumpled to the floor and sobbed.

             Shiro could hear her crying, and it made him want to turn around, to charge back in there and gather her up into his arms to hug her and soothe her and confess that he’d lied. It had felt like he was stabbing himself to do it, but he knew he had to.

           Because as soon as she’d left the bridge, every pair of eyes had been on him. He could read them all. Three pairs – Lance, Hunk, and Pidge – had wanted to know what he was going to do. One pair – Keith’s – had insisted he tell her the truth. And Coran’s had, of course, simply insisted that he convince her.

           Shiro couldn’t put his own desires ahead of a nearly extinct magical bloodline. He couldn’t prioritize his feelings over the good of the entire universe, no matter how badly he wanted to. He’d asked Hunk to bake a fresh batch of cookies and used the time to practice the hardest lie he’d ever told in his life.

           I wish I could tell you the truth.

           He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch Lotor in his smug snake face for even daring to suggest such a thing. He wanted to pull Allura into his arms and apologize for lying before letting the true depths of his feelings for her emerge – in words, in hugs, in kisses, in any and every way she’d let him express how very much he cared for her.

           He hadn’t really realized until this. He knew she was gorgeous, she was brave, inspiring, amazing, steadfast, determined. Still, it hadn’t really hit him how much he loved her until he was tasked with convincing her he wasn’t.

           But he knew he had to do this. Because he had to cut her free, for her sake. For the sake of everyone, of the countless people and planets and systems relying on them.

           “Defender of the universe,” rang hollow in his heart.

              “YOU IDIOT.”

           “Keep your voice down.”

           Keith wanted to tear his hair out. “You were supposed to tell her the truth,” he hissed.

           “I was supposed to do no such thing,” Shiro replied, taking another sip of nunvill. “I was supposed to do exactly what I did do, which is to make things easier for her.”

           “She should drop-kick Lotor into the next galaxy,” Keith insisted. “She should be with you! C’mon, Shiro, even I can tell that.”

           Shiro snorted once but didn’t laugh. Keith fell into a seat next to him and waited.

           Eventually, Shiro commented, “As much as I’d love to see her kick his ass, that can’t happen. There are few enough Alteans as there is. Lotor’s at least ½ Altean, and he has the correct bloodline.”

           “So he claims,” Keith muttered.

           Shiro shook his head. “I had Pidge check the message he sent over. It has actual scannable samples included. The Castle verified it: he’s Sacred.”

           “He’s a douchebag.”

           “Keith.”

           “He is!”

           “That’s not helping.” Keith watched him slug back some more nunvill. “I’ll get over her, Keith. And, because of what I did, she’ll get over me even faster. That’s what needs to happen.”

           “You’re going to send her to the Galra and who knows what they’ll do to her?”

           “Lotor will protect her. She’s a trophy for him. Let him think that’s all she is, that he’s won. She’ll prove the Galra Empire’s undoing while he’s busy preening like the peacock he is, and she’ll preserve her race’s most valuable bloodline while she’s at it.”

           “By sleeping with him.”

           “Don’t remind me.”

           “She has to have sex with him.”

           “KEITH.”

           “She’ll…”

           “DON’T. Say it,” Shiro all but growled at him. “It’s not helping.”

           “If it’s getting you angry, it is! You know she doesn’t want him! She wants you!”

           “Keith, you can’t say that. No one can say that but her.”

           “She would be saying it if you hadn’t just lied to her face!”

           “I am swearing you to secrecy, Keith.”

           “The hell you are.”

           “I Am. You and I took an oath.” Shiro looked up at him, dead in the eye, and Keith sighed.

           “I know, I know,” he groaned. “But this…”

           “Is a secret I’ll take to the grave with me. And so will you. Because we promised each other.”

           “Fine.” Keith sulked, but Shiro had tied his hands with the reminder of the oath they’d sworn back at the Garrison: to always tell each other the truth, to always have each other’s backs, and to always keep each other’s secrets. He couldn’t let his mentor and best friend down now. But it ate at him, to watch Shiro be miserable while the woman he clearly loved was going to head off to marry a man she didn’t love for the sake of “duty.”

Keith hated that word. He hated the way it was used, almost always by those who had power and authority and thought that that alone meant you were obligated to obey them. It was used to get respect for those who had done nothing to deserve it. Duty was a shield for fools and cowards and a sword for bullies and tyrants. Duty was a paper-thin purpose for those who had none of their own.

“Duty” was about to ruin the lives of two people Keith cared for. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

  Shiro’s hand cut through another training drone, and it dissolved into pixels before disappearing. He ducked and rolled to avoid a blast and came up to slice through the gun the next drone held. He feinted with his glowing hand and kicked back at the one coming up behind him, knocking it back as he took out two more with a swiping slash.

It was like meditation for him. It let him give vent to his feelings while also letting him step away from them. He just flowed through one motion into the next, like a particularly lethal form of dancing.

It’s better this way, he told himself for easily the thousandth time. She shouldn’t be with me anyway. She’s a princess. I’m little better than a weapon.

Slice, dice, hack, slash.

Feint, punch, kick, dodge.

Glints of purple at the edges of his vision as he swung his hand.

He tried not to think of Allura’s face when she’d boarded the pod to go over to Lotor’s ship.

He tried to push the smarmy snake’s voice from his mind as he’d magnanimously invited them all to the ceremony – under guard, of course. No weapons allowed.

Then I shouldn’t go at all. Under the right circumstances, I would be your end, Lotor.

Because of his arm. Because of this thing where his right arm should be. Haggar’s voice in his mind. “You could have been our greatest weapon!”

Why?

Why him? Not in the oh-boo-hoo-why-me sort of way, but what was it about him that had the witch convinced he had such powerful potential?

He cried out as he was struck from behind and hit the floor. He’d gotten lost in his own thoughts, fallen out of the flow. “End training sequence.”

The drones stopped, then fizzled out of existence. Shiro got up and arched his back, wincing at the spot where the blow had landed. Three vargas until the wedding. He didn’t want to be there, but he hoped for a chance to get Lotor alone, to warn him what would happen if he mistreated the princess even once…

He shook his head and headed for the infirmary. Strictly speaking, he didn’t need it for the bruising he’d gotten, but his last round in the pod had awakened new memories for him. And Haggar’s words were eating at him more than usual lately. He’d use the aches and pains of sparring as an excuse and hope his subconscious would be useful for a change.

              It was a voice unlike any he’d ever heard.

           It was his mother’s voice.

           It was Allura’s.

           It was strange and familiar all at once, unidentifiable to his conscious mind yet it sang through his bloodstream like an old friend, comforting in a way he’d never known.

           The voice was, and it was in him, around him, it both was and wasn’t him, it just WAS, it existed as it always had and always would and it said his name so beautifully he wanted to laugh and weep at the same time.

           And the voice spoke of destiny.

           The future is malleable, but some things are inevitable. All stars collapse, all stars are born. The manner and the methods may vary, may change, may alter and shift, but there are points in time and space which will come to pass, no matter what.

           The voice told him he had passed one such point already.

           The voice promised him another. And another.

           Destiny was not done with him yet.

           And when the pod released him, it wasn’t just his hand glowing, but his entire arm lighting up purple. The purple worked its way up into his body, and he tried to fight it, tried to push it down, but it filled his head, made his eyes glow but not yellow like the visions and nightmares that kept him from sleeping but purple...

           No. NO. NO!

           He shut his eyes against the corruption, but it made him feel sick, like taking too many G’s.

Open your eyes.

And he did. He opened his eyes and the purple blasted out of them, ejected and rejected by his body. His eyes still glowed, but they were blue-tinged white now, and it settled over his body, pushing out the evil of the Druids’ magic. It pulsed down his arm, where the Galra energy lived and was strongest.

           It hurt, ached like an old injury flaring, but he focused.

           The white energy flared and crackled as it pushed the dark magic of the Druids out. The darkness within his arm hissed and popped in response, tried to fight back, but eventually his entire arm glowed white, bright and unsullied.

           He came to on the floor of the infirmary, Coran and the paladins around him chattering concern.

           He pushed himself to his feet, and activated his hand.

           Everyone quieted instantly.

           Shiro looked at them. “We’ve got work to do.”

             “Are you sure that drone didn’t hit your head?” Hunk asked him.

           “Explain this,” he challenged, lighting his hand again. It was the same hand it had always been until he activated it. It glowed white, and Pidge was running some analysis on it as they talked on the bridge.

           “It just can’t be,” Coran repeated.

           Keith pressed, “You’re saying some random chick told you you could do this?”

           “Was she hot?” Lance wanted to know.

           “I never saw Her. And I don’t think She’s just ‘some chick,’” he chided Keith lightly. He looked to Coran, who was still shaking his head.

           “Just impossible,” the advisor was muttering to himself.

           “Here’s the preliminary analysis,” Pidge declared, bringing it up on the main screen for them all to see.

           “Okay, and…?” Keith wanted to know.

           “Hey, hey, that looks familiar,” Hunk chimed in. “Kind of like…”

           “This?” Pidge finished for him, and brought up a similar energy signature on the screen right below the one from Shiro’s arm.

           “Yeah!”

           “What is that?” Lance asked her.

           Rather than answer right away, she pulled up two more energy signatures and split the screen into four parts to display them all. They weren’t identical, but all four were strikingly similar. “Well, obviously the first signature is Shiro’s arm. The other three are all key Castle systems: bridge control, crystal energy transference matrix, and, of course, the teludav.”

           Shiro looked up at Coran, but he didn’t seem surprised. He was still muttering to himself.

           “So… all the systems that Allura controls,” Hunk summed up.

           “But you’re human,” Coran protested. “You’re from Earth, not Altea!”

           “I’m part Galra,” Keith reminded him. “And I don’t look it, do I?”

           “Yeah, I’ve looked,” Hunk said, “no purple on him anywhere I can see.”

           Coran was still in denial. “This just shouldn’t be possible.”

           “What shouldn’t be possible?” Pidge verbally prodded him.

           “If this is right,” the advisor gestured at the signatures on the screen, “then Shiro’s… Sacred.”

They were all quiet for a moment until Keith declared, “I’m going to go get Allura back.”

           “Hold on, Keith,” Shiro said. “You can’t just go charging in there.”

           “Watch me.”

           “No. Coran’s not through explaining. Because in all of this with Allura and Lotor and the bloodline and all that, you’ve never explained what a ‘Sacred Altean’ actually is.”

           Coran sighed harshly and folded his arms. “Yes, well, you lot never seem interested in my explanations.”

           “We are this time!” Lance hooted. “Spill!”

           Coran cleared his throat. “Well, you have to understand the ‘sacred’ designation is more traditional than anything else. It hearkens back to a time when it was believed that the royal bloodline and a few others were directly blessed by the Goddess of the Universe, She who was responsible for creating all life. She’s the source of quintessence, according to legend, and Her cult on Altea used to be the most widespread and powerful. It had dwindled in the last days, no longer quite as ascendant as it used to be, but it was still going, of course. We had many different religions and belief-systems.”

           “Was Haggar part of the Goddess Cult?” Shiro asked.

           Coran walked over to his station and pulled up a screen. Altean words scrolled past until one set flashed. “She was a priestess, it looks like. Not the High Priestess though. In fact,” he pulled up some more data in Altean, “this shows that she was passed over several times for higher-ranking positions.”

           “Did she start her own cult then?” Lance wondered.

           “Maybe. Or maybe she went over to the Dark Side,” Pidge mused. She pulled up another screen at her station and sent it to the front. “This is the energy signature my computer pulled when it was hooked up to Shiro’s arm before.” She pulled up the current one and overlapped them: they looked like the backbone of a double helix. “This can’t be coincidence.”

           “So, the Galra are the Sith and the Alteans are the Jedi?” Hunk asked.

           “More like the Druids and the Sacred Alteans specifically, but basically, yeah,” Pidge confirmed. “That’s my current hypothesis anyway.”

           “Dude, does that mean Shiro just got blessed by an actual GODDESS?” Lance wondered aloud.

           “Those are just legends,” Coran repeated.

           “Whatever,” Keith shrugged. “Shiro’s arm’s energy signature matches the Castle systems. Isn’t that good enough for him to marry Allura?”

           “Keith,” Shiro practically growled.

           “What?”

           “That’s just his arm,” Coran pointed out. “No offense, Shiro, but it’s a false arm attached to you. It’s not you. Look, everyone, I don’t want her to marry Lotor anymore than you do, but it’s necessary.”

           “Necessary for what?” Pidge countered. “Coran, a lot of evolution can happen in 10,000 years! Humans are proof of that, after all. If Alteans had been allowed to survive all this time, who knows what they’d look like or be like?”

           “I’m not talking about the hideous ears you all have,” Coran reminded her. “I’m talking about the Sacred part of the bloodline here.”

           “Test his blood,” Keith declared. “Test his blood the same way we tested Lotor’s.”

           “That’ll take time,” Pidge said. “And the wedding’s in a little over a varga.”

           They all looked to him.

           Shiro thought of the voice. Of what it had said of destiny. Of what he felt now – about his arm, which glowed white in response, and also about Allura.

           He looked around at his team. “Take what you need to start the scan, then get dressed for the wedding. Stall for time as much as you can, but do not say anything to the princess. We don’t want her thinking there’s a way out if it turns out there isn’t.”

           “On it.”

           Shiro looked up at Coran. “And if it turns out I’m… ?”

           Coran smiled. “She’s like a daughter to me. It’s only my position as Royal Advisor that’s ever had me advocating for her to be with a slimy luirass like Lotor. I’d much rather she be happy – and away from him.”

           Shiro smiled back. “Thank you, Coran.”

 Present

           She probably should have scolded Keith, but she honestly couldn’t blame him for his behavior. She couldn’t blame any of them. In a way, she was glad that Keith had triple-checked security (and nearly picked a fight with the guards); that Hunk had sent half the food back to be redone (and accidentally eaten most of the other half); that Pidge and Lance had given her soon-to-be husband an earful or three about the proper ways to treat a princess. She knew they’d all done it to put off the inevitable, and she had lived vicariously through their stalling tactics.

           The rational part of her said the sooner this was gotten over with, the better. But the part of her that wanted to kick and scream and fuss was happy to have the distractions and delays. So she hadn’t scolded any of them.

           She was a little surprised Shiro wasn’t there though. She figured something was holding him up, and that’s why the team were pulling their shenanigans. When she tried to ask Coran about it – and about what had held him up as well – she’d gotten some evasive answers that made her think that maybe, just maybe, Shiro cared more than he’d led her to believe. That it hurt him to watch her be married off to…

           Wishful thinking. And what point to thinking this now?

           She wouldn’t cry. She would hold her head high and show Lotor – and all of the Galra – what a princess of Altea was truly like. No sniveling child but a proud leader, willing to sacrifice for her people. She turned from the full-length mirror and headed for the door of her dressing room.

           She was going to be married.

           Whether she liked it or not.

             The Paladins lined the aisle as if they could protect her from the Galra soldiers filling the pews. She ignored the audience and focused on the giant “window” – likely a viewscreen – projecting an image of an aetherite window straight out of every Altean worship temple she’d ever been in. It was a rainbow of colors, as if the sun were rising just beyond it, as if they weren’t on a Galra ship out in the interminable darkness of space. She appreciated that far more than she did the fake juniberries in the bouquet she was carrying (another “gift” from her groom).

           “You look radiant,” Lotor said as he joined her, just as she walked past Keith and Lance.

           She took his arm as tradition required. “Thank you.”

           “I am surprised though. Only four Paladins?”

           She arched an eyebrow. Coran’s evasions were all pointless; she hadn’t bought one of them when he’d peddled them to her, so she doubted Lotor would be more gullible. She came up with her own. “Disappointed in not having all five paladins of Voltron aboard your ship and away from their lions?” she asked him mildly. She probably shouldn’t be accusing her future husband of such things.

           He sighed. “You’ll learn to trust me in time, Allura. I am defying my father out of my love for you.”

           She eyed the not-insignificant harem that filled the first few rows of seats. “Love does make people do strange things, I suppose.”

           “I will prove it to you every chance I get,” he promised, but it rang in her ears like a threat.

           I am not looking forward to tonight.

           Their officiant was to be a sentry drone, it appeared. She supposed that was fitting, and wondered idly if this meant she wouldn’t be required to show any more emotion than the robot.

           As they took their places in front of everyone, the doors to the “temple” slammed shut. She whipped her head towards the sound and then narrowed her eyes at Lotor, but he just smiled at her. “My dear, it’s just so everyone knows the ceremony is beginning and that late arrivals or early departures would be disruptive.”

           She didn’t like it, and everything in her screamed. She exhaled and looked to the officiant. “Very well.”

           The officiant began to drone, “Soldiers of the Galra Empire, Paladins of Voltron, we are here today to celebrate the joining of Prince Lotor of the Galra and Princess Allura of Altea in sacred matrimony. Here, in the sight of all you good people…”

           Allura looked over the crowd. Lotor’s harem, the soldiers, the Paladins still standing at attention along the aisle, unwilling to take their seats, and the remaining pews filled with sentries. If we wanted to attack, this would be an ideal time. He’s got most of his command staff here… But who was there to charge in? Shiro and the Black Lion?

           It was a nice daydream, that he’d come swooping in to save her from a life of misery and duty, but he’d made his feelings clear enough. Still, he wasn’t here, and she hadn’t been given a satisfactory answer as to why.

           But it didn’t matter. For whatever reason, Shiro wasn’t coming for her. She had made her choice, as a princess had to. It wasn’t about what she wanted. It was about what was best for her people and the universe.

           But then an alarm started. “What’s going on?” Lotor demanded of the officiant.

           It stopped reciting its programmed vows but before it could report, the door to the room had a new opening blasted into it. Allura brought up her arm to protect her head, but when she looked back, it was the Black Paladin himself striding into the room. He wasn’t in dress uniform the way the other Paladins were, but in his battle gear, and his hand was just starting to dim from its… white?!

           “What the...?” Lotor snarled.

           “Shiro?” she asked, feeling adrenaline and hope start to surge.

           “You don’t have to marry him, Princess.”

           “She’s chosen to,” Lotor declared smugly. “For the good of her people. As a proper leader should do.”

           “Then it’s not really a choice, is it?” Shiro shot back. “But she has one now.”

           “What? YOU?” Lotor laughed heartily.

           “The blood results?” Pidge piped up.

           Allura was very confused. “Blood results? What are you talking about?”

           “Uploaded to the Castle systems,” he confirmed. “As Princess of Altea and commander of the Castleship, she should have access to all of its information.”

           She arched an eyebrow, but lifted her hand. She was still wearing her command bracelets, wedding or no. The gold flashed and brought up a screen for her, and she gasped at what she saw.

           “Impossible,” Lotor snarled, seeing the backside of the screen.

           “Shiro,” she breathed. “You’re…”

           “Blessed by the Goddess,” Keith finished for her. “You don’t have to marry this slimy piece of shit, Allura.”

           But she looked to Shiro.

           “I lied,” he said, eyes locked on hers. And they weren’t hard or cold any longer. They were the same deep, dark eyes she’d dreamed of losing herself in, even with the visor of his helmet in the way. “I wanted to make it easy on you. I thought it would hurt you more to do this if I told you the truth, and I thought you had to do it.”

           “The Druids chose him to experiment on because he had the potential for this,” Pidge put in.

           “And that potential’s been realized now,” Keith said.

           Before she could say anything, Lotor bellowed, “ATTACK!” and the temple descended into chaos. The Paladins had somehow smuggled in their helmets and bayards, so even mostly unarmored, they were proving to be hard foes for the sentries and soldiers surrounding them.

           Lotor lunged for her, but she ducked and swept his legs out from under him. “Think again, luirass.”

           He was back on his feet in no time. “You’re going to belong to me one way or another, Princess. You and the power you possess will be mine.”

           “Well, at least you’re being honest now,” she replied as he attacked her again. He was fast, but she could easily keep up. “You know, that’s the foundation of all good relationships.”

           “You lost your chance at a ‘good relationship’. I would’ve made things so sweet for you before all of this; it would’ve been like a fairy tale.”

           “I never did like fairy tales much.” She summoned up all her strength to knock him back, and was gratified to see him hit the far wall. “This princess rescues herself, thanks.”

           And then Shiro was at her side. “We don’t have time to argue!” He pulled his helmet off.

           “What?”

           He jammed it onto her head. “Hold on!” He grabbed hold of her arms and spun them, putting his armored back to the aetherite window just before it exploded.

           The viewscreen – as suspected – flew into shards and Allura realized suddenly what Shiro’s plan was. “NO!” But it was too late.

The vacuum of space sucked them out of the ship; icy darkness surrounded them as glittering shards of viewscreen and the petals of fake juniberries from her dropped bouquet danced around their bodies. Shiro went limp in her arms from the sudden shock to his system and she pulled him close to her.

“SHIRO!”

Before she could say anything else, they were swallowed up by… The Black Lion! Thank the Goddess.

           She carried Shiro to the cockpit, tucking him against one of the consoles before hopping into the seat. “Please, I know I’m not Shiro, but we have to get him out of here.”

           There was a brief pause and then the seat brought her forward to the controls. She wrapped her hands over them.

           “Thank you. Let’s go home.”

             She paced outside the pod Shiro was in. Coran had used more of her stored residual energy to wormhole them away once all they were all back in the Castle. It had taken quite a bit of reassurance (and some hectoring from Coran) to get the Paladins to let her be alone in the infirmary. She stopped pacing to look up at him as the pod set him right.

           We must’ve looked quite the sight: me walking out of the Black Lion, carrying you in my arms, your helmet no doubt a very strange accessory to my mother’s wedding dress. She looked down at it; it was a bit tattered at the hems now, and she offered up an apology to her late mother for the state of it.

The pod opened, and she whirled towards it to steady Shiro as he emerged. She yelped a little in surprise when he pulled her in for a hug, then laughed in relief and hugged him back. “You brash fool,” she teased, not meaning it in the slightest.

           “I’m so glad you’re back,” he breathed.

           “I’m glad you’re okay,” she replied. “And don’t you ever pull such a stunt again.”

           “I won’t, so long as you don’t try to marry evil dirtbags anymore.”

           “Never again,” she promised. “Though I’ll point out that I didn’t think I had much of a choice.”

           “You did. You do.”

           “Do I?” she asked, pulling away a little so she could look at his face. “Tell me the truth now, Shiro, and I’ll forgive you for lying before.”

           His gaze was warm, and she felt like she might melt from his smile. “I love you, Allura.”

           “There, see? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She beamed and hugged him again. “And that’s more important to me than all the Goddess blessings in the universe. Though that part was an unexpected stroke of good luck. Because you know Coran’s not wrong about my duty to my bloodline.”

           “Well, I’m not a sacred Altean,” he pointed out. “Just a sacred human, I guess.”

           “You’re Shiro. That’s all I need.” She leaned back. “Because I love you, too.”

           He leaned back in towards her and she met him halfway. He threaded his fingers into her hair as they kissed, and there was an energy between them that was beyond science’s electrical or chemical impulses. It was magic.

[celebrationnebula]

Old Man Keith

Chapter 3: Settling In

Keith woke to aches and pains in places he didn’t know could get aches an pains. The bed was plush, decadently adorned with pillows and throw blankets; very on par with Wizard Lance’s aesthetic. Unfortunately, for his now old bones, a solid bed would offer more support.

Orange and pink light painted the hallway as Pidge walked the castle through a valley. Being old means you need less sleep apparently, as it was only a little past sunrise and Keith was ready for the day. And what a day he had planned. Exploring the castle, on the hunt for a bed that offered back support and for any hints as to the conditions of Pidge and Lance’s contract.

…

By lunch, Keith was still unsuccessful on all fronts. Hunk, on the other hand, cooked a very successful vegetable soup in a bread bowl and salad on the side. A little over the top for just an average stay at home lunch, but that seemed to be what Lanced preferred. He also seemed to prefer reading, always had his nose buried in a book during meal times. It drove Keith up the wall, he had always been taught a meal was time for quality interactions and bonding, and that doing other things was very rude.

“Ya know, you’ve been wandering the castle an awful lot since you got here. Looking for anything in particular?” Lance inquired while waving his spoon in Keith’s general direction. Does he know about Keith’s deal with Pidge? Is he trying to find out what he knows?

“The bed in the room you gave me is way too soft. My old bones can’t take it…” Keith tried.

“Oh~” Lanced chimed knowingly, blue eyes glancing over the morning news paper, sunlight dancing in blue.The days headline was “Galra Prince Missing, Empire Looking for Someone to Blame”.  How much did he really know, keith wondered...

“What is tha-” ‘t supposed to mean’, Keith was unable to finish before Hunk burst, “Keith! I had no idea! You could have told me, I’ll help you look for a better bed after lunch!” Hunk, so kind, always willing to help, and just a great person. Even a simple syllable from Lance could draw out rage in Keith, but thanks to Hunk a fight hasn’t broken out… yet.

…

True to his word Hunk took Keith on a tour of the castle in a hunt for a good bed. On the way, he showed Keith THREE different libraries, a game room with a pool table, a spa room complete with a sauna and hot tub, a gym, some magic spell room or something, Hunk’s room, the tiny balcony, and so on and so on. Next to the third library was a small room; single bed, dresser and full-length mirror in the corner. Probably meant to be the servants quarters, but Lance had none; it was pretty much the only modest or practical room in the castle and the only room Keith really liked. So it was fitting that this would be the one firm mattress available.

During the rest of the tour, Hunk seemed concerned that Keith had picked such a small room, even apologizing a few times. Keith really didn’t mind, in fact, he preferred that room over literally every other room he had seen. Some of the other rooms had overly plush paisley bedding, while others had gold coated headboard frames, and some seemed to drown in shaggy. Austentatious and ugly at best.

…

That evening at dinner, Lance was missing again. Rude. Hunk and Pidge were chatting between them about some technical garden, regarding a clockwork creature Hunk was working on. Keith had yet to figure out the exact nature of Hunk's relationship with Lance. They were good friends it’s clear, but Hunk was a logical man of science, always tinkering on some invention. On the other hand, Lance was all magic and showboating. Was Hunk just a good guy rooming with his eccentric friend? Was he a squatter who was just so good natured Lance never bothered to kick him out? Had he also sought out magical aid form Lance, only to receive a shrug off the answer and decided to stay in protest until his solution is found, like Keith?

There was a knock at the door, three sharp raps, and then three more until Hunk sprung up abound to the entrance. At the front door, Keith had noticed something… odd. When turning the knob, there was a sort of pinwheel above the door that would spin and change what color was pointed at. Once the wheel stopped on a slide of red, Hunk opened the door to a bustling street of fine clothes and tall buildings.

“A SUMMONINGS FOR THE WIZARD MCCLAIN” A blond man with a curly bob, wearing a double breasted salmon uniform with gold trimmings. This man was from the capital. And behind him… that capital city itself? Keith hadn’t realized he had gotten up and walked over to the window until he was gazing out it in astonishment.

“He's not here right now but I can give him the letter.” Replied Hunk. So kind, so helpful.

“I’ve never been to the capital before”, mumbled Keith as Hunk returned to the dining table.

“It’s a fun place. One of Lance’s favorites. I’m sure if you ask, he’d show you around.” At that, both Keith and Pidge scoffed loudly. Pidge because they were stuck in a fire pit, unable to go sightseeing ever, and Keith because who would want to spend time with that obnoxious prick. A knock on the door again, Hunk rushed up to get it.

“Letter for… Mr oh, uh, The Wizard J. Shada?”

“He’s not here right now but I can pass along the message.” Out the window was a fish market town, the ocean just visible beyond the building down the hill.

“I’ve never seen the ocean before”, Keith signed under his breath.

“Oh, this town is one of my favorite places. The markets have the freshest ingredients, not just fish but their vegetables and fruits are farmed on the outskirts of town.” Hunk mused, “Great deals, fresh food, and a walk along the waters.”

“Sounds nice”, Pidge grumbled.

“Next time you go shopping, mind taking me along with you?” Keith asked.

“Of course man! I was actually planning on going shopping tomorrow if you’d like to j-” Hunk was interrupted by another knocking at the door.

“WAR SUMMONINGS FOR THE WIZARD FRANCIS”

“He’s not here right now but I can take the message.”

“That sounds great, Hunk, What time did you want to go?” Keith said, trying to continue where they left off. How many aliases did Lance have? A knock again.

“Winhaver door again? Must be a customer.” Hunk said as he walked back to the door “I was thinking sometime in the morning, just so all the good stuff isn’t taken.”

“Hello, I’m here to pick up a spell for my mom,'' said a little voice at the door.

“As yes, Lance left a package here for you,” Hunk said as rummaged through a pile. “Here it is! Now, remember to read the instructions, only one of these once a day.”

“Thank you, sir.” Said girl as she left.

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