#I JUST. I LOVED SHIRO SO MUCH. and was so inspired for him and just never could write him sobs.

[lolliichop]

today i talked to a friend about voltron and what. what if i. want to retry writing shiro now. even if no one ever writes sci-fi roleplay.

[autisticlancemcclain]

pt one

———

Hunk’s phone rings. Loudly. Since he is the pinnacle of grace and benevolence, he spares one hand, eyes still trained firmly on the other hand pressing a screwdriver onto a delicate wire joint to hold it steady, to blindly pat about on his workbench until it closes around the device. He jabs a finger on the screen until the ringing ceases.

“Yah,” he says, not bothering with hellos. He’s busy.

“Handle your person,” Shiro hisses, then immediately hangs up.

Hunk snorts. Someone’s nap was disturbed.

He turns back to his project, sighing as he wraps it up. He doesn’t have long. If he can just solder this last wire, get that last connection in, it’ll be way easier to —

Lance kicks open his door, walking in screaming.

“Hello,” Hunk greets idly. And largely sarcastically, he will admit. Lance continues his wordless yell, vocalizing at the very top of his lungs, muffled only when he throws himself on Hunk’s bed and buries himself in Hunk’s pillow. “Shiro tells me you’re terrorizing people.”

“His skull is fucking solid!” Lance screeches.

Hunk does not need to ask to whom Lance is referring. He does, however, pause what he’s doing immediately, spinning around slowly in his chair with his fingertips pressed together like every eighties cartoon villain. His smile can only really be described as gleeful. Perhaps diabolical if he stretches.

He is entirely unapologetic.

“And what happened this time,” Hunk questions, adopting his very best therapy voice. It must work, because Lance shoots up, face bright candy red, wicked snarl pulling on his lips. When he speaks again his voice is carefully controlled and dripping with rage.

“It is beyond hinting, Kealoha. I have practically laid myself at his feet and begged him to ravish me, and he still does not get it. I am going to fucking wring his neck.”

Hunk hums thoughtfully. “Well, that is probably what it’s going to take.” At Lance’s raised eyebrow, he rushes to clarify — “Throwing yourself at his feet, I mean. Don’t strangle him. At least not before I can see it.”

Lance groans loudly. This time when he flops back on Hunk’s mattress he is more miserable than rageful, like a scolded chihuahua. Hunk considers telling him that and then remembers that he’s quite fond of his limbs where they are.

“I know he likes me,” Lance grumbles. “He’s just a dumbass. Like, yesterday he had to go into a healing pod because I did those leg stretches in front of him and he walked into the wall and broke his nose. And last week he said I smelled good and no straight people say stupid shit like that. And when I flirted with that princess on our last mission I was lowkey worried he was gonna jump her, or something. He went all big bad Galra growly and everything.”

Hunk inclines his head. “This is true.”

It is true. Well, he didn’t know the broken nose thing — although that’s hilarious and he will be sharing that information with the class when prudent — and he hasn’t witnessed many of the specific brands of Keith and Lance dumbassery, since they spend so much time on their own, but he, like, has eyes. Keith wants Lance so bad it’s actually embarrassing. Hunk’s not one to generally agree with Lance, since it’s his God-given right to humble him at any opportunity, but that boy is oblivious unlike any other. He understands that Keith is emotionally stunted due to the ordeal of being orphaned, and to Keith he leaves his highest sympathies, but also Jesus Christ, dude. How many times are you going to be wrought with jealousy before you go oh, duh, I might be in love with this goober.

Maybe Shiro hasn’t had the talk with him yet. Hunk makes a mental note to follow up.

“—it’s just that I don’t understand,” Lance laments.

Hunk blinks back to the conversation, where Lance has clearly taken it upon himself to wax poetic and inspire woe upon himself once more.

Hunk stills. An idea wiggles its delightful little way through his brain. He holds up his phone, pointed at Lance’s prone and desolate form.

God, he loves his brain. He loves meddling. He loves love and life, basically.

“I just,” Lance sighs, and to his endless credit he sounds genuinely torn-up, for all his melodrama. “I wish I could just tell him, I guess. In some way. I wish I could get it through his fool head that he is loved by me particularly in such a way that I want to hold hands and kiss and generally be nuisances of the affectionate kind. You know, romance.”

Hunk hums with great understanding. “I see. And say you were not plagued with chronic anxiety and an unfortunate tendency to glow in your face region if someone so much as insinuates in any capacity that they care about you — what would you say to this paramour of yours?”

Lance tilts his head consideringly. His eyes are big and brown and pouty, like a scorned puppy. It’s adorable, in a pathetic kind of way. Hunk cannot help but pat him delicately on the knee.

“I suppose,” he huffs, “that I would just say it outright. Keith Kogane, you magnanimous dumbass, would it kill you to ask me out like a man. Something like that.”

“You could also ask him out like a man,” Hunk points out.

“Choke and die,” Lance responds, predictably. Hunk pays him again.

Hunk stops the recording and tucks his phone back in his pocket. He will decide how to handle the situation shortly.

…After he makes several copies and distributes them to the team. Obviously. Hunk’s excellent advice and matchmaking skills isn’t free, after all.

Lance whines again. “Why is my life so sick and twisted.”

Hunk chooses against reminding Lance that they are in the very beginning of the process of dismantling the worst tyranny the universe has ever seen, and of all the things in his life to be sick and twisted his dweeby romance is probably not one of them. Because that would be a huge buzzkill, obviously. Instead he delicately and a touch condescendingly pats Lance on the head. Lance leans into the touch, because he is a massive sweetheart and dork and nerd, and Hunk can’t help but smile widely.

“All will work out,” he says ominously. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Blah,” Lance says.

Hunk smiles wider.

[girlboypersonthingy]

Hiya!! Love your work so much😆

I was wondering if you’d write something where the paladins (especially keith hehe) have to go to a formal event like a gala to bring the coalition together (??) and how they’d ask y/n to be their date and/or how they’d react to y/n in their formal attire?? (maybe even add Matt too if you feel inspired) Thank youuu 🫶

Brooooo stoooppppp I am so weak for this idea holy shit 😩 And you are my first non anon request so THANKS FRIEND 🥹 I went with my three fav paladins 💙❤️💚AND Mattie boy 🧡Also I love writing with emojis, sorry not sorry. ENJOY DARLING~

KEITH ❤️

OH MY GOD POOR LITTLE SHY BABY BOY

He waits until the last minute to ask you, let’s be honest. Like a day before the event, he’s sitting beside you in the training room, trying to catch his breath when he goes “So that thing tomorrow. Wanna go together?” And you’re like 😏 “Are you asking me to be your date?” And now he’s like 🙄 “Shut up before I change my mind.”

It’s silent for a second but he’s staring at you. “So, are you gonna answer my question?” “Yes, Keith. I’ll be your date to the gala.” And he’s bright red in the face now.

He tries to act all cool and mysterious as you both leave the training deck and go opposite ways. As soon as you’re out of sight, he’s SPRINTING to Lance’s room.

“HELP I HAVE A DATE AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO ROMANCE!!!” 😰

He’s so fucking annoyed as he spends hours trying to memorize and properly recite pick up lines to Lance as practice.

He also totally does not steal a bottle of cologne from Lance’s bathroom before he leaves.

The morning of, he finds Shiro for wardrobe assistance. Big brother Shiro totally cleans Keith up, giving him a more semi-formal look. Keith thinks he’s too cool for a coat and tie. Shiro also convinces Keith to pull his hair back into a low pony tail.

He decides he’s just too nervous to meet you at your room so he kinda just sits on his bed for a while, fully dressed and smelling great and waiting for you.

Finally you step into his open door way, instantly catching his attention. He stands quickly, almost stumbling over his own feet as he approaches you, admiring your look for the evening.

“OH WOW. Oh…Uh…sorry. You look really nice.” You look so nice he’s stressed out about it like wtf why are you so gorgeous? He thinks you’re sooooo far out of his league.

“I like your hair pulled back like that.” You smile at him and he thinks he might just spontaneously combust rn.

He keeps his arm linked with yours as you walk together to the front of the castle where all the guests are.

Once there, you mostly hang out together or with the other paladins. You’re both kind of shy and you find comfort in being together. You’re like the two emo kids at prom who just stand against the wall and complain about the lame music.

At some point, you two disappeared from the party. Allura and Shiro are like Hello? Where did they go? Shiro wanders outside to look for you only to find you both laying on your backs in the grass right outside the castle’s front entrance, staring up at the sky. He smiles as he hears you laughing at something Keith said.

“Im serious! Lance told me to say ‘even in zero gravity, I’d still fall for you’.” “BOOOOO that’s a terrible line!” You laugh up to the dark night sky.

His hand moves slowly to the side until it meets yours. When you feel the touch, you link your pinky finger with his and look over at him. He’s still staring up at the stars as a smile grows across his face.

He was so worried about disappointing you tonight, he just wanted to charm you. But he didn’t need pick up lines or fancy clothes to make you smile. Just being his normal self seemed to make you happy.

LANCE 💙

You guessed it…Lance is going all out for you.

The morning that they are told about it from Allura, he’s literally interrupting the whole meeting to ask you to be his date.

Freaking cheese ball gets down on one knee, takes your hand and kisses the back of it softly. When he looks up at you, he’s got that flirty smirk on his thin lips. “Would you, (Y/N), make me the happiest man in the universe and be my date to the coalition gala?”

You: 😍🥵🤭

Lance: 😘😏😎

Everyone else: 🤢🫣🙄

Obvi, you say yes with dreamy eyes and a goofy smile on your face.

You thought it was cute that he asked you even though you’ve been dating for a while now. You just assumed you’d be going together anyways. What a sweet boy~

While you’re feeling fine about the whole thing, Lance is freaking out. He’s digging through his clothes looking for something fancy to wear, he’s doing double face masks, he’s forcing Pidge to smell different colognes and help him pick the best one, he’s practicing his slow dance AND his salsa skills. Keep in mind, the gala isn’t for another week but he needs to get prepared NOW!

“There’s not even gonna be music, idiot. It’s a gala, not prom. When are you two even gonna have the chance to do the lift from dirty dancing?” “SHUT UP, PIDGE! IT’LL HAPPEN!!!”

He just wants to impress you so bad. It’s his top priority at the moment.

The night of the event, he’s freshly showered, dressed for the gods, smelling like a whole bath and body works and he’s sitting in your room keeping you company while you get ready.

“Lance, the gala doesn’t start for another 4 hours. Why are you- nevermind. Forget it. You look great.” And he gets so excited at the compliment.

He watches as you get ready. He’s not as talkative as he usually is.

“You okay?” He nods with a dopey grin on his face. He’s just admiring you, that’s all. A compliment leaves his mouth like every 5 minutes as you continue to get all dolled up.

He follows along side you all the way there, his hand is in yours and it’s SWEATY. He’s so nervous.

Once you’re there, his attention span is that of a gold fish. He’s so excited and chatty and asking people questions and he never fails to introduce you to everyone…every single person…S E P A R A T E L Y. He just wants to brag.

“This fine little honey right here…yeah, all mine. I know what you’re thinking, how’d I get so lucky? I ask myself that every day.” What a sap omfg

He notices you’re looking less than happy, kind of tired. Your social battery is at like 5%. He can tell you need a break.

As you’re standing beside Allura, listening to her talk to an ally of the coalition, Lance grabs your hand and pulls you away. You’re running behind him just to keep up with his long legs.

“Where are we going?” “You’ll see.”

THIS MF SET UP FAIRY LIGHTS AND MUSIC AND CANDLES IN HIS ROOM. BRO IS LITERALLY SUCH A HOPELESS ROMANTIC I CANT DEAL WITH IT. That’s why he came to your room so early. He didn’t wanna risk you coming in to his room and seeing everything.

You might think this is so extra but if Lance is anything, it’s extra. He takes any chance he can to make you smile and feel special. He’s so sweet, it’s disgusting.

“I just really wanna dance with you, (Y/N)…” “You did all this…for me?” He nods with a shy smile, bitting his lip as he watches for your reaction. You’re over the moon, your smile uncontrollable now.

So you dance together for a couple songs. He gently caresses your back as he sways with you, occasionally letting his hands roam to your hips. At this point, his cheeks hurt from how hard he’s smiling. It’s cute and sweet and innocent and you’ve never loved him more.

PIDGE 💚

LMAO PIDGE WILL NOT EVEN ASK YOU.

Bc they’re too shy for that romantic shit.

They’re like “Who else would they go with? I’m not worried.”

They assume y’all are going together bc you’re obviously more than just friends.

They will get dressed up nice for you tho. They know everyone else will be dressed up too but they secretly WANT to make you swoon over them. Like plz feed their ego.

They actually go to Hunk for help with their wardrobe. Hunk is the best wingman to ever exist, change my mind. Also, they are really unsure whether they want to wear something more masculine or more feminine and they really trust Hunk with the topic of their gender identity.

“Hey, you guys ready?” You pop into Hunk’s room, all dressed up and ready to go.

“Almost! Hunk is just helping me with the zipper on-“ Once Pidge lays eyes on you, the little gears in their head stop completely. It’s like everything else faded away as they looked you up and down. You’re so angelic, wow oh wow.

“Aww, Pidge! You look stunning.” Aaaaand you broke them. You’re gonna have to turn them off and restart them.

“Uh yeah, you’re good now.” Hunk assures and nudges Pidge back to reality. “Go.” He whispers as he ushers them to move towards you.

You walk together in complete silence, your arm linked with theirs. Finally, they speak up first.

“Are you nervous?” “Yeah, are you?” “Yeah…” “I hate parties.” “Me too.”

So together you devise a plan: you’re gonna sneak around and pull silly little pranks on people and just eat all the food you can get your grubby little hands on.

And you do exactly that. You’re both having so much fun! You’re laughing so hard you’re snorting. You’re far from nervous now.

Pidge is the best at breaking you out of your shell and making you feel comfortable. You can be your true, authentic self around them. They are your best friend first and your ✨partner✨ second.

After a while, you two sneak off to their room to play video games. The food was good and the pranks were hilarious but you had both had enough.

As soon as the door shuts behind you, you’re both ripping off your uncomfortable fancy clothes and changing into pajamas.

You’re sitting beside them, watching the loading screen for the game. It’s taking a while…

“So…what do I have to do to get you to stare at me like that again?” Pidge whips their head around, watching you with nervous eyes. They take a deep breath before they speak. “I always stare at you like that. You’ve just never noticed.” “AAAAWWWWWWWW REALLY?!”

Forget the video game. CUE THE CUDDLEFEST!!! 💚💚💚

MATT 🧡

Matt literally goes like this: 😌👉🏻👈🏻 “Hey…uhm hey…wanna be my date to the gala tomorrow?” *blushies*

And you’re like “Matthew, we’ve been dating for 8 months.” “Yeah, so?” You sigh heavily. “Yes, I’ll be your date, you dork.”

He doesn’t go to anyone for help with anything. Man is so confident and he knows you love him no matter what he looks like.

But of course he cleans up for you. He dresses up all formal and uses mouth wash like 10 times. He puts on so much lotion. He got some from Lance bc his hands are always so dry. He just wants to hold your soft hand in his own soft hand, ya know?

He’s waiting outside your door for a while, giving you privacy while you get ready but being right there for you when you’re done.

Once your door slides open, he turns and now he’s looking at you like he just won the lottery.

“HOT DAMN, YOU ARE SO FINE! What did I ever do to deserve you? Oh my god, you’re so perfect. You are the most perfect thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on, did you know that? I swear, you are so precious-“ “Maaattttt, stooooopppppp.” You’re blushing so hard rn and he LOVES IT.

He walks with his arm around your shoulders, chatting with you about who is attending the event tonight and the importance of it all.

You sort of follow him around most the night, not doing much of the talking bc you’d rather listen to him talk.

He is so intelligent, just like Pidge. He uses words so big you cant even begin to imagine what half of them mean. He was so smooth with his words, the way he could spit facts about anything and everything without a second thought took your breath away.

At some point, you lost him in the crowd. He was busy, he was working to protect the universe. You understand. This is more than just a party.

You wander outside for some fresh air and a break from all the loud banter. Matt is meeting you out there within minutes.

“Hey. You alright?” He rests a hand on your upper back, rubbing his thumb back and forth between your shoulder blades. “Yep! Just…need a break.” “Yeah, I get it. It’s overwhelming.”

He turns and looks over his shoulder before he waves, a big smile on his face. “Oh hey! Yeah, this is (Y/N), my partner. The one I was telling you about.” He’s introducing you to an ally of the coalition who he’d just met earlier this evening.

You can’t help but smile, your heart pounding in your chest. He was talking about you to someone here tonight? What was he saying? Did he just call you his partner??? You’ve never actually heard him call you that. You’re so blushy and flattered and happy.

After a brief meeting, the visitor leaves you two alone. You pull Matt into a hug, squeezing him as tight as you can.

“You know I love you, right?” “Yes. You know I love YOU, right?” “Yeah, I know.” “Good, don’t you ever forget it.” You can decide who said what. Either way, y’all are so in love it’s not even funny.

[posebean]

fantasys your alkaloid‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️  ref sheet of alkaloid for my alkakurei fantasy au that i totally didnt abandon crazy:B here (notes abt world+magic system and other stuff on that post)

stuff abt their outfits and etc under read more

hiiro is fresh from his village baby boy left to go find his nii-san with only his clothes and a trusty satchel at his side- he just goes around looking for his nii-san and etcetc idk how long the gap is but he finds tatsumi and mayo and stays with them for some time and during that time tatsun gets him a coat because baby boy literally only has those and hes just been doing work for some guild (idk how to explain bc guilds require education but i guess tatsun pulled strings for him) so he has money to live while also looking for his nii-san and sometimes he has to go to cold places and one time he comes home after a job in a cold place and hes sick and tatsun is like hiiro-san please take this jacket with you :..) so now hiiro has a coat custom-made for him :3! he's good with elemental magic (the 5 core elements water wind fire earth plant) very versatile and a skilled little guy (not as talented as his nii-san but no one is as talented as nii-san!) anyways yadda yadda he gets a message or smth and is preparing to leave tatsun and mayo but (spoilers for meru fic) meru points him towards the town where everyone else is and yea he goes and finds his nii-san and now his goal has changed from find nii-san to convince nii-san to go back home but he befriends everyone else too and i think they do eventually go on some kind of adventure together maybe more the three younger ppl aira hiiro and kohaku

aira is a little silly fellow he dresses nicely (very inspired by fs2 but i cant stop looking at it and thinking damn he french colored......) and loves magic so much he admires all the grand mages and everyone in the upper echelons and loves watching other people cast spells and such unfortunately for him while he has a decently high innate talent, his control is God Awful which results in magic never going well for him- with no control at all, literally negative control, he can try to cast one spell and something completely different will be cast instead- and the skill level varies too it's literally just a roll of a dice for him if he tries to cast a simple flame spell he might end up flooding the room with a wall of water, it's that bad kkshfkj also he acts like he doesn't like it but he actually loves rabuhan-junior so much he secretly spoils the hamster named after him and rabuhan junior loves him back rabuhan-junior likes to sleep in his hat or on aira's head whenever kohaku goes out and leaves rabu-han junior with aira tatsun has very normal clothes bro dresses like a dad (did you know both of his fs have the same color palettes i didnt but using them as reference made me realize, anyways-) his clothes are very comfortable and easy to move around in, especially given his injury from [spoiler event here ]. he also has a cane and his injured leg has pain suppressor sigils and bandages wrapped all over it his leg isn't completely unusable like its not broken or anything its more like. a kind of necrosis like if you unwrapped it there would be a dark mark thats like icky and sometimes it flares up and hurts tatsun so much that he falls over and :( he found the cane one day in the catacomb (wonder who put it there) he added the begonia himself as a reminder of his sin... shiro is his little mouse familiar that he conjured with the help of kaname! she's a sweet little thing, often found sleeping on an open book on tatsumi's desk. she has the tatsumi-colored ears and legs because she was conjured up rather than a pact familiar. regarding magic tatsun is pretty average on both control and power, but that doesnt really matter because most of the spells he uses are passive spells more used for healing/doing work. he likes to garden and has a beautiful garden of all kinds of flowers at the chapel :) he just doesn't dare touch the flowers in the catacomb, because he knows someone else already takes care of those also that purple gem hanging around his neck is a gift from mayomayo it doesn't do anything and has no magic but tatsun still likes it :) mayomayo dresses in all dark colors because he believes that if he always dresses in dark colors no one will ever have to be bothered by seeing his existence he comes from a lineage that practices forbidden magic, not necessarily all dark but some of the more ... interesting spells . something happens in his past and he ends up leaving, taking with him his tome and well. proceeding to get chased by all kinds of monsters out in the wild because for some reason he just attracts all kinds of beasts poor guy magic-wise he does have the forbidden magic from his family but he more specializes in healing and curse removal- he doesn't dare do anything else for fear of (redacted). besides, maybe he'll one day be able to actually save somebody instead of hurting them, maybe his existence would be worth it some day. the ribbon in his hair (the green/teal one) is from tatsun :) he said mayo would look good in brighter colors and mayo disagreed so tatsun gave it to him and now its become part of his outfit and (i combust into a thousand bits ) also because of that mayo feels like he has to give tatsun something back so thats why he gives tatsumi a purple gem he had that used to hang from his spell tome anyways i still love this au very much and i hope you enjoyed now i will proceed to forget about it again /j i still really wanna write kohaku's fic and then maybe one last one for rinne-kun or smth because aghghj there's still so much that's not developed yet but (explodes)

[osaka-lilac]

can you recommend any good lance posts or fic to read?

oh. oh. oh boy do i have some fic recs for YOU

if anyone who sees this has other recommendations, please feel free to respond in the tags or in the replies! hope you enjoy - and welcome to lance nation!!!!

(i will try to keep it not just a strollonso fic rec list, yes they're my main but i don't want to give a biased list to the masses. this is a lance fic list, not just strollonso.)

so. without further ado...

allie's lance fic recs (in no particular order)

steak and other strange situations | lance/yuki | G | @lil-shiro

-> bet you didn't expect a rare pair ship as my first recommendation, huh? frankly i love the characterization that ann has utilized here - just a guy that wants to get to know people. simple yet effective!

gone before sunrise | lance/fernando | E | zeolyte

-> oogh this one is a real kicker. i couldn't tell you why my stomach churns while reading the middle of this piece. you can really feel for lance in this one and yes it does end happy (as most if not all of the fics in here will have in common with), but if you are okay with explicit material, this is a must read.

baby hotline (please hold me close to you) | lance/esteban/mick | T | @shovson

-> woohoo my ot3!!!! we dont get to see a lot of this pairing per se, but we get a lot of seb & lance running the iconic baby hotline, an advice service lance starts to help others with anything they need, like mick and estie once did for him. lovely cameos from multiple drivers.

press enter and send it | lance/esteban | E | gothic_sevgilim

-> HOO BABY is this one HOT. office au in which lance is the sassy trainee of esteban, a minor manager at lance's father's company. the tension in here is NUTS man

between your collar and your jaw | lance/sebastian | E | @hurricane-heatt

-> if you know me you know how much i fuck with cowboys. THEN you should by association know that i would never pass up a cowboy au. THIS is what a cowboy au should look like. passionate, yet leaves you in a cloud of dust by the side of the dirt road, knowing you'll never see this man and his steed again.

clerestory | pierre/charles with a side of lance/fernando | E | @nobrakesdown

-> woah. i thought this was a lance fic list?? this is our wildcard for the list. lance only appears in this fic as a historical figure in the wild royal mystery pierre is studying as he heals from an injury after a major crash. frankly i just wanted to add this one because it genuinely is one of my favorite fics on the site and since it vaguely has lance in it, i will be including it

never too soon | lance/george | G | @userkritaaay

-> stressed unstoppable force george meets relaxed immovable object lance. this is just lance and george suffering together after singapore 2023. delightful

you're my fucking hero: the critic's review | lance/fernando | M | me. i wrote this

-> finally, who would i be on this site without a bit of self promo. the love labor of @no00000000's wonderful dirtbag au, in which lance learns to live and pursue his own passions after a run in with a rough criminal, fernando. it is formatted as a movie review for a hypothetical movie, inspired by the essays i would write while in my history of film course years ago.

[starstruckkittensweets]

puppy love (ii)

Chuuya Nakahara x Reader

fandom: bungo stray dogs

Another part to the Chuuya with puppies series! Honestly it's been pretty therapeutic to write this out and plan out future parts. I don't really have any kind of direction for this series, it's just for fun and I write when I get inspired! But luckily my love for Chuuya isn't going away anytime soon, so you can look forward to more. I hope you enjoy!

warnings: fem reader, pet names ("doll"), rambunctious puppies who just wanna play, mutual pining perhaps (if you squint) || words: 2.6k

Part I | Part II | Part III

The next time you see Chuuya, you’re on your way home from the vet—with Kotaro, Pochi, and Shiro in tow.

Kotaro’s the first to notice him. His ears shoot forward, nose pointed straight in the cool night air, and he gives a hard yank on the leash in your hand. You start to scold him, but the words die on your tongue at the familiar sight of orange hair and bright blue eyes.

The really pretty eyes you haven’t stopped thinking about for the last few days or so. (As embarrassing as it sounds.)

Kotaro tugs hard on the leash, nearly ripping the thing right from your grasp, his tail swishing from side to side. He’s not the only one who’s noticed your new friend; Pochi is sniffing the air, trying to catch the stranger’s scent, while Shiro is digging his paws deeper into the ground, eyes fixed on the newcomer’s every move.

“Sorry,” you manage a smile, despite wrangling all three dogs back under your control. (It’s hard not to get the leashes all tangled up.) “They can be excitable sometimes—I didn’t expect to see you again so soon…”

To be honest, you thought he’d forgotten about your little meetup for lunch altogether (if his attire is anything to go by, he’s a busy man with a tight schedule). The sight of him now makes your chest feel warm, your fingertips buzzing around the handles of Kotaro’s leash.

You don’t even know his name; to you, he’s just the nice stranger who brought your dog back home to you that fateful night.

But that’s plenty enough for Kotaro, who’s scrabbling against the sidewalk to the man’s outstretched hands. You really should invest in some retractable leashes. Then again, Kotaro would probably just break them in two.

Not like Pochi and Shiro, who wait patiently at your side, despite their own curiosity.

“Out for a walk, huh?” The man lets out a chuckle, even as Kotaro presses his dirty paws against his knees. “Hope you’re not causin’ your girl too much trouble.”

“Not that much,” you mumble, cheeks burning beneath his gaze. “…Is it okay if the others say hi?”

There’s a sparkle in his eye, the same one you saw the first night you met. Something that reminds you of the children you pass on the street, the ones who pull at their mother’s arms, begging to let them pet the puppy by your side. Strange to say you recognize that kind of look on a grown man’s face, but it seems to suit him all the same.

Makes his eyes look so much prettier than they already are.

He slips a glove off and crouches down to the dogs’ level, while simultaneously trying to push Kotaro off him. Pochi’s the first one to step forward, his nose twitching almost violently. Shiro hangs back, pawing at the ground before plopping his bottom right down on your shoes.

You stifle a laugh at the bulldog’s expression. My human, don’t come any closer.

“Sorry about that!” It’s hard not to smile at the man’s baffled expression, at the way Shiro’s practically glaring at him from his spot in front of you. “He’s a little protective. But I promise he’s a sweetheart once you get to know him.”

“Nah, it’s fine, I get it.” And he actually does, by the way he only focuses on Pochi and Kotaro, taking turns scratching them behind their ears. Giving the grouchy bulldog some much-needed space, only smiling at him over the other dogs’ heads.  

Huh, that’s a first.

How many times have you had to shoo an eager child’s hand away or scoop Shiro up in your arms just to keep him safe? Shiro’s a rare case, comfortable with dogs but a bit uneasy around most humans. And it’s hard to find people who acknowledge that and just leave him be. No poking or prodding, or pulling on his stubby little tail and risk losing a finger or two. And that’s the last thing anyone wants.

“Just one pet wouldn’t hurt, right?”

“Not a fan of people? That’s kinda strange…”

“He won’t bite me, right? You shouldn’t have him out in public if he’s aggressive.”

The man’s voice jerks you from your thoughts; he’s too fixated on Pochi now, smiling as the beagle kisses his cheek, so much that Kotaro is starting to look a bit jealous.

“What’s his name?”

“Pochi,” you answer with a smile. “You already know Kotaro. And this big boy is Shiro.” You lean down to rub the bulldog’s chest; he grunts and leans into your touch, all the while keeping his eyes on the man before him. “Sorry about them, they can get a little excited.”

Quite an understatement, judging by the bits of dog hair flayed across his black suit. He swipes a hand through his hair, and your eyes linger on the frayed orange strands just a little longer than they should. Until his voice snaps you out of it, as his blue gaze flickers up to meet your own.

“Only three today? Thought you said you had eight of them.”

It’s hard not to smile at his words. He remembered that, huh? “The others are back at home. These three had their check-ups at the vet today. I’ll have to bring the next three in sometime later this week.”

“Only a couple at a time, eh?”

“Yeah, I’ve tried taking all eight of them at once—it was not fun for anyone, except for maybe this little mess.” You lean over and scratch Kotaro behind the ear; the dog looks pretty damn proud of himself as you recall that stressful memory.

But before you can say anything else the man rises to his feet, tucking his hands into his pockets, but not before giving Kotaro and Pochi one last pat on their heads. There’s a soft pang in your chest; is he leaving already?

“A little late for a vet appointment, isn’t it?”

You shrug, your eyes falling to the ground. “I gotta work around the shop’s hours. We don’t close until seven, and it takes about an hour to get these guys all leashed up and ready to go. The vet the next block over doesn’t mind, though. He even knocks a bit off the price whenever one of the dogs is sick. And sometimes it’s nice, being the only ones in there. You don’t have to worry about any other dogs or people over there.”

Are you rambling again? Probably, but he doesn’t seem to mind. At least he doesn’t make it noticeable, with the way he’s looking at you.

“This a usual thing for you, then? These nighttime walks?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” you answer with a giggle. “Any major shopping or appointments don’t get done until after work. I’m used to the late hours, though.”

The man hums in agreement, but his eyes tell a different story. Slowly he takes his hands back out of his pockets, eyes roaming the ground before landing back on your own. You swallow the lump in your throat (that definitely wasn’t there a few minutes ago).

“You sure you’re safe out here at this time of night?”

Another shrug, albeit a little more hesitant than the one before. “As long as I’ve got these guys, I think I am.”

He huffs out a breath, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. An uneasy silence settles over the two of you, only broken by the sound of Kotaro’s whining. He wants to get back home.

They all do, by the looks of it. A trip to the vet always wears them out. Not to mention, they’ve been hard at work guarding the shop all day. Being the faithful watchdogs you’ve trained them to be, alerting you whenever a new face shows up at the door.

(Not really, but you let them think they’re helping. It boosts their morale, lets them know they’re appreciated for all their hard work.)

“Let me walk you home,” the man finally says. “Just this once, alright?”

Maybe it’s the adorable wagging of Kotaro’s and Pochi’s tails, or the way Shiro doesn’t outright growl when the man steps closer to you, beckoning you closer with a gloved hand and a gentle smile. Or perhaps it’s the way you try to hold back a yawn, only to fail in the most unattractive way possible, as the weight of the day finally comes crashing down on your shoulders. For the first time since you woke up this morning, you realize just how damn tired you actually are.

Whatever it is, it has you nodding your head almost eagerly, your lips pulled up in a sleepy smile. “Sounds good to me.”

The walk back home is surprisingly comfortable, despite two of the three dogs yanking hard on their leashes. The friendly stranger keeps to the outer half of the sidewalk, a protective barrier between your dogs and the looming road ahead. The two of you are lost in your own little world, making casual conversation here and there, ignoring the skeptical looks of the few passerby’s out on a midnight stroll.

And by the time you see the dim lights and rickety old sign of the shop, you’ve learned three things about your new friend.

First, his name is Chuuya. He says it with a smile, orange hair falling into his face. It prompts you to share your own name, and hearing it roll off his tongue in that slightly raspy voice of his sends a shiver down your spine. (You decide then and there you like hearing your name fall from his lips.)

Second, he’s fairly wealthy. He doesn’t say it outright, but he doesn’t exactly make an effort to hide it either. From the way he dresses to how he casually mentions different brands and flavors of wine—names you’ve only ever seen next to their outrageous dollar amounts in the store. But at least he doesn’t seem snobbish about it. He doesn’t turn his nose up at the less-than fortunate state of the shop you run. Hell, he even turned down the promise of some quick and painless money just for bringing your puppy back to you that night, when most people would’ve jumped at the idea of a financial reward. Or maybe that’s just the way he is? You’re undecided about that for now.

And third, and probably most importantly, he wants to adopt a dog of his own sometime in the future.

“That’s…great! Amazing, actually! We have a lot of dogs back at the shop, it’s more of a makeshift shelter than a pet store, though. I don’t really like that term, pet store—sounds too cold and distant, right? Anyway, it’s nothing too official, none of them are really purebreds so we don’t have to worry about too many legal troubles. But if you don’t mind, you’re more than welcome to visit and see the rest of the pups. Get to meet them and see if you wanna take one home with you!”

Of course, it’ll be hard letting go of one of them. But that’s what you’re here for, isn’t it? Taking care of these dogs until they find their forever homes. Nothing’s permanent, it never has been. But it’s been quite a while since you’ve come across someone who’s interested in adopting a former street dog, sometimes it just slips your mind. You have to remind yourself it’s only a matter of time before you have to say goodbye to them.

Except Kotaro. You’ve got dibs on the shiba.

Chuuya doesn’t interrupt your little speech, but he’s not ignoring you either. He keeps his eyes on you the entire time, only pausing to steal a glance at the dogs at your side. He still keeps his distance from Shiro, who’s lumbering at your side at a steady trot. Pochi won’t stop pulling on his leash trying to get closer to him, and Kotaro’s tail hasn’t stopped wagging ever since you started your walk back home.

Honestly, he’s kind of impressed you’re able to hold a conversation while keeping a hold on three rambunctious dogs. However fun they seem to be, they all look like they’d be a handful to take care of.

“…Well?” You’re staring at him now, eyes wide and hopeful, holding your breath as you wait for his answer. “I know it’s a little late in the day now to meet them all, but what about tomorrow?”

And maybe the prospect of seeing Chuuya again so soon has you on edge, but in the best possible way.

But then he’s shaking his head, holding up a hand, and you feel your chest deflate just a bit.

…Okay, maybe a lot, actually.

“I’d love to, doll, believe me… But adopting a pup ain’t in the cards for me anytime soon.”

“Oh…that’s a shame…”

He winces at the pitiful look in your eyes, the way your shoulders sag slightly—for the love of God, even the dogs look disappointed in him. Kotaro’s ears are drooping, Pochi hangs his head, and Shiro gives a disapproving grunt under his breath.

No fucking way these dogs can understand us.

“I-I mean, not in the near future,” he says quickly, trying to remedy the situation. Trying to make you smile at least one more time tonight. “I’d still wanna meet ‘em, though, if you’ll let me.”

Right on cue you’re giggling again, and he lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “Sounds good to me! Just drop by whenever you can, the doors are always open.”

As tempting as it is to stay out here and talk with him just a bit longer, exhaustion is weighing you down. The dogs have to be tucked in for the night, and you have to get a few hours of sleep before the shop opens up early tomorrow morning. Or would that be later today? It’s already past midnight, isn’t it?

“C’mon, boys.”

Thankfully, none of the dogs put up much of a fight. Pochi holds his head high as he follows you up the steps to the door. Shiro sticks close to your ankles and practically snubs Chuuya with a grumpy snort. Only Kotaro lingers long enough to get one final scratch behind the ears, and then he’s joining you and the rest of the dogs with a soft happy yip.

Your chest feels unnaturally full as you unlock the door and let the dogs inside. But before you shut it completely you poke your head out—and your cheeks heat up when you realize Chuuya hasn’t moved an inch from his spot on the sidewalk.

What a true gentleman.

“…Thanks for walking us home.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says with a smile. “It was my pleasure.”

Kotaro nudges his way back out the door; you groan and tug on his collar, dragging the poor pup back inside. And Chuuya can’t help but laugh at the flustered look on your face.

“Sorry about that… Have a goodnight, Chuuya.”

He stiffens—so that’s what his name sounds like in your voice, huh?—but recovers quickly with a cough. Hopefully you can’t see the light dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“…Yeah, goodnight, doll…”

You close the door and latch it shut behind you. Chuuya remains rooted to his spot on the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets, until he sees a light flicker on upstairs.

Safe and sound inside.

Then he turns his back and heads down the length of the sidewalk. Unbeknownst to him, you’re watching him go from your bedroom window, peeking through the blinds.

For the rest of the night your chest stays uncomfortably full, even when the dogs are tucked in for the night and you’re left alone with your thoughts in the dark. Staring up at the ceiling, hands bunched around the bedsheets, replaying every single detail you can remember about your little meetup.

It takes a while to fall asleep, but once you do, all you can dream about are blue eyes and wagging tails, with a smile on your face.

[iamumbra195]

MY favourite bleach head canons in no particular order

1. the idea that all shinigami in gigai give off uncanny valley vibes

Basically like Isshin, whose not quite human but not quite shinigami, meets some of Ichigo’s friends when he was a kid like Tatsuki and she obviously met his mom before and she was nice so she wasn’t expecting much from his dad and then she meets him and her first reaction is ‘what the fuck is that???’

The kurosaki kids, who have grown up with their dad and have pretty high levels of reiatsu, don’t actually realize this while their human friends just instinctually avoid Isshin ‘cause they feel like something’s off about him

of course over time and with extended exposure to Ichigo’s reiatsu, the weirdness kinda fades away but anyone outside of Ichigo’s circle generally avoids all the shinigami that come to Karakura in gigai for those reasons

2. all animals hate shinigami except cats and crows

literally for no reason besides the fact that I like them

I love the idea of shinji with his creepy ass smile just perched on top of a telephone pole and if he stays still long enough, crows will start sitting on him XD

I also have cats that I love and I love the idea of Ichigo just chilling on his bed with an orange cat and doing the purring thing with it while he’s sleeping

And then when he goes to a pet store with Rukia because she wants to see bunnies, all the animals go ballistic anf they get kicked out XD

3. the visored + ichigo with animalistic traits

laying down on hot things because it feels nice on their skin and soothes something in their lizard brains

eyes that flash hollow yellow when they feel intense emotion (inspired the scene in the anime where Aizen says that hollowification is faster when agitated so emotions heavily affect their appearance

I like the idea that they get very tactile with people they care about (not in a romantic way) and they get into little wrestling matches over stupid stuff because that’s they’re idea of playing and bonding

Shinji gives cat vibes, you can’t even tell me he doesn’t just look at him. When cats make eye contact as they push something off the table- that’s him

I also really like the idea of the hollowification affecting their zanpakuto. Given that Ichigo was pretty much born with his hollow, he doesn’t notice the different the way the Visored do 

Shinji’s whole standing upside down and reversing the gravity on himself, I like the idea that it came after his hollowification and if he wishes he can do it to others

Idk if there’s any jjk manga readers her but you know that attack kenjaku has where he makes you feel like you’re falling but you’re not really? He does it to Yuji a few times when he’s fighting mahito and I love the idea of Shinji having that ability, just completely fucking up their sense of reality and direction

I haven’t thought of the other visored abilities but from my other AU that I will never write, I mentioned that Kaien was hollowified as well so I love the idea of him just being completely obsessed with everything water related and having an affinity for any water type kido and being able to control minor amounts of water without actually drawing Nejibana and being able to breath under water

4. all zanpakuto spirits do commentary in their weilders head

but only ppl like Ichigo and Toushiro who have incredibly powerful spirits that they can literally talk to in the middle of a fight can actually hear

Like Zabimaru, haineko, and all the other zanpakuto are just constantly making fun or nitpicking the way their weilder uses them

But Ichigo is the only one who has to suffer through Zangetsu (Shiro) cackling in his head while Toushiro gets useful feedback and Ichigo’s just completely done with him

a sadder headcanon: all zanpakuto spirits talk to their weilders regularly however, the Visored because of their own fear of their hollowification have estranged themselves from their zanpakuto spirits and like Shiro is hostile with Ichigo in canon, the others are like ten times worse

5. If Ichigo every actually seals his zanpakuto, he’d be incredibly sensitive to reiatsu (I forgot to add this one the first time and I didn’t wanna make another post XD)

I personally love this little explanation of Ichigo’s powers and you know how Ichigo is just really shitty at sensing reiatsu at the beginning? Shinji commented on it a couple times and seemed pretty confused by it.

I think that part of the reason why he’s so bad at it-- especially after the SS arc ‘cause remember he was actually pretty good at sensing back then-- is because after he achieved Bankai, Hollow Zangetsu was in control rather than OMZ and with that switch in power came a significant uptick in his own reiatsu to the point where Ichigo actually feels like he’s being crushed by his own power and he can feel how close Shiro is for the first time and he’s actually scared of his own power

Hiyori even comments about how he’s scared of his own bankai because the distance between him and Shiro decreases everytime he gets stronger since Shiro gets stronger with him

Anyways, we’re not devolving into an analysis about Ichigo and Shiro but eventually Ichigo learns how to sense things properly even with his own reiatsu

So when he finally seals Zangetsu and he’s no longer covered by his own power because it’s finally sealed, he’s gonna be sensing things so much stronger and get sensory overload only it’s ✨reiatsu sensitivity✨

6. Souls in the Society age until they find an appearance both they and their reiatsu level is comfortable with (Another one because I’m an idiot and I forgot)

Excluding Toushiro’s weird case of appearanc shifting but I guess that could be attributed to his bankai’s weirdness that I don’t know much about

I don’t think we’ve gotten on actual explanation on how souls age so I’ve decided to apply this hc

Basically the reason why ppl like Unohana, who looks incredibly similar to herself from a thousand years ago, the only difference being how much less sinister she looks and how calm she looks

Plus, all the characters from the Turn back the pendulm arc barely changing over a hundred years is wild

I initially thought of it as comparing every decade a soul lives to ever year a human lives but that didn’t feel right so I chose this

[wannaeatramyeon]

PLEASE MORE OF THE HOTUB MEETING THINGS ITS SO FUNNY AND I LOVE UR WORK FOR LOOKISM

Hey Anon! I responded to the other anon but I got inspired to write more crack. What is continuity, you ask? Well who the hell knows.

Men of Lookism: Bathhouse Meeting Part 3... with Guests

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4: Women of Lookism

What is this, a crossover episode?

As more naked bodies file in, the tension could be cut with a knife.

The establishment was supposed to close off the bathhouse for the rest of the night. Any further admittance being strictly forbidden. This has never happened before, there must be some scheduling mistake.

Even with the fights and squabbling breaking out from before, the easy air was no longer.

All eyes are on the men entering.

Recognition dawns.

Turns out, they are not out of place here.

Gun Park makes the first move.

"Warai Oni," he bows, "We finally meet."

Baek Seongjun returns the greeting with reverence, "Shiro Oni."

"The fuck is wrong with your eyes?" A rude voice cuts through.

"Taehoon!" Yoo Hobin scolds under his breath, elbowing him swiftly in the stomach. He'd much rather face the wrath of Taehoon, who would likely just kick him a few times, than the infamous Gun Park, who would probably murder him. "Don't you know who that is?!"

"Why the fuck would I know?" Seong Taehoon does indeed throw a kick at Hobin, who manages to jump out of the way in time. How dare that little asshole elbow him.

"That's Gun Park!" Snapper is practically vibrating with excitement to be in the same place as him. "He was voted most popular by a fricking HUGE margin!"

Gun smirks at the last part but of course his partner comes to rain on his parade.

"So what? His eyes are freaky, aren't they?" Goo Kim teases, materialising next to Taehoon and resting his head on his shoulder. "He's so ugly."

"Get off!" Goo pouts as Taehoon pushes him away.

"Hey," Jason Yoon nudges Johan Seong, "There's that Taehoon. Do you think we should say hi?"

Johan doesn't bother to look, making a move to get out of the water anyway. "Whatever. Any crossover was years ago."

"So what's your backstory?" Baek Hangyul asks the man sitting to his right.

"Nothing interesting," Jinho shrugs. "I'm just crazy."

"Same." Hangyul smiles at him, having found a kindred spirit.

Seo Haesu studies the menu on the wall, mind never too far from food, and wondering what he should eat next.

"Hi," he greets the guy now next to him, eyes also scanning the menu.

Johan looks over and nods.

"Welcome to the Sad Boy Simp Club!" Ryuhei throws his arm around Kim Munseong.

"Sup," Zack Lee says, joined by Xiaolong and Warren Chae.

"I... guess that's me." Munseong grimaces, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Can I join?" Wangguk overhears, thinking that he deserves at least an honorary membership.

Confusion paints Munseong's face. "I thought you and Rumi...?"

"Sort of. It's all very rushed. No one's satisfied-"

Xiaolong suddenly breaks off from the group "Sorry, excuse me!" having spotted someone in the distance.

Ji Yeonwoo feels strangely exposed as he walks nude into the room. Not that he's shy, but he feels vulnerable. Like someone is constantly watching. He heads for the water as quickly as he can, wanting to cover up.

Mangi relaxes in the water as Yeonwoo settles next to him.

Two bald heads belonging to Jerry Kwon and Brad Lee catches his eye. He smiles to himself, comforted by the sight of his bald brethren.

A set of doppelgangers meet up.

"Baek Seongjun!" Xiaolong calls out. The other blue haired man smiles politely at him.

"I'm sorry for stealing your design," Xiaolong, contrite, executes a 90 degree bow.

"Don't worry," Seongjun dismisses any concern or ill-will, "It's not your fault. Besides, I'm dead."

From afar, Eugene keeps a close eye on Yeonwoo, observing him from the moment the latter walked in. Almost a doppelganger of his own if his growth spurt would kick in and if he could put on 30lb of muscle.

Goddamnit. He wants a glow-up too.

[eclipse-song]

Can you elaborate on “Gotchard is Showa”? Bc I see the callsigns but I really havent watched much beyond 71 and like. Reimaginings of 71.

Sometimes shit will just happen, it focused on a little GROUP of characters that are all in the action but with only a couple riders, Kajiki is there, the recurring use of the classic Wind Noise.

But is there anything else that sticks out bigtime to you?

I can try! I feel like while yes they do reference the 1971 Rider sound fx and symbols sometimes, I was also saying Gotchard was showa BEFORE all of that. Kajiki being there I feel doesn't do a whole lot to make him showa since I don't see him so much as a Taki stand-in but the heroine replacement (stated to be this by the producers) since he doesn't really go in kicking and punching like Taki did. I also find that Gotchard isn't a show really where "shit just happens" since most of the time anything that has happened has been built up to slowly and mentioned previously.

What stands out in the show to ME as something that feels inspired by many aspects of Showa era Kamen Rider is the story structure that has its own arcs and such but the focus is heavily leaning towards episodic stories that are contained within an episode or 2 and then moves on to the next story. There is an episodic nature about it that ironically also reminds me of Wizard (a heisei 2 series that I could also write a lot of arguments on it being a modern fantasy retelling of the original kamen rider series in many parts-though not all of it) . The tone of the show fluctuates and can go from dead serious to ridiculous comedy within an episode or 2 which resonates well with a lot of the feelings of episodes in the showa era (this may be what you mean by shit just happens I realize now). I feel like this show could work around the time of Black RX or possibly Skyrider/Super-1. There's an experimental feel to it where it's rough around the edges but has a lot of love infused in it. Most importantly though, I think it's how the values of the characters resonate with many of the showa riders. I remember thinking very early on how Hotaro would be a Rider that Hongo would adore and take in under his wing. Hotaro is able to befriend these monsters and there is a kindness in him that is expressed towards his enemies that Hongo only wishes he could have afforded as he viewed many of his opponents as people like him who were kidnapped and transformed against their will. Kazami Shiro in V3 has a small arc in there where he meets a friend who has been converted to believing in Destron as a beacon of hope through propaganda and begins to encourage him and others to leave because he recognizes them suddenly as people who could have been his friend once upon a time. It's this element of love and kindness towards who he is meant to be fighting that I think really resonates with me and makes me think the Legendary 7 would have loved Hotaro.

SO sorry if this is a little hard to read, I just woke up from a nap

[kismetconstellations]

@sockdooe You absolutely do not need to apologize, ever, for "dumping" rants in the tags of my posts. I happen to love reading everything you have to say, and look forward to these "dumps", every time I see your username pop up in my notifications.

People are allowed to write and headcanon whatever they want (Looking at you, "Black Paladin Lance" AUs), but, it's concrete, indisputable canon that the Black Lion and Shiro had the strongest bond of any human Paladin and Lion pair.

Yes, Lance was the first to have a connection with a Lion, and the Red Lion came to Keith's aid of her own volition, just as the Green Lion likewise rushed to protect Pidge. That in no way negates just how much focus was given to building Shiro's bond with Black, and establishing him as the Paladin she chose, because they understood, valued, and trusted one another. Sure, the Black Lion absorbing Shiro into her inner quintessence might very well be a reference to the episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion where Shinji Ikari's body is similarly absorbed by his EVA Unit. Goodness knows there are plenty references to NGE and other anime scattered about. Shiro's Season One/Two design seems to have taken some heavy inspiration from Guts- shock of stress-induced white on a head of black hair, strong, square jaw, prosthetic arm, distinct lateral scar across the bridge of his nose-

-and he was originally intended to marry Roy Focker.

Nevertheless, it speaks volumes that this ancient, sentient force looked at a traumatized, battle-scarred, yet still extraordinarily gentle man with blood on his hands, sins to atone for, and feelings of self-loathing and desperation to prove himself worthy, prove that every fight in the Arena and every life he took to keep himself alive, every precious second of time he was able to steal back from Death's inescapable grip meant something if he can do good with all of the evil that has touched him, permeating the very essence of his being, and decided Him. He's the one I want. To the point of holding onto whatever she could of him after he died.

And, as much as this show tried to undermine that with Keith and the Clone Shiro being able to pilot the Black Lion, and later showing the previous Paladins also being preserved by their Lions' quintessence- inside of Haggar/Honerva's mind, despite the fact that she killed them outside of their Lions, because Season Eight's writing is an absolute convoluted mess- it will never, ever diminish the fact that Shiro is so special, not one, but two magic-powered sentient spacecrafts adopted him as their Person.

(I do wish the Atlas's interior wasn't so dark, dreary, and dull, though. They couldn't have given this poor man a ship with white walls and turquoise accents, or something? It had to be dingy gray and Galaxy Garrison orange?)

Even if we ignore the fans who hyperfocus on Lance and Keith, determined to turn them into the ultimate tragic heroes/victims of the universe/hyper-competent badasses/supremely empathetic Hearts of the Team (sorry, but that title belongs to Hunk. It will always belong to Hunk)/discount Shiros, the treatment of Shiro by the fandom has, since its inception, been dubious, at best.

He's a cheerleader for Keith/Lance. He's an obstacle to Keith/Lance, so we'll pair him off with Allura. No, wait, never mind, he's twenty-five, and therefore, absolutely off limits to every single one of the Paladins, and Allura, as a potential romantic partner, and anyone even slightly okay with one of these ships deserves to be harassed and indiscriminately labeled a "pedophile", including Shiro's voice actor. (We'll completely overlook, of course, that Keith is also a legal adult, and shipping him with any of the younger Paladins should, by those standards, be verboten, as well.) Shiro is the "Token Gay" who we'll cast aside in favor of Keith and/or Lance, but throw him the meagerest scrap of bone in the form of pairing him off with either the (dead) man who canonically ended their relationship on poor terms because he couldn't handle the emotional strain of another one of Shiro's medical scares, or the piece of glorified set dressing with no personality to speak of who Shiro barely interacts with, and whose name is never once spoken onscreen. Wait, no, Shiro's actually not gay enough (because he's not a mincing, flamboyant stereotype?), so we'll complain that we were "queerbaited" over a ship featuring a canonically heterosexual teenage boy that was never, ever going to happen.

And, the fans who do gravitate toward Shiro tend to sexualize him to the extent of discarding- or fetishizing- his trauma to get him naked and railing (in the most Out of Character portrayal imaginable), or being railed by, their character of choice as swiftly as possible.

Disgusting.

I can only hazard a guess that Shiro has been afflicted with so much extensive, irreversible trauma, fanfiction authors who are simply writing for fun with the intention of living vicariously through these characters don't want to have to confront the ugly, less than titillating reality of that trauma, or so much as touch it with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. So, they choose to pretend it doesn't exist, or gloss over it, in exactly the manner the show, itself, does. This includes his illness, which, if we take Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos at their word, was written into Shiro's character from conception, along with his homosexual identity.

"I think a lot of his backstory was created independently, even from his sexual orientation, ‘cause that was just a part of who he was but it wasn’t necessarily a discovery moment. So the vast majority of the conversations of his backstory were around figuring out what else is there, the illness and those aspects of it. Him being gay was just something that we had always wanted to do with him from early on."

And, in the case of fans who try to turn their favorites into Shiro, which is one of the strangest, most inexplicable phenomena I have ever encountered in all of my years on the internet in fandom spaces- why designate a character as your favorite if you desperately need them to be someone else, instead of accepting them as they are?- they have to be slapping a prosthetic on those characters purely for the cheap angsty aesthetic.

Which is to be expected when people steal distinct traits from another character to apply to their favorite like a patchy, uneven coat of paint layered over top of what was already there. They don't understand why that other character had those traits, to begin with. They, presumably, see Shiro with his scars, his personal history with Sendak, Haggar, and Zarkon, the three most powerful and intimidating villains in the series, the physical and emotional evidence of the experimentation and torture Shiro was subjected to while in captivity, his relationship with the Black Lion, his irreplaceable presence and role on the team as a firm but gentle guiding light, and decide, "That's unique and makes him stand out as someone special and important. My favorite deserves to be special and important, too! So, I'll take what he has and give it to them!" It really is like a kid wanting another kid's favorite toy because their own isn't "good enough", and I can honestly say I've never seen this sort of behavior in any other fandom. If Lance and Keith fans, as they tend to be the prime perpetrators, recognize that Shiro has innate narrative significance and desirable qualities, why not adopt him as their favorite, instead?

It all comes back to the fanbase's rampant ageism, the ages of the fans, themselves (you'd have to be pretty darned young to think a twenty-five year-old is old enough to be a teenager's "dad"), and, I think, the fact that Shiro is a conventionally masculine gay man, rather than a skinny twink, so it isn't as easy to project more effeminate characteristics onto him.

Lance uses skin masks and moisturizes.

Shiro either doesn't sleep, or wakes up inhumanly early to do push-ups.

Characters with more reserved, subdued personalities also tend to be cast aside and written off as "boring" in favor of overtly loud, flashy, mostly comic relief ones. There is nothing wrong with preferring one or the other, and both have their place, especially in stories aimed at child audiences where a bit of levity is necessary after watching characters go through high stakes and intense emotional strain. But, it has always been my opinion that people who overlook the guarded, noble, self-sacrificing leaders who voluntarily bear the weight of the world on their shoulders have poor taste. That sort of frank dismissal demonstrates an unwillingness to peer past the supposedly "uninteresting" surface and see what makes these characters pillars of leadership, virtue, and heroism, in the first place.

Like reaching out to a kid the rest of the world has given up on, and offering him a helping hand.

Like being willing to paint yourself as a bloodthirsty savage and attacking a scared friend to keep him out of a fight where he surely would have lost his life.

Like offering encouragement, guidance, and support to the people in your care, so they come to trust you as a friend, and confidante.

And, never hesitating to protect someone who can't protect themselves.

Takashi Shirogane is beautiful, inside and out.

The "fans" who don't understand or appreciate that, and especially the ones who think this show could have possibly stood to benefit from killing him permanently, have objectively rancid opinions. And, should almost definitely steer clear of trauma survivors, because they fail to understand what Shiro means to us as a representation of the kind of person we all could be if we're willing to never give up on ourselves, and try.

Let him be showered in all of the tender forehead kisses, get to sleep on the comfiest plush mattress, and be surrounded by an army of soft and fluffy plushies. Forever and ever.

[iquirms]

Klance headcannons while i suffer from writers block

Keith tells Lance that when they get back to earth, he'll build Lance a house by the ocean in Varadero with a gazebo.

Lance quietly suffers all night from the urge to tell Keith he loves him so much

When Keith is in a healing pod, Lance stresses so badly he knits. He crochets. Pidge has go drag him out of a space shop that sells yarn so many times that she doesnt even blink when he turns up with purple yarn.

Keith has so many hippos, bees and sharks that Lance has made for him.

He keeps them all on his bed.

They play stupid games on the tablets in the castle and Lance destroys Keith in all of them

Keith is a master at games on a console. Unless theyre horror and then he turns into a ball of terror and dread

Not much for public affection other than holding hands and a quick peck on the cheek, they've found other ways to assure each other in public

Keith says thinks to him in the galra tongue that leaves Krolia and Kolivan sharing a look each time without fail

Lance taps any part of Keith he can subtly three times to tell him he loves him

When Lance gets frustrated with himself, instead of pulling his hair out or biting his nails like he used to, Keith lets him braid his hair at least a thousand times

Lance got the big brother talk from Shiro

Funnily enough, so did Keith

Theyre so in love it physically makes Pidge sick but she loves them so when they smile softly at each other, she just turns away

When Keith leaves for BoM, they face time every chance they get. Most of the time Lance is in red and Keith always gets the faint feeling of happiness in the back of his head, along with a small flash of them both and a whisper of 'mine'.

One time Kolivan came in when Lance was telling Keith a story and took a picture of his face just to bully him because of how in love he was

Keiths background on his phone is lance smiling with his sister Veronica and the sun is in the background, with purple skies and sand in his hair from the beacj in Varadero

Lances background is Keith staring up at the sky, unaware hes being photographed, while a fire crackles between them.

(They were watching the sun set in the desert around where Keith stayes during The Year that Wont Be Spoken Of and get distracted so they wait for the sun rise)

Keith is little spoon while Lance is human body pillow for both Keith and Kosmo

Thats about ir for rn cause the inspiration just struck again! Bye!

[beeflibeef]

I was wondering, who would you think be an ideal partner for Idate? That boy needs a whole lot of love for all the crap he deals with, also I wanted to say I LOVE your art! You definitely inspire me to draw and I really am happy to still see active members in the okegom community!

Thank you for your question, it's very interesting to think about

I never thought about whom Idate would date, in the au especially

I don't know about canon version of him, concerning the version with 'angsty lore' I think the worst match would be someone who resembles his family. Which means that anyone who is not like his family would be a good match. Which ironically means that he shouldn't date anyone who is a lot like himself, or someone who'd remind him about his family ("you're a violent guy, you're bloodthirsty, you're stuck up, you're xenophobic" etc)

please dont take this seriously, my thoughts change a lot and it was my current opinion (as of today)

also I wanted to say I LOVE your art! You definitely inspire me to draw and I really am happy to still see active members in the okegom community!

Thank you very much

Satadate (Satanick x Idate)

In my mind, Idate and Satanick are really good together but I don't personally see them as a romantic pair, i dont know why, maybe it didnt click with me. They can hang out together and have fun, they are also very tolerant and lax with each other. Idate is very patient with Satanick's emotions and sensitiveness, and orca doesn't get upset at his outbursts. And Satanick doesnt mind Idate keeping things to himself. I imagine if they were together, they'd be so lax with each other like a couple where both let their s/o date other people. Satanick's brain is on fire 24/7 and Idate is calmer and more organized (Idate is disorganized and unfocused but it's nowhere near as bad as Satanick's lack of focus). Plus Satanick is really active and very very artistic, he likes various things, so Idate could be introduced to new stuff that Satanick gets into.

9/10, I dont know why i dont ship it, maybe because this looks like BFF dynamic to me

Idarock (Idate and Rock)

Childhood friends is a nice dynamic, I suppose. In my head I liked to headcanon that Idate used to be shyer and less confident and Rock used to be mischievous and active, and Rock's attitude rubbed off on him (I know in canon it was different though). The ship asks are cute and maybe that rubbed off on me and how i see them. Rock being frustrated and annoyed with Idate would feel bad for me personally but I believe Idate is fine with that. As long as Rock just has an attitude and not being actually disgusted with Idate it's a solid match. 9/10

Bonus: them knowing about each other more than others would be an interesting addition to the dynamic between them

Shirodate (Shirogane x Idate)

I wont talk about canon version of this pair-. In non-canon verse, I feel like... it would be a bit awkward, and maybe a slow burn? Shirogane is anxious and tends to assume things about people, plus he is sulky in a way that Idate wouldn't tolerate as much as he'd tolerate Rock's attitude. Idate enjoys being feared but there are times when he's sensitive about it and him being treated with fear would upset him. In a universe where Shirogane tries to protect him i think the ship is cute, but in a verse where Shiro is just fearful of him it'd be bitter between them. 6/10 for the "scared and distrustful shiro x i-hate-being-seen-as-a-monster Idate", and 8/10 for "must-protect-idate Shirogane and can-snap-everyone-in-half Idate"

...i thought about it, and i think, for the soft angst potential, I like them together. Two predator animals, one is terrified of the world, and the other is seen as a terror by the world. There is some melancholic potential here. it's cheesy and overdone but i like thinking about it

Rocmate (Rocma and Idate)

*clears throat* In the universe where Idate has baggage, them together would look awkward to me. Rocma is pretty cold and doesn't show what she feels, and Idate is not the type to spray his energy on others, so they'd just peacefully coexist. They would be a powerful duo who'd rip and tear to save the other, but other than that there would be not much, they'd look like an arranged couple that does their marriage duty but doesn't get lovey and i personally am okay with it, ; 7/10 because I haven't thought enough ideas about this ship tbh, maybe I'll see more in it

I thought more about it , and I think a power duo is good. And Rocma softening toward someone who she'd never think she'd like is endearing. Two scary people growing softer and nicer toward one another is a fine dynamic

Tatsudate (Tatsumiya and Idate)

The pair would be so good and peaceful that I can't say much about it, 9/10. I'm only not sure if it'd work bc i feel Idate wouldn't want to live in the blue sea town, unless Tatsumiya is okay with him travelling around and visiting sometimes. Nagi would be better off with Tatsumiya, but I don't know how to feel about breaking the uncle-niece duo apart.. Darn, I imagined a whole scenario where Idate and Tatsumiya had a whole wedding in a blue sea town near the castle and how pretty it'd look, and I admit the idea of Idate and Tatsumiya being an actual married couple and it being a huge surprise for anyone who learns about it, is fun.

..now I feel bad for Tatsumiya because she'd be a married oarfish who stays at her home and her husband is almost never home. But then again, she values her people above anything else so it's endearing to imagine that Idate respects that

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 24

welcome to the twenty-third fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.  

1. i won’t fight you by angelbolt

Lance… Lance noticed. It was little things, it was Hunk and Pidge trying to take the bulk of group projects they were paired up in, it was the hand that stayed up in the air after he was called on, anticipating his wrong answer. Iverson constantly comparing him to Keith, even after he was kicked out because Iverson told him Shiro was dead and he punched him in the face, giving him his permanent swollen eye (Which he fucking deserved, thank you, Keith).

✦

Lance deals with some shit.

hurt/comfort fics always have been and always will be the head and shoulders of this fandom, and there is a REASON for that. quiet pain that is soothed with quiet affection....shit makes you lose your mind. there’s one line in this fic that always makes me pause for a moment to fully take it in: “You’re everything. You’re the moon and stars.” not the sun, not the sky, but the moon and stars...bc thats lance!! lance is the satellite!! he sees himself as lesser and second-best but he is instrumental! he always has been!! and keith has always known!!

2. color of boom by angelbolt

Lance’s breath hitches and smooths out, arm tightening. Keith touches his knuckles, turns his head so their noses bump. He considers counting all the freckles spread across Lance’s face until he woke up, then remembers he’s already done it. Somewhere around fifty. It's also a hell of a reach.

He takes a breath to brace himself and carefully brings his hand up to cup Lance’s jaw, sweeping his thumb over his cheek bone. It doesn’t take long for him to give a small snort, eyelashes fluttering. Blink.

His gaze is unfocused but he grins softly, “Good morning, birthday boy.”

Keith can’t help mirroring it despite himself because it feels so good to hear, “Hey.”

✦

it's keith's birthday and everything is happy and good

this fic is soft and sweet. it inspired my own birthday fic for keith just because i read it and i thought to myself yeah. this is what keith deserves. i adore fics where the team just has the space and time to love and celebrate each other!! like hell yes!!

3. What It Is Lonely People Seek by MonocerusRex

After weeks of suffering Keith discovers his Galra side has a physiological need for touch after Lance gives him a hug that rocks his world. Hoping to hide this embarrassing condition from the rest of the team Keith enlists Lance's help fulfilling this need, and lots and lots and lots of cuddles ensue.

literally 9k of the touch-starved be-close-to-survive trope. exquisite. i miss galra keith fics and this scratched an itch fr. medium burn fully of smushy softness!! yes please!!

4. Sweet Touch (you’re given me too much to feel) by MonocerusRex

Keith wrecks his shoulder and needs physical therapy. Unfortunately for him, the best masseuse in this galaxy happens to be a certain loud-mouthed blue paladin.

the massage trope is so stupid and awkward and embarrassing its literally my favourite. but truly my favourite part of the fic is imagining how the rest of the team is handling these two fools lol.  the straight up idea of the teams reaction to this is KILLING me. like klance has so much sexual tension that it makes sense for them to start dating fast, but imagine thinking these two assholes hated each other, and then in a couple days you’re like oh, okay, they’re friends now, that’s new, and a couple days later they’re CUDDLING on the FUCKING COUCH? i’d lose my shit fr 💀

5. when size matters by @jilliancares [EXPLICIT]

“Okay, but like… how big?” Pidge says, looking analytical now. “Like, guestimating, how big is this thing?”

“This is his hand,” Lance says, curling one fist on the table. He looks between his friends expectantly. They both nod. “And this is where it ends,” Lance says, raising his other hand an approximate length off the table.

Hunk’s mouth drops open. Pidge’s eyes bulge out of her head.

“Keith?” Hunk whisper-screams. “Our Keith?”

“That would kill a person,” Pidge mumbles.

Or: Keith has a monster cock and Lance is Ready™ for the fucking of his life.

size queen lance is the funniest thing in the world to me, and also its objectively true. dorky college au + banter + plus situationship klance thats actually in love + garrison trio?? how does jillian nail the teen movie klance every time. i do not know but i will always be grateful

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!  

[princessallura052]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[bengiyo]

What Did You Eat Yesterday? 2 Eps 8 & 9 Stray Thoughts

I've been busy, so I never found time to sit and properly connect with this episode.

Last week, Shiro needed to get reading glasses, and he and Kenji celebrated their birthdays. It was lovely to see them accepting that they're getting older and finding enjoyment in it.

Episode 8

I'm with Tabuchi. I expected the breakup to come immediately.

Oh boy, Shiro is also in a divorce plotline again.

Wait, lol, how is Shiro supposed to make this woman's husband admit he fell for a scam to the tune of 10 million yen.

Yes, please give me the intro after so much hetero strife. Let me enjoy my committee gays.

I'm so embarrassed for this man.

Hiro really seems off guard about this divorce. I like the way Kenji is here to support him, but not his wrongs.

Of course Hiro is still going to Vietnam. Incredible.

"I don't hate him, but I can't forgive him," is so real, Reiko.

Man, I do not get the Japanese real estate market. Why demolish the whole house??

It's kinda sad, realizing that Shiro's parents know they're declining and want to spare Shiro the stress of moving them when they get sick.

Okay, I was not expecting the will discussion to include an inheritance for Kenji. I am touched, and also amused at the mom chiding Shiro for even suggesting he and Kenji might break up.

Oh wow Shiro is making chicken and rice.

Considering all Shiro does for his clients, I'm glad he got to be happy about this outcome.

Gosh, I love these two. I also love that the thing Shiro loves about Kenji is something so natural to Kenji that he doesn't even know what it is.

Episode 9

I'm actually kind of excited to see Kenji as a manager.

Oh, Kenji. I just knew the customers were gonna push him around.

This is like when Shiro was swamped at work and Kenji didn't get to eat with him. I am excited to see Shiro cope.

Ah, I'm not surprised Shiro agreed to more work. In a weird way, it lets him share a similar burden as Kenji.

Hey, Tabuchi got back with Chinami! He's sharing some culinary insights, and they seem to be okay! Look at me rooting for straights in my older gays show.

Okay, I'm losing it over Kenji acting like he got caught cheating because he's eating ramen.

Man, these two miss each other in a way that feels so right. I feel for Shiro trying to put on a brave front for Kenji.

Yes, Shiro, all of your relationship problems can be solved with comfort food. You picked the perfect partner.

I'm not as good as Shiro at making all of these side dishes every day.

Okay, Chinami being good at baking because she has to follow measurements exactly and thriving because of it is actually so heartwarming. Not me getting teary eyed over straights in my gay show!!

I actually love that Kenji stepping up is inspiring Shiro to do so as well.

Love these two ending the episode bickering about one yen.

I'm never letting myself fall behind on them ever again. I missed them so much for two weeks. I like that their lives aren't stagnant, and I can't wait to see Shiro meet Kenji's mom next week.

[ursae-minoris-world]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @starlightvld- thank you!!! ☺️

1. How many works do you have on A03? 42! (neat!)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 140,503!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Mostly vld. I have a Good Omens fic and always want to write more and a few fandom that I'm tempted to write for, but I'm still very much in vld.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? - Breaking point (vld, sheith) ; A little mouse told me (vld, sheith); Flowers and Blood (vld, sheith); A cure to loneliness (Good Omens, ineffable husbands)

This gets long so I'm adding the rest under a read more!!

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! I do! Sometimes I can take a little long but I really enjoy talking with my readers!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Just a call... (vld, gen) I think! It's an open ending, but it ends up on a frustrating note (which was the point).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oh man, they almost always have a happy or at least hopeful ending. Let's go with A little mouse told me (vld, sheith).

Oh, hey, fun anecdote! Someone commented on Stay with me (vld, sheith) to tell me it was the 200,000th work in the "happy ending" tag! They had just witnessed the tag going up to that number with my fic!

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not so far, thankfully. (Happened once on fanart though, but it was just one dumb comment by an anti).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I haven't so far, I'm not really interested in writing it (never say never, though!).

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Well, I did 2 fairly recently for a crackship event! It was loads of fun. The craziest might be A Mysterious French Chef, which started as a Hunk&Remy idea, but ended up involving Hunk, Allura and the space mice for vld, and Linguini, Colette, and Remy for Ratatouille, and everyone interacting pretty significantly. I really loved mashing the 2 universes, and for something that started as a "crack" idea, it ended up working surprisingly well!!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of. I've had some original (anonymous) poems that I cowrote with a friend plagiarized down to using our actual pseudonym, but that wasn't in fandom or even online!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! Five times Shiro broke the rules, and one time Keith did with VirdisDrachen (vld, Shiro&Keith). It's based on a roleplay. Other than that, while it's mostly an artist+writer big bang collaboration, I think Square_Orange and I did discuss the plot a fair amount for Let It Snow! (vld, sheith).

I also have 2 fics that are remixes of other people's work, done for the sheith remix event : When you lived! (the “Enormous, within your small hands” remix) inspired by a fic by @annaofaza, and High Score! (the “I want us forever” remix) inspired by a fic by Tragedy_Machine.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? To no-one's surprise: sheith.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I am fairly good at finishing my wips, even if I do have some stuff that has been waiting for a while. I still have my notes about Keith grieving Shiro between s2 and s3 and how the team tried to support him and each other but how things became tense, that I wrote just after s3 aired! I still hope to get to it one day!

There's also the collab with VirdisDrachen tbh because we dropped the rp after a while and I wouldn't finish this alone. So I'm afraid this one will stay as is.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm good with dialogues and characterization? Themes like friendship, found family are my jam, too. Of course it's subjective.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I am learning, but action and fight scenes are *hard*. (But I also love them? haha). On the exact opposite side, stories with very low stakes are sometimes hard to write, when it's just 100% fluff and no conflict, unless it's like, a short scene... It's easier with some emotional or romantic build up (ex mutual pining > getting together) but otherwise I really have to *think* to plot the fic. I'm so used to stories centered around conflict (in the literary sense, including inner conflict, not necessarily an actual fight).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I agree with @starlightvld that if it's a language that I'm not personally fluent in, I'd look for a native speaker who might want to help or avoid it. Except maybe for conlangs, like Sindarin or Klingon. Although if I ever write in a fandom with something like that, I would f*cking love to get insight from one of these people who actually studied them and are fluent. In a more general way, I'd be cautious that it actually brings something to the story, that it makes sense to use the language that way, and to do it in a way that doesn't confuse readers too much (unless I am purposefully writing for those who know the language, I guess). I will say that I do love different languages to be aknowledged, like for vld fics that actually dig into the paladins having different languages, and the Galra and Altean also, and so on (ex fics where they have universal translators and then there are issues when they break or they can't rely on them for whatever reason).

19. First fandom you wrote for? Voltron! My first fic was a Hunk-centric gen fic, While some count sheep, and I'm still really fond of it!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Oh, that's hard, I like them all for different reasons. I do enjoy Carry me away for the sheith saving each other vibes. A little mouse told me (sheith written from the space mice pov) was such a fun exploration! Honestly, the most kudosed ones in question 4 are all fics I am proud of. To chose a lesser known one, I also love A special day , a vld gen Hunk-centric fic!

Tagging... @sodomhipped, @tomatocages, @an-aphorism @museaway @jacqulinetan @levyscripts @annaofaza and whoever wants to do this!

(also no pressure at all if you are tagged!)