#I LOVE PIDGE SO MUCH

[armoricaroyalty]

How old are all the cousins in your valentines post?

For reference: valentine's post is set in feb 2044!

Hugo is 29

Arthur is 27

Hannah is 23

Zofia is 22 (and Rui is 27)

Pidge is 15, but she'll be 16 in may tyvm

[eggsdrawings]

shuffles in… hiiii klance!!!

[batshitcrazee]

Hunk and Lance were all but eleven years old when they met one another. Their first year as middle schoolers, and they both couldn’t be more terrified, for their own reasons.

Lance had grown up in such a large family that all he really wanted was to be seen and heard. He never blamed his parents, of course; it was easy to lose one kid to the crowd if he didn’t make himself known. Middle school would be different; he’d make friends, people would know his face and his name, he’d mean something to someone.

Hunk was someplace new, someplace terrifying. After the accident that had taken his parents’ lives, his brother had taken to raising him. His brother was attending University now, they had to move to be closer to it. The places, the people were all unfamiliar to him. Not only that, but this was a new school. A middle school, which he’d never experienced before.

Lance wasn’t sure what exactly it was about this kid— this shy, clearly uncertain boy— but he was drawn to him. Their bond was near instantaneous. Lance was charismatic (in that awkward preteen sort of way), he was playful and eccentric, and he just wanted a friend. Hunk was the perfect man for the job; he was kind, and gentle, he was a warm hug and fresh baked cookies after a long day personified. Lance had been the first kid to treat him kindly after such a big change, such a big move.

They were an unstoppable pair, the best of friends. Where one went, the other typically followed.

Lance had always dreamt of being a pilot, a fighter pilot, which meant he’d always dreamt of attending the Garrison.

He hadn’t expected Hunk to follow this time; he knew his buddy had no desire to fly, to pilot. He’d always had a hobby of cooking or baking, he liked to build and tinker, but piloting was never on his list of desires or hobbies.

But Hunk felt like he had such a high bar to reach, such big shoes he feared he couldn’t fill. His brother had both raised him and completed university at the same time. He was successful, he was smart, he was kind. He was superhuman, in Hunk’s eyes. He had to do something that could live up to his expectations.

When Lance told him he had submitted his application to the Garrison, the idea came to him. He would follow Lance. He would be a pilot engineer. They could stick together, as buddies always did. It wasn’t his passion, sure, but it would make his brother proud.

It was there that they met their teammate for the simulators: Pidge. This guy was feisty, intelligent (sometimes a bit too much for Lance to follow, but they made do), but most of all, cared way too much, even if they strived not to show it.

Pidge fit into their trio with ease; their presence was natural, like they’d always belonged in their group. They bickered with Lance like siblings, they raved about tech with Hunk. They were secretive, but not in the way that tore their friend group apart. Hunk and Lance could see their hurt that Pidge thought they were hiding so well, and they knew better than to pry.

The three of them were inseparable. It makes sense that the three of them wound up in space together, on the same team once again, doesn’t it?

[cateyeswrites]

The feeling of Falling, a feeling I thought was set in stone.

(Ambiguous partner for Lance) One late night Hunk and Lance chat

Ao3

It’s late when Lance answers Hunk's video call, he still has a mountain of students' assignments to finish grading but he could always get them done at home or in the morning if he came to school early enough. Sometimes it felt surreal to Lance that he had his life, that he had, speaking with his friends and former paladins didn't make it feel any more real. 

He had been talking to Hunk about intergalactic laws that made it hard for him and Shay to adopt different alien kids that weren't Balmera when the conversation shifted to him. 

"And how is teaching going?" Hunk asked, "Are you still enjoying it?" 

He shrugs a small laugh slipping out, "Let's just say I kind of understand why Iverson was the dick he was to me" he chuckles sadly as that nagging feeling in his chest appears. 

"Lance," Hunk says his name softly, eyes no longer shining with happiness. “ We have talked about it, what he did, the way he treated you, that is not how you treat a kid.” Hunk said, “Or am I wrong? Do you ever try to speak to your students like that? Do you make them feel small and insecure?” 

Lance shrinks into himself, he knows that he would never speak to a kid the way Iverson did to him-  the unnecessary cruelty that man inflicted on Lance, the way he made him feel so sad and lonely not only that but for many years Lance truly thought he had been a useless asset, a seventh wheel, some spare thing that the rest of the team had to deal with him and God was it hard to deal with those feelings but more than anything it had been so much worse to confront his teammates about the way they had made him feel, specially Pidge. 

Pidge and he had been close at the beginning, they were part of the garrison trio with Hunk, they had been friends for a while back then but then after the revelation that she was a girl and Shiro disappearing, she did a 180 and had almost made it her mission to make Lance feel like an idiot and now as an adult he could understand that she was going through her own hell and dealing with her own demons, losing both her brother and father, looking through them in space but it most definitely didn't allow her to speak to him in a way it made him want to never speak again or how every time they interacted he wanted to hide. 

He wishes he could have talked to Allura about it too, even in the short time they were together they never really talked about intimate things like his feelings and his experience in space or… the time he died. He didn't regret, saving Allura but till this day sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night frightened, surrounded by darkness and the feeling of falling. 

“No,” he whispered and shook his head, “Of course not.” he sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. 

Hunk gives him a small smile, “Have I ever told you how grateful I am for your sister?” he says as he picks up a picture on his desk.

“Huh?” he reacts confused, “Rachel?” he asks, he knew Hunk had asked for Rachel’s help once or twice for diplomatic reasons when dealing with other planets' governments.

Hunk snorts, “ NO, Veronica,” he says putting down the photo, at the new angle Lance could see it was a picture of his family and Hunk at his engagement party.

“Oh? No, I don't think we have ever talked about it.” 

“When Allura died, no one knew how to help you or truly even really speak to you.” Hunk admits with some regret but there is also some acceptance like he had enough time to make peace with it. “What we went through, being kids fighting in a war changed us, and maybe not for the better but it did nonetheless.” He states, “But the way Allura and space change you Lance, it frightened me.” 

Lance froze not knowing how to react to this admission. 

“I had known you for so long but after coming back to earth you had shut yourself and now that years have gone through I can admit that maybe I could have done better on my end but I was also a kid.” he admits with a small smile, “ I had this fear that you were ready to give up and that Allura dying was the last straw, that you would lose everything that made lance, my best friend.” Hunk whispers and there is a sniffle and he can see Hunk whip some tears away. “ No one knew how to talk you through your grief and then you started speaking about the farm and Alluras life and message and what Allura wanted and what you wanted for her memory” 

Lance can't do more than just stare at his hands hearing about this. 

“ I rarely heard about you,” Hunk says and Lance nods feeling the tears build up in his eyes. “ About what you wanted to do”

“But one day on one of our group calls, you talked about Veronica and how she had told you about becoming a pilot teacher and all the help that was needed at the garrison and I saw it for a moment I saw the spark of the boy who found the Blue lion,” Hunk stops and takes a breath. “ Then you got the job and Lance…” He pauses again, “ It was like you were back.” 

Lance remembers he remembers very well how Veronica was the only one who didn't tip-toe around him and his emotions. How she one day burst into his room and ripped his sheets away from him and yelled at him, crying, feeling scared because even tho he wasn't dead she felt like she had lost her brother. That day he got up and spent the whole day at the garrison helping out, by accident meeting the new cadets. It had been love at first sight. He laughs thinking about Allura and his supposed love for her, yeah not even his spouse could rival his love for his job and the kids. 

Lance tries to say something but it gets stuck in his throat and gives Hunk a teary smile, hunk gives him one back, and they stay in silence for a bit when he feels his phone vibrate and there is a new message 

1 new text message 

Hey I know is a late night at the school but the kids are asking for you.

1 new text message 

And I miss you 

1 new text message 

And they are asking for your cooking. 

He snorts and wipes his eyes with his sleeve.

The sound catches hunks attention, “ Everything okay?” he asks but he has a huge smile on his face having a suspicion of who was texting him. 

“Yeah yeah dude,” he answers with a bright smile and a more cheerful tone.

“ Your other job?” Hunk jokes, amusement, and endearment in his tone. 

“Well you know what they say,” he shrugged, “ Being a dad is a full-time job even when you already have a full-time job,” he says packing some stuff in his bag, to him seems like he had done enough work for today and honestly the only thing he wanted was going home and be with his family. 

His kids and his spouse.

Hunk laughs and observes Lance getting ready to leave, he smiles proudly at his best friend. 

“You know Hunk,” he says looking at his best friend leaving on the desk, “I'm also grateful for my sister,” he says. “If it wasn't for her who knows where I would be,” 

Hunk decides to avoid thinking of that, “ I don't know buddy but you are here, you are happy and that is the most important thing.” 

“ Yeah, you are right,” he says, “ I'll see you, buddy, I expect you to come over soon, I miss you,” he says honestly. 

“I will try my best to be home soon,” he replies, “ Love you, buddy,” 

“ Love ya, buddy,” he answers and hangs up the call.

After he presses the button, he stays there thinking, where would he be if Veronica hadn't dragged his ass out of his grief? Would he be happy? Would he be alone? No partner and no kids? Would he have a purpose or a career? 

He shakes his head and smiles even when some tears make it out and go down his cheeks. ‘

He is happy, very happy. He has proved everyone who doubted him wrong. 

He is very successful as a teacher and earth's best snipper, he is the favorite teacher and sometimes the favorite parent. 

He is no seventh wheel, he was voltrons blue paladin. 

He breathes in calming his urge to cry and looks down at his phone with a picture of his kids. 

And if he feels a very cool sensation surround him almost as if blue was there again with him, hugging him. That's just a bonus to how good he feels after his conversation with Hunk.

[kismetconstellations]

Shiro from Voltron for the character ask game

To spare my poor followers' dashboards a massive wall of text, my answers will be found behind the cut. Let's regroup there, shall we?

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I love Shiro because he demonstrates so perfectly that a person's trauma does not have to define them. No matter what kind of Hell they've been subjected to, they always have the option to remain gentle, compassionate, and kind. Even when they're afraid. Even when they believe themselves to be "broken", or monstrous because of what they had to do to survive.

One can rise above attempts to break them, and be so much more than the people who mistreated them tried to force them to be.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

His personality. Even when he isn't being everything that epitomizes a true hero- brave, selfless, strong-willed, empathetic, always looking after others and willing to risk his life for them at the drop of a hat- he's so much fun to watch. From his moments of tired, resigned irritation and bemusement with others' antics,

to his quiet fascination with Altean technology and concepts, like water pouches and their time measurement system,

to the moments where he's just a great big dorky sweetheart.

People who think he's "boring" because he's a workaholic soldier who isn't as inclined to shenanigans and over the top reactions as his younger comrades aren't paying attention. He's an extremely dynamic, multi-faceted character just begging to be explored by someone who loves him and all of his depth and multitudes.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

How he's handled by the team of inept showrunners who helmed this messy disaster of a cartoon.

He has no real support system, something I can only imagine is due to him being the commanding officer to a group of teenagers he can't truly confide in, and the intention to have him fill a Doomed Mentor role, despite him being inadvertently written as The Chosen One. His biological family is virtually non-existent. The only other proper adult he could look to for advice is the designated comic relief. There were opportunities for him to be taken in by the Holts, given their mutual fondness for each other, or even Allura and Coran. Allura and Shiro seemed to have developed an even stronger bond (offscreen, of course) after she saved his life.

(I have a theory that Allura's quintessence alchemy altered Shiro's DNA, which is why his new arm could only be safely powered by the Balmeran crystal from Allura's tiara, and the Atlas, similarly powered by Altean magic, responds to Shiro and Shiro alone, establishing a mental link with him the same way Allura had with the Castle of Lions. But, that's for another unhinged essay.)

And, when Coran confronts Iverson about strapping Shiro to a table in the pilot, he refers to Shiro as "our Shiro".

But, neither of these avenues were ever explored, as Shiro was "retired" and relegated to side-character status, leaving him isolated from everyone, including his best friend who loveshim.

The ableism surrounding his disability is disgusting. He's a forced amputee twice over. He spends most of an entire season standing mute on the sidelines without a right arm, and there's absolutely no acknowledgement of his missing limb, that his best friend is the reason why it's gone, or inquiries into how being rendered effectively "useless" after coming back from the dead is affecting Shiro's already poor mental health.

(Does Shiro sleep? Does he have pajamas he can even change into, or is he supposed to wear the Black Paladin armor the entire trip back to Earth? Is he able to shower with that stump, or does it pose an electrocution hazard if it comes into contact with water? Is there anything available for him to do so he isn't standing silently around, losing his mind?)

His best friend's mother tells him to stay out of a fight, and he meekly accepts the order, never making another attempt to be anything other than a helpless bystander until he's been outfitted with a new arm that he, once again, has no say in the design of. An arm that is bulky and over-sized, impractical, likely extremely uncomfortable, and sickeningly mirrors his abuser's.

The same abuser who filled his head with taunts about his previous prosthetic being the "strongest part" of him, and the same abuser who tortured him and is implied to have raped him.

An ally tells him that he would be stronger with "two robotic arms", almost mocking the fact that Shiro's right arm was deliberately taken from him to be replaced by a weapon. And, this is never called out or questioned.

A punch that he lands on his abuser with his organic fist only incites a mocking sneer before Shiro is flung across the body of the ship that they're fighting on like a ragdoll.

After being made to feel washed-up and old at twenty-six, Shiro participates in an arm-wrestling tournament that he wins-- using the ill-proportioned prosthetic modeled after his abuser's.

I don't know if there was no one on the staff who was aware of the vile implications in this handling of a disabled character, but when one considers the similar grotesque handling of intense trauma and passive suicidal ideation... It doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture of the ideas and beliefs that went into the writing on this show.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

This is so silly and indulgent, but... What immediately comes to mind is, instead of him dying in the second season's finale and spending four entire seasons helplessly roaming and languishing on the Astral Plane, I would have him magically transported to the beach episode of a slice of life anime.

He would get to play volleyball with and be fawned over by a bunch of pretty, shirtless men with glistening, sun-kissed skin. As he deserves. ( ᵘ ᵕ ᵘ ⁎)

5. What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

"Lazarus Drug", by Meg Washington. Longtime followers of my silly little blog might be aware of my love for Bluey, which is how I was introduced to this gorgeous piece of music. It was used to masterful effect in the twenty-eight minute special episode, The Sign.

When I was struggling to come up with a title for my Shiro-centric character study/fix-it fic, "Lazarus Drug" proved to be a lifesaver.

"And when I hear you calling, Like you were always there, I rise until I'm hanging in the Middle of the air

And when I hear you calling, I split like I'm a snake With golden light like fingers And, then I start to break

Into a billion pieces Oh, I shatter into constellations Like I've never been more here Like I completely disappear

I'm nothingness, but shining And everywhere at once I'm everything and everyone Who is or ever was."

6. What’s something you have in common with this character?

Less than stellar mental health as a result of trauma.

7. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

There are so many jaw-droppingly stunning and breathtaking pieces of Shiro fan art out there. I also greatly appreciate fanfics, meta, and analyses that take all of his trauma and his disability, and how they would realistically impact his daily life, into account.

Christening him "The Unkillable Gay", and "Gay God", is also pretty darned fantastic.

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Dark Shiro, Shiro-bashing (usually in tandem with Allura-bashing), sidelining him due to ageism, ignoring his canon sexuality to give Keith reason to angst over Shiro not accepting him in K/L fics, minimizing Shiro's role in Keith's life to focus on their preferred ship, having Shiro adopt or be biologically related to Keith, especially if Adam is co-parenting and Keith has more of a bond with him than Shiro (it's pretty obvious why certain shippers do this), depicting him as high-libido and sexually aggressive/an Alpha/dominant/top, even more so when he gets off on being called "daddy", expressing a belief that he should have stayed dead in service of Keith's character, treating him and his clone as the same person... Just to name a few.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

I don't see why not.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I'd love to think that we could be. But, realistically, I'd be too nervous to ever approach him and strike up a conversation. >////<'

11. Would you date this character?

Though he is undeniably gorgeous, we are romantically incompatible, I'm afraid.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Shiro moved to the United States with his grandfather in late childhood, between the ages of eight and ten. That's why he speaks perfect English with no trace of an accent.

13. What’s an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

☆

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Classic Hollywood pilot aesthetic; aviation jacket with (faux) fur lining, patches on the sleeve, and a tight t-shirt or tank top underneath, sometimes with aviator sunglasses folded over the collar or worn over his eyes, military dog tags around his neck, the sort of clingy, curve-flattering pants that he canonically favors, and knee-high combat boots. Scarf is optional.

I also love a soft formal look on him. Crisp dress shirt and tie with a vest over top, perfectly tailored slacks, and shiny black loafers.

15. What’s your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn’t matter if it’s canon or not.)

I'm going to go with Shiro/Keith, though I very much have a fondness for Shiro/Hunk, as well.

Keith's devotion to Shiro is exactly the level of devotion that Shiro deserves, though Keith could stand to tone the intensity of it down just a tad. His willingness to throw his life away for Shiro would be a massive source of anxiety for Shiro, and something they'd have to discuss, among many other topics, before entering a serious romantic relationship.

And, Hunk is such a sweetheart, he'd spoil and pamper Shiro in all of the best ways. When he's of legal consenting age, of course.

16. What’s your least favorite ship for this character?

Romantic Shiro/Pidge, and Shiro/Sendak. An adult gay man and a female child, and a trauma survivor and his personal tormentor is a great big "no thanks" for me.

17. What’s a ship for this character you don’t hate but it’s not your favorite that you’re fine with?

Shiro/Lance, and Shiro/Matt. I prefer Shiro and Matt as friends, and overexposure to Lance thanks to a hyper-zealous fanbase has done a fairly good job of putting me off of him. Which sucks, because I genuinely like him just fine in the show, itself. I don't mind either ship, and have read fic for them. They're just not prospects for Shiro that I ever seriously entertain.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I love Shiro and Pidge's relationship in the early episodes. The way he is so gentle, encouraging, and protective with her, basically becoming a second older brother, and how she comes to trust and rely on him as a confidante, enough that she personally seeks him out to tell him that she plans to leave the team to search for her father and brother, knowing he will understand, stole my heart almost immediately, and stole it hard.

It's incredibly disheartening that, after his resurrection, we only get tidbits and table scraps of that relationship.

Why did Shiro start riding with her in the Green Lion on the journey back to Earth? Who knows? The writers certainly weren't going to tell us, because Shiro was so thoroughly a side-character, by that point, he and Pidge- if I'm recalling correctly- only talked to each other onscreen one time.

Never forget what they took from us.

(Also ignore that they forgot to draw Shiro's scar.)

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don’t like?

No offense to Mr. Set-Dressing, but there is nothing that points to these characters having any sort of even platonic relationship, let alone the kind of chemistry that would lead to a marriage a few years down the line. They never address each other by name, or at all, when they're not exchanging commands in the heat of battle. "Curtis" has more personal interaction with Acxa. And, I swear Shiro only looks away from the console on the Atlas's bridge to physically acknowledge this man once.

The animators certainly did poor "Curtis" no favors, either, by making him look like a sad, pathetic older man who couldn't lift or dip his strapping younger groom on their wedding day.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?

I adore the idea of Shiro and Allura as best friends, and would have loved to have seen some genuine interaction between the Real Shiro and Matt, after Shiro attacked Matt to save his life. Alas...

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

I've only very recently started writing for Shiro, and don't see myself doing much more than the aforementioned character study/fix-it fic. That said, I love getting into his head to really flesh him out, his psychology, his illness, his failed relationship, his experience in captivity, and using the members of his found family as conduits for him to realize just how special and good to his core he truly is. Like what should have happened in canon.

I don't like writing about him suffering, but part of recovering from trauma is processing it. And, processing often involves reliving the traumatic event as you walk a trusted friend, loved one, or mental health professional through it in the hopes that they will then offer you the greatly needed comfort and support and skills to cope that you didn't have, at the time it occurred.

22. If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don’t like?

I love in-character portrayals of Shiro in Hurt/Comfort settings that address the sheer magnitude of his trauma, and emphasize how unfailingly brave, strong, compassionate, and altruistic in spite of it all that he has always been and always will be.

I'm not a fan of him being treated like he's "oblivious", or "emotionally constipated" for not immediately acting on an Anguished Declaration of Love that Keith gave to "Kuron", and prefaced with, "You're my brother".

And, I've covered before, in detail, how much it irks and baffles me when Lance fans give Lance traits distinct and exclusive to Shiro in an effort to try to turn him into Shiro, instead of accepting him as he is.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Tough call, since there are so many, but, I do think this one is the winner:

I love that, despite his strong jaw, his features are so gentle and soft, and the silver hair truly lends him an ethereal quality. That arm is ghastly, but it doesn't detract from just how pretty Shiro is, and how much that Admiral coat flatters him.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

I don't participate in the fandom at all, but I've carried a torch for Leonardo from the 2003 incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since the show was still actively airing and in production. There are so many similarities between Shiro and 2003 Leo that one could almost say there's a specific type of character that I'm drawn to like gravity hurtling a ship into a planet with a crash-landing imminent and the projected number of casualties astronomical.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

My first impression of Shiro, when I watched the pilot and second episode back in 2016, was that he was my favorite character of the lot. I was drawn to him for all of the reasons stated above. But, once I became aware of the online fandom drama, I backed off, only watching three more episodes (A Little Adventure and Lions' Pride I and II) in 2018 for Shiro/Keith shipping reasons before becoming a lurker on the peripheral, exploring fanmade content without engaging with the show, itself. It wasn't until earlier this year that I finally grit my teeth, braced myself, and committed to watching at least the seasons where the Real Shiro is featured in full.

I both immensely regret that decision for the sheer levels of frustration, fury, and deeply-rooted sadness at all of the wasted potential that I opened myself up to, and don't regret it at all. Because, I sincerely love Shiro and wish with all of my heart that he, and especially Allura and Coran and even Hunk, were handled by infinitely better writers in an infinitely better show.

----

Thank you so very, very much for asking! ❤

[nana-nia]

*Coughs* Voltron and Star Trek: Voyager.

I love them so much.

[toasthoneyandstardust]

guess who remembered how to draw digitally again

i was talked out of buying a Castle in the Sky themed wallet and ever since then i've been consumed with thoughts of it and panya <3

ft a low effort bg because i really should learn how to do those

[nighmoons]

rewatching voltron literally puts me in a depressive episode idk what yall put in this show but it is NOT serotonin

[ethereance]

Screw it. *Genderfluids your Lance* Post s8. Fix it.

Lance thought his Altean markings were cosmetic. Nothing more. Nothing less. A gift from Allura, leaving a piece of her with him, to look back and remember with fondness her company. As if he could ever forget a girl as incredible as her.

It’s not until much later he realises it’s something more. That maybe Allura gave a portion more than he expected. He stares, face to face with his mirror. Something off. Something strange. Something that grabs his attention before he really knows what he’s looking at.

His ears slowly shift back to human. But they were there long enough. He saw the Altean ears.

“Incredible,” Coran says when Lance broaches this to him, and after multiple attempts at trying at failing at repeating what happened in the mirror. At last he succeeds. “You’re shifting just like an Altean.”

“I’m not turning Altean, am I?” he panics. He’s pretty attached to being a human and all.

“Haha! Don’t be ridiculous number three, you can’t just ‘turn Altean.’ Good one! Turn Altean, he says. That’s one to remember for an open mike.” Then Coran takes one look at his genuine distress and sobers. “Rest assured, my boy, you’re one hundred percent earthling, ears and all. Allura wouldn’t change you so completely when she loved you the way you are. It just seems she passed our chameleon-like abilities over to you. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything like this ever documented before, but Allura…”

“Has a way of accomplishing the possible,” Lance offers when Coran’s eyes grow distant, bittersweet.

“Yes,” agrees Coran. Something proud, something sombre, “That she did.”

***

Lance practices often, following Coran’s guidance. Even Romelle drops by at Coran’s request, eager to show someone the ropes.

“In the colony, we had little need to shift as our ancestors had. Our only home had been there, tucked away in a corner of the universe. We understood little of the outside world except what Lotor brought us. Even so, it was an ability we never lost. When you have mastered it, it’s like walking. It becomes natural. To some more than others,” she says, a surprisingly patient teacher. He wonders where this side of her was when she was trying to get him to teach her to pilot. “You may be the ‘others’! But that okay. My… my brother Bandor was the same.”

For such a bright supernova of a person, it is easy to forget that, like Coran, Romelle has been touched by grief. And grief again.

“You strike me as an adaptable person, pointy chin. Like rivers and oceans, it has made you you. I have full confidence in your abilities. And if Allura were here.” She smiles, and it is pain, but beauty. A flower unfurling in the wake of a storm. “I know she would say the same.”

***

He finds himself slipping into other forms like a glove. It becomes easier, a swifter motion just as Romelle had said.

It’s freeing, in a way. To walk as something so slightly adjacent to him. A Lance of another life. Altean, balmeran, olkari, puigian, anything he can think of.

He loves being Plaxum’s species the most. A mer. Beneath the waves, it feels like coming home. He’s a missile underwater, swimming loops around coral.

Dreams really do come true.

***

There’s something about transforming that pulls him that much closer to Allura. Her quintessence sings to him, and his skin dances. He feels alive as he hasn’t in a long time.

Happier maybe. Or that much closer to it.

He wishes he could take a photo of Keith the second he catches sight of Lance, a good extra foot on him, and purple as a plum.

“So this is a… thing,” says Keith eventually. And what an observation that is. Lance explains.

“Don’t let Hunk catch you like this,” is Keith’s response, a hint of tired amusement, “He’ll call you Galra Lance and never stop.”

***

It starts with him shifting into an unilu. He needs the extra hands. Lance doesn’t realise the gender he’d chosen until Coran points it out offhandedly. Now, Lance knows that not every species is going to be quite so clear cut as biologically male or female. Some have more some have less. Some won’t even know what the word gender means. He has experienced a taste of the universe. He knows how vast and diverse it is. When shapeshifting into a species like that, it makes sense his gender isn’t something he’d retain.

Female. He’d made himself into a female unilu. It was a matter of size and facial shape. Nothing too strange, no stranger than his body shifting into a skin it wasn’t born into, but noticeable enough.

And isn’t that something.

***

It’s out of curiosity he tries the same as a human. Curiosity and nothing more. Just because he can. Really. Honest.

Lance half expects his girl!sona would just be a carbon copy of Rachel with the added blue scales residing beneath his eyes. But that isn’t who he sees in the mirror.

He sees. Well, he sees himself.

Herself.

She looks, feels, kind of pretty. Which makes sense. She’s Lance. Of course she looks great. Goes without saying.

Lance’s lip twitches.

***

So. So maybe he throws on the form again. And again. And again. Maybe a little more than he does with any alien species. But can you blame him? He’s just found out he has a free trial at being a girl so quiznack if he isn’t going to try it out.

Her hair is long. Her hair is short. She pulls off both looks well, she thinks. Being a girl is kind of awesome, actually.

It’s not always the case. Sometimes it just isn’t right. But others? Sometimes he finds himself slipping into her without realising it. It’s just what feels right to her in the moment.

There’s something nice about strangers using ‘she’ and ‘her’ and they don’t know. They don’t know. Something in her bubbles, giddy, they don’t know.

But Lance’s family do. Pidge does.

They look at Lance—now once again a boy—and hum, thoughtful, considering.

“Are you are girl?” they ask. Pidge does not beat around the bush. It throws Lance through enough loops to put him in a spiral.

“No”, says Lance. But for some reason that doesn’t sound quite right. “I mean. I’m not always. But—”

“You are sometimes?”

“I guess. But it’s just shapeshifting. I’m not actually—” Lance trails off, lost. “Am I?”

“Do you want to be?” Pidge asks, and huh. Does he want to be? Is it really that simple? He’s always seen himself as a guy, and had no problems with that. But.

Well.

“… Maybe. Maybe sometimes.”

Pidge grins, wild and victorious. “Welcome to the club.”

(Something in his chest feels lighter. There’s a cavern, because it has made its mark and stayed. That has not changed. But this is this.

How wonderful it is to find the answers to secrets within oneself. He could have lived his whole life without knowing, a part locked away without him ever knowing there was a lock. But now, how could he?

It’s like he’s no longer holding in a breath.)

***

Pidge later tells him it’s criminally unfair he can change his body on a whim. They are fine with she, they are, but they are them. Sometimes she is just too much she to match their they.

Lance wonders how much Allura managed to see him. He remembers how close they became, how she became someone he’d call a best friend, then a lover. How she perceived him better than most throughout it all. Looked to him and saw greatness where he, despite wanting to be so much more, only saw failure. He wishes he knew what she saw when she looked at him. The person he was. Is. Lance.

If she knew what these markings have done for him. Did she know?

She can’t have done. Lance didn’t even know.

(But if she had—

It’s not like Lance can ask.)

***

Allura comes back.

She descends like a shooting star, the blinding light of an angel’s fall. She falls home and it is at home she stays. Days are bliss. A dream Lance dare not wake from.

“You’re not dreaming,” she tells him, soft, and kind, but aching, “I’m here. I won’t leave again. My duty to revive the universe is fulfilled. I’m here to live. And I chose to live with you.”

He kisses the words from her lips, blissfully sweet. She more than happily complies.

“I never meant to hurt you this much.”

“You’re here now,” Lance says, and it sounds so beautiful spoken out loud like this. How long he’s dreamed for such a moment. “That’s all that matters. We can move forwards together.”

This is their start.

***

It takes a while. But she tells Allura.

Allura kisses her senselessly. Lance loves it.

“Though I can’t take credit for this being my intention, I’m glad you learned more of yourself.” Allura’s fondness is an ocean she could drown in. “I love the person you are.”

“Yeah?”

Allura’s hand trails Lance’s ear. “Yes. Very much so. It’s an added bonus that I managed fix your ears. You have tried an Altean form, right?”

Lance jolts. “Allura!” she protests, a little put out. “What’s wrong with my ears?”

“Nothing,“ she says, warm and amused. “Nothing at all. I find that they have grown on me greatly. They’re cute. Just like the rest of my girlfriend.”

Oh. Girlfriend.

Her heart is full.

[sukisheadlights]

⸼𓍢💫៹ ۟ Voltron, LD. Masterlist

「 ♡ - fluff │ ☾ - angst │ ⍤ - smut │ • - headcanons 」

⟶ 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩

• "i could be yours" ⟶ 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

• "i could be yours" ⟶ 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘰

• "i could be yours" ⟶ 𝘗𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦

• "i could be yours" ⟶ 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘬

• "i could be yours" ⟶ 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵 ⟶ 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳

⟶ 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘢

[k3ithsk0gane]

It’s 2023 but last night I cried over how much I miss Keith and what Voltron could have been

[bleedingheart-s]

— crazy how you make it all alright, love 💜

[crumboat]

CRUMBBBB WHOS YOUR FAVORITE VLD CHARACTER (if you have one :3 )

im finally watching vld again and my fav is unfortunately lance😔

God, that's harrddd, I wanna say keith.. but it's not

Either coran? Or pidge

Wait actually it's definitely pidge

[just-a-dinosaur-i-guess]

Shitty air conditioning hits their bare skin and they scoff, rolling their shoulders before readjusting the slashed garment. “Jouno.” Fine, then. If that’s what game Jouno wanted to play, then they’d indulge the crybaby. They'd apologize to Teruko later. Jouno smirks at them for just a moment before rushing forward, and their blades are plunged into a cycle of thrusting and parrying for a good minute.

promoting this nb4nb inverted suegiku fic from a while ago that i'm still really happy with <3

ft. swordfighting in a motel, jouno being a little brat, and tetchou being very affectionately annoyed at them

[alluraaaa]

46. For everyone

46. the person they most admire

this question is so fucking hard, but i mean that in the best possible way. this team clearly has so much affection for one another, but admiration is a specific word and hard to work with, in a way. no lie, my process was staring at my phone, typing something out without thinking, and then realizing what the answer is

shiro: hunk. as team leader, he makes it his responsibility to look after the team’s mental health and let them use him like a therapist. once he makes that known, hunk is very open about how anxious and scared he is, how he’s kinda always been like that. hunk wasn’t studying to be a pilot, doesn’t have anyone in his family who are pilots. he’s young, and he has no idea what he’s doing! he wants to go home!! but he keeps going, not because there’s no other choice, but because he wants to help people more than he wants to see earth. for shiro, who only survived the pits because it was either kill or die, hunk is endlessly inspiring.

keith: shiro. not a lot of explanation is needed here, it’s the obvious answer. while the garrison trio also look up to shiro as a teacher and pilot, keith looks up to shiro for everything. without shiro, keith would be in some juvy on earth instead of getting to save the world. keith owes everything to his brother, who won’t give up on him, no matter how many times it takes.

pidge: lance. she spent the first months knowing him trying desperately to push him away, because it hurt to look at him. he’s just like matt, and she doesn’t wanna just replace him even if it is nice to have someone who shares his jacket and ruffles her hair and cleans her glasses without her asking. but when she spat vitriol at him, he retorted with something just as piercing, not letting her get away with it. and he stayed. despite the war, despite her, he’s still here, blowing raspberries at her and wading through fountains to collect change. so when their barbs got more and more affectionate, she wanted to be mad at how he wormed his way into her heart. but she’s not replacing her big brother, she’s gaining another.

lance: keith. the infamous rivalry was born from admiration, after all, even if he didn’t know it. he was hoping one day he’d be the better pilot, the better paladin, but once he actually was keith’s equal, he found he actually liked it. them butting heads worked in a way nothing else did. it wasn’t hunk’s hugs or pidge’s snark or coran’s stories, it was difficult. there’s pushing and shoving and hair pulling and wet willies and it’s so fun. in a nearly empty castle with only six others, you get bored. having someone who doesn’t look down on you as a person while wrestling over the remote is really nice. not to mention, keith isn’t nearly as perfect and lance thought. to learn that someone he put on a pedestal has flaws and weaknesses that lance compliments? kind of life changing, to say the least.

hunk: pidge. she’s so little and he’s so big but she keeps up with him easily, and sometimes he’s the one who has to keep up. absolutely nothing stops her once she puts her mind to it, and has a way of thinking through things that just eliminates any possibility of anxiety. if there’s a pidge, there’s a way. there are also times, though, when she’s sad or scared or small, but trusts him to not hurt her, despite him being big. she knows he won’t judge her for not understanding a formula, or needing help with a line of code, or crying on his shoulder when she misses her family. he realizes, one quiet night, that she trusts him not despite his size but because of it. she finds comfort in big brothers.

allura: coran. she turns to him for anything and everything, gives orders and trusts he’ll follow them, and he’s the only parent she has left. she knows that he’s suffering just as much as her, but he doesn’t let it stop him the way it stops her sometimes. when it stops her, he’s the only one who can get her going again. she doesn’t know how he does it. and she offers to help, she’s not stupid, she knows he’s keeping the hard parts to himself while also helping her, and she says it’s not fair. she wants to help him too, what can she do to help? but he just brushes the hair away from her face, kisses her forehead, and tells her all he wants is for her to get a full night’s rest. and… she can’t say no to that. when they’re in her bed and he’s serenely narrating his way through a story of his past, she can curl up to his side, close her eyes, and know that no matter what, he’s the constant in her life.

coran: allura. she used to be so happy, and she’s so young, and so hurt, and so tired. but despite it all, or maybe because of it all, she works so hard to fight a man who betrayed them so harshly. if anyone deserves to shirk the responsibility of voltron and live out their days on a peaceful remote planet, it’s the two of them. but she refuses to give up, so neither does he. he does all he can, despite the weariness in his bones, to help her. he’ll polish her helmet visor, braid her hair, wipe away her tears. he’ll polish the ship’s controls, groom his mustache, wipe away his own tears. he’ll do it all, so she doesn’t have to. and when they find out that they weren’t the only alteans left, when they found a new altea, she doesn’t want anyone else officiating her coronation, and he doesn’t want anyone else as queen. they both cry during the ceremony, and he hugs his daughter, holding her close.

(send a character + a number)

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

You are mistaken, you hc Lance as bi to ship him with male characters, i hc Lance as bi to project and also because i know he has universe's most terrible taste in men. We are not the same