#emotionally intelligent lance

[autisticlancemcclain]

Dude I’m pleading with you for a black paladin lance fic

sorry this took me a hundred years 💀💀

Chocolate Chip Chivalry

Keith & Lance (Voltron), Black Paladin Lance, 1.5k Words

Summary: Keith is struggling with Shiro’s disappearance and his own inability to be what he thought Shiro wanted. Lance, it turns out, is a big help.

———

“Alright, buddy, up you get.”

Keith doesn’t move except to roll his sore eyes. If Lance thinks he’s gonna get Keith up for anything other than a mission, he’s got another thing coming.

“I will lift you out of that bed, Kogane, do not test me.”

This gives Keith pause. Because while Lance is kind of scrawny, he has this weird ability to do things that seem out of the physical realm of possibility for him when he’s feeling stubborn. A month ago, for example, he suddenly sprouted the ability to hear a whispered conversation several miles away, because he wanted to go home and finish a project of his. Truly remarkable.

So, yeah. Keith might be bigger than Lance, but he also knows from experience that if Lance says he will bodily lift Keith out of bed, then he damn well means it, and Keith would like to hold on to what’s left of his dignity, thanks.

“What the fuck do you want,” Keith growls, sitting up and glaring at the Cuban.

Lance raises an eyebrow back, completely unfazed. “I want you to get out of bed. You’ve been locked in here for three days, and it’s making you feel worse, not better.”

“I think I’m entitled to some fucking self-pity, Lance.”

“I never said you weren’t. I’m just saying that the rest of us have been crying with company, and it feels marginally less shitty than sobbing in your room alone.”

Keith really looks at Lance for the first time since he barged in, noticing the red-rimmed eyes and dried tear tracks. He starts to feel guilty. He’s been spending who knows how long holed up in his room, throwing himself a pity party, as if he’s the only one who lost Shiro. God, no wonder the Black Lion chose Lance instead of him, he’d be a shit leader, he can only think of himself he’s such a fucking douche, he’s a fucking waste of space —

“Cut that out,” Lance orders, narrowing his eyes at Keith. “No one’s mad at you. No one’s disappointed. We completely understand why you’re camped in here, and we get it. I get it. I just also know that it’s unhealthy, and I want you to do something to take your mind off of it.”

Keith is quiet for a moment, looking down at his fists, clenched in his sheets. He doesn’t really want to get out of bed. All he really wants to do is sleep or cry some more, and every time he thinks of his brother his eyes tear up on their own.

But some training probably wouldn’t hurt. The endorphins will probably be good for him, honestly.

“I guess I could train,” Keith mutters sullenly.

“Um, no. You will not be doing that. That’s going to make it worse, because you’re gonna —”

“So what the fuck am I meant to do, then, huh, Lance?” Keith demands. “Just fucking sit around and get more weak and useless? Maybe I can fucking summon Shiro with my mind, and then I’ll have a purpose again! Shiro asked me to do one fucking thing, just one, and I couldn’t even —” Keith breaks down into tears, again, shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs.

Fuck.

He feels the mattress dip to his left, seeing Lance kneeling next to him out of the corner of his eyes. The next thing he feels is Lance’s arm over his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. Keith cries into Lance’s neck, soaking his shirt and skin, for what feels like hours. Lance doesn’t complain or move, only running a gentle hand down his back and making occasional humming noises.

Eventually Keith cries himself out, tears dried, leaving only those horrible stuttering breaths that are the aftermath of a period of misery. Lance pulls away a little, moving his hands so his palms are pressing on either side of Keith’s face. His hands are blessedly cool on Keith’s overheated skin.

“Shiro is not disappointed in you,” he says firmly. “Wherever he is, and whatever he’s doing, he’s proud of you. He always is.”

“But I’m a fucking failure,” Keith argues, feeling his eyes burn again. “He asked me to pilot Black, and she wouldn’t open for me. She opened for you, which makes sense, but I still feel like a let-down.”

Something unreadable flashes through Lance’s dark eyes, and then a look of determination settles in his features. He grips Keith’s hands and pulls him off the bed, making Keith stumble a little. It’s been a hot minute since he’s really moved a lot.

“Okay, change of plans,” Lance announces. “To the kitchens.”

Lance marches them down the hall, turning into the big double doors that lead to the dining area. He drags Keith all the way to the massive, industrial Altean kitchen, depositing him by the counter beside the stove, and walks to the fridge.

“Okay, we need butter, and eggs…” he trails off as he rummages through the fridge’s contents, occasionally moving to set down a few ingredients or equipment beside Keith. Keith watches him in confusion.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asks.

“Start sifting two cups of flour into the pink bowl,” Lance says instead of answering.

Keith thinks about refusing, but he honestly doesn’t have the energy. He settles for rolling his eyes and muttering petulantly as he complies.

Lance continues to call out instructions as he buzzes around the kitchen, messing with the oven settings and God knows what else. Keith continues to follow the instructions, getting into a sort of rhythm of whipping or sifting or mixing or measuring.

Eventually, Keith fully clues into what he’s been doing for the past half hour and realises he’s successfully made a batch of space chocolate chip cookie dough.

“Okay, now scoop a bunch of that onto this cookie sheet. About twelve balls, evenly spaced, a little more than a tablespoon of dough on each spot.”

Keith hesitates a moment, because he realises he hasn’t really registered jack shit since Lance made him start on this. Not Lance’s idle chatter, not the fact that he literally made cookie dough, and, most importantly, not the overwhelming sadness and desperation he’s been feeling nonstop for the past three days.

But he continues on, scooping the dough onto the baking sheet, and then he sits up on the counter and watches as Lance slides them into the hot oven and sets a ten minute timer.

“Why did we… why did you make me do that?” Keith asks after a period of silence. He’s surprised at his own tone — only honest curiosity, not an ounce of hostility or anger. Huh.

“You needed to do something creative and tedious,” Lance responds simply. “Not to psychoanalyse you or anything, but you were very clearly going through a depressive episode, and that kind of thing helps.”

“Oh.”

They sit in quiet, contemplative silence until the timer goes off. Lance hops off the counter and puts on an oven mitt, grinning a little as he takes the cookies out. Keith gets it. They look perfect, and certainly smell amazing.

Lance expertly lifts each cookie from the parchment paper onto a cooling rack with a spatula, except for three of them, which he puts on a plate and slides towards Keith.

“There’s milk in the fridge,” he informs him. Keith nods, heading over to pour two glasses. He carries them back over to the counter, where Lance is waiting.

They both grab a cookie, biting them at the same time. Keith feels his eyebrows raise. These cookies are delicious, and usually Keith kind of sucks in the kitchen.

“There are really good,” Keith says.

“You did a good job,” Lance agrees.

Keith makes a face, looking at Lance strangely. “I didn’t make them.”

Lance raises his eyebrows, looking amused, but Keith recognizes the knowing glint in his eyes. There’s something else at play here.

“I didn’t do shit. You put all the ingredients together. You measured them, mixed them, scooped them. All you, buddy. I talked the whole time.”

“No, you — wait,” Keith pauses for a minute, cookie halfway to his mouth (they really are amazing), thinking back to the past forty-odd minutes.

“Huh,” he says after a moment. He really did make these cookies.

“You made these cookies,” Lance reiterates.

Keith looks at him suspiciously. “Why are you putting so much emphasis on that?”

Lance shrugs, but his knowing grin from earlier has only gotten bigger.

“You said you were useless, earlier. That you didn’t make a difference. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think a useless person couldn’t make these bomb-ass cookies, and they certainly made a difference in my day, so.”

Lance lets that sit between them, as Keith processes.

Well, damn.

“…Point taken,” Keith says eventually.

Lance smiles at him, big and bright, and nudges his shoulder.

“I know losing Shiro has sucked,” he says softly. “I can’t even conceptualize your pain — I don’t know what I’d do if I lost one of my siblings not once, but twice. I’m sorry, Keith. I’m so sorry. And I’m sorry that Shiro’s expectations weren’t right for you. But I promise you that we will find Shiro, whatever it takes, and I will do everything in my power to be the best leader I can be in the meantime.”

Keith smiles back, a little watery, a little emotional, but happier nonetheless. He reaches over to grab Lance’s hand, squeezing tightly.

“You’re already are, Lance. You already are.”

[5a-alf]

As of late I've been obsessed with two fandoms: Les mis and Merlin (yes I'm ten years late on everything) so rightfully I decided to mash the two and this is the result

A Les Mis Merlin!AU,

starring Enjolras as Arthur and Les amis as the knights, bar grantaire that is gonna be Merlin.

Enjolras is a prat in a different way from Arthur, he tends to fail to see from others' prospective and is quite oblivious to feelings and emotional nuance. As a noble he would lack the ability to understand _why_ poor people/sorcerers _don't_ fight for better treatment. He expects them to. He doesn't understand having too much on your plate to do that, nor fearing for your life

Grantaire as Merlin would be a much more reclutant Emrys. He is a cynic, but it'd stem from being constantly scared of death. He'd bring Enj down a notch and make him see the reality of being a commoner, or of having magic. He is so strong he is afraid of his own power, and he doesn't want the weight of the responsability; every magic person is counting of him and he is convinced that he would fail them if he tried.

In this AU magic would be banned in Camelot by the king (role that would fit Javert to a T, ignoring the familiar relations) but Arthur!Enjolras would be pro magic from the start, AND somewhat open about that position. He is the head the knights and has a inner circle made of Les amis that are also pro magic.

I think it would make the most sense for grantaire to keep the magic to himself, even after knowing their stance on it. Maybe it could be revealed that he is a magic user early on, but he would keep being Emrys under wraps. Destiny is shit anyway.

He would gladly lay his life down for Enj and do anything for him tho, as we well know. He would bicker and fight and piss him off but his magic IS for Enj. He believes in the future of Albion just because he believes in Enjolras; destiny is shit and he won't be its bitch but one thing it got right, grantaire would not stop at anything to keep his king safe.

The other characters are more muddy:

I think Cosette could be a (good!)Morgana. Enj's half sibling, with powerful magic. BUT she could also be a good Gwen, with Marius as Lancelot and Jean Valjean as the town forger.

With Cosette as Morgana, Eponine could be her Gwen (and Cosette x Eponine x Marius would work so well here). Gwen!Eponine makes sense because it would keep her lower class status AND would put her in the position to be Grantaire first and best friend in Camelot.

I think that what would make the most sense about the line of succession would be for Enj and Cosette to be half siblings, children of a Duke who had an affair with Fantine (not that Fantine would...you can make this tragic); Fantine then married Jean Valjean (posing as a noble) to keep her honor and give Cosette a father (Valjean is perfectly aware of all of this. They made a patch). Tragedy struck and Enj parents die, so he is taken in by Javert (the king, enj's father brother) because he doesn't have any other descendant and Enj is now the second in line.

Fantine dies and Valjean is discovered to be an impostor posing as noble, and is forced to flee. Javert takes Cosette from him because he know the truth of her birth, so she is rightfully in line for the throne too.

I think most other roles could be shuffled around getting more distant from canon Merlin; we should have Joly as the court physician (or at least apprentice, as opposed to grantaire). Musichetta has her hands full running The Rising Sun, or another tavern/inn. Jehan is a druid in my heart, he could be Enj's contact with the old religion and its people.

Also Jean Valjean could be good not-related-to-Grantaire Balinor. It would give him a reason to be in hiding, and to be hated by Javert

Anyway this is all I have for now, but I'll probably add more later

[girlboypersonthingy]

hiii I saw the fluff alphabet for Keith and I was wondering if you could write one for pidge as well? ^_^

ABSOLUTELY I LOVE PIDGE SO MUCH. 💚💚💚sorry for the long wait, but here it finally is! ENJOY~ 😉

Pidge- Fluff Alphabet 💌

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Pidge is affectionate when she wants to be. Sometimes she’s a bit shy about it and prefers to show you affection in private. Pidge is simple and sweet, she enjoys soft quick kisses and linking pinkies and winking at each other from across the table during breakfast when the rest of the team isn’t paying attention (except for that one time Lance noticed YOU wink at Pidge and she blushed super red and Lance wouldn’t leave her alone about it for the next week).

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Honestly, I think Pidge would be a good best friend besides being a bit blunt and totally honest. Some might find the green Paladin a little intimidating and condescending but she doesn’t mean to be, she’s just really freaking smart and she’s not afraid to speak her truth. She’s so smart that it makes most people feel really stupid even talking to her. But with you…she goes slow and tries her best to be patient and teach you along the way. Idk there’s just something about you ✨

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Yesssss she really likes cuddles when she’s upset or frustrated or crying. She likes cuddles after a bad dream or after a really risky mission. BUT as soon as she drifts off fully into sleep, gorl starts doing martial arts in bed. Fully expect to be kicked, slapped, punched and fully laid on by Pidge. She’s a bit wild but she’s easy to wake. When she is cuddling, she likes to be the little spoon or be face to face with your foreheads resting about each other’s.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I’d imagine Pidge has no intention of settling down with anyone until she truly feels deep in her heart that she’s met ‘the one’. She’ll try dating but she won’t commit until she knows you well enough and has time to decide how she feels and time to imagine her future with that person. Also, girl is the opposite of wifey material- can’t cook, messy asf, grumpy in the mornings but it’s all worth it. She has her moments~

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

I think Pidge would be very straight forward about it but also try her best to be kind and gentle. She wouldn’t want to do it over the phone, she’d have the guts to sit you down and tell you to your face how she feels.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Sorta the same answer as ‘Domestic’ ⬆️, she wouldn’t be careless and rush into anything with someone she isn’t sure about. She could see herself getting married one day but doesn’t really consider it a top priority, ya feel me?

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

I mean…she’s a tiny Aries who knows she’s smarter than everyone in the room at all times…she’s kind of a lot sometimes. She can be emotionally chaotic sometimes, she often grabs attention from others without even meaning to and it can feel a bit overwhelming at first but the more you get to know her, the more you come to adore her intelligence and it warms your heart when she shares her knowledge with others and her bravery every time she speaks up for herself in a crowd and her stubbornness really starts to grow on you. She’s physically about the same lmaoooooo like…with most people she’s very out there, extroverted and loud and she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty or getting in to trouble in order to get a job done. She works hard AND plays hard, she’s a goofball. But with her s/o, she’s much softer and calmer and speaks quieter and moves just a bit slower and with more caution. She just really loves you 💚

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

NEVER hugs you in front of others unless like one of you almost died on a mission or you’ll be apart for a long time. Most hugs are done late at night while you’re falling asleep and Pidge is working way past bedtime, also mid day when the rest of the team is dispersed throughout the castle and doing their own thing, knowing that she has a low risk of being caught at this time she’ll come find you and give you a long, snuggly hug without saying a word and then run off back to her work.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It’ll take a long while tbh…Pidge is pretty shy and inexperienced with relationships and lovey dovey feelings. She’ll probably wait until you say it first. Once you say it her tho, it comes out of her in a sigh of relief. It gets easier for her after the first time but she’s still getting used to it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

I don’t think Pidge is really the jealous type. Even if someone was actively flirting with you, she wouldn’t be so much jealous as she would be concerned…like she could care less if someone is just genuinely flirting with you but what if they have some devilish motive and they’re working for the galra and they’re gonna kidnap you and hold you hostage and- she needs to come intervene before she starts fully panicking. She’ll just come join you in a silent and nonchalant way like coming up and holding your hand. She’s not trying to butt in and be nosy, she just wants to make sure you’re safe and also make you feel safe, protected and supported. She’s not jealous, she just cares very deeply for you.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Her kisses are awkward, sweet, sometimes silly and interrupted by soft giggles. She likes to kiss your lips but she LOVES kissing your cheeks and nose, she thinks you’re just soooo cute and she likes the look on your face after she kisses you there. She likes forehead kisses most bc they make her feel warm and relaxed and content. Forehead kisses really make her want to cry (in a good way)

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Mmmm she tries her best to be energetic with kids but she’s honestly so awkward. Regardless, kids ADORE HERRRRRR. Pidge has so much cool shit to say, she mesmerizes kids so easily with her science and space rambles.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Pidge stays up working and coding until like 3 am every night and then sleeps in until at least 10am if you let her, so most mornings are spent trying to drag Pidge out of bed as she groans in protest. It’s okay tho, her bed head is so cute and she won’t even open her eyes yet but you can’t stop smiling bc she’s cute even when she’s sleepy and grumpy. Once she’s got her eyes open and is sitting up, she’ll always mumble a raspy “morning” to you.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Unless you’re a night owl as well, you’ll probably be asleep before Pidge. She’ll always welcome your company while she’s working and will let you slump against her or lay your head in her lap and sleep. Most of the time, she gently wakes you and you sleepily walk to your room together but sometimes, she falls asleep right beside her work and cuddled up to you and someone ends up finding y’all in the morning like 🥹💖🥰

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

I think she would open up rather quickly. I think Pidge has a pretty good sense of who she can trust and if she trusts you enough to be your s/o, she trusts you a lot. She would confide in you often along with Shiro I’m sure.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

It depends…certain things tick Pidge off a bit but she can shrug it off. Other certain things make her want to explode. Lance makes a short joke, annoying but whatever. She accidentally codes something wrong and has to start all over, watch out, she’s seconds away from throwing something across the room as hard as she can.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Pidge forgets NOTHING!!! This girl has a spectacular memory, she remembers everything you tell her and is very considerate with that info. She’s the type to remember your fears and try her best to shield you from that, she’ll remember hits favorite color and get you everything that color, she’ll remember your birthday no matter what. And she loves learning new things about you too.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Probably your first physical embrace. You weren’t officially dating yet but you could both feel the pining going on between you. She had been roughed up and tossed around by some galra on a mission one time and when she got back to the castle, you were the first one to greet her with a gentle hug and a worried expression on your face. She’ll never forget how soft your hands felt as they caressed her dirty face. That was the first time you’d ever shown her any kind of true intimacy and she got a glimpse of your feelings for her.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

She is extremely protective but she tries to give you space. She worries about you constantly but it’s not that she doesn’t trust you or doesn’t believe in you, she just knows first hand how brutal this war can be and she doesn’t want to lose you. Of course, she always insists you two stick together on any and all missions you attend bc she knows you have her back and she always has yours.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

She tries her best! She’s not great at surprises tho, she always tells you what the gift is or what the date is bc she has to make sure you want that first, she can’t just do it and risk you having a bad time. She does listen to you and takes every little detail into consideration. She often does simple things like complimenting you and offering you small bits of physical affection. For special occasions like an anniversary, she likes to ask you what you would want/ want to do and then she’ll try to make it exceed your expectations.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Bites her nails and just flicks her nails all over the place 🙄 also mess asf in general

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

She’s really not concerned at all about her appearance. Sure for a special occasion she’ll dress up and try to look nice but on the day to day, Pidge just wants to be comfy and feel like she’s dressing for her, not for anyone else.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yeeesssssss 🥹 Pidge would become so used to your everyday presence in her life, so if you ever left or disappeared or got taken, she’d feel like there was a void constantly haunting her. She’d miss your smell, your laugh, your voice, your touch, your company so much she’d lose sleep over it for sure.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

TALKS IN HER SLEEP AND SAYS SOME WEIRD, OFF THE WALL SHIT ITS HILARIOUS.

Examples:

“Hey, who’s that duck? He’s new here.”

“When are you going to the carnival? I want to go.”

“Turtles and birds are both dinosaurs, that’s wiiiilllddddd.”

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Pidge wouldn’t like someone who’s really conceited and selfish. She likes people who aren’t afraid to look silly or foolish or messy. She likes people who worry about things other than appearances and possessions.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Cannot stay still for the life of her. She tosses and turns so bad, good luck getting a good nights rest with how much she moves. She’ll low key beat you up throughout the night, she’s a crazy sleeper.

[randomgentlefolk]

CPC CHAPTER 159+160

I had exams for 1 week and 3 days so I can only do this now (and now i also have remedial...bruh)

Y'all is Leland secretly a bookworm or something? Because—

"Fairytale", "Trope", all of those books in his office, one of his to do list is buy more books...is he also a bookworm like Frederick???

PREZ VS BLAINE!!! PREZ VS BLAINE!!!

YES PREZ!!! GET TO HIM!! I seriously hope Blaine will SNAP out of it and go to a path of redemption. Seriously bro I love him and i really want him to redeem himself.

I should make Blaine a separate post cause i'm speedrunning writing this :') i've been busy and cpc is going to update in one hourrrr

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE APPRECIATION!!!! I DO ENJOY SOME EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE (tho i must admit i am not one of them sadly)

THE THEORY. THE DAMN THEORY. This is also a huge step towards the theory that the portrait Leland stole is a portrait of Leelathae. Which is also why Leland punched Blaine for calling Gwen ugly and then not understanding why he did that.

Wait. A theory just came to me.

If we think about it, isn't Gwen just visiting the places in the old chapters chronologically?

First, she was in bed. Then, the waffle room. Then the forest where she met CPC. We can assume the little red's grandma's house is the cpc place. Then she was in the sugar room and finally, the gala. I'm going to theorize that the next room will be maybe... back to her room? The gala room but destroyed? The carriage?

BRO LELAND GOT BEAT UP BAD LMAOAOAOAOAO. MAIDS! MAIDS! MAIDS! Bro got hit by an IRONING TOOL. I KNOW THAT HURTS. Too bad he managed to throw a FUCKING SOFA at the maids tho... but fr ARE THE MAIDS OKAY??? MOLY, IS SHE OKAY?? I WILL NOT HAVE BELOVES MAIDS DYING YOU HEAR ME.

M'dude ;)

Orson and Monika my beloved nerds. I hope Monika's trauma will be addressed more ngl cause she clearly has trauma.

REAL REAL REAL!!!

LANCE!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! I wonder what he's planning? Maybe he's going to order the troops to clear the door? Please tell me he's going to reunite with Frederick :(

NOOOOO PREZ ALMOST GOT THROUGH HIMMMMM.

OH NO. OH GOD OH MAN. OH GOD OH MAN. Welp, I suppose arachnophobia alert for the next chapters....

I had suspicion that the pills shouldn't have side effects as THAT bad. And oh well. Too bad we didn't get any arachne Prez tho :(

...can someone help Blaine like damn man is just passed out there 💀

Okay that's it for these 2 chapters because damn i am SPEEDRUNNING.

Mono out! (But still in to hear your thoughts)

[lilflowerpot]

If Lotor was a paladin, which lion would he pilot? Personally I think it would be black or green, though it would be really interesting for it to be yellow as well.

So for this one I'm going to first point you towards my previous post regarding the attributes of the Lions as established in canon, plus my conclusion as to what the Blue Lion actually looks for in a paladin seeing as Allura skipped over it due to Lance's interruption. By combining the information that we were given in vld s01ep01 with the wu xing (the five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy) we can draw a pretty detailed picture of the key characteristics that make someone a suitable candidate to serve as a paladin of Voltron, so the following are my thoughts on Lotor's compatibility with each Lion, from least to most likely:

Yellow (earth / 土 tǔ) - agreeableness, honesty / anxiety, joy

“Nurturing, grounded, practical, and known for their reliability; though compassionate and empathetic, when out of balance they can become obsessive, intrusive, and worry unnecessarily.”

"The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Though I agree that Lotor & the yellow Lion would be an interesting match, I don't necessarily think it's the most natural one; while our favourite prince is perfectly capable of being compassionate / empathetic / agreeable / honest / nurturing / grounded / practical / reliable when making a deliberate effort,,,, these aren't the traits I'd most immediately associate with him (bar practical, he's certainly that). I don't think of Lotor as being the emotional backbone nor shoulder-to-cry-on individual in any circle, as for the most part he's too sharp-tongued and perhaps wouldn't approach such matters with the preferred delicacy one would hope for. In addition to this, the negative side of tǔ lends itself to a fretful sort of anxiety, which,,,, again, just isn't Lotor.

Blue (water / 水 shuǐ) - erudition, resourcefulness, wit / fear, gentleness

“Determined, self-sufficient, and adaptable; they achieve their aims by determining the best path through a situation, but when out of balance they can be fearful, timid and indecisive.”

The Blue Lion seeks emotional intelligence and adaptability, someone who is not only good-humoured, but capable of navigating tricky situations with grace and diplomacy. - lilflowerpot, the blue lion's attribute

Blue is an interesting one, because Lotor is //absolutely// an adaptable sonovabitch: he's the type who can pivot the entire plan based on near-any variable thrown his way, and still come out on top which is Damn Impressive... but his diplomacy tends to be more a weapon than an honest attempt at compromise, and while incredibly self-aware, he is not always the most emotionally intelligent being in the room when it comes to other people—not thinking to explain to the galra girl squad why he cut Narti down without a word, for example. And again, the negative traits associated with shuǐ (fearful / timid / indecisive) are not those that best reflect Lotor when out of balance.

Red (fire / 火 huǒ) - passion, intensity / hate, resolve

“Energetic, passionate, and dramatic, they make great leaders but have a tendency to be emotionally volatile; when in balance they create intimacy and connection easily, but when out of balance they might become destructive and suffer from insomnia.”

"The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Lotor is actually a surprisingly strong contender for the Red Lion—I mean, passionate? Dramatic?? A great leader with a penchant for being emotionally volatile who runs the risk of becoming destructive???—both in terms of the pros and cons. His downfall in terms of this role, however, comes in the form of Lotor relying more on pragmatism than instinct; don't get me wrong, his instincts are typically very good, but if it came down to it Lotor would be infinitely more likely to make the logical call rather than that based off of a "gut feeling" (and Keith quite the opposite, which is what makes them such a good & balanced match imo).

But here's where things get interesting.

Because between Black & Green I felt it was an i n c r e d i b l y close call, and toyed with which way around I thought the best fit for quite some time. Ultimately, however, Black sits as Lotor's secondary Lion—much as she does Keith's—not because I think he's a poor leader, but because I feel the two are symbolic of Lotor's inner and outer world (something I expanded upon not only in my zodiac post but also when exploring hogwarts/ilvermorny house placements several years ago).

Black (metal / 金 jīn) - intuition, rationality, mind / grief, bravery

“Righteous, faithful, brave and gallant; a sharp intellect combined with a tendency for self-discipline can make them very successful. They like structure and tend to be organized and methodical.”

"The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Lotor is a born leader, no ifs ands or buts about it: he has a near-impeccable sense of self-discipline, is very goal-orientated as a person, and ultimately comes up with these very intricate and even elegant plans to achieve his objectives. His natural charisma makes people want to follow his lead and believe in the future he's forging (as clearly demonstrated by how quickly he won over the general galra populace in canon), and on top of all that his clear & constant understanding of "the greater good" makes him an exceptional candidate for a leadership role, as someone who has to make the hard calls.

Green (wood / 木 mù) - idealism, spontaneity, curiosity / anger, kindness

“Competitive, adventurous, and determined, they seek out challenges and do well under pressure, but can become driven and stressed when out of balance.”

"The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

"So why did Green win out?" I hear you ask. Well, because while all the above regarding Lotor & Black is true, it's also his outer persona: that's not to say it's a false-self, but rather who Lotor is because he has to be- because he needs to be... but perhaps not who he wants to be. At his heart, I believe Lotor to be an intellectual, consumed with pursuits of the mind, and someone who likes to learn simply for the pleasure of it. He's a curious soul—inquisitive and idealistic and in search of a better world—which, yes, can be best implemented by his Black Paladin traits, but ultimately stems from a very pure desire to understand the universe on a deeper level simply because everything in it is fascinating to him. Lotor doesn't seek control for control's sake, but rather so that he can protect the universe that he is so unabashedly in love with- and yes, that means when out of balance he is a stressed little bean only all the more stubbornly committed to his goals (to the exclusion of all else, again, as we saw with the galra girl squad in the aftermath of Narti's death) because at his core prince Lotor believes not only that he can fix the universe,, but that it's his duty to do so.

[kivaember]

👀!! but also, 🎯?

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Interestingly, not many people have made in depth guesses about major major plot points for APV! I am curious to hear people's theories though, if only to see if the foreshadowing I lay down it getting picked up...

Otherwise, on my P5 fic To Know Your Target, quite a few people correctly guessed major plot points, which I found really cool! I like it when people can sorta guess where the story is heading, bc it means I'm building it in a coherent kind of way. There's no better feeling for when you guess something will happen and it does!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Oh man I have so many!!! Okay, I have one wip that's like two thirds done... it's a oneshot (a big one rip) that's post LoR. It follows 621 hunting amongst the wreckage of the Xylem for Walter's AC, mostly because he's kinda lost on what to do with himself and also bc he wants to give it a funeral. Rusty, still horribly injured from his fall fromthe Xylem, hijacks an RLF MT and follows him there...

The fic's most about discussing 621 and Rusty's different approaches to grief and moving on and the like... and hilariously, as I was writing it, 621 ended up being a lot more emotionally intelligent than Rusty was...

Have a snippet :) as a treat!

He rounded a collapsed pile of masonry and shattered glass, some sort of towering roof structure that had caved in on the deck below. STALKER was standing in the near distance on the very edge of the deck, staring at the slowly approaching supercell. 

Carefully, Rusty piloted his MT to stand beside STALKER, and directed his visual sensors towards the incoming storm. His wipers were going a little crazy now, frantically whipping back and forth to try and outpace the heavy downpour. Beside him, STALKER moved fractionally, its half-rusted joints creaking loudly. 

“...hey,” Rusty murmured. “Aren’t you tired, Raven?”

STALKER’s head angled towards him. 

«Aren’t you tired, Rusty?»

Rusty felt his mouth quirk into a smile. A response, even if it was a mocking (he assumed). He’d take it. “Yeah. I’m pretty exhausted, to be honest.” 

«…then why are you here.»

“Like I said, I came to get you. You’ve been out here for two days. Uncle was getting worried.”

Raven took his time in replying and Rusty patiently waited, ignoring the various aches and pains lancing through his body like razor sharp glass. It was fine. So long as he didn’t bust the stitches from his spleen repair surgery, he should be okay. 

«I’m fine.»

“Sure,” Rusty said. “Just like I’m fine.”

«I wasn’t in a coma for two days after breaking half my bones.»

no, you were just tortured for weeks on end instead, Rusty did not say with some effort. “You still need to eat, right? You’re augmented, but you’re still human.”

Raven didn’t seem to have a ready response for that, so he just didn’t say anything.

“...what’re you even out here for anyways?” Rusty asked, genuinely curious. The Xylem was a marvel of Institute tech, yeah, but most of it was completely ruined from its violent re-entry. Aside from getting blown up and ransacked by invading corporate and Liberation Front forces alike, the seawater filling up half the ship would’ve eaten away at most of the technology by now. 

«…I’m looking for something.» 

“Well… if you’re looking so hard for it, I guess it must be important…” Rusty said slowly. “Maybe I can help?”

«You’re injured and should be resting.»

“You’re injured too.” Rusty’s tone grew solemn. “I know what they do in those re-education camps, Raven.” 

«…»

“You’ve been flat out since you escaped,” Rusty said softly. “Uncle said you only swung by for a day at our base before running off again. If you don’t stop to rest, your body’s just going to give out on you. It’s a pointless way to go.” 

«…»

“Unless that’s what you want?” Rusty asked, and made sure his voice was dispassionately blunt when he added: “Are you just waiting to die?”

The question lingered between them like an ominous shroud. The supercell moved close enough that its thick cloud wall blocked out the sun, dousing them in deep, dark shadow. 

«…no.»

Raven paused, and STALKER kept shifting its weight back and forth, rusted joints screeching and groaning, the AC not built to spend so much time along the seashore, getting sprayed with saltwater and blasted with coastal gusts. It looked like a corpse just barely moving, skeletal, where chunks of its ablative armour had been stripped off from its own re-entry, and the inner hull torn from the tremendous forces it had been under (had never been designed to endure, but had endured anyways). 

There was even a gaping crack in the Core, a sliver where Rusty could peer past the protective armour and see a bit of the Core block that contained the pilot’s cockpit. Red-tinged rainwater was collecting in that crack, pouring out of it like a miniature stream.

«I don’t know what to do.»

It was unexpectedly honest. Vulnerable. Completely out of nowhere. 

“What do you mean?”  

«Before everything went wrong in Institute City, Handler Walter told me what to do. I knew what to expect with each day. I knew what my objectives were. Now, I know nothing. I’m a mercenary with no money or clients, and I have no idea how to get those things myself. I got my life back, like Walter wanted, but there’s nothing in it.»

STALKER’s head bowed. 

«…I have nothing.»

“That’s not true, Raven,” Rusty said gently, taken aback by Raven’s raw honesty, and cursing the awkwardness of having this talk while they were in two separate mechs. Raven was as expressionless as they came, but he could still gauge his human face better than just staring at the side of STALKER’s cracked Core. 

“After saving Rubicon, you’ve definitely got the Liberation Front on your side,” he continued. “And, for what it’s worth, I’ve got your back too. I know you won’t trust that, considering what happened before Institute City but, I mean it. I was-”

He drew in a slow breath, before admitting quietly: “I was wrong about you. You weren’t a threat to be eliminated, and I acted too hastily in my judgement of you. I’m sorry.”

«It’s fine. You weren’t exactly wrong. I was a threat.»

“...? What do you-”

A flash of scarlet lightning lit up the horizon, followed by a booming thunder that rattled Rusty’s very bones and briefly deafened him. He couldn’t help but wince. 

«I’m looking for Walter,» Raven said in an unexpected non-sequitur, forcibly dropping the last topic. «His corpse is on this ship somewhere.»

[khaleesiofalicante]

Okay about the similarities in IALS between David, Max, Lance and Arthur. Things are complicated I think.

Not at first, because in the first part of the story, Arthur was this energetic kid that called Jaden a cunt because that's what Max called him and Lance was this quiet kid that was polite and he seemed like a quiet spirit like David and I have to be honest at first it seemed that while he didn't like Jaden he was okay with David dating him, there was this part I think it was the second chapter, Lance and Arthur made a video call to Max on Christmas and Max asked them if Jaden was being nice to them and Lance said "he is nice to papa too"  and also on the same chapter David told Jaden that Lance will like him as long as Jaden makes David happy, which made me believe that. But in the second part things changed. Lance seemed to be more like Max, he had his no-bullshit attitude and he used sarcasm to deal with things and he lashed out while he was in pain, while Arthur was nice and kind, he liked Jaden and was close to him, he was like a little sunshine and people thought, well he's just like David. But then you get to the core of their personality. And you see that it's quite the other way around. AND this time I think the difference is more obvious than on TLND because unlike TLND Lance and Arthur didn't get to see Max and David together, not as a couple. So they weren't really influenced by both, they both subconsciously chose and were influenced more from one of them. BUT what I feel made that process even more intense is this deep love Max and David feel for one another that's so strong its hard to ignore, even if the kids don't actively see it still feel it and are subconsciously affected by it.

Allow me to explain. Lance as you have mentioned before, is more like David. He is a seriously unhinged person that would do anything for his family and as Alec mentioned he has the attitude of someone who has been through hell and won't let anyone or anything stand in his way. He doesn't react well to someone insulting his own and always takes what he wants, exactly the way David does. And it's impossible for a kid so similar to David to not be UTTERLY OBSESSED with Max. Impossible for a kid as emotionally intelligent and generally intelligent as David not to see through Jaden's manipulation. Impossible for a kid who loves Max with the same intensity as David does to accept or be kind to someone who tries to replace Max, someone who doesn't respect or someone who constantly tries to undermine him. And it's impossible for him not to pick up the anger David feels towards himself, the guilt he feels over being with someone like Jaden, the frustration he feels over not being able to be with Max. All this anger Lance feels towards David, all the mean things he says to him or all the rude things he says to Jaden, and how he'll never be Max is a reflection of David's true feelings. And what was it that first started changing Lance's mind? What was the argument Jackson used to get Lance to read the book and see things from David's perspective and start actually feeling more empathetic towards him? Max's love for David. Jackson told him that Max loves David so much that if Lance kept hurting David he would walk away from him. And all that love Max feels, in both the flashback scene of Lance's chapter and the scene with Jackson is what motivates him to start seeing things differently. I'm not saying it's what caused them to have a better relationship, of course not, but I feel like it's what made Lance wanting to start mending it. And I feel like Max's love, the fact that Max loves him and wants to be with him despite everything is what will make David not feel guilty for everything he had to do so he can be with Max. Because as you have mentioned David doesn't regret what he has done but he feels guilty that what he needed to do to heal was hurting Max and that guilt is reflected in Lance. But Max's love, the fact that he doesn't hate him as David believes will make him let go of the guilt and start to heal.

And I feel like Artur is exactly the same. Because as Jackson mentioned, David is okay with people hurting him. But Max is not. Max will never be okay with people hurting David no matter how much they love him. And that's why he feels guilty. That's why he is willing to believe that David hates him. Because he feels like he deserves it. And that reflects in Arthur who was so mad at him, who told him all those horrible things. Those weren't the reflection of David's feelings, no, that was the reflection of Max's guilt. That's why Max wasn't mad at Arthur. That's why Arthur acted the way he did. Because no one gets to hurt his papa, and that's something he learned from Max. And what did make Arthur change his mind? David's love for Max. I mean sure he saw how much David loved Max but he saw it through David's eyes. He saw Max through David's eyes he saw how happy David was he realized that David was smiling at Max when he saw the show he realized that David could never hate or divorce Max because of what happened. And I feel like that is what will finally allow Max to let go of his guilt. When he finally learns the truth, when he realizes all the things David did and went through just to find his way back to Max that he could never give up on them, would never replace him. Because if David went through all of that for him then he must be worth it.

All through TLND you kept saying that love is not enough to fix everything. And I agree. In IALS you kept mentioning that this story is about forgiving yourself, with which I am also in agreement. But sometimes some things can not be fixed without love. Sometimes we can not forgive ourselves without love. Most children of divorce are confused at first I think. But when they think about things they see that usually what exists between the parents is anger and resentment. It's really hard for parents not to blame one another. And I think that that's what makes most kids feel like their separation was for the best( This is how I see it I may be wrong anyone, feel free to call me out I don't mean to offend anyone we all see things differently). But in IALS, in Max and David, when Lance and Arthur reach for the truth between their parents all they find is love. There is just so much love there and I think that unlike most divorce cases this won't break their family but it will unite them and allow them all to completely heal and besides that start to be happy again. Because they may be healing but they aren't happy. And I feel like that, even though it needs many other things like COMMUNICATION and NOT HIDING SECRETS(David I see you👀) it mostly needs love. And they have that in abundance, so I feel like they'll be okay💛

I think I may have broken a record with this essay but I needed to say this because I love your story and I think it's amazing and you are amazing and once again thank you for creating it. Have a nice dayy🌷

I love this ask so much that I want to eat it because good lord!

I loved the amount of thought and effort that went into this analysis. It's so beautiful and well-thought and supported by evidence?? you know me so well oof.

I will definitely come back and read this later again because I just love it that much.

Lance and Arthur were unsurprisingly the hardest to write, because they are new to me and their journey in this story is such a strange and painful, and even a confusing one.

I loved being able to (chronologically) write about their journey and how they grew into the people they are today and all the little things that led to it. I loved Lance turning from a soft, shy, and quiet child into an introverted, shrewd teenager who has no time for bullshit. I loved Arthur and his vibrant, bubbly personality as a kid and how all that enthusiasm and excitement was channeled into things around him such as his clothes and his school plays, while he himself turned softer around the edges and kept some of his sunshine inside himself.

Reading this made me realize how much I enjoyed writing about them - and sharing them with all of you!

And god, I just LOVE writing about parents Mavid. I hope I get to explore more stories! Especially LBAF too.

Thank you so much for brightening my day (night!). Love you 💜

[80sroboto]

Agent 025: Cartier

Slay your enemies in style with the fashionable French-Filipino duelist! Cartiers crystals provide AoE damage, concuss enemies and most importantly are pretty to look at!

Her Kit (I might change things around):

💎[C] Spinel Lance💎

A crystal lance that when thrown concusses enemies. It functions like a molly. 3-5hp is removed from the enemy with every step they take in it.

💎[Q] Sapphire Shields💎

A crystal coating that adds 25hp to bought shields.

💎[E] Quartz Bullet💎(Signature)

Cartier imbues two of her bullets with a crystal coating so they cause AoE damage on impact.

-(fun fact: this was inspired by Gany-u's frostflake arrow)-

💎[X] Fleur de Mal/ Diamant💎

Crystal spikes shoot out of the ground and impale enemies. Fleur de Mal can also obstruct the area its planted in. It can be knifed but the resulting shrapnel hurts the enemy.

(I cant decide between those two names)

Bio and personality are under the readmore :> 

Bio:

Madeleine “Maddie” Fabron is a French Radiant. Her power is producing radianite crystals. These crystals appear in shades of pink. Cartier’s crystals are sharper and break into shards more easily than Sage’s crystals. 

Maddie had a carefree life with her affluent family. She has two parents Teresa Fabron and Nicolas Fabron and an older brother, Vincent Fabron (Chamber).

She flunked out of college and failed many job applications until one fateful  job interview.

"So Miss Fabron, why should we hire you? What makes you different from the other potential hires?"

Maddie sweats nervously.

"I-I can make rocks?" The fidgety applicant generates a radianite crystal from her palm. 

"What the fuck" Were the last words she heard from the interviewer before he fainted from shock.

After that two things happened: She never heard from her interviewer again and she got hired by the protocol to help with their radianite research.\

Personality:

Maddie is playful, childish and at times flirty. Maddie wears her heart on her sleeve - even if she doesn't want to show it. Despite being competitive she has a cheerful disposition, often amusing others with her reckless shenanigans. Maddie sees the protocol as more like a regular job than as the world saving organization they actually are. Not even her protocol duties can distract her from the luxury goods, fashion, romantic tv shows and music that she loves so much. 

Maddie is not much of an intellectual. Her charm is instead in being more emotionally and socially intelligent. Instead of having carefully made plans and weapons she prefers to creatively improvise. Maddie is quite caring affectionate protective of her loved ones.

[daggryet]

OH KAISA YOU DONT KNOW THE HALF OF ITTTTTTT do you know how many panels there were at the time????? 2016 alll the way through to 2018 it was "lance is gonna get a big moment soon... huge for his character you will all love it" then the moment would be him like... saying one (1) emotionally intelligent thing per season... like they KNEW. the showrunners KNEW how popular lance was (i think at one point he overtook even keith for the amount of merch sales by character) so they would always answer fan questions about him like they were building up something HUGE for him... i specifically remember at the time people asking questions along the lines of "is lance ever going to move on from allura?" and they answered like "lance thinks he wants allura but thats not what he needs, and he finds what he needs this season" <- some bullshit to that affect AND THEN THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

the fans were lied to SO OFTEN it was ridiculous. and to make it worse they pushed out these 8 seasons over the course of only 2 years, so all these writing decisions were made in REAL TIME. there was NO PLAN. so they literally saw the popularity, and the people wanting him to have more and purposefully ignored it (because they hated their fans but thats a whole other discussion)

THEY IGNORED LANCE BECAUSE THE VIEWERS LOVED HIM??? 😭 i'm actually crying how tf is this real, no wonder you've all got the thousand yards stare of wwi trench soldiers over this show

also yasss lancesweep (in merch sales, not... character)

[demcnsinmymind]

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋   𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄   :  Lance Preston

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄(𝐒)   he doesn't have one and he'll scold you if u call him Lancelot.

╳   𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒.

moody  |  short-tempered  |  emotionally unstable  |  whiny  |  controlling  |  conceited  | possessive  | paranoid  |  liar  |  impatient  |  cowardly  |  bitter  |  selfish  |  power-hungry  |  greedy  |  lazy  |  judgmental  |  forgetful  |  impulsive |  spiteful  |  stubborn |  sadistic  |  petty  |  unlucky  |  absent-minded |  abusive  |  addict  |  aggressive  |  childish  |  callous  |  clingy  |  delusional  |  cocky  |  competitive  |  corrupt  |  cynical|  cruel  |  depressed  |  deranged  | egotistical |  envious |  insecure  |  insensitive  |  lustful  |  delinquent  |  guilt complex | reclusive  |  reckless  |  nervous  |  oversensitive

♔   𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇𝐒.

honest  |  trustworthy  | thoughtful  |  caring  |  brave  |  patient  |  selfless  |  ambitious  | tolerant  |  lucky  |  intelligent  |  confident   | focused  |  humble  |  generous  |  merciful  | observant |  wise  | clever |  charming  |  cheerful  |  optimistic |  decisive  |   adaptive | calm  |  protective  |  proud  |  diligent | considerate  |  compassionate  |  good sportsmanship | friendly  |  empathetic  |  passionate | reliable  |  resourceful|  sensible  |  sincere |  witty  | funny

🖌 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 & 𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒.

art  |  acting  |  astronomy  |  animals |  archery  |  sports  |  belly dancing |  bird watching  |  blacksmithing  |  boating  |  calligraphy  |  camping  |  candle making  |  casino gambling  |  ceramics  |  racing  |  chess  | music (guitar)   |  cooking  |  crochet  |  weaving  |  exercise  | swordplay |  fishing  |  gardening  | ghost hunting  |  ice skating  |  magic  | engineering  |  building  |  inventing  |  leather-working  |  martial arts  |  meditation  |  origami  |  parkour  | people watching |  swimming  |  puppetry  |  pyrotechnics  |  quilting  |  reading |  collecting  |  shopping  |  socializing  |   storytelling  |  writing |  traveling  |  exotic dancing  |  singing

tagged by : @griim tagging: you!

[autisticlancemcclain]

“I cannot believe you did this to yourself.”

Lance is frosty. He is mad. He is glaring heavily at Keith’s bare torso, where he is gently — ever so gently — cleaning the large gash stretching across Keith’s ribs. His hands are steady, like they always are, but his teeth are chattering, even as he tries to clench them.

“Of all the gall-brained, idiotic things to do. Jesus fucking Christ. It’s worse because I know you’re smart, you fucking imbecile, so I don’t know why you tried to do that!”

Keith keeps his mouth shut. He lets Lance yell, lets him rant, although his hands remain steadfast and his touch never gets rough. Lance is right, this time, and also Keith feels bad. Keith knows he fucked up. He knows he pushed himself too far, he knows he didn’t think about consequences, knows he let his anger consume him.

Keith feels a droplet hit his skin, outside of the damp cloth dabbing at his wound. He blinks, finally lifting his head to look Lance in the face, and is more shocked than he has a right to be to see the steady tears dropping down the Cuban’s face.

“I just…”

For the first time, Lance’s hands tremble. He notices immediately, pulling away from Keith’s skin and busying himself with re-wetting the cloth.

“I don’t understand. Genuinely. Why would you do that to yourself? Don’t you…”

Keith never finds out what he does or does not do, because Lance’s breath hitches, and he chokes on a sob before he can finish his sentence. Keith rushes forward on instinct, trying to make pull Lance into a hug to rub his shoulder or anything, really, but the movement pulls on his torn skin and he yelps, collapsing right back to where he was.

“Don’t fucking move, you’ll only make it worse,” Lance snaps, glowering at him through red and puffy eyes. He twists out the cloth, draining the excess water. His hands have stopped shaking, but tears still leak heavily out of his eyes, and every other breath shudders.

The guilt churns in Keith’s stomach, forming a lump in his throat. He flinches Lance presses the cloth to his chest, even though he doesn’t press hard. Lance mutters an apology, loosening the pressure a little.

“I’m the one that’s sorry,” Keith whispers. “I really am, Lance. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how dangerous I was being.”

“Then what were you thinking about, Keith? Because when I walked in that room the only thing that I was thinking was that I was going to watch my best friend get killed right in front of me!”

Keith carefully reaches over and pries the cloth from Lance’s clenched hands, tossing it to the side. He slides his own hands in the space left behind, holding onto Lance just as tightly as he was gripping the cloth.

“Hey,” he says. “Lance. Look at me.”

It takes a few minutes, but eventually he does. Keith quirks a small, sad smile when he meets those dark brown irises, squeezing their hands together three times in quick succession.

“I’m okay. I’ll need a couple stitches, maybe an hour in the pod if you think that’s best, and then you can give me all the shit I deserve, okay? You can even tell Shiro and Allura so they can yell at me, too.”

Lance’s face crumples, and he lets out another sob. “It’s not about the fucking yelling, Keith, it’s just — I can’t lose you, Keith. I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t—”

Keith can’t watch Lance break down. He can’t watch Lance cry like this, he can’t watch the despair play through his face. The terror in his eyes when he first walked into Keith getting nearly slaughtered by the level-way-too-high training bots will already haunt him every night. So he does the only think he can think of.

He leans in quickly, careful of the pull on his skin, and presses his lips to Lance’s. He cradles his face in his hands, as gently as Lance was touching him earlier, using his thumbs to wipe the tears from Lance’s cheeks. He tilts their heads, trying to find the most comfortable angle.

Lance makes a sighing noise into his mouth. Keith doesn’t know if it’s a good sigh, not at first, but then Lance drags his hands halfway to Keith’s shoulders, mindful of his gash. His fingers flutter over Keith’s skin as his hands twitch, every time their mouths move. Keith moves one of his hands from Lance’s face to curl their fingers back together.

“You’re not forgiven just because you kissed me,” Lance mumbles between kisses.

“I know.”

“I’m still furious.”

“I know.”

“…I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Lance.”

[ao3-feedshance]

Bug Boy

by negativefouriq

“Did they really call you bug boy?” he finally asks. Lance squeezes his eyes shut, hands stilling on Mr. Snuggles’ head. Mr. Snuggles clicks his fangs at him affectionately, before carefully climbing off his lap until he settles snugly beside him.

“Yeah,” Lance whispers. He musters a smile, somehow, trying to diffuse the situation before he cracks. “I didn’t actually mind that one, though. Of all the names they gave me, bug boy was my favourite. I didn’t even know it was an insult until Hunk told me, ha. I thought it was a compliment.”

Pidge looks stricken. “They called you names?”

“A couple,” Lance says, shrugging. Shit shit shit. This is getting worse. --- --- --- OR: After Hunk tells an amusing story of another buggy Lance shenanigan, some deeper issues come to light. Apparently, being a bug lover comes at a price, and a steep one at that.

Words: 2313, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Lance is a Disney Princess

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), random unnamed cadets

Relationships: Lance & Voltron Paladins, Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance/Shiro (Voltron)

Additional Tags: the klance is barely there but idk im tagging it, Pre-Keith/Lance (Voltron), Autistic Lance (Voltron), Bullying, im sure yall can see where my projecting ass is going with this., anyways., Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Pidge | Katie Holt is a Good Friend, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Smart Keith, thats not a tag but it should be, anyway my homie is emotionally intelligent!, scorpions, idk i feel like i should tag bugs, aRtHrOpOdS yes i know okay, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Racism, Xenophobia, not from any of the paladins but iverson is a dick, Kid Lance (Voltron), Kid Hunk (Voltron), Briefly but still, i think thats all lmk if i missed smth, OH RIGHT OMG, Everybody Loves Lance (Voltron)

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854834

[ao3feed-hadestown]

Six Feet Below Corona

https://ift.tt/AlYRV1L by Usedbbandaid “Suddenly nothing is as it was, where are you now, Rapunzel? Wasn’t it going to be the two of us? Weren’t we birds of a feather?”   What would happen if a certain someone approached Varian during the blizzard? Words: 1695, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Hadestown - Mitchell Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Varian (Disney), Rapunzel (Disney), Hades (Hadestown), Persephone (Hadestown), Lance Strongbow, Cassandra (Disney: Tangled) Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Lance Strongbow & Varian, Hades/Persephone (Hadestown) Additional Tags: Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Kinda, Varian Angst (Disney), Varian Needs a Hug (Disney), Rapunzel and Varian are Siblings (Disney), Team Awesome | Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian Friendship, Emotionally Intelligent Lance Strongbow, Minor Hades/Persephone (Hadestown), surprise (not really) guests to come, Crossover, Soft Hades (Hadestown), Rewrite, Rapunzel and the gang actually own up to their mistakes via AO3 works tagged 'Hadestown - Mitchell' https://ift.tt/23mOiTu

[amitieos]

wanted plots (elincia &mercedes)

I’m open to any and all prompts honestly because this mission board is so fun! These are just my priorities :)

Elincia Lance +1: I mostly just think it’d be fun to make friendship bracelets okay. That’s it. That’s the plot.

Axe +1: What’s in the lake? It seems like a fun adventure. What’s the worst that could happen? Drowning It’s fine, feh says she can swim. She’d be more than happy to accompany a student (or faculty member!) who isn’t so confident in the water to keep the safe too.

Bow +1: This is just funny? Time for friends to have a laugh.

Flying +1: Babies! Spiky, angry babies.

Any Weapon +1: Ball gowns, mystery.... fake dating AU? Sign me up

Mercedes Lance +1: Unscripted was a lot and she just wants to take things easy and light. Mercedes is an expert at things like this too.

Reason +1: She doesn’t quite believe in fairies but surely there’s no harm in looking. If they find fairies, Mercedes is likely to not want to capture one but it would be a lovely sight!

Faith +1: Terrain Resistance go BRRRR. Mercedes is probably more likely to accompany someone to make sure they don’t get hurt rather than charge into an obstacle course of.... questionable safety.

Authority +1: We’re making dessert pizza. Fight me on this. (It’ll be fun, I promise!)

Any Weapon +1: Mercedes is very perceptive and emotionally intelligent, so she might be a good pick to investigate with. The setting is just a lot of fun too :)

[croc-odette]

lance from ‘the other two’... emotionally intelligent friend bros (gender neutral) who call you ‘dude’. it’s that easy

[lilflowerpot]

The Blue Lion’s Attribute

A commenter over on Ao3 asked after my thoughts on the Blue Lion’s key attribute and what qualities her paladin is supposed to possess, as we were never actually given a clear answer in canon, and I figured that the topic was one worth making a post about.

“As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain. The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion. The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion. The Blue Lion– [Lance interrupts] The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together. The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the Red Lion. [...] Once all the lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known, the Defender of the Universe.

- Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

As was clearly laid out for us, the Black Lion seeks a born leader, someone decisive & disciplined that others can believe in; the Green Lion seeks a daring intellectual, someone inquisitive and curious; the Yellow Lion seeks an empathetic soul, someone who is kind & caring upon whom the others can fall back on when they’re struggling; and finally, the Red Lion seeks a fierce warrior, someone not only skilled but guided by instinct.

When previously asked what I would have named the Lions if in Alfor’s position, I spoke about the wu xing—the five elements of Chinese philosophy—as it has always been quite clear to me that it is from them that the Lions’ concept takes direct inspiration. To repeat now the brief summaries I gave then:

Black (metal / 金 jīn) - intuition, rationality, mind / grief, bravery

“Righteous, faithful, brave and gallant; a sharp intellect combined with a tendency for self-discipline can make them very successful. They like structure and tend to be organized and methodical.”

Green (wood / 木 mù) - idealism, spontaneity, curiosity / anger, kindness

“Competitive, adventurous, and determined, they seek out challenges and do well under pressure, but can become driven and stressed when out of balance.”

Yellow (earth / 土 tǔ) - agreeableness, honesty / anxiety, joy

“Nurturing, grounded, practical, and known for their reliability; though compassionate and empathetic, when out of balance they can become obsessive, intrusive, and worry unnecessarily.”

Red (fire / 火 huǒ) - passion, intensity / hate, resolve

“Energetic, passionate, and dramatic, they make great leaders but have a tendency to be emotionally volatile; when in balance they create intimacy and connection easily, but when out of balance they might become destructive and suffer from insomnia.”

Blue (water / 水 shuǐ) - erudition, resourcefulness, wit / fear, gentleness

“Determined, self-sufficient, and adaptable; they achieve their aims by determining the best path through a situation, but when out of balance they can be fearful, timid and indecisive.”

So as is presumably quite evident, Allura’s descriptions of the qualities that each Lion looks for in their paladin line up near-perfectly with the wu xing, meaning I feel secure in saying that the Blue Lion seeks emotional intelligence and adaptability, someone who is not only good-humoured, but capable of navigating tricky situations with grace and diplomacy.