#have never drawn the voltron gang in my life

[witchering10123]

I don't have a digital art software yet so sketches it is!

[sheithfictioncatalogue]

The Future (Post-S8/Fix-It Fics Part 2)

For the last day of the @sheithnewyear event, we decided to do the highly-requested follow-up list to our Post-Season 8/Fix-it Fics list, as it corresponds with the theme neatly!

Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 8 Rewrite: Act 1 - Kelticmoon @kelticmoon

ongoing, 4/? chapters, 17k. (Mature) Contains: graphic depictions of violence. Background ships: Allura/Lance, Allura/Lance/Pidge, Pidge/OC

This is a complete rewrite of Season 8’s story arc I’m doing. The entire thing will be about 26 chapters long (1 chapter = 1 episode) and will be split into two seasons instead of the one to give it better pacing. It will have some elements from the current Season 8 with more chapters to make it not feel so rushed. The plan is to post the chapters once a week (life permitting) so my son isn't being raised by a tablet).

Over Spilled Milk - Glossolalia @fenri

ongoing, 2/? chapters, 10k. (Mature) Contains: nsfw content, xenophilia, species dysphoria, mpreg, character death. Background ships: Allura/Lance, Keith/OC

Saving the universe and all its alternate realities should warrant a karmic vacation, but if your name is Keith, catching a break has the same statistical odds as winning the lottery.

Now thirty-years-old and the father of an infant son, Keith is newly widowed and holding it together by a thin thread. In an attempt to prevent Keith from losing his everloving mind, Krolia and the retired Voltron Paladins stage an intervention on Altea. As it turns out, Keith isn't the only one in need of a helping hand.

Vein of Stars - FluffySheith @fluffysheith

ongoing, 2/? chapters, 6k. (Mature) Background ships: Allura/Lance

It's been five years since Allura made the ultimate sacrifice so they could all live in peace. Those five years have taken their toll as the former paladins have drifted apart. Once a year they still come together, but this year is different. This year Lance has been having strange dreams of Allura and the Lions, and this year he intends to rally the old gang back together. A deep space expedition is a vast commitment and an even greater undertaking, but they would do anything to find their princess again.

The IGF Atlas and her crew are about to boldly go where they've never been before in search of their long lost princess who sacrificed everything to save them all.

This is the story about how they challenged the laws of the universe at any cost to make things right.

The Way That The Story Ends - thecryoftheseagulls @thecryoftheseagulls

ongoing, 1/? chapters, 1k. (Mature) 

A single Shiro clone survives the destruction of the cloning facility.

Years later, Keith is on a routine Blade of Marmora aid mission to a backwater planet just outside the remains of the old Galra empire. He’s never been to this system before. So why does his host’s favorite pilot -- a tall, masked humanoid simply called Quiet -- seem so familiar?

slow collisions (asteroids) - copperwings @worldofcopperwings

7k. (Teen) Background ships: Krolia/Kolivan, Hunk/Romelle, Allura/Lance

It’s not that he hates weddings or wedding attire. It’s just that they remind him of a certain other wedding that happened four years, two months and thirteen days ago, counting by old Earth years.

Not that he’s kept count.

- or; the fic in which Keith comes back years later for Hunk and Romelle's wedding and everything sorts itself out.

happiness is contagious - katebishoop

1k. (Teen) Background ships: Allura/Lance

Keith doesn't go back to his assigned room.

His assigned room would remain empty.

--- Or, Shiro and Keith have seen each other more often than their friends knew.

All Coming Back to Me Now - CoffeeFairy

5k. (General)

Five years after the end of the war Shiro is getting ready to marry someone who's definitely not second best.

Or, the story of Keith and Shiro's misunderstandings and the consequences of poor communication. Spoiler: Shiro doesn't marry Curtis.

shards - iokayia

2k. (Mature)

Keith realizes he has to do something about the madding silence between him and Shiro before it's too late.

Surrounded by darkness, Keith recognizes the emptiness at its full extent for the first time. It’s a piercing pain, shaking his whole body. His fingers clench around the sill when his knees start shaking. He pushes it away like everything else emotionally draining. He knows it’s wrong, it’s the dumbest thing someone could possibly do. Yet, pushing it away is easier than accepting it, even if it hurts in the end.

Shiro is everything Keith desires and wants, he wants to hear his laugh every day, to feel the comforting weight of his hand on his shoulder, to call him not Shiro but Takashi. Keith wants it all and more. He wants to call him his, his alone. The radiant glimmer in his eyes, the soft tone of his voice, the expressive faces he makes, everything.

i could’ve missed it, i never knew - tootsonnewts @tootsonnewts

2k. (General)

A sob tears itself from his throat when Shiro picks up the rough slip of paper laid gingerly inside. The familiar scrawl hits him like a punch to the teeth, all compact, efficient block print.

‘you can always call. -k’

Shiro sinks to his knees and cries like he hasn't in years.

He doesn't call.

a future.

Blossom and Beautiful - AxisMage

2k. (General)

“If you had told me before...” he´d said.

“I did, but you would never listen when I did. By the time you decided to pay my words any mind and decided that you... that you...”

“I love you.”

Keith had winced, closed his eyes in obvious pain. “Shut up.”

(Keith and Shiro had a small talk before the wedding. It set things in perspective)

Like a River Flows - zjofierose @zjofierose

2k. (Teen)

sometimes the things we fear the most are just a dream. and some things are meant to be.

The Price of Wishes Granted - Larathia

ongoing, 9/? chapters, 36k. (Teen)

Keith couldn't bear a universe that didn't have Shiro in it. What he got was a universe that had a Shiro that no longer loved him. And maybe if it had been anyone but Keith, that would have mattered.

Keith, however, had made a promise. "As many times as it takes," he'd said.

If he could make that promise reach beyond the bounds of death, a little thing like Shiro marrying someone else wasn't going to stand a chance.

The End is the Beginning - magisterpavus @saltyshiro

35k. (Explicit) Contains: nsfw content, drinking

The Universe is saved, and its Paladins are gone.

But between the tangled strands of reality, two whispers rise and fall, and one says, I love you, and the other says, as many times as it takes, and this time, he means it.

(tldr; true love always finds a way back.)

Reconciliation - Misttiique @misttiique

4k. (General)

“Hey, I really appreciate you being here, even after everything,” Shiro says from behind him.

Keith turns around slowly. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Nothing had split his heart into two, like his increasing distance from Shiro.

“Thank you too, for everything. And being so supportive of this wedding,” Shiro continues. Keith can hear him take a step closer to him and holds his hand up, giving a signal to stop, as if they were on a mission.

“And also, for always being— ”

“Shiro, you should be getting back to your wedding party,” Keith cuts him off. His heart is breaking and the alcohol is making his emotions more volatile than they are.

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy. You should go back to your husband,” Keith advises, his voice is ice cold. He’s trying his best to believe exactly what he’s saying.

“Okay,” Shiro replies. He doesn’t push Keith. He knows when to draw the line because even when more lines are drawn, there’s always space to draw more. It’s something he’s learnt over the last year. He hesitates, as he always does, but takes a step backwards.

the voice from the stars - foxglovebrew, prouvairing @foxglovebrew

12k. (Mature) Contains: nsfw content

A year after war ends, Keith and Shiro take to the stars.

He swipes at the screen to open the notification, in case it’s something urgent. Iverson doesn’t even look up at that, used to it.

He sees what it is. He freezes.

A ping from a spacecraft—a Galra spacecraft. A new model named Viper 235, the call sign an unmistakable Black Paladin 2.

It’s followed by a message from Black Paladin 2 to his personal inbox.

HEY, OLD TIMER.

Space Explorers - CruelisnotMason @cruelisblue

ongoing, 4/5 chapters, 24k. (Explicit) Contains: nsfw content

Shiro points at a star and says "Next time bring me there."

___________________ After the war, the Paladins scatter in every direction and even Shiro and Keith become more distant. Additionally, spending his days working at the Garrison won't fulfill the man who always wanted to go out and explore space - only to be held back by the fear of having no future. Since his former disease is not an issue anymore, he grabs his best friend and goes back to space, trying to learn about foreign planets and cultures together.

Mistakes, We’ve Made A Few - Genesister (papirini)

ongoing, 8/? chapters, 40k. (Teen)

It wasn’t that Keith wasn’t upset, or angry, or frustrated, because he was. No - it was knowing Shiro was making a mistake, a big mistake, and he couldn’t say a thing. Wouldn’t.

Patience yields focus. That was what Shiro taught him, and after he had smashed his head for the fourth time into the wall of his bedroom, it hit him. An epiphany, not the wall. That was when he knew.

He couldn’t stop Shiro. Shiro was going to marry Curtis. Shiro wanted to marry Curtis. And--Shiro needed to marry Curtis. And Keith...Keith was going to let him do it. Just this once, he was not going to pull Shiro back from the precipice he stood on.

It was the only way to truly help Shiro move on, to finally, finally, do what needed to be done.

A story after the epilogue, about the mornings after, questioning Lance's sanity, and of course, happily ever afters after that not-so-happily ever after.

To the End of the Universe (and beyond) - Lys Ap Adin @lysapadin

9k. (General)

Everything is messed up for Team Voltron, but fortunately, the Lions have a plan to fix it all.

Here's a thing Lance would never have believed if he hadn't seen it happen with his own two eyes: after they come back from the nexus of all realities, team Voltron falls apart.

-Alex

[klimpaloon-loves-superwholock]

I know this is a bit late, and I don’t usually make original posts, but I want to gather my thoughts on VLD s7, even though I literally never participate in fandom discourse lol. So I guess we’ll see how this goes. 

There were great parts of this season. Let’s start with that. 

First of all, Hunk was incredible and I’m so glad he finally got an arc where he could shine, even if I feel like it was long overdue. Seriously, I feel like Hunk was the best part of this season and I cannot state enough how much effect he had on my overall impression of the season. He basically carried the season singlehandedly and I don’t understand why searching through the tag rn I can hardly find any appreciation for him this season. (yeah jk I know why ha)

Everything they did with the Paladins’ families (from Hunk’s arc about rescuing his parents to Lance reuniting with his family and his relationship with Veronica to freaking Colleen!!!! just straight up stealing the show for two episodes!!! What an icon I love her so much!) was absolutely perfect. (I will say I’ve seen speculation that Hunk’s sister and her kids died since they weren’t there in his hospital room, which I desperately hope is not the case since that really should have been mentioned.) 

I also loved seeing Shiro take charge and become Captain of the Atlas without even seeming to realize that he was the man for the job. 

Sendak was a formidable and interesting villain who raised the stakes, which made it more satisfying when they defeated him. 

I enjoyed getting to know Romelle more and see her in action.

Coran and the mice’s team up to break out the rest of the gang was very good and funny.

KOSMO!!!!!!! A GOOD PUPPY!!!!!! HE HAS A NAME!! I LOVE HIM SO!!!

I enjoyed seeing Lotor’s ex-generals again (because I love them), although I do have some issues which I’ll get to later.

The new characters they introduced, mainly Rizavi, Leifsdottir, Kinkade, Veronica, and Griffin were all great and I loved them! They did a great job of making me care about these new people. (And Kinkade is drawn so pretty what the heck y’all sleepin on this beautiful dude)

Seriously Colleen was so great I cannot stress this enough. I’ve been feeling for this poor woman who thought that she’d lost her whole family since season 1 so I’m so glad to finally see her in action, fighting for her family and her planet.

They did a good job of setting up Admiral Sanda’s inevitable betrayal, even if it was a really stupid thing for her to do.

Ep 5 was great; I was super excited to see what the Druids looked like under their masks, Macidus and Keith’s teleporting fight was awesome, and it’s always great to see Allura’s magic develop more, even when I wish it wasn’t so unclear how/what she’s doing.

Lots of the fights were so cool, from the Voltron team taking down the Galra drones in the cave system in Ep 2 to all the MFE fights to Shiro’s rematch against Sendak to even Voltron’s fight against the Robeast. These fights, I’ve noticed, are always especially cool when they unlock a new ability like Hunk’s turrets and Voltron’s double swords. Also I forgot how strong Alteans are until Romelle just straight up ripped apart a drone.

As much as I overall didn’t like The Feud as an episode, it did have some great moments with Pidge taking down Bob, Allura and Hunk being cute in the background, and the team being overall really supportive and loving of each other. 

Shay came to visit Hunk!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, I also have a lot of problems with this season. Ones that, for me, are too serious to ignore. But let’s start with my more minor grievances, then work our way up to the big ones, shall we?

I don’t like Shiro’s new arm. It reminds me too much of Sendak’s and is too bulky/strange looking for for my taste. And for some reason my eyes have a hard time finding it? Like they’re drawn to the light emanating from his shoulder and not the forearm/hand. Idk, but I’m not a fan.

I wish Griffin had apologized to Keith for being such a jerk about his parents. I kept waiting for it since they had all these long glances with each other. I came to like him despite the bad initial impression only because he proved to be a good leader who valued every member of his team and knew when to step aside because someone else was better at a job. But I still kinda needed resolution for his rudeness, especially since he’s obviously grown since then and should want to make amends. 

Admiral Sanda’s just so freaking stupid????? Like, how did she get that high in ranking when she consistently makes such bad decisions???? Clearly the dictator who’s controlling earth who comes from a war-mongering culture that enslaves and destroys planets isn’t just gonna let y’all go once he gets Voltron. He’s either gonna continue using you as slaves because nothing’s stopping him or destroy you because you’re no longer useful. Listen to people who know the Galra better than you!!

I saw somewhere that Matt has a girlfriend now???? When did this happen????

They somehow got the ENTIRE BALMERA to Earth?!!!????!!?!?!?!? How did they build a teleduv big enough to do that!?!

Also, where did they get a teleduv? Did the Atlas have one? Or was that something that they built during the epilogue montage??

How did Keith summon his bayard telepathically?? Was that a Galra thing or a new Paladin ability?

How did Shiro manage to survive falling from space to earth on the outside of a ship while fighting Sendak?? I mean I’m really glad he lived, but??? How??

I don’t think we needed so much time dedicated to Sam Holt updating the Garrison and then the rest of earth on what happened in space. I kinda appreciated it since it’s been a long time since I watched the early seasons, but at the same time he didn’t tell them anything that was new information to us as viewers. The only things we gained from those scenes were how others reacted to this info. (And we still didn’t get to see the reaction of the person I was most interested in, Adam, but I’ll get to that later.)

This is a problem I’ve been having with the show since like season 3 or so, but how much time has passed? They actually explicitly said it at a couple of points this season, what with 3 years having gone by for most people but only a few weeks for the Voltron team, but why did that time difference happen? Also, how much time passed between the team leaving Earth and them fighting Lotor in last season’s finale? Because I could believe any time frame between 6 months to a few years for that, which makes a big difference in how old the paladins are. According to the show, Sam landed on earth 4 years before the team gets back to the Milky Way, so I guess Sam left the team a year before they faught Lotor??

I didn’t get the thing with Allura’s crown gem? Since when is that a power source? And I was really struck by the imagery of her literally throwing her crown away to help her friend, but I feel like it would’ve been more powerful if we had been given some information about what exactly that gem is and what it means for her. Just make this more clear for me. Also, Shiro has already lashed out and hurt people against his will, so I really didn’t need that angsty moment for him.

The B-plot in Ep 1 was tonally dissonant from the A-plot of Shiro’s flashbacks, and it ended up being totally useless anyway. As much as I enjoyed Romelle and Hunk’s banter in those parts, they would’ve been better placed somewhere else. They should’ve just dedicated the whole episode to Shiro’s flashbacks and given us more information about him.

If they were going to mention that Shiro had a progressive disease in his flashbacks, then they need to explicitly mention in the show that he doesn’t have it anymore. As it is, people who don’t know about the SDCC announcements are just gonna assume he still has it. If it doesn’t happen in the show, it’s not canon. Also, if he’s had this disease the whole time, then why is s7 the first time it’s mentioned? The way he held his arm in the flashback reminded me of the way he held it when his Galra arm activated for the first time. Did the arm help fight the progression of the disease like that lil wristband did? If so, that should’ve been explained and made clear a long time ago. It just bothers me that this is the first time we’re hearing about this major part of Shiro’s life that he’s been fighting with, and that in show we’re given absolutely no resolution for it.

I guess the gem powering Shiro’s arm and the Castleship diamond powering the Atlas connected somehow?? Which is how Shiro turned it into a giant robot?     ??????????????? I’m genuinely very confused on what was going on there. It needed to be made more clear. I was on board for whatever they were doing at first just because Shiro looked so pretty in that lighting, but they took it in the weirdest direction possible. Why would anyone care about Voltron anymore when you’ve got a bigger, stronger robot now? Voltron’s no longer the most powerful weapon in the universe - the Atlas is. And it only became such by coincidence. Which is just. Irritating.

The Feud episode. Oh boy. First of all, I got some serious emotional whiplash from the change to this episode. It just didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the season at all. Second, they just really did not have to spend that much time making fun of Lance for being stupid. Especially when he’s not. Also, the first two of the people he had to identify had masks on, and Lance had only met them briefly. ALSO you’re telling me that Lance, the most social and outgoing of the Voltron team, is the one who’s bad with names/faces????? ALSO spending less time teasing Lance would’ve opened up more time for giving Hunk and Allura their own activities. ALSO everyone else on the team gets a little speech about how they’re valuable, but Lance just gets “I don’t want to be stuck with him forever”?????? That’s so freaking messed up. Third, the whole premise of the episode was strange to me. Like why would an all powerful being who tests heroes do it in this way? It seems to me that that premise fits Ep 6, where they were stranded in space, much better. They were genuinely tested then, and the forces that attacked them and propelled them through lightyears of space were never explained, so saying that Bob did it and propelled them towards their goal as a reward for passing the test could’ve been a satisfying answer to those questions. And fourth, can I also ask why Morvok was the fourth player?? Like he’s a nonentity in terms of villains. And they still didn’t have the same number of players as team Voltron. Haggar’s still alive, so they could’ve put Sendak on there too. And for the fifth player they could’ve put on a fan favorite villain character. One who showed up in more episodes than Morvok did. One who died a while back and who the fans have wanted to see again ever since. Like, I don’t know, NARTI!! Ugh.

The Robeast. I just. This season could’ve ended on a pretty high note if they had just cut that out and just went straight to the lil epilogue after defeating Sendak. As cool as that fight was at parts, it caused a pretty low finale, which is pretty disappointing after last season’s incredible finale. I get that they needed to foreshadow Haggar’s return to this fight or whatever they’re doing for next season and that she’s been working on the lost Alteans, apparently, but it was just a strange note to end on. Especially with the weird addition of Atlas to the Giant Robot Squad. And Allura’s line “Seriously? We just defeated Sendak and now we gotta deal with this?!?!” (I’m paraphrasing) was a MOOD.

Okay, so this post has gotten kinda out of control, so I’m gonna have to save the biggest issue I had (betcha can guess what it is) for another post. So. Look out for Part 2 of this nonsense. Feel free to reblog with your own ideas/input!

[camachameleon]

Cam’s Voltron Fic Rec 3/∞

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

    **Recoil/Release by Cheshyr

Word count:  22,387 (13/13)

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

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

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

    **Synergy by Kokochan & Spanch

Word count:  74,064 (10/10) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

  The Kids Are Alright by pugglemuggle

Word count:  10,430 (3/3)

Summary:   Three Garrison Cadets Missing After Freak Satellite Crash

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

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

—

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

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

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

  **Patty Cake by Froldgapp

Word count:  7,829 (6/6)

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

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

  The Message by Shipstiel

Word count:  132,787 (45/45)

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

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

— 

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

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

  **The Quiet by MilkTeaMiku

Word count:  66,700 (32/32)

Summary:  Does he not realize he’s dead?

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

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

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

  Finding Home by spacegaykogane

Word count:  26,966 (6/6)

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

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

  Cuddle Puddle by nothingwrongwiththerain

Word count:  46,782 (6/6)

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

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

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

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

  At the Beginning by Sakuraiai

Word count:  64,203 (12/12)

Summary:  Inspired by Anastasia

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

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

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

  out of orbit by rbillustration

Word count:  78,135 (19/19)

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

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

A good song rec for this one is Darkside.

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

[srseattlestreetnews]

Seattle Street News 45, A Fire Bug’s End

City News:

Burned Out—(by Demmalition1)

The club was hot, bright, and loud. Streams of neon colors and flashing strobes pierced the black veil of darkness, only to subdue in the sublime and eerie glow of the fluorescent paint illuminated under the blacklight over my table. Had a drink of neat whisky backed by a few toppers of unascertainable origin, good stuff. The crowd inside The Downward Spiral was under the thrall of ‘the mixer’, a person whose entire consciousness was jacked into the club’s entertainment system. He controlled the lights, music, and even the temperature of the room on a whim, an improvisation like no other. Not even he knew what sound he would play next, he was entirely in the moment. To say that this was a crowd of peculiar tastes would be a vast understatement, as illicit materials and services changed hands every second of every hour. The perfect place to dig up some dirt and meet a few contacts.

While waiting for my contact I saw an old friend known as DutchTeddy tearing up the dancefloor. Dressed in the most gaudy dance suit possible, he would seem to be set to ‘burn down the house’ in a fury of fur. However, the dancing orange bear was not what caught my eye as an old flame, Molotov, walked into the room and ordered two whole bottles of whisky. I would later be told by the bartender that he ordered them “for a good friend”. He stumbled around throughout the crowd spilling some of the alcohol along the way, finally shattering both near the entrance. I alerted Knight Errant immediately, this would not be a good night for anyone.

Getting up from my vibrant table in the corner I made my way to the back room to warn the manager of a potential security breach. As I made my way towards the back and opened the door to the office another door that lead out to the alley slammed open. Molotov stepped through in full costume with a crimson bloodsoaked ax in hand. Reacting immediately as my training taught me to I tossed a smoke grenade into the room and booked it to the set of stairs nearby to the upper floor. Readying my self-defense pistol I saw him exit the back room, smoke billowing forth like a demon come straight out of the bowels of Hell itself. He lit his flamethrower and set the club on fire in a flash of rage.

The flames, hastened by the accelerant laid down before as well as a copious lathering of neon paint and flammable clothing spread quickly through the crowd, engulfing many almost instantly. The crowd screamed as the flames flowed over them like water in a river. The smell of burnt flesh and the sound of sizzling sinew still haunt me as I write this, dear reader. He spotted me up top and chucked an incendiary grenade in my direction, prompting me to loose off a few rounds of Stick-n-Shock and dart towards the upper floor manager’s office. Luckily, the door was ajar and I slammed the screams of the damned behind me. I moved toward and through a nearby window in one smooth motion, landing on the connecting rooftop and checked that my recording gear was still running. Molotov burst through the door, chucking of a few more grenades behind him, providing me an ample opening to pop him twice more, knocking him on his ass. This was swiftly followed up by a flashbang and a quick descent down the ladder to the alleyway below.

The night air was crisp and my man DutchTeddy was the only soul out back here, panting and singed from the flames. He touched something in his suit and not a minute later a loud roar was heard in the sky. Another dragon?  No, it was something else entirely, “Black Saeder-Krupp Combot Bot Voltron!” he announced triumphantly in his thick Dutch accent. Absconding into the semi-translucent and gaping maw of the beast he engaged a cloaking mechanism. To be clear, this is something that was NOT supposed to see the light of day!  I made my way across and down the street as his Saeder-Krupp built and branded behemoth of destruction began to malfunction almost immediately after engagement. It shot several hundred live rounds of Vindicator-fed ammunition into the surrounding buildings and smashed into a wall to the club, resulting in the death of six people found huddled together away from the flames beneath the rubble during the cleanup. It then engaged a flamethrower, scorching the building even further.

Knight Errant police show up at this time and surround the murderous piece of corp hardware, exiting their vehicles and drawing their weapons as their training had taught them. An explosion goes off next to the bot from Molotov having lobbed a grenade at it, engaging the emergency escape protocol. The machine then leapt into the air and engaged its afterburner jet engines, scorching Sgt. Gregory Snow with severe third-degree burns across 88% of his body, he would die an hour later at the Blessed Mercy hospital. Once the dust cleared a pack of previously unseen Hellhound bikers were in the alley shooting at the roof and Molotov, who began to scramble for cover. The forces of Knight Errant, still shook up by dealing with a rampaging corp mech, began to pursue the bikers with reckless abandon. Most returned to their squad cars while calling in for backup, going around the still smoldering building and avoiding the other emergency services that had arrived to combat the flames and help the injured.

What they didn’t notice at first was Molotov, who tried to slink away down the roof, away from the crowds, bikers, and police. Molotov was severely injured by the shots from both I and his former comrades of the Hellhound biker gang. I pursued, tucking my pistol away for now as I ran around the far end away from the crowds. What I saw next would go on to be replayed over a million times in the first hour alone. Officers Pusateri and Clemens of the Knight Errant forces had surrounded Molotov, weapons drawn and telling him to get down. Molotov, the mad dog of the inferno, started to raise his flamethrower at them, only to be dropped by Stick-n-Shock ammo. He was then stripped, cuffed, and hauled away. What remained of the crowd from earlier cheered them on, but there was a melancholy pallor about them as the thoughts of the dead came haunting back. A harsh glow of dozens of souls trapped in the building bathed the battered crowd in a red glow. The hollow exuberance of earlier had been replaced with the somber sorrow of those lost. The smell of burnt flesh is still with me.

The next few days would tell all as the rubble was sifted through to retrieve the charred corpses. 53 people had died in the club from the flames, another 12 trampled by the crowds attempting to get out, six were crushed by the rubble from the Saeder-Krupp bot, one officer was scorched by the Saeder-Krupp bot, one waiter was killed by Molotov’s ax. Another four innocent bystanders, 2 Knight Errant officers, and 2 Hellhound would lose their lives in the chase away from the club. This would bring us to a total of 81 dead and another 88 injured or severely injured in one night. Property damage to surrounding buildings is estimated to be in the low millions due to both the fire and the Saeder-Krupp bot malfunctioning. Molotov will face a rather severe sentencing, with life in prison a near guarantee.

I’m so sorry Maki Adsida, I’m sorry a man you loved chose to tarnish his name in your memory. In the process he took over 100 lives with him over the course of several months. He will know nothing but anguish and pain, and not your loving grace. I’m sorry.

Personally, I hope he burns in Hell.

 In a Telling Moment, Blast From the Past Matrix Dance Crowns a New Winner

A few weeks ago, the Matrix haunt Blast from the Past held its annual Matrix dance competition again. It was a very different than the ones underground Seattle’d seen before. Blast from the Past used to be one of those Matrix places, you know the sort, frequented by the three S’s, those in the shadows, the SINless, and slumming SINners. It was a place with old arcade games and lots of neon. Someone even programmed a funny smell in the bathrooms. It was a quirky sort of place, but it was comfortable for people who often wouldn’t find other places all that comfortable. Every year they would hold a Matrix dance competition. It was always a glorious sort of thing. Last year, the winner was Ma1nfram3, and this year she was back to defend her crown. But Blast from the Past was not the same.

Between last year and this year, our underground hangout has been acquired by MegaCorp NeoNET. The now corp-owned Blast from the Past still has a funky smell in the bathroom, but it is a focus group tested funky smell that you can buy as a cologne. Blast has always been a bit hodge podge in its Matrix visual design, as if it had been coded and recoded by different hacker-owners over time. It had a design that couldn’t be planned, it was a beautiful chaos. But it has been remodeled. Experts in design crafted the perfect Bohemian underground hacker club look. It is the sort of look that just screams gentrification. But everyone came to check out the scene anyway.

The crowd was bigger than it ever had been before, and they were a paying crowd with corp sins and they were in all their expensive 5th World 80s designer clothes. The now NeoNET owned Blast from the Past will certainly be a cash cow for them. But it probably won’t be a shadow hang out anymore. And the moment when it became clear it wasn’t our club anymore was when the winner was crowned.

There were about 20 contestants this year, up from the 12 number of contestants last year. Smelly Petra, who has competed every year for the last ten years, wasn’t there this year. She never wins, and it is doubtful she ever would, but she was a regular and her presence was definitely missed. As a matter of fact, most of the regulars weren’t competing—replaced by a new crop of SINers who were slick, but with no substance. I’m sure NeoNET knew that their revamped competition would never have legitimacy if there were none of the greats from the pre-NeoNET days so they made sure to have some of our favorite there. Last year’s champ Ma1nFram3 was there, as were Annie Linux and The Terminator. The rest of the twenty were all new people. Though they did bring back MC HoverBored to host the proceedings as they have done every year.

The competition was fierce. Highlights were Annie Linux’s dance to “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (there were cows involved), The Terminator’s amazing Robot routine to “Intimacy” (great articulation), the group 1814’s massive group routine to “Rhythm Nation,” and W(3)IR(e)D Albano’s mashup dance to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Like a Surgeon.” Of course the top 2 routines were Ma1nFram3’s “Opposites Attract” and BeyonZ’s “Careless Whisper.” BeyonZ had a technically excellent routine, but it seemed all pre-programmed with almost no improvisation. It was like the new Blast From the Past: slick, but lacking the rough edges that makes it feel living and breathing. There is a moment when perfection becomes a liability. Ma1nFram3 knew exactly how to play to the crowd. She improvised moments and was the most authentic to 5th World presentation out of everyone. When it was all over, lots of the old crowd were cheering for Ma1nfram3 and Annie Linux, while the new crowd were cheering for BeyonZ—who, sources tell me (surprise, surprise) is either a member of NeoNET or sponsored by NeoNET.

It should come to no one’s surprise that the winner of NeoNET sponsored Blast From the Past was NeoNET sponsored BeyonZ. The highest ranking dancer from the old crowd was Ma1nfram3, who only placed 6th. Perhaps sensing that the old crowd wasn’t pleased, Ma1nfram3 was given a special award, the “Space-time continuum rift” award for historical authenticity, it was less than she deserved. It seemed clear to this reporter that the award was an attempt to pacify the older crowd over the injustice of losing one of our home away from homes. Perhaps Ma1nfram3 will compete again next year, perhaps Smelly Petra will be back…a bit drunk and doing interpretive dance to something from slightly the wrong decade. Maybe we’ll see Cloud 9 in the arcade section again trying to beat Peter Winther’s high score on Galaga.

But I wouldn’t count on it.

 Features:

Once More 5--(by Breach)

The Crash had wide-ranging repercussions. Once mighty governments toppled, and more and more separatist groups arose, seeking to found their own nations. At the end of 2030, the United States and Canada form a treaty to merge as the United Canadian-American States, while the post-Crash dissolution of the European Union erupts into full-fledged war in 2031. While the Euro Wars don’t build into a full-fledged World War III, it’s largely because the rest of the world is too busy with its own problems to get wrapped up in Europe’s this time; life wasn’t exactly peaceful for the rest of us either.

The fledgling UCAS has its own internal problems, as the Southern states, long-dissatisfied with the political realities of their union, walk out of the proceedings unifying the two nations. Two years later, in 2034, the Confederated American States would formally secede from the UCAS - this time without war.

2034 saw the rise of other nations as well; Awakened forces, led by the Great Dragons Hualpa and Sirrug, would seize Brasilia, leading to the foundation of the jungle-nation of Amazonia. At the end of the year, Ireland would declare itself an elven homeland, forming the kingdom of Tir na Nog. Soon after, in early 2035, Tir Tairngire was born, following a short but decisive war with the Salish-Sidhe Council. 2036 would see the birth of the California Free State, as the UCAS reacts to the state’s demands for increased investment by kicking it out of the union. The Seattle Metroplex remains UCAS’s sole west coast holding.

Much of the world as we know it now was born in the wake of the Crash; not only nations, but corporations as well. Soon after the Crash, the Corporate Court would successfully takeover Global Financial Services, seizing the corporations’ major debtor; it would then move GFS to its orbital habitat (one of the few to survive the Crash), bringing us the Zurich-Orbital Gemeinschaft Bank we all “know and love” watching over us today.

This time also brought the rise to many of the Corporations we still have today. The collapse of Keruba International following the death of its CEO in a Crash-related plane accident would allow the rise of Renraku to the seat of the Corporate Court, and the fallout of the Crash would also give rise to Richard Villiers - CEO of a series of erstwhile corporations currently collected as NeoNET - and Damien Knight, long-time autocrat of Ares Macrotechnologies. Lofwyr also seizes control of BMW in a merger that creates Saeder-Krupp during this period.

With Shiawase, Mitsuhama, and Aztechnology (once ORO) already seated on the Corporate Court, we now begin to see the Court as it exists today. These seven corporations are those that hold the “golden tickets” (SK through BMW, NeoNET through Villiers’ ownership of JRJ International, and Renraku through ownership of Keruba) - the founding corporations of the Court, and thus those guaranteed seats. The Court has seen little change from this core, with only a few additions coming to the scene over the next several decades.

Questions about history? Ask Breach! breach.ssn@gmail.com

 Corp News:

Reflections on the Agriculture Market

The article is one of a series looking at the current state of individual corporate subsidiaries in the Seattle Metroplex. This particular issue focuses on the Metroplex Agricultural Services.

The Agricultural Services market is one of the smallest markets of the Metroplex, right above military hardware with a value of 75.2¥B. Everybody in the Metroplex needs to eat, but there are only three megacorporations who have a major presence in Agricultural Services: Shiawase (42.2%), Saeder-Krupp (33%), and Aztechnology (24.8%). Agriculture, despite (or perhaps because of) its crucial role in the feeding of the people of Seattle, as well as being an engine that can accelerate growth for all other markets, has never been a contested market. It is quiet, stable, and provides us with food. Corporate Wars seem to leave this market alone.

SSN reached out to Shiawase, Saeder-Krupp, and Aztechnology for comment on their view of the market. Contacts within Shiawase gave a very brief comment, “Aboritech, a subsidiary of Shiawase Envirotech are the quiet leaders in the agricultural sector. We pride our selves not on being the flashy brand or the fast food of Seattle, we provide the food you eat every day from basic Soy products to super luxury goods.” Aztechnology never responded to our requests for comment.

SSN was able to get another installment of insight and analysis from one of Seattle’s premier financial analysts, Saeder-Krupp executive Vorack. Gentle readers will be asked to remember that Vorack is a brilliant analyst but also a member of Saeder-Krupp, and that offers special insight, but also a bit of a SK slant:

Vorack: Time for agriculture, and sadly if you are looking for some exciting stuff, I think I'm gonna disappoint both you and the readers about this one. Only three corps have ever been interested in feeding the people of Seattle, it seems like the other Corporations will let us do all the work or let the masses starve. The unsung heroes of this subsidiary are Aztechnology, Saeder-Krupp and Shiawase, so while other corps may tell you that they care about you, its only these three that actually care enough to make sure you get something on your plate. I can’t undersell how important Agriculture is to everyone and I don't think I really need to explain it to you. We need food, and these three pillars provide it. Each does it in their own way, Aztec knows how to get you more for less and if you go somewhere for a quick bite to eat, it’s probably them who are providing it. SK knows what the people like and we make sure you get it, be it the hugely successful BeccaWurst (Still the highest grossing product ever released aside from a single product from Horizon) our Florenten Draco Hops used in our most popular Ol' Chummers Pale Ale or all the delicious creations being made and personally handed out by our delightful PeanutButterBabe and a mix of everything in between that you might desire.

Shia on the other hand took an interesting choice but it’s working for them as they are currently leading in the segment and that's just selling you whatever is left and have you pay whatever they choose. You could buy a meal that costs a grand total of 20 Nuyen or a luxury feast that will cost you 10K, they might tell you they are the only corp that can get you real coffee or real chocolate as well. (I personally know PBB only uses the highest ingredients and wouldn't never use fillers in her cookies so don't worry, it’s real chocolate for everyone). That's sadly really all that I can report on Agriculture at this point, the three corps have never been attacked and I think in total only seven new products have ever really been researched or developed (four of which are from SK).

No matter where you get your food, from Shia, Aztech, SK, or from those back alley food stalls in the Barrens, it is one of the things we really need. Let us hope that the peaceful nature of Agriculture remains peaceful.

 Gang News

Gangland Engagement?

Belial announced that Enzo Gianelli and Ancient Street Sam JuL33T are set to be married. None of my sources have heard any confirmation from JuL33T about this however.

 Runner News

One of our favorite runners, the Russian we like to call “Legs” was seen at the club TechNoir cutting a rug…or maybe just cutting up a guy in a bad toupee.

 Seattle Street News is an independent activist news source released weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays

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