#keith didn't mean to but now it's permanent

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

The New Knife Game (Klance)

"There is an old tradition, a game we all can play You start by getting liquored up and sharpening your blade You take a shot of whiskey, you grab your knife and pray And spread apart your fingers, and this is what you say"

Keith turns around on a corner, half listening to Lance’s voice in the distance.

"'Oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop, chop, chop If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, the blood will soon come out But all the same, I play this game 'cause that's what it's all about'"

A rather creepy song, if you asked Keith. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard it somewhere before.

"No, you can't use a pencil, you cannot use a pen The only way is with a knife when danger is your friend And some may call it stupid, some may call it dumb But all the same, we play this game because it's so damn fun"

What even was that incessant tactactac sound?

"Oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop, chop, chop If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, the blood will soon come out But all the same, I play this game 'cause that's what it's all about"

There was Lance, in the sort-of-living-room they used at the Castle. He was doing something in the common table, but Keith couldn't see very well what it was...

"Oh, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, I'm picking up the speed And if I hit my fingers, then my hand will start to bleed"

Was that a fUCking knIFe?!

—

Keith screamed his lungs out, and now Lance has a scar all around the base of his ring finger.

[thats-alittle-gay]

"Taylor Swift only writes about her Ex's!!"

Here is a long list of songs not about an ex or current boyfriend. If I missed any of you would like to add to the list, please let me know. I did this off the top of my head so there's a good chance I missed some.

1. Lucky You (unreleased track) First song she ever wrote. It's about a girl named Lucky

2. Who I've Always Been (unreleased track) About calling out someone who buys their way into fame vs putting in the work for it

3. Permanent Marker (unreleased track) Rumoured to be about her brother's ex

4. A Place In This World is about her finding where she belongs in the world

5. The Outside is about being lonely

6. Tied Together With a Smile was written for a friend with an eating disorder

7. Stay Beautiful was about a boy she never dated so it counts for this list.

8. Mary's Song was written for her neighbor

9. I'm Only Me When I'm With You, despite the "small town boy and girl" line, was actually written for Abigail.

10. Christmas Must Be Something More is about Jesus

11. Fearless is about her, at the time, ideal first date. Not about a real date she's been on.

12. Fifteen is about high school and kinda the typical teenage girl experience. Also for Abigail.

13. Hey Stephen is about a guy she never dated.

14. Breathe is about losing a friend

15. The Way I Loved You has been debated but is rumored to be a fictional story about someone dating a guy who is perfect but missing the old relationship.

16. The Best Day is about her mom

17. Change is about how things will change and get better.

18. Untouchable isn't her song she just reworked some parts to make it her style. Luna Halo gave her a writing credit.

19. We Were Happy is also rumoured to be fictional and about being the one to ruin the relationship because she fell out of love.

20. Speak Now was written about a friend who found out their ex was getting married.

21. Mean was about a critic who said she couldn't sing and didn't write her songs

22. Never Grow Up about not wanting to grow up and for a friend's baby

23. Enchanted is about Adam from Owl City who she never dated.

24. Innocent is about Kayne and the 2009 VMA incident

25. Long Live was written for the fans and her band

26. When Emma Falls in Love is about a friend

27. Castles Crumbling is about how the media turned on her and her depression/anxiety feelings

28. Best Days of Your Life was written with Kellie Picker

29. You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home is sung by Miley Cyrus but written by Taylor for the Hannah Montana movie.

30. Two is Better Than One was a collab with Boys Like Girls

31. Both of Us was a collab with B.O.B

32. Eyes Open was for the Hunger Games soundtrack

33. Safe & Sound was also for the Hunger Games

34. 22 is about turning 22

35. Stay Stay Stay was supposedly fictional and about her wanting someone who will stay even when she gets mad and frustrated.

36. The Lucky One is about a celebrity who got overwhelmed with fame and disappeared and how Taylor sometimes thinks about doing the same.

37. Starlight is about Ethel and Bobby Kennedy.

38. Girl at Home is about a guy who was hitting on her while being in a relationship with someone else

39. Ronan is about a 3 year old boy who died of cancer

40. Nothing New is about the fear of being replaced with a new singer and getting pushed out of the industry

42. Forever Winter is about a friend who unaligned themself

43. Highway Don't Care is a collab with Tim McGraw and Keith Urban.

44. Sweeter Than Fiction was written for the movie One Chance.

45. Welcome to New York is about moving to New York

46. Blank Space is about how the media portrays her as a crazy serial dater.

47. Shake It Off is about ignoring the criticism.

48. Bad Blood is about her feud with Katy Perry

49. This is What Came For was a collab with Calvin Harris

50. I Did Something Bad is again, about who the media calls her names for her dating life, society trying to cancel her, and calling her a snake. Also aimed towards Kim and Kayne

51. Look What You Made Me Do is about Kim and Kayne and how they turned most of the world against her with an edited phone call

52. This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is about Kim and how she attacked her.

53. I Don't Wanna Live Forever was for 50 Shades of Grey

54. I Forgot That You Existed is about learning to not spend all your time thinking about a toxic person

55. The Man is about the double standards in society and how things would probably be easier if she was man.

56. The Archer is about anxiety and fear of being alone. It's been debated about whether it's about Joe or not. Depends on your interpretation, I guess.

57. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince is about a failing government system.

57. Death By a Thousand Cuts is based on the movie Something Great

58. Soon You'll Get Better is about her mom recovering from cancer

59. You Need to Calm Down was written to show support for the LGBTQ community.

60. Only the Young is about politics

61. Beautiful Ghosts was written for CATS

52. cardigan is about a fictional girl named Betty. The song is part of a three song story.

53. the last great american dynasty is about Rebekah Harness and Holiday House in Rhode Island

54. my tears ricochet is about losing her masters

55. mirrorball is about changing herself to fit in with society.

56. seven is from the pov of a little girl who has a friend with an abusive father.

57. August is part of the three way love story. This is from Augustine's pov who was the other girl in the story

58. this is me trying is about her trying her best.

59. illicit affairs is a fictional story about an affair

60. mad woman is about her anger with Scooter Braun

61. epiphany was written for her grandfather. It's about grief and PTSD

62. betty is the third part of the three way love story. This is the pov of a 17 year old boy named James.

63. the lakes is about isolating yourself from society

64. tolerate it was inspired by a novel called Rebecca

65. no body no crime is about a cheating husband that unalived his wife when she found out

66. dorothea is about an old friend

67. ivy is about an affair

68. Marjorie is about her grandmother

69. closure is about someone reaching out to help her get closure

70. it's time to go is about different situations where sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away

71. Renegade was a collab with Big Red Machine

72. The Joker and the Queen Remix is a collab with Ed Sheeran.

73. Carolina was written for the movie Where the Crawdad's Sing

74. Anti-Hero is about her insecurities

75. You're On Your Own Kid is about being on your own and pushing forward despite being afriad

76. Vigilante Shit is about revenge on an enemy

77. Bejeweled is another debated song but most see it as her being confident with herself and not letting anyone tear her down

78. Karma is about Kayne

79. Bigger Than the Whole Sky is about losing something that never happened

80. Dear Reader is Taylor giving advice about things she's learned.

81. Florida!!! Is about having regrets and wanting to start a new life.

82. But Daddy I Love Him is a grey area to some but the way I've seen it interpreted the most was her telling the world that it's not up to them to judge her relationships and she'll date who she wants.

83. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? Is about all the negativity she gets and how haters want to claim she's being petty and intentionally blocking other artists.

84. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart is a little about losing a love but it mostly directed towards the audience who is always pushing for her to release new stuff all the time and how she has to just fake a smile because she has a job to do.

85. Clara Bow is about the never ending cycle of society comparing women to each other and telling them how they're like the current "It" girl, but better in these ways.

86. The Albatross is a hard one but the way I thought of it was that an Albatross is sometimes used as a symbol for feeling of being a burden. My interpretation was that she knows what it feels like to be criticized and hated on and wants the other person to know that if they go through it too then she's there for them. Could also be similar to peace where she's telling her lover that you may get dragged for being with her. But music can be looked at in different ways. This was just my view of it

87. I Hate It Here is about having a mental safe space to help yourself cope when you're in a situation you hate.

88. thanK you aIMee is about Kim Kardashian

89. The Prophecy I've also seen looked at in different ways. The common theme is whatever it's a lover or just someone in general, she's begging to not be alone and to have someone stay with her

90. Cassandra is based on the Greek mythology of Cassandra the Seer who was cursed so no one would believe her prophecies. The parallel is her saying she never gave Kayne permission to use her name in the song Famous and no one believing her because Kim edited the phone call. Also about how when it's time to hate someone everyone has something to say but when the truth comes out no one speaks. Similar to how the fake video drew a lot of attention but when the real one leaked it didn't make the headlines and didn't blow up like the fake one did. There are still people four years later who don't know the real video was leaked.

91. Robin is about childhood. May be her's or someone else's. Robin is the name of her collaborator Aaron's child.

92. Us was a collaboration with Gracie Abrams.

[harukamitsuki]

Hello, I’m the anon that apologized for implying that Keith was “spoiled”

I wanted to come back and talk to you because I wanted to discuss some points!

I made my Keith statements without really explaining what I meant and I wanted to try again.

I don’t want Lance to be the black paladin and I just need to state that now. However, I also didn’t want Keith to reside as the permanent black paladin.

I know that his color palate and clothing have black in them but shiro is also all black. In my opinion I would’ve preferred Keith to be the substitute black paladin.

Ryou (the clone) should’ve never been able to pilot the black lion because he’s just a copy of shiros face not him. Making Keith stay within the team and allura going to red (because I really don’t know how they thought allura in blue was a good idea, love her but what?)

(I want Keith to stay with the team and not go to the blades as I would prefer the paladins sticking together)

(Also because the plot line for the altean colony is ridiculous)

I would’ve loved to see ryou find out he’s a clone along with the paladins and not just kill him off. I think it would’ve also brought some realization into Keith about shiro and such.

The way I think of the paladins and their relationship to the lions is that the lions physically created the paladins.

The reason why it took 10,000 years is because earth doesn’t have quintestance, so the lions had to basically build their paladins from the ground up by creating generations of humans with it.

Because earth doesn’t have it, it takes a long time until there’s finally enough for the paladins now!

Which is why I don’t think Keith should continue to be the black paladin. Because he belongs with red just as Lance in blue, pidge in green, hunk in yellow, and shiro in black.

and because Shiro never gets to go back to being the black paladin his character gets reduced to cardboard.

which is the reasoning for my initial comments that I couldn’t describe clearly.

I didn’t mean to come off as a black paladin Lance supporter or that Lance was the best option. Because he isn’t.

There are things with lances character that I feel as though could’ve been worked so much better. (I saw a previous post of yours discuss lances having altean markings and your so correct, honestly they feel like fan service since the fandom goes nuts with altean Lance and honestly I can’t understand why)

I’m far more a shiro fan. In all honesty he has done a lot for me. I don’t like that he was just meant to be thrown away.

I mean the writers created an entirely new character for crying out loud!! Shiro didn’t exist in the other versions. Technically he is sven but sven was always the blue paladin.

Shiro has obvious PTSD and has a genetic disease that needs his arm forcefully removed from him. He fights so hard for his lion and his teammates.

My feelings on Keith are in fact very biased but it feels like a lot of Keith’s character completely erases all of shiros.

With ryou and the paladins finding out that shiro is in the black lion i would’ve loved to see them search desperately to find where the clones were made to see if they could bring Shiro back.

My thoughts are a little all over the place I apologize for that.

Hello again!

This is a bit awkward because I basically agree with almost everything here so there's not much for me to dissect haha.

If anyone's been reading my past, PAST, posts, you'll have probably seen my post as to why Lance never should have went to Red, and why it should have been Allura. I can understand why Allura is Blue and Lance is Red in the ORIGINAL series, but this is a rewrite where the characters are basically completely different.

Which also means that, no, I will not be using the original series to back-up my belief that Keith is a great Black Paladin.

Like I said, I basically agree with everything you wrote, except that I didn't personally care for Ryou. I felt sorry for him and was kinda shocked when they just used his body for Shiro's soul, but I didn't care about him.

I do think it would have been interesting to see Ryou be a little stinker and try to manipulate everyone, due to him being a sleeper agent. Like, in canon, when Ryou apologised to Keith, he says "I'm sorry I had to step in there" instead of "for stepping in there". He's still putting the blame on Keith. He says sorry without truly saying it, if you get what I mean.

Then, one day, he goes a little too far. Like, I dunno, he calls Lance useless or Hunk cowardly or something, and Keith immediately goes: wait. That's not right. Suddenly, Keith's a lot less willing to take Ryou's 'advice' to heart and things pile up until he realises Ryou is a clone.

I think that kind of story line is much more interesting that what we got. Of course, if you care about Ryou and are horrified at his death, there are others ways. Ryou slowly learning he's a clone and hating himself until the paladins make him realise that it's not his fault and he can choose to be his own person. Heck, he kind of already is.

Of course, another option is just to not kill Shiro off? Like, put him in a coma or reveal that Haggar yoinked him from Black with quintessence magic and he's been captive this whole time. Keith would still have to pilot Black but, because Shiro isn't a clone, when he gets back Black opens up immediately.

The thing is, Shiro and Keith's style of leadership is different. Very different, meaning that they're suited to lead different kinds of things, with varying efficiency. What I think would have been cool to see is them changing the roster (Shiro leads, Keith in Red/Keith leads, Allura in red) depending on the mission. Which can mean that, if you decide to keep season eight for some reason, Shiro or Keith can lead them into the final battle. Shiro leading them might make more sense.

I've heard a lot of people say that Shiro is boring and it's like– why do you think that? I kind of wanted to see more of his character arc, wanted to see Keith, Coran and Allura take care of him when he's too high strung. I wanted to see him be there, actually there, when Pidge saves Matt. I wanted to see him accept that he may have been hurt, but he is not broken.

I think that those people who think Shiro is boring just weren't watching the same show, or only remeber him from season 7-8 where he does basically nothing. Season 1-2 Shiro are great. He feels so human, scared of the world but pushing himself through for the sake of others and to not seem weak. He makes bad gun noises, immediately denies Coran trying to feed him like a baby with "no. Just– no.", displays some dark humour when he's alone with Keith and bleeding out. He's terrified of being seen as broken, because that's exactly what he thinks of himself.

So. Yeah.

Either make Ryou more interesting or don't kill Shiro off. It would still let Keith become his own Black Paladin, and it would let the group change members depending on the situation, which would make it less jarring if Allura was the one to pilot the Atlus, as was originally planned.

I can understand why you believe Keith's character erases Shiro's. Because, in all honesty, it kind of does. Of course, that is mostly DreamWorks' fault because they just can't give Shiro any sort of happiness? Like, Keith has also been hurt over and over again, but at least Keith has his mother.

Shiro was supposed to gain the ability to teleport. HE WAS REPLACED BY KOSMO - HE WAS REPLACED BY A DOG. Shiro didn't even get to end Sendak! Even if I adore Keith, I was so baffled when Keith made the finish blow, because that was Shiro's fight! Shiro has nobody to go home to, only returning to find that his ex-fiancé is dead, and it's just– I know that gay characters tend to suffer the most, but come on DreamWorks! Give him SOMETHING!

From my perspective, I've always noticed the difference between Keith and Shiro's leadership styles, and just in general. But DreamWorks is so allergic to giving any of them anything, so they wrote in the Broganes bond, tore it apart, then played a darts game to decide their traits after Shiro's death. It makes it especially worse when they decide to make Keith go through development off-screen, so he comes back when he's become more mature like Shiro, but it gets no explanation so it feels like he was just given more of Shiro's traits.

Alas, we get no explanation, so it is jarring. Which is another reason why making Ryou unable to pilot Black, or Shiro still being alive, would have been much better. Keith had a point about leaving, but Shiro, the real Shiro, never would have let him leave, and Keith wouldn't leave if Ryou couldn't pilot Black.

I would still make it so that Keith stayed with BoM just for the sake of meeting Krolia, but nothing else much.

So. Yeah.

I do agree with basically all of this, only I wouldn't have Keith be just a sub for Black. I think he and Shiro should have used it interchangeably, or at least provide an explanation for why the real Shiro, the one who bonded with Black the most, couldn't pilot her.

AND SCREW KOSMO– GIVE SHIRO HE TELEPORTATION BACK! GIVE HIM HIS RELEVANCE BACK!!

(Sorry if there's any mistakes, I just woke up haha)

(Also, Keith's colour scheme fits Black more than Shiro's did, mostly because of the accent colours that Keith had. Other than that, yeah. I agree.)

[keithherman]

location: a bar

Friendships were tenuous at best anymore. Kept to the kind that when Keith went out with for drinks, ordered shots and made sure at least one person was more drunk than he was so he didn't seem entirely unreasonable or mean. And the moment someone witnessed a little too much, a little too embarrassing, Keith fucked off and made excuses if they tried to hang out again. That was the M.O. since he'd been back home, and when Dale had shown back up, Keith had told himself that would be just the same. Keep things light, keep things friendly and not push it too far.

He'd nearly torn off the label of his beer, something idle and subconscious. He was glad to see Dale back, but just as annoyed that he was. That balancing act was a shitty place to live, and he was the asshole for feeling it. He'd held his own half-hearted fake grin, one that he'd plastered onto his face most of the time, that maybe he should have been able to pull off better by now. And whether or not Dale was wrapped up in himself, he still figured he had a handful words before Dale caught on to how uncomfortable he felt. “I was planning on coming back out soon.” A lie. “At least to visit, come see you in that play you were doing? I saw you tagged in some stuff. Looked great.” Lie. “Or would have given me some material to make fun of you. Sort of a win-win.” The smile turned easier, the sort of shit-eating grin that had been more of a permanent staple since he was young. “I’d ask who you slept with to get the job, but seeing as one of the ensemble cast didn’t seem to stop posting about you specifically, I guess it was pure merit.”

[bun-bun-bum]

A few Keith doodles to calm the soul.

Bonus:

very smooth Lance.

[iplaydrake]

FULL CIRCLE - CHAPTER 6 - THE RIGHT AND WRONG (AND RIGHT AGAIN) WAY TO BE A STUNNER - PART 3

Catch Up Here :

CHAPTER 6 - THE RIGHT AND WRONG (AND RIGHT AGAIN) WAY TO BE A STUNNER - PART 2

Author’s Note : Positive feedback, constructive criticism, and reblogging are always welcome. I own nothing except the storyline of my MC. Everything else belongs to Pixelberry.

Pairing : Drake x MC

Tag List : @likethetailofacomet @carabeth @rhymesmenagerie @speedyoperarascalparty @butindeed @wannabemc2 @client-327 @jovialyouthmusic @be-still-my-aching-heart @riseandshinelittleblossom @lodberg @drakesensworld @alj4890 @rainbowsinthestorm @ao719 @andy-loves-corgis @drakewalkerisreal @whenyourheartskipsabeat @furiousherringoperatortoad @silentcoyotesong @choicesmacmakes @ladyangel70 @lady-alex-keith @notoriouscs @lynne1993 @qammh-blog @gnatbrain @sirbeepsalot

 *** FLASHBACK - 1 MONTH BEFORE SWEET 16 ***

“I don't even feel like I connect with her anymore; if I ever even did... I mean, what could she possibly see in a guy like me?” She immediately grabbed the piece of his hair she was playing with, yanking it back so he would look up at her. “Ow, Duck!”

“OK, first of all, I told you to stop talking about yourself like that and second, you are the most amazing man I've ever met, Drake. Any girl would be lucky to have a chance to even talk to you. If she can't see that, then that's her loss. God, I just don't understand why you... You know what? Nevermind...”

“What?”

“Nothing... Forget I said anything...”

He sat up from her lap and turned to face her. “Come on, Rem. What were you gonna say?”

She knew better than to think he'd let it go; he never did with her, always saying that the fact that she was so honest and open with him about what she was thinking was how he knew she was more real than any other noble at court. “Why you care so much about someone who treats you like shit.”

“You don't get it, Duck... You don't know what it's like for someone like me to be around people like them... No one treats me or sees me as anything but a commoner... And Kiara may not treat me good all the time but-”

She was suddenly tired of hiding her feelings from him and mad at the same time that after 3 months of spending time together he hadn't noticed them himself. She cut him off before he could continue. “Stop saying no one sees you! I'm here, Drake. I'm right here in front of you and I do! How can you sit there day in and day out and not realize it?... Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you don't think about us? That you've never wondered what it would be like for us to be together?” He was silent for longer than she would have liked and before she could feel anymore embarrassed than she already was, she wiped at the imaginary dust on her pants and stood up. “I guess this is all in my head then... Listen, I'm gonna go, I'll see you... Whenever, I guess.”

As she turned to walk away, he quickly stood and reached out, grabbing her hand. “Rem, no! Please don’t leave!” She paused but didn't turn around. “Look, I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it... Probably more than I should... I mean, after these last few months, how could I not?” She turned to face him waiting for him to continue. "And you're right, you do see me. You are the only one who makes me feel like I'm worth a damn, the only one who takes the time to get to know the real me and I care about you; so much more than I ever thought possible... But Rem, you're only 16. It can't happen for us...” She knew it was the truth but it didn't hurt any less hearing it from him and she dropped her head, feeling the tears start to fall at his rejection. He immediately moved his hand to her cheek to get her to meet his eyes as he continued with a smile. “At least not right now... Listen, I'll make you a deal. We'll keep doing what we're doing, spending time, getting to know each other and we'll see where it takes us. I’ll even promise that if no other guy is lucky enough to experience what it's like to kiss you, it’ll be me... The minute you turn 18, I'll be your first.”

“What exactly are you saying, Drake?”

“I’m saying that if, in 2 years, you still think you want me, we'll be together... For real.”

She shook her head at him, unable to contain her smile. "There's no question in my mind that you're still going to be the one I want... I'm gonna marry you someday, Drake Walker."

*** END OF FLASHBACK ***

When she'd left home almost 6 years ago, she closed herself off to everyone, no longer trusting people's intentions and in turn, never allowing anyone close enough to hurt her. Any memories she had of the place that had caused her so much pain were buried deep down inside of her as she struggled to move on. But as hard as she tried, being home brought them to the surface faster than she'd expected and she could feel her guard dropping at the same speed. As she was packing her bag to head to Lythikos with her brothers and Savannah, she briefly wondered why she was going through these motions. In her mind, she had no intention of staying in Cordonia permanently, knowing there was no way she could stomach seeing, let alone interacting with, anyone who hurt her.

But it was the thought of getting close to Drake again or closer than she already was to Liam, that scared her more than anything. Between the look on Drake's face each time he begged her to believe him and the kiss she shared with each of them the day before, she knew that it was just a matter of time until she gave in to her feelings, knowing exactly where her heart would lie when it happened. Her kiss with Liam had been what she'd expected; sweet and gentle, the kind of kiss only a prince could give. But just like she knew it would, Drake's kiss left her breathless and wanting more. It was Drake... It would always be Drake.

So she did the only thing she could think of... She planned in her head how she was going to avoid him, knowing that after last night, staying away from him was the only chance she'd have if she wanted to make it back to New York with her heart intact. She walked out to the waiting limo, finishing the emails to her teachers and her boss, letting them all know that she wasn't coming back just yet, as she heard Maxwell call out to her.

“Rem, come on! We gotta go!”

“I'm coming, I'm co-” she froze as she looked up and saw him, leaning against the waiting limo. “Uh, Maxwell can I talk to you for a minute, please?”

“Remington, honestly, we do not have time for this.” She ignored Bertrand's call from inside as she gave Maxwell a look that said she wasn't asking. She grabbed his arm and yanked him far enough away where she hoped they wouldn't be overheard.

“Um, what the hell, Maxwell? What's he doing here?”

“What?” Maxwell asked, feigning ignorance. “He asked if he could catch a ride with us... He was supposed to go with Liam but he slept in, something about having a headache... What was I supposed to say?!”

She looked over at Drake, who was smirking at her. “Ugh, I should have hit him harder.”

“What?”

“Nothing... Let's just go...” She ignored the look Maxwell gave her as they walked back towards the limo and he slid in first, as she stopped in front of Drake. He motioned for her to get in, still smirking, and she shook her head, unable hide her own smile as he sat next to her, close enough that their knees were touching. She knew she was in big trouble as he looked down at her and winked, discretely locking his pinky finger with hers. A part of her knew she should pull her hand away, not wanting to give him the wrong idea, but another part was comforted by the simplicity of the gesture. That part won out as they stayed like that the whole way to Lythikos.

*****

“Come on, kid! Skate with me!” Maxwell didn't wait for her response as he grabbed her hand and dragged her out towards Hana. She couldn't help but laugh as the two of them literally skated circles around her. It had been forever since she'd been on the ice and it showed as she struggled to keep her balance and avoid running into anyone. As she made her way around the pond, she caught Drake's eyes as he watched her with a smile. She didn't notice the little blonde girl that was skating, both of them completely unaware that they were about to skate right into each other. By the time either realized, it was too late. The little girl couldn't stop herself as she flew right into Remi, knocking her down, Remi doing her best to take the brunt of the fall. She helped the little girl sit up slowly as Drake rushed out onto the ice, seeing Remi fall and everyone else huddled around them to make sure they were alright. “Whoa, are you ok, sweetie?” She looked around scared, almost as if she was going to be in trouble and as the crowd grew, so did the fear on her face. A woman Remi assumed was her mom hurried over apologizing, “I'm so sorry, Lady Remington! Are you ok?”

Remi immediately waved her off. “I'm perfectly fine! Is she? I tried asking her myself, but she wouldn't answer me.”

Her mother smiled sadly and Remi watched as she signed to her daughter, asking if she was alright. Remi put her hands up, stopping her. She took off her gloves, shifting the little girl's attention to herself to sign. “I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you ok?” 

The little girl, realizing Remi could sign, smiled for the first time, excited to finally be able to talk to someone else. She signed back excitedly, tell Remi she was fine and they continued their conversation as everyone watched, stunned. Drake and Liam both smiled to themselves as they watched the interaction and after a few minutes, the little girl threw her arms around Remi, hugging her tightly. Her mom reached out for her hand and she waved back to Remi as they walked away. As the crowd slowly dissipated, Drake moved behind her, putting his hands under her arms to help her stand up. Hana, clearly impressed, was the first to speak up. “Wow, Remi! I had no idea you knew sign language.”

“It's not a big deal. I took some classes in school.” She met Drake's eyes and tried to hide her blush as everyone noticed the look he gave her.

“Come on, Rem. Let's head in for a little bit.” Maxwell said as he led her towards the estate. He turned back, catching Drake's attention, and made a slicing motion across his throat, hoping Drake got his message loud and clear.

*****

After dinner, everyone moved to the sitting room to continue their conversations. Remi couldn't help but notice Drake as he continuously looked down at his watch. 

“What's the matter, Walker? Got a hot date you can't be late for?” 

He didn't answer, instead holding out his hand for her to take. “Come with me? I wanna show you something.” She slid her hand in his, allowing him to interlock their fingers together as he led her out into the cold, stopping them when they reached a clearing not far from the estate. He stood in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Ok, so don't be mad...”

“Why would I be-” Before she could finish her sentence, he gave her a soft shove, catching her off guard, and she fell backwards into the snow.

“Heyyy!”

“What? I told you not to be mad...” He said as he let himself fall beside her.

“Seriously, Drake? What the-”

“Shhh... Watch!” He pointed up, making her shift her focus as a meteor shower lit up the night sky.

“Wow... This is amazing.” She looked over at him with a smile to see he was  already staring at her. She slowly slid her hand into his, both of them once again feeling the same spark from so long ago. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” she whispered. 

“I want to share everything with you, Rem.” He leaned over, pulling her into a long kiss before he felt her shiver underneath him. “You're freezing... Let's go in.” He stood first and helped her to her feet, and she slid her hand in his again, this time on instinct. They barely made it through the doorway before his mouth was on hers again, rushed and frantic, the build up of what they'd both waited for for so long now taking over, both knowing exactly where they wanted this to go. Before all logic could go out the window, Remi did her best to get his attention; there was something she knew she needed to tell him before things went any further.

"Drake... Drake, I...” 

“What, Baby?” He didn't stop, instead speaking through his kisses.

“I'm… I've never… been WITH anyone... Like this…" She said, trying catch her breath. He pulled away to look at her and she suddenly felt insecure under his surprised stare.

"I just... I mean before I left, anyway... I always thought me and you… That you would be my..." She fumbled with her words feeling more and more self-conscious by the minute. "I just... I wanted to be honest." She looked down, afraid to meet his eyes.

He brought his hands up, lifting her face and stared at her as if he was trying to remember this moment forever, before slowly leaning in to kiss her again. "I'll never know what I did to deserve you…” He kissed her once more before he held out his hand to her. “Come on, come with me.” She grabbed it, holding it tight in both of hers as he led her down the hall to his room.

Want to continue? Click below for the next chapter :

CHAPTER 7 : I’VE GOT YOU DOWN TO A TEE

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Director’s Commentary- The New Romantics, post-Naxzela night together

my comments in bold, also slight nsfw warning

“You said… that you wanted to wait until you knew I wouldn’t be gone the next day,” Keith whispered, panting heavily against Lance’s lips. He opened his eyes to find Lance’s vibrant eyes already on him, filled with affection. “With the stuff happening… I doubt I’ll leave tomorrow or even the next day.”

“Keith. You’re saying that because you thought we were going to… die tonight.” He tucked Keith’s hair back behind his ear. “It’s different now that we’re dating. I don’t want it to just be a fuck-”

“It won’t be,” Keith insisted. “It never will be if I’m with you. Never again.” He leaned in to kiss him, letting the anguish he’d been hiding coat his features. “Yes, I’m saying this now because of… everything that happened today. But isn’t that reasonable? I’ve always been afraid to lose you, but my head only connected that to losing you to Rosa or something.” Lance frowned. “Today I realized I could have lost you in a much more permanent way. And that terrified me, Lance.” His voice betrayed him, breaking before he could finish. Literally they all almost died, but Keith was like... entirely ready to die for everyone else. And he’s fucked up from it, and the intimacy he has with Lance helps tether him, helps him feel real, and for Keith it’s his way of showing his affection, and as realized at the end of the chapter, his love.

“No llores, mi vida,” Lance murmured, hands at his cheeks, waiting for the first tear to escape. “It scared me too. God Keith, I wish you could understand how much I care about you, how much I need you in my life now-” There are more ways to say I love you than just “I love you”

“So show me. Be with me, right here, in this moment. Just you and me.” Keith chuckled and shook his head. “Sex or not, I just need to be able to….” I needed to add the sex or not thing because I didn't want it to seem like Keith was forcing or guilting or talking Lance into it. For Lance, he was hesitant because they’d agreed on no sex until they could take their time, be together the next day still, he didn’t want it rushed, he knew it would mean more and it needed its time. Keith right now needs the contact, again sex or not, he just needs to feel real again after that near-death. 

“I know. Me too.” He paused and looked at him with a fond smile. “The purple has been spreading and retreating ever since we sat down for dinner. What are you thinking?” Emotions everywhere

That I might not have gotten a chance to see you again if Lotor hadn't shown up. “Nothing. Just that I want to be with you.” 

Lance pulled him into a kiss again, gentle at first until they were caught up in each other and suddenly acting on pure instinct to savor what they had of each other. Keith couldn’t even be embarrassed when the kiss got messy, a clash of teeth and tongue, biting and tugging and moaning. He could feel Lance’s hands tightening where they held him, digging into his skin.

The closeness had him overheating and he pulled away for a moment to pull the sweatshirt over his head, tossing it to the foot of the bed. Lance took the chance to sit up and turn them over, quickly working to paint Keith’s neck and chest in various hues of purple. Keith let out a low breath and tugged on Lance’s shirt desperately. Lance hunched over, pulling the shirt off and meeting Keith’s lips as he flung it over the side of the bed.

“You’re still shaking, gatito.”

Keith shook his head. “I’ll be okay.” He wrapped his arms around him and kissed him until Lance’s lips were puffy, unable to tire from the taste of him. “I want you to top this time,” Keith whispered. As mentioned way back when, Keith was very hesitant and against bottoming. He was worried he’d feel weird, that he’d slip into a submissive mindset, and tbh the guy likes control. This time, his choosing to bottom is a display of being okay with being vulnerable and trusting Lance completely (do you guys see a trend in my sex scenes and T R U S T lmfao) no but, also... I debated this myself a lot. 

Because on the one hand, Keith could top and also show vunerability and love that way by just adoring Lance the whole time, but it also felt like a breach of trust asking Lance o trust him that way without being entirely honest with him. So I decided on this.

Lance froze, staring down at him in surprise. “Are you sure?” Keith nodded. He just needed to know Lance was there. Needed to feel him, needed to put all of him in his hands, because he was barely keeping himself together as it was. oh hey lol “Oh, Keith.” Lance kissed him softly, first on the lips, then pressing soft kisses to his cheeks, his eyes, his nose, his forehead, his neck. Everywhere. Lance knows what it means, he knows what a big step this is for Keith and for them as a couple. 

[kallura-icedcoffee]

Allura being raised by the blade of marmora ? Or Allura accompanied the blade of marmora on a mission. and Keith didn't know till afterwards when she saved his butt from almost dying

The Blade of Marmora doesn’t really have a motto, but ifthey did it would probably be something along the lines of “get in, get out, don’tbe seen, don’t get caught.”

Keith being the newb that his is, the runt of the litter,has pretty much broken all of these rules in a single sitting as he currentlysits slumped, trapped behind a large steel shipping crate shielding him fromenemy fire. Neon laser blasts zoom past him in every direction like some sortof Disneyland lightshow and he looks down at the dagger in his hand thinking thatperhaps, just this once, it was not wise to bring a knife to a gunfight.

He looks over at his assigned partner, although honestly heknows they’re more like a babysitter, who’s pinned behind a pillar staring himdown. Their mask hides their face and yet he can tell their expression reads “youroyally fucked this up”. He can just sense it.

Keith doesn’t know much about his partner to be honest. That’sthe thing about the Blades, everything is a secret. He’s never even seen theirface and they don’t really talk, or he does most of the talking while hispartner just nods and motions with their hands. He knows their name is Lu, thatThe Blade took them in after they were orphaned under mysterious circumstances andthat’s about it. That and that long irritatingly gorgeous white braid spillingout from their hood gives Kolivan a run for his money.

In any event, he and Lu are about to bond in that they’resurely about to die together any second now. He glances at his blade one finaltime before deciding, since this was his fault anyway, that he’s going to rushthese Galra soldiers and whatever happens happens. He’s quick and surely he’ll…waitwhat is Lu doing? Before he can process, Lu dashes and does a barrel roll overto his location, taking a hit to the arm along the way. Keith tries toimmediately address their injury but Lu waves him off and points to anothercrate they want him to hide behind farther back.

“Are you sure?”

Lu nods and he moves immediately. Once he’s safe Lu takes aquick peek to determine the guards’ location then gets in a position on oneknee and after bracing themselves, punches the steel crate. It flies forward asif it weighs nothing and crashes into a large swarm of guards crushing theminstantly. Keith does a double take. Kolivan failed to mention he paired him upwith Superman.  Lu takes out their rodwhich, with a push of a button, extends into a staff. A quick “let’s go” motionwith their fingers at Keith and they take off toward the rest of the guards.

Keith doesn’t need to be told twice. He grips the handle ofhis blade and follows suit, taking down every Galra soldier in his wake.  Keith sends one sailing with a kick over to Luwho swats them down like a fly. One almost gets the jump on Lu, Keith haltsthem with a blade to the back. Lu values Keith’s agility. Keith values Lu’sbrute ability to wreck things like they’re simple toys, a powerhouse packedinside a small lean frame. They read each other well in battle to where it’salmost like a dance.

When they finally make it out, watching the Galra supplyship explode from the window of their fighter jet as they speed away, they’regasping for air in their seats. When they’re too far away to be followed Keithputs the plane on autopilot and takes a moment to let his heart stop racing.

“If Kolivan asks it blew up on its own” he says with achuckle to no response. “Lu?”

He turns to the seat behind him to see Lu slumped over,chest heaving. He leaps up and rushes to their side, the wound on their arm nowmore serious than he thought and bleeding profusely. They’re also holding theirstomach and wheezing. He reaches for their mask and before they can get theirhands up to stop him he pushes the small switch and the mask phases outrevealing their face. He lets out an audible gasp to go with his jerkingflinch.

It’s a girl. A pretty girl. A ridiculously pretty girl withinsanely blue eyes with pink irises and pink crescent moon markings on hercheeks to match. Her ears are long and pointed. Her face is damp with sweat.She sighs almost in annoyance at being found out followed by a pained wince.

“Careful careful.” He leans her back in the seat.

“I’m fine, it’s not a big deal.” She utters with an accent.

“You’re hurt, it’s a big deal.”

Keith grabs the pitiful excuse for a medkit and holds thegauze found within down on her arm. They sit there in awkward silence for amoment.

“So,” he starts up, “I noticed you’re not quite like theother Blades…”

“Neither are you.”

“Touché. Is Lu you’re real name?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

“If we’re gonna be in the same squad we should probably getto know each other.”

Her eyes narrow.

“Allura.”

He nods. It’s a pretty name, but he feels like she mightdeck him if he told her that.

“Don’t ever call me that in the field though. No one knows…exceptKolivan” she adds.

“Understood.”

“Are they really going to stick us on the same team togetherpermanently?” she asks skeptically after a bit of a pause.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s our first official mission together and you got meshot, nearly stabbed, punched twice and almost engulfed in flames.”

Keith purses his lips and shrugs.

“Ok, but did you die?”

Allura blinks at him incredulously before bursting intolaughter.

“Take us back before you get us into any more trouble human”she orders with a smirk.

He makes sure to tape down her bandage first before slidingback into the pilot’s seat with the slightest grin on his face.

“Actually I’m half human, half Galra” he corrects.

“Oh really? Which half is the smart ass?” she fires back.

He bites his lip before squeezing the control wheel with onehand and pulling back on the throttle with the other.

“Both actually.”

[velkynkarma]

I want to make it clear that I absolutely do not want anything awful and permanent to happen to Ryou and Shiro. I do, however, sorta want to see how badly it would go for Xencherak afterwards in that scenario. Voltron collectively would turn him into a fine mist if the Black Lion didn't just, like, straight-up eat him.

Hey anon! Now that the fic is completed, I can actually answer this haha. Sorry for the wait!So the thing is if Xencherak wins the game, Shiro and Ryou are definitely 100% dead, end of story. He’s thorough. He had them cornered, the only reason they won is because Ryou decided to take a gamble and Shiro got incredibly fucking lucky enough to grab the quintessal silencer when he was flailing to defend himself. If Xencherak is even in a position where something else could happen, Shiro and Ryou were both killed by him, either due to him actually winning the game in the 3rd quintent or due to him pulling out the big guns in the next 2 days to eradicate them before help could come. Either way, this puts Xencherak in a position of power, which is a bad thing. The Black Lion might not act if he keeps his silencer up; we don’t know if the Lions can feel their pilots’ deaths at all, much less if something was deliberately blocking the sense. Which means it’s down to Voltron, but it means Xencherak has control over how they get involved. He could contact them and say there’s been an emergency; the Galra have attacked, or Shiro/Ryou were injured, or something to that effect. He can control how they enter. He can, potentially, get them as more players in the game, because the ‘pack of Champion’ must be skilled, and Voltron is powerful, right? They MUST be worth hunting.But I also have a feeling some (Keith, at least) would be suspicious. They might question, or make plans, or try to contact Shiro and Ryou first. They’ll hunt down the Black Lion. They’ll look for answers. And when they get them--assuming thy aren’t stuck in a scary hunting game--they are absolutely going to reduce Xencherak to little more than a smear on the stone. Except that would have very sad consequences, and nobody wants that, so it’s a good thing it didn’t go in that direction haha.

[keiths-stupid-mullet]

Oh, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to define Keith through the others! I also didn't mean that he wouldn't be a Paladin again, totally not! On the contray, I'm pretty sure he will. What I was trying to say is that I don't know which lion he will get in the end, because I'm (personally!) sure Lance will never return to blue. So I'm just interested... if Lance will stop being a paladin? Will clone Shiro be exposed? I'm very sorry if I came off as rude, I really didn't mean to!

Omg no don’t worry anon, I’m kinda bad at reading tone sometimes but it’s hard to offend me, so you’re all good^^ I simply misunderstood your ask with ‘so idk what will happen to Keith’. High five for the “Keith will rejoin team Voltron”-club :P

I’m also not completely sure which lion he’ll get in the end. The leadership conflict with Shiro is a much too great opportunity for growth to just get rid of it through “we’ll put Keith back in Red and everything returns to how it was in s1”. I don’t know how they’re gonna solve it but I’m really looking forward to it!!! Especially since Keith really doesn’t seem to realize that he’s a decent leader.

NOOOOOoooooo don’t say that, Lance won’t stop being a paladin D: Maybe temporarily but Keith worked hard to give him an opportunity to keep a lion, so I doubt he’d mindlessly take Red back without any regard to what might happen to Lance. And he was the first one to get a lion, so… but he was also the first one to bring up the lion switch conflict….. he might step back temporarily……. just as Keith stepped back temporarily………. IDK IT’S DIFFICULT!!! 

(Though I believe that if they really had to figure out a permanent solution that it’d be Allura who steps back. Just a feeling. Once the real Shiro is back, of course :P MAYBE BLACK WILL SWITCH TO REJECTING CLONE/FAKE SHIRO AGAIN NOW THAT KEITH’S BACK I’D ACTUALLY START LAUGHING IF THAT HAPPENED ASKNFSDJFHBGSKNG)

Uuuuuh… yeah, unless Black takes the matter into their own hands or Lotor has something to say that solves the issue of the lion switch (idk what that could be but hey Voltron loves plot twists), it’s probably gonna be an issue for a while longer. I can’t say it’s my favorite issue because one way or another one person will have to step back or end up feeling like they’re not enough but I trust that the writers are gonna find a solution for it. Hopefully one that won’t make me cry :P