#lance is keith's impulse control

[nerdy-nook]

Favorite nuerodivergant headcannons for Voltron LD?

Ooo I like this one! I’m going to do neurodivergent headcanons as well as mental health headcanons because I don’t think all of the characters are neurodivergent. Ok let’s start!

Voltron Paladins:

Shiro: He canonically has PTSD, although the show stopped focusing on it after season 2. So I’m going to keep that. He definitely has panic attacks (as we have seen) but has a good control on his triggers. He has to, to keep himself and his team safe in battle.

Keith: BPD and autism you cannot change my mind. You can’t tell me that after all the shit that poor kid went through in his childhood that he doesn’t have BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). He checks a lot off the boxes. The sudden mood changes, aggression, abandonment issues, and feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy. As for the autism he mainly experiences sensory issues surrounding sounds and touch. We all know about his social skills. He also has insomnia.

Hunk: I think Hunk has GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). He’s had it since he was in elementary school. It mainly consists of catastrophizing and physical symptoms. His heart races, and he sweats a lot.

Lance: He has combined ADHD. A classic case as a kid: SUPER hyperactive, couldn’t sit still, and couldn’t focus. His processing speed is a lot slower making it harder for him to learn in an average school environment. This made him self conscious growing up, thinking he was stupid. It’s something he still struggles with.

Pidge: Best girl disease! Jk. She has ADHD, autism, and is also a fellow insomniac. This girl will hyperfixate and work herself for hours. The team comes to do routine checks on her when she’s researching to make sure she rests. She isn’t really hyperactive but does have a hard time staying still. Catch her rotating clockwise as she types away on her laptop.

MFE Pilots (this is self indulgent):

James: With his strong sense of justice I can see him having a little bit of the ‘tism. I used to headcanon him as having BPD as well but now I’m more leaning towards Bipolar II. This goes a long with some other headcanons I have for him, I’ll make a hc sheet for him soon.

Ina: She has autism. She was diagnosed at 3 years old. Her parents were tipped off by the fact that she was selectively mute when she was younger.

Nadia: Also has ADHD She mainly struggles with her impulsivity issues. She has a really hardy time keeping organized. Did someone say organized chaos? Her rooms always a little bit of a mess but she knows where everything is. Once she sets something down she can never find it.

Ryan: I literally can’t think of anything for him, he’s just a neurotypical guy. Nothing wrong with that.

Thanks for the ask BTW!!

[iamurpaladin]

Ik we love keith the yearner but lance is a hopeless romantic so I think he'd be the yearner whereas keith has impulse control problems so I feel like he'd basically kiss lance the second he realised he liked him. That being said, lance fell first but keith fell harder

[torveiglyart]

He has arrived. Like the prophecy foretold~

aka me living up to my last post.

As much as I love Black Paladin Lance, I think it only would have worked after the whole Lotor thing. Back in season 3, Lance respected Keith as their leader and vice versa, but, had the roles been reversed, I think there would have been a struggle on both sides. Keith would have a hard time respecting Lance as an authoritative figure, and Lance would struggle listening to Keith and not always lead with the team's needs in mind. Lance was kind of Keith's impulse control in the new set up, whereas a RP Keith and BP Lance would create a power imbalance. Keith respects Lance as an equal, and Lance respects Keith as authority. When Keith leaves, however, the dynamic shifts.

Lance respects Shiro as his hero and leader, but Shiro consistently does not acknowledge Lance as his right hand, and by extension, his equal. Lance is pushed aside again and again, but everyone else listens to Shiro so there's not much he can do. When Keith comes back, there's a new relationship between the two.

Lance appreciates Keith's insight and decisions more after the lack of acknowledgment from Shiro, and Keith is more accepting of authoritative figures telling him what to do thanks to the BoM. It's at this point where a BP Lance would work out. How it would get to a lion switch again, I have no clue, but I do think a changing of the guards part 2 would be a good way to show Lance's character development instead of *sighs* garfle warfle snik and allurance.

Honestly I think allurance should have happened sooner and then like a whole 'soul searching filler' episode where they break up on good terms. It's too often we find permanent or sad endings with media relationships. It would have been nice to see a "hey maybe this doesn't work. Friends?" from Lance and Allura.

Okay, another unrelated thing (sorry). Can someone please tell me the real reason Keith voted Lance in GWSnik? 'Cause "I don't want to spend an eternity with you" is sooooo not a legit answer. He should have voted himself if that were the reason. Is it because he felt bad for Lance? He didn't want him getting called dumb for an eternity? He didn't think anyone else would vote him? Does he actually think Lance was the best person to carry Voltron? Or is he just a sad gay in space?

I guess you can answer in the comments or a reblog but, yeah! Those are my thoughts on Black Paladin Lance! Thanks!

[squeakyleftsneaker]

Watching Voltron for the 1st Time: S2 Ep. 8-10

Hi so in this post I have a mild to moderate case of headloss in the extreme. Just a fair warning! I WILL lose it! MORE THAN ONCE. Anyway if you want the lore on why I'm watching this ancient show on a sketchy website in 2025, CLICK HERE! But if you don't want to read The Lore then the short version is that I am Afraid of middle schoolers. These episodes have been some of my favorites so far, and so this post is going to be A BIG ONE.

DUDE THIS SHIT RULES

Shiro said "I'm taking my emotional support Keith" and good for him

I keep singing "The Real Blade of Marmalade" in my head to the tune of Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera.

Keith and Shiro heart to hearts are the backbone of this show dawg. And Shiro's winged eyeliner. He really kills it there.

"Ulaz had a penchant for ignoring orders and following impulses" HM THAT SOUNDS LIKE KEITH and Shiro thinks so too because Shiro is immediately defending him. Based, true, etc.

I LOVE that Shiro has never seen this damn knife and for all he knows Keith stole it and Shiro is still willing to fucking blow it all up if he has to. For such a control freak he's got his limits

Wow Keith is SHORT I guess his alien parent we're still pretending is a surprise didn't impart the tall genes onto him

Shiro has an unshakeable faith in Keith which. I would like to see shaken for The Plot but also would love to see reinforced in a way that Saves The Plot.

Bye ofc his hallucinatory dream of deepest desires is Shiro. And ofc Shiro is deeply disturbed by this. AND THE FACT THAT HE CHANGES HIS MIND ABOUT DIGGING DEEP INTO THE KNIFE TO FOLLOW SHIRO AT THE END?

I'M. HIS DAD IS A FUCKIGN. COUNTRY BOY? A FUCKING YEEHAW ASS. WHAT

I'M .

THE FUCK YOU MEAN HIS DAD IS. A FUCKING ALIENFUCKER????? WHAT IS HAPPENING

KEITH'S MOM GOT THIS YEEHAWASS COWBOY PREGNANT AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT???

KEITH'S UNNAMED MOTHER FUCKED THIS YEEHAW MAN???? WHAT IS HAPPENING DAWG

I LOST MY MIND SO HARD I POSTED ABOUT THIS I CAN'T COPE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT KEITH IS THE PRODUCT OF A YEEHAWASS KENTUCKY FRIED ALIENFUCKER AND AN ALIEN AND HIS NAME IS FUCKING KEITH

I'm. Reeling. I've lost it.

Shiro murking everyone and starting a whole diplomatic incident to get to Keith is such Keith-coded behavior. Cute.

"It doesn't matter where I come from, I know who I am" Yeah you're Shiro's... whatever they are.

Lance getting a mousie smooch got me to crack a smile I am growing fond of him

Hunk and Keith are a fun duo when they stop making Hunk the butt of a cruel joke.

AND having Hunk be the one to figure out how to get the scaultrite? GOOD. LET HIM BE SMART FINALLY FFS

Keith getting betrayed by some mf he helped poor dawg

STOP KEITH IS DOING SOME BABY LEADER SHENANIGANS WITH HUNK???? CUTE. CUTEEEEEEEEE. SHIRO WOULD BE SO PROUD

Shiro with Slav is me with the writers of this show. My god. The headloss. Next level. I love. I also love Slav, who is almost at my level of compulsive ritual doing. I can match his freak I fear. Shiro absolutely losing it over this guy is like. Peak to me.

Lance's insecurity moment NAUR I SURE HOPE THEY EXPLORE THIS FURTHER AND DON'T JUST RESOLVE IT OFFSCREEN

Shiro finally feels like he's around my age and not aged 80 years by space jail and all it took was someone who matches my freak in disordered thought I COULD FIX HIM MAMA

There Is Still Some Factor Of Suckage

These trials were concocted in a way that I think was. Hamstrung. I think they could've done a little more! No shame in taking inspo from the many many tests for Jedi/force sensitives in Star Wars. The "You are not meant to go through that door" fighting is cool, but there could've been something transitioning from that better into the Acid Trip Dream

Really disappointing that Keith didn't get a magical girl transformation into an alien when his knife got a magical girl transformation.

HOW THE FUCK DID THEY THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO NOT SHOW US THE FUCKING REVEAL TO THE TEAM THAT KEITH IS AN ALIEN

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM

THEY FIND OUT KEITH IS ALIENISH AND WE DON'T GET TO SEE IT???? THIS BIG PIVOTAL CHARACTER MOMENT WHERE WE CAN SEE CHARACTERS REACT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OFFSCREEN FOR W H Y

I'M SO

MY HEAD IS ON MARS FIRST THEY GET ME A HALF-ALIEN HALF-COWBOY NAMED KEITH CUNTRY NO LAST NAME AND NOW THEY DO ALL THE PIVOTAL CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP SHIFTS COMPLETELY OFFSCREEN?????? I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE DAWG I AM SEETHING

THIS IS LIKE THE ONLY SHOW I CAN THINK OF WHERE THIS WOULD HAPPEN

Would it kill these writers to stop making Hunk the butt of a cruel joke every 2 seconds it's really genuinely so grating

I'm sorry I'm still not over it tfym they had a key moment happen completely offscreen and just moved on from that

Are they

Stupid

What

This episode really felt like a nothingburger filler beyond giving us Shiro going insane with this annoying little predetermination creature, because it set up Lance feeling insecure and then we just have to. Pretend it's resolved? When it's not? Like him having one good shot isn't like... an actual resolution and. Why. Why are we. I might go insane if I keep thinking about this.

WHY DON'T WE GET MORE SHIRO AND PIDGE BONDING OVER KNOWING HER FAM

Speaking of did Keith know Pidge before? Presumably Shiro knew of Pidge because like. If your other 2 mission partners are related and have a smart lil family member they would talk about them. And Shiro seems like he'd defend his Emotional-Support-Stray-Cat-I-Mean-Keith at all costs so like.

ACTUALLY NVM THESE WRITERS WOULDN'T GIVE A FUCK

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THIS SHOW GO FUCKING CRAZY BECAUSE TFYM WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE WELL THOUGHT OUT EPISODE DETAILING THE DEGREE TO WHICH KEITH AND SHIRO RELY ON EACH OTHER AND THE WAYS THAT TRUST IS ESSENTIAL TO THEIR SURVIVAL BUT WE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FUCKING HAPPENING ON SCREEN AND HUNK AND LANCE HAVE TO BEG FOR SCRAPS

MY HEAD IS ON MARS

NO

MY HEAD IS ON KERBEROS ATP IDK HOW I'M GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH 8 SEASONS OF TS

[sukoshininja]

Echos

Keith disappeared months ago.

At first, they had assumed that Keith had impulsively gone on a mission alone, or was just taking some time away, forgetting to leave a note. Nobody wanted to believe that he chose to leave. Or worse: something happened that prevented him from returning. But as days turned into weeks, it was getting harder to keep up hope.

Lance was convinced he was fine, despite the evidence building against him. If something had happened to Keith, he would know. He couldn't articulate how he would know, but was just certain he would. But that certainty was beginning to run thin.

It started with Red.

With Keith missing and them unable to form Voltron, they were forced to make some moves. They began talks about interviewing someone else to take up the mantle of the Red Paladin. And that's when Lance first felt a pull towards Red. Like she was reaching out to him. Lance forged a new bond with Red and Allura took his place with Blue. Things were far from smooth sailing, but at least they had the power of Voltron back.

Lance was shocked how different Red felt. Blue was easygoing and encouraging. But Red was feisty, goading, almost critical. Something about her unsettled him. Like she observed every movement he made with the quiet indignation of a backseat driver with duct tape slapped to their mouth. Always watching. Always judging.

Sometimes, he would feel her calling out to him in the middle of the night, her urgency awaking him from sleep at times. But when he would go to the hanger, she would put up a wall as soon as she saw him.

He talked to the rest of his team about it. He had assumed that everybody had a bond similar to the one he had shared with Blue. But Red was so different in his mind, like the wrong puzzle piece forced into place by sheer pressure. Maybe all the Lion's bonds were unique to their pilots. But it nobody could quite understand, saying of course it was different. It was a whole different Lion, they were sentient creatures. Looking back he should have known they couldn't get it, seeing as he was the only one to have had a bond with two Lions.

Still, he did his best to bond with her, even if he didn't really like to.

And then, when he felt like he was finally getting used to the strained, almost antagonistic connection, even weirder things started happening.

Voltron assembled and clearing out a blockade, a warship sent out a druid-powered blast that could end them for good and Lance...hesitated. From his distrust in the bond or his own fear, he didn't know. But it didn't matter because a pair of hands closed over his on the controls, guiding his movements. He and Pidge managed to form a heavy-duty shield with the help of their bayards, saving their skins. And like that the contact was gone, like it was never there. Like it never happened.

What was that, girl? Lance asked through his bond.

Red did not reply. Not that he expected her to.

But for some reason, in that moment it made him bitter. Things had not been so difficult with Blue. Are you done monitoring me from the shadows? Are you finally ready to tell me what you want from me? Look, I'm sorry I'm not Keith. And I'm not exactly happy about this situation either. Please believe me that we are doing everything we can to look for the smug bastard and get back to how it should be.

Red growled audibly, the meaning clear in his mind.

If you love they guy so much and think his bond was so much better, why don't you find him? Use your lion magic to hunt him down and bring him back.

He felt a wave of anger and hurt before Red withdrew from his mind.

*   *   *

Red rarely opened up to him after that, despite all the time Lance spent with her in the hanger, trying to make this work. But it seemed like the harder he pushed, the more she shied away. He missed how easy it had been with Blue. As natural as breathing.

But as quiet as Red was, she mentored him more and more with her ghostly guidance. Hands on his. His head turning of its own accord. A solid presence at his back. At times he swore he saw a flash of red armor. Like the remnants of the ghost of King Alfor echoed within the cockpit.

Maybe this was just how Red operated. Less talking, more doing. No wonder she and Keith had hit it off so well. They were on the same wavelength.

Maybe he had been approaching this all wrong. Maybe instead of trying to force a connection, he should just focus on getting used to her presence. He started spending his spare time around her, scrolling though his phone, or studying Altean. Just existing with her.

His efforts began to pay off when one day he was lazily lying across her muzzle, on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, feet kicking in the air as he mindlessly flipped through a comic book. He heard it, clear as day, as if spoken right next to him.

"You call this a bonding moment?"

Lance snapped the book closed and looked around wildly. There was no way he imagined that, the way it jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Keith?" He asked. Because it had been his unmistakable mellow voice that he had heard at his ear.

He rose to his feet and placed his hand between Red's vacant, lightless eyes. Then it hit him.

"You're still bonded to him," Lance realized. "That's why you won't let me in."

Red had multiple bonds? That shouldn't be possible, but it sure explained a lot. And if that was true, then—

"You've known where he was this whole time."

*   *   *

He didn't know how to tell the others. That this whole time Red knew where Keith was. Not like they'd believe him either, since for some inexplicable reason Red was refusing to divulge his whereabouts. He didn't understand why she had to be so difficult. Their whole team was off kilter, the common denominator being Lance's shaky bond. Even Allura and Blue seemed to take to each other like a fish to water. Everything would flow so much better once Keith was back. Didn't she want the same thing?

Maybe he was hiding from them. On purpose, and Red was helping him. But for what reason, Lance could not comprehend. Other than Keith was obviously her favorite.

Now that Lance knew Keith was still connected to Red, he began to find more and more traces of him in the weeks that followed. That constant condescending gaze he felt when piloting Red? Turns out it was the mullet all along. The phantom grasp that corrected him at the controls? That was Keith reaching across space and time to coach his mistakes. In fact, every beef he had with Red turned out to just be Keith pushing back against him.

Sometimes when he slipped up at the controls Lance swore he heard an all too familiar snigger over his shoulder. Asshole.

When they were out on a particularly dicey mission that required them to use their individual strengths to avoid heavy fire, Lance had no option but to dodge, weaving this way and that in the hairiest dogfight of his life. He was doing his best, gritted teeth and brow furrowed in concentration, but he was still getting the hang of Red's speed and response to the lightest of touches. It wouldn't be long before he made a mistake and--

Keith leaned over him and grabbed the controls. And they were zooming with the precision of a threaded needle.

When they had found some cover, Lance muted his comm from the others.

"What the hell man?"

Keith was there. But he wasn't. His eyes saw an empty cockpit. But in his mind Keith was just as present as if he was standing over him. He could feel his body heat. And was that 3-in-1 shampoo tickling his nose?

Keith didn't respond, eyes tracking the enemy ships and waiting for a chance to pounce.

"I know you can hear me, I hear you all the time. What are you playing at? Where the hell are you?"

"Right here."

It sure sounded like he was right there.

Lance brought his hand up to his opposite shoulder before swiping down. Like a samurai sword his hand cut through Keith with no resistance.

Keith stiffened and gazed down at him with a stinky side eye.

Lance held up his hands. "Just trying to figure out how this works."

"How do you think I feel?" Keith snarled. "Stop screwing around and let me do my fucking job!"

"You'd do your job a hell of a lot better if you were actually here!" Lance snapped back.

Keith ignored him.

Lance was livid. Squinting he poured all his energy into his bond with Red, and subsequently her connection with Keith. He reached out. If he just focused hard enough...

He tugged on a lock of Keith's hair.

He felt the strands between his fingers. But then Keith hissed and Lance's focus wavered, and he was left grasping nothing but air.

"주을래?¹"

"No. I want t—"

"Then let me focus on saving your ass."

Lance grumpily obliged, sitting back with a pout.

Wait. How did he know what Keith was saying? It was like the meaning was instantly clear in his mind. Did their connection to Red also bridge language barriers?

He had more questions, but when the imminent danger passed, Keith faded from sight. Whatever. He had a mission to finish anyway. But the prickly feeling on the back of Lance's neck told him that Keith was still there, watching.

¹ do you wanna die?

*   *   *

Lance was having an easier time with Red's bond. Now that he understood that Keith was running interference (intentionally or not), he could feel where his connection with Red ended and was able to focus on just her energy. She was actually quite affectionate, but still ferociously protective whenever he tried to probe her for Keith's whereabouts.

Keith never showed himself except for extreme danger, in which cases he got them out of whatever scrape and promptly vaporized again. However, as Lance was getting better at the controls and his trust in Red was deepening, Keith's assistance was needed less and less.

That didn't stop Lance from asking the empty cockpit why. He knew Keith could hear him.

"¡Coma mierda y muera!²" he shouted one day in a fit of frustration.

"It's a bit late for that," a bitter voice answered.

Lance whirled around. Keith was leaning against the door, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth set at an odd angle.

"It's never too late to curse your guts, you fucking deserter," Lance accused.

"Funny, I don't recall enlisting."

"Just tell me where the hell you are!"

"I told you. I'm right here."

Lance never swore so much in his life.

"It's not like I can do anything about it," Keith admitted sourly, studying his boots, when Lance stopped just long enough to gasp for air. 

"What do you mean by that?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out? That you're an asshole? Sorry but I knew that the instant I laid eyes on that stupid mullet."

Keith snorted, "Sure."

Lance never wanted to hit somebody more. He tried, but he wasn't focused enough and his hand passed through the unaffected paladin. "Just you wait. Once I get Red on my side, I'm hunting you down and dragging your sorry ass back."

Keith actually smirked. "Looking forward to it."

² eat shit and die

*   *   *

It was several days later when Lance dropped his toothbrush in the sink as he swung his elbow around at the figure he saw lurking behind him in the mirror.

Keith raised an unimpressed eyebrow as Lance failed to make contact.

Oh great. Lance had assumed his moody shadow was confined to the cockpit. "How are you here? I thought you were tied to Red?"

Keith shrugged. "I'm connected to Red. Red's connected to you."

"So you can just...drop in whenever?"

Lance didn't care for this new development. He wondered if it was the first time Keith had followed him out of the hanger, or if it was just the first time he could see him.

"Looks that way," Keith glanced around the bathroom before his eyes locked on a small vial on the sink. He reached out a finger to knock it over. He passed right through it. Lance snickered as Keith's features scrunched up in frustration.

Keith rolled his eyes, arms folding back into place on his chest. "You haven't told anyone."

A statement, not a question.

Lance picked up his toothbrush and finished brushing his teeth, foam forming in the corners of his mouth ask he tried to put his reasoning into words. He spit. "Would they be able to see you?"

"Doubt it."

He figured as much. But it was still a blow to hear his suspicion confirmed.

"They already think I'm crazy, having such a rough go of it with Red and all." A thought occurred to him as he looked down at his hands. "Oh, actually. Maybe I am."

"You're not."

"That's exactly what a hallucination would say!" Lance argued.

"Who are you yelling at?" Hunk knocked on the door.

"Nobody!"

It was true enough. He looked back in the mirror and Keith was gone.

*   *   *

Keith popped up more and more, and it took Lance by surprise every time. Usually, when he was alone, and was free to interact. But every now and again he would catch a glimpse of him in the doorway, looking on wistfully as everyone was gathered hanging out in the rec room. Either way, he never stuck around for long.

Once, over a particularly rowdy game of charades, Lance caught Keith's eye and patted the empty seat next to him. It was chaotic enough that nobody would notice if Lance was a little distracted.

Keith shook his head once, melting into the shadows.

Lance huffed and volunteered to grab more snacks from the kitchen.

"What is your problem?" he hissed at the figure in the hall.

"What isn't?"

Fair point. Whatever. He stalked to the kitchen and snagged the snacks, gathering them under one arm, leaving the other free. On his way back to the rec room, intention clear in his mind, he grabbed Keith's wrist and yanked him along before he had a chance to react.

It wasn't until Lance was halfway across the room that he started to put up a fight. But Lance had the momentum and was running with it. He succeeded in dragging Keith to the den of couches, but Keith would not sit. He just stood there, his hands balled into fists. But he did not run away or disappear.

"I miss everybody," he admitted after the games were wrapping up. It was the longest Lance had seen him stay.

"Then come back," Lance whispered without moving his lips.

"I can't." The abject longing on his face was low-key kinda pitiful. Lance was starting to believe Keith's insistence that he would come back if he could. But if Keith was unable to return on his own, then why wouldn't he tell Lance how to get to him?

He'd asked the mullet plenty of times, but every time Keith would get a far away look in his eye and clamp up. Then Lance wouldn't hear a whisper from him for a week. He learned to stop asking.

*   *   *

Lance was in bed when he shot up.

Wait a second. The two of them, they were connected to Red. And Keith was always finding him. So what was stopping him from doing the same and finding Keith?

The answer was simple. He never tried.

Lance sat cross-legged on his bed, elbows out and palms flat on his knees as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Reaching out for that tether that bound Keith to Red, following it until he—

"What are you doing?" Keith's voice was sharp.

Lance opened his eyes to find Keith sitting across from him on the bed.

Well, that didn't work. How did Keith manage to sneak up on him all the time? Most of the time he didn't even know he was there until he caught a flash of red from the corner of his eye. But all he managed to do was summon him, apparently.

"Looking for you."

"I keep telling you, I'm right here."

"¡Cállate!³ It's like you don't want to be found!"

The expression on Keith's face told him he was right.

"Why? You won't even explain yourself, and you run away whenever I ask, so how am I supposed to understand?"

"누가 너한테 이해하라고 했어?** I'm not coming back. Get over yourself and accept it!"

Lance threw his pillow at him. It passed right through. 

³ shut up ⁴ who told you to understand?

*   *   *

"You summoned?" Keith asked, cuttingly. 

Lance was bent over a stall, looking at earrings. He held up a pair in each hand. "Yeah! Quick, which do you think are better, the blue or the pink?"

"Excuse me?"

"Which are better?"

"Neither suit you."

"No mames!⁵ For Allura you ass!"

Keith leveled him with a long look, his hardened expression complicated. 

"Lilac," he said finally, pointing to the delicate pair with stones cut in a way that made it look like they were dripping flowers. 

"Thanks," Lanced thanked the empty air. 

⁵ stop screwing around

*   *   *

Lance took a deep breath. He much preferred diplomacy when the other party was already inclined to their side. It was a little different when a planet was tolerating their presence at best. Allura, thankfully, would be doing most of the talking, and she looked stunning as she always did. He smiled when the light caught her earrings. She was wearing the ones Keith and picked out for her.

Allura caught him looking and she offered him an encouraging smile. Being the Red Paladin, Lance had a speech he was supposed to deliver after Shiro. Normally, he thrived on the attention. But with the vibes being what they were, he was really nervous. This was an extremely formal affair and that just wasn't Lance's style. He was sure he would mess it up, make a stupid joke, get flustered and stumble on his words, or otherwise just make the team look bad.

Keith would have aced this. He should have been the one giving it anyway, instead of his hasty fill-in.

"Breathe, Lance."

He barked a laugh, causing Shiro to look over in concern. He played it off as a cough. "Choaked on air," he waved off before whispering, "Easy for you to say."

Keith placed a hand on his shoulder. "할 수 있어.⁶"

⁶ you can do it

*   *   *

As Keith's presence continued to haunt him, Lance found that he began to mind it less and less. He found himself scanning the room, to see if Keith had come out. He didn't appear every day, and there seemed to be no limit to the amount of time he spent with him. Lance wondered what he could be doing that would leave him free to pop in so much. 

Sometimes the lack of privacy was annoying. Like now when he was curled up in bed, sobbing from his despair.

He had saved a family today. And they looked so happy to be alive, to still have each other. It stung a part of his heart that he tried so desperately to ignore. He had kept it together all day, but collapsed under the weight was soon as he was alone. 

Or as alone as he could be. 

"Is there no escaping you?"

"There's nowhere you can go that I can't reach," Keith's voice begrudgingly confirmed.

"How about I just die?"

"I'll be waiting."

*   *   *

Lance knew what he wanted. He just didn't know if he could.

He reached out slowly. He wanted to give Keith fair warning to react. To say no.

But Keith's eyes steadily held his as Lance gently cupped his cheek. He was warm, like he always was. And when Keith closed his eyes and all but melted into his touch, Lance's heart leapt.

He leaned in.

If Keith didn't want this, he could always go incorporeal.

Warm lips met his own, soft and sweet. Lance smiled, eyes closing. Like this, surrounded by the smell, feel, and taste of him, Lance was starting to believe that Keith was telling the truth that he was there. 

Keith bit his lower lip, startling him and making lose focus. Suddenly he was grasping nothing and the warmth dissipated.

He whined in frustration, opening his eyes. At least Keith was still there, flushed and smiling.

"Looks like we need more practice," Keith laughed.

*   *   *

Years passed, and as Lance slowly started to carry it in small lines on his face, Keith remained the same, Unchanging.

To be honest, Lance had known the truth for a while. He just didn't like to think about it. Or what it meant.

That Keith would never return. That he would never be found.

Because there was nothing to find.

This existence, everlasting and unchanging, kept alive only because Red could not let go. Lance wondered if the same thing would happen to him when it was his turn,

"Whatcha thinking about?" Keith asked from beside him on the bed as his callused fingertips drew lazy circles on Lance's bare chest.

"Mmm, things," Lance murmured.

"What kind of things?"

"Sad things."

"Sad things?" Keith lifted his head to press a kiss to his shoulder. "Like what?"

"Mmm..." he hummed, eyes misty. At first he didn't want to believe it. But eventually he had accepted the truth. But a small part of him was still afraid that Keith would disappear from his side if he voiced it. 

"Did it hurt?"

Keith stilled.

"No," he answered after a long silence.

"Were you scared?"

"Yes."

Lance didn't need to know the details. Keith had died alone and frightened enough that Red had somehow melded his consciousness to her own. He would never be scared or alone again.

"I'm sorry," He whispered as he rolled over and hugged him close, focusing on the feeling of his shaky breaths beneath his hands.

Keith's body may not exist anymore, but Keith was alive, there was no doubt in his mind. And he would continue to love him, whatever that may look like, however the years may change him, until the death where they truly part.

my whumptober masterlist

[shutyour-quiznak-01]

Okay okay okay we all know Keith listens to MCR, possibly Linkin Park too, but what about STARSET?

Specifically DIE FOR YOU and Starlight.

idk how to make it a link with text instead of the regular music thing

Starlight:

“So say the word and I'll be running back to find you- A thousand armies won't stop me I'll break through, I'll soar the endless skies for only one sight- Of your starlight..”

The singer is saying that no matter what happens, they will always come back and try to find them. They would do anything to save the one they care for. Keith would very easily drop everything to try to save Lance and Shiro; but he would truly do anything to save all the paladins if need be- not just those two.

“Don't leave me lost here forever, I need your starlight and pull me through… Bring me back to you..”

The singer is asking for the one they care for to give him guidance and guide him back to the light and to not be lost anymore. Here, it links to Keith because Lance is his stability and right hand man as the paladin of the Red Lion, and Keith often relies on him to make the right decisions and calls as the new Black Paladin. Lance often pulls Keith back to his senses and pulls him through his impulsiveness and allows him to think more clearly.

And then for DIE FOR YOU:

“Even if the sky does fall, even if they take it all- there’s no pain that I won't go through, even if I have to die for you”

The singer is saying that there isn’t anything he wouldn’t try to get through, any obstacle to overcome if it meant saving the one he cares for. When Keith fought with Kuron, trying to save Shiro, he put up such a fight and refused to give up in order to save the one who saved him in his earlier years.

“Because I know you're lost when you run away, into the same black holes and black mistakes- taking all my will just to run alone, until I bring you home..”

Here the singer is expressing that they understand what the other is going through and they wish to help them come back home to the light and away from the dark. This is shown for Keith when he helps Shiro escape Haggar’s control and returns as his real self, and again earlier in the show when he helps Lance try not to worry so much about “being one paladin too many”. It is even shown further for Lance when Keith leaves to join the BoM, removing the “extra paladin”.

[shatterinseconds]

laundry & taxes

Keithtober '23 week 4

It hits Keith two years later. Two years after the end of the war, a year and a half after he and Lance started dating, four months since they proposed to each other, three days before their planned elopement. 

He made it.

He hunches over the sink where dishes sit in water, left from soaking overnight, and his fingers curl around the edge of the countertop, knuckles white. It’s past dawn now, but only just. The sun’s rays warm his face and wrap around his body as the sun rises past the horizon. He puts a hand up near his eyes, not surprised to find the corners of them wet, and he smiles.

“Keith, what’s wrong? What happened?” Lance asks as he suddenly rests a tentative hand on his shoulder. Keith almost startles, not having heard Lance’s approach at all, but controls the impulse in time. Lance may like to sleep in late but he is quick to wake at any sound if needed, a by-product of war—-though Keith didn’t think he made any noise. Maybe it was intuition.

When he doesn’t make a move to brush Lance off, Lance wraps an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. Keith finally shakes his head at Lance’s initial question and dabs the corner of his eye with the heel of his hand. “I’m okay. I was just… I just realized I got what I never thought I’d ever have.”

Lance’s hair is mused from bed, morning stubble dotting his jawline. Drool crusts the corner of his mouth and he is so beautiful. “Keith,” Lance breathes softly, reaching forward to brush his hair out of his face.

“I got a family,” Keith mumbles and kisses Lance. Folding into the push and pull, he feels the curl of Lance’s lips stretching into a grin as he chases after them. Keith pulls back with a smile of his own and his eyes remain closed. “I made it.”

His younger self would never believe him, would call him a liar and maybe spit in his face for giving him false hope. But it’s not false hope. Not anymore. Not with Lance.

He opens his eyes to find Lance staring at him in complete adoration as he cups the side of his face, fingers twisting in his hair. “Thank you,” Keith says against Lance’s skin. 

“No need to thank me, Mullet. You did it all on your own.”

Keith laughs at the old nickname, and Lance shifts their positions so his arms hang off Keith’s shoulders and Keith’s hands find the perfect spot on Lance’s waist. Together, they sway in the kitchen, not caring that there’s no music. They have each other and that’s what matters most.

[keithkog]

My impulse control is not mental, it takes the form of Shiro and Lance.

-Keith

[discordiansamba]

thinking about them again (the pidge and keith ageswap). incredibly scrappy 15 year old Keith whose foster dad Adam won't let him fuck off to the desert to follow weird energies and 18 year old Pidge who was already a cadet at the Garrison and didn't impulsively blow her chances at gathering intelligence by getting caught hacking into Iverson's computer... but you best believe she's spying on the Garrison.

Pidge old enough to have a handle on her own impulsivity. Keith young enough that he hasn't developed the faint amount of impulse control he has in canon. She has to drag this child out of Iverson's office when she catches him rooting around in his (physical) files. She only gets him to promise stop breaking in by swearing not to tell Adam and also agreeing that she'll share info with him.

Pidge not knowing just what she's gotten herself into.

(Also Lance having a one-sided rivalry with a fifteen year old this time. Keith still does not notice. Sorry Lance.)

[esile-pr23]

secret dating klance but one of them is kidnapped or some shit but the rest of the team doesn’t know so the remaining one is losing their mind and either completely despondent or enraged. think like s1-3 vibes and bonus points if Keith, mr. impulse control issues himself, is left behind and forced to sit by and wait.

And imagine lances captors are sending video proof he’s alive, each transmission showing him more bruised and bloody than the day before and it’s been weeks but he still snarks his kidnappers. eventually they have enough of him and just fuckin stab him or something on video and he’s screaming and Keith just goes ballistic. And he’s yelling and throwing shit and pidge and hunk are terrified and shiros frozen and corans trying to calm him down. And the video and lances screaming cuts out and suddenly it’s quiet Keith just starts sobbing and he’s still trying to fight, trying to do something, and shiro rushes up to him to restrain him and he just. falls apart. and the teams never seen him like this before and they have no idea what to do.

and later the team starts to pick up on Keith’s feelings too; pidge finds Keith staring out the window of the observatory, lances blanket around his shoulders, and she just knows. And she sits next to him for a while and then says, “you love him, don’t you.” And Keith kinda freezes bc he really didn’t wanna do this w/o Lance, they were gonna tell everyone together so he’s abt to say some shit abt how ofc he loves him, he loves everyone on the team-

“don’t even try to deny it man, you’re literally wearing his shirt right now” and Keith kinda stutters but starts to laugh a little and says “yeah i really do” and they go back to looking out the window.

fast forward to them finally getting Lance back. the team rushes to meet him in the hangar and they see him emerge from the ship on shaky legs, arm around shiros shoulders, and him and Keith see each other and the tears immediately start pouring. Lance shakes off shiro and he’s walking to Lance and Keith’s running and they crash together, sobbing and clutching at each others clothes and Keith takes lances face in his hands so gently and presses their foreheads together and whispers “I love you I missed you so much” over and over and over

anyways that kinda got away from me WHOOPS

[sapper-axtual]

The Lance character arc we deserved to see summed up so succinctly in 5 panels…

This boy is so driven to be the best at something- to find his thing and be good at it, and taking over as Keith’s Right Hand Man (after only just barely starting to be friends instead of playing at rivals) was the start of viewing his role as being a powerful force in direct support of someone. We needed to see more of him being that for Keith after the Time Abyss- his check-and-balance, his impulse control, his most stalwart challenger and strongest advocate, the point-guard, Voltron’s sword, and Keith’s shield. We got crumbs of it before Keith left and then they chickened out because they couldn’t handle the fallout of the chemistry they’d written into their own characters, so they abandoned the most-poignant possible arc for Lance in his relationship with Keith in favor of having him turn that supportive energy towards Allura instead which was…not well-handled.

And once again the best version of this show is the one that exists in our minds- in everything we have to imagine happening off-screen.

[some s3 throwback with Lance]  New red paladin responsibilities, new fears  and nightmares.

[honestlyprettychill]

so i did a thing XD

behold my first shitpost yay

Pls dont repost without my permission thannkss

[awhoreintheory]

I present to you: Lance and Keith being each others impulse control, and only listening to each other

Keith, staring between his knife and the table very intensely for 10 minutes straight:

Lance, who walked into the room 5 seconds ago: Keith, don't you fucking dare

Hunk, confused by both parties: what?? What'd Keith do?

Lance, narrowing his eyes: Keith, you don't even know how to do a back flip, it's not going to end well

Keith, standing up abruptly: Lance I want to do it so bad

*Pidge, snoring in the background, saying "that's what she said!"*

Lance: you can't throw your knife up in the air, back flip of the table, land like a ninja, and catch it- we've been over this five times!

Shiro, throwing his hands up exasperatedly, done with life and all its bullshit:

(Keith still ends up doing it, but he convinced Lance to join him eventually. Keith sprained an ankle trying to do the back flip, Lance landed it but ended up stabbing himself in the thigh trying to catch the knife.)

[boyprinzessin]

coming back to this because it got some notes and I have still been thinking about it. id like to theorize some alternate formations to what canon did and also reply to people.

Killing Shiro

(tags from @scattered-winter)

slightly controversial opinion, I agree with this 100% (sorry shiro lovers that follow me, this opinion comes from a place of love). I think many people have valid criticisms about killing the only (intended) gay and disabled character and I agree with that should be considered, but the way they backtracked made his character a lot less impactful. I think the way to "make up for it" (I don't know how to better word it) would be to explore disability through the other paladins.

as for the burying your gays trope, I think having shiro getting married at the end was pretty nothingburger tbh and just further highlights the weakness of his writing. why the hell would they bring him back only to kill his boyfriend that actually had backstory??? I feel like very little was actually gained by keeping him alive and confirming his gayness.

also if you ever see me advocating for kl to become canon you can assume im being held at gunpoint bc regardless of whether I like the ship I think they're at the most interesting un-established. even though I prefer k/a, I don't think I'd want them canon either. a lance bi arc wouldn't hurt and I think addressing his obsession with competing with keith would make sense but also making him casually bisexual would be fine by me. no relationship needed.

back to shiro, I find kuron very interesting and the idea that shiro's consciousness was stored in the black lion when he died but like. the way it played out was an absolute mess. at the end of the day if I had to choose between a character living to the end or being well written, I'd choose well written. which shouldn't be a surprise considering I have other faves that are very very dead.

What to do with Keith and Allura

In my opinion there's only 2 options besides Shiro for the black lion: Allura and Keith. apologies to black paladin Lance truthers, while I see that could make a sick character arc, Allura and Keith have much higher priority for the position.

Even though I don't like Keith's role as the black paladin in canon, and I love him in the red lion, I think it could have been executed in a more satisfactory way and hope is not completely lost.

In theory the least disruptive way to replace Shiro would be to make Allura pilot the black lion and I'm a big fan of this option. I feel like she was set up in a weird role pre-swap where she was a leader but also stuck on the sidelines?? so she'd slot pretty well into the proper leader position and it would be a nice way to carry out her father's legacy and also take back control from Zarkon as the original paladin.

That being said, I do also really like her as the red paladin because it was Alfor's lion and she's just as impulsive and reckless as Keith. Keith being another Galra pilot for the black lion is also somewhat interesting but not quite as compelling imo. but I could be satisfied with either of them in Red or Black.

Full time Blade Keith??

I think the blades were so interesting as a concept but just. no. throws away so much development and completely disconnects him from the team.

I think his relationship with Shiro was/is also very important to the Voltron dynamic regardless if Allura is a paladin. as the oldest there's some disconnect between Shiro and the others and I think Keith's history with him bridges the gap and also fulfills a necessary role as someone scared for Shiro. as the leader and garrison's ex-golden boy it's easy to assume he knows what he's doing and he's always going to be okay but like, he's not.

I'd also be very much down for Allura and Shiro developing a closer relationship without her viewing him as a mentor figure like the other paladins, but I think Keith having a close history with him provides necessary substance to his connection with the team. Keith in general just has too much set up as an integral character to just ship him off elsewhere without maintaining a close relationship to voltron.

The Blue Lion

Listen. Lance was made for Blue. I do appreciate his development as the strategy guy and becoming a co-leader, but his bond with Red was just not all there. And I don't have any particular feelings about Allura and Blue tbh.

Co Pilots

Shiro & Allura

(tags from @alluraaaa)

I love this concept and I've actually seen it executed very well. Voltron: Duality by squirenonny. The only thing I worry about tho is all the aforementioned problems that came from backtracking on Shiro's death.

its not my first choice in writing AUs, BUT it's definitely something really interesting to explore and I like seeing other people's takes on it. I think it'd require it's own long post to dive deeper into so I'm keeping it short here.

anyway, that's my take. I still don't know what option I'd consider "best" cause I think they all have potential if voltron actually gaf about character development lol.

The lion swap drives me bonkers cause on one hand I think the og relationships they had with their lions were well written and they never felt as connected after the swap but also like. Paladin Allura…

I feel like I have no choice but to retire Shiro cause as much as I love him as a character I do think the fact he was meant to make way for the younger Paladins to take over is very apparent and it makes sense within the story. I don’t like that they planned on killing him off and I wouldn’t want to do that myself but if I had to make anyone no longer a paladin it would probably be him just because it makes sense narratively.

[like-wuatafauq]

How season 3 of Voltron actually went down.

Pidge: remember it is important not to look at the sun directly especially during an eclipse or you'll go blind.

Keith: *glances at sun*

Hunk: don't look at the suN keitH

Keith: *glances again*

Allura: don't do iT

Keith: *glances*

Coran: don't you dare Keith

Keith: *begins to stare*

Shiro: KeiTH DON't

Keith: *continues*

Lance: Keith, stop.

Keith: *stops*

[discordiansamba]

why aren't they allowed to let keith out of their sight. what is he going to do

Well take Keith's lack of impulse control and add in Lance's seemingly compulsive need to flirt, except personality scrambled Keith is good at it, and sprinkle a fine coating of 'Keith's dad is a man who made first contact in more ways that one' and you have a recipe for absolute disaster if you leave him unsupervised for too long.