#lion and paladin bonds

[astralarias]

Not to talk about Voltron in 2024 but the best thing was when they played Space DnD and Shiro was a Paladin, and when the game ended he was just like "I wanna be a Paladin again" because. Same. Shiro I love you I miss you and the showrunners did not deserve you.

[swagging-back-to]

seetttthing scalding hot take but honestly i feel no sympathy or theoretical sadness about altea being blown to bits. the few alteans we DO know are all assholes. clearly the universe isn't missing much. in fact, if you look at the only canon universe that DOES still have altea--- they go on to be just as bad as the galran empire if not even worse.

so yeah. maybe zarkon did the universe a small favor before he went truly off the deep end.

edit; just found out alteans destroyed Diabaazal long before zarkon destroyed altea. nothing ANYONE says can convince me alteans are anything *but* the real villain of the show. they got what they deserved.

[scattered-winter]

In an earlier post, you mentioned that you weren’t going to do any lion swapping in your VLD Rewrite.

So, I’m assuming the means Shiro also gets to keep his Bayard.

Do you have any ideas for what form Shiro’s Bayard will take?

I did say that, yea !! I've since played with the idea of maybe having some instances where someone else will pilot a different lion for Plot, but it won't be permanent, and it won't be the same as the Bond (tm) that the lion has with her paladin. but I digress <3

I have sooooo many thoughts about shiro's bayard <3 I've always LOVED the hc that his bayard takes the form of a shield so at the moment that's my primary idea, but I also think it'd be cool if he had a few alternate forms later on (in fact, I'm planning on giving Everyone a few alternate forms as they continue to develop their skills) and ngl ngl ngl I am thinking sooo so hard about polearms. so very incredibly hard.

[coolnonsenseworld]

Okay but what if the Lions also had cuddlers?? Big Red robot needs some cuddles

Big question........ do lions have emotions? Like when they waited all those years to be found, did they miss each other??? Did they get bored? Hopeless? Did they grieve their previous paladins? Did they talk to themselves and parts of souls closed within them? Because hell yeah that could totally make a hoard of Cuddlers

[oflgtfol]

whenever i think about voltron i get pissed the fuck off though like the way they treated shiro after s2 was nuts and they got away with it because nobody gave a shit all they cared about was klance and literally nothing else. Voltron show and fandom my beloathed. how you scarred me so

[jiveyuncle]

Keith keeps popping up in unexpected places.

He appears in the mirror as the scar on Lance's upper lip, acquired the time Keith shoved him down behind a barricade and the butt of his own rifle clocked him in the face. The move had saved Lance's ass, but it still hadn't stopped him from chewing Keith's ear off post-battle for “damaging one of the team's greatest assets.” What did stop him mid-rant, words grinding to a halt on his tongue, was the annoyed huff of, “Don't worry, you're still pretty.” For, like, half a second anyway, before Lance’s brain caught up and he realized Keith was being sarcastic and was definitely insulting him. Lance's hellraising started up with renewed vigor.

Keith appears in the boots that peek up at Lance from the squeaky cabinet of his wardrobe, left behind because Keith was too concerned about waking him the morning he headed out to pick up the Blade member that would eventually kill him.

He lingers in the seventh plate that sits empty at the set dinner table, the one placed there out of habit, then left there as they ate because getting up to put it away felt wrong.

He's in the long dark hairs Lance rolls over in the morning to find stuck to the bedsheets.

He's in the scuff marks on the training deck floor and the sweat that drips down Lance's temple as he increases the bot's fighting difficulty.

He's in the face of the Red Lion - the ship that solidified Keith's place on the team, the place it ended, the spot Lance has to fill.

And when Lance finally makes his way to Red’s cockpit out of his own volition, for Red’s sake, closing his eyes and reaching out to her to offer support in their mutual grief, he finds Keith, again, in the familiarity of the mind link. As Lance’s bond tugs Red’s consciousness to him, he feels her ghost over him. He lets out a shuddering breath. The connection allows the lions and their pilots to communicate and understand one another while also granting them the ability to sense their teammates when they’re bonded in their respective cockpits. It’s welcome - the shared connections are comforting during long flights and necessary in battle. Lance dreams of it when he’s asleep, launches himself from his covers when he feels Keith’s energy flow over him and twine with his, wonders why he never felt the connection break when a blade was dragged across his throat.

Then, Lance’s lungs constrict, freezing the breath halfway into his chest, and his fingers curl tighter around Red’s control arms. A phantom connection whispers along the hairs at the nape of his neck, a specific hum of energy he never anticipated feeling brush against his own ever again.

Blue eyes snap open to take in familiar grey ones staring back, heart seizing at the sight of a mouth set in that stubborn, concentrated frown that says less about its wearer’s emotional state and everything about the intensity of his focus. Slowly, the frown softens, and then turns up gently at the corners.

Keith sighs and leans back against the viewing monitors. “Hey.”

Dead Keith/Red Paladin Lance AU (Part 3/?)

So much of this story is not going to be told linearly and is mostly just a bunch of scenes that are fun for me, but this part felt necessary to share before I start bouncing around.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

You can now read this on AO3 as:

Empty Spaces You Left Behind

[electricsynthesis]

on allura's castle, keith was a valued member of a team. he was indispensable; the only person in a millennia to bond with the red lion. he is taught to never let himself be left behind, and to know that he is important

in the blade of marmora keith is given a (galra space equivalent) of a cyanide capsule and is told that if he is ever captured, to take it to ensure the knowledge he has is never in the hands of the empire. this is a great honor & is his burden

on allura's castle, he was encouraged to work with his teammates because they are equally as important as him. and as a result he isnt just valued as a soldier, but as a friend

in the blade of marmora keith is thrust into a culture where speaking for leisure is considered either deeply private or deeply unnecessary, at worst lazy

an allura's castle keith is taught mercy and diplomacy

in the blade of marmora keith is taught vicious pragmatism; leave no shred of the empire behind

and here's the thing: he's good at it. he's really, really good at it. he's better at being a blade than he is a paladin of voltron. blades are faceless, identities carefully hidden behind smoke and mirrors. paladins of voltron are a technicolor explosion; they are gunpowder and intimidation. paladins are expected to work as a team; blades work together insofar as it is for the mission. and keith is better at the faceless, vicious grind. and that makes him feel a certain type of way

[girlboypersonthingy]

could I request a very fluffy keith x reader headcanons where they're having a bonding moment (hehe, I cradled you into my arms) because they ended up on a planet during a mission and are waiting for rescue? you don't have to do this if you don't like it of course!

HELLO YOU ARE MY FIRST REQUEST ANON AND ILYSM 🥰 yes I love love love this idea. Also, i had a hard time writing this as headcanons so I decided to write it as like a headcanon/imagine hybrid kinda thing. I hope that’s cool… sorry I’m new to writing this stuff. ALSO this turned out so long I got carried away soRRYYY. Enjoy~

Ps: plz plz plz request more. Somebody, anybody? Thnx 💋

So…y’all are stuck on a planet where the atmosphere is mostly made up of sulfur so it’s not breathable for humans like you

Keith would be pacing non stop, trying to get in contact with the team. He’s so mad his face is nearly as red as his armor.

You are much less worried, knowing that brainiac Pidge would find y’all eventually

It was supposed to be an easy mission, just responding to a distress signal. You and Keith were sent together bc you two work really well together, but when the galra swooped in, you knew it was a setup to steal the red lion.

Of course, Keith took them all out but not without red taking a couple heavy blows

Red needed to rest now that the imminent threat had been neutralized. The lion fought hard without help from the others and would not respond to either of you…and Keith was not handling it well

“C’mon red! You’re gonna give up on me now?! Ugh, you really are the most temperamental lion! You’re such a brat…”

The tense but strong chemistry between Keith and his lion was always something that intrigued you. They really were meant to be.

He eventually gives up trying to talk to red, sitting beside you on the ground.

You and Keith weren’t really close but you trained together nearly every day and you physically complimented each other very well. You always had each others back.

Besides training, you didn’t see him all that much. He likes to skip meals and take late night showers. It’s almost like he’s been avoiding you for a while now

With you around, Keith is all bite and no bark. Sure, he’ll grab and push you around while training but actually having a conversation with you??? Hell nah. Keith no likey talking.

He usually corrects the others’ form and posture and gives advice when training with the them, but not with you. Instead he gives you a lot of thumbs up and small, proud smirks.

Whenever you try to talk to him, you’re lucky if you get any words out of him. Usually, it’s just hums of agreement or head nods.

You think Keith doesn’t like you or finds you annoying with how quiet he is around you

Not having the same armor as the paladins, you were finding your suit to be too thin for the climate on this planet. You were shivering.

Keith notices this immediately but stays still, unsure of how to help you. If he had his jacket rn, he’d totally toss it at you nonchalantly

And suddenly he’s grabbing your hand and pulling you off the ground and along with him.

“Where are we going?” He doesn’t respond, just let’s your hand go but keeps walking, expecting you to follow and you do.

He glances back to check that you’re still there and notices you limping ever so slightly. You’re trying not to let him see this bc you don’t want to piss him off more than he already is.

With Keith piloting, there was no where for you to be in his lion besides standing behind his chair. As he dodged attacks from the galra, you had been thrown around a bit.

He stops walking, making you nearly crash into the back of him.

He turns to you, refusing to even look at you before he sighs loudly. You feel guilty, not wanting to burden him with taking care of you.

“You’re hurt.” “No I’m fine.” “No, you’re limping.” “It’s fine, I can keep walking.”

He turns his back to you and just stands there, hands at his sides. You’re unsure of what to do or say until he looks back at you with a straight face.

“Hop on my back.” “No, Keith. I can walk.” “Just let me carry you.” “No. I said I’m fine. Really, I-“ He cuts you off.

“God dammit, (Y/N), you’re just as stubborn as red! You’re limping and you’re shivering and you’re lying to my face about it. I can tell you need some help, IM OFFERING YOU HELP. Now let me give you a lift to some shelter or SO HELP ME-“

You’re stunned, not because he was lowkey being an ass but because he’s never said so many words to you at one time.

Keith is the epitome of “if a boy is being mean or bullying you, it’s bc he likes you”

He’s talking to you like he was when he first found the red lion and was like “it’s me…Keith. I AM YOUR P A L A D I N.”

Mf is lowkey so mean to you sometimes but he’s not trying to be mean, you just make him feel weird and tingly inside and it embarrasses him and that makes him mad. He’s mad that he doesn’t know how to properly communicate with you without sounding stupid. He’s mad at himself, not at you tho

Dude just doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings

You hop up on his back, quickly wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. His hands grip the back of your knees and he trudges forward.

He carries you until he finds a small dim cave, hoping the shelter would keep you warm. He lets go of your legs without warning, making you slip off him. As you land on your feet, you hiss at the pain in your knee.

As he turns to you, you can barely see him but his face looks different now.

You can see his eyes are wide and his mouth is slightly hanging open

He never looks you in the eye and always has an annoyed and smug look on his face when you’re around. So seeing his face soften with concern and guilt for YOU made you freeze up.

“S-sorry.” He mumbles before holding out his hand to you. You’re confused like ??? What is this? What do you want me to do with this?

If there were more light in here, you’d see his face turning red as he’s stepping closer to you until you’re side by side. He slips his arm around your waist and gently lowers you to the ground.

As your butt meets the ground, you stretch out your leg and rub your knee, huffing in pain. Now that he knew you were hurt, no reason to act like you weren’t.

He sat along side you, your bodies still up against each other. He moves his arm from your waist to your shoulders, pulling you close.

Keith never touched you unless you were training together or you were in danger and needed his help so this physical contact with him made your heart go AFTHNJDFH ❤️‍🔥

The piggy back ride and the helping you to the ground were normal for him but him holding you close like this…omfg

Keith is slowly shutting down from embarrassment and nervousness. You can hear his breathing speed up as he’s praying that the others will find y’all soon or he might pass out

You lean into him, shivering still. His hand rubs up and down your arm in an attempt to warm you up.

Noticing that this isn’t working, he lets you go and scoots to sit behind you. He pulls you against his chest as he wraps his arms around you, your arms now pinned under his.

“Thanks.” You say to him before leaning back against him more, letting your head fall back on his shoulder.

Just as you’re getting comfy…

“Keith? Come in, Keith? Hello?”

You can faintly hear Shiro’s voice over the comms in Keith’s helmet. You tilt your head back more to look up at Keith’s face, he looks relieved but slightly disappointed…as if he didn’t want this moment to end so soon.

As he responds, he keeps his arms around you tightly, his hands gently rubbing your upper arms and you just cant look away from him now.

He held you against him for what felt like hours but it was really only like 10 minutes until Lance pokes his head in the cave, a loud “AAWWWW” coming from him.

Keith tilted his head back and let out a loud groan. Of all people to come save y’all…LANCE???

“They’re cold.” “Oh suuurrre.” “THEY ARE! Tell him, (Y/N).” “Yeah, I’m freezing.”

Lance flashes you both a snarky grin before Keith stands, pulling you up slowly.

“Then if it’s no big deal, I can carry (Y/N) back.” “No!” Keith responds quickly before he picks you up bridal style.

You’re surprised he can handle your weight in this position. Sure he was strong but piggy back would’ve been an easier option.

But you weren’t complaining…and neither was he ❤️‍🔥 (and Lance is lowkey like 🥹 as he follows behind you guys)

[kickis-conan-king]

I want a Voltron fanfic that uses the ideas of the “humans are space orcs” thing. Like why were humans of all creatures mystically chosen by the universe to be the paladins this time around when last time a different species entirely were assigned to each lion? Oh, I’ll tell you why. Humans are pursuit predators-they have perfected the kind of stamina required to hunt down a 10,000 yr old empire. As a species they managed to stick around long enough to evolve sentience not because of any particular advantage they hold over the rest of the beings on earth but bc of their sheer ability to survive. Good luck killing these guys, Zarkon. Humans are naturally primed to pack bond which is why these paladins are able to form Voltron immediately and it’s part of what makes them so dangerous. Earth is a planet of many cultures, unlike most of the planets seen in the show which for simplicity’s sake seem to have one planet wide culture. This exposure to so many different cultures makes them exceptionally good at forming alliances-perfect skill when leading a war effort. They are inventive, able to digest most anything, able to live through broken bones, and come from a hell planet. Evolution basically made the perfect kind of creatures to pilot the lions. The Alteans are also from a hell world but they developed things like shape shifting and super strength and quintessence sensitivity to beat it-humans didn’t do that. They did something else and it’s far more terrifying.

[echobutgirlypop]

me when Lance and Keith’s connections with the blue and red lions gives them a BOND *wink* *wink* that connects to their growth as characters. me when Lance and Keith’s discovery of the blue lion mirror Keith’s parents. me when Keith’s initial closed off persona opened up after meeting Lance and lances initial need to be a great pilot like Keith grew into a talent of supporting his crew (including Keith) and developing a role in which he can support the team without trying to one up someone else’s talent (sharpshooter instead of pilot), which set both of them up for their roles as the leader and his right hand man.

SO. Let’s start at the beginning. Lance, in attempting to find the glory he’s been failing to achieve, directly piggybacks on Keith’s plan in order to save Shiro because he could not come up with a plan of his own. These characterizations allude to the fact that…

1. Lance is incompetent in everything he’s tried up to this point. His dreams of being a legendary fighter pilot are crumbling around him because he simply is not naturally talented in flying planes. Of course, he could practice and work hard to improve, which he does later in the series (which we’ll talk about later), but after he became a cargo pilot, he decided he had nothing to offer. Consequently, he began to put up an overconfident front, really the only thing he excelled in. Confidence. Even though he had achieved fighter class, his overcompensating confidence prevented him from making sound decisions and overall improving as a pilot. Lance doesn’t trust himself to make decisions in a situation as important as saving his hero, so he used Keith’s already established plan to involve himself as a savior of his hero.

2. According to Iverson, the only major authoritative figure in lances life at this point, Lance is only a fighter pilot because Keith, the best pilot, had a discipline issue. Lance knows Keith as an amazing pilot that got him where he wanted to be. While Lance would rather do anything but have to work with Keith to achieve the glory he so desperately desires, he knows that since Keith is not loved by the garrison, so Lance can take more credit for the rescue. In lances mind, he got him where he wanted once, he can do it again.

Later, we learn about Keith’s investigation of the blue lion. He’s been trying to find this thing for ages and you know who magically reveals clues Keith has never been able to access before? LANCE. He enters Keith’s life and changes EVERYTHING. Keith’s search for the blue lion gave him a sense of purpose after losing Shiro and the garrison. Just before Shiro returned he sort of hit rock bottom in terms of that investigation. When lances connection to the blue lion guided the paladins to the blue lion, Lance helped Keith discover something new, something he had never seen before. Keith had been living the past few months or even years without doing anything meaningful or developing any meaningful relationships with people his age or discovering anything new. Lance brought a spark into his life, allowing him to use his talents to explore the stretches of space and help others. Yes, the other paladins were there when they found the blue lion, but no one was as connected as Lance and Keith to each other and the blue lion. Pidge and Shiro were more involved with investigating/informing others about the galra, not the lions. Hunk did absolutely nothing (ironic considering his character was never developed in the show to the extent of the others and was fairly useless to the team, unfortunately - he deserved better). If I remember correctly, it was Allura who said that the connection Keith felt to the blue lion was present in order to bring the paladins together, or rather Lance to his lion. Quite literally, the magical connection from keith and Lance to the blue lion (an exact match to lances personality at the time) helped both of them to discover themselves and live happier lives that ultimately brought the team and sort of the universe together???

When Lance became the paladin of the red lion and keith became the paladin of the black lion, their official roles within the team accurately matched the personalities and unofficial roles that they had finally gained through their character development. Lances early journey centered around learning he didn’t have to be the best pilot in the galaxy, but instead could be a pretty good gunman and a major support pillar for the team emotionally and tactically. The journey mirrored his transition from the “confident and friendly” blue lion to the “instinctual and fiery” red lion. The blue lion, said by the dreamworks team to be the lion most accepting of its pilots, typically paladins who it/she see potential in and intend to nurture towards growth. While the red lions descriptions don’t necessarily match lances personality because the descriptions were written to match Keith, its paladin must earn the respect of the red lion in order to pilot it/her. Once he becomes the paladin of the blue lion, the confidence Lance had been parading about became more rooted in his actual skills as he finds himself useful to the team with his sharpshooting abilities. By the time he takes up the mantle of the red paladin, Lance has matured in personality and skill, allowing him to act on instinct and match the role of Keith’s right hand man (HIS INVISIBLE RIVALRY TURNED INTO ADMIRATION AND LOVE). His acts for the team and universe have proved him worthy to be the red paladin.

Keith’s struggle with accepting his new role as the black paladin was displayed much more overtly in the show. Scared of losing Shiro again and feeling unready to lead a team after a life of isolation and struggle with people, Keith was extremely skeptical about becoming the black paladin. His journey focused on learning to work with as well as lead others and develop meaningful connections with his teammates. While keith piloted the red lion, he didn’t need to work with anyone because of the sheer talent him and his lion exhibited in combat and flight. However, Shiro’s guidance in forming relationships with his teammates helped him to use his strengths to boost the team. When he became the black paladin, keith had to officially adopt the role he had unofficially grown into through the bonds he made with the paladins and the tactical knowledge he used to guide the team. The “unstable” red paladin of the beginning of the show accepted and understood the importance of adopting a major leadership position, despite his own insecurities and fears.

Lance and Keith’s shared connection to the blue and red lions, their connection to shiro, and their willingness to reveal their deepest values and emotions to each other have established them as having one of the most powerfully bonded relationships in the series. Lance and Keith have been through a lot, but despite it all, they have always been devastatingly, meaningfully, and compassionately intertwined, to the deepest internal themes of their characters and storylines.

[erithel]

So In an alternate reality somewhere, if the writers of VLD decided, for whatever reason, make the klance ship canon, how would they write it? Or how would you have liked them to write it?

Oddly enough I actually have one very specific idea that has been in my brain since before season 8 aired. And I do actually feel like it would have fit in with the show, like canonically.

So, okay:

Shows like AtLA and Korra had a silly recap episode in their last season. And I had the thought "what if VLD did the same thing?"

The basic premise of the recap episode is Lance telling his family about everything that happened to them while with Voltron.

At first he starts out in his usual Lance manner - bragging a bit, putting on a show - but then as he keeps going, he starts to talk more seriously. He tells them about all the intense and scary stuff they went through, and he really starts to speak from the heart.

Afterwards we get to see his family's reaction - and they are all just... sitting there, staring at him.

And Lance is like "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

And Rachel (maybe) smirks at him. "Wow. You really must like that Keith guy, huh?"

And Lance is even more confused, until Veronica goes over to him and is like "Lance...you realize that 90% of what you told us was about Keith, right?"

Basically, as Lance is telling his family about their adventures, it turns into him recapping everything with this intense focus on what Keith was doing (and how it made Lance feel) - "Keith got my lion back" and "Keith says we had a bonding moment but -" and "And then he just left us, can you believe it?" and "Keith was in the Altean ship and he looked so different - bigger and cooler and handsome."

The episode would end with him having a realization of how much Keith actually meant to him - and the following episodes of the final season, we would get to see Lance fully coming to embrace the idea that he had always had these feelings for Keith. And all he needed was a bit of outside perspective to nudge him in the direction of what he truly wanted and needed.

And the thing is, it actually would have been really easy, because all they would have needed to do was continue what they started. There were so many moments in the early seasons that were alluding to something more between Keith and Lance.

And to start the show with Lance being a cocky womanizer and ending it with him actually realizing he was bisexual and he had found a much deeper connection with his former rival - chef's kiss.

Making klance canon would have been easy to write, and it would have explained why so many things focused on the two of them in ways that definitely did not feel just platonic. Why Lance was so depressed while Keith was gone. Why he was always so worried and, like, protective over Keith when he went off to do something alone and reckless. Why he went so far out of his way to watch the sunset with Keith. Why did they really pick each other in the game show? Why did Keith really leave the team after his "one paladin too many" conversation with Lance? Why a thousand more things that are slipping my brain right now.

I believe there were certain restrictions from the studios on what they were willing/able to show, but it's not like they had to explicitly show klance making out or something to prove they were together. If they had actually been able to canonically have klance be endgame, I think they would have ended it similar to Korra. Where Keith and Lance would just have a moment where they take each others hands and smile at one another - or something equally as subtle.

On a more personal "my particular vibe" note, I would have liked them to write it to include things like:

Keith going full on rage Galra, and Lance having to sword fight him back to himself

The two of them having a much needed emotional conversation - with yelling and crying - where they learned how close they both came to actually permanently dying.

Lance and Allura having an emotional conversation about how they wanted to be friends with each other - because that's equally as important as having a love interest.

Keith and Lance fighting back to back on the ground in a final, epic showdown.

Basically just overall more emotions and character interactions tbh

The thing that I think bugged so many fans - and why this ship/this show is still a sore spot for many people - is because they were building something that had to do with klance in the beginning, and they just didn't follow through.

But if they had just continued in the direction they were headed, I fully believe klance would have been canon because it would have been so easy to make happen.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 49

hello and welcome to fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

it's not enchanted without you by @adelfie

He rolls his shoulders back and shifts into his wolf form. He’s all dark fur and lupine when he raises his head again. Like this, he can match Lance’s height — head to tail. Not that it’s a competition. But still. -- In an enchanted forest, wolf shifter Keith and merperson Lance are best friends. They're not supposed to be. (Or, a cute kid fic in which Keith and Lance both have swishy tails and Shiro is Strict™)

could have sworn i recced this one already. anyways. this is SO CUTE, baby klance always is, but like the whole forbidden friendship trope is so....little keith dragging his friend along in a wagon so they can run together. weeping

2. what the deep night brings by @adelfie

Lance wakes up feeling uneasy and Keith comforts him.

cute klance piece. it's all anyone ever needs. keith being lance's comfort both because lance finds him comforting and keith wants to comfort him. SIGH

3. Gentron Day 2: Childhood Friend by sunshinehime

"Hey! Wanna play with me?" A simple question hangs in the air. The boy in front of him holds out his hand, blue eyes sparkling like the ocean on a sunny day. His wide grin reveals a few gaps where baby teeth used to be. He can barely look him in the eye and his old habit of stuttering his words rears its ugly head again. He expects the boy to get annoyed with him and leave in a huff. But it seems this day is full of surprises.

lance & hunk is so everything to me actually. and lance shamelessly flirting with hunk can be so personal. i just love them having the longest friendship known to man and literally being cosmically connected like they're so

4. fighting the surface by @tomminowrites

“Humans have shown quite the impressive drive for survival,” the Galra commander grins. “I want to see you fight against that. The druids claim drowning is quite the painful way to go." He tips Lance backward over the water, as Keith and Shiro struggle against their bonds. "If you surface, they die.” Lance’s eyes widen and he's pushed backward with a splash. ______ Keith, Shiro, and Lance are taken captive during a mission planet-side. The commander decides he only needs two paladins for interrogation, and decides to have a little fun while they wait for extraction. Lance is thrown into the deep with the threat that if he swims up for air, one of the other two will be shot. Obviously Lance would rather die than allow that. Later chapters will, of course, deal with Keith and Shiro losing their damn minds thinking Lance just drowned himself for them.

now this is a CLASSIC. truly. i remember talking about this fic out loud with a friend bc that was normal back then. god. anyways this fic was like THEE bamf lance fic for a WHILE and like the blue & lance dynamics are AMAZING. remember when water power lance was all the rage?? i do and so does this fic. lance shooting people between the eyes RIGHTS

5. Paladin of Water by SimplyVibing

"Well, say your goodbyes.” The Triq’en laughed and tossed Lance over the edge of the cliff. __________________________ In the middle of battle, the paladins realise two things : 1- Lance is very helpful in a fight. 2- There's more to which lion you pilot than they thought.

i will never ever in my life get tired of lance just absolutely tearing bitches up. power making him glow. just popping up from being half dead and going oh you thought you could actually kill me?? you stupid motherfucker?? try again

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[anonymouszephyrus]

If you could've made Klance canon, at what point would you have made them official?

At any point.

I'm kidding. I think around Season 5 or 6, with Keith's BoM arc. Maybe when Keith comes back from the whole Space Whale thing... remember when Lance was like "bigger, grizzled older brother" of Keith or something- I can definitely see him fanboying over Keith (like he always does, even if he doesn't admit it) but honestly

The idea of Lance being sad about Keith being gone for so long makes him realize he appreciates Keith's presence on the team, appreciates the "rivalry" between them, appreciates the quiet stares between them, appreciates when Keith goes to the training room at night and fills the silent air with tales of practicing and battle. He appreciates Keith. Keith, who he said he hated before. Keith, who he tried to ignore before. Keith, who was the red paladin, and now, Lance was the red paladin. Everywhere, even in the Red Lion, Lance thought of Keith. Everything reminded him of Keith. Keith. Keith.

I want the same thing with Keith too on the space whale. Him bonding with Krolia by telling stories of his friends, talking about Hunk's cooking, Pidge's intelligence and creations, Allura and Coran's heritage, Allura's strict but helpful nature, Coran's light-hearted way of breaking the tension, Shiro's leadership abilities and how he helped him before, Lance's... Lance. Lance being Lance. Lance being a flirt, Lance being a douchebag, Lance being the friend he never knew he needed, Lance being the reason he opens up a bit more to the team, Lance being the sharpshooter, Lance always having his back. Lance being his right-hand man when he was the Black Paladin in Shiro's absence. Lance. Lance. Lance.

[klance-dreams]

Oh, come on! I thought we bonded! Keith? Buddy? My man?

“My man...?”

Keith felt the words zip down his spine like lightning, warming him from the inside out. He felt the words settle in his belly like fire as heat bloomed across his cheeks.

Lance’s man?

Keith liked the sound of that…Liked being the one coming to Lance’s rescue, liked being able to banter with him—flirt with him, his mind whispered—or simply bail him out. It made him feel bold enough to say, “Can’t have it both ways, sharpshooter.”

Lance’s slow, “huh?” had Keith chucking.

“I said you can’t have it both ways. Am I your buddy? …or am I your man?”

If Keith couldn’t hear Lance sputtering over the comms, he’d worry he’d gone too far, but as it was he could practically feel Lance’s blush as he said “Keith!” almost as if he was winded.

“Better decide quick,” Keith murmurs. “I’m about to land.”

He could make out Lance muttering “oh my god” over the comms in a breathy voice. Keith decided to end the link before Lance could hear him laughing.

He was glad he had when he landed close enough to glimpse the blue Paladin, ass up, chained to a tree and took a picture for the sake of blackmail, obviously. Definitely not to keep for himself.

As Red and Blue settled down in the sparse terrain he could feel the lions chuff in amusement at Lance’s predicament.

“Hey,” Keith called out with a smirk as he walked up to Lance, casual and easy as you please.

He took his time, took in the pretty picture Lance made before gracefully sitting against the tree Lance was chained to.

“Just hanging out?” Keith asked dryly.

Lance snorted. “Oh, screw you man!” He flailed dramatically before resting his cheek on his outstretched arms.

It could’ve just been the rosy hue of the atmosphere here, but a Keith could swear Lance’s cheeks were dusted with a light blush at the red paladins attention.

“How does this always happen to you?” Keith asked (fondly), propping his chin up on an elbow as he met Lance’s eyes.

Lance sighed out one gusty sigh and thumped his forehead into the dirt. “You tell me. I guess I always wanna believe someone’s actually interested? Like interested in me,” he huffed in a self depreciating way. “And not just interested in the Paladin of a Voltron lion. But once again…” he quirked his lips and looked up, nodding toward his bound wrists.

Keith hummed. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” he said quietly as he moved over to break Lance free.

Lance sighed in relief and groaned as pins and needles assaulted his fingers in a rush.

“Thanks,” Lance said softly, pushing up and meeting Keith’s eyes—much closer than he’d anticipated. “Oh” he breathed quietly.

“Any time,” Keith murmured, eyes flickering between ocean eyes and sweet bitten-pink lips.

Slowly, Lance brought one hand up and pushed a lock of hair behind Keith’s ear, leaving his hand there against Keith’s cheek. Lips curving up in a smile as Keith leaned into the touch automatically. Lance let his eyes trace down to Keith’s generous mouth, feeling stuck there…

As if gravity itself was pulling on the both of them, their lips met in the middle in a soft kiss that surprised them both.

Keith gasped out a noise he might deny later, reached up a hand to keep Lance’s hold against his cheek and kissed him again.

When they broke apart, Lance breathed out, “Your man,” cheeks bright red.

“Huh?” Keith asked airily, head floating a little.

“You-you uh. Asked me earlier. If I was your ‘buddy’, or…”

“Oh,” Keith couldn’t believe his own ears, smile becoming blinding.

“Either way, I just wanna be yours.”

Lance leaned forward & pressed another kiss against Keith’s smile.

// transferring my twitter threads a little at a time 🥰 you can find the original post here: thread

[silentwillowwhisperer]

Galra Nose

Galran puberty is weird. That's the only way to describe it. While in human puberty one might hit a sudden growth spurt or experience unfortunate vocal changes, Galra puberty causes enhancement of the senses and more recognizable alien features.

Keith doesn't mind the drop in his voice or his glowy eyes. His heightened hearing is actually very helpful, and his sharpened fingernails can come in handy in a tight spot.

He only complaint he has is hitting puberty twice. Anyway, he learns to live with it.

Keith steps out of his lion and is instantly bombarded with the strong smell of flowers.

In their briefing, Allura explained that this planet is known for its beautiful gardens. The whole place is in perpetual darkness, but their are small spores that float through the air and give the plants the necessary nutrients to thrive.

Now that Keith has a chance to see it with his own eyes, he doesn't want to leave.

For some reason, the fragrance filling the air around him calms him. He feels like a warm blanket has been wrapped around his shoulders. He has a strong urge to run straight into one of the many meadows surrounding them and roll around.

No one else is having this reaction. Pidge's nose is bright red, and she sneezes every 10 seconds. "Allergies suck," she mutters at the other paladins.

Keith grins at her. He does it to comfort her, but she looks taken aback. After a moment Keith realizes that he doesn't usually smile that wide at his teammates.

He can't seem to help it, though. He has a small smile on his face all throughout their meeting with the planet's leader. He has never felt so safe before. The scent of plants fills his head and fuzzes his thoughts. It's pleasant, not having constant agitation buzz around his brain.

Lance sees his good mood and decides to test it.

"Hey, Keith. Whad'ya say we go check out those fields? Someone told me that we can run around all we want after this meeting is over."

Keith smiles contentedly and nods.

They finally get outside and Keith is the first to steak across the tall grass that blankets the ground.

Lance lets out a surprised, but happy, shout before chasing after him.

Keith trips over a rock or root, causing Lance to crash into him.

Lance braces himself for Keith to snap at him, to tell him to watch it.

Instead, Keith giggles. Keith flipping Kogane giggles.

He rolls onto his back and flings his arms out so that one of his hands rests on Lance's chest. Lance tries to hide his blush.

"I love this place. It smells like warmth."

The way he says it reminds Lance of a cat and catnip.

"You feeling okay, buddy? This is awesome, and I'm glad to see you lightening up a bit, but you don't sound yourself."

Keith's laugh rings out like a bell. Lance tries not to seem shocked, the only laughter he's ever heard from the red paladin is after winning a harsh battle.

"I've actually never felt better. I feel freed."

The glowing spores in the air are floating above their heads. They look magical, and bathe Keith's face in just enough light for Lance to study it.

His eyes are closed, and there's a quirk to his lips. His tensed posture is gone as he lays spread out across the ground here.

Lance remembers something Keith said once. They had been doing their weekly team bonding session, aka spilling all of you secrets 'for the good of the universe,' and Keith had mumbled that he is afraid of the dark. Allura stopped turning the lights off in his room after that, not understanding that she wasn't helping his problem.

That's not a problem here, because the darkness is broken by the spores' glow.

Lance's train of thought is interrupted by a low rumble beside him. He realizes with a jolt that Keith is purring. He's moving closer to Lance and purring. Keith curls into his side. Lance wraps his arms around the happy boy next to him.

Keith needs to be like this more often. Sure, he's clingy, but he's lost the biting edge to him, and it gives way to this softer side of him that Lance didn't know existed. He doesn't doubt that Keith could still take down an army, but this is proof that Keith isn't all rough edges and grime.

The team eventually find them. They see Keith's peaceful face and decide to stay a little longer. They all lay on the ground together and tell stories about Earth while Keith purrs.

It's a shame they have to go.

Everyone expects Keith to go back to normal, but he doesn't.

He sulks around the castle and refuses to speak to anyone, even Shiro.

It tears Lance's heart out. He wants to scream, Speak! Yell at me or insult me or purr again, anything!

But he doesn't he stays wilted and unresponsive.

They are going to change that, though.

The whole gang gathers in the lounge for a meeting (without Keith, of course). They don't have to worry about him finding them because he rarely comes out of his room these days.

"I think I know what's wrong!" Lance bursts.

"The planet had all of those plants. We already know that he's developing stronger hearing and sight, so it makes sense that his nose would change too. It think it's like catnip."

He's so dead serious that he can't even laugh at the image of Keith sticking his head into a bed of catnip that appears in his mind.

Everyone agrees, so they move on to problem solving. In an hour, they have a plan.

-

Keith has been training all day. He hates the detached feeling that fills his body, and he feels so useless. Everyone has been trying so hard to cheer him up, and he can't even find it within himself to thank them.

He sighs before ending the training sequence and heading back to his room. It has done little to clear his mind, but he has to at least try to fix himself.

He punches in the door code and immediately drops his bayard.

All over his room, glass terrariums sit on every surface. There are golden fairy lights strung up all over the walls, and bright glow stars are scattered across the ceiling.

The first thing that comes to his mind is magic. The other paladins have worked some form of magic and transformed his once impersonal, bare room into an enchanted hideaway.

The tears dripping from his eyes only intensify when he feels someone hug him from behind. He turns around to see the whole team smiling at him.

They all huddle into a a giant hug and have a moment.

Now, at night he doesn't fear the darkness creeping around him. The loneliness in his chest doesn't claw its way into his thoughts. The smell of alive things fills his nose and heart.

He finds new plants at every planet they visit to add to his garden.

Sleepovers are always in his room from then on.

Keith's family is the best.

[harukamitsuki]

Here's some non-controversial Voltron takes:

Admiral Sanda is a bitch

Hunk is an angel in disguise

Shunk is a great ship that needed more screentime

Season Eight was an awful mess

Shiro should have been the one to kill Sendak

Playing the Voltron formation sequence every single time was unnecessary and just wasted time

The elemental ascept was underutilised and I wish bonding with the Lions gave the paladins the element of the Lion

Allura should not have died