#without concern for the quality or heart of voltron

[dittolicous]

been thinking about voltron legendary defender a lot and how sad slash mad it makes me when people just blindly shit on it when like. the singular defining issue, imho, wasn't even a crappy fanbase, but in reality crappy running on the shows part, with constant out right and blatant lies and pandering from the show runners, speedrunning the series to maximize binge views and word of mouth, while butchering characters and plot-lines, and making both passive and active racist choices.

voltron could have been great, all the ingredients were there to be a good series like she-ra, but the show runners were trash and took vld down with them. they didnt just embrace the drama within the vld fanbase, they fucking emcouraged it with every choice and action they did. if any series desevers another shot, I'd say voltron is up at the top. it really did have potential, were it not for the runners. and to be all 'hoohoo haha votron fandom so stoopid' without acknowledging how the showrunners played on the drama makes me so fucking mad.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 205

205

Wolf. Human. Exhausted. Horny. Exhausted. Wolf. Exhausted. Human. Horny. Exhausted. For the next two moons, Keith was... very instinctual. Very, very, instinctual. He couldn’t keep his hands off Lance when he was awake, nor when he was asleep... Lance wasn’t sure what they hadn’t fucked on, only that thankfully they were locked away in one of the very many rooms of VOLTRON where no one ever seemed to go. Coran had skipped giving them a bed, instead they’d been gifted the use of what seemed to be some kind of storage room for ex-training equipment. Their “bed” a stack of old gym mats. Keith too horny to care about where Lance would sleep, and Lance kind of too horny to sweat the small details around the sleeping thing seeing he seemed to now have the talent for sleeping anywhere as long as there was a bathroom closish.

In the space of twoish days, they pretty much dissembled the room. Keith had boundless energy in his wolf form. Having him “work it off” during the day meant only one leg humping incident, and that was only very minor as Keith had been ashamed when he’d realised what he was doing. Trying to be proactive, it turned it to “How to train your werewolf fiancé”, with Lance building different obstacle courses for Keith to conquer and amuse himself with. No. He wasn’t above playing fetch with Keith... and Keith wasn’t above being bossed around if it meant head scratches for being a good boy. His fiancé mortally embarrassed to find that he’d walked all the way to Platt simply because he missed his vampire. Coran stepping in and giving them complete privacy for the duration of the moon, meaning no nagging from Shiro over Keith’s safety.

Still, Lance was happy to have Keith back to himself after the moon had passed. His boyfriend much softer and much gentler, taking into account that Lance wasn’t really feeling like having sex seeing how vigorously they’d gone at it during the few hours Keith was awake around lunchtime. Keith stupidly apologetic for his wolffish ways, with snuggles and pampering that Lance sorely needed. Despite ensuring him repeatedly that he’d be okay, Coran decided that they needed and extra few days with Lance resting and on fluids thanks to all the “mating” they’d done. Launching into a long story involving sex with a very persistent vampire queen who was set on wedding him, Lance completely mentally banned the word “mating” from his own vocabulary. He now knew how much of a kinky demon bastard Coran was, and he’d never be able to scrub the graphic descriptions of Coran being pegged from his mind.

Allura had been highly sympathetic towards the pair of them when she’d brought his precious Blue back. Her blue rhinestone collar had been replaced by a pink one with a little bow, obviously she’d been “pampered” by her aunt Allura and hated every moment of it. Cradled in Lance’s arms, she made sure to glare up at him, letting him know he was only allowed cuddles as she didn’t wish to be held by Allura or Keith. Lance felt as if he’d been the worst cat dad to his beloved princess. She not only had to put up with a vampire for a father, she also had to put up with a werewolf as her other father, and she was expected to rule her household with incompetent staff in his absence. Not that Lance would ever admit it, but he missed the days when it’d been him and Blue off on another adventure together. He missed taking her for her walks, and spoiling her rotten as she loved him simply for the fact he was the one who operated her wet food. He’d never tell anyone this, nor would he change how things were now, he just really missed Blue and everything crazy that came with owning a cat. Kosmo was bestest boy, but Blue would be princess forever.

Without a lot to pack, they nearly made it out of VOLTRON and into his bronco before Coran was calling Keith away. Kissing him on the cheek, Keith sent him on ahead, Lance trying to block out the conversation between the two men, not completely sure he wanted to know what was being said, but mostly out of privacy. Thanks to the talk, when Keith climbed behind the driver’s wheel, his fiancé seemed in a bad mood, Lance not pushing as he wasn’t sure he’d like the answer he’d get if he did. Still, they were finally going back home for the next two weeks, where he’d finally get a look at Rieva’s engagement ring, though he wasn’t supposed to know about it as he’d heard Curtis and Shiro being all mushy and no one had actually told him about it directly... or if they had, he’d forgotten it and thinking about that was far too scary a prospect.

*

Fucking fuck fuck. Keith knew that Lance knew that he knew that Lance knew he was angry. Fucking shitty vampires. Not Lance though. Never Lance. No. Fuck Lotor. Fuck Lotor and his big prick of an ego. Keith wasn’t sure what he wanted to hit, only that hitting the open road hadn’t calmed him down.

Okay. He was not the best werewolf. He was not the strongest, the smartest, the scariest, or even the biggest. His instincts had gone into overdrive over not being able to find his mate and he’d walked the whole goddamn way to Platt to find him. Not that he really remembered that night, but still... That was totally beside the point, because fucking Lotor was coming back. He was coming back and he’d oh so graciously volunteered to spar with Keith to hone his new skills before they worked on him shifting into a werewolf.

The wank stain couldn’t come back for Allura, noooooo. That’d be too easy. No. He had to come back right when Lance was nearing the end of his pregnancy and play some damn fictional hero like mentor to his dumb wolf arse. And Coran had picked right when they were finally heading home to drop this piece of news on him. All those times he’d wanted to punch Lotor in the face and restrained himself seemed for nought now he had to be nice to him. Yeah, he was grateful the vampire had “tried” to protect Lance. But there was absolutely no way he wanted another vampire cozening into his mate. Though it would have broken Allura’s heart, Keith would have been happy if Lotor just stayed away in Europe with those ridiculous suits of his.

Lance hadn’t said a thing. Keith didn’t know if he’d heard, or if his fiancé was simply trying to be polite. Knowing Lance, option two seemed the sure bet. He was too old and too fucking exhausted for Lotor’s shit. Then there were Lotor’s witches to think about too... The only useful thing in this situation Lotor could possibly bring with him was anything Honerva had on breeder pregnancies. Yeah, it’d be information probably too late, but if there were to be any complications, he’d rather know before hand so he could figure out how best to support Lance.

Home was a welcome sight. Blue bolting from the bronco the moment Lance had his door open. Matt and Rieva coming out to wait for the pair of them as Keith dragged himself out from behind the steering wheel. How was he supposed to tell Lance he’d have to make pretty much daily trips to Platt starting in three days time? He didn’t want to do that to Lance. He didn’t want to have to deal with sorting through Lenny’s files when he also had to cope with Lotor’s training. Ugh. Adulting sucked. Forced into a hug with the two werewolves, his ego made him growl at the pair. Rieva slapping him upside the back of the head as she scolded him for running off. He’d never be living that one down.

Inside, Hunk, Shay, and Krolia were waiting in the living room. Krolia holding back a very excited Kosmo who’s whole body was wagging

“Kosmo!”

Crouching down, Keith opened his arms, Kosmo bowling him over as he rushed at him, licking his face as Keith tried to push him down

“You’re a menace... yes, who’s a menace? You’re a menace!”

Chuckling at the pair of them, Lance sidestepped them. Keith mood instantly lifted by Kosmo’s pure joy at seeing him

“I’m not going to say a word... but if you’re going to cheat on me, I suppose you can cheat on me with our best boy”

Keith snorted

“As if I’m going to cheat on you... besides, Kosmo is best pupper”

“As far as I’m concerned you both are. Hey, guys. Got room on the sofa for a sleepy vampire?”

Lance had made it one to the sofa and into one of Hunk’s hugs before Keith managed to get Kosmo calmed down. Sitting on the floor, his idiot fur son was sitting between his legs. This was home. He was home...

“You guys didn’t have to come visit us”

Hunk had work and so did Shay, as did his who was clearly giving herself the day off. Kicking lightly vaguely in Keith’s direction, Lance then snuggled himself into Hunk’s side

“Says you. Don’t worry, Hunk, he’ll change his mind when he gets one of your sunshine cuddles”

“I have plenty of cuddles. I bet you’re happy to finally be released”

“Oh, man. You have no idea. I’m still tired as heck, but Coran said as long as I don’t start sleeping without eating, I should be fine to nap as much as I want to”

That wasn’t quite what Coran had said, but Keith didn’t want to be a nagging fiancé

“That’s great, dude. I’ve gotta say, you all had us worried when you ended up there again”

“It’s like a second home by now. Plus I got some quality time with my gremlin, which was nice. Now I’m looking forward to having a bath and sleeping in my own bed...”

Hunk chuckled as Lance closed his eyes

“I’m glad my shoulder makes a good alternative”

“Mmm. You have great shoulders. And great arms for hugging. You’re the best cuddly Hunk in the universe”

“Aw, Bud, you’re not too bad yourself”

“I know. It’s my gift and my curse. Anything new to report while we were gone?”

“Ummm... Shay and I are looking at renting a place of our own”

Lance shot up, beaming as he wrapped his arms around Hunk

“I’m so happy for you guys!”

Keith was happy for them too, supposing he was being a tad anti-social staying on the floor rather than getting up and sitting in one of the recliners. He couldn’t let his Lotor problems bring the mood down

“That’s great, guys. Are you going to house share with Pidge or are you striking out on your own”

Shay giggled, Keith assuming she was happy to talking about it, otherwise her giggle made no sense

“Oh, definitely on our own. It just feels the right time. You guys are having twins. Matt and Rieva are engaged. Work’s been going really well, plus our parents both want to chip on the bond... I don’t think Pidge would like living with a couple...”

Keith noticed the way Lance’s smile wobbled. He’d mentioned that Pidge had been kind of feeling down about her friendship with Hunk drifting. People grew and changed, it sucked but it was a fact of life, and unfortunately for Pidge she was surrounded by couples. Matt came up behind him, ruffling Keith’s hair hard enough that it felt like his brain was being shaken

“Don’t worry about, Pidge. She’s been coming home from work to crash here. She’s never been one for love. All the kisses and the cooties, she’d rather be coding”

Matt only served to make Lance frown, he must have set his ego off

“Pidge is perfectly fine the way she is. I’ve already told her we’ll start looking for somewhere nice sufficiently haunted once the twins have come”

Hunk groaned deeply at Lance

“Man, you’re not still going to go ghost hunting, are you!? This is change to get out of going to creepy buildings in the middle of the night”

“Someone’s got to keep our little Pidgeon safe. You know how over excited she gets”

“But, dude. I’ve got grey hairs... I’m getting grey hairs thinking about going back”

Lance and Hunk would never fight, but Lance had said Pidge was upset. His fiancé would do whatever it took to make her happy again... and Lance did have a point about Pidge needing a babysitter... aaaaand Pidge chasing after ghosts was a hell of lot safer than her pursuing her interests in werewolves and vampires

“I don’t mind. I mean, I’ve already been there before and it wasn’t that bad”

Lance nodded quickly

“See! The gang is totally getting back together, even Keith agrees it’s going to be just like old times again. You split up the band”

“Yeah... but that... I mean, we know it’s real now...”

Matt chimed in with a scoff

“Yeah, really mostly explained by science”

Lance didn’t take too well to Matt’s unwanted addition to the conversation, snippy in his retort as he moved himself to shoot Matt a deathly scowl

“Ghosts are real. I know you werewolves don’t see them like vampires, but they’re there. They’re not something to just go poking out. If Pidge wants to go, I’m going with her”

Matt released Keith’s head, Keith feeling the fellow werewolf’s ego flaring. Matt had no right to be shitty towards Lance wanting to be there for Pidge

“Dude, you can’t let her boss you around forever. There’s a time for moving on”

“She’s not bossing me around. At the moment this is what she’s into. Running around the occasional haunted place was kind of fun. She’s fun. Yeah, death feels absolutely horrible. Shadows on the edge of your vision. Body so cold your breath comes out in puffs of condensation. But it was fun. Watching how into it all is fun, and when she started making connections in her cases I couldn’t have been prouder at the time and effort she’d put in. I want to be there and I want to support her. Yeah, she took her job at VOLTRON because she was already a firm believer in the paranormal, but she also did it so she could understand us better. Forget it, I’m getting cranky and we all know that’s Keith’s job, isn’t it, babe?”

Keith had wisely kept his mouth shut, yet he had been cranky all morning and Lance was owed an explanation

“Lotor’s coming back”

Maybe a better explanation than that. Keith cringing at his own bluntness. The cringe turning into a wince as Matt yelled, hurting his ears

“What?!”

Unhappy about his sore ears, Keith huffed

“You don’t need to fucking yell about it. I’m going to be training with him in Platt starting next week. Coran dropped it on me this morning as we were leaving”

Casting his gaze entirely to Lance, Lance smiled at him, rather looking freaked out like Keith thought he might. Cocking his head, Keith was confused

“Babe?”

“He’s... well, he’s him. But I think it’ll be good for you”

What?! No. Lance was supposed to support him staying at home... or maybe even say he wasn’t ready seeing he’d only been through two moons

“How is this a good thing?”

“You need someone to help you hone your skills now you’re a werewolf. You already hate him, so you’ll also get a lesson in how to rein your ego in for when you go hunting actually bad vampires. Plus, you don’t have to worry about hurting Lotor seeing he’s already dead so you can go all out”

Lance and his damn ridiculous logical approach

“But it’s Loturd...”

Whining only earned him a chuckle from Lance

“I know. I’m going to have call Allura later and scold her for not telling me about it. She’s supposed to be my adopted sister and she kept her mouth shut”

“Maybe she can distract him so I don’t have to put up with him?”

“Or maybe I’ll come along and kick your arse if you’re not training. He’s not my first choice of teacher, but I do think you need someone right now, and until I’ve given birth, I can’t help you train”

“You know I hate it when you’re right”

“But you love me”

He couldn’t argue with Lance’s logic there either

“I do. I don’t really want him and you in the same place”

“Babe, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m might be fat, but I can break through an ego now. He tries anything funny and I’ll neuter him”

“Not if I get there first”

If Lotor so much looked in Lance’s direction, Keith would kill him. Lance was his mate and as painful as it was, vampires probably belonged better together than a werewolf and vampire. Lance might not have any feelings towards Lotor... yet Keith couldn’t keep his jealously at bay. He deserved to be fucking happy, no matter how selfish it was, until he’d worked out how to interact with Lotor, Lance wouldn’t be going anywhere near him.

Shooting him double finger guns, his fiancé was trying to make him happier

“That’s my boy. Now, I don’t know what you’ve all got planned, but I want to take a bath. Growing babies is exhausting. Your amazing shoulder is going to have to wait, Hunk-a-roonie”

“That’s okay, Bud. We only really came to see that you guys got back safely. We’ve actually got a house viewing at 12 o’clock, so we’d better head out. It’s so good to have you guys home”

Lance smiled at Hunk

“It’s good be home. Don’t forget, you’ve got a team of werewolves to help you move. I’m happy to volunteer them”

“Yeah, we’ll keep that in mind. Right, we’ll see you guys later”

Leaving them, Keith dragged himself off the floor and into the space Hunk had vacated. Matt leaving them to join Rieva in the kitchen where she’d been making lunch before they’d come home. Lance not moving for this bath he wanted, instead kissing Keith on the cheek, before snaking his arm around him with a content sigh

“No bath?”

“Not yet. Honestly, I feel really bad, but I keep thinking about Pidge and it’s setting me off”

“Why don’t you invite her over?”

“I’ll send her a message. I used to get jealous over how close she and Hunk were, but we were always the “Garrison Trio”, you know. I know I can’t cling to the past, but it hurts that she feels on the outside”

Nosing into Lance’s hair, Keith nodded

“I know that feeling, but she’s got us and she’s got all our other friends. We’ll make sure she’s okay”

“I know. Babe, I know you’re upset about Lotor. If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out. Both of you have egos and sometimes you’re just not compatible with someone. No matter what, I’m proud of you”

Hauling Lance up into his lap, Keith hugged his fiancé tightly

“Thanks. I’m kind... pissed off, but this is for the best, right?”

“Yeah, babe. I want you to finally feel safe as a werewolf and think this is a really good step. You’ll always have me in your corner”

“I’d rather have you in our bed”

Lance groaned at him, slapping his arm lightly

“That’s enough, Casanova. If I spread my legs anymore, they’ll fall out”

“We can’t have that. I love your legs”

And Lance’s arse... and his tummy... and pretty much every single bit of him...

“I know... God, it’s so nice to be home”

“Yeah, it really is”

[wftc141]

Voltron: Global Military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit-Chapter 9: Kingfish

1300 Hours

02/13/18

Goiânia, Brazil

While the analysts continued to go through intel on Sendak's location, the Voltron Lions spent the rest of the night at a local pub for some quality time together. Lance, Hunk and Keith competed against each other in pool while Pidge watched with her glass of Coke. Hunk however stopped the entire game with a story of his life when Lance asked him.

"So you're saying you set off a fire bomb during senior high?" Lance repeated.

"Yep," Hunk answered. "My stupid ass thought it was a good idea to light a firecracker with spray paint in the bathroom. I was a firework enthusiast back then. I ended up with a three day suspension but somebody from the Army was impressed about it and recommended me to the military. So I took that offer after graduation. Got into the EOD for a couple of years before I joined the Rangers."

"That's one way to get noticed."

"So, how many bombs did you defuse while you were in the army?" Keith asked.

Hunk paused for a moment while his eyes remained fixated. Lance lifted his beer to his mouth and took a swig.

"Well...I would say 50 and during my time with the Rangers...250."

Lance suddenly spewed his drink out, spilling it onto the pool table. Other bar goers glanced at them in confusion while Keith and Pidge were equally surprised.

"250 bombs?!" Lance blurted out.

"Holy shit, dude." Keith muttered.

Hunk chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. While we were on tour, there was this Taliban, don't remember his name. Had a record of planting and detonating IEDs on Afghan troops, including a Blackwater patrol. He planted one next to where me and my unit were while we were on overwatch. I managed to find that bomb and disarm it. And that was not all. When me and my team evacuated from the building we were in, the guy was stupid enough to check on his IED. Once he got there...let's just say he now knows what it feels like to get blown up by his own bomb."

The team already surprised and astonished than they usually were. Lance in particular was confounded and invested for more.

"Yo, that was pure badassery," Lance said, pointing at Hunk with his beer. "You gotta tell us more while we get some more drinks."

Lance and Hunk moved away from the pool table and headed for the bar, leaving Keith and Pidge by themselves. Keith watched as Lance slapped Hunk's back, laughing his head off.

"Wish we had him in our Battalion." Pidge commented, grabbing Keith's attention.

"Yeah but you forgot our C.O was an asshole and would probably be less welcome about Hunk." Keith replied.

"If he saw what Hunk did, he'll probably piss himself and would rather hand his leadership to him."

Keith nodded, silently agreeing before looking away.

"So, how's things with Lance?" Pidge's asked.

"Hm?" Keith glanced at her who was smirking in a teasing manner, in which Keith wasn't fond of.

"You two seem to be getting along really well."

He sighed and looked away once again. "Yeah...he's alright."

"Oh my goodness. It is true! Keith Yeun has admitted that he likes Lance!"

Keith was unable to control his smile before letting a chuckle slip out of his mouth. "Stop."

They went at it for a moment before calming down. Keith then glanced at Pidge's who took a sip of her drink. There was something he wanted to ask. Tensions with NATO is potentially going to escalate if nothing's done to persuade them in withdrawing their decision to shut them down. But Keith felt like there were ulterior motives inside, besides their experiences.

"What's your opinion on NATO?" He asked.

Pidge lowered her glass, sighing. Her eyes gazed forward without a glimpse on Keith.

"We've made some mistakes but that doesn't mean Voltron should be to blame for," She answered, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Either NATO's scared or they just don't trust us."

"Makes sense. Hopefully it won't come to this and they'll allow us to go after the real enemies before more casualties arise."

"Amen to that."

Suddenly, Keith felt his pocket buzz. It was another text message to report back. He got his phone out and read the message before looking at Pidge's who also received one too. They both finished their drinks and headed for the door, alongside Hunk and Lance who had just paid for their drinks. One part of Keith's mind thought that the meeting would be bad news but they'll have to see for themselves.

1320 Hours

The team arrived at the hideout where Shiro and Allura were both waiting for them with Colbert accompanying them. They took the seats allocated for them, facing the board full of intel and pinned photographs. Once they were seated, Allura began her briefing.

"We finally have confirmation on Sendak's whereabouts," Allura said. "The satellite pictures we were provided has found him at the favelas in Rio de Janeiro with his Galra forces where a local militia is assisting them."

"What is this, Modern Warfare? Are they taking it straight off the game or somethin'?" Lance asked.

"Dunno," Colbert shrugged. "That part of the slums is a haven for shady business and organizations as there's no chance you'll find a good place for cover. The locals who live there may join the fight too and eventually vanish off the surface. This militia isn't a bunch of thugs. They're trained killers. They were responsible for multiple murder counts and all that bad shit for the past ten years. It's been giving the military a headache in dealing with them, especially with the casualties they suffered."

"The BOPE were more than happy to lend support and they will be taking point to lead us to the militia's district. We'll need to be quiet on this because the militia does use locals as spotters."

"What about the situation with NATO?" Keith asked.

Everybody turned to Allura and Shiro who were silent. There was still nothing they could find or hear from as of yet.

"We're still working on that," Shiro said. "For now, our mission is bringing Sendak in."

The team began to file out of the room, leaving Shiro and Allura together.

"Hopefully Coran and his analysts know what they're doing." Shiro commented.

"I'm sure they're getting to the bottom of this," She replied. "We just need to bring in Sendak and then we'll focus on the rest."

"You're right."

Allura glanced at Shiro who looked as though he was concerned about something.

"Will you be alright?" Allura asked.

"I will," Shiro answered. "We just have to reach him before he does anything else."

1333 Hours

Coran hung up on the phone and let out a sigh. The damp, lukewarm air floated across the room with the ceiling lights barely bright. The others were already getting themselves ready for another operation that isn't NATO-approved yet a worthy risk. Coran can hear the keyboard tapping near him where Gold was.

"Sir," Gold suddenly called out. "I'm in the servers."

Turning around, he approached Gold who was fixated on the bright screen.

"You're in?" Coran asked.

"Yep, only got a short period of time before they find out who's snooping around."

"That's all the time we need."

Gold began to tap away. Coran watched the screen as he scrolled and changed tab by tab. His experience with the Intelligence Corps and Interpol did pay off after all. Gold was one of those focused and dedicated people Coran knew back in the day. Although he maintained an easy-going attitude outside of work, Gold was quite the magic when Coran first met him. Shortly, Gold stopped typing.

"Found it, sir." He said.

Coran leaned over for a closer view. The screen showed several files inside a folder involving Voltron. There was a lot of files which could contain something useful. Coran ordered him to get the files copied and Gold was already on it. He continued to tap on the keyboard, getting all the files in their drive.

"What is Codename Osiris?" Gold asked.

Coran leaned forward and looked at where the cursor was on. There was a file document titled 'Codename: Osiris'.

"That was the name of our mission in Prague…" Coran muttered before shaking his head. "I don't think it matters. Just get everything copied and we'll sort them out later."

Gold nodded while seemingly disappointed about the response. As he got on with his job, Coran couldn't help but wonder about the operation in Prague. Was there something off behind the reason for the operation?

0700 Hours

02/14/18

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Voltron team were immediately greeted with the bright, golden sunrise from the distance as soon as they got off. Dressed in full combat gear to match with their fellow BOPE soldiers, they followed the nine-man team taking point through the cramped streets. The BOPE seemed to know more about the favela more than Voltron does, taking them through areas that aren't usually open to attacks. But the team as always, was accompanied by their recon drone hovering above them with thermal lens.

The streets were eerily quieter than usual, as described by their team leader Cardozo. The shops and houses were barred shut and the windows were pitch black. Shiro glanced around the empty pathway they were on while still keeping his guard up. He couldn't help but feel as if they were being lured into a trap. No favela would be this quiet, even for a place that is infested with armed killers. But the locals at this time would still be fast asleep. Shiro briefly glanced at Keith who was beside him sharing that unsettling feeling.

As the team moved forward into the darker area, Shiro looked up to the rooftops where the buildings cut the sun off. He could feel his heart pacing but he had to keep calm, no matter what.

"You think they would be nice to offer some breakfast? Cos' I'm a little starving." Lance whispered, tugging his shirt collar.

"Santos, focus." Shiro replied.

The team continued to walk down the path in the midst of dead silence. They felt like prey walking into the den of the predators. Something was already off. But they couldn't tell what it was. Once they reached another street, everybody's comm buzzed.

"Lions and Apex 5, you got contacts above you from both sides!" Allura warned.

By the time they heard the news, gunfire erupted from above like a supercell. Everybody was dashing for cover, even though there was not much to hide from. The team lost two BOPE soldiers to the militia. Shiro dived behind an old truck with Cardozo as bullets hailed against it while the others are scattered around the street.

"Seriously? No breakfast?" Lance joked through the gunfire.

"Not now, Lance!" Keith replied.

Shiro risked a peek through the windows to count about a handful of militants with Soviet weapons on each roof before firing back. He managed to shoot one of them trying to load an RPG, causing it to discharge and blow up the entire roof he was on alongside the militants near him. Debris began to scatter around the street and the team began to fight back. Shiro quickly changed mags as Cardozo approached him.

"My men will stay here and hold these Filhos da putas off! You go find the target!"

"Got it," Shiro nodded. "Lions, fall out on me! Apex 1 will stay and hold these guys off!"

The team began to cross the intersection and headed down the alley as the gunfire behind them continued to rumble throughout the favela. They advanced down the narrow hill while reloading their weapons.

"Zero to Black Lion, Kingfish is at the red building near the soccer field southeast."

Shiro said into his comm. "Copy, Zero. Out."

As they reached the alleyway, a loud crack from a distance erupted and Keith fell backwards. Sniper fire. Shiro and the group quickly took cover as another shot went for them, hitting a car windshield nearby.

"Keith!" Pidge's called out.

He was still clinging to his chest where he was hit, gritting his teeth to the pain. Keith was not to move so the sniper wouldn't focus on him. He could still feel the 7.62 round to his plate carrier. All he could do was cough out short, detached breaths. Shiro noticed Keith reach for his comm.

"Sn-sniper...400 yards front...sc-scope flash from the center window of the blue house."

Shiro glanced at Lance who was immediately on it. He positioned his HK416 with the sniper scope on the car he was hiding behind and scoped out for the sniper. He calculated his shot for 3 seconds before pulling the trigger. The flash from the window disappeared and he noticed the rifle fall off the window.

"He's down!" Lance called out.

The team got out of cover and quickly set up a perimeter around Keith. Shiro and Hunk kept watch while Lance and Pidge checked on Keith.

"Keith you good?" Lance asked, lending him a hand.

He didn't hesitate to grab it, although his chest still hurts. "Yep, thanks for that."

Shiro approached Keith and checked his plate carrier for the bullet wound.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

"Its okay," Keith assured, tapping the bullet area. "Only hit the plate. Nothing fatal."

Shiro nodded, relieved of his safety. Without wasting anymore time, the team continued their way to Sendak's location.

Allura tapped into Shiro's group after watching the feed of them taking cover from gunfire.

"Zero to Black Lion, status report, over."

"Black Lion to Zero, Red Lion was hit by a sniper round but the shot wasn't fatal. Heading towards the location, over." Shiro replied on comms.

"Copy Black Lion. Out."

Allura then changed channels to the BOPE team. They were still covering fire for the Voltron team.

"Zero to Apex team. Status."

"This is Apex 5-1, we're still holding position and covering for Lion team!" Cardozo said over the firefight. "We're still going to hold as much as we can, over!"

"Copy, Apex. If you're taking any casualties pull out immediately, over."

"Copy. Apex 5-1 out!"

Once the feed was cut off, Allura stepped back and sighed deeply before glancing at Colbert who was still controlling the drone.

"I hope your team completes this mission, Major." The BOPE captain said.

"I hope so too, Captain." Allura replied.

There was silence in the room other than distorted gunfire. Then, Shiro's comm buzzed.

"Zero, this is Black Lion. We have finally reached the building."

Shiro breached the door into the house. After a quick sweep with a group of militants down, Shiro advanced up the stairs with the rest following him. They stacked up behind a closed door and after a countdown, Lance stepped forward and kicked the door down and the team stormed in with weapons raised. As predicted, Sendak was inside but surprisingly, he was sitting at a table with a tea set unfazed by their intrusion.

"DON'T MOVE!" Lance yelled.

"Now, now, boys. No need for the hostility." Sendak said and stood up with both of his hands raised. "I surrender."

Shiro approached Sendak up close. He was already feeling that urge to act up and do something horrible to his face after all those years Sendak put him in. Those scenes were vivid. Shiro could immediately picture his fallen comrades' bodies and Sven… he deserved something worse. But he knew better than to let his anger take control, especially after what happened back in Al-Khor.

"Nice to see you again, Commander Shirogane." Sendak said, giving him that smirk. It was enough to drive someone mad.

"Keep your mouth shut and maybe you'll see the sunrise again." Shiro hissed.

He pulled him away from the table and cuffed his hands. Once he was fully secure, Shiro tapped into his comm.

"Black Lion to Zero," he said. "We have Kingfish. I repeat, we have Kingfish, over."

[songsforfelurian]

Heith Fic: Deep Pressure

Hi all! I got so many notes on my previous post that I decided to branch out and start a smaller piece focusing on Keith/Hunk! I’m guessing it will be 3-4 chapters total. I’m going to keep the rating at Mature for the bulk of the story, and then consider doing an Explicit add-on, depending on the level of interest.

Quick warning... Keith has self-deprecating thoughts about his issues with physical touch, so if that sort of language bothers you, please exercise caution.

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender

Relationship: Hunk/Keith

Additional Tags: Keith has a sensory processing disorder, Hunk gives tolerable hugs

Words: 4398

This chapter takes place during Season 7, Episode 9: Know Your Enemy. Read it under the cut, or over on AO3!

“Hey, Shiro? Hold up, a second?”

Keith caught up with Shiro, Pidge and Allura on their way out of the massive hangar that housed the Atlas. The room was buzzing with activity, but Keith could sense the stillness of the ship, the eerie silence of a powerful thing deprived of its purpose.

“Hey, Keith.” Shiro spared him a strained smile. He told Pidge and Allura to go on without him, then turned his attention to Keith, maintaining eye contact in a way that let Keith know he was really listening.

He made a mental note. He’d always known that Shiro was a talented leader, but he hadn’t always paid attention to the particular qualities that made him one. Not until recently, anyway. Not until he’d started worrying about trying to become one, himself.

“I’m worried about Hunk,” Keith told him. “That briefing was brutal. Lance and Pidge are coping because their families were here waiting for them, and… well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hunk lose his cool, like that.”

Shiro nodded. “What do you think we should do?”

“Well… I think someone should go talk to him.”

“Mm. Yeah. Someone should.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Keith caught his meaning.

“Me?”

Shiro raised his eyebrows. “Why not?”

Keith shook his head. “Bad idea. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“You noticed he was upset. You know what’s bothering him. I’m sure you can figure something out.”

“But-”

“Keith.” Shiro put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, applying the perfect amount of pressure. It had taken patience, practice, and trust on both sides, but eventually, Shiro had come to understand and navigate Keith’s challenges with physical touch. “You’re learning how to lead them in battle. You have to learn to lead them when they’re grounded, too.” He flashed him a smile. “I know you can do it. Just give it a try.”

Keith gritted his teeth. Shiro always knew how to give him a mission, a goal to pursue. He didn’t take no for an answer, and he didn’t entertain any of Keith’s doubts.

Keith just had to figure out how to measure up.

He found Hunk in a workshop down the hall, venting his frustration on a piece of equipment he couldn’t readily identify. Hunk was obviously distressed, and Keith briefly considered making an excuse and ducking out of there – what good could he possibly do? – but he remembered what Shiro had said, and he resolved to give it his best effort.

“Look,” he told Hunk, “I’m not really good at talking with people, and I don’t expect you to open up to me, but if there’s ever anything on your mind-”

He stopped, listening carefully as Hunk launched into a rant, venting his fears and frustrations. Keith had always thought of Hunk as an optimist – sometimes, to a fault – and he grew increasingly more concerned at the hopelessness he heard in Hunk’s tone as he talked about his family, and about the loneliness he felt.

Keith knew what it was like to feel hopeless. And he was no stranger to desperate loneliness, either.

He thought about all the times Shiro had pulled him back from the brink. Shiro always knew what to say, always knew exactly what Keith needed to hear in order to keep moving forward.

He always knew how to give Keith a mission. Maybe Keith could give Hunk one, too.

“Look, Hunk,” he said. “I never told you this, but of all the paladins, you’re the one I’m most impressed by. It’s no secret that you’ve always been the most scared, but… you’ve never backed down. Never. And to be brave is to go on in spite of fear, and that’s who you are, Hunk.”

Hunk was looking back at him, wide-eyed and attentive. This was good. He was on the right track.

“I know you’re scared,” he went on, “but your family… they need you to be strong, right now.”

Hunk looked down at the floor, and Keith felt a pang. Was it too much? Too blunt? Too personal? This was a terrible idea, he had no idea how to comfort someone-

His musings were cut short when Hunk threw his arms around him and hugged him tight.

He felt his limbs go momentarily rigid, his typical response to being touched without warning. But then he felt himself relax, felt an involuntary smile spread across his face. The pressure was good: just the right amount, firm and calming and-

And then it was gone, and the loss of it was more grating than the initial shock of it had been.

Hunk was walking away from him.

“Where are you going?”

Hunk gave him a determined look.

“I’m going to get my family.”

Keith smiled. They both had a mission, now.

“Not without me.”

  “Keith?”

“Yeah, man?”

Keith had been about to swipe himself into his quarters back at the Garrison barracks, but he paused to take in the serious expression on Hunk’s face.

“I guess it was pretty risky, going to see my family, like that.”

Keith nodded.

“Worth it though, right? Now we know where they are. We know they’re okay.”

“Well, yeah, but I meant… why did you come along? You didn’t need to do that. We could’ve gotten in so much trouble…”

Keith scrambled for an answer to the question he’d been asking himself all night.

“Well… you’re my friend. I was worried about you, and… I mean, I want to save them, too.”

Keith’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. Hunk’s lower lip was trembling, like he was about to cry again, and Keith wasn’t remotely prepared to cope with that scenario.

“Besides,” he went on, hoping to steer the conversation back to safer territory, “the last time they threw me out of this place, I got promoted to Paladin of Voltron. I doubt they’ll try it again anytime soo- hngh-”

Every cubic centimeter of breath rushed out of his lungs as Hunk caught him in a crushing hug. He dug the heel of his hand into Hunk’s shoulder – too much too much too much – and Hunk loosened his hold, though he didn’t let go.

“Sorry, man. Too tight?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this better?”

Keith battled his flight response, forcing himself to examine the sensation objectively. It was something he’d practiced with Shiro and, eventually, a therapist, once he’d grown tired of flinching every time someone laid a hand on his arm or tried to shake his hand.

It was better. Hunk had stumbled onto the perfect amount of pressure, almost effortlessly. Keith felt his anxiety level plummet, felt himself leaning against Hunk’s chest, felt his arms sliding around Hunk’s shoulders of their own accord.

“Yeah. It’s… better.”

Hunk’s chin was resting on his shoulder.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Sure, man.”

Keith let his chin rest on Hunk’s shoulder, too.

The moment stretched.

“I guess we should get some sleep,” Keith said. He didn’t let go.

“I wish. I can’t imagine sleeping right now. I’ll probably watch a movie, or something.” Hunk loosened his hold and stepped away. There was a faint blush in his cheeks.

“Uhm. A movie?”

“Yeah. Pidge recovered all our files from… from before. Lance and I had a huge media library, back when we were roommates.”

“Oh. Okay. I guess Lance will want to watch, too, right?”

“Nah. He’s with his family, still.”

“Oh. Right.”

Hunk raised a hand to the back of his neck. “Yeah. So… I’ll be across the hall. I mean, if you can’t sleep, and you want to, like, hang, or something.”

“Oh… okay. Uhm. Thanks, Hunk.”

“Sure.” He hesitated, then said, “’Night, Keith.”

“Night.”

Keith watched him swipe into his quarters, watched the door slide shut behind him. He stared at it for almost a minute before he moved again.

  Keith turned the conversation over in his mind while he showered, rinsing the dust of the ruined city from his skin. At first, he’d thought Hunk was just being characteristically friendly, inviting him to spend time together. But Lance and Pidge – his best friends, the people he relied on most – were busy spending time with their families, experiencing the reunions they’d been so desperately hoping for ever since they’d first been stranded on the other side of the universe. For tonight, at least, they were safe. They were home.

And Hunk’s family may as well have been a galaxy away.

Keith dried himself off, taking care to rub a towel through his hair until all the excess water was gone; he didn’t like the feeling of droplets falling onto his face and shoulders. He dressed in a clean set of black underclothes: a close-fitting, high-necked, long-sleeved shirt and slim-fitting leggings. Even though they were technically part of his paladin armor, he preferred them to any of the other clothes he owned. The material was soft and smooth, the fit snug and satisfying, tight enough to banish the itchy, creepy-crawly sensation he experienced when he wore the wrong kind of clothes.

He sat down on his bunk, where Kosmo was curled into a ball, fast asleep. He ran his fingers through the wolf’s sleek, silky fur for a moment, thinking.

Then he snapped his communicator back onto his wrist, left his quarters, and knocked on Hunk’s door.

“Keith?” Hunk looked confused, and a little concerned. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I…” Keith shrugged a little. “I couldn’t sleep, either.”

Hunk broke into a sunny grin; it was a relief to see, after everything he’d been through in the last twenty-four hours.

“Sweet! You hungry?”

“Uh… yeah, I could eat.”

Hunk stood to the side to let him pass. His quarters were practically empty, like all of theirs were. They’d only brought the bare essentials with them from their lions; none of the personal belongings that might’ve made these rooms feel like home. And what would’ve been the point? They were temporary, anyway.

Just like everything else.

“I was making space burritos!” Hunk said, with much of his typical enthusiasm. Space burritos was code for whatever ingredients I can find, wrapped in bread. “You can have this one, if you want.” He gestured to the finished wrap on the small table in the corner of the room.

“Thanks, man.” Keith walked toward the table, but Hunk stopped him, taking hold of his forearm.

“Shit, hang on, I forgot-”

Keith twisted out of his hold, knocking his hand away with a sharp elbow.

��Ah-”

Hunk took a small step away from him, holding up his hands. Keith cringed.

“Shit, Hunk, sorry… I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay!” Hunk looked flustered, apologetic. “I… uhm… I forgot I already put sauce on that one. You like yours on the side, right?”

“I… yeah. I do.”

“No worries, man. I’ll make another one.” Hunk avoided his gaze and moved to the table. “My library’s up on the viewscreen, if you want to look through it.”

Keith felt the back of his teeth grind together. Why was Hunk always so incessantly nice? It was grating, at times like this, when Keith didn’t feel like he deserved it.

He swallowed the angry notion, converting it to a quiet sigh, then turned toward the viewscreen in the wall and started tapping through a series of folders. He wasn’t actually looking at the files, though. He was trying to figure out what to say.

“I… I have a thing,” he blurted.

Hunk didn’t look up from the ingredients he was arranging on top of the circular, grain-based wrapper that vaguely resembled a tortilla.

“Huh?”

“I have a thing,” Keith repeated, with emphasis. “When you grabbed my arm, I-”

“I know,” Hunk said, looking at him, now. “You don’t like to be touched, right? I’m really sorry, man. I suck at remembering that kind of thing. I’ll work on it.”

Keith shook his head. “No, you don’t need to do that. And it’s not really like that, anyway. I don’t mind being touched, as long as it’s…”

He made an inarticulate gesture. Hunk raised an eyebrow. Keith let out a small, frustrated groan.

“It’s complicated.”

Hunk shrugged a little.

“Sounds like a sensory processing disorder.”

Keith blinked.

“Yeah, it… how did you know that?”

“My cousin. He has a hard time with bright lights, loud noises, certain foods. He hates being touched by strangers, too. So… want to tell me about it?”

Keith chewed the inside of his cheek.

“I don’t like to be caught off guard. It makes me impulsive. I end up doing things I regret.”

Hunk nodded. “Fair enough.”

“But sometimes… like when you hugged me, earlier… if the pressure is just right, it’s… tolerable.”

“Tolerable?”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Yes. Tolerable.”

Hunk went back to prepping the burrito, shifting his gaze downward, again. “So you don’t mind being touched, as long as it’s in the right way.”

“And in the right place.”

“And by the right person?”

Hunk was still decidedly staring down at the table, which was a blessing, because Keith could feel the heat of a blush in his cheeks.

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Okay. Sounds simple enough, to me.”

Keith exhaled a bitter laugh. “Does it?”

“Sure. I won’t grab you unless I know you want me to. Easy-peasy.”

Keith felt a tug behind his navel.

Unless he knows I want him to?

“Don’t worry, man. No sauce on the inside. I promise.”

Hunk was standing in front of him, now. Keith stared at the burrito for a moment, processing, before he finally accepted the plate.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that.”

Hunk tilted his head to one side.

“I’m feeling like you’re used to letting people stomp all over your boundaries. It might not happen so often, if you just explained what they were.”

Keith glared involuntarily.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it took you, like, thirty seconds to explain the whole sensory issue, and it took me, like, a minute to make you a new burrito, and, I mean, obviously this conversation is making you super uncomfortable, and that’ll suck for like, a second, but… don’t you think it’s better that you told me?”

Keith’s mouth fell open.

“I… I guess I don’t want people to have to worry about it. About me.”

“Dude. You’re not an inconvenience. You’re my friend.”

Hunk turned to the panel and started tapping, while Keith stood there in a stunned silence, staring.

“I’m picking something animated,” he said easily, as if they hadn’t just been discussing one of the most private, personal aspects of Keith’s life. “I can’t deal with anything heavy right now. Does that work for you?”

“Uh.” Keith cleared his throat. “Uh huh. Whatever you want.”

Hunk set the movie to play, retrieved his own burrito from the table, and then sat down cross-legged at the end of his bunk, which was directly opposite the screen in the wall. Keith had been ready to drag one of the chairs from the table closer to the viewscreen, but Hunk had left him plenty of space to sit comfortably on the bed, leaving him with an uncomfortable dilemma.

He hated situations like this. It was one of the reasons he typically preferred to avoid socializing altogether. Did Hunk actually want him to sit on the bed, or had he just sat down where he was most comfortable? If Keith sat on the floor or the chair instead, would he be offended? Confused? Distracted? Would they have to talk about it? Keith felt that he was always misreading or overthinking everyone else’s intentions, forever on the brink of embarrassing himself, or offending someone, or upsetting the delicate balance of mutual respect he’d struck with his teammates.

His friends.

He sat down on the opposite end of the bed.

“Have you seen this one?” Hunk asked, gesturing toward the screen, swallowing a bite of burrito.

“I think so. When I was a kid.”

“I don’t even know if it’s any good, but it makes me laugh, anyway. Lance knows the words to all the songs from, like, every animated movie ever created, and he used to perform them, like, fake microphone, costumes, singing at the top of his lungs, the whole deal. We got written up for a noise violation, watching this one. I laughed so hard I thought I was gonna barf.”

Keith let out a small laugh, glad to see Hunk slowly returning to his typical state of high-spirited chattiness. “I can picture it. Lance can be pretty funny, sometimes.”

“He really can. I… uh… I’m glad you guys are getting along, these days. I think he is, too.”

Keith nodded. “So am I.”

They ate in silence for a while, watching the characters in the film swim around their animated ocean. Hunk stood up when he finished his burrito, took Keith’s plate, and then retrieved two bottles of water from a crate in the corner. Keith accepted his gratefully, downing a quarter of it in a single swallow.

“So…” Hunk ventured, once he’d sat down on the opposite side of the bed, again. “Hugs are okay, sometimes?”

Keith fidgeted with the lid of the bottle.

“Uh. Yeah. Sometimes.”

“Because it seemed like… well, I know my cousin likes deep pressure. Or, like, it helps, sometimes.”

Keith didn’t respond. He was surprised to find that he didn’t mind the questions – it was actually a relief, to have the subject raised in such a casual way – but he was having trouble figuring out what to say.

“So… does it feel good anywhere else?”

Keith risked a glance in Hunk’s direction. His eyes were locked on the screen.

“The pressure, I mean,” Hunk clarified.

“Uhm. Shiro squeezes my shoulders, sometimes.”

“So he knows?”

“Yeah. He’s the one who helped me figure out why… why I was having so many… problems.”

He could see Hunk nodding in his periphery.

“Okay. Hugs and shoulders. Anything else?”

“Uh. My hands, I guess. Sometimes I would skip our regular fighting drills and box, instead. Something about the impact. But then, they ache after, so…”

He stopped. He’d been rambling.

It wasn’t a thing he was used to doing.

“Okay.” He saw Hunk shift, a little. “Do you want to show me?”

“Huh?”

“I… I could put pressure on your hands, if you want.” Hunk was staring at a spot on the floor, now. “If it would help, I mean. You did something really amazing for me today. I owe you one.”

Keith could feel himself frowning in discomfort and confusion: discomfort, because Hunk had stumbled all the way inside his metaphorical stronghold of embarrassing personal information, and confusion, because he was seriously considering taking him up on the offer. He’d spent all night thinking about the way Hunk had hugged him – couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it, in fact – and as much as he’d been genuinely concerned about Hunk’s well-being, part of him knew he was in Hunk’s quarters right now because he was hoping it would happen again.

It had been… tolerable.

“Okay,” he said, his voice rough and grating to his own ears.

He set his water bottle aside, moved his left hand to the center of the bed, and let it rest there.

He stared at the viewscreen while Hunk moved closer to him, picked up his hand, and held it carefully between both of his own.

He winced.

“Light pressure like that feels… bad,” he said.

Hunk let go.

“Okay. Uh. You might have to tell me what to do.”

Keith swallowed. “When I was younger, Shiro would say, Too much or not enough? Like, until he got the pressure right. So… you can squeeze my fingers, and I’ll tell you.”

Hunk picked up his hand again, held it firmly at the wrist, and gave his fingers a tentative squeeze.

“Not enough.”

The pressure increased.

“Just right.”

Hunk nodded. “Easy enough. Just hold it, like this?”

Keith examined the sensation. Hunk’s hands were huge, big enough to encircle all of his fingers, and then some.

The notion made him feel… something.

“Yeah. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

“Sure.”

They lapsed into silence, again, staring at the screen, but Keith wasn’t really paying attention to the movie. He was focused on the pressure encircling his fingers, tight enough that he could feel his pulse throbbing pleasantly there, but not tight enough to cause any true discomfort. He drew in a slow breath, and when he let it go, he felt some of the tension he’d accumulated that night leaving his body along with it. He found himself wishing the sensation would spread – wishing that he could feel it pressing against him from all sides…

He swallowed.

“Can you do the rest of my hand?”

He felt Hunk adjust his grip, so that his fingers were clasped over the entirety of the back of his hand.

Hunk squeezed.

“Too much or not enough?”

“Uh. Just right.”

“Sick! Nailed it!”

Keith smiled at the screen, extending his mind to the new point of contact, enjoying the sensation of being…

Held?

“…your other hand?”

He looked at Hunk, blinking.

“Huh?”

“Do you want me to do the other one? For symmetry, or whatever?”

“Oh.” Keith considered this. Hunk wouldn’t be able to reach his other hand, from here. They would have to get closer to each other.

He didn’t consider it for very long.

“Okay.”

Hunk let go of his left hand. The loss of pressure grated on Keith’s nerves – that, alone, would’ve convinced him to let Hunk hold the other one, if he hadn’t already decided to – so he shifted a few inches to his left. He’d intended to move his right arm across his body, but Hunk had other plans. He got up from the bed and sat down on Keith’s other side, and then he picked up Keith’s hand and pulled it into his lap.

No hesitation. No fanfare.

Just contact. Just pressure.

“Too much or not enough?”

Keith licked his lips.

“Not enough.”

“Damn. I thought I had it, that time.” He squeezed. “Now?”

“Um. Just right.”

“Okay. Second try’s not bad, right?”

“No,” Keith told the viewscreen. “It’s not bad.”

Hunk held the pressure steady – perfectly steady – until Keith told him to move on to the rest of his hand, and then he held that pressure steady, too, without any hint of awkwardness, or boredom, or impatience.

Keith started to wonder how long Hunk would hold on, if he never told him to stop.

“Can you hold hands with your fingers all interlocked?” Hunk asked. They’d been silent for so long that Keith flinched a little, pulled out of his pleasant, deep-pressure haze. Hunk didn’t seem to notice, though. “Or does that bother you?” he was asking. “Having someone’s fingers between your fingers, I mean.”

“Uh. I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.”

Hunk’s head snapped in his direction.

“You’ve never held someone’s hand?”

“Not like that.”

Hunk stared at him, his eyebrows drawn together, his mouth set in a gentle frown. Then he looked back at the screen, adjusted the position of his hand, and interlaced their fingers together.

Keith’s skin started to crawl, from the spaces between his fingers, up to his wrist and forearm, then all the way to his shoulder… he pulled his hand away, shaking it, trying to rid himself of the sensation.

“Shit! Keith, I’m sorry, I thought maybe-”

“It’s fine,” Keith said, trying not to blush, knowing he was helpless to stop it. It was fine. He wasn’t angry, he was just defective, held prisoner by his own involuntary responses, barred from the simplest, most mundane gestures of affection, none of which was Hunk’s fault-

“I shouldn’t have done that, though, I should’ve asked you-”

“No, Hunk, seriously-”

“Are you mad? Please don’t be mad-”

He grabbed Hunk’s hand and held on, scowling pointedly at the floor. They held onto each other awkwardly for a moment, their hands hovering in the air, in the small stretch of space between them, until Hunk slowly pulled Keith’s hand into his lap, again.

Keith let him.

Hunk started to move his hand – back to its previous, more neutral position, Keith guessed – and Keith squeezed, stopping him.

“I can hold hands like this,” he blurted, “if-”

“Okay,” Hunk said, his voice quiet. “Good. It’s… I like this better, anyway.”

I like this better.

I like this.

Keith played the words in his mind over and over while his heart hammered away in his chest. A minute ago he’d been sinking into the relaxing embrace of a deep-pressure calm, and now he was wide awake, tingling from head to toe, trying to control his breathing.

It was exhilarating.

I like this, too.

“Keith?” Hunk squeezed his hand, just a little, just for a second, and the tingling, live-wire sensation exploded upward, traveling along Keith’s arm, settling into his chest. His heartbeat thrummed.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want me to squeeze your shoulders?”

Yes. Yes. Please. I want you to.

“Okay.”

Hunk let go of his hand and turned toward him, and Keith took the hint. He moved until he was facing away from Hunk, sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed. He felt the mattress shift – Hunk was sitting up on his knees – and then he felt Hunk’s huge hands resting heavily on his shoulders, pressing down in a perfectly uniform squeeze.

“Too much or not enough?”

Keith was having trouble finding his breath.

“Just right,” he murmured.

And it was, although Keith was struggling to understand how the sensation could be both soothing and electrifying at the same time. He wasn’t feeling particularly relaxed – he thought he was likely to vibrate right out of his skin, any minute now – but he felt good. Anchored, excited, safe-

Hunk’s arms slid down and around his chest, encircling him, wrapping him up in the pressure and the warmth…

Keith let the air out of his lungs.

“Too much?”

Hunk’s voice was low and close.

“No.” Keith leaned back against his chest. “Just right.”

Hunk’s forehead was resting against his hair.

“Keith?”

Keith felt his heart leap into the back of his throat.

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking I might try to go to sleep.”

“Oh. Okay-”

“And I was thinking…”

Keith felt his hesitation, felt Hunk’s breath catch in his chest, because his back was pressed against it.

“I was thinking… maybe you could stay.”

[ganymedesclock]

I'm having trouble understanding how the five man band roles apply to Voltron. Like, you point to Keith as the paragon, which makes sense except that Shiro would be the lieutenant, which doesn't make sense. Or we could consider the five man band as Voltron post-lion swaps, in which case Lance is the lieutenant and Allura the heart? But Keith literally leaves the team so he's not really the Paragon, is he? Sorry, I just don't really understand this.

See, VLD is an exception to the general models of Voltron. In most versions of Voltron, Keith has a character much closer to Shiro’s, and is the Paragon.

VLD, however, divides their six main characters thusly:

Shiro and Allura are both Paragons. This is a point of contention for me in particular because Allura obviously operates in an ideological manner- from a sense of a higher calling and ethical pursuits. Conversely, we see that when Allura tries to navigate the emotional world, she tends awkward at it- losing her patience, getting angry, or just heavily fumbling her first one-on-one impression with Pidge. Shiro and Allura are differentiated by operating in different spheres- while Allura covers broader, ‘higher’ ideals, Shiro concerns himself with on-the-fly conducting those higher ideals into a practical reality- the High Priestess and the Field Commander.

VLD’s incarnation of Keith specifically is a Lieutenant, and remains a Lieutenant through his graduation to Black Paladin. His growth as a character comes from the influence of multiple paragons- Shiro, Kolivan, and Krolia- and the big characters he takes down or engages with / works with on a close interpersonal footing are other Lieutenants- Sendak and Acxa.

Pidge is the Brain, though VLD divvies some Lieutenant traits to both of the original arm pilots. In particular she does some ‘walking the edge’ qualities. It’s only her cerebral focus and the absence of quite so deep a personal bond with Shiro that marks Pidge as more Brain than Lieutenant. (And before anyone gets on my case- that’s not to say Pidge doesn’t care about Shiro. My point is that Shiro was not a formative influence on her life the way that he is to Keith)

Hunk is the Brawn, though, the particular incarnation of the Brawn that marks him as Pidge’s intellectual contemporary, sharing some Brain traits. In this case, the distinction between him and Pidge is while her knowledge is very erudite and sometimes ungrounded / “spacey” in that particular Brain manner, Hunk is equally knowledgeable but grounds it in a very practical reality- reflected in that Hunk is shown to be savvier with hardware (as an engineer) and Pidge specializing with software (as a coms technician)

And Lance? Lance is the Heart, and, like Keith, remains exactly there throughout his move to the Red Lion. Versatile, precise, compassionate, empathetic. Allura is nominally called the heart of Voltron, but, one has to remember she’s called this by Lance, who’s in the process of inspiring her to re-engage with her higher ideals and sense of divine calling. The person who’s overwhelmingly connecting, guiding, and empathizing with the team is Lance. He’s no Lieutenant- that would imply a tendency to walk the edge, and Lance is, consistently, the one who drags others back from the edge, who moderates, mediates, prods clogged sentiments to the surface without even actively trying, just sort of by habit.

Notice in s6e7, when Lance apologizes to Shiro’s nearly lifeless body- the time Lance really breaks down and feels as if he’s fundamentally failed his teammates- it’s because he doesn’t feel like he was there for the clone Shiro while the latter was suffering. That Shiro endured great pain, and did so alone- despite talking about his feelings to Lance. Lance, as someone focused on emotions, perceived this as a cry for help, and he takes this personally as a failure in the way he considers the most fundamentally important. Lance doesn’t think he failed Shiro because he couldn’t detect the clone, or prevent Haggar using him against the team, or offer a practical solution- Lance sees it as failing Shiro because he failed Shiro as an emotional support.

Compassion is Lance’s forte. When he’s unable to remember the names during his solo segment of Bob’s game show in s7e4, he’s effortlessly able to rattle off the specific relationships and emotions around each person. (And the people that Bob picks are ones that Lance basically wasn’t able to spend much time around or form a strong opinion of in the short time they were together!)

[kcwcommentary]

VLD1x09 – “Return to the Balmera”

1x09 – “Return to the Balmera”

“Besides, it’s more like, ‘blam, blam, blam!’” I love when Shiro’s a dork.

As part of the team’s deliberations about an attack plan, Allura says they can track the Galra using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology. How would that track the sentries though since they’re robots? Anyway, the team has their plan, and everyone’s got their assignments. The Black Lion informs Shiro about the Jawblade when he’s trying to think of a way to take down some Galra battlements – given that at that point we’ve already seen Lance and Hunk take out battlements with Blue’s tail laser and Yellow just ramming into them, I don’t get why Shiro’s baffled about how to attack the battlements; just blowing them up has worked so far. Beyond that though, if I understand correctly, the Jawblades are an element of Voltron from the original? So, their inclusion in VLD is solely a nostalgia thing then because their design is kind of pathetic. The width of the Jawblade for the Black Lion is barely a bit wider than the Lion itself, so really, it wouldn’t be able to cut anything with the Jawblade and not slam fully into it.

Then Red starts shooting a special laser than melts things. Again, they’ve been doing fine just regularly blowing things up, so there’s been no narrative need for this fire beam. But the Galra’s big cannon is taken down, and it starts to fall, and everyone freaks out. If it falls and crashes to the ground, they think the impact will hurt the Balmera. They weren’t concerned with the debris from the other towers’ destruction, so why now? Also, if the Balmera cannot handle significant impacts on its surface, then it’s got a huge problem. The Balmera is large enough that Hunk previously mistook it for a planet or moon, so it’s big enough – which means it’s got enough gravity – that it would attract space objects. Meteoroids and asteroids would be something a Balmera would have to contend with.

To keep the tower from falling, Blue has an ice beam. At least the ice beam feels differentiated from a normal blaster, unlike Red’s fire beam, but honestly, I’m still not fond of these new weapons. Especially since the fire beam and ice beam are tied to the Keith/Lance rivalry. I’m so exhausted by stories using the cliché pairing of fire and ice as if they’re opposites. The thought behind it is so sophomoric – fire’s hot, ice is cold, thus they’re opposites. No, they really aren’t. They’re two totally different qualities. Ice is physics, a state of matter. Fire is chemistry, an actual chemical reaction. Fire and ice are not on a spectrum the way this pairing tries to portray them as; they’re totally different things.

I kind of like the mobile hovercraft the Paladins use in this episode; I don’t remember them being used much though throughout the rest of the series. The Paladins split up to do various tasks underground. Keith and Lance are paired together, with Lance proposing the idea that they shut the hanger doors to trap Galra fighters inside. Keith’s hand on the handprint of the Galra tech closes the door. That’s super convenient that the control system is set up to so easily and immediately give them their objective. I assume this moment was supposed to be the first foreshadowing that Keith is part Galra? Especially since Hunk uses a sentry’s hand for a handprint scan shortly afterward. How do sentries have handprints to scan anyway? They’re robots.

Hunk breaks a handful of Balmerans out of a cell. Shay’s been taken to the core of the Balmera. Shiro recognizes that they’re being drawn into an ambush, so he calls all the Paladins to reunite. The Balmera starts freaking out. With Lance and Keith under fire, Lance says, “We can’t shoot back. It’ll just make it worse.” If Lance and Keith returned fire and quickly took out the sentries that are blasting endless cover fire it would make things better, but the show wants some unnecessarily drawn out moment of Keith dropping in to sword the sentries while Lance invites them to shoot at him as a distraction. Hunk finds Shay, and all the Paladins end up trapped in the core chamber.

Meanwhile, the Castle Ship is under significant fire from a fleet of Galra ships. I don’t know why Allura and Coran hadn’t bothered to inform the Paladins of their situation until now when Lance asks her for help. That’s not exactly good tactical communication on the Castle’s part.

The Balmeran communication method of touching the Balmera and feeling Shay’s vibration and sending it to other Balmerans is… easy. Rax has a change of heart, accepts some blame for the situation, and wants to work to free Shay and ultimately all the Balmerans. I welcome Rax ceasing to be a jerk.

“You fool! You dare make plans without informing me?” Zarkon speaks in traditional villain-ese language. If the Galra Empire is as huge as it supposedly is, then various levels of its military would have to make plans without informing Zarkon of every little thing. For such a large organization as a military, the division of labor, and with it, many layers of decision making, is necessary. The idea that every decision, especially something like engaging in a point-of-incursion response to the Paladins’ assault on the Balmera, has to be run through Zarkon is unrealistic. The whole scene just functions to show Zarkon to be a typical cartoonish villain. I want better than that.

A Galra battle cruiser shows up, and it’s bigger than the Castle Ship. Allura is afraid the Castle Ship can’t handle being shot by the cruiser. Rax and some other Balmerans break Shay and the Paladins out. The Galra are trying to tractor beam steal the Lions, but the Paladins quickly recover their Lions and take to the sky and attack the Galra fighters. Again, the fire and ice beams are used for no real reason that regular blasters couldn’t handle. The cruiser shoots a sustained blast at the Castle Ship. The Paladins form Voltron, which we haven’t seen for a few episodes, so it’s kind of nice to see it again now. With Voltron engaging the cruiser, the Castle Ship is able to use its blasters to destroy the cruiser and a bunch of remaining fighters. Since the Castle Ship mostly just sits around getting shot at in this show, I had forgotten that it even had significant weaponry.

Our heroes think they have the chance to breathe and make repairs, but another Robeast lands on the surface of the Balmera, setting up the next episode.

I don’t really feel like there’s much to analyze in this episode. It’s mostly action oriented, it’s connected well structurally to the narrative from episodes before and to episodes to come. Overall, it’s an okay, decent enough episode.

[xanderuwu]

for whom it may concern; here’s a letter

i wrote this long fucking rant about voltron, enjoy (click here to view on google docs)

My name is Alexander, I’m 23, and here is my sob story. I’m a bisexual trans man who grew up in a tiny village where people believed that being LGBT+ was just as bad as being a child molester. I spent the first 20 years of my life hiding my truth because of the fear & shame that was ingrained in me as a child; I was disgusted by myself. I have never gone a week in my‬ ‪life without contemplating suicide - I’ve tried to kill myself 9 times, the first time was when I was 8.‬

‪One of the main things that kept me afloat during my childhood & teen years were stories in any medium; film, TV, books, I swallowed them whole & they kept me sane. But they never made me feel goof about myself or my life. I didn’t experience the impact of good representation until I saw the first season of Glee in 2009 when I was 14 (that show went downhill as it went on too, wow). One of the main characters on Glee was gay & had an arc in the first season where he came out to his father, & his father … embraced him.‬

‪… I remember crying in bed, watching the coming out scene over & over in shitty quality on the Youtube app on my old iPod. I had never seen anything like it. Sure, I’d seen LGBT+ people in media before, but they were always either stereotype-ridden jokes, or they led miserable lives & never got a happy ending. & in so so so many cases … they died. Or their partner died. Or they got AIDS. Or they were framed as disgusting degenerates.‬

‪I’d never seen a parent accept & embrace their gay child. I had never seen a gay character who “made it” with loving friends & family. It gave me courage, it made me hopeful.‬

‪Hope is the most powerful powerful tool we have when it comes to suicide prevention within the LGBT+ community. Every day, thousands of people toe the line between life & death, & THAT is why our representation is so important. Yes, it helps normalize LGBT+ people to the cisgender & heterosexual audiences, but you have no idea how much hope & joy can blossom in the hearts of vulnerable LGBT+ people from good representation that shows LGBT+ characters being embraced & loved, finding partners, falling in love, getting that happy gay ending we so rarely get to see in media. I’m certain that that gay kid from fucking Glee of all things, saved me from the brink a few times.‬

‪In December of 2014, when The Legend of Korra made Korra & Asami the romantic endgame, I cried. Cried for all the LGBT+ kids who would, perhaps for the first time, feel good about themselves. I also cried for the child in myself who still struggles with the shackles secured around his feet from a childhood of isolation & self-hatred, because he needed it too. & then we got record-breaking amounts of well-rounded LGBT+ representation on Steven Universe, a show that not only features same-gender romances, but also explores gender & challenges toxic masculinity. & last year, Disney Channel, the fucking DISNEY CHANNEL, had a character on Andi Mack come out as gay! Freakin’ DISNEY, man! & Korra was on Nickelodeon, Steven Universe is on Cartoon Network - those are all huge traditional television broadcasters where shows have to be assessed by a whole lot of boards in order to make sure they’re suitable to broadcast.‬

‪Netflix, on the other hand, has more freedom. Many of their live-action shows have had explicit LGBT+ representation. Watching as more & more mainstream TV shows & films with prominent LGBT+ characters get released makes me believe in the change, from when i was a kid in the early 00’s to now.‬

‪I first encountered Voltron: Legendary Defender in the form of gifs, fanart, & screencaps on Tumblr. The first thing that caught my attention was Allura’s design; she’s gorgeous & I’m weak. I found out that she was from the Voltron reboot which, not gonna lie, sounded kinda dumb to me at first. I watched Voltron: Defender of the Universe as a kid, not because i’m old enough to have been a child in the 80s, but because we were a family with six mouths to feed & no disposable income that could be spent on cable TV. So we got public service television, & they ran a lot of cartoons from the 80s because they were cheap to license I guess.

Anyways, I was obsessed with VDOTU (we’re using abbreviations now because this is getting stupidly long & typing is hard) as a wee lad, Allura was my favourite character because she had long hair & a pink uniform - as I said, I’m weak for pretty people. So in late June of 2016 I watched the first season of VLD & I was so pleasantly surprised. VLD is animated by Studio Mir; one of my favourite animation studios, & the show has writers & producers who have also worked on Korra, so that, in addition to the show being distributed by Netflix, made the possibility of clear-cut LGBT+ characters & storylines seem more plausible. ‬

‪I loved the first season of VLD. I very quickly latched onto Keith & Allura, but as I kept watching I found myself adoring the whole team. Having Pidge be a girl was cool, & I was so excited when I found out that she was voiced by a gay actress! & whoever came up with the idea of making Allura, Hunk, & Lance brown deserves a high-five. ‬

‪(We’re getting to the real meaty LGBT+ rep rant soon, just stick with me here because I wanna talk about some other gripes I have with this show first).‬

‪So, we had a show with a diverse main cast of characters, good writing & pacing, a good balance between character & plot, & gorgeous animation. I was excited to see the second season.‬

‪However, the second season was when some of the show’s main flaws popped up for the first time. That nice balance between character & plot from the first season seemed to have driven right off its tracks and straight into a bio-hazardous lake. In the first season, each character got a fair amount of attention, but in season two Hunk & Lance were just … barely there? Keith is my favourite character & I liked the Blade of Marmora stuff, but Keith’s amount of screentime came at the expense of other characters, especially Hunk & Lance. Having Keith’s entire arc in season two pretty much only involve himself & Shiro did every character a disservice. & the reveal that Keith was Galra was so underwhelming. We only saw two characters react to Keith’s alien heritage. The episode with Keith & Hunk in the Weblum was lovely, but we haven’t really gotten team bonding episodes like that since season three so :/ And oh God, the whole subplot of Allura, a black-coded character, being “racist” against the Galra is a WHOLE other mess that I don’t think I can adequately explain. Just, why. ‬

‪Season three was good, the balance between character & plot seemed to be getting back on track & the lion switch-up made for some good character development, especially for Lance & Allura. Episode four was a mess though like y'all could’ve been just a liiittle more sensitive with that kind of stuff. Also it is embarrassingly obvious that in the first two seasons, Allura was portrayed as being around Shiro’s age & the two of them shared moments that seemed to be hinting at a future romance - until, suddenly in season three Allura is at the same maturity level as the other paladins? What, is it because that was when you decided to have Shiro be gay because you weren’t allowed to kill him after season two, & so instead of doing Shiro/Allura you started pairing Allura with Lance? That’s just absolutely stellar mate.‬

‪Season four - character/plot balance swings off the rails once more & to this day it hasn’t been recovered. This was the season where y'all’s plot became way too fucking convoluted & too damn big! The plot takes so much room, OF COURSE character development suffers! Season five had the same problem, & whoops Allura has a new love interest! It’s Lotor, a grown-ass man! Great! Totes loved it!‬

‪Season six had some good moments but again, y'all’s plot left no fucking breathing room for the characters! Also, Lance’s crush on Allura is suddenly True Love now? At this point you need a fucking Excel sheet to keep track of the plot & subplots. Lotor was an asshole all along & betrayed Allura? BITCH WE BEEN KNEW! Lotor’s betrayal could be seen from miles away. Bad.‬

‪SEASON FUCKING SEVEN HERE WE GO.‬

‪You ruined Keith’s entire character. Plain and simple. Keith & Shiro’s backstory was the highlight of the entire season. And in those flashbacks we see Shiro’s BOYFRIEND! Shiro is GAY! Shiro being gay & having a partner was revealed at San Diego Comic Con in July, & fans were so fucking happy. Remember at the start of this monstrosity of a letter where I talked about LGBT+ representation in media igniting hope? That was what you saw from fans after SDCC; pure joy & hope. It was amazing, people cried because they were so happy! & the showrunners said we’d learn more about Adam & get to meet him, shit I was so hyped!

Was Shiro, the character who has struggled the most in the show, going to get a … happy ending? As a gay character? With his partner of the same gender?‬

‪…‬

‪Y'know,‬

‪There’s still probably hundreds of thousands of LGBT+ kids who are growing up in a similar environment to where I grew up. They feel the same way I felt. That … indescribable loneliness that pierces through your bones, the self-hatred & hopelessness that weighs too much, you are the deer and the headlights is every person whose approval & love you need most. ‬

‪& then you see someone like you in a story, & they are happy, they aren’t alone, because people like us aren’t destined to be tragedies.‬

‪It gives you hope.

‪VLD could’ve given that to people y'know? And maybe that’s the saddest part, that instead they chose to kill the man Shiro loved, & thus put their only remaining confirmed LGBT+ character through even more suffering. ‬

VLD killed 50% of their confirmed LGBT+ characters. ‬

‪Imagine if they’d killed 50% of their female characters.‬

They killed Adam to show the gravity of the situation, to show that with war comes death. But LGBT+ viewers don’t need that reminder. We die every day. We know war, we know that war walks hand in hand with death.‬

‪And we didn’t even really have any feelings about Adam aside from “Shiro’s boyfriend!!!” We only got a tiny snippet of his & Shiro’s relationship. From a basic storytelling standpoint, killing someone like Colleen or Sam Holt would have been so much more effective because we know a lot more about Pidge’s relationship with her parents than we know about Adam & Shiro.‬ Adam’s death fell flat because we never knew him or his & Shiro’s relationship.

‪So why did they decide that the gay characters had to lose? VLD could have made something beautiful, something that would help people. But you didn’t.‬

‪Why didn’t they?‬

‪And why, in the same season, did they suddenly make Allura show signs of returning Lance’s feelings, despite her having shown zero romantic interest in him for over a third of the series? Why did they push Keith & Acxa together, two characters who had never spoken before this season? ‬

‪They take away the prospect of a same-gender romance, & then shove some half-assed straight relationships in our faces? It’s as if they’re doing this to be intentionally cruel.

‪Even if Adam somehow returns, that doesn’t repair the anxiety & hurt they caused their LGBT+ fans. With this season, VLD gave us the same age-old tale we’ve been told since we could understand words.‬

‪Happy endings belong to straight people. Gay people are doomed to live through tragedy after tragedy until we die young.‬

‪I believed in this show. I honestly thought the slow-burn romance would be Keith & Lance. Already in season one they had the “bonding moment” that was a textbook example of how to convey romance through visual storytelling. In that scene, Lance said “We are a good team” to Keith, & that was supposedly just bros being bros? But in season six, Lance says the exact same phrase to Allura as a flirty line, so what’s the deal here?

Are Allura and Lance the slow burn? Allura had never shown interest in Lance before now, when she suddenly noticed that Lance is … nice? What … is this? Honest to God, what is happening? VLD really decided to do the guy-likes-girl-girl-doesn’t-reciprocate-but-if-guy-keeps-trying-she’ll-like-him-back-eventually thing? Ah yes, If you flirt with a girl & she ignores your advances, you shouldn’t stop & move on, you should keep pushing, that’s how VLD staff want people to treat women I guess.‬

‪Keith & Axca … looked at each other three times & now they’re in love. Very good slow burn, I cried, 11/10.‬

‪Had the straight romances at least been well-developed I might’ve been slightly less angry. But no, you killed the man Shiro loved & then presented us with some gourmet heterosexual nonsense - no really, where are your Michelin stars because this hetero bullshit is top notch, truly.‬

‪I’m not saying this as a bitter shipper. I’m saying this as someone who invested so much time into your show, only to be severely let down. VLD has had some incredible episodes, but season four & onward was a massive display of incompetent storytelling. It’s as if seasons one through three were created by a different team!

Not to mention the showrunners themselves, who have consistently been dismissive of valid concerns from fans, & when given chances to confirm that Keith & Lance’s relationship was strictly platonic, they instead remained vague, instilling hope in fans - giving people false hope to string them along so they’ll keep watching your show is cruel.‬

‪There are so many other things I could say here, but I’m running out of time.‬

‪Y'all could’ve done extraordinary things with this show & these characters. You could have made something amazing, your show could have been remembered as a trailblazer. But instead, it’ll only be remembered as a clusterfuck & as an example of what not to do, for future creators to learn from.‬

‪I don’t know how or why y'all ended up turning your show into a damn mess. I don’t really care. I just wish you hadn’t exploited the fragile hopes of LGBT+ people.‬

The only thing that can save y’all now is if season eight makes me physically shit hundred dollar bills so I can buy a fucking boat, sail to the middle of the ocean, and just scream for a good six years or so.

Thanks.‬

[mythandtruth]

Defender of Voltron -  Lance

Ok it’s time to defend our popular lover boy Lance who was robed from all happiness he deserved.

Before I start: Lance is my least favorite paladin. I don’t hate him I just love others more. Sorry. Also I hate Allurance but they deserve some defends too, but that comes later. <3

So Lance is a lover-boy and he flirts, that does not makes him sexist, he just loves girls. He doesn't look at them as they are weaker, or lower, or as they shouldn't fight. On the contrary he does supports Pidge and Allura. He even wants to step down in order to let Allura keeps the Blue. That isn't sexist, it’s opposite.

As someone who grown up in sexist country where some people are still surprised by women working and man holding babies instead of women, I know what sexist men is and Lance is not.

He just wants to protect everyone which is best shown in s7 when he and Veronica go to mission. Lance doesn't sees her as weak but he is scared of Veronica being hurt and Lance having family-like relationship with paladins wants to protect all of them.

In the first episode we see that he is cocky and flirt, but that kind of acting completely makes us blind to how amazing friend is.

 When Iverson say something of Kerberos mission and Pidge tries to talk back Lance does everything to stop her knowing she will get in trouble. In the next scene he is willing to take Hunk and Pidge to the party so they will get closer. When Shiro came in crashed alien ship one year after his disappearance in the space mission Lance was ready to jump and saved him. He didn't doubt his hero even for a moment; he believed him, and we all know many of us wouldn't do it.  We also see how concerned he is for Hunk when they retrieve yellow lion.

A lot of time in the show we see Lance helping others with their struggle while completely ignores his own. This includes not judging Kuron’s outburst (s5), supporting Keith (s4), supporting Allura (s3, s4 and s6 after Lotor shenanigans), praises Pidge (s4), saves Coran (s1), he even comforted Kaltenecker (s4) doesn't allows Keith to shoots inside Balmera s1 and was ready to give up his paladin title for the sake of Allura and Keith (s3) showing his more brotherly love he has for his teammates. The only time he scold Keith is when Keith acts too selfish and puts others in jeopardy in s3.

I believe that since Lance grown up in healthy and big family he learned how to respect others feelings before his own. He will brag about himself and act as he is the best but in the end he won’t mind others dear to him getting what he wants. Also we know that lot of people keep their insecurity hidden by acting tough and happy.

Yes he does show huge amount of jealousy toward Lotor and bit amount of jealousy toward Matt. Some people think it’s a sign of him seeing Allura as his own but I believe they are wrong. He does not want Allura for himself he wants her to acknowledge him.

His jealousy does gets into his head in s5 and 6. He does say some not so nice things to Lotor, and I do not excuse those words. He is being rude, and childish but other paladins had similar moments in the show, showing us how much of the teen he still is. But as soon as he sees that Allura does likes Lotor he goes along with it even against his own feelings.

We never see him actually wanting to leave team but we do see him truly missing Earth, not just his family. He misses  what Earth is, her beaches, oceans, rains and this also shows his compassion and understanding toward Allura in s8 when she misses Altea. This feeling of homesick was one of his tropes during show, but he only showed them sometimes and even for a short time in order not to bother others with his own pain.

The show did kind of blow his development in s7 and 8. Ignoring many things showing him more and more as someone unhappy or too insecure or even someone who was never good with girls, which goes against him saying “Heck I was he one breaking hearts”. I think when they realized his potential show runners tried too hard to make him super related, only to have that idea backfired. They focused too much on his love for Allura only to break his heart at the end. Dick move guys.

I do not hate lover-boy trade, usually they are my favorite; mostly because with these kind of boys makes you feel secure, because he shows that his flirting is harmless and means no offense.

In s8 he kinda is paranoid and sad all the time.This is also due his love for Allura. Lance started as someone who liked her for being pretty, to boy having a crush, to young man appreciating her as amazing colleague, to a man who fell for amazing woman. His love was developing for seasons. His flirting stopped around s3 or 4 showing that he no longer has a crush, but way stronger feelings, those feelings reached it’s peak in s6 when he confessed to the mouses. 

The scene where he confess shows mice sleeping only to snitch on him to Allura,  could also be foreshadowing of how he wasn't taken serous only for us to realize later that his feelings were true.

He wasn't just some comic relief character, he had soul so similar to ours, and that is why many loved this realistic teen. But in the end even those who disliked him felt sorry for him, because show did him dirty. Not just for losing the woman he loved but for treating his heart as punching bag whole 13 eps.

All in all I can’t see lance as a bad guy. Just a teen. He does has some flaws he does have inappropriate moments but all in all he is just a kid. And he is forced to grow up faster. He does this without regret, without being selfish (enough). Having weak moments as jealousy, or feeling insecure or just acting as a player are flaws that remind us that he is human. We never meet perfect people and when we see them on the TV we usually hate them for their perfections. So Lance’s flaw are actually the key for his good quality.

[ebhenah]

Busy #Fictober18 (Voltron FanFic)

#Fictober18 Day 17

Prompt: "I'll Tell You But You're Not Gonna Like it."

Voltron Fanfiction. S07 spoilers. Angst.

Keith pov, Garrison Days, Post-Adam/Shiro split, Post-Kerberos

Rating: T- some language, discussion of same sex relationship, mentions of foster care, death, illness, broken homes, grief.

Adam was asleep on the couch when he got home. His briefcase was lying on the floor beside his shoes, his coat draped over the counter of the little island that separated the kitchen from the living room. Keith could see in his mind the exact path he'd taken when he'd gotten home. It was a short one. Maybe 15 feet. Door, drop bag, shed shoes, step, shuck coat, step step, drop tie onto coffee table, step, collapse on couch. This was pretty much par for the course now.

As far as the Garrison was concerned, ex-fiance's didn't qualify for bereavement leave. Neither did 'foster kid of ex-fiance'- because technically that's what he was. Shiro had failed the medical assessment to foster or adopt, but Adam had passed. So, on paper, he was Adam's legal responsibility, not Shiro's. So, when the news had come in about the mission being lost- leaving a smoking crater in the center of their lives- they'd discovered that they didn't qualify for the supports in place for bereaved families. Adam had quickly exhausted all his sick days, vacation time, and banked personal time. Keith had run out of allowed absences from class even faster.

Once that had happened, it was back to 'normal' life in an abrupt shift that left them both reeling. So now, Adam pushed himself through a full day of teaching class and attending staff meetings and making sure he got his requisite hours of flight time and continuing education, and the second he walked through the door, he pretty much collapsed.

Keith, on the other hand, was more hardened to the SHIT that life liked to throw at him. So, he went to class, did his best to keep his head down, then came home and kept busy. That was easy to do, really. There were still meals to be made, dishes to wash, laundry to do, dust to wipe down, homework to be completed, bills to pay, bathrooms to scrub, and vacuuming to be done, after all. Plus, he had to feed Adam, keep him on task while he did lesson prep and graded papers, keep him AWAY from the wine and photo albums (he wasn't a drunk or anything, but even one glass of wine combined with the photo albums meant the night was lost to the bottomless pit of grief that seemed to reside in every picture of Shiro), and then herd him into his own bed before he crashed on the couch.

Keith didn't mind. Honestly, he didn't. Busy was good. Staying still was his problem. Because if he stopped moving for even a moment… BAD things happened. He never really FORGOT. Shiro's loss was always right there, lurking around the edges of his brain, dimming everything into pale, washed out colors and muffled sounds. But most of the time, he could avoid thinking about what the loss actually MEANT. It was when he stopped moving, stopped doing STUFF, that the meaning crept in and devastated him.

No more hover bike races. The last one they'd been on was it. That was the last time he'd ever hear that laugh on the wind. Hear that proud cheer as Keith overtook him. See that competitive little smirk as he watched Keith pass him and then buckle down to put the 'kid' in his dust. No more quiet, dusty conversations watching the sun set before heading back to base in a much more leisurely and companionable ride. Done. That part of his life was closed away forever now- just like hanging out at the firehouse while his Dad was on shift was done and closed off.

No more stupid sing-alongs while they cleared the dinner table and washed the dishes. No more chasing a laughing Shiro out of the kitchen as he protested that 'it's just toast! Even I can make toast!" because, no. He really could NOT make toast, and no one wanted to fill the house with smoke from burnt bread. No more overhearing weirdly flirty arguments about coffee vs tea, or crosswords vs sudoku that always seemed to end in someone giggling and someone else shushing and then a bedroom door shutting just as Keith cranked his stereo and found something else to think about. No more REAL-but-not-scary arguments about wedding planning and place settings and guest lists. No more threatening Keith with having to give a toast or throw a bachelor party. No more surreptitious thumbs up of encouragement when Iverson cracked down on him at school, or affectionate shoulder grabs when he blew up at fucking Griffon, or quiet hugs when everything seemed to pile onto him all at once and the world seemed huge and hostile.

All that stuff was in his past now, and it was best if he just… put it out of his mind and stayed busy. So, he set his backpack on a chair and started digging through the cupboards for something to put together for dinner. They were almost out of produce, and the pantry supplies were running a little low. There would need to be a grocery trip soon. He hated those, because Adam insisted on coming and when people saw Adam they stopped to offer condolences, to check up on them- which made him remember what it all meant, and sent Adam into a downward spiral again. He wished he could just take the list and do the shopping alone, it would be so much less painful.

Still, for today, there was enough to choose from that he could feed them. Beef, stir-fried with mushrooms, onions, garlic, peppers, and carrots. Soba noodles in some jarred ginger sauce he found way in the back of the cupboard. Tinned peaches for Adam, mandarin oranges in cherry jello for him. Nothing fancy, but hot, and kosher, and more or less healthy. All with enough left over for them to pack up lunches for the next day, too.

"You cooked?" Adam's voice was sleep rough, his glasses askew from having fallen asleep with them on.

"I mean, it's not restaurant quality, but it's edible," Keith answered, dishing up the food.

"You shouldn't have to do that, Keith," Adam sighed, "I'm the adult, here."

"You needed rest. I needed to keep busy. Win, win," he replied, setting one plate in front of Adam and gesturing for him to sit. "Besides, I'll be 18 soon enough, right?"

"Right," he flashed Keith a smile, weak but genuine. "Which reminds me, your worker should be dropping by soon, I got an e-mail the other day." He pulled out his phone, clearly intending to check, and Keith's heart sank.

"You should eat first," he prompted, "before it gets cold."

"This will only take a second- I don't want to forget about it. Just let me… Keith? Why do I have an e-mail from Iverson flagged urgent?"

"Ummm…" he fidgeted, "I mean, I'll tell you, but you're not gonna like it. So, maybe we should wait until after dinner?"

"Mmmhmm… that's not going to happen. You tell me now and I won't read the e-mail until after dinner. How's that sound? Orrrr, I'll read Iverson's version of events FIRST."

"Alright, fine," Keith grumbled sitting at the table across from Adam, "I'm suspended. For fighting. One week."

"Dammit, Keith! What happened?" Keith had thought Adam looked exhausted before, but he'd been wrong, because right before his eyes Adam sort of… withered… like the strength and energy had just been sucked right out of him.

"I don't even really know. We were in the simulators today, and I screwed up. I don't even know HOW, I've aced that particular simulation so many times, but today… I just couldn't get my head in the game. So, I was already in a shit mood, and then fucking Griffon…"

"Language," Adam chided, earning a scowl.

"FREAKING Griffon," Keith corrected, "started crowing about beating my score and got in my face and the next thing I know, we're being hauled off to the office."

Adam sighed, "alright, first things first. Are you hurt? Does your uniform need cleaning or repairs?"

"No, everything is fine. He bloodied my nose, but I bled on him, not myself. I have like, a bruise on one of my knuckles from when I socked him in the jaw, but that's about it."

"Let me see."

"Adam, it's nothing."

"Keith! Let me see your hand," he insisted. Reluctantly, Keith held out his hand. The bruise had spread, covering three of his knuckles now, but it was obviously a minor injury. "We'll put some witch hazel on it after we eat."

"That's it?" Keith asked, more than a little shocked.

"Do you think there is anything I can say to you about getting into fights at school that hasn't already been said?"

"No, probably not."

"Right, and I'm smart enough to know that if Takashi couldn't get through to you about this, I'm sure as hell not going to be able to. So. Suspended for one week. Consider yourself grounded for the same duration… and you will be completing all of the class work that you are missing here at home… AND writing an apology to James Griffon."

"What? But he's an ASS!"

"And YOU have to learn how to deal with assholes without resorting to violence, Keith! I know you are aware of the fact that there are assholes EVERYWHERE, but you are almost 18 and there are going to be very serious consequences for you if you can't get your temper under control. He was an ass, but YOU threw the first punch, so you apologize. Be glad I'm letting you write it instead of giving it face to face."

"I can't believe this," he muttered, pushing food around his plate.

"Listen, kid," Adam said, his voice soft, "I'll fight for you, you know I will… but I'm not Takashi Shirogane." He choked on a sob, but pushed through, "I'm not the darling of the Garrison, the star pilot poster child. My words and opinions don't have the same weight as his do… did… as his did. I can't protect you as well. I need you to work with me."

"Fine," Keith couldn't even look at him. He knew if he lifted his eyes for even a second, he'd see how broken Adam was, and he could not cope with that right now. So, he did the only thing he could, kept himself busy with eating and tried not to think about how things used to be.

[odanurr87]

Watching Voltron Season 7

This summarizes my feelings on the season quite nicely.

I’m trying something different this time around. Instead of reviewing the season as a whole -something I might do later anyway- I decided to provide written commentary on each and every episode as I watched it. The quality of the comments will vary and you probably shouldn’t take them all too seriously (especially if you really liked this season). If it looks like I’m giving Season 7 a hard time, it’s probably because I am, but know it comes from a place of love (maybe). Having said that, I have to warn you that: a) I’ve not provided context for all of my comments, you’ll just have to figure out what I’m talking about at times (fairly easy, particularly if you’re watching the episode at the same time); and b) there are lots and lots of spoilers!

So, sit back, relax, and let’s watch Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender, shall we?

Episode 1: A Little Adventure

Keith and Shiro’s story should’ve been shown earlier than S7. It might’ve helped me like Keith a little more. It’s a great flashback, but it feels a little rushed.

The humor is not really funny and it doesn’t gel well with the more solemn story of Shiro lying in a coma fighting for his life.

Pidge decides to check his comms at a completely random moment.

Okay, the “literal bait” bit was funny.

Episode 2: The Road Home

They let Lance decide passenger arrangements?

Mice-selfies!

The passsenger arrangements was a funny bit. Thankfully, it didn’t overstay its welcome.

Did everyone have to explore the Blade facility? Nobody thought of staying with the lions just in case?

“We’re under attack.” Read above.

The wolf is deciding the arrangements now. I’m okay with that.

You can’t defeat a few fighters without forming Voltron? Wouldn’t that be more energy-taxing than firing lasers?

“We run.” Why didn’t you do that in the first place?!

Hunk. My man!

Episode 3: The Way Forward

Why are we back to goofy Lance?

“We’re destined for greatness.” Yeah, right. Wouldn’t be surprised if one of you kicks the bucket before the end of the episode.

Baddie is terrible at interrogation. Your prisoners have just answered your question.

Coran’s antics are not funny.

Bayards can teleport, huh? Would’ve been nice to use that trick in the cell.

Yup, they’re dead.

Eh, three-year time lapse. No biggie.

Episode 4: The Feud!

This isn’t funny or interesting, just boring. Sorry, I’m skipping this one.

Okay, that closing music is the best thing of this episode. Of course, bear in mind I skipped to the ending.

Episode 5: The Ruins

Seinfeld? Why are we wasting time like this?

Remember what happened the last time we deviated from our voyage?

Hunk gets it.

Yes, abandon the lions… again.

That reveal was way too fast. The guy’s story was more interesting than this.

Isn’t Lance supposed to have a broadsword?

So you had the Voltron team escape the force field so they’d be incapacitated by Macidus... again. What was the point?

I was kinda hoping Keith would say, “It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

Episode 6: The Journey Within

I’m still not sure how going to Earth is gonna help them replace the Castle of Lions.

Their Paladin armour protected them but the lions are frozen? I’m thinking too much.

Hunk’s already softening the blow for the Paladins getting replaced?

Well, this is riveting stuff. And I’d still have this episode over all the previous ones.

I doubt people would react this way but who knows. Keith is back to being an asshole. Just as I was warming up to him.

Well, I guess we couldn’t have an episode without something trying to kill the Paladins.

That speech feels a little out of place now, Keith. Just a tiny bit.

Guess they have energy now?

New configuration. I dig it.

And about damn time too.

I was expecting more from an episode with this title.

Episodes 7 & 8: The Last Stand, Parts 1 & 2

Okay, I may be nitpicking, but couldn’t we have left the flashback for the reunion?

Sanda seems reasonable, for now anyway.

This episode is picking up the slack from the previous ones. Nice.

It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.

Okay, if I were a guy at this briefing, I’d have a hard time believing any of this.

I see good points on both sides here. Compromise: why not inform a few governments and start from there, similarly to what they did on Stargate SG-1. Broadcasting this to the whole wide world without a plan seems terribly irresponsible.

Voltron’s own Area 51. Cool!

Are these guys going to be the new Paladins? I sure hope not.

In all this time you didn’t even contact a single government? Are there even governments in this world? It’s not about emotion, it’s about resources, dammit!

If getting kicked out of the garrison was your biggest concern, I say go for it.

“The cat’s out of the bag now.” My thoughts exactly.

Whoa, I guess it’s true what they say, everyone wants to rule the world.

I’m pretty sure what you wanted to say was that there are mass riots and widespread panic out there, right?

I’m sure glad everyone else in the world has that nice and shiny particle barrier.

Oops, guess they didn’t.

Why the f*** is Sanda so stubborn?! We tried it your way and everyone died. Surely we can’t do any worse than that?

Every other place that didn’t have your shiny new tech got wasted, no kidding.

Sam really wants to rule the world, doesn’t he?

Yes, he does, he’s just gonna wait for the lions to show up. Doesn’t take a genius.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but, so far, the best episode of this season hasn’t featured the Paladins or Voltron.

Meet Veronica, the new Black Paladin.

Why reveal your presence like that?

Query. They designed weapons that are effective against Galra ships but not against Galra troops? Seems like an oversight.

Don’t worry, they’re not about to kill a badass character off like that.

Told you so.

Okay, I’m slightly more willing to read about what happened on Earth while the Paladins were away in comic book form. Slightly.

Oh, Lance’s sister. Hot.

I’m not sure that… Well, what do you know, it worked.

The next episode, Keith, the next episode.

Episode 9: Know Your Enemy

How exactly are you blocking- You know what? Forget it.

And that’s how the Paladins were killed! Kidding.

Introducing New Keith 1.0.

That door seems like a weak point.

Confirmed: Pidge can fly.

New Keith 1.0 is jealous of Keith 2.0. The plot thickens.

I had completely forgotten about Adam. Way to go killing him off like that. Couldn’t you have featured him in a couple more episodes at least? As it stands, he was entirely superfluous.

New Keith 1.0 is even more of an asshole than Keith 1.0. Someone punch him for me, please.

Sanda has been unusually quiet. I don’t like that.

Space Battleship Yama- I mean, Atlas!

Seriously, handing over the lions at this point would be dumb beyond measure. It merely leaves you at the mercy of the Galra who’ll backstab you at the earliest opportunity. Why are we even discussing this? Are we really going to make Sanda a baddie now?

“We need intelligence and we just don’t have it.” She’s absolutely right, just not in the way she thinks.

What was that? New Keith 1.0 went from being a jerk to a more or less decent guy in less than an episode? What’s going on here?

Hunk couldn’t rescue his parents. I’m surprised this show was that bold.

Episode 10: Heart of the Lion

I don’t understand any of what just went down. So an Earth power source makes an Earth prosthetic go berserk but an Altean one won’t? Are there evil power sources in this universe now?

Also, that arm’s missing a half. Just saying.

Admiral Sanda’s back to her senses. Good.

Yes, call your brother an idiot for showing concern. That’ll show him!

A tiny nitpick: why not use the wolf to teleport around?

Confirmed: New Keith 1.0 is no longer a jerk.

Teamwork!

Allurance moment. I ship it.

That scene with Pidge and Keith.

Zai-what?

Damn, Sanda’s all about the problems, isn’t she? How about a solution every once in a while?

How did they do that again?

It’s a bit of a gamble but it’s better than sitting around and doing nothing.

That Tenzin moment!

Lance 1.0 would’ve boasted about it. Just saying.

Um, why is Red not responding?

Great visuals, great music, great scene.

Drama! To be continued… or maybe not.

Those troops are terrible shots.

Cut it with your sword, cut it with your sword!

Or that works too. Were we holding back Red just for the sake of drama?

That was… awfully fast of the Galra.

Oh, no, don’t you tell me that... For f***’s sake, that was idiotic! You’re helping the guy who has built planet killers instead of the people trying to take them down?!

No formation sequence and music? This doesn’t bode well.

Can energy beams be bended like- Ah, forget it.

Personally, I would’ve cut off the episode at the blast, maybe even the season. Kills all suspense otherwise.

Episode 11: Trial by Fire

This marks the second time the lions get captured this season.

“We made a deal!” Famous last words. My eyes are rolling.

The bad guys are leaving. I wonder why? #sarcasm

The main villain lied to you? No way! This must be a mistake! Also #sarcasm

To kill everyone I presume.

Bingo.

We only now remember we have a crystal than can act as a power source?

Magic.

Um, why is everyone looking at Shiro like that? Just roll with it.

Now, if the Atlas were destroyed right now, that would be funny! I have a wicked sense of humor.

“Take them out.” A little late for that.

Ah, the redeeming arc begins! I foresee someone dying.

The ship “gained abilities”? I’m just gonna say it: magic.

Just kill her. I mean, she’s gonna die anyway. It’s that kind of arc.

Told you so.

Episodes 12 & 13: Lions’ Pride, Parts 1 & 2

Voltron formation music is back but with less punch.

Voltron’s finally kicking ass!

Why are we surprised that Sendak is going to destroy Earth?

I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s a (relatively) stationary cannon, and they probably don’t have enough mirrors up in space to track all of Voltron’s movements. Voltron shouldn’t have any problem dodging those blasts.

So Sendak’s willing to destroy his own ships to get Voltron? I’m game! Let’s rush from cruiser to cruiser! At least they’ll provide temporary cover.

They’re letting the Paladins move around the mirrors untouched?

Why not reflect the beams back at the cannons? Just a thought.

“Commander, they’re deflecting the beams.” Um, send someone to take the lions out? It’s not like you’re short on ships.

Why not simply blow up the crystal? You did bring explosives with you, didn’t you?

“Victory or death.” Why not simply transfer command to another ship?

I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see you on the hull of that ship, Shiro.

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!

That was a surprisingly smooth landing, all things considered.

Death it is.

Another Allurance moment.

Okay, why is this Part 1 again? Looks like everything was rounded up nicely.

Looks like I spoke too soon.

You’re overdoing it.

Ah, for the love of... Another mega-robot?!

I’m with Allura, this season should’ve ended in the previous episode or at episode 10.

I don’t know what the Komar is. I skimmed through previous seasons.

What happened to “we can recharge Voltron ourselves”?

Really? Somehow this robot is more powerful than anything we’ve ever seen? My eyes are rolling again.

Magic returns to save the day.

You’ve got to be kidding me, you built a ship that can somehow turn into a giant robot and you didn’t know?!

Okay, no, stop, this is beyond ridiculous now.

Weren’t there civilians around?

I seem to recall saying you were overdoing it. We’re way past that point now.

Why not return to Earth as soon as you’ve pushed that thing into space? I forgot, drama.

If they die, I’ll take everything back.

Lions still there so they didn’t.

Nice speech. Not feeling it though.

I’m saying it right now, Season 8 should jump forward in time several years.

Acxa! I had forgotten all about you. Seriously, when did we drop you?

Lotor’s been a very naughty boy. So much for time skip. It really was the way to go after this season.

[blue-rose-89]

Voltron: Averting cliches is the writers game....

A chat I had with @honeycombpuppy and @i-love-voltron-stuff has got me thinking of something that I don’t think a lot of people have pointed out. When it comes to watching this show the writers have been going out of their way to avert the common plot lines and cliches we have seen in shows many, many times. They have even done it in ATLA and LOK. Here’s a list of twists and storylines we would normally expect only for the writers to turn it around and say “Fooled you!”

[Long post underneath......]

What has currently happened:

1. Pidge is revealed to be a girl.

What we expected: Everyone freaks out about this revelation and start treating her different because she’s a girl.

What really happened: No one cared because they either figured it out or they knew all along.  They accepted her and she hasn’t been given special treatment.

The writers have said that the reason they gender flipped the character was that aside from it being a diversity move, they wanted to show that despite the big change Pidge the still the smart one of the group except she’s girl a now. Her gender identity has nothing to do with the character.

2.  Ullaz’s Sacrifice and Allura’s response to said sacrifice.

What we expected: Allura to have a change of heart and start considering that not all Galra are bad.

What really happened:  Her opinion on the species has (understandably) not changed. Her response can be summed up as “I don’t care. He’s Galra so I say good riddance.”

I won’t lie when I saw this episode the first time my brain was saying “Ungrateful bitch. I get where you’re coming from but geez.”

3. Keith revealing to be half-Galra

What we expected: Everyone is accepting.

What really happened: There’s tension between Keith and some of the characters. Hunk behaved ignorant and insensitive ( there’s difference between being ignorant and being racist. Hunk was being ignorant and he got over it) about Keith’s heritage while Allura practically shun him. As far as she was concerned Keith was dead to her over something he had no control over.

Like everyone else I hated her treatment towards Keith. If I were in Keith’s shoes and there was no war going on I would leave and not turn back.

4.  Allura’s “You’re dead to me” treatment towards Keith.

What we expected: Someone to call her out on her behaviour.

What really happened: She called herself out and apologized on her own.

The one complaint I have with this scene is the transition between the apology and the scene that came before it. One second she’s giving Keith the stink eye for volunteering on the suicide mission as if to say “I don’t trust you, it’s in your blood to betray us. I won’t miss you.” to “I’m sorry.” I wished we had a scene where it was vaguely hinted that she started to feel remorse. Oh well.

5.  Keith becoming the Black Paladin in Shiro’s absence 

What we expected: Keith to become a permeant replacement no matter how uncertain he is of his “destiny” because all of his past incarnations have been the Black Lion’s pilot. Heck, the “Lone Wolf becomes the leader no matter how unsure he/she is” is a common story line.

What really happened: Keith rejects being the Black Paladin because not only has Shiro returned but because he said it himself “I’m not meant to pilot the Black Lion.” He’s not running from his “destiny” he just doesn’t want it. He never wanted to be the leader. Why must it be forced onto him?

This post sums it up a lot better than I can. Keith can be one of the few characters  that gets to reject his so called “destiny” without any huge consequences. Keith is already one of six chosen ones to pilot Voltron, he doesn’t need to be a “super duper chosen one”.

Now onto the speculation part.........

Here’s what might happen down the road....

1. Keith’s attempted sacrifice in S4

What we expect: Everyone to praise him for putting the mission over the individual or it gets swept under the rug because a sympathetic Keith gives him immunity to criticism from both the characters and the viewers.

What might actually happen: There will be consequences because there’s no guarantee that Keith sacrificing himself was going to help the coalition for the long term. There’s no way that the Paladins are going to be okay with it.

There is an interview that confirms or at least strongly implies that Keith’s actions in the S4 finale is something that’s not going to be ignored for obvious reasons. Let’s hope that S5 delivers on that.

The whole Shiro clone/corruption/whatever he is debate

What we expect: Shiro’s a clone or he’s corrupted. I’ve even seen a theory that suggests he’s from an alternate reality.

What might actually happen: Perhaps a combination of both. He can still be our Shiro whether he’s one of many defected clones or his soul is in a clone body because as far we know about Quintessence, which is basically life energy,  cannot be copied. The Galra might need to use his soul to make the body work. Whatever it is the writers can potentially avert the cliches that come with a clone story.

And last but not least......

Team Voltron and the Lion switching

What we expect: The switch to be permanent  because promotion=better character development, Black Paladin=True hero of the story and is better than every one, and “That’s how the original did it. We must abide to the original source material.”

What might actually happen: The Paladins will go back to the S1/S2 lineup once everyone figures out they all have leadership qualities and that they can all contribute something to the team instead of the Black Paladin calling the shots because he said so. Zarkon had this belief and look where it got him.

When you’re on a team there is no “I’m above you because I’m the leader.”. It should be “We all work together no matter what our position is because we’re all equal. There is no official leader”

As you can see the writers have made it their mission to make us think outside of our expectations and be open to other possibilities. Nothing is set in stone because “it has happened before.”

[amaranthkick]

Your Smile

Lance and Shiro has to act like they're together to help gain an alliance. Shiro thinks he has to deal with a few days of Lance’s flirting. Boy, is he in for a big surprise.

  Allura had called them up to the control room to debrief them on their latest mission. The main screens showed a green planet with cyan blue waters.

 Allura started, “This is Utrillon, it's people are fairly peaceful and it's planet is rich in valuable resources such as clean water, a wide variety of fruits and vegetation, and an abundance of wild game to hunt. It is freely given to those who are in alliance with them.”

She listed other stuff that was important for the castle but the humans could only focus on potential food that wasn't the paladin lunch or food goo and especially the prospect of fresh meat.

 The princess cleared her throat to regain their attention. “There is one catch though. To really appeal to them we must be “genuine.” Their definition is more akin to the show of loving devotion to another. So we have to send two people who act like they are together to get the alliance.”

 “Lance, you are one of the two.” She nodded as he gave a confused look pointing at himself. “Your flirtatious side could be perceived as signs of being in love. Just make sure you stick to the other person.”

 Lance gave a lopsided smile and shrugged, “Alright princess so who's coming with me? Is it you-”

 “Shiro will accompany you.” Allura interrupted quick and to the point much to everyone's shock. She coughed trying to validate her choice. “He is the black paladin after all. It would be largely appealing for the leader of Voltron to appear devoted to another.”

 Allura will never reveal that the mice had told her of a certain blue paladin’s crush on the black paladin. And that this planet was the perfect opportunity to play matchmaker.

 “M-me and Shiro?” Lance muttered his face heating up.

 Shiro sighed accepting the mission but he can't deny the light dusting on his cheeks.

  Lance and Shiro were walking slowly to the dressing room. Coran said he would prepare the tradition Altean diplomatic garb for them to wear. They walked in an overbearing silence, Lance was deep in thought distracted by something. Shiro sighed they had to discuss the information regarding their “relationship” such as how they would spend their dates, how they met, and whatnot.

 “Lance?” Shiro said startling him.

 “Uh, yeah?”

 “So what kind of story should we stick with about how we first met. Although you helping to save me when I was held up by the Garrison is a good start.” Shiro nodded to himself, it was a good start to a budding romance as any.

 He was confused when Lance looked saddened for a second. A pit formed in his stomach as a thought hit him. “Lance? Did we meet before that?”

 Lance flailed and stammered trying to reassure him, “Yes, I mean no. I mean maybe…? I just- it's ok if you don't remember it was just an everyday thing and you would probably do the same for any cadet who was having trouble with their studies. I don't hold it against you for not remembering honest.”

 Shiro shook his head, he had to know now. They had stopped walking. He was curious and a tad guilty for not remembering. “Tell me? Please?” He asked in a quiet voice.

 “Uhh, well I was in the library struggling on a subject and then you offered a moment of your time to help me. You encouraged me to keep trying and have confidence in myself. You were probably just being nice. But that - it meant so much to me. That's one of the reasons you're my hero.” Lance quickly ducked his head bashfully.

 “H-hero?” Shiro was just as red as Lance.

 “Yeah, then I got to meet you and know you a little better. And not to mention we're paladins now so you really are a hero.” Lance said avoiding his eyes.

 Shiro couldn't get his brain to think of something to say or get his voice to work. He felt like he was going to combust.

 Just then Coran popped out of nowhere startling the both of them. “There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you two.”

 “Oh well uh, guess our wardrobes are done. That's good, lead the way Coran!” Lance all but pushed Coran forward with him eager to change subjects.

 Shiro watched them stumble ahead then willed his own feet to robotically follow them. He was too busy trying to calm the pounding in his chest brought forth from Lance’s heartfelt words

 He was almost thankful that he would probably just have to deal with Lance's flirting on the mission. He didn't think he could handle more of his soft, tender words without becoming a flustered mess.

  The village on the planet looked wondrous to Lance. It looked like the town was built on top of a river. The water and stones working together. It reminded him of the beauty of Venice even if he's never been there just seen pictures from friends who live there. Even the people looked angelic, literally.  They had four small but bright colorful wings on their backs.

 Shiro was looking fondly at Lance who was taking in the village like an awestruck child. He took note to ask Allura if they could take some time to just sight see after the alliance was made.

 He noticed someone approaching them. His wings were bigger than everyone else's. People showed respect to him as he passed by folding a wing and arm in front of them and bowing a little. There was no doubt about it, this must be the king.

 The paladins mimicked the bows the other villagers did and the king smiled, “Paladins of Voltron, I presume?”

 The king invited them to stay at the palace while they prepare for a celebration.

 Shiro let out delightful chuckles as Lance was once again exploring with childlike wonder. He held his hand in an effort to keep him from wandering off. It seems Lance hasn't noticed yet.

 Two different staff members who finished setting up decorations went up to them excited to talk with the famed paladins of Voltron. They got roped into separate conversations. The staff members already assuming they were together.

 Luckily Shiro was asked how they had first met. Of course he would use the story Lance had told him earlier. He might have embellished it a little to make up for still not having solid memories of the event. His conversation ended pretty quick as he waved goodbye as she left.

 That left Shiro waiting for Lance to finish up. He was tantalizingly within earshot to clearly make out what they're saying. He quietly berated himself that he shouldn't be eavesdropping and yet he couldn't help but be curious at what Lance will say.

 “What attracts you to black paladin Shiro, blue paladin Lance?”

 Ahh Lance would probably play up his leadership qualities as the black paladin or even from his garrison days. At least that's what everyone has commented about him.

 “Oh just ‘Lance’ is fine. Well, um sure he's the strong and tough leader of the paladins but… did you know that when he lets go just a little bit he has this warm smile that's like seeing the sun for the first time after many cloudy days. It's breathtaking and even if it might be something people take for granted, to me it gets more and more beautiful every time I see it.”

 Shiro's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what graced his ears. Lance was so soft spoken like he meant every word and it made his heart race.

 He was so distracted that he didn't hear Lance finishing his conversation. “Hello, Earth to Shiro? You ok?” Lance looked concerned.

 “I- yeah, yeah I'm fine. Let's uh, ask where we’ll spend the night.”

 “Oh don't worry about it Shiro, I'll ask. You seem tired, just wait right here.” And Lance sped off to the nearest Utrillian he can find.

 Left alone with his thoughts again he wondered just where did that come from? Surely Lance was just waxing poetics on the fly, maybe something he would say to someone he was truly interested in. Not him. He tried to ignore how much that thought hurts.

(Part 2)

[kendrixtermina]

Voltron Cast vs. Personality types

Feel free to add & correct

Lance

Very Clearly ESxx. He’s practically “Extrovert problems” incarnate, poor boi, just wants to be liked & accepted.  

I’d say he has some Fe there but the degree of inappropriate jokes vs value judgements/policing suggests tertiary rather than dominant. ESTP then. 

Pretty much that common Fi PolR/ Fe tert problem of not realizing your own inclinations & opinions of yourself “count” & therefore  looking for external validation a lot. Adding to that is his crazy aim & knack for planning sneaky strategies on the fly, also he once mentioned he has a hard time sleeping if he gets all pumped off, having so much energy it needs to be burned off is a common Se dom issue, as is his concern with looks, status & “finer pleasures” & his competitive streak.

He’s an inert subtype, and enneagram wise he’s such an obvious 3w2 someone who never saw the show could tell just from me reblogging posts about him. He keeps making up roles for himself to play (”cool ninja sharpshooter”) & hoping they catch on with the others, though there’s also an angle of wanting to contribute & be needed. 

imma venture soc/sx but im not adamant on this.  Sanguine classic. 

Also very obvious oldham Inventive with sprinklings of Devoted and Dramatic. He’s also a dead-ringer Mercury-Venus. Also probably Thunderbird.

Gryffindor or Hufflepuff tho? There would probaby be hatstall, but ultimately I feel he would be a “grow into it” Gryffindor. 

The Red Lion only takes them Gryffindors BTW. Come on. Bravery? honor? No self-preservation? Likewise, the green Lion only takes Ravenclaws and the Yellow one only takes hufflepuffs. The recipe is probably more complicated with the other two tho. 

Hunk

The most obvious ISFJ to ever SiFe. 

He’s cautious & prefers the familiar, a good judge of character & may need to see things with their own eyes to grasp their full scope, but also has a big heart cares a lot. Hasthat “inferior Ne panic reaction” too. 

You kinda also see the “dexterous/practical” side of Si with his being a mechanic. The makers have described the contrast between him and pidge as the “figure it out & think it up” side of engineering vs the “buid it & make it work” side of it  which is basically N vs. S in a nutshell. 

Inert Subtype. Pudwudkie Hufflepuff. Nuff said. A 9w1, probably, though with a notable 6w5 fix. sp/soc. Phlegmatic. Venus. Clearly has some Sensitive style in him but he’s not all that shy & fluttery so there’s probably some stabilizing influence there. Not wholly sure if it’s some Leisurely or something else

Allura

Preddy much ESTJ. Brave, dutiful, action-oriented, bossy, fortright, yells a lot, can be rigid sometimes, we know the drill.   

Contact subtype. Mars-Jupiter af. srly that’s just a holistic sumup of her character.  Choleric. (ChlorSan prolly) 2w1  soc/sp? I do think soc  is right & she does have that “politcian-y” quality.  

She’s ever the altrustic helper ready to put her life in danger, insists they answer every distress call,  and has this ‘diplomatic important organization leader’ thing going on that social 2s do.The w1 also manifests as back & white or oversimple thinking at times.

Oldham wise it’s hard, something of a pronounced mixed/intereference pattern with both Self-Sacrifcing and Aggressive in the mix.

Wampus.  I see why someone might say Slytherin but I’m sticking with Gryffindor for now.

Pidge

This one is kinda easy.

INTP 5w6. Ravenclaw. Horned Serpent. Lunar. sp/soc. IDK bout vertical subtype but she rambles/blurts more than she snarks/criticises so I’m saying contact. 

Less sure ‘bout oldham though there’s probably some Vigilant, though not, like, sharp excess.

Imma run with melancholic b/c she’s definitely not pure Phlegmatic or Supine. MelPhleg perhaps. 

Shiro

Apparently there has been a case of “the fan-favorite is always INFJ” (TF?) but I think most of us will agree that he has Te - he’s goot at handing out tasks, managing people, coming up with courses of action...

He rocks that tert Fi too in that he’s a good listener & tries to further the other’s personal developement. 

We often think of natural leaders as extroverts but ISTJ is prolly the introvert most likely to become head-of-state. He just fits the overall patterns of ISTJ: Dilligent, put-together (when he can help it), great integrity, perceptive with details & able to use comparision with past experiences to kick butt in the present (Like when he timed the Sentry Drones’ rounds), though he does’t have the elbowy agression/striving of other TJ-types, and he’s a morning person too. 

He’s probably a contact subtype. Temperament wise he’d be one of those few where I’d be tempted to call ‘balanced/Leukine’, but if I didn’t I’d say ChlorPhleg comes the closest.  1w9 af, prolly sp/soc with a degree of both personalperfectionism & mentoring others present, and also feeling overly responsible for everything. 

Oldham wise an obvious conscientious type. 

While he’d sure have some gryffindor potential, his firm belief in teamwork & humility would probaby land him in Hufflepuff.- Think Cedric Diggory who was also a sort of prodigy. Though he is probably also very much a Wampus.

Also, he’s a classic, archetypical pure Saturn type. Actually, I believe at least partially saturnyne personalities are the Black Lion’s thing. Still not sure how Blue’s could be quantified, apart from possibly favoring extroverts, but that’s probably by design. 

Keith

Mai Spicy Boi! . 

I’m just gonna flat out say that he cannot be anything other than a contact subtype Se auxillary. Just look at all that Se! That’s about as much of the stuff as you can possibly cram into an introvert. 

He’s got sharp senses & reflexes, often reacts to opportunities, observations and impressions in the moment (and very often it’s a deliberate risk that works out - he’s not just “hotheaded” or “not thinking”, but he’s thinking about things to do or investigate, not so much what happens next. ) & improvised, didn’t really have longterm plans after flunking out, He also very much has the ‘decisive’ and agressive side of Se though I wouldn’t call him dominant. 

And I’m saying ISTP over ISFP b/c the Se itself seems a sufficient explanation for his reactive nature,and then there’s general lack of people skills, solitary mode of operation & difficulty with group work (not a shred of Te not even inferior) 

Also, when he’s actually thinking rather than just waltzing in guns blazing, he very much has task-oriented, detached impersonal reasoning  “But can we afford to save the princess? It’s not about the glory. The cause is bigger than any of us.” He’s also very much the cynic of the group or the one most inclined to see things in shades of grey rather than black & whites. 

I doublechecked this to make sure I’m not just assuming him to be a Ti dom b/c he’s my fav character, but ‘ISTP’ really seem to summarize his character & much of the metas written about him very well.

Soo... is he a cp 6? a sp4? An 8? Probably all of those, they don’t call that the “tripple reactive” tritype for nothing but coretype wise I’d put him very much in the action triad as a 8w7, that’s not even all that uncommon for ISTPs. He’s also very distinctly soc blind,(which may explain why he doesn’t really manifest the dominant part of the 8, but he’s very much got the every-man-for-himself, rely-on-no-one rebel part of it, as well as the characteristic problem with backing down/shelving arguments though the other fixes, again, don’t help.  ) not sure if sx/sp or sp/sx, on the one hand he’s...tempestuous, on the other he spent a year as a desert hermit and found itpleasantly calm, at least in part, so if pressed I’d go with sp/sx, also because of his tedency to hold himself apart from the group somewhat without much indication that it’s a conscious choice. 

Oldham wise he’s got some adventurous & some vigilant but also some sort of more emotionally juicy counterpoint to that without which he’d have a lot more hostile unconcern. He’s not clingy enough for Mercurial tho so I’m vaguely at a loss. 

He’s got some more maturity to acquire there but I do think there’s very much a Saturn-Mars underneath it all. Certainly NOT as thought-through as a pure saturn and with no shortage on the action but he does have momentzs of somberness and nuanced understanding.  Very much fits both the archetype of the ‘rugged doer’ and the ‘powerful, cause-oriented person’. though he still has some work to do on the ‘inspiring others’ part. 

Gryffindor, no 2 ways about it. (Some have suggested Slytherin because he’s the “edgy” one but honestly I don’t see that at all. He has zero interest in personal glory or the ‘in-group’ & doesn’t seem to think of himself as special though he would very much have the grounds to do so.) 

The real question is: Wampus or Thunderbird tho?

Coran

Clearly has both Ne (wackyness and quirkyness) and Si (storytime! “Proper” Traditionalist), and too much for either to be the inferior. 

Since he doesn’t seem like a Ne auxillary, that leaves us with ESFJ by principle of exclusion, like he kinda has the chattynes & is always helping with everything & taking all the duties. Probably a contact subtype. 

Hufflepuff for similar reasons. IDK bout Ilvermony but he does have an adventurous side that did shenanigans with the previous paladins, so probably Thunderbird. 

Out of the enneagram types that commonly occur in ExSJ, 9 seems the likeliest, he’s nor dramatic enough for a core type in the emotional triad. I’d say he also has a 7w6 fix somewhere. Also he’s probably soc-first... and in hindsight actualy acts alot like a textbook social 9, working a lot to support the community while not taking the spotlight himself. 

Oldham wise I’d postulate a Dramatic-Devoted mix.

Essence type made me think for a bit i had several inconclusive kneejerk reactions but imma stick with Jupiter for now.

Zarkon

Well, another ESTJ, prolly an inert subtype tho. 

Pretty much your standard evil overlord/ Te dom villain, though he’s more an enforcer than someone who does a lot of lecturing like when he does it’s usually to-the-point, plus he was sorta repressed in his youth & seemingly a strict traditionalist. 

Also a very obvious Aggressive type (complete with the comon constellation where the spouse can deal with & accept that that but the kid’s can’t & regular teenage rebellion ends in dramatic estrangement), like, he would not be questioned even by his best friend even long before he went nuts enough to randomly murder ppl for talking back to him.

You could deem him an  8w9 and a Saturn for similar reasons though he evidently incorporates the more negative aspects of that... though he did have a “protective-responsible” side before things got too sour.

Ovsly Slytherin (& wampus), methinks the whole imperial family would be one those dynastic Slytherin families for all their differences. 

Haggar

I found her hard to get a read on for the first two seasons, but with the backstory reveal I think I can conclude INTx, see the whole lightning speech & the whole “Think of the Potential!” attitude, also her being a misanthropic cat lady & sassing Alfor to his face (”customary gesture”) way before things went all sour.

I am less sure here, but out of the two options INTP is more likely because I think I see more indications for SiFe than for FiSe. Her present day self is markedly more cautious than she was in her younger days. She minimally toys with her victims for effect (Poor Shiro) and has this pretty honest devotion & concern for Zarkon, though she seems content subordinating herself to him, though she has this dourish Si-Ti bubble-popping, “Yeah sure but be cautious” attitude especially in interaction with Lotor & Zarkon.  

Beyond that, i’d say that she is a very clearly an inert subtype, a Serious-primary and probably some fashion of 5w6 (by principle of exclusion). Slytherin & Horned Serpent. What else would a mad science shadow empress space witch possbly be? Might be Lunar but don’t really have a good read there

Lotor

Some kind of NF, ENFJ if I had to guess. Not his father indeed, though still quite ExxJ. He has the charme, he has a planning, analytic quality underneath, but while he had ambition the more fundamental motivation seems to be to enarn recognition to prove himself.

sx/soc 7, glorious, extra with lots of plumage, certainly very self-interested when it comes down but you could totally picture him just chilling with his henchladies & preferring a ‘personal’ environment/inner circle though he can totally work crowds like clay. 

Self-Confident with a tinge of Exuberant perhaps. 

Slytherin Thunderbird. 

Perhaps what an antagonistic Solar Type looks like. He’s got charme, he’s got loftiness and big goals he works hard to accomplish and little hesitation to put his own person out on the field  but he’s sorta the very opposite of naive, very much a planner and going all road runner on poor Keith. Come to think of it,one could make a good case for him as a Solar-Saturn. 

As for the Generals/henchladies we’ve only seen bits & pieces of them so far all we can really tell is that Narti and Acxa are introverts while Zethrid and Ezor are extroverts, but Imma risk a guess based on rough vibes/ intuition:

Ezor: ESFP Narti: ISTP Acxa: ISTJ Zethrid: ESTJ

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fics #32

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs​ for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

A Very Bland Voltron Christmas by genericfanatic Words: 1,367 Author’s Summary: The paladins go shopping for space christmas gifts at the mall. Made in honor of getting 100 followers on my sideblog blandvoltronheadcanons! My Comments: Super cute and fun little fic about the team going back to the mall.

If You Trust Me by yet_intrepid Words: 3,430 (1/?) Author’s Summary: “I’m sorry,” the young man says to her, as they slow to a walk in an empty residential street. He’s dropped her hand; Allura thinks for a moment that she misses the closeness. “I could have gotten you arrested.” “I almost got myself arrested,” Allura points out. “Your apologies are unneeded. Let me offer my thanks instead.” “No,” he insists. “You would have been in worse trouble had you been caught with me. I have—a history.” She looks down at his right arm, ending bluntly before the wrist. “You’re really a thief?” My Comments: Holy crow, I am IN to this. It’s an Aladdin fusion AU with Shiro as the leader of the group of homeless kids and Allura as the princess running away from home, and it works amazingly well. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Shallura.

Hallelujah, You’re Home by tymedfire Words: 4,542 Author’s Summary: It’s been two years. Two years since they’ve felt rain on their faces. Two years since they’ve seen their families, since they’ve spoken to their families. Two years since they really started to learn what war was. Two years since they stopped being teenagers and became soldiers. Two years since they left Earth. Three, for Shiro. But now they’re going back. They’re going home My Comments: This is wonderful, sad but very beautiful. Going home is really hard sometimes. Everyone’s support of Lance was gorgeous, especially Pidge, but everyone.

Surface Tension by Teramina Words:  8,425 Author’s Summary: Companion piece to 2x08, Shiro’s perspective + aftermath My Comments: Really well-written missing scene and alternate perspective for a very important episode. The mutual protectiveness and concern in this relationship always gets at me.

Down Time (Don’t Let Me Down) by EdgarAllenPoet Words: 2,096 (2/?) Author’s Summary:  “Hunk smiled, a tint of guilt on his face, and tightened the hose with a final tug. ‘Oh,’ he said. 'I’m winning a game of hide and seek.’” My Comments: I really like this author’s gen stuff, so of course I’m going to read their collection of prompt fills. The first one is some really cute fluff featuring Hunk and Pidge, and the second one is an angsty Shiro character study. You should probably subscribe so you don’t miss any. I did.

Hold these Shattered Pieces of My Heart by WildWolf25 Words: 6,322 Author’s Summary: Those memories seemed so far away; cozy nights holed up in a blanket fort in the living room, lit up only by the glow of the television screen, were a stark contrast from the hell he had been experiencing for the past two years. He wished he erase these past couple of years and go back to the days before the Kerberos mission, back when his biggest problem was trying to beat Katie at rock-paper-scissors to choose which Alien movie to watch first. He wished he could go back to summer barbecues and robotics team competitions and stargazing and looking for UFOs on the hill behind the house. Back when the horrors he witnessed could just be turned off with the press of a button and exchanged for a different movie. Back when he could sleep through the night without waking up in a cold sweat with a racing heart and fear running through his veins; back before a time where waking up didn’t mean the nightmare was over, only that the dream version had ended and he was stuck in one he could never wake up from. (Matt has some trouble sleeping after he’s rescued, but Shiro’s got his back. Or, front, in this case) My Comments: Can be viewed as platonic or pre-slash. This is a really sad but sweet fic, very heavy and vivid with the feelings it evokes.

Singularity by this_book_has_been_loved  Words: 29,260  Author’s Summary: AU where instead of landing in the trash nebula, Pidge finds herself on the same planet as a certain Galra prison camp. My Comments: Well-written little AU about Pidge going all-out to rescue her family and everyone else helps. Canon won’t be like this, but that’s okay. Fic is good. 

when next we meet by julesdap Words: 1,899 Author’s Summary: Hunk had told her to eat, and when Pidge had said nothing, he brought her a meal. Keith had told her to change out of her dirty paladin gear, and when Pidge had, still, said nothing, he said he would guard Matt closely while she left to change. Shiro had told her to rest, and without waiting for a response, offered to watch Matt while she napped, promising to wake her as soon as Matt did. Lance had told her, simply, that Matt would be alright soon, but also that he understood how it felt, to worry all the time for your family. All in all, Pidge was grateful. My Comments: Lovely and poignant fic about Pidge finding Matt and all the healing and adjustment that needs to be done. Everyone was delightfully supportive, and there’s a Shiro/Matt kiss, if you’re into that, but the focus is on Pidge and her brother.

Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty by Ford_Ye_Fiji Words: 1,534 Author’s Summary: When the Galra attack unexpectedly, Keith is incapacitated. The Red Lion has to take some drastic measures due to the absence of the other Paladins. My Comments: Red is Keith’s adoptive mama, and she is FIERCE about it. Fun fic.

if you’ll be my stars, then i’ll be your sky by Lobo_Loca Words: 10,910 (2/?) Author’s Summary: [“Road trip!” Lance exclaimed. Shiro sighed. “We are going on interplanetary reconnaissance and diplomatic missions, Lance. It may seem a bit scenic, but it’s not a road trip.”“I don’t know,” Hunk chimed in. “Dubiously edible food, extended periods of time in confined vehicles, strange places with stranger people, sleeping in vehicles instead of local establishments because who knows what happened in those beds: sounds like a road trip to me.”] For Day 1 of Voltron Week: Space/Travel. My Comments: The paladins split up into two groups and head off for adventure! Great fun so far, good banter and character interaction, and it looks like there will be plenty of hijinks to come.

We’re Good by kuro Words: 2,455 Author’s Summary: So Keith and Lance weren’t actually on bad terms, or that was what Keith had come to believe, at least. Which made it all the weirder that Lance had been rather snippy lately.(Or, Keith and Lance try to figure out how to be friends with each other. They might not be very good at it.) My Comments: Aw, poor Keith. He really wants to be friends with Lance and doesn’t get it when Lance starts snapping at him for reasons that are beyond Keith’s control. Fortunately, Hunk is there to tell Lance that he’s being a jerk. Very cute ending. I love when these two become friends, with no shipping in sight.

Halcyon Day by Stratagem Words: 1,599 Author’s Summary: Altea is celebrating the creation of Voltron, and as usual, Coran is busy tracking down one missing princess. Also, Coran’s family loves him very much. My Comments: Gah, this author just does the best and most heartbreaking family stuff. This is beautiful, and it’s sad only because you know what’s going to happen in the future.

The Truth is Out There… Right Under Lance’s Nose… by Ninja_Librarian Words: 5,706 Author’s Summary: Katie Holt’s infiltration of the Galaxy Garrison under the male alias of Pidge Gunderson was marginally successful. There were hiccups along the way. But her true identity–and gender–were never revealed. Although there were a few close calls, courtesy of her pilot teammate… Or, 5 Times Lance probably could have figured out that Pidge was a girl… My Comments: Lance is an innocent soul who always takes Pidge’s words exactly at face value no matter how outlandish her explanations get. Hunk is more suspicious and figures it out before he even reads her diary. Also, Pidge is protective of Lance because he is a dumb baby who needs to be protected. Love this fic.

If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane by WildWolf25 Words: 2,745 Author’s Summary: Sleepless nights and homesickness are not uncommon for the paladins. Sometimes the best cure is adopting each other as surrogate siblings. My Comments: Absolutely excellent Pidge and Lance friendship culminating in a sleepover and the sleepy determination that they are all siblings. Shiro shows up at the end and is also summarily adopted. Super cute stuff.

Daddy Daycare by EdgarAllenPoet Words: 1,552 Author’s Summary: “Kolivan turned to investigate the yelp and saw Lance rubbing at his side and pouting. Antok shrugged innocently, and well, he’d never done great with children. Antok tended to practice pinching as a discipline tactic.” My Comments: The Dads of Marmora are so quality. Lance and Keith act like toddlers and get put in time out. Perfection.

Altean Benadryl is evil and they should also put english labels on the damn bottles by GreenhouseNurse Words: 1,978 (4/?) Author’s Summary: Lance just wanted some stomache medicine. Lance can’t read altean. Medicines can have very similar names.This isn’t going to end well.(Gift for Anon who like my prompts on tumblr ) My Comments: Very short chapters, which is usually a bad sign, but this is great so far. Good descriptions and good emotions, the works. Everyone is very worried, as they should be.

Slav has Seen Some Shit by Megaeevee Words: 1,616 (1/?) Author’s Summary: Slav has lived a long life. It wasn’t always a good one, but at least he survived. He’s seen things that nobody should see, and done things that nobody should have to do… but he’s still here after all of it. And he may not seem like it, but Slav is a fighter. He made it, despite there being too many realities in which he didn’t. My Comments: I’ve never seen a Slav-centric fic before! This has a great, though heartbreaking start, and I’m very much looking forward to more. No idea where it’s going to go, which is kind of exciting.

Grayscale Images by cipheredsong Words: 6,173 (2/?) Author’s Summary: On a mission to form an alliance with a new planet, Lance has a run-in with a strange species of plant that gives him an even stranger virus-type illness. It doesn’t seem to be that bad… until Lance’s whole world is fading away around him. Or is he fading himself? He can’t trust himself to think clearly, but he can’t trust anyone else, either. My Comments: I’ve read plenty of OOC Langst where the team is cruel and dismissive to Lance for no reason at all. This is not that. It’s an alien infection invading his thoughts and convincing him that they don’t care and it’s useless to go to them with his hurts, and that’s a GREAT premise. I’m totally into this fic and can’t wait for more.

i can’t drown my demons by electricindigo Words: 5,906 Author’s Summary: But really, he’s okay. He’s great, actually. He’s dealt with this before, and it’s not like it’s new to him. He doesn’t need anyone to take care of him, he doesn’t want Shiro to see, so it’s fine. He’s fine. He’s okay. He’s okay. (He’s not.) - Lance gets seriously hurt during a mission, affecting both his physical health and mental health. The team is worried. Lance doesn’t remember what happened. He doesn’t want to be helped. My Comments: Heartbreaking but very well-written and realistic fic about the aftermath of captivity and sexual assault. (Mind the tags.) Lance’s PTSD is a little grittier and more awful than typical fics, but it felt very real, and all the worse for it. The way he pushed the others away even while he desperately needed their help was definitely true to my experience. Good thing Shiro didn’t give up. The comfort part was fantastic, too. Good and necessary cuddling, that’s what I like to see.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

tommino posted a new chapter of Fighting the Surface HapaxLegomenon posted a new chapter of The Machinations of Perception MoonlitPaladin (MoonlitStardust) posted a new chapter of Gate Keeper Eastofthemoon posted a new chapter of Towards The Sun IcyPanther posted a new chapter of As Color Fades Away kyanve posted a new chapter of Truce Rururinchan posted a new chapter of Worth of A Paladin squirenonny posted a new chapter of Someplace Like Home TheHomestuckWhovian posted a new chapter of This Is New achieving elysium (Ogygia) posted a new chapter of familiar KairaKara101 posted a new chapter of I'm not the Lance You think I am ptw30 posted a new chapter of Bromances in Space buttered_onions posted a new chapter of The Size Of Our Actions MagmaWrites posted a new chapter of The Times They Remembered Pidge Was a Girl CamsthiSky posted a new chapter of It's Getting Darker But I'll Carry On WildWolf25 posted a new chapter of Coran's Guide to the Care and Keeping of Earthling Humans LonelyGirlInSpace posted a new chapter of The Color Of Our Planet From Far Far Away

[amoretheiwa]

For my fellow Shidge shippers

This is a drabble of sorts of my take on the Mulan!Shidge hc...hope you like it

It’s 2196 words, and I did this instead of homework 

Princess Allura stood looking at the Star Bowl in her palace’s observatory. Her advisor, Coran, stood a short distance behind her.

“What are we to do?” She murmured, on hand holding her chin up, the other functioning as a resting spot for the other elbow.

“Princess?” Coran asked, stepping closer.

“Zarkon and the Galra are going to attack soon, and we have no paladins, no people to form Voltron and protect us. What are we to do?”

Coran cleared his throat and she turned to look at him.

“We do have one candidate, at least, for the position of Black Lion.”

Allura nodded, beginning to pace.

“Yes, the Captain. He was held by the Galra for quite some time, and is the first to have ever escaped alive, rescuing his team as well.”

“Exactly! We just put him in contact with some new recruits and hope the magic of the Lions is present and he chooses a team that will form Voltron!”

Allura stopped and looked at him.

“Coran, that’s brilliant! Send out the order right away—one child from every family within the Garrison village is to report for mandatory training, led by Captain Shirogane!”

 Katie Holt was nowhere to be found. Her brother, Matt, and his best friend, Shiro, were supposed to be finding her to join the family for dinner but the past half hour had yielded no results. Matt stopped in the middle of the courtyard they had crossed at least ten times and sighed.

“For a genius and Captain, we sure are doing a fine job.”

Shiro snorted, smiling at his friend.

“You know that neither of us are a match for Katie. Besides, she probably just fell asleep somewhere neither of us can reach.”

Matt laughed and they continued their search together. Three years ago, Matt, as the older twin, had accompanied Shirogane Takashi and his father Samuel Holt on a reconnaissance mission in Galra territory. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and more, and for over a year the three were held captive by the evil Galra. Now, having escaped, Shiro lived with the Holt family while waiting for orders. Sam and Matt were both still on medical leave, and Katie and Ava holt had welcomed the men back with tears and scolding words.

In the past two years Shiro had become an integral part of the Holt family life, and he and Katie—despite their five year age difference—had bonded in ways Matt could never hope or want to. Katie didn’t know it, but dinner that night was going to have a surprise other than desert.

“Katie!” He hollered, standing in the stables with Matt. The younger man was checking each individual stall while he was supposed to be looking at the rafters. Subtle shifting from above made him suspicious, and in moments he had scaled the ladder up to the lofts. He smiled, relief in his heart, when he saw Katie curled up in a ball amongst the straw and hay. A mother cat and her new born kittens lay in a box obviously hand made by the youngest Holt herself. As Shiro moved closer, the cat hissed at him.

“I’m not here for you kittens, little one,” he murmured gently. He placed one hand on Katie’s shoulder and rubbed his thumb.

“I’m here for this kitten.”

When Katie didn’t wake, even to his softly calling her name and slight shaking, he sighed. Shiro stood and walked back to the edge of the loft. Matt looked up at him, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. Shiro grimaced and shrugged.

“I’ll have to carry her in; maybe tonight’s surprise will just have to wait.”

Matt shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Nah, bring her down. I’ll wake her up.”

 With a few scratches the only sign of the struggle that was waking his sister up, Matt sat proudly at the dinner table. Samuel Holt’s bandages were clean and stark against his grey robes, but overall the man looked marginally better than he had even that morning. There was a twinkle in his eye that was reflected in Matt’s eyes as well, to his right, and was mimicked in Ava Holt’s eyes to his right. Katie, seated next to her mother and across from Shiro, didn’t notice as she only had eyes for the man who had been courting her for just a few months now.

As the family piled their plates at the empty end of the table, Sam gave Shiro a loaded look. Shiro swallowed roughly, and wiped his mouth with his napkin again. He stood up, pushing his chair out with a loud scrape that had him cringing, and walked around the table to stand next to Katie.

“What is it, Shiro?”

She glanced between her father and Shiro, confusion coloring her face.

The man lowered himself carefully to both knees, grabbing her hands in his. He searched her eyes, silver to amber, and started to smile. Katie began to blush under the scrutiny but didn’t say anything, her heart racing faster than it ever had before.

“Katherine Holt, with your family’s permission, I have a very important question for you. These past few years you and I have grown close, closer than I thought I could ever get with anyone again, and I had a realization recently. I love you.”

He paused, and figured that the tears starting to appear in her eyes were good tears.

“I love you with every fiber of my being. Will you, Katie, do me the honor of—”

“Yes!” She shouted, falling out of her seat and into his arms.

“Yes, a thousand times yes! I love you too Shiro,” she said, kissing his face.

Matt had laughed at his sister’s eagerness, and smiled sadly. Ava was crying silent tears, and held her husband’s hand tightly. He was grinning, and for that moment all was right in the world.

  The next morning, the joy and excitement of the household—there was to be a wedding soon!—quickly died with the appearance of a messenger straight from the Castle of Lions.

“Captain Shirogane Takashi! Commander Samuel Holt! Lieutenant Matthew Holt! The princess of our land needs presence at the Castle of Lions in a fortnight for urgent business concerning the Galra threat!”

Katie’s heart constricted with too many emotions—fear, for his fiancé of a day, her brother and father still healing, rage at this princess who commanded people’s lives without thought of the consequence, anger at the Galra for existing. Shiro kept his hand on her waist where he stood by her side.

“The Commander and Lieutenant are still physically unfit for duty, messenger. Tell the princess that she shall have her captain in a fortnight, and no sooner.”

With that, the messenger left them, the poor horse it rode upon visibly worn out. Katie turned to Shiro, looking up at him with desperate wide eyes.

“You can’t, you can’t be serious. Leaving, now?”

Shiro sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, Katie. But I can’t not do my duty; Princess Allura needs me and no one knows Galra tactics better than me.”

Katie looked away, off to the side. Shiro closed his eyes, thinking she was trying not to cry. In reality, the young woman was hiding the anger and jealousy she knew was evident on her face.

“I have to pack, and get things in order,” he said softly and walked away, leaving Katie standing there.

 A fortnight came and went and Shiro was gone, traveling on his own to the Castle of Lions. His chest constricted and he coughed in an attempt to clear the pain away. Katie had refused to be there to show him off with the rest of her family, and he could only hope that after this war they would still get married. Her intelligence that rivaled—and quite possibly surpassed—both her father and brother’s, her compassion, her wit and sass, were all just some of the qualities that endeared her to him.

So it was with trepidation that Captain Shirogane faced his assignment. It was not what he expected: training? New recruits? But he did not complain. It meant that he would be safer for a longer time. He ordered his subordinate to have all the recruits line up, all ten of them, for introductions. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Some white strands fell into his face and he paused. Katie loved to play with that part of his hair, constantly experimenting to see if there was a reason behind the color change other than the assumed magic the Galra had used during their torture.

Shiro shook his head and left his tent, walking to stand in front of the line of bickering soldiers. None looked too experienced, and most were young—Katie and Matt’s age. He mentally kicked himself again and focused.

“Attention!” He shouted, not too loudly. Eventually the group quieted and stood at what they thought was attention.

“You are not here to play around,” he said, starting to pace back and forth in front of them. “The Galra threat is a very real one—trust me, I would know. At the end of this training five of you will have been chosen to form the ultimate team, the legendary Voltron. Until then, you are under my command. It is my job to make sure you not only survive the Galra, but the joining of Voltron.”

He paused, thinking he saw Matt out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face the look-alike and felt his heart stop. Katie was staring back at him, fierce and somewhat afraid. He blew out a heavy breath of air and closed his eyes, facing the sky, saying a prayer for patience.

“Sound off! Name and age.”

The first six were regular people, names he didn’t recognize for better or for worse, and stood more or less with good posture. Then he reached someone he knew.

“Keith, 20.”

Shiro nodded at the younger man—they had grown up in neighboring villages.

“Lance, 20.”

He watched the way Lance seemed to glare at Keith and wondered what that was about.

“Um, Hunk, 21.”

He nodded at the man. And then he turned his stare on Katie, and wondered what name she would give.

“Pidge, 19.” Without blinking an eye, she lied about her name. He narrowed his eyes at her before turning to face the rest of the group.

“Alright men. Fall out—get your gear together and come back here. I will assign you each a partner for the remainder of the training.”

Everyone started to disperse, but before he could grab her arm Katie had run off.

 When they were lined up again, in the same order, Shiro took a second to thought. He paired off everyone—in a split second decision he put Lance and Hunk in the same tent, and Keith with Pidge. As the pairs set up their tents and personalized the spaces, he entered Keith and Katie’s tent.

“Keith,” he said, nodding at the young man who paused in his movements.

“Do you mind if I have a private word with Pidge here?”

���No, not at all Shiro.” And with that Keith walked out. Shiro watched him go and heard Katie fidgeting next to him.

“H-hey Shiro, how are you doing?”

Once he was satisfied that they were alone, he whirled around. His gentle hands cupped her face and he pulled her in for a kiss. They had locked lips more than once before, before and after their engagement, but Shiro had never so passionately stolen Katie’s air before. When he finally released her, his hands drifting down her arms to hold her hands, Katie still had a somewhat dazed expression on her face.

“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t recognize my own fiancé? The woman I want to someday marry?” He murmured, not sure whether to be proud and happy she was here, or angry and worried at the predicament they now faced.

“No, I…I just couldn’t let Matt come without sending someone in his place, and I had to be close to you. I have to do my part now to fight the Galra.”

Shiro took a small step back and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I won’t go easy on you,” he said. Katie glared up at him.

“I wouldn’t expect or want you to.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“We can’t be seen together like just now, even if Keith knows.”

Katie opened her mouth but stopped.

“Keith knows?” She asked.

“Not yet, but I will be telling him. Before I met Matt, Keith was like the younger brother I never had—I trust him with my life, and yours now as well. That means trusting him with your secret too.”

Katie huffed and felt her cheeks begin to burn.

“I hadn’t even thought of that.”

Shiro groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.

“You will be the death of me,” he whispered.

Katie grinned up at him and Shiro couldn’t help himself smiling back, just a little.