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echodrops · 6 years

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Issues with Voltron Season 6 (Part 3)

A continuation of my extremely long vent about the most recent Voltron season.

<-- Part 1 is back here.

<- Part 2 is back here.

This time it’s (mostly) about Keith and Shiro!

All right, so while I think the treatment of Lotor’s character was the true worst offender of this season, the entire clone Shiro plot line has just driven me nuts from start to finish, and the culmination of it in this season just heaped more salt in the fire.

Let me preface this by saying I love Shiro--I genuinely love this character and have felt like the EPs had no idea what they were doing with his character since the end of season one. Everything I say in this post is an extension of the fact that I feel like this poor man has been mistreated and misused by the writers since practically day one.

At least as far as I understand it, the EPs’ original intention was for Shiro to disappear at the end of season two and not return until this point in the show, which would have been an absence of a season and a half (19 episodes). I absolutely understand the higher level executive meddling from Dreamworks that forced them to scrap this idea and bring Shiro back into the story earlier. Simply removing a character from the plot for over a year’s time and then expecting to bring him back in and have some major emotional payoff would have been utterly stupid. No one would have cared at that point, and everyone would have been left wondering why they bothered to return Shiro to the plot at all.

But that doesn’t mean that the route the writers took to “fix” the issue is any better. Why in the world does this entire clone plot line exist? It’s honestly like they sat down at the table and said “What is the most roundabout, complicated, and unnecessary way to fix our Shiro problem?” and then went “Okay, let’s do exactly that.” There are so many ways they could have chosen to solve this problem instead:

1) Leave the real Shiro on the astral plane, and have periodic cuts throughout other episodes to Shiro struggling to “survive” on the astral plane, possibly dealing with apparitions of Zarkon etc. Experiencing difficulties due to the extreme isolation, trying to reach out to the team in critical moments--hell, he could have been there with the manifestation of the Black Lion, and and the writers could have shown him learning awesome things about the lions, the universe, the Alteans, etc. etc. Meanwhile, outside, Keith could have stayed with the team and grew into his Black Paladin leadership role organically instead of the artificial “Well, we aged him two years so now you know he’s mature and leader-worthy!” The drive to find Shiro could have continued to lead Keith and could have served as a more logical reason for Allura and company to be swayed by Lotor--he could have tried to convince them that Shiro might be trapped in the rift or something, and that could have been their reasoning behind being willing to explore the rift despite the imminent danger. Hell, it could still end with Haggar controlling Shiro into a Shiro vs. Keith showdown--maybe gaining the secrets of Oriande would allow her to reach out and control Shiro on the astral plane--they could have used literally any other excuse! And then we’d get our Shiro and Keith showdown on the astral plane as a perfect parallel to the Zarkon vs. Shiro showdown from the earlier season! It would have been great!!

2) Scrap the astral plane idea entirely and just put Shiro somewhere on the other side of the universe with like... minimal working tech. The show cuts between Shiro’s antics across the universe and his attempts to make it back to the team--allowing for greater world building--and the team, where again, Keith is allowed to organically grow into a leadership role. Same reasoning as above, the team could engage with Lotor after Lotor makes a promise to help them find their missing Black Paladin or something. Meanwhile, Shiro is being mind-controlled remotely from Haggar, whose magic got into him from the glowing wound way back in season one or something. We still get our Keith vs. Shiro showdown, tada.

In essence, what I’m trying to say is that literally any other possible plot would have felt more natural and been a better addition to the story than going with “Shiro’s an evil clone and the real one died inexplicably 19 episodes ago.”

I mean, can someone actually articulate any positive gain from the clone plot line? In what way did this particular plot--these particular events--actually make the story better? Is there something here that I am just flat out missing? Was there something in this plot that could ONLY be done via this particular clone story? I am honestly struggling here to see any profit in this. I can only see this as an example of writers choosing the worst possible solution to a simple problem, possibly even out of spite.

As an aside, I think my true biggest problem with the clone Shiro plot line is the the underlying issue of why the EPs thought it was a good idea to get rid of Shiro in the first place. Several of their interviews have led me to conclude that they never expected people to actually like or care about Shiro, and that they themselves never saw him as more than a stepping stone for Keith to overcome in order to achieve his ultimate role of leadership.

But that entire thing doesn’t make any sense, because it hinges on one major premise that the writers never actually sold to us: Keith needs to be the leader.

Why? We’re literally never given a single compelling reason for this in the show itself. There is nothing in this show to support the idea that Keith should be the destined leader of Voltron. There’s simply no logical explanation for this in the show at all.

The only remotely reasonable excuse is that Keith was the leader in the original Voltron, so he should be the leader here too. Except “Keith” in the original show had an entirely different personality and was a perfect cookie cutter of the hero archetype. Sven wasn’t leader type in the original series; he bears minimal resemblance to the Shiro of this show.

So why does Keith need to lead Voltron? What does he bring to the table as Black Paladin that he could not have brought as the Red Paladin? Why are there so many parallels between Keith and Alfor, the Red Paladin, if Keith was just going to end up as the Black Paladin all along?

Am I genuinely supposed to believe “Because Keith was the leader originally” is the only valid reason the writers had for giving us this massive tumor of a plot--a plot that resulted in Keith’s leaving the team, Shiro becoming a clone, Lance being shoved even further aside, Allura getting a lion despite the EPs saying they wanted to make her a cool enough character she didn’t need one, and undermining essentially all the efforts of season one to show a meaningful lion/paladin bond?

I have never seen--from the very first episode of this show to the most recent--a shred of convincing evidence that Keith being the leader is, in any way, shape, or form, necessary or what’s best for the plot.

The entire lion swap plot line is, to my eyes, utterly unneeded, convoluted, and reductive. So much time was wasted on this that could have been dedicated to better examining the characters’ motivations and reactions to the numerous serious issues the show chose to instead gloss over...

Which is not helped by the writers’ lack of commitment to the color swap in the first place. If perhaps, from season three on, the show had consistently insisted that the color swap was permanent and we were never going to see Keith back in Red or Lance back in Blue, I might have accepted it. But the show writers are wishy-washy about even this!

This is literally how we ended season six:

Haggar deliberately says “the Red Paladin” in reference to Keith in this season--in a freaking episode titled “The Black Paladins.” The lack of consistency in messaging is actively painful to my sensibilities as a writer.

To sum up what I’m trying to say here: The clone Shiro plot line was the worst possible solution to a problem the EPs created for literally no reason, and the trajectory of the “Keith becomes leader plot” so badly shifted the tone of the show that tens of opportunities to better examine the world and characters were lost in order to progress a story line that the writers never convincingly sold to us as an audience in the first place. I can’t think of any word for this but “bad.”

(PHEW. THERE. I SAID IT.)

And this of course doesn’t even touch on the other issues raised by this season in regards to Shiro, namely:

1) How much of the clone body is actually organic material? Because in the flashback from season 3 (or was it 4?), the clone Shiro that was shown lying on the table made a camera sound as his pupils dilated, indicating that at least part of the body was mechanical, not to mention that the prosthetic arm literally grew to extend past the organic part of Shiro’s arm in the Shiro vs. Keith fight--did they put real!Shiro’s self back into a mostly robotic body? Are we ever coming back to this? Is it ever going to be discussed? Why do I get the feeling it won’t?

2) The fact that the clone’s existence was entire overwritten by real!Shiro is super creepy and maybe just because I’m coming from a long history in the Kingdom Hearts fandom, the idea of someone’s existence being absorbed despite them functionally being capable of being different people is super saddening. I was never emotionally invested in clone!Shiro because he was obviously a clone from day one, but the fact that he was a fundamentally good person who was trying his best, then had to face the horror of losing control of himself, fighting someone he thought was his best friend to the death, and then literally being swallowed by a person who wasn’t around to personally experience any of these things is discomforting. Not to mention that “Shiro just inherited all the clone’s memories!” makes absolutely no sense scientifically (and isn’t even explained magically in the show) and is, once more, a cheap way to handwave character growth--of course Shiro hasn’t missed out on more than a season’s worth of development! It’s all still there, even if he wasn’t the one to experience it! Now it’s just like he did, promise!) Miss me with this nonsense, please.

3) What kind of government does Earth have in place that a minor can leave foster care to go to military boarding school at the tender age of what looks like 12 on the apparent recommendation of a man who likely wasn’t even 21 years old? (It’s like, if the main plot itself was going to be completely illogical, couldn’t they at least make the backstories somewhat viable?) And not to mention, but... didn’t the Keith and Shiro backstory deserve more screen time? There was so much build up to this, and we got less flashback for Keith and Shiro than we did for Krolia and Tex! Matt and Pidge got more! I feel incredibly short-changed, especially because I feel like that was probably it and we’re probably not going to get many more flashbacks for Shiro and Keith specifically. I think their placement in the Keith versus Shiro episode was good, but there just wasn’t enough material there to really satisfy the longing I had to see Keith and Shiro grow up together.

“What I got wasn’t what I needed and I wanted so much more than what I got” is the summary of Shiro and Keith in season 6, essentially.

ALSO I CAN’T UNSEE THIS.

I burst out laughing at this scene when I actually watched the season--it wasn’t supposed to be funny but I could not stop laughing. Sorry Keith, or something.

Anyway, all of this also relates to one of the other major issues I have had with Voltron since season one:

4) The writers have no idea how to handle an ensemble cast, but they keep adding characters anyway!

Matt was introduced and effectively erased, Slav might as well no longer exist, Olia? Not sure why we even bothered to give her a name. Kolivan? Probably died off screen! Lotor’s generals? I have no idea why they even bothered to animate them into this season given how little impact they had! All the other existing Alteans on the colony? Erm... I’m sure we’ll get back to those guys eventually.

There’s a difference between “We don’t have time to dedicate entire episodes to side characters” and “These characters just functionally stop existing when we no longer have an immediate role for them in the plot.” The attention in this series is all over the place--Matt gets a ton of screen time in season 4, enough to make it seem like he’s going to be a recurring character--and then his existence is entirely ignored two seasons later. Slav could have proven useful at any number of moments in this plot--and yet he’s nowhere to be found. The allegiances of Lotor’s generals are so cheap that they could basically be swapped out for any random helmeted Galra cannon fodder with zero impact on the plot. I’ve genuinely never seen a show deliberately add so many characters to its cast and then so badly under-utilize them.

This is actively jarring because any new character that appears, you have to first ask yourself “Is it worth getting invested in this person’s story? How likely are they to never appear again after this season?” And there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to who disappears--even people who could and should still be active in the plot get shoved entirely to the side without any explanation or justification for their absence.

And all this mistreatment of the side characters might be okay if the main characters were at least getting to grow and develop consistently instead. But that’s not the case either! We have Lance’s character back-pedalling, Hunk fans excited over mere scraps of their favorite getting screentime that isn’t a food joke, and Pidge... I was honestly concerned that some of her hacking footage from this season was stock reused from previous seasons.

Screen time in this series bounces around like a ball--whoever catches it gets to do something cool for ten seconds then has to immediately pass it to someone else. Keith is a ball hog but somehow STILL doesn’t get his issues dealt with respectfully.

This show sold itself on the tried and true premise of “power of friendship.” The entire first season was really about becoming a team. And yet the show writers seem entirely adverse to letting these characters grow together. All the best moments of the show are moments in which the relationships between characters are expressed in believable and meaningful ways. Lance’s pep talk to Allura on Naxela. Pidge’s moving mourning for Matt. Keith’s refusal to let go of Shiro. The show writers KNOW how to believably develop more than one character simultaneously--they know how to let characters share the spotlight--and yet they continually fall back on scenes which give the foreground to a single character, leaving the audience with the constant feeling that other characters are being short changed. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge fans have every right to be upset.

There’s no reason that Keith and Pidge’s character developments have to take place in entirely different episodes. There’s no reason that Lance’s insecurities and Pidge’s fears about her family need separate screen time. All of these characters’ issues--everything they need to overcome in order to become stronger, happier people--could be dealt with together, saving time and animation budget in the process.

I have never come across a show about being a team that so violently rejects the idea of its characters being you know... an actual team.

And I guess, while I’m here, one last little gripe:

5) Chekov’s Gun is a serious issue for the writers of this series.

Lance unlocked a sword in season 4. Where is it? Why has it not been used? Keith got a dog that can teleport. Why not just teleport the dog into the Sincline ship and let it eat Lotor’s face while he was in a cramped and defenseless position??? When elements like these are introduced to the story, viewers are trained to expect something to come from them. We can only assume that Lance’s sword and Keith’s dog will be plot relevant at some point. But when? The timing is terrible in this show--why make us wait more than a season for Lance’s sword to pay off when there were plenty of opportunities to work it in before now? Did the EPs really give Keith a wolf just because they thought it would be cool for him to have a “lone wolf” to relate to, despite the fact that part of the entire trajectory of his character has been teaching him the importance of relying on others and making meaningful bonds to other people? (How does it make sense to even deem it a “lone wolf” if Keith adopted it when it was just a tiny puppy?)

I mean, I LIKE the dog and I still think its inclusion was nonsensical and pointless... They could have introduced this dog in any number of ways, but “randomly dropped on the back of a whale in a space-time continuum with no logical origin point or reasonable explanation for being there” is what the writers went with.

This is nitpicking, I know, and don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Keith having a cool space wolf--but did the show really need another example of badly shoehorning in the EPs’ whims? Did the none of the editors really stop to go “Maybe we should do this stuff later or in a different way”?

At the end of the day, there are just a lot of problems with the story. Enough that, at this point, I feel ready to divorce myself from it. I’m going to continue watching the show--there’s no point in stopping now, at the end--but at this point, Voltron is always going to go down on paper for me as a show I loved for what could have been, not for what really was.

I don’t say any of this stuff with a light heart. I definitely give my all to shows and games when I get invested in them, and Voltron has dominated my fandom time for two years now. I’ve written hundreds of thousands of words about and for this show. No one can accuse me of not caring about it.

But it’s because I care about the show--and the heights I know it could have reached--that I do feel this upset and let down. I know this show could have been better. I wanted better for it. I’m not spewing senseless criticism because my favorite ship didn’t come true or something... I really believe that the show has tons of untapped potential, and I’m saddened by the fact that I feel like it’s all going to waste.

I’m not asking anyone to agree with me, nor am I telling anyone that they have to suddenly start disliking the show just because I dislike where it has gone. People all have their own opinions, and like things for their own reasons. My reasons for liking Voltron are essentially gone, but for the other people that are still enjoying it, rock on.

I really do wish I was still there with you.

#Voltron #Voltron meta #Voltron discourse #Takashi Shirogane #Voltron season six #Keith Kogane #black paladins #lion swap #you know things are bad #when a Kingdom Hearts fan is telling you that your plot line is unnecessarily convoluted #the clone thing was literally the most unnecessary plot I've seen in recent media #I still hate black paladin Keith #with a fiery passion #I can just press the GO BACK button #and rewind this show to season two #salt mountain

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quintessenceofdust73 · 3 years

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Kallura Week Prompt That Inspired This Chapter: “Family.” Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 10 of my ongoing DotU/Voltron Force/VLD crossover fic in which Kallura is canon in three universes. @kalluraisendgame

The next three days were filled with hard work for everyone, but especially for Darrell, Katie, and the Hunkyard squad, who managed to successfully adapt the cloaking technology for all of the remaining Voltron Lions. The stealth adaptors for their uniforms had been thoroughly tested. Attack plans had been made and revised until, at last, all three teams were in agreement that they were ready for what they must do.

On the evening of the third and final day of preparation, Paladin Hunk had insisted on preparing a magnificent farewell feast for all of the Voltron pilots, and when they all sat down to eat together, it seemed more like a family gathering for a holiday than a last supper. There were more stories swapped and jokes told that evening than ever before. Even after the meal was long finished, all of them lingered after dessert, almost as if they wanted the night to go on forever.

Finally Paladin Hunk said aloud what they all had been thinking.

“We’ve bonded,” he said. “We’ve become like one great big extended Voltron family.”

“It’s true,” the pretty Princess of Arus agreed. “If we are fortunate enough to make it back home to our own universes, we won’t be able to visit with each other anymore. I will miss all of you so very much.”

“So will I,” said Queen Allura. The others agreed.

Voltron Force’s Commander Keith smiled, then added, “It’s truly been an honor to have flown with you all.”

“Now that sounds like something Shiro would say,” Paladin Keith observed, which ignited a new lively conversation among the Keiths and the Alluras all about Takashi Shirogane, the Lion Force’s Sven, and the Sven of the Voltron Force universe. They spoke of Coran and Romelle also, and of the Atlas and the Castle of Lions.

Allura of Altea could not speak of the Castle without thinking of how much she had lost. While the young Princess of Arus gushed about her father, the noble King Alfor, she saw that the elder Queen Allura nodded sadly, probably thinking of her own parents. All three of them were orphans she realized. Was there a universe in which Allura didn’t lose her entire family? She did not know.

She had not realized that she had been crying until Keith brushed one of her silent tears away. He kissed her cheek softly, and she smiled at him, secretly delighted that he had become less bashful in his public displays of affection lately. They sat for a while, listening to Commander Keith, Royal Consort of the Arusian Queen, talking about his father Kenneth Kogane, a brave Knight of Arus like his grandfather before him, who had perished before his son had a chance to know him. He had died heroically in the fiery explosion of a space battle in another universe a lifetime ago.

“I’m fortunate then,” she heard her own Keith murmur from beside her. “At least I had the chance to get to know my father for a little while. He died when I was seven.”

Allura squeezed his hand. “Keith’s father was a firefighter. He lost his life while trying to save the life of another.”

“A most noble death,” the elder Commander Keith said. “I think he would be proud of the man you have become.”

The younger Commander Keith nodded. “No matter how many loved ones we have lost, we have each other now.”

“It’s true,” said the young blue-eyed Princess Allura. “I think of Nanny and Coran and especially you, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge as my family now.”

“In our universe, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge have wives and children of their own,” Queen Allura said as she touched her belly. “And it seems that our little family is growing every day.” Her husband gave her shoulders a squeeze.

Allura of Altea observed them quietly, lost in thoughts of the future, something she rarely did these days. For a brief moment she imagined herself married to her own Keith Kogane. Their children would be part Galran. Would they be fierce warriors then? Perhaps they would have their father’s skill with the blade. They would be part Altean too. Would they inherit the talent for alchemy that she had inherited from her own father? And, she realized, they would be part human, and that, surprisingly, was the most comforting thought. Some of the people she had grown to love the most in all of her travels were human. She watched her own Lance, Pidge, and Hunk lounging about on the floor of the enormous cavern that had become their temporary headquarters, laughing and joking with their Lion Force and Voltron Force counterparts. If she had a younger sister or brothers, she could not have loved them more. Truly the universe had blessed her with the best of companions. Hunk was right, she realized. They weren’t just friends. They were a family.

#kallura week #Kallura #Plance #Allura #keith kogane #hunk garrett #lance mcclain #pidge #katie holt #darrell stoker #voltron #vld #dotu #voltron force

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actress4him · 4 years

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Whumptober 2020 - Day 18

We’ve got a pretty good mix of physical and emotional whump going on today, though I’d say it leans more toward emotional. A little bit of Shiro, yet another original alien race (how many does that make now this month? I feel like it’s a lot), and plenty of angst to go around. This is one of my favorite Keith headcanons, so I’m glad I got the chance to explore it.

Read on AO3

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Day 18 - Panic Attacks/Phobias

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Warnings: fire, panic attacks, flashbacks, referenced minor character death, disassociation, scars

The first time that Red shot out a long stream of fiery lava, obliterating a nearby Galra ship, Keith had gone stiff, images of flames flashing through his mind in rapid succession until everything went blank. He spent the rest of the battle with his body piloting by rote while his consciousness hid somewhere in the back corner of the cockpit, watching.

He wasn’t just the Red Paladin, he’d come to realize later. He was the Paladin of Fire.

Because of course he was. That was just how Keith’s life worked.

When Sendak attacked the Arusian’s village, the sight of the burning houses sent pain shooting through Keith’s hands and shoulder. He had wanted to disassociate then, too, so badly. His brain screamed at him to let it retreat, to not have to watch the flickering orange tongues that brought back so many painful memories. But he was a Paladin of Voltron. There was no way he could let himself be defeated by something as stupid as fire. Lance would never let him live it down if he froze where others could see, and Princess Allura was counting on him to do his job right. He had to prove himself. They needed to know they weren’t making a mistake in trusting him.

So he had plunged forward, going closer to the flames than he probably should have, shoving everything down, down, down until it was out of reach for the moment. And immediately after that it was constant activity, trying to get back into the Castle to defeat Sendak and save the others, so he didn’t have time to remember, to think about what he had done, until it was much later and he was lying in his bed, trying to sleep.

That’s when the nightmares came, as they so often did anyway. Having experienced the heat in real life so recently made them all the more realistic that night, though.

It was months later before he had to face his fear during waking hours again. They were in the middle of an intense air and ground battle with the Empire just outside a military base on the planet Nateya. Hunk and Pidge were in their Lions, shooting up the cruisers that hovered above, while Keith and Shiro fought hand to hand down below alongside Nateyan soldiers and Lance sniped from the top of a nearby building.

Without warning, one of the ships fired a laser cannon at the largest building on base, causing a small explosion that shook the ground. The place immediately went up in flames. Most of the Nateyans were already outside fighting, but those that weren’t soon started pouring out the front door.

For a moment Keith’s feet were glued in place, his mind stuck in the past. The image of the military building flickered in and out, juxtaposed with a much taller building with lots of dark, reflective windows.

Kogane! Don’t go back in there, it’s too late!

They’re still inside, I have to try to save them!

“I have to try to save them,” he whispered. Before his mind had caught up to what his body was doing, his feet had already carried him to the door.

Past all the people. Ignore them, they’re not who you’re looking for. Ignore the fact that you’re the only one moving in this direction. Ignore the smoke that’s starting to clog the air the further in you go. Ignore the voices crying in the back of your head.

Dad! No, Dad, come back!

The stream of aliens had thinned out. One lone male stumbled out of a back hallway that glowed orange, coughing. Keith grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Is anyone else back there?”

The Nateyan shook his head. “If they are, I doubt they survived.”

Somebody get the kid out of there!

Without another word, Keith pushed past him and into the hallway. The air was growing more and more stifling with each step. Around a corner, and suddenly he could hear the pops and crackles of the fire.

Searing pain in his hands, on his shoulder.

He began kicking open each door he passed, sticking his head inside to look for survivors before moving on. The heat was intense now, he could feel it even through his suit. The crackles had turned into a roar that grew in his ears until it was deafening.

No! No! I want my Dad! Give me my Dad!

It wasn’t until he was standing face to face with a wall of flame, struggling to breathe in a way that had nothing to do with the smoke, that he finally found someone. A young, female Nateyan, cowering in the corner of the last room before oblivion.

“Come on!” he shouted, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her up. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”

Come on, kid, you’re hurting yourself. You’ve gotta get away from there.

Back out into the hall. The fire had progressed, licking at his back as he shielded the young woman. A beam crashed to the floor just behind them, and both of them hit the floor, from fear rather than the actual impact.

It was the last straw for Keith’s tenuous hold on his sanity. When he scrambled back to his feet and pulled her up with him, he was actually floating several feet above his own head, following from behind near the ceiling as the two bodies below ran back through the long hallways. It was much more pleasant up there, honestly. The sound of the flames and the thick smoke that made the woman cough constantly didn’t bother him in the least.

When they burst out of the building and into the cool, fresh air, he watched as Shiro ran up to him, and watched himself fail to respond. Shiro seemed concerned, shaking his shoulders gently, calling his name over and over, but he couldn’t bother himself to go back down and into the nightmare that would be waiting for him. Finally the Black Paladin took him by the arm and led him away from the last strains of the battle. Keith followed along, into a quiet alleyway, where they both sat with their backs up against the wall.

It took a while. Shiro held his hand the whole time, though he couldn’t actually feel it. The transition came with no warning, his consciousness crashing back down into his body with a force that nearly knocked him over, and immediately he couldn’t breathe.

I want my Dad! Give me back my Dad!

A band was wrapped around his lungs. Squeezing, always squeezing, tighter and tighter until he thought his ribs would all crumble. Fumbling for his helmet, he managed to release the seal and threw it to the ground, then grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled. The pressure somehow eased some of the tension that had taken over his body, but it didn’t make pulling in air any easier.

We need an EMT over here!

Shiro was saying something in his ear. It sounded like a bumblebee droning, or like a radio playing underwater. A hand touched his arm and he jerked away, doubling over to dig his forehead into the dirt.

A deafening sound, a sound that he would never forget in all his years. The sound of a charred building collapsing in on itself.

Hands were on his face. He fought against them, but they held fast, pulling his head up so that he was eye to eye with Shiro. It took several long moments before Keith’s brain registered that he was emulating deep breathing for him to follow.

DAD!

“That’s it.” Shiro’s voice broke through the roar suddenly. “That’s great, Keith. Just keep breathing, just like that.”

Another breath. Two. They were getting easier, little by little. The pain in his chest was subsiding, though the scars on his palms and shoulder still burned beneath his armor. He suspected it would be a few days before they’d stop.

“There you go, bud. You’re gonna be okay.”

I’m sorry, kid. Your dad is gone.

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ao3feed-klance · 5 years

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Emperor of Altea

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2N7zkvN

by Enter_Sharpshooter

A love story between Leandro Alejandro Altea, Lance, the Altean Emperor of Altea, and Galra Prince Keith Akira Kogane. In order to extend his empire, Lance agrees to a marriage of alliance to young and fiery Keith but soon realizes he has to defend his choice of groom as his courtiers voice their displeasure at the idea of their Altean Emperor marrying a Marmora Galra.

(Or the Jodhaa Akbar au no one asked for.)

Words: 33788, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Iverson (Voltron), Allura's Mother (Voltron), Alfor (Voltron), Lotor (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt, Sam Holt, Zarkon (Voltron), Haggar (Voltron), Shay (Voltron), Thace (Voltron), Kolivan (Voltron), Romelle (Voltron), Krolia (Voltron), Hira (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Blue Lion (Voltron), Red Lion (Voltron), Green Lion (Voltron), Black Lion (Voltron), Yellow Lion (Voltron), James Griffin (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Iverson & Lance (Voltron), Coran & Lance (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Alfor/Allura's Mother (Voltron), Haggar/Zarkon (Voltron), Bandor & Romelle (Voltron), Keith's Father/Krolia (Voltron), Keith & Krolia (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Happy Birthday Keith (Voltron), Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Shiro (Voltron) Angst, Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Jealous Lance (Voltron), Prince Keith (Voltron), Altean Lance (Voltron), Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Siblings, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Cousins, Emperor Keith (Voltron), Married Keith/Lance (Voltron), Arranged Marriage, Altea (Voltron), Emperor Lance, based off of Jodhaa Akbar an Indian movie, literally had to watch out a three hour movie to write this, Worth It

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2N7zkvN

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writing-vld · 5 years

Text

Of the Blood

Keith Kogane x Vampire! Reader

Request: Nope!

A/n: I decided to write a little something! I’ll be getting to the last Dialogue prompt soon! For now, here is this thing!

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Genre: Romance, Friendship, Angst, Fluff Rated: Everyone Warning: Blood, Gore, Mild Gore, Blood and Gore, Blood Drinking, Angst, Fluff

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Author: Lyn

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It had started with the thoughts. Any time you looked at yourself or one of the other Paladins, you had this strange urge to sink your teeth into their skin. You had the urge to tear the skin of their flesh and let their spilling blood pour into your mouth. It disturbed you the first time you had suddenly thought that when training with Keith one day a couple days after a scouting mission the two of you had went on. You could see the sweat running down his neck, and you just froze, watching the droplets as they slid down the flushed skin. All you could think about was ripping his throat out. It had terrified you, and you had excused yourself. Keith thought that you had gotten sick, but he hadn't given it any other thought.

After a while, the urges began to get worse.

Not only did sight almost set you off, so did the smell. The smell of blood was something you hadn't expected to ever pick up like a bloodhound tracking a scent. You were sure that you could smell blood from all the way on the other side of the castle, the smell was so pungent to you. Any time you caught the scent of blood, you had to lock yourself into your room and practically bury yourself into your dirty clothes to mask the smell wafting through your nostrils.

Whenever you caught sight of blood, you had to leave the room. It took everything you could to not lunge the very moment you saw blood pool, whether it be human or Galra, and oh, how much you craved Galra blood. It made it so hard to be around Keith when he got hurt, the mix of human and Galra blood like a fruit cocktail to your brain. Would it taste sweet like fruit, or would it taste spicy and fiery just like Keith? It surely smelled fiery and delicious.

Not even your own blood was safe from your urges. At times, you would prick your finger just to taste blood. It was almost sickening how you would practically moan at the taste. It didn't satiate you in the slightest, but it did alleviate your urges just for a small while. Though, your urges never failed to hit you full force, no matter what you did. You had begun to avoid everyone to keep your urges at bay the more the days went by, and everyone was beginning to notice the absence.

It put a strain on your relationship with the Red Paladin especially.

You couldn't stand to be near him. It didn't matter if Keith was sweating, blood rushing through him as his heart raced in his chest, or when he was hurt. Hell, being around him in general made your teeth ache, and your avoidance definitely upset Keith. You told him that you just couldn't stomach the thought of him being hurt, and Keith couldn't do much but to accept it even if he didn't truly believe it. You must have had your reasons, right? What if you truly were upset at the thought of him being hurt? He didn't have a right to disagree with you on how you felt, but Keith knew you very well. After all, why would you avoid him when he wasn't hurt? You were hiding something, and he was on a mission to find out.

Keith made his way to his Lion, planning on retracing the steps the two of you had taken on the last scouting mission you two had gone on. He shouldered his bag, adjusting his hold and froze when Shiro's voice echoed through the Red Lion's hangar.

"You planning on leaving for another secret mission, Keith?"

Keith's head ducked slightly before admitting to Shiro softly.

"I'm just going to retrace (Y/n) and I's steps so I can figure out what's wrong with her. I have a feeling that the answers are on Drioma."

Shiro's eyebrows furrowed in concern before asking.

"Do you want any help? I'm sure Allura wouldn't mind taking us there for a look."

Keith shook his head, turning away and walking up the ramp to the cockpit of the Red lion.

"This is something I want to do on my own...but I'll call you if I need any backup."

Shiro watched as Keith flew away and sighed. He could only hope that Keith would keep his open-ended promise.

As Keith flew to Drioma, he could only hope that you were alright. What had caused you to become so...sick...if that was even what he could call it? Your condition was strange to him. You got sick at the sight of blood when you would laugh at blood. Laugh; as if your cuts were nothing. Now, you couldn't even be in the same room as someone with cuts. Keith's brows furrowed as he followed the course to the planet, accelerating as fast as Red would go. He needed to find out what was wrong with you and he needed to figure it out fast.

-TIMESKIP-

By the time Keith arrived to Dromia, about three vargas had gone by. Everyone in the castle would still be asleep by then, but it was sunnier than ever on Dromia. As he landed, he made sure to keep the bottom of his helmet on, shielding him from anything that might spray at him. He had almost gotten sprayed by one of the strange animals here, and he definitely wasn't going to make the mistake of keeping his helmet half-way closed like last time. As he stepped out, his nose wrinkled. The fauna of Dromia were very strange looking. The barks of the trees were tan in color, red leaves growing from their branches. The grass was a dark blue color, and the waters that coursed throughout the land were a radiant blue, almost unnatural in color.

The flowers here looked a lot like pitcher plants on Earth, and he made sure to stay away from them, fearful that they would jump at him and swallow him whole. Keith kept his bayard drawn as he walked around cautiously. He was following the path that he had taken with you when trailing to the Galra fleet that had landed here, and as he passed tulip-like plants, the flowers shooting red-colored pollen into the air, Keith remembered that you had gotten shot in the face with the pollen when you had looked into the bell of the flower to see what was making them shoot their pollen. He had laughed at you, but you had went red in the face with embarrassment before wiping it off. However, the pollen had smeared itself across your face, looking as if you had gotten blood poured onto your face. Keith hadn't let you live it down a good two days afterwards.

Keith froze as his violet eyes stared at the flowers.

Two days after the mission was when your strange symptoms had begun.

Keith took a test tube he had collected from Pidge's make-shift lab and carefully scraped some of the pollen that hadn't been collected by the bee-like insects. The strange, liquid-like pollen sludge dripped into tube, and Keith was quick to run back to Red. The quicker he got back, the better.

-TIMESKIP-

When Keith had gotten back, Shiro was waiting for him. It made Keith uneasy, and the look on Shiro's face made his unease worse. Shiro looked concerned, even pale, and Keith greeted him slowly.

"Shiro, are you alright?"

Shiro looked away, biting his lip before rubbing the back of his neck. He answered quietly.

"I don't know. I went to check up on (Y/n)...and she had bitten herself...there was no place on her arms where she hadn't bit herself."

Keith's eyes widened, and Shiro glanced at Keith, his skin paling more.

"Keith, she was so pale...and her eyes...her eyes were dilated so much. It took Allura, Coran, and I combined to restrain her and get her into a healing pod..."

Keith didn't wait for Shiro to finish before he was running to the infirmary, and there you were. Shiro hadn't exaggerated when he said there were bite marks all over your arms. There was no inch of skin that wasn't covered in teeth marks. Your cheeks had sunken in, as well as the skin around your eyes, and you looked like you hadn't eaten in days. You were sweating heavily, and Keith's eyes widened. Allura walked in, looking exhausted, and Shiro followed after her. Allura whispered.

"I...I admittedly have no idea what has caused this to happen. It's like...it's like she's gone rabid. Her strength has climbed to astronomical levels. I can't explain it."

Keith remembered the pollen sample he had collected, and he grabbed the vial from his pocket. He held it out to Allura, explaining.

"I thought that retracing our steps from our last mission would give me some answers, and I think I got one. When (Y/n) and I went to Dromia to scout the Galra fleet that had taken refuge there, (Y/n) had gotten sprayed in the face by a plant. The pollen got all over her face, so I thought that maybe this stuff is the reason why she's acting strange. If we can figure out exactly what this is, then maybe we can figure out what's wrong with (Y/n) and why she's acting this way."

Allura's eyes widened slightly at the vial before she gingerly took the sample, instructing.

"I'll give this to Coran as soon as possible. I'm sure he must know something."

Keith nodded before he jolted at the feeling of Shiro's hand on his shoulder. Shiro simply asked.

"Try not to stay up too late, alright?"

Keith stayed quiet, choosing to look away, and Shiro disappeared with Allura. Keith took a seat in front of your pod, his brows furrowing. Just what was happening with you? Keith closed his eyes, falling into a quick but restless sleep.

-TIMESKIP-

It had DNA changing properties that could make a being crave blood. Coran had told Keith that he hadn't seen anything like this, but when testing your blood and the substance, he noticed that the pollen practically glued itself to the red blood cells, morphing them into something...different. They turned a dark blue-green, and wilted almost immediately. However, when new blood was supplied, the cells immediately took in the blood, becoming healthy. Coran was able to deduct that the reason you had bitten yourself and drank as much as your blood as you could was to keep your body alive, too afraid to come to the others and tell them what was wrong.

Shiro was astonished, whispering in awe as he stared at your healing wounds.

"So...she's basically like a space vampire?"

It was a horrible way to put it, but Keith didn't know a different way to say it. You were, by definition, a vampire now. Your body yearned for nutrients only blood could give, but how would you attain those nutrients? You couldn't exactly chow down on the Paladins, not even if they offered. You could kill them, and then how would Voltron be able to form and save the universe?

"What are we going to do? How are we going to get her the blood she needs?"

Shiro rubbed his chin in thought before offering gently.

"We could store some of our blood in blood bags for her? I don't know how she would react to Galra blood, and I'm not about to throw her into the lions den to find out."

Keith couldn't help but agree. The safest and easiest way that they could go about this is to donate a pint of their blood. Keith asked Shiro as Coran began to prepare to take their blood.

"How are we going to tell the others?"

"We're gonna have to do it as soon as possible. They need to know. We should also try to come up with safety procedures just in case (Y/n) loses control."

Keith snapped, getting protective over you.

"She isn't an animal that we need to cage up, if that is what you're implying."

Shiro's eyes widened and he raised his hands, saying slowly.

"Calm down. That wasn't what I was implying. I meant that we should all come up with ideas on what to do just in case (Y/n) loses control over herself. We don't know just what can happen, and we need to prepare in every way that we can. I know (Y/n), and I know that she wouldn't intentionally hurt anybody, but (Y/n)'s a vampire now. We have no idea what to expect, Keith."

Keith was annoyed by Shiro's tone of voice, but Keith decided that Shiro was right. They had no idea what to expect from (Y/n) now. Looking back at (Y/n), Keith bit his lip before sitting down, allowing Coran to begin to drain his blood. When Coran was done, Keith slowly sat up, feeling a bit lightheaded. Shiro patted his shoulder comfortingly before trading spots with Keith. Keith stayed sitting on the side of the table, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes strayed to your form. The bite marks had healed, no trace of them ever being there, and your cheeks were no longer sunken in. The color had slowly returned to your face, and Keith wondered if you were going to wake up soon.

Grabbing a seat, Keith sat down before your pod, everything else around him fading as he sat there in front of you, praying to anybody who was listening that you would be alright.

In the morning, the Paladins had gathered around your pod, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all staring at you in concern.

"So, you're saying that some super potent pollen changed (Y/n)'s whole DNA?"

Shiro looked at Coran before nodding. He explained.

"The pollen seemed to have severe effects when tested with her blood. It seems to be like a virus, and it feeds off of blood. We don't know if this is curable...at the moment, it points to no. So...in other words, (Y/n) is now a...vampire."

The word sounded weird, and Keith shook his head. Lance's eyes widened and he began to shoot as many questions as he could.

"What does that mean for us? Is it contagious? Are we gonna get eaten?"

Keith snapped, already annoyed with Lance's antics.

"We are not going to be eaten! (Y/n)...she's just sick, that's all. We just need to figure out a way to cure her."

Pidge adjusted her glasses, pointing out.

"If the virus changed her whole DNA strand, then there might be nothing that we can do. We don't have the technology to test whether or not we can reverse this, and we don't even know where we can start."

Keith shook his head, growling out.

"We have to keep trying. I refuse to give up on (Y/n) so easily."

Before anybody else could say another word, your healing pod opened up, steam rolling out as you slowly dropped out. Before you could collapse to the floor, Keith caught you in his arms easily. Everybody was silent. Slowly, your hands gripped Keith's forearms as you gathered your bearings, and you groaned slightly, a pounding in your head. Your eyes fluttered open, and you whispered as your vision slowly began to clear up.

"Keith?"

"I'm here."

He whispered to you. You asked softly as he dragged you to metal table adjacent to the one Shiro was currently sitting at. You asked him softly.

"What...what happened? Why am I here?"

Keith looked conflicted before saying softly.

"You...you bit yourself...really badly. Shiro found you."

The memories came flooding back, the pain in your slightly intensifying. The taste of your blood flowing through your mouth, the look on Shiro's face when he found you half-asleep from drinking too much. The frenzy you had put yourself into. Your nostrils flared as you smelled Keith's scent, but there was an underlying smell; sweet yet spicy-smelling. You whispered to him, closing your eyes so he wouldn't see them dilate in need.

"You...you're bleeding."

Immediately, everyone in the room tensed, ready to jump if you tried to go after him. Keith answered slowly, his hand covering the bandage that covered the needle mark.

"Just a test Coran had to run, that's all. (Y/n), we need to talk about your...your condition."

Your eyes popped open, and you asked him, sitting up.

"W-What do you mean?"

Keith gently pushed you back down before shaking his head. His violet eyes were sad, but he tried his hardest to hide the guilt and hurt he was feeling.

"You're a vampire, (Y/n). We have to talk about that."

You immediately became fearful, and you asked in a hushed voice, almost too quiet to hear.

"Are...are you going to kill me?"

Keith's eyes widened, and Shiro answered sternly.

"We are not going to kill you, (Y/n). We need to talk about how to help you until we can figure out a way to cure you of this."

You looked over at Shiro, and you bit your lip. Looking away, you replied.

"I don't think you can help me, Shiro. Even right now...I can smell it...I can smell the blood from you and Keith...and I want nothing more than to have it. I guess it's a good think I almost drank myself dry because I don't think anybody in this room would be alive right now."

It was an unsettling thought, but you were at least thankful that you were too full to eat anymore. However, you words definitely unnerved the crew, and Allura said softly.

"I think we should keep you in confinement until we find a cure or you learn how to control yourself."

Keith was about to protest, but you placed your hand atop his. You gave him a look before nodding softly.

"I agree with Allura. You guys mean the world to me, especially you...I would never be able to live with myself if I hurt you."

Pidge asked Allura, feeling sad they they had to subject you to this.

"Is there really nothing else that we can do?"

"Unfortunately, no. We don't know enough about this...disease. We have to take every precaution that we can. I'm sorry."

You said quietly, trying to breathe through your mouth.

"It's okay, Allura. Let's just...let's just go."

Keith hesitated before picking you up, obviously not liking that the Paladins were locking you up as if you were a prisoner, but he couldn't deny Allura nor you. You were encouraging this...Keith couldn't refuse. As they walked to the prison cell that seemed to sit in the middle of the castle, Allura offered as Keith sat you down upon the bed.

"I'll ask Coran to get you more blankets and pillows. I can only imagine that the bed is uncomfortable."

"Thank you, Allura."

She nodded, giving you one last look before padding off. The paladins stayed with you for a moment, Pidge promising optimistically.

"Don't worry, (Y/n). We'll figure this out."

You smiled at her softly, replying.

"Thank you, Pidge. I hope we do."

Shiro urged you before walking out with the Paladins.

"If you need anything, anything at all, don't be afraid to call one of us."

You nodded before looking up at Keith. He was staring at you, his fists clenched, and he admitted softly.

"I hate that we have to lock you up like this...are you sure there's no other way?"

"I'm doing this for everybody's sake. I could get hungry and lose control at any moment. I have to stay in here until I can learn to control myself or Pidge finds a cure."

Keith shook his head slightly, his eyes closing before he took a calming breath before giving you a look. You knew it all too well. It was a look he gave you when he wanted to kiss you, but he wasn't sure if he should or not. His eyebrow crinkled slightly before you whispered, a blush crawling up your neck.

"It's okay, Keith."

Immediately, his lips descended upon yours, careful but yearning. His hand came up to gently cup your face, and you hummed in delight, the warmth of his hand feeling nice upon your chilled skin. His tongue slipped past your lips, seeming to search for fangs as it ran along your teeth. Your hand came up to his hair, your fingers threading through the black locks, and it wasn't long until your throat began to burn with the familiar want to feed.

You pushed back, gaining your breath before you pleaded with him softly.

"Please leave. I...I'm getting worked up, and I don't want to hurt you."

Keith nodded before apologizing, kissing you one last time.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"-It's okay, Keith. I know."

He sighed before leaving, a tenseness in his shoulders, and you laid down on the bed, your back to him. You were tempted to bite down on your finger to get at least a drop, but you refrained. You didn't want to give up so easily. After all, if you didn't discipline yourself now, how would you learn? The burning in the back of your throat became more prominent, feeling as if someone was poking a hot iron into your throat. Your fangs were threatening to protrude from the tops and bottoms of your gums, and you groaned, curling in on yourself. This was going to be so hard, but you had to try. The safety of everyone in the Castle depended on you. You had to pull through.

A couple hours later, you were suffering. Your eyes had long-since dilated to the point your eyes were practically black. Your fangs had protruded from your gums, aching and seeming to pulse as you painfully clenched your jaw. You had brought your knees to your chest, holding onto your arms tightly, trying not to allow the claws to slice into your skin. You were rocking back and forth, trying to focus on the feeling of your body rocking, but nothing was working. Keith's lingering smell was driving you crazy, and you wished that you could escape from it. Suddenly, the door to your cell opened, causing you to pause.

"Ms. (Y/n), I've gathered some pillows and blankets for you!"

"Leave."

Your dark, raspy voice caused Coran to go into a stupor, the Altean not used to you being so direct and aggressive.

"Ms. (Y/n)-"

"Leave!"

You screamed at him, turning around so he could see just how bad you were doing, hoping he would take the hint. Coran jolted back before nodding, placing the blankets and pillows cautiously on the floor.

"Right. My apologies."

He stepped back, allowing the cell door to open, and you whined in pain, the hunger so bad, you could feel your stomach constricting, needing to be fed. Coran quickly left, most likely to inform the others of your outburst, and you growled loudly. If you didn't get fed soon, you were going to lose your mind. You stood up, beginning to pace as intrusive thoughts ran through your mind. If you busted the wall of this prison, you would be able to have your dinner, but it wasn't worth losing one of your friends over. You had silently promised not to give up by biting yourself, but you knew it would satiate the hunger for a while. What could you do now?

You began to freak out. Yelling in anger, you began to throw everything in the cell around, punching the walls and ripping the pillows apart. Feathers floated up in the air as you threw the destroyed pillows around, and you could vaguely hear the sound of the door opening at the end of the hall. You slowly stopped, panting heavily, and your cell door opened. Turning slowly, you could see Keith standing there, a blood bag in his hand. You snarled out to him, your frenzied mind on overdrive.

"You're really going to open the door when all I want to do is rip you apart and drain you dry?"

Keith glared at you, replying hotly.

"I know that you wouldn't. I know you better than anybody in the universe, (Y/n)."

His words made you feel good that Keith trusted you enough to not hurt him, but you certainly didn't trust yourself. After all, you just destroyed your cell out of pure fury and hunger. Who is to say that you wouldn't do the same to Keith? Keith's eyebrow raised at you as you stared at him, having an internal fight within yourself.

"Besides, if you wanted to kill me, wouldn't you have done it already?"

Keith took a step forward, but you refused to be too close to him. You could hear his heart beating, rushing blood throughout his body as he approached you. His scent wafted through your nose, and you pleaded with him.

"Please, Keith, just drop it off and leave. You...Your scent...it drives me crazy."

You curled in on yourself, trying to mask his scent with your own, but it was futile. You couldn't smell your own scent, which could have been considered a blessing had you not been so hungry. Keith shook his head.

"Take it from me."

You glanced at him.

"What?"

"If you want it that badly, then take the bag from me yourself."

You knew he was trying to help you learn self-control, but you were so close to lunging. How could you trust yourself to not give into the hunger? Keith glared at you.

"I'm not going to give this to you until you get up and take it from me."

You bit your lip and slowly stood up. As you slowly walked towards Keith, you could hear the sound of his heart get louder and louder. His heart was pounding in anticipation, wondering what your next move was going to be, and your nostrils flared as you took in his scent. Your hand reached out hesitantly for the bag, and you snatched it from him. Jumping to the other side of the room, you immediately tore your teeth into the bag, taking in the blood greedily. Warm, spicy blood ran through your mouth, staining the inside of your mouth and lips red, and your nose caught the scent of the blood.

It smelled like Keith's. Cinnamon spice and everything naughty and nice. You snarled, hunching over yourself before releasing the bag from your teeth, asking him.

"Are you trying to taunt me? Do you know how delicious you smell...that you decide to give me your blood?"

Or maybe it was an intimacy thing. Did Keith feel like it was claiming for his blood to run through your mouth, giving you the nutrients you needed, satiating the desire you had to feast upon him? Keith said nothing, but you had a feeling he was red in the face. You gulped loudly, the bag quickly draining, and you finished the bag panting, your cheeks red with color. You were embarrassed and you asked him.

"Why do you stand there and watch me? Aren't you disgusted by me?"

"You will never disgust me, (Y/n)."

His tone indicated he was offended, and you shyly looked over your shoulder at him. Keith was glaring at you, and he said, his cheeks tinting.

"You were the first person to truly accept me when we found out that I was half-Galra...the race that we were trying to fight...the race that killed and destroyed Allura's own people. You didn't care that I was half-Galra...you just wanted to make sure that I was okay. I'm going to do the same for you."

Keith sat down on the bed beside you, his eyes staring at your lips. His blood was staining the inside of your lips, and Keith morbidly thought how it would be to kiss you right now. Keith shook his head before saying quietly.

"I'm not going to reject you for being something else. To me, you're still (Y/n). I'm not going to lie, you being a vampire is kind of strange because vampires are things of stories and legends...but then ago, so were aliens."

Keith placed his hand on your hand, your eyes brimming with tears as you stared at him.

"You accepted me when I didn't accept myself...so I'm going to do the same thing for you."

You cried softly, letting the empty blood bag fall before you hugged Keith, his arms immediately circling around you. You whispered as you cried.

"I love you."

Keith froze before he held you as tight as he could, replying to you.

"I love you too."

You clung to him so tightly, you feared that you were hurting him. However, Keith made no complaint as he held you just as tight. Leaning back just slightly, Keith stole your breath with a morbid kiss, seemingly unafraid to taste the very essence of his life upon your lips. You were embarrassed and shocked, not having expected Keith to disregard the fact that his blood stained your mouth. It was almost...exciting. When he pulled back, you muttered in embarrassment.

"Keith, I just drank your blood, and you're gonna kiss me?"

"It's my blood. Why should I care?"

You shivered in disgust, and Keith almost grinned. Now, had it been Shiro's, or one of the other paladins...then he might have refused. However, there was something about his blood being in your mouth, sustaining your life and giving you satisfaction. You buried your face into his shoulder in embarrassment, and Keith simply shrugged, not willing to admit how claiming it felt to him. Keith whispered to you softly.

"I need to go, but I'll be here if you need me, (Y/n)."

You nodded. Keith kissed you one last time before leaving. You, however, called out to him, causing him to turn.

"You have...you have a little something on your lip."

Keith licked his lips before giving you a small smirk, and you blushed heavily, turning from him.

---

You were fed a bag a day, saving Allura and Coran's blood for last. You learned quickly that each and every blood bag given to you had a different taste. Shiro's blood had a subtle spice to it reminiscent of vanilla and apples. It wasn't until the aftertaste that you had noticed it, having thought Shiro's blood tasted pretty bland, other than the ever-present wet metal taste. Lance's blood was a sharp contrast to Keith and Shiro's. His blood had a sour taste reminiscent of oranges, which you believed was because of how energetic he was. Keith wasn't too enthusiastic about you drinking Lance's blood, but you needed the nutrients, and Keith couldn't exactly donate his blood again.

Hunk's blood had the same citrus taste, but this time, it was almost bitter. It reminded you of pineapples, which was appropriate for the boy. Pidge, on the other hand, had a very sweet taste to her blood reminiscent of pears or bananas. It was strange how you correlated the Paladins blood to fruit or spices, but it was the only way that you could describe the sweetness or tartness of their blood.

When you got a taste of Allura's Altean blood, you instantly craved more. It was sweet yet sour; spicy yet refreshing. Cherries and pomegranates swirled within your mouth, and you couldn't help but moan the first time you tasted it. It was a strange but addicting taste, and you instantly wanted more. However, Keith refused to give you Coran's until the next day, not wanting to increase your intake by any means. Moreover, Coran's bag would be the last one you would have until everyone would be able to donate again. How were you going to get sustenance? They couldn't exactly put up a poll in the Space Mall for 'willful volunteers' to come donate blood. They didn't know what other aliens harbored in their blood.

It broke everyone's heart the more the days rolled by without you being able to get any blood. At first, you had went mad from the hunger, destroying the cell once more. However, the longer the hunger went on, the weaker you became. After a while, you had become sick from not having any blood to sustain you, and you threw up any real food that you consumed. Keith couldn't bear to see your sunken cheeks and pale face. So, he decided to help you in a different, much more dangerous way.

When he stepped into your cell, you gazed at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Anything new?"

Keith shook his head before asking you softly.

"(Y/n), would you...would you ever feed from someone?"

You blinked at him, confused as to why he would ask such a question.

"I mean, if they donated their blood, sure. Why?"

"No, I meant...I meant feed from them...directly."

You froze and asked slowly.

"You mean...like...bite them?"

Keith nodded, and your eyes instantly dilated at the thought. Keith watched you intently as you began to fantasize about biting into someone and you shook your head of the thoughts. You asked him.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Keith hesitated before answering softly.

"I don't want you to suffer anymore, (Y/n). Every single day that passes, you get sicker and sicker. We can't risk anybody donating their blood because we don't know if they might be harboring a disease or something. What I'm trying to say is...is that I want you to feed from me."

You widened your eyes before snapping at him, shaking your head.

"No, I refuse. I refuse to feed from you, Keith. I might not be able to stop the moment that I do."

"Do you expect me to just sit here and watch you slowly die?"

You gave him a look, sitting as far from him as you could.

"Keith, when it comes to my life or yours, I will always choose yours. My life means nothing to me...at least...not as much as you do."

You turned away, muttering.

"I would never live with myself if I were to ever hurt you or...or even kill you."

Keith pressed, his eyes stern but soft.

"When it comes to my life or yours, I will always choose yours."

You looked at him, and Keith held his wrist out for you to take. Your heart was pounding within your chest, but it certainly wasn't as loud as Keith's. His heart was racing, waiting for you to take his wrist and bite down into it. However, your eyes strayed to his neck. It was cliche, really. The human begging for the vampire to feed from them because they don't want the other to suffer or even die...it was practically like a fantasy trope. Well, it was a fantasy trope, but could you really refuse Keith? He was begging you to feed from him and to stop suffering...but you were fearful. What if you didn't stop? What if you wouldn't release him because you just didn't have enough?

"I know the risks, (Y/n). I'm willing to take them for you."

Why was he so willing to die for you?

Grabbing his risk gently, you dipped your mouth down, gently kissing the skin before you yanked him to you. Keith gave a small cry before you steadied him, your nose rubbing against the skin of his neck. You inhaled deeply, relishing in his comforting scent, and Keith's hands found their way to your waist. Slowly, your fangs protruded from your gums, and you asked him quietly.

"Do you like the danger? Is that why you insist on me feeding from you? The thought of your life lying within my hands...it seems nice, doesn't it? Or maybe you just have a biting kink?"

Keith hissed at you, blood rushing to his cheeks as he squeezed your hips.

"Shut up and bite me, (Y/n)."

You hummed before sinking your teeth into his neck. Immediately, his hot and spicy blood ran down your throat, soothing you. You moaned, threading your fingers through his hair as your tongue ran across the skin of his neck, tasting the blood that mixed with the salty taste of his skin. Keith's heart was pounding, and your free hand threatened to dig into his shoulder as it held him tightly. Keith was breathing heavily, and you wondered if he liked it. You certainly did. You couldn't stop grunting and sighing, the taste of fresh blood igniting a hot fire of desire and need within you. You needed to be closer to him, you needed to taste more of him, you needed to feel him writhing beneath you as you sucked the life from his eyes away.

The soft call of your name was an echo to you, Keith's grip slowly becoming looser, and you pulled back. You took a deep breath to calm yourself, and Keith looked at you with tired eyes. He asked you quietly.

"Are you okay now?"

You nodded before leaning back to his neck, gently licking his wounds shut. You watched in fascination as his wounds slowly sealed themselves, the only trace of you ever feeding from him being the stains of his blood. Keith hugged you, whispering.

"I'm willing to give myself to you if it means you stay alive. I love you too much to lose you."

You hugged him back, feeling so touched that he trusted you this much.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to do this...I love you so much."

Keith chuckled lightly before laying down with you, his exhaustion catching up to him. For a moment, all was quiet.

"I think I might have a biting kink."

"Keith, shut up."

[END]

#Lyn Writes #Keith #Keith Kogane #Reader #Keith x Reader #Keith Kogane x Reader #Vampire! Reader #Keith Kogane x Vampire! Reader #Keith x Vampire! Reader

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ao3feed-safeklance · 5 years

Text

Emperor of Altea

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2N7zkvN

by Enter_Sharpshooter

(Or the Jodhaa Akbar au no one asked for.)

Words: 33788, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2N7zkvN

#ao3feed #fanfic #voltron #klance

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thezol · 7 years

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To VLD fans

... Where on Earth is the GIF sequence of the Red Lion single-handedly tearing down the freaking headquarters of the Blade of Marmora?! I mean, Red was determined to literally melt dow the asses of those Galrans who dared to hurt her paladin.

Come on, emotionless and stoic *deep voice* knowledge-or-death-Kolivan and Antok were terrified.

And NO ONE makes a GIF?!

I think the bond Red and Keith have deserves more recognition.

#seriously people #vld #vld spoilers #red lion #keith kogane #fiery kitten

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leggylance · 7 years

Text

fic recs part 4 !

Lance and the Wild Thing by AmbitiousSkychild

Lance misses his family, so Hunk gives him the idea that since he spends all his free time on his screen anyway, he could make videos to show his family when they make it back to Earth.

Of course, what was supposed to be videos of his adventures and his surroundings to help him deal with the distance, mostly all wind up being videos about dealing with Keith.

Or: Lance is in some heavy denial about a certain Red Paladin and his new hobby makes that harder and harder to hide.

I know your best was still your worst by perfchan

Their relationship (Keith mentally balks at the word; he doesn’t have a relationship with Lance, they tolerate each other. That’s how they’ve always been, that’s how they will always continue to be, right? Right.), their ‘relationship’ has been treading further and further into unfamiliar territory since Keith took on the title of leader. Reasonable criticism, supportive suggestions, banter with more affection than bite… as soon as the Black Lion made her choice, Lance seems to be fully committed to Keith as the leader.

It’s one more thing that Keith doesn’t know how to deal with.

Keith feels alone and apart from the group as he adjusts to leading Voltron. He gets a little help along the way.

Everything has Changed by lunarella

For whatever reason, suddenly Lance was taken aback, thinking to when he first met Keith. The Keith he knew back in high school was closed off and reserved and Lance would have never thought that in seven years he’d be the one to crack the stoic outer shell of Keith Kogane’s abandonment issues and insecurities to the point of spoon feeding him after a long, exhausting day at work.

—

Or, Keith is tired after a long night at work and falls into the arms of his loving and caring boyfriend, who gladly takes care of him in his time of need.

To Hell and Back by wrenowitch

Keith and Pidge find themselves alone in California amidst an apocalypse with no way of reaching their endgame: Canada. When old friends appear, it’s up to Keith to make sure he gets Pidge to safety, even if it means trusting Lance (and the much more reputable, sensible Hunk) to sanctuary. To safety.

Keith just has to try really, really hard not to fall in love on the way.

hearts aligned also by wrenowitch

lance is a single dad in college. keith is an awkward student who gets roped into the fiery mess that is lance’s life. lance’s kid decides keith is his favorite, and keith learns the meaning of friendship- among other things.

i never walk alone (feel me, you’re not alone either) by vivahate

As good as Lance is at letting his emotions be known, it still leaves him out of breath sometimes, being on the receiving end of Keith’s unwavering love.

It’s intense, he realizes, being loved by Keith Kogane.

just a stranger in the stars by Resamille

Lance is very observant.

Not.

He doesn’t notice the knowing looks Shiro gives him after a day of training, the exasperated sigh from Pidge after some team bonding exercise, or the way Hunk rebalances conversations with an easy slide towards mentions of Keith. He doesn’t notice Allura’s smirk when she catches him flirting with a (pretty) distinctly male alien, and he doesn’t notice the shift in weight of Coran’s hand on his shoulder when he’s found staring at the holomap and Keith’s name breathes past his lips.

He doesn’t notice when he falls in love.

A Commutual Contract by SKayLanphear

After a terrifying experience during which Lance, seemingly, dies, Keith is haunted by horrible nightmares of holding his comrade in his arms while he took his final breath. To the point where he can’t sleep unless he knows for absolute certain that Lance is alive.

And while the attention is surprising, Lance doesn’t really have a problem with Keith checking up on him. Or the fact that Keith only seems totally comforted when he can cuddle Lance close and hear his heart beat. After all, there’s nothing wrong with two bros cuddling.

I Wish You Were Mine by Reader115

a graduate school AU featuring what happens when Pidge and Hunk are OVER Lance and his repressed feelings for Keith.

When Things Go Right by jilliancares

Keith grows up in an orphanage and befriends The Group in sixth grade. Skip to senior year and he’s hopelessly in love with Lance and still very much in the closet.

#text #klance #rihanna_wink.gif #fic recs

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kingofthewilderwest · 6 years

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I don't know if someone asked this before, I hope no... so I would like to ask you, if they are Vikings of Berk, what kind of dragons the Voltron team would ride?

Friend, if I got asked this question ten million times, I would still be stoked beyond belief every time it entered my inbox! Combining my love for How to Train Your Dragon with my soul for Voltron? Things cannot get any better than this! In truth I’ve only talked about this topic very, very briefly in the past, at a point before I had delved deeply into the lore of Voltron. The VLD/HTTYD crossover I have planned to write - but admittedly shall probably never get to - goes the other way, with Hiccup and company as Paladins. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to talk in depth about what types of dragons the Voltron team would ride, were they Vikings in the Barbaric Archipelago.

Admittedly much of this assigning is done by pairing the Voltron characters with HTTYD character counterparts. It’s extremely easy to make comparisons, for instance, between Shiro and Hiccup, when they’re both the defined leaders of the group, canonically ride something Black, have a purple-based weapon, have missing limbs, have to learn to trust the individual they ride, and so on and so forth. So my choices for VLD characters riding dragons is heavily influenced by that comparison reference, but I still do think that assigning dragons this way comes to wonderful matches.

Hunk Garrett: Gronckle

Hunk and a Gronckle is a match made in Valhalla. These two could not be better suited for one another.

Hunk is an individual with an abrasively bold fighting style, preferring to smash with strength and overpower others by ramming them. He’s got that sense of someone aligned with the earth element, given as he is a very grounded person with a power-based approach in skirmishes. The Gronckle in turn is a Boulder Class dragon with a solid body and enormous bludgeon-like tail. This creature has the same solidity that our boy Garrett has.

Even if Hunk never has to fight a battle on a dragon, the Gronckle’s groundedness is something that would inevitably attract Hunk. Thinking in terms of flight, the Gronckle might have more nuanced steering control than a non-pilot-oriented-mind like Hunk’s would need, but Hunk would love the fact Gronckles are slow and steady fliers. He’d prefer this far over fast and flashy. On a Gronckle, Hunk would feel safe and secure.

Not only does the Gronckle match in terms of being a “solid” dragon, but its sweet-tempered personality combines well with Hunk’s own character. Hunk can be fierce and bold when he wants to, but when he’s feeling peaceful, which is most of the time, he is a friendly, good-natured sweetheart, just like a Gronckle. Both Hunk and Gronckles are upbeat and kindhearted companions with a loving nature.

Even the fact Gronckles can make Gronckle iron would attract Hunk, our engineer, who would probably have something genius and nerdy to say about this alloy. It might not be too far-fetched to suggest that Viking Hunk would work as a blacksmith or shipwright. In that case a Gronckle’s ability to regurgitate molten metals would be infinitely valuable in Hunk’s trade.

Keith Kogane: Monstrous Nightmare

I feel like Keith and a Monstrous Nightmare is another great match.

Monstrous Nightmares are strong-willed, temperamental dragons. Once considered the ultimate dragon to take down and kill, now Monstrous Nightmares represent some of the hardest local dragons to successfully train. It takes someone with a fierce personality like Keith’s to garner the dragon’s respect and successfully build a bond between Nightmare and rider.

These are the same skills, in fact, that Allura says are needed to be Paladin of the fire elemental Red Lion, “temperamental and the most difficult to master.” The Monstrous Nightmare may be more physically powerful than other dragons, but like the Red Lion, they can also be “more unstable.” Keith would need to rely on instincts and skill to ride a Nightmare, just as he needs to to pilot Red.

It’s true that the Monstrous Nightmare doesn’t have the same sort of speed and agility that Keith would probably want in a flying partner. This might mean that starting to fly a Nightmare would be akin to Keith’s first experiences in Black, struggling to control and maneuver through the skies. Nevertheless I feel that Keith would acclimate, and there’s something to be said that Keith riding a dragon that can literally turn on fire is… well… a fitting image for our fiery young man.

The personalities of Monstrous Nightmare and the Red Paladin are good matches, too. Keith would prefer a strong-willed, stubborn dragon over a squishy cuddler. He’d understand the dragon’s temperament, given as it’s much like his own.

Pidge and Matt Holt: Hideous Zippleback

If we’re looking at matching characters from VLD to potential HTTYD counterparts, it’d make the most sense to place Pidge and Chip in the role the Thorston twins have. Up until VLD, after all, Pidge and his brother were twins. Even now, Katie and Matt bear a striking resemblance, and they interact in such a close-bonded sibling way, that it’s not too odd to plop them in Ruff and Tuff’s position. We’ve even got the green theme running in common with them!

Pidge on her own I could imagine flying a swift, agile dragon, perhaps a Nadder. Still, there is something to be said that Pidge would love to fly a dragon with her brother. We see Matt copilot Green to help with Voltron cloaking technology in S4; here in a Viking AU I am sure the two would love copiloting a Zippleback to time the gas and spark. They could cloak themselves in a sea of green smoke if they wanted to hide from others’ view. They could high-five and chortle about chemical reactions if they needed the other dragon head to spark a huge, gaseous fire.

Not to mention… there’s something powerful in the image of Pidge, losing Matt, and riding on a two-headed dragon meant to carry two people. Pidge, solo rider of a Zippleback, searching the seas, visiting island after island, in search of her missing sibling.

Zipplebacks’ temperaments would work well with the Holts, too. Zipplebacks have a strong, protective element to show their care to Katie and Matt, while at the same time not being in-your-face or obtrusive - giving the Holts some of the introverted space they (especially Pidge) will need. Zipplebacks also are fairly tolerant dragons that allow any sort of ridiculous shenanigans to happen around them. Again, the Holts will need that. I’m sure they’ll be experimenting plenty with their advanced knowledge of Viking technology around the Zippleback. Last, Zipplebacks know how to have fun with their riders! Katie, Matt, and their two-headed dragon will make some quality moments together.

Lance McClain: Deadly Nadder

Lance is the person who wants a Monstrous Nightmare but ends up bonding with a Nadder. At first he believes he wants something with a lot of epic turning-itself-on-fire in a dragon - it’ll impress the ladies and make him look amazing - but Lance ends up fitting very well with the spine-shooting dragons. Deadly Nadders have some very fascinating defensive tactics Lance will love; not only is their fire extremely hot and powerful, but their spine shots allow for accurate long-range projectile fire. Our sharpshooter would quickly become the master of the single spine shot, though he’s got the brilliant tactics to know when a situation needs a broad swirl of spines, too.

Deadly Nadders can be curious, perky dragons, meaning Lance’s companion will be happy to follow along into any sort of tangle he wants to experience. The congenial personality of a Nadder will get along well with Lance’s own temperament. Lance is someone who might preen himself up as someone illustrious and great, but he is also someone who is loyal, dedicated, helpful, and supportive. Just like a Nadder!

The Nadder isn’t a Tidal Class Dragon, but that doesn’t mean its fit is worse for Lance. While the water-based Thunderdrum might have a sonic-based attack that could bear some parallels to Blue Lion, dragons like these don’t seem to fit Lance because of their obstreperous temperament. Now, Lance can be stubborn and hot-headed, that’s very true, but the relationship he has with Blue is of a more affectionate and supportive nature, and I think that’s what Lance would like in a dragon, too. This makes the Nadder a better bet. And besides, the Nadder might not have sonar, but its tracking abilities mean it can follow the trail of anything for days! That works great for Lance!

Allura: Deadly Nadder

Deadly Nadders fit with Allura in the same way that Deadly Nadders fit with Astrid. Allura can be warm and supportive; she can also be fierce. The Deadly Nadder has a good deal of all this in its temperament, and Allura would be able to relate to the dragon in all its facets. I don’t want to go through all the Deadly Nadder’s strengths and temperament qualities again, given as I just talked about Lance, but suffice it to say that Allura and Nadders are great for one another.

Really, Allura would be a master Deadly Nadder flier. She’s the one who could pull out the potential of the Nadder everywhere, from the dragon’s maneuverability to the dragon’s spine shot sweep. Like Astrid, initially Allura might be someone who is not comfortable on a dragon and might not seem ready to ride a dragon (trying a little too hard to control the dragon rather than let it make its own mind), but once she comes to understand the Nadder and its loyalty and its strengths and its mind, she becomes one of the best dragon riders in the Archipelago.

Takashi Shirogane: Night Fury

I’ve already mentioned how Shiro and Hiccup have a decent number of parallels. And if we want to make a complete counterpart Riders of Berk / VLD team, it only makes sense to toss Shiro on a Night Fury. Apart from character comparisons, though, the Night Fury isn’t a bad match.

Befriending a Night Fury could initially be a worrying thing for Shiro. Hiccup lost his mother to dragons; maybe Shiro’s team with the Holts had a terrible incident with dragons, too - Commander Holt and Matt getting whisked off by a Stormcutter when they’re on a far-seas voyage, or something along those lines. But Shiro has always been an individual impressively non-biased when it comes to approaching others. Despite experiencing Galra captivity for a year, Shiro is willing to solidify an alliance with the Blade of Marmora. In the same way, I could see a young Viking Shiro being willing, despite past bad experiences with dragons, to bond with one… to bond with a dragon that has always been considered “the unholy offspring of lightning and death.”

In this way, Champion would become Dragon Trainer; he’d survive the encounter with a dragon no one else is said to have survived from… and not only that, but Shiro would befriend it. It would probably take some time, it would definitely take a learning curve of trust, but Shiro is a determined individual who doesn’t give up on others. He would do what he could to solidify trust, loyalty, and friendship. And because Shiro wouldn’t give up on befriending a Night Fury, Berk could see its first Night Fury rider here.

In a way, Shiro befriending a Night Fury could help assuage some of the emotional and psychological struggles he’s carried with him since the mission he lost (or thought he lost) the Holts.

We don’t know everything about Night Fury temperaments because we’ve only had one example, but there are a few things safe to say. They’re intelligent dragons. They’re a bit reclusive sometimes. They seem to pick up on others’ emotions and thoughts well. I think those elements would align fine with Shiro and a potential dragon buddy; he’d enjoy a companion who might be shy and reclusive at times, especially at first, but who also is loyal like none other and willing to be there with him through anything.

(Shoot, I didn’t mean to accidentally describe Keith when I was talking about Night Fury temperaments… but maybe this just solidifies my point more?)

He and the dragon would understand each other - when Shiro feels confident, when Shiro wants some time alone, when Shiro’s struggling, when Shiro’s having an amazing day.

Coran: Hotburple

NEVER. FORGET. THE. GORGEOUS. MAN!!!!!!

I imagine seeing Coran riding a dragon that’s not quite as common on Berk as other species. And while Coran might like to imagine himself as a dashing, daring, bold, brave fashionista Viking pirate, I can also easily imagine him on an endearing dragon like this. Coran would love his Hotburple. A lot. He knows his Hotburples!!! You’d probably hear him complain when the Hotburple isn’t cooperating, but we know that Coran truly does love his big lumpy lug of a dragon.

#long post #httyd #How to Train Your Dragon #vld #Voltron #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Voltron Legendary Defender #Paladins #httyd au #au #analysis #my analysis #ask #ask me #awesome anonymous friend #anonymous #dragon #dragons

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umbraja · 6 years

Text

Half Baked Goods

This is a list of ideas I'm keeping partially to remind myself so I don't forget them but also to get some feedback on if anyone wants to see them developed.

If you're interested in any of these ideas being finished please let me know so I can move that up on my list of priorities. As you can see, I've got a lot of ideas all competing for attention so I'm only working on the ones that other people actually want to see.

Some of the things on this list are continuations of stuff I've already posted so I've got them linked to that.

Works in Progress

Things for the Kidge Zine - This beast is taking up almost all of my time.

Collab Artwork - This one's a drawing, might end up animated.

Monsters and Mana Fic - I HC Keith as a closet nerd so I just couldn't help myself.

D&D Module - Working with a few artists to make a 5e D&D module based off my M&M fic.

Rover Models - Prototyping 3D models with LED lighting.

Space Caterpillars - Prototyping plushies.

Kosmo - Prototyping plushies.

GoT AU - An art series that took over my life recently.

Keith (Jon) Snow - Keith looking badass with Longclaw and Kosmo as Ghost.

Pidgett (Ygritte) - Pidge in furs with a bow - not the ribbon kind.

Allurys Targaryen - Mother of Dragonmice.

Hunk (Sam) Tarly - Hunk and Sam are basically the same person - the sweet cinnamon rolls.

Lance (Oberyn) Martell - I considered Loras Tyrell but, come on, the spear.

Shiro - I need help with this.

VLD Mix Tape - A collection of songfics from various genres, set in various AUs, some canon, featuring various ships and all the feels.

Simple Man - Based on the song "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Originally this was going to be for Desert Keith Week but I didn't get it done in time. Some real good Keith and Krolia angsty sweetness.

When I Die - Based on the song "Wolves" by Down Like Silver. Pretty much Keith's thought process in that last scene of Season 4. Sad AF and super short but I'm working on illustrations to make up for it. Will post when the art is done.

Rough Ideas

Possible One Shots - These are probably going to be shorts but I never can tell and could all end up sprawling AUs given my track record with trying to write shorts.

Red Thread - Gritty Soulmates AU, future noir conspiracy plot where the government pairs people by a system that supposedly traces Red Threads to match soulmates but it’s imperfect and corrupt. Keith is a hard boiled detective, Pidge is a tech genius and daughter of a renowned scientist who is openly critical of the soulmate pairing system and hires Keith to find her father when he goes missing.

Douglas Adams Tribute (working title) - Almost Canon AU style study where I tortur- I mean, where Shiro gets thrown into the sort of absurd adventure that you would expect from the creator of the Hitchhiker's Guide, Dirk Gently, and some classic episodes of Dr Who. I want this sooo bad but it takes so long to write like that.

80s Romance (working title) - Modern AU where Keith's parents are living one of those fiery, doomed romances that make for such great stories but kind of shitty lives. Thank the-ghost-of-keith-kogane for this one. I might integrate it into my Quiet Kind AU cuz it fits.

Dancing in the Dark - Modern AU where Keith works dispatch for the university police at his school and his desk just happens to overlook the dance studios where he can't help but watch Lance practice every night.

More to Lose - Canon Divergent AU in which everything is basically the same but when the war ends and they go home the others find out that Keith had motivations to save Earth beyond just natural heroic tendencies and he actually did leave something (someone) behind.

Identity - Canon Divergent AU where Shiro is acting strange (so maybe canon?) and has a bit of a mental break that leads down an insanity spiral into Lovecraftian horror.

VLD Mix Tape - A collection of songfics from various genres, set in various AUs, some canon, featuring various ships and all the feels.

Stuff that Works - Based on the song "Stuff that Works" by Guy Clark. Basically a music video for my Quiet Kind fic. Soooft Kidge and real friendship between the Paladins.

Champion - Based on the song "Champion" by Barns Courtney. Not just about Shiro.

In the Valley - Based on the song "Through the Valley" by Shawn James. Basically a music video for the Western AU listed below.

Only Human - Based on the song "Human" by Rag 'n' Bone Man. This just screams of Shiro.

Broken - Based on the song "Broken" by DNMO & Sub Urban. Something with Lotor.

Wisdom of Officer #3 - Based on the song "Girls on Trampolines" by Ludo. Cuz even Paladins need to have fun sometimes.

Probably Series - These are probably going to be longer works, anywhere from three to infinite parts.

Trip the Light - Canon Divergent AU where Keith comes into contact with some strange alien I'll just call it a drug and, well. . . Keith without inhibitions is a beautiful and terrifying thing.

In the Valley - Western AU where the Paladins have to save a frontier town being threatened by Rail Barrons (Galra). Shiro is the sheriff, Pidge is his deputy, Matt's the sawbones, Lance manages the cat house, Hunk tends the saloon, Coran is the priest, Allura is Coran's niece and the school marm, Keith is a gunslinger.

Rabbit Hole - Almost Canon AU where Voltron has fans and they are very much like the real fandom (without the ship wars) and when Pidge stumbles across it she shows the others which kind of breaks Keith cuz he doesn't like how accurate some of the information is and thinks there could be a spy and this could be dangerous so it's tinfoil hat time!

Elsewhere - Canon Divergent AU where the Paladins stumble upon a Fey Gate into a fantasy realm where they get to meet all my OCs and participate in the insanely huge uber plot I've been running D&D groups through for decades now.

Reflections AU - A canon compliant (for the most part) series of (so far) fluffy team bonding moments that lead to introspective scenes where Keith slowly opens up to each of the others about himself. Kind of an excuse to get down some of my headcanon for Keith's past. Parts of this are already published but here's some ideas for more.

Lance (working title) - Keith opens up to Lance.

Pidge (working title) - Keith opens up to Pidge.

Allura (working title) - Keith opens up to Allura.

Hell in a Handbasket - Series of gritty, realistic vignettes showing the progression of what went wrong in Keith's past to make him the way he is. Backstory behind the fluffy parts. Waiting to see what season 6 does with Keith's mom on this.

Country Christmas - Adorable vignette of Keith's childhood in the Texas panhandle to make up for that darkness and prove it wasn't all bad. I didn't finish it in time for 2017 but I'll probably have this out for 2018.

Lone Star AU - Modern AU, Lance PoV, Klance that was going to be a much longer work but I don't have time to finish it and reader feedback suggested it would be better just to focus on the relationship dynamic between Lance and a closeted, slightly homophobic, rodeo Keith anyway. So that's what this is. Parts of this are already published but here's some ideas for more.

Au Naturale - Lance talks to Keith about skincare, or the lack thereof.

La Grange - How Lance met Keith and what started his Telecaster crush.

Bullrider - Lance observes one of Keith's hobbies.

Rattlesnake Roundup - Texas has some strange traditions and Lance can't wrap his head around this one so of course Pidge forces him to attend.

Hermanos AU - Canon Divergent AU, started as a request fill for a 5/1 where the team slowly realises that Keith and Lance are adopted brothers but I'm seriously considering expanding it into a multipart AU.

Homecoming - The Paladins return to Earth and Keith goes home with Lance. Waiting to see what season 6 does with Keith's mom on this.

New Kid - Look at the past when Keith first went to live with the McClains.

Brothers - Rewrite of the original fic but from Keith and Lance's perspective.

The Paladin Saga - Canon Divergent AU that was going to be an insanely long work where I keep mostly to canon but fill in plot holes with eldritch horrors, tie up loose ends in ancient myths, and shed light on the "legend" of Voltron to show a much darker history than Allura would like to admit while also letting humans be a little badass for once. This one was gonna be a long, sprawling epic full of Lovecraftian horror and moral ambiguity but I don't have time to finish it and reader feedback (or lack thereof) suggested I should focus on my fluffier works. Here's a list of chapters anyway, not a complete list mind you and possibly a bit out of order:

Is it Real - The Paladins refuse to believe Kolivan when he tells them Keith is dead.

Space Between - Keith wakes up in a strange place and finds something Dark there.

Fire and Darkness - The Paladins get Keith back but the Darkness has affected him.

Sins of the Father - Lotor tells the Paladins what Zarkon told him of the Darkness.

Waking Dreams - Keith struggles with the Dark, Shiro loses time, Lance gets visions.

Scorched Earth - Shiro loses control, Keith puts him down, Hunk keeps them all alive.

Things I've Seen - Lance tells others about his visions, Coran tells them about the Price.

King of Death - Zarkon returns from the dead (again) with a new weapon.

When the Arm Breaks - The Red Lion pays a heavy price to save the others.

Tides Turn - The Galra rally under Zarkon and his new power.

Devil You Know - An unlikely ally offers the Paladins help.

Fool's Errand - The Paladins make a desperate move to save Red.

The Dreamer Awakens - The Paladins find a sixth Lion and Allura gets an upgrade.

A Sword Reforged - The Paladins return with Voltron made whole and defeat the Galra.

At What Cost - The Coalition takes power but peace isn't easy and bills are due.

The War to Come - The Paladins learn of their part in an ancient prophecy.

See You on the Other Side -

#umbrajasfics

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alwaysreblogneverpost · 6 years

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Lance sat on the floor of the blue lion’s cockpit, back leaning against the pilot’s chair as he tinkered on the small robot in front of him. ‘How are you faring, my cub?’’ Blue’s voice rumbled, a steady and calming presence always at the back of his mind. Lance couldn’t help but smile, the lion had been the only real constant in his life since they left Earth – the other paladins were always around the castle, sure, but none of them really ever seemed to want him around or appreciate him – and thus his bond with her had grown in leaps and bounds. He’d even wager that he was the only one that had bonded so strongly with his lion that their quintessences had bound together; this was a great asset as he was able to manipulate his own quintessence far more easily than before their binding, and he was now able to borrow her powers to some extent (not that the other’s knew, as when he had tried to bring it up he had been shut down and brushed off, so he had left it be).

“I think I’ve almost got it,” he hums, making a few miniscule adjustments to the wiring as he spoke. Blue, though he had taken to calling her ‘Azul’, just to have something that’s between just the two of them, had been helping him replicate herself on a much smaller scale; leaving the secondary blue lion that he had dubbed ‘Leona’ to be about the size of a standard main coon. He’d been working on it the last few months whenever he had down time as a way to busy his hands and reflect on his place in Voltron as part of the team.

He wouldn’t call himself a genius, not by any means, but he also knew he wasn’t stupid like the others seemed to think; he had managed to make a miniature of Azul for quiznaks sake. He couldn’t do some of the things that Pidge or Hunk did, but he could replicate what they made given enough time to work on it. Instead he was good with languages and people; he had learned English as a second language when he was accepted into the Galaxy Garrison, had steadily been learning Altean with Coran’s help and even Galran with (secret) help from Kolivan, and could read people incredibly well within a few hours of knowing them. He wasn’t an amazing leader like Shiro, who could (almost) always do what was best for the team, able to lead and inspire them with ease and command attention and respect with a subtle change in voice. In place of those abilities the blue paladin could remain calm and collected in any situation, could act any part he was given, and kept tension light between all of them. He wasn’t a (near) perfect diplomat like Allura, but he was an astounding strategist – when the team allowed – that could pick apart any plan placed in front of him and identify nearly if not every flaw it had, and then improve it. Coran was the one he had the best relationship with, viewing the older man as an uncle and even calling him tío from time to time, but even so Coran had things to do about the castle and – as much as he loved talking to him – Lance sometimes needed a break from Coran’s constant stories of Altea, as they made him homesick if he listened for too long. Keith, on the other hand, he probably had the worst relationship with; though if he was honest he knew that most of the animosity on his side of things was born of jealousy, and Kogane was probably just giving as good as he got; at least, most of the time that was what he was doing, there were some days that Lance didn’t do anything to him at all but he’d still seek Lance out for a fight. Keith, perfect fucking Keith, was the favored paladin of Shiro – he would deny it, but they all knew it was true, and it probably wouldn’t bother him so much had he not fallen hard for the black paladin – and likely everyone else besides Coran who had told Lance himself that he favored blue over red, or any of the other colors. He was a soldier, excelled in hand-to-hand and close combat fighting which were, admittedly, better suited for most of their missions, as opposed to Lance’s preference for long range weaponry, though he could use a trident or spear well enough if he got his hands on one. Keith was fiery and passionate – he could be to, about the right thing – whereas Lance was colder, and more calculated, needing to take a step back and analyze before acting, even if he did trust his instincts to the fullest extent (he had to, he rationalized, during a war he didn’t sign up for but fought anyways). Keith ran headlong into situations without a thought, which made him a formidable fighter, but Lance was quiet on his feet and could sneak into almost anywhere without being caught, which made him good for recon missions. The blue paladin knew for a fact he wasn’t useless to the team, but it still felt like he was when no one would give him the chance to prove himself; his talents weren’t flashy or overly obvious like the others’, which meant they got overlooked more often than not.

“And… done,” he beamed as he fixed the last panel into place, setting down the smaller lion in front of him. “I’m hoping that you’ll be able to transfer your quintessence into it should something happen. Like, yeah, being down a lion would be bad for Voltron, but a useless lion is still useless in the hands of the enemy, right? Do you want to give it a go, Beautiful?” He didn’t get a response as he felt Blue essentially shut down around him, a soft blue glow surround the smaller robot before the little lion’s eyes lit up a bright yellow as it let out a ‘mrow’ – rolled r and everything – lunging forward into his lap to seek affection.

‘You have done so well, cub,’ she crooned, a soft rumbling purr coming from her new body. ‘I have the most wondrous paladin of all the lions,’ her praise made him blush, a bashful smile on his face, ‘Never has any paladin thought to make a secondary body for their lion. Now I will not have to leave your side.’

“Easy there, Azul,” he laughs, pushing her off his lap in good nature. “You can’t just take this little guy for a spin right after it’s completed. We’ll have to keep working on it, make sure there aren’t any bugs that need to be fixed before we show the others. Plus, your quintessence is a pretty large presence to be in such a tiny robot, we don’t know how well our bond will help with the overflow.”

‘If you insist, my cub.’ Her voice was resigned, and he felt her disappointment about it himself, but it was only smart to make sure everything worked properly before letting Azul run around in it. He didn’t want her to get hurt, after all. He watched as the glow faded from the small robots eyes and felt Blue come alive around him again, sending her a good deal of love and affection over their bond. He was about to suggest going for a fly when his wristband beeped, Hunk letting him know that training was starting. Saying a goodbye to Blue, Lance makes his way to the training deck, ready to work hard with his team.

~*~

Lance spent the next week training, both on his own and with the others, cleaning with Coran, or spending time with Blue, working out the kinks in the smaller robot and practicing their manipulation of quintessence. He had been on his way to work with blue again when the alarms had gone off, sending him sprinting to the hangars in into Blue, they were taking off before he was even in the pilot’s chair, as he changed out of his everyday clothes and into his armor; he’s glad he kept it in his lion, and that he had modified of few of Coran’s storage cubes to be stored in his armor via quintessence like his bayard. Grinning, his eyes glowing a soft blue thanks to his bond with Azul, Lance eagerly flies to battle, determined to protect the family he built in space.

~*~

Lance doesn’t remember how he got to this planet, so similar to Terra, to his home planet Earth, that it sends a pang of heartache through his chest. It was primarily ocean based, the water a brilliant turquoise like the precious stone he remembers being so fond of back on Terra for some reason, with scattered islands that varied in size and distance from one another. They were all very similar, with soft pinks sands, a lilac sky and flora that was all manner of blues and greens, with a spattering of different colors here and there. Lance resided on one of the smaller islands, still large relatively in size considering it was at least the size of Hawaii back on Terra and he had the entire thing to himself. There was a much larger island to – what he understood to be – the East; when he had done what he could, which was admittedly not much at first, to secure himself a form of transport, he had made his way there with Leona on his shoulders in order to find out what he could do for food or shelter on the island he had deemed his own. He had been lucky, the crystals he had collected on a whim so long ago on a different planet, the name of which escapes him presently, were incredibly valuable here, and could be used as a form of currency. He had several storage cubes worth of the small crystals – they really weren’t much bigger than one of Leona’s claws – and each one bought him enough goods that, after his initial spree to buy everything his would need to survive here (a proper boat, a way to build shelter, and other important everyday items), each one bought him far more than he ever truly needed at one time. He had spent a whole three gems at a tailor’s shop buying fabric and tools in order to make his own clothing, but after that he tended to break them into halves when he needed to buy anything, since the only things he really bought was either food or things to create more armor or weapons for himself. He had been lucky, waking up washed up on the beach with a bow slung over his back and covered in head to toe armor; he didn’t need it here, and hadn’t in the months since his appearance, but the locals had told him stories of the Galra, a terrible empire that conquered planets and enslaved the people living there; or worse, obliterated them all together like they did to Altea in all the stories he’d been told. He had also been told of the tales of Voltron, and the rumors that it had returned only for one of the paladins to go missing in battle not long ago.

Now the locals, they were interesting; they were shorter than him by close to a foot on average, leaving most of them at chest height or shorter. They looked like anthropomorphic cats to him, but with furs of soft pastels across the rainbow instead of being confined to the standard colors, though he had seen some pelts of soft grays, gentle golden browns, and the occasional brilliant white. The leader of the tribe he interacted with reached to just under his chin, and was a soft golden brown in color, reminding him of the large cats from Terra called pumas; he was a kind man, with an equally kind husband and cub of their own, welcoming him in his time of need and allying with him in the event of the Galra finding this planet. He was good friends with most of the village, and on good terms with those he didn’t know well, which meant he enjoyed his time with them once a week when he made a day of traveling to the larger island, though if he had the chance he often took to joining the fishing party on their trips; the water was nontoxic to him, and he was the only one not afraid to go for a swim while fishing, which allowed him to haul in the more exotic prizes that dwelled deeper in the water. He spent a large amount of his time playing with Leona, the cub-sized lion robot that sat on his shoulders during his trips, or would sit on his boat when he was in the water.

Lance smiled as he rested his arms over the side of his small boat, out for nothing more than a swim a few hundred yards from his island, petting Leona as she began purring at the sight of him. He caught site of himself in the reflection of the water – only mildly distorted because of the color, he thinks idly – as he had lifted himself up for a rest, smiling contentedly to himself as he reflects on the changes that he’s gone through since he ended up here.

His hair was longer, French braided and reaching down to the small of his back (he’s neglected to cut it for the five or so months he’s been here out of shear laziness, he’ll admit, and it had already been getting shaggy when he landed), and his skin is a bit darker due to the increased amount of sun he’s been getting. His eyes have gained a gentle glow over time, a side effect of his bond with Leona he theorizes, what with the fact that there’s so much quintessence that he’s had to keep in check in order for her to have a proper ‘life’, though he’s unsure if the silver that overtakes them completely when he gets particularly angry originates from the bond as well. His left ear’s been pierced in the past months, leaving him with a crystal stud with a matching teardrop hanging from it in his lobe and a pair of obsidian colored hoops resting near the top of his ear just where it begins to curve, and he’s also gotten a tattoo of a yellow tulip with the word ‘Blanco’ expertly hidden in matching white colored ink in one of the petals on his left wrist, and another that rested on the lower right hand side of his back just above his hip; it consisted of a blue paw print outlined heavily in black, surrounded by pairs of black calla lilies, lavender roses, and forget-me-nots, in what he thought to be a rather lovely arrangement. It had taken a lot of finagling before he was able to get the artist to understand exactly what he wanted, and had taken even longer to get the perfect outline of each flower, but it had been well worth it to him – if only he had been able to remember why it had been so important to him to have these exact tattoos.

He sighed once more in contentment as he gave the demanding cub in front of him his full attention and affections; he might not remember how he got here, he mused, or even much about his past, but he was happy. A feeling of love washed over him from his bond with Leona, the small lion leaning forward to press her nose against his; yes, he thought, he was happy.

#my post #what are titles anyways #voltron #vld lance #lance

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dontcallmebugaboo · 7 years

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Broken Arms

My second Voltron fic and my first Kidge fic! It’s mainly friendship, but in a way towards the end especially, it does get kinda shippy. XD

A warning now, there’s hints of Shidge...I started writing this before the canon ages came out. However whenever I write this pairing, I always age up Pidge. She’s seventeen in this and as I said, there’s hints, an allusion really and it’s not confirmed.

That being said, I hope you enjoy!

The castle hallways were grey with dim lighting, seeming to wash everything in a soft, sad glow matching the emotion that wrapped itself around Keith as he wandered the enormous Voltron headquarters. His shoulders slumped; his gait was in time with heavy, dull thumping of his heartbeat. He didn’t normally wander the halls when—mostly—everyone else was asleep. But tonight his room seemed suffocating and there was no way for Keith to get any sort of fresh air save for taking Red—no, Black—out for a flight…not that she’d acquiesce in any case. He didn’t think he could blame her for that, nor was he truly sure if he wanted to be out there among the stars. Under normal circumstances, yes, absolutely. But now? Keith was fairly certain that the innumerable stars and heavenly bodies out there would overwhelm and swallow him whole. Which couldn’t happen. Not until Shiro was found in any case.

Shiro…

Keith’s big brother in every sense of the word except for blood. The lack of that connection never bothered him; it didn’t matter to him. Shiro was his mentor, his best friend. Someone who looked out for him and never stopped believing in him; making sure he stayed on the correct path, teaching him how to stay calm in the moments when he wanted to be fiery. Shiro was just…someone who cared. Keith hadn’t had that in a long time. Not since his father had vanished when he was eight and he was tossed from foster home to foster home within the system until he was old enough to escape it.

Shiro had found him not long after that and like hell was the model Garrison student going to let the boy whom was posturing despite his visible rage and hurt trying to prove to the world that he could take it on at his age be on his own. Shiro managed to convince Keith to come back to his place, to his family, though it had taken hours of arguing and Shiro never once raised his voice. He reintroduced Keith to warmth, security and the genuine happiness of family, something the young Kogane hadn’t felt in years.

The new pilot of the Black Lion was startled from his thoughts when his left shoulder collided into a column and sent him staggering a few steps. He stared in surprise and was even more shocked to find that his vision was warm and blurry. Oh. Tears. Keith hadn’t cried in nearly two years; not since the night he had stormed away from the Galaxy Garrison and its venomous pit of lies that were mostly spewed from that asshat Iverson. The night it hit him that Shiro was missing and that he was truly alone once again.

The Shiroganes had reached out to him upon learning of his expulsion and despite their kind words and reassurances that he was still welcome under their roof and despite knowing how selfish it was, Keith hadn’t returned. He just couldn’t; Shiro’s absence would be so enormous to the point of smothering and had he stayed, the craving to have answers would’ve been so great as he would’ve been undoubtedly echoing his brother’s parents’ desires and it would have been to the point that he probably would have done something that would’ve gotten him arrested. Or at least banished from the Garrison’s premises, like Pidge had been.

Pidge…

Keith’s fellow arm of Voltron had refused to swallow the lies the Garrison had tried shoving down her throat about the dark turn the Kerberos mission had taken, saying that her family was dead and pinning the blame on Shiro. She’d snuck onto the Garrison grounds several times, hacking her way in, tearing apart security systems that were most likely child’s play to her, determined to find the real answers of everyone’s fate. Iverson had busted her one too many times and she had been thrown off the campus and been named Persona Non Grata. Like hell that was going to stop her. She’d faked an identity that was accepted as a student, chopped off her long auburn locks, donned the military school’s uniform and swept past the doors that had been previously slammed shut in her face.

Keith grinned at those thoughts, part of him wishing he could have met the defiant genius sooner, knowing they probably could’ve been friends before becoming unwitting defenders of the universe, dragged into a war they had never known existed. Or at least, he and Pidge could’ve been good acquaintances before all this. Taking a much needed deep breath and swiping away his tears, Keith continued his way down the hall, searching for the teammate he had a feeling was still awake in these early hours.

He’d walked for nearly two doboshes before he found her, hearing her voice quietly filter out of a crack in the door of her lion’s hanger. Talking to herself whilst working was a typical Pidge habit; it was usually a sign of how deeply involved she was with a project, never seeming to realize there wasn’t anyone to really listen to her. Keith wondered if she actually found that preferable or if it was merely a quirk of her habits.

Peering in, Keith watched as Pidge sighed loudly, raking both of her hands through her thick, unruly hair that was slowly reaching back toward her shoulders. “This would be so much easier if I could just take a scan of Black’s last readings and mission recordings from when Shiro was piloting.” She paused and Keith could see from the look of concentration on her face that she was listening to whatever Green was telling her.

Pidge shook her head. “I can’t ask her that, Green. You know how broken she was when we returned from that insane battle. She had collapsed. I’ve never seen her do that before. You all seem so powerful, so majestic. I guess vulnerability was never something I thought you guys were capable of. So no, I can’t ask the Black lion for help, I’m not making her relieve that hellish moment again.”

The green Paladin continued to type away on her laptop before addressing her metal partner once more. “You wouldn’t happen to have any other ideas, do you?” Apparently the answer was “no” for Pidge let out a soft groan before leaning back and gently letting her head thump against the lion’s paw. She threw her hands up. “I am seriously lost here, Green. I’m blank. I’ve got nothing.”

Keith took this as his cue to enter the hangar. “I hope this means you’re not waving the proverbial white flag,” he teased.

At the sound of her new and hopefully temporary new leader’s voice, Pidge shot up, nearly giving herself whiplash, something both humans winced at. “Keith! What’re you doing here?” She tilted her head, amber eyes squinting as she stared at him, assuring herself that he really was there and not hallucinating the young man’s presence out of exhaustion. Though, if that were the case, wouldn’t she be seeing Shiro instead?

Her fellow Paladin shrugged, looking away from her briefly before replying. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go for a walk. I figured you’d be awake as well. Looks like I was right.”

“You were right,” Pidge agreed though she could help but wonder if she were missing a piece or two to Keith’s story. Why would he actively seek her out when he normally preferred being solitary? When she called him a loner days ago, she hadn’t said it strictly out of snark.

Keith nodded toward her laptop. “Working on something interesting?”

Her reaction was a bit surprising to say the least as she looked away from, her entire being seemed to curl in on itself; fingers into fists, shoulders hunched, head down and her knees coming up toward her chest. Her eyes were forlorn and her mouth sagged into a deep frown. “Looking for Shiro,” she murmured.

“I heard you talking to Green,” Keith admitted. “I could ask Black to help…”

Pidge shook her head, still in that balled-up position. “No, thank you. It’s fine. I’d rather not bother her.”

Keith tilted his head and leaned toward the right as he chased after her eyes. “Then could you at least look at me, please? I’m not mad that you can’t find Shiro; I keep running into dead ends too.” When she glanced at him for half a tick before looking elsewhere, he attempted humor. “Could you at least tell me why you’re looking like I just busted you for sticking your hand in the cookie jar?”

She huffed out a sound that was torn between being a laugh and a sigh. “I was being selfish,” she told him quietly. “I…I haven’t been looking for Shiro this whole time.” She gritted her teeth, holding back tears. “I was looking for Matt…”

Ah, now he understood her sudden change in behavior. She was most likely remembering their fight back when they were still new to being Paladins, to being a team. Keith could admit that if he hadn’t grown emotionally and mentally since that time then Pidge would have a right to not trust him not blowing up at her. But things were definitely different now.

He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, mentally frowning at just how small and lithe she was. She was horrible at taking care of herself and he was willing to bet that save for Shiro for the most part, they were all horrible at not noticing her lack of self-care. He leaned against her slightly, resting his head against hers as he silently offered her warmth and reassurance, taking in the same from the mere presence of a friend.

“Tell me about him?”

Pidge froze at the completely unexpected question. Slowly she began to unclench her fists, one finger at a time, her shoulders and spine relaxing as she straightened, turning to look at Keith, and forcing the older Paladin to sit up as well. She stared for a long moment as if trying to detect a lie in his visage. He calmly stared back. “You really want to know about Matt?”

“I don’t really know much about him,” Keith replied with a shrug. “Save for the fact that he’s your big brother and that you’re tearing apart the universe to find him so to speak. You and Shiro,” he amended. “I met him once for a moment, but obviously he’s a big part of your world. Also, you’re my friend…but I don’t know a lot about you. Not to mention we’re partners,” he stopped. Sighed. “We were partners.”

“We’re still teammates,” Pidge encouraged. “We’ll be the arms of Voltron together in no time, you’ll see.”

Keith nodded slowly, only partially pretending to believe her words. “So tell me about Matt?”

This time her sigh veiled a laugh. “Telling you about Matt is pretty much like telling you about a large part of my world. He’s my big brother as you know, obviously.” She adjusted the stolen glasses that were her only physical connection to her missing sibling. “My fiercest protector, my loudest cheerleader, my very best friend…my biggest challenger, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Pidge leaned her head on Keith’s shoulder as she explained. “It was how he pushed me to do my best, to go beyond whatever barriers I had made myself comfortable with. He made sure that I didn’t just surpass any technical know-how, but that I knew how to get creative with it, make a project interesting and mine. Matt usually did that by taking advantage of the stereotypical rivalry between siblings, especially ones with a significant age difference like the one we have…it was all light teasing and banter, constant reverse psychology, but thanks to the Holt temper and stubbornness I’d inherited from the generations, Matt’s tactics always worked and I’m grateful to him for it. ”

“I just wish I could tell him that.”

“You will,” Keith stated with the conviction that often wavered within Pidge herself. “And like I said earlier, I’m not mad. Honestly, Pidge, if I knew you weren’t looking for your family and that wasn’t due to us being engaged in battle or you recovering inside a pod, I’d be worried.”

She actually snickered at that. “We can’t have that,” she teased, though she lacked the mirthful bite when half of her sentence was swallowed by a large yawn.

Keith stood up and stretched his back before reaching a hand out to Pidge. “C’mon, Katie, time for you to sleep in an actual bed.”

Pidge’s first instinct was to snort and start to retort with a quip that she wasn’t the only one to sleep at odd times and in odd places either most likely when his words actually registered with her. Her amber eyes went wide and she nearly stumbled as she took his hand to stand. “Wha-wh…you…you-you…know…Ka—how?” She took a breath to center herself then asked, “How do you know my name is Katie?”

Keith chuckled and it was a sound Pidge hadn’t heard in an achingly long time. A sound that made her heart soar. “Shiro may have let it slip once or twice when talking about how impressed he was with all the things you do with tech; your robotic creations, your viruses,” he snorted. “Or maybe I should say Shiro would gush, especially when mentioning how cute you would get as your eyes light up whenever you slipped into technobabble.”

Pidge nearly slammed into a wall at that. Fortunately for her, Keith took her clumsiness as proof of her exhaustion for he carefully steered her toward the door. “Yeah, you’re going to sleep. Now.” He looked at her sidelong and added, “And for the record, Shiro slipping up had nothing to do with me figuring out that you’re a girl. Watching him turn red when I asked him who Katie is was pretty entertaining, though.”

“How did you figure it out?”

Keith was silent for a moment, lost in his memories before replying, “You had already said goodbye to your dad and brother before the shuttle took off for Kerberos, I was still saying goodbye to Shiro. Matt had come over to say hi and on his way, dropped his picture of the two of you. ‘Wow, she’s really pretty’, was Shiro’s immediate response.”

Keith grinned slyly, laughing outright at the crimson hue Pidge’s face had become. “Matt was annoyed and started arguing with him, though he only said that you’re his baby sister, he didn’t give a name, however he had shrieked your age…which immediately caused Shiro turn as red as well, Red and he stammered out apologies because he hadn’t known just how big of an age difference there was between you and Matt let alone you and Shiro himself.”

Another chuckle slipped. “In the end though, Shiro still gets red anytime I bring up the incident which means that I have blackmail for a long time to come.”

Pidge scoffed, “Considering that I now know, I don’t think you have blackmail on him anymore.”

Keith shrugged, “that’s for me to know and for you to get annoyed over.”

“How does that even make sense?”

Her friend merely grinned, sly and mischievous, bordering the line of wicked. “As I said before.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Okay, I think we’re both overtired to the point of being ridiculous,” she shot Keith a look. “Some of us more than others.”

Keith couldn’t help himself, he nearly cackled at that and the sound was so startling and strange, yet it was just pure, unguarded Keith in this moment that Pidge couldn’t help but dissolve into giggles with him, laughing as hard as she dared in the dead of the night. The two collapsed to the floor, still snickering as the adrenaline rush that had suddenly crashed over them, ebbed away, leading them toward a warm silence.

Pidge was the first to break it. “Y’know…I didn’t exactly spend my time looking for Matt…just for the sake of looking for Matt.”

Understandably, Keith was confused. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged, finding the cold tile that was cooling her heated skin fascinating. “I…I needed the distraction…” she drew her knees toward her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “I figured if I focused on finding my brother, losing myself to a whole other project, then I wouldn’t have to deal with the fact that we lost Shiro.

We lost Shiro, Keith. Our leader who is sometimes our literal head; and I’m not just talking for the sake of Voltron. One of our best friends; who absolutely completes us. We’re broken without him, Keith.” Her voice hitched and she did nothing to stop the tears that were pooling in her eyes. That bout of laughter had left her more emotionally raw than she had previously thought. “I’m broken without him.”

Keith swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat at his friend’s words. He crawled over to her and tugged her into his arms. “It’s okay to cry, Katie.” She sobbed at that. Her damn birth name always brought her walls crashing down and an emotional reaction out of her. The one glaring crack in her Pidge façade.

Keith hesitated before placing a hand against her head and ran his fingers through her short, thick hair. “You’re right though, we are broken. Broken, but not shattered. Not unfixable. It’s okay that we miss him, but we can’t let that be the end. We gotta keep fighting in this war and we can’t give up on Shiro. We will find him.” He swallowed hard, biting his lip. He was the leader here, for the time being. Pidge needed him. No crying.

Pidge seemed to sense his self-argument for she mumbled into his now-damp shoulder, “it’s okay for you to cry too, Keith.”

He snorted wetly. “I don’t cry, Katie.”

She leaned back far enough to gently thump him on the chest. “Liar. You know, you don’t have to be big, bad fiery Keith Kogane all the time, right?”

Still, he tried fighting back the tears that were stinging his eyes as he hugged her tighter. “I know…I…I just…”

“I know you miss him like hell.”

That did it. His sobs matched the aching thumping of his heartbeat as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and cried. Pidge was right. Shiro was gone; he was suddenly catapulted into the role of Voltron’s new team leader and the new pilot of the Black Lion. He doesn’t really know what to do nor does he entirely have the patience to find out and he hates it.

So he cries. He cries and mourns, unravelling bit by bit, but not really minding that it’s Pidge he’s crying with. She’s his friend, the Shield to his true Sword and one of the few people he knows will help him put him back together whenever he breaks down.

Keith too, would be one of the people to put Pidge back together whenever she breaks. To remind her that it was okay to be Katie and to help her find the balance of the two, this he swore.

When their sobs eventually dwindled down to sniffles and hitched breaths, the two slowly pulled away, rubbing at their eyes, feeling even more exhausted than earlier. As one they stood, silently making their way back toward their rooms. When they were nearly there, Pidge once again broke the silence. “I’m glad you found me. I needed that. To laugh and to cry.”

“Me too.”

A half smile tugged at her mouth as she said in the most serious voice she could muster, “I won’t tell Lance that you cried.”

“You mean, you won’t tell Lance that big, bad fiery Keith Kogane cried, right?”

Her smile grew as she nodded. “Right.”

Upon reaching her room, Pidge was about to turn and say good-night when Keith awkwardly asked her, “Will you sleep with me?”

She snapped around at that, eyes wide with shock as she hissed out, “what?!”

He blushed violently. “N-n-not like that! I’m not propositioning you, Katie, I swear. I-I-I…I just don’t want to be alone right now.”

Pidge relaxed, her expression softening. “The silence is smothering, isn’t it?”

Keith sighed, relieved that she got it and wasn’t about to wake the rest of the castle to the sound of her beating the daylights out of him. He nodded. “Yeah…it’s too loud weirdly enough. Just…too much.”

“Well, we’re right here,” Pidge said, tilting her head toward her door. “So…c’mon in.” She opened the door and headed straight for her bed, too tired to deal with anymore potential awkwardness. They could be weird later that morning.

Keith followed, stripping off his jacket and placing it onto a nearby chair before slipping into Pidge’s bed. He curled around her, her head resting on his chest, his arms holding her firmly but not too tightly to him. He breathed out as a weight lifted from him due to the mere prospect of him not being alone that night. No threat of being drowned by the stars and silence.

He wasn’t alone. Shiro may be missing, but he wasn’t alone. That was finally beginning to really click for him now.

“Good night,” Katie whispered in a sleep slurred voice.

Keith closed his eyes, slowly dropping his head against hers, finding himself easily lulled to sleep. “Good night…”

#Voltron legendary defender #voltron pidge #vld keith #kidge

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writing-vld · 5 years

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Alcatraz

Keith Kogane x Reader

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A/n: this is either gonna be really good or really sad. This is based off of the song Alcatraz by Oliver Riot. Listen to it if you haven't already! Also, this is set during seasons one through five, during the first time Shiro disappeared (Making Keith the Black Paladin for the first time). Taking info learned during season six and seven though, so there are some spoilers in here! Also, this is from my wattpad. I just wanted to get something done for you guys!

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Genre: Angst, Fluff, Romance Rated: Everyone Warning: Angst, Depressive thoughts, Depressive Themes, Fluff

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Author: Lyn

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You were the daughter of Takashi Shirogane, and a permanent resident of Voltron. When Keith had busted your father from Quarantine, you had demanded he let you go with him to wherever he was going to hide your father. Keith was all but for the idea, but you were stubborn. You were your father's daughter, after all. When the whole thing with Voltron happened, you didn't think you would be shot up into space with everyone, yet here you were. It was a rocky start.

You father was furious with you for following them to space, but when you began to cry, saying that you were tired of being lonely, Shiro couldn't help but wrap you up in his arms. He had missed you so much in his time in captivity, and he wouldn't deny that the most important reason why he always fought was the thought of seeing you again.

You had settled in surprisingly fast, the most excited out of everyone to be in space, and it surprised Allura how you were faster than everyone else to settle in. Perhaps not having a responsibility like Voltron aided in that. You enjoyed helping Hunk in the kitchen, concocting whatever you could with food you two would pick up from planets Voltron had saved and with the food goo from the castle. You liked to indulge yourself with Pidge, learning whatever you could about technology with her. You joked with Lance whenever you needed a pick-me-up, or just wanted to have some sort of fun. Moreover, you found yourself attracted to the art of medicine, wanting to help everyone when the healing pods couldn't. Coran was excited to teach you the art of Altean Medicine. Above all, Shiro, Allura and Coran would train with you, helping to get you stronger, even though you weren't a paladin of Voltron.

'Any kind of knowledge of self-defense is better than none,' Allura had said.

But you stayed away from Keith. It was confusing to your father, Allura, and Keith himself. Why didn't you like him? He hadn't done anything to you the last he checked. In fact, Keith had grown up with you after Shiro had elected himself to becoming Keith's teacher. Is that why you didn't like him? Because you were jealous of the bond Shiro and him shared? Keith had brought it up with Shiro, and Shiro couldn't help but agree. That would seem to be a good reason to be so...aloof and hesitant with the Red Paladin. However, when your father had tried to talk to you about Keith, you brushed him off.

'I don't hate him, Dad. He's just...overwhelming. He has always been that way, but I haven't seen him in a while, so I'm not used to his hot-tempered ways like I used to be. I guess I just gotta get used to him again,' you had told him.

Shiro had informed Keith of what you had told him, telling Keith he had nothing to worry about. It made Keith feel a lot better, but boy, how wrong those two were. Funny how your dad was supposed to know you inside and out, but he couldn't even catch your little white lie. Well, it was part of the truth. You hadn't seen Keith since he got kicked from the Garrison, so becoming unused to his ways was true. In spite of that, spending time with the paladins made you quite aware of Keith. You had always liked that kid, even when you two were younger. It surprised you how oblivious your father was.

You would gush about Keith all the time whenever he would leave to go home, always gushing about how brave and smart he was. Your father thought that you were just idolizing Keith when it was quite the opposite. You were practically worshiping Keith. You still did. You did it quietly, but you still did it all the same. Whenever Keith would pull off an amazing move during a fight with the Galra, you would think to yourself that Keith was just so damn amazing at what he does. Being a Paladin of Voltron took skill and smarts, and that was everything he was. Keith practically breathed skill and intelligence, and it made you wonder if that was what attracted your father to being Keith's teacher when nobody else wanted to help the 'disciplinary case'.

But with unrequited feelings came loneliness.

Keith didn't like you back, and you knew that. He saw you as a sister, a person he needed to protect because of obligation, not because he loved them. Well, you were sure that Keith loved you, just not in the way you wished. Countless nights you stayed awake, analyzing every possibility of Keith liking you the way you hoped he did. Pidge would be proud of you. Though, your calculations always came out to be a one in a seven billion chance. Though, it was just common sense, not a calculation since your math was always wrong anyway. There were seven billion people on earth, plus the people taking residence in the Castle of Lions, and then the people of the universe.

Moving out west, things got lonely Trying my best, nobody showed me Which way to go, I didn't know

It made you feel insignificant. Why would he choose you anyway? You weren't a Paladin of Voltron, and you certainly weren't a good fighter. You weren't great at technology, and you really didn't have any good jokes like Lance did (though, you were pretty sure you were the only one who laughed at his stupid jokes). All you could do was cook and heal people. What did you have that would spark Keith's interest? In the current time frame, you sighed as you stared out the window of the castle, watching as Galaxies and nebula passed you by, stars shining with a confidence you didn't have.

Hating my past, I found the old me Bullet proof vest, my only clothing Hiding alone, a prison is home

Your eyes closed tightly before you relaxed, sighing into your knees as your forehead rested against them. Hugging them tighter to your chest, you wondered if there was anything better you could. You could only cook and heal. What else could you do? Allura and Shiro would never allow you to fight the Galra. In a way, this grand Castle of Lions became an Altean prison. You wished you could run from it. A part of you regretted following Keith. Did you even do it for your father, or did you do it because of Keith? Closing your eyes, you sighed.

Just a mans make up, fake love, make 'em all laugh Come on, someone, take off your mask It's nice to meet

You were so tired of trying to act like it didn't bother you. This mask that you had so carefully constructed and glued upon your face was cracking. The glue was becoming worn and cracked, and slowly, the mask was falling from your face. How long was it until it finally gave way to gravity and fell? How long would it be until the world was finally shown your true visage? A visage marked by valleys of stress and sleepless nights, rivers of salty water that fell from colorful crevices, and cracked deserts that held secrets you could not speak.

Honey what you done, come from, escaping so fast? We're from dungeons; Alcatraz It's nice to meet

Lightning.

This was all like lightning.

You were a simple ray of fiery electricity, shooting off from the sky, hoping to strike the Earth. Dark purple rays of dangerous light, branching off to create an luminous design that could only be seen for a fraction of a second before it all disappeared. A fraction of a second that lit the way, but then took it all away all the same. A lightning bolt that came with a thunderous storm, the beat of the storm guiding the lightning to war upon the earth, soldiers of rain beating down upon the world in hatred. But for what? Were they truly angry at the world, or were they escaping from you and your thunderous drums and dangerous beacons of light?

You wished you could run away from it all.

Moving out west, things got lonely Trying my best, nobody showed me Which way to go, I didn't know

As you sat there, staring out at the vastness of space, your heart ached. Of all the people in the universe, it had to be you. It had to be you in this situation. Nebulas and galaxies passed by, their mysterious shapes surrounded by colors you couldn't even dream of. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and you wished it would bring you comfort. It was true that being taken up to space was wonderful: You got to see things and experience them in a way not many people could. How long would that childish wonder last? Hugging your knees tighter, you furrowed your brows, taking in the infinitive outer space.

Of all the people in the universe, it had chosen you.

Hating my past, I found the old me Bullet proof vest, my only clothing Hiding alone, a prison is home

Why did it have to be you? What had you done that caused you to fall down within the grips of the Fates, their hands picking at the threads of your life and compiling it all into a gnarled ball to cut and tear at with glee as you faded from the world? You had tried to be a good person all of your life. Was it because you met Keith and couldn't help but become infatuated with his mysterious ways? Was it because you followed him on that bike with all of your friends and your father? You shook your head. You would have done it anyways, whether for Keith or not. Your father had been there, and he had needed you.

At least, that's what you told yourself.

Just a mans make up, fake love, make 'em all laugh Come on, someone, take off your mask It's nice to meet

You were startled by the feeling of warm fingertips brushing your exposed shoulder, the over-sized shirt having fallen from your shoulder in your state of thinking. Looking up, you were surprised to see the violet gaze of Keith, his gaze concerned. His voice was like burned chocolate, rough and burnt around the edges from exhaustion, but still so honey-sweet.

"Are you okay, (Y/n)?"

You just gazed at him for a moment, taking everything about him in. You took in his scent, how he smelled like apples and axe. His hair was damp, signaling that he had gotten out of the shower recently. He smelled nice, and he looked nice, despite being in his sweatpants and a black tank top. You replied softly, looking back out at the vast space before you.

"I'm alright. I just...wanted to look at space. I know we see it everyday...but it never gets any less beautiful."

His fingertips were so warm against your skin.

Honey what you done, come from, escaping so fast? We're from dungeons; Alcatraz Well, It's nice to meet

Keith sat down beside you, his fingertips leaving your skin, and instantly, you felt cold again. He looked out at the space before the two of you, murmuring.

"Yeah. It's especially nice when the Galra aren't out there, blowing shit up."

You chuckled lowly, looking down at your toes. A comfortable silence overcame you two, and Keith said suddenly, a cautious edge to his voice as if he was afraid to wake up a sleeping lion.

"Are you sure you're alright? You've been so distant with everyone lately...and you haven't really been speaking to me. Did I do something wrong?"

You looked over at Keith, eyes wide as you straightened up in disbelief.

"No, god no, Keith. You didn't do anything wrong."

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, apologizing.

"I'm sorry if my avoiding you made you feel that way."

"So, you are avoiding me."

You groaned, feeling stupid that you had let that slip. You whispered reluctantly, fearing the road this conversation was going down.

"Yes. I'm sorry. It's just..."

Your voice trailed off, and you wondered what you could say that would make sense yet still be a complete lie.

"...just what?"

Keith urged quietly. Your cheeks heated up, and you looked away.

"Ever since you took up being Black Paladin, not by your choice of course, it's just been worrying me. I don't want to bother you because I know you have a lot on your mind with being the Paladin of the Black Lion in my father's...absence."

Just a mans make up, fake love, make 'em all laugh Come on, someone, take off your mask It's nice to meet

Keith was quiet, taking in what you said, seeming to analyze every single syllable and letter of each word. His eyes never left your body, and you could feel his gaze burning holes into your head. After a moment, Keith disagreed, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

"That's not what you really think."

You widened your eyes and blushed, flustered that you had been caught in your lie. You leaned to him slightly, pressing to him.

"No, it's true! I don't want to bother you because of the responsibility that's been placed on you. I know that is has to be pressuring to be the one to lead Voltron."

Keith shook his head, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

"(Y/n), I know when you're lying. Don't you remember that we grew up together?"

You blushed more, turning away. Keith pointed out, amusement dancing within his eyes but never allowing you any other indication that he wasn't mad at you for lying.

"You blush when you lie, and you never look at me when you do. Your voice gets quieter, and you tend to fidget."

Keith sat closer to you, and you could feel your heart begin to race. Could he hear how fast and hard your heart was beating? Keith murmured to you softly.

"What's really on your mind, (Y/n)? You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

Honey what you done, come from, escaping so fast? We're from dungeons; Alcatraz Well, It's nice to meet

You whispered, closing your eyes and digging your nails into yoru skin.

"Keith, please don't make me do this."

Keith was quiet for a moment, taking in your flustered state. Your nails had dug crescents into your skin, and your cheeks were red with anger or embarrassment. It was hard for Keith to tell the difference at times. Your body was shaking just the slightest, your breaths short and restrictive. Keith's eyes widened slightly as he thought of a reason that might explain why you were so flustered. Keith said to you quietly.

"I won't make you tell me, but I do have a question to ask you."

You let out a breath of a relief, relaxing just the slightest. You turned your gaze to him and nodded, placing your chin on your arms as you gazed at him. The light from a star caught his face, casting shadows along his skin like canyons of darkness had opened up randomly along his face. He asked you gently, tilting his head slightly.

"(Y/n), do you...do you like me?"

Cherry red splashed his face, but not as much as it did to you. How could you answer this? Could you tell him the truth and lose what dignity you had? Keith would instantly know if you lied to him. Would either answer disappoint him? You wondered why you had been put into this situation. Didn't the Fates know that this wasn't going to end well for you? Biting your lip, you whispered so quietly, a pin could be heard dropping upon the metal floor.

"I...I do. I have ever since we were kids."

Ooo, it's nice to meet

Keith did not scoff at you and tell you it would never work out. He did not try to let you down gently, or even let you down hard. In fact, Keith didn't say anything. His silence made you fearful, and you slowly turned your gaze to him, scared of what he would say; scared of the impending rejection. His face was tinted red, his eyes surprised. However, when you looked at him with such fearful eyes, Keith's gaze softened and he said to you softly.

"There's no need to be so afraid, (Y/n). I'm not going to hurt you."

Keith looked away and sighed, a small and rare smile on his face. He gazed out into the abyss and replied to you.

"You know, I always had a feeling that you did. People think I'm an idiot when it comes to liking someone...or even...loving them...but not when it comes to you."

He smiled at you softly, his eyes holding no anger nor malice. There was nothing but admiration swirling within his violet eyes, and you were dumbstruck.

"I was afraid of reciprocating because everyone I ever loved had either left me, disappeared without a trace, or...or they died. I couldn't ever live with myself if something happened to you."

He brushed a strand of hair behind your ear and kissed your temple softly but reassuringly. His lips were soft and warm, and he murmured, the sensation of his lips moving against your skin tickling you.

"I like you too, (Y/n). I have for a really long time as well. You don't have to be afraid...not anymore."

You felt your eyes tear up, and Keith gathered you up in his arms. You cried to him, holding him tightly as if he was your life-force.

"I'm so sorry I avoided you for weeks, Keith. I was just-"

"-I know, (Y/n). I know, but it's okay now. We're okay."

In silence you two sat, comfortable and peaceful while awaiting the events of the new chapter within your lives.

Ooo, it's nice to meet

#Keith Kogane #Reader #Keith Kogane x Reader #Keith x Reader #Keith Kogane Imagine

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ganymedesclock · 7 years

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Looking over my recent posts on Keith’s dad and the shack, I want to just like. throw out more things I find fishy about this whole thing:

The Lions are able to create, out of nowhere, those stylized carvings that are found around them. We see this with Yellow- some of the marks he puts down for Hunk aren’t there. So the carvings Keith was looking at were all Blue, but...

This image was clearly made by someone who knows exactly what Blue looks like (that profile of the head is spot-on) and it’s clearly no carving. it does not remotely have the same art style as the others and it doesn’t look that old. Even if we take the lighter stripes on it as a loss of paint it’s very bright and the lines are crisp. I’d put it as closer to ten years old than hundreds and certainly nowhere near thousands.

There’s the fact in the first place that the shack is out in the middle of the desert. Its only nearby landmarks are the Garrison and the Blue Lion. Now the Garrison staff don’t have any idea Blue was there or what she was. But we have the implication that before Keith, someone else had come to that area. Furthermore going by the purple string, that would suggest that painting of Blue was just inside the mouth of the cave- like a signpost.

You know what else is interesting? When we find Yellow and Green, they’re buried obviously in their own element. Yellow is underground, seeking shelter deep in the earth. Green is tangled in a massive ball of protective roots.

Black and Red, who were both moved by other people (Alfor and the empire, respectively) are not in their elements. There’s nothing fiery about Sendak’s ship and the Castle is anchored in the ground when we find it.

Blue? Is a weird mix of the two. She’s in the middle of the desert. Sure, someone might say “oh but ten thousand years ago it was a sea!” but then why wouldn’t we see Green and Yellow also affected by wear? The writers could have put the Garrison anywhere. They chose to put Blue in the desert.

But the other thing is, within the desert, Blue dug down to find water. She’s not just lying out in the open where once might’ve been a seafloor- she found a cave with an underground spring.

This creates an interesting image that Blue was partially at leisure to find her element- but not entirely. Almost as if she had someone else that she was accommodating.

Someone else who might have left that mark behind in case they ever needed to go back to Blue.

Blue’s official bio describes her as the most accepting of the Lions, but considering how the Lion-paladin bond works, that probably doesn’t mean she has a much easier time finding paladins since even if she can work with most people by being an agreeable and friendly creature- like all of the other Lions, she still needs an ideal match. It just means she can still get things done with non-ideal matches, which is not a tidbit I feel like the writers would specifically bring up in Blue’s bio unless it was, y’know, kind of a significant deal- much like how we first hear Keith is an orphan through his official bio.

Keith airs the theory that a galra might’ve come to Earth with the Blue Lion. This is actively interrupted by Lance. Now, sure, Keith’s idea is that the original Blue Paladin might’ve been a galra- but logically that would have nothing to do with Keith’s situation since if Blue landed on Earth thousands of years ago, even if she were carrying her paladin with her, that paladin would’ve died long ago, and even if Keith was their descendant, that would probably mean not only would he have barely a drop of galra blood- but it would suggest probably most of the population of Earth at that point has galra blood. (I just can’t believe every single of Keith’s ancestors in this hypothetical scenario only had one kid here considering how many ancestors we’re talking. especially because, pre-modern medicine, you would go through a lot of generations trying to cross a century)

Sure, maybe that’s a thing, but I doubt it because it’s not conducive to the story they seem to be trying to tell that Keith’s galra heritage is a major deal to him, and also that Keith has enough heritage to convince the scanners he’s a full galra, when Lance doesn’t- we’re specifically shown other people not being able to activate those.

But if Blue’s adaptable- there’s no reason Blue wouldn’t be able to more actively dodge the empire. She could’ve borrowed someone good enough and bolted while the getting’s good- especially if there’s something to the fact that she was able to make a wormhole to Arus.

The writers stated Pidge also did something like that in s2e1 but... it’s really not comparable? Pidge had to build that whole extra array onto Green to broadcast her energy back to the Castle and the only time we see Pidge wormholing is afterwards, once she’s reunited with the castle and it’s pretty implicitly Allura doing that while Pidge is just the designated welcome wagon.

So Blue might well have been uniquely in a place to get while the getting’s good as long as she had someone working with her, and if she has access to wormholes, she could have easily hopped to a planet an incredibly long way from the empire without getting caught and settled there. Earth doesn’t look like nearly so unlikely of a destination.

But of course- the implication of the mural, and this whole theory, is there would be a galra on Earth. Recently- and not one that had left the planet, either.

Which would effectively answer the mystery of how would some galra presence end up on Earth, as Keith necessitates, twenty years before the empire or the Blade is anywhere near there?

Now, I don’t think Blue’s passenger was Keith’s mom. I have several reasons for this but the short version is, the hologram/dream suggests she’s inaccessible in some way and I feel like it would make more sense to not solve all of Keith’s problems by having both of his parents in the same place.

Rather- I think Keith’s dad is the really suspicious one here. Again, if we assume he built the shack, which it seems old enough- it’s a shabby, ramshackle little building that seems like it’d be an awful place to live. But it’s very hidden, and it’s close to the Blue Lion. That’d fit nicely with the painting in Blue’s cave that would suggest someone wanted to mark the area to come back to it.

I’ve seen some people puzzling over the idea that Dad Kogane would look like a human if he’s not, but, to reiterate my own theory: we’ve seen something about druid magic, entirely separate from Altean shapeshifting:

Druids can make themselves look (and sound) like whatever they dang well please. Haggar did this, she made illusionary duplicates of herself- and again, this appears completely distinct from Altean shapeshifting, which seems unable to change a fair number of physical traits- Allura can turn herself into a galra, but not the specific individual she’s trying to disguise as, it’s just Allura-but-a-galra.

So a druid could easily make himself look like a normal and wholly forgettable human if he really wanted to. Considering Haggar’s illusionary Shiro is some weird, smirky, glowing-eyed menace that chews the scenery in a way Shiro pretty solidly was never like that during his missing year- it’s something entirely from her imagination.

Someone wouldn’t even need to steal an identity to blend in. They could just disappear.

“But Clockie,” you might say, “isn’t it kind of ridiculous to assume a druid from a completely different culture who has no idea what’s normal on Earth would blend in about as easily as if Coran turned up in Alabama wearing a Hawaiian shirt and going ‘salutations my fellow terrestrials’? Especially since, like... these are the druids we’re talking about they’re not very good at acting like normal people from what we’ve seen.”

And you’re totally right. He’d have to just pull some incredible amount of knowledge of human culture out of nowhere...

...Hang on, hasn’t it been made a repeated plot point that druids can search people’s minds? A point that has been repeated several times, as early as s1e1, but so far hasn’t had any plot payoff, since it wasn’t used to exonerate Prorok, and it didn’t give Thace away?

It’s also worth noting, that while he’s hardly the only ostensibly human character that does, Keith’s dad has dark/prominent eyelashes, visible cheekbones, a strong jaw and a relatively short/upturned nose. his eyes also seem slightly sunken considering the lines underneath them. These are all pretty standard galra facial features.

Size-wise it’s hard to gauge height because we haven’t seen him actively standing next to anyone but he and Keith are not quite on the same ground here- but he seems pretty tall, possibly a full head taller than Keith- and like Keith he has a lanky build. I’ve talked before that both Keith and his father have purple eyes, which is not a normal human eye color and this is in a setting where all other unusual hair/eye colors are either by scarring (Shiro’s white streak, which is not even that unusual- I have a coworker that has a white patch of hair on the back of his head but otherwise unusual) or they’re aliens (Allura’s starlight-colored hair is apparently a common Altean trait as we see it on her, Haggar, Alfor, and quite a few background Alteans in flashbacks)

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Dad Kogane #Blue Lion #readmore

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emmettspeakz · 7 years

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Out of the Dark - Carry on chapter 61 (Klance AU)

Out of the Dark

Lance POV

I couldn’t sleep. For some reason, being so far away from home, worried my family thinks I’m dead and I’d been kicked out of the garrison even though I was away fighting evil, made me restless. I decided to talk a walk around the castle, hoping to clear my head. I hadn’t expected to see Keith trying to take a pod and disappear into the night.

“Keith?” I call out to him. He reacts like he hears me but doesn’t stop putting his stuff in one of the pods. I want to shout but I can’t risk waiting the others up. Still sort of drowsy from lying in bed, I half sprint half stride over to the pods. Keith seems to keep ignoring me.

That’s it, I think and I grab his arm. He looks up at me like an innocent little boy getting caught trying to steal a candy bar. “Where do you think you’re going?” I ask, my teeth clenched, annoyed I had to go to great lengths to get his attention. “I’m leaving.” He says simply, as if it was as mundane an activity as breathing. “You’re what?” I realize my voice has risen and I lower it immediately. “You’re what?” I repeat, belligerent. “We have a mission tomorrow you ass hat! Like you’re supposed to go with Shiro to that planet to get supplies so we can defeat Zarkon, remember?” Keith wrenches his hand away from me. “I just have to go, okay?” “You��re a fucking hypocrite you know that? You laid into Pidge about wanting to leave to find her family and now you’re deserting.”

Keith ground his teeth at me while I spoke. “This is different-” I cut him off. “Oh different huh? What makes you so special? What makes you and Pidge different?!” I demanded angrily. I wanted to wring his neck, grab him by the collar and scream in his face but that would do nothing. He’s too much of a hot-headed, asshole. As much as we didn’t get along, the team needed Keith, needed us to try to get along. Keith rounded on me, his eyes slits, but there was no anger there, just sorrow. “Because Pidge isn’t half galra.” He said quietly. At first I couldn’t tell that’s what he said, the words were barely a whisper. “What-what does that have to do with anything?” “It-” “Do you believe in the galran cause? Are you gonna go look for your galra mother? Betray us like the other galrans?” “No, it’s not like that at all but-” “Then what?” Keith let out a hard sigh. “Allura doesn’t want me here. I’m part galra, the galra that destroys lives, that destroyed her planet, her family. How can I ever look her in the eyes now? How can I–” Keith paused, looking like he was going to cry. I’d never seen Keith like this. I was genuinely concerned. “Hey, it’s not your fault you’re galran-” I try but Keith won’t hear it. “Spare me Lance. I don’t need that from you right now. Your family is waiting for you at home, you have a purpose here, I don’t have a family that will miss me if I’m gone. Both my parents are dead and I’m an only child. My mom would hate what I am and I would hate what she was…hell I don’t even know what I am, what social group I belong to. I’m hated for one part of me, and loved for the other. I’ve never fit in and now I know why. I don’t belong anywhere. I might as well be dead.”

It took a moment to register what Keith intended to do and when it did, my eyes widened and I took a step back. I realized I didn’t like Keith talking like this. I’d never heard him talk like this before, but I hated hearing it. I didn’t mean to offend him but he looked back at me with tired plum-colored eyes.

“Even you hate me. I’m a monster.” For some reason I hated when he said that too. No matter what happened between us, all the rivalry, all the teasing and anger, I cared about him. We were part of a team. We all relied on each other.

“You’re not,” I say, but it comes out unsure. “You’re not a monster.” I reiterate, more confident this time. “You’ve never killed anyone.” “Fuck you.” He growled at me, climbing into the pod. I rushed forward, determined to stop him. “Get the fuck away from me!” He’s almost shouting now, the rest of the team could probably hear us. “No. What were you gonna do? Fly into the sun?” “Good idea.”

*3rd person*

Keith shoves Lance out of the way but he fights back, crawling back onto the pod. “Get off. This pod is for me only. You need to stay here.” “So do you.” Lance grunts, grabbing him by the ankle. “Fuck off McClain!” “No!” “I’m better off dead! Everyone hates me now! If you hang onto this pod, it’s going to kill you! That’s not what you deserve! ” “Well it’s not what you deserve either! And I don’t hate you!”

Keith blinks at him, surprised to hear lance say that. But his face hardens again and he activates his bayard.

Keith POV

I’m going to have to rip the boy’s arms off to save him and our stupid rivalry will be over in the most bloody of ways. My mother would be ashamed of me. I look at lance, as if in slow motion. His hair is tussled from sleep, but his eyes are wild and bright, almost fiery, full of determination to stop me. He’s staring me down as I stare at him, our eyes lock for seconds that feel like hours. The boy I’ve had nothing to do with until now, who has been trouble since we met, the boy who I thought hated me and would gladly wish I was dead so he could be a fighter pilot…is the one person trying to keep me alive right now. He’s so full of life, of spirit, of mind. He’s grabbed ahold of me and I don’t want him to let go. I don’t know what would be happening right now if he hadn’t shown up.

“Lance-” I say, wanting to pull him towards me but he leans in instead and kisses me.

Lance POV

The kiss didn’t last long. I pulled away before either of us thought too much about it. But I did it because I didn’t want Keith to pull away. I wanted him to stop talking like that, like he didn’t matter just because he was related to the race that was systematically wiping out the universe. He can’t help where he comes from, he can only embrace it and move forward. The team will accept him in time, as I have already done. That included allura. I want to assure him of that, but right now neither of us want to talk. Keith grabs hold of my cheeks and pulls me in close, enveloping me in his arms.

I’ve never kissed a boy before. It’s wet, it’s sloppy almost, but I enjoyed the warmth now pooling inside my stomach at the feeling, the very thought of kissing Keith Kogane. My entire body fills with this warmth, like a cloak of protection. What did this make us now? Did this make us friends? Lovers? I didn’t care. None of that mattered right now. I just wanted to keep Keith close to me. I had pulled him out of the dark and I never wanted to let him go.

He stayed holding me into him, for minutes that ticked away like seconds. He grabs my shirt collar and pulls me in even closer. I don’t protest, I’m just here to comfort him. Then he releases my lips, which are now swollen from kissing him and I move to press a finger to them. He flashes me an apologetic look but I merely smile at him. He smiles in return, then sticks his head into my chest and lets out a huge exhale–of relief, of sorrow, I’m not sure but I don’t move away from him to look at his face. I play with a bit of his black wavy hair, smoothing it down, coaxing him to calm, hopefully to sleep. I just sit in the pod with him, his hands folded and curled behind my back, his hot breath on my chest and stomach as I stroke his neck.

I feel as if saying anything would ruin this moment we’re having but I have to say what something before we both fall asleep and forget or act like this never happened. But what do I say? “You called me Lance.” I say instead of anything profound or cliché. It’s something, I guess. “No I didn’t.” He mumbles, sitting up straight to look me in the eyes. I forgot how beautiful his eyes were. Amethysts, twinkling like midnight stars. I chuckle. “You did, Keith.” He pouts at me. “Fine, whatever.” He grumbles, and I pull him back up to my lips. I don’t want things to change after tonight. I wish we could always do this. I want to kiss Keith every night until I’m just cosmic dust.

“Come on.” I say, backing up to get out of the pod, legs first. I hold out my hand to him. He seems hesitant at first but doesn’t protest, eventually taking my hand as we both climb out of the pod, still clinging to each other as if that’s the only thing keeping us grounded. “Hey, I don’t care if you’re Galran.” I start eventually. I cringe at the change to the earlier topic that had driven Keith to the edge but I had to address it. “I don’t care where you came from. You’re not like those selfish savages okay? You’re part of our team. You’re the red lion of Voltron. You’re still just Keith.” Keith nods slightly then grins. “Just Keith?” I bite my lip nervously. “I didn’t mean it like that but I just–you’re my Keith uh I mean like you’re the same Keith who got kicked out of the garrison and I mean I–”

Keith cuts my babbling off with another kiss. “Stop talking McClain.” He tells me, kissing me again. I smirk at him. “Call me Lance.”

We walk in the direction of our rooms, hand in hand. I don’t know how long it’s been since I initially got up and right now I couldn’t care less. “I’m glad I couldn’t sleep tonight.” I mused absentmindedly. He just beamed back at me. “Me too.”

We kiss again in front of my door, neither one of us wanting to leave the other. “Will you be okay if I leave you?” I ask Keith reluctantly. We have a big day tomorrow and we have to get sleep. Keith doesn’t answer, but he looks like he wants to shake his head. “Just tell me to stay if you need me to.” I tell him, resting my chin on his head and breathing in the scent of him. I liked our height difference, it made for an easier hug. “Okay, stay.” Keith replied softly and I let him lead me into his room. His room was dark and warm and smelled so much of Keith I thought I might suffocate. But I got used to it in moments. It smelled good, of cherries and leather like the gloves he always wore and other smells intermingling with each other that I couldn’t place. It smelled like home, like safety.

He laid down on the bed, pulling me with him and I lay down beside him. I wrapped my left arm around his torso and the other by his neck and turned so his back was against my front. He sighed into me, a relaxed, calmed sigh that gave me the last reassurance I needed that Keith wouldn’t leave me here if I fell asleep. I saw Keith smile at me, then turn so the back of his head faced me. The last thing I saw as I fell asleep was Keith’s wavy black hair as it settled deep into the pillow next to me, the familiar sound of snoring filling my ears.

#this is long but I'm on mobile so I'm sorryyy #klance #klangst #kangst #klance fanfic #carry on #carry on AU #carry on chapter 61 #klance fluff

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