#one of the things about vld that is a little treat for me is that i love teal and purple and pink glowing stuff and so many things glow | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nesonkin · 3 years

Text

Matt Holt’s strange involvement in the plot and a little bit about the world building

I will start off by saying that I’m only writing this because Matt is my favorite character but I will talk about some other semi-important characters with a side of a world building complaining. I'm neither a professional writer nor do I have an English degree. I’m just a small fan with opinions. I will be biased and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.

It’s a long post full of me ranting about things that aren’t necessarily important. Proceed at your own risk.

When I was on my tvtropes.org voyage I saw a trope used to describe Matt and it sticks out to me the most.

This one bugs me in particular because it’s true. He does have a lot going on that isn’t related to Voltron and, as a rule, it’s barely elaborated on.

But his off-screen story doesn’t just affect him alone as a character.

You see, when Matt was introduced he had ties to two of the main characters: Shiro and Pidge. Getting him back was a goal that they worked towards. When he was found his character seemingly drifted from Shiro (they had 1 single interaction and it wasn’t even the real Shiro smh) and so he became the extension of Pidge’s character (in their goal to find dad) and a link connecting Voltron to the rebellion.

The fun part begins once Pidge’s arc is concluded with her and Matt sending dad to Earth. Because that’s the last you see of Matt in S5 as well. And to make the matters worse in S6 he’s not even mentioned. According to the Word of God, he was with the rebels the entire time while the season’s focus was primarily on Lotor and his shenanigans. Which leads us to Matt’s second purpose – his involvement with the Voltron Coalition.

It was at this moment I realized... he was merely a side character that was never promised to be important.

When Matt isn’t glued to his sister he spends his time with the rebels: helping people, fighting Galra, freeing planets and living his Mass Effect dreams, apparently. But if you pay close attention to the rebel fighters you notice that everything they do is irrelevant. They’re seemingly there to fill the background. Doing the dirty work while the chosen ones take care of the important things. They were the supposed heroes of the universe, before Voltron, who fight against tyranny but in the end? They are as exposable as Shiro’s boyfriends. And the writing proves that time and time again by unnecessarily wiping them out for shock value (I’d probably understand the decision if they were going for an anti-war theme but that’s not the case).

So, when your character’s first purpose is concluded and the second one isn’t treated with care what’s going to happen next? Matt is the third missing pilot from the Kerberos mission, he’s Pidge’s brother who went through hell and back to get where he is. He helped Pidge complete her Galra map with his own data he collected and when vld acknowledges that there are other factions fighting for freedom he’s presented as valuable ally who’s not only smart but is also capable in combat. And he WAS supposed to be important in S7. Yet, here we are.

Now, the reason Matt’s character screentime has been so inconsistent is primarily because his voice actor (Blake Anderson) wasn’t available, so his role in S7 was filled by Sam. It’s understandable but it also creates a very strange character who, like Schrodinger’s Cat, is both relevant and irrelevant.

Matt, however, isn’t the only one to suffer from this. There’s also a character that is beloved by the majority of OG Voltron fans. It’s a princess that’s described to be strong willed, fierce and skilled in combat. Many expected her to be the rebel (one specific rebel at that) and what became of Romelle in vld is a blessing to some and a disappointment to others. With time you begin to realize that her one and only role in the show was pulling up them receipts about Lotor to hold him accountable and then fade in the background once the deed is done and the plot no longer needs her. Which is very weird considering Romelle was Lauren’s favorite character...

One would also note Slav’s total disappearance after the second season and then reappearing in S8 as a character that plays a role more important than whatever Matt and Romelle were doing the entire season. Slav’s disappearance can probably be explained by him joining the rebel fighters in S3 and we all know what happens to rebels in this show.

You might think, “Christ, why is this girl so salty about this one group not being important in the show? As if it wasn’t obvious they were never going to do anything outstanding because it’s about Voltron, not space hobos”. And here’s when I start talking about worldbuilding.

In order to make your world feel complete and rich you put effort to develop solid worldbuilding. You create new races, planets, cultures, social systems, factions, relationships between factions, conflicts, anything within the framework of your space opera.

Normally, I wouldn’t compare a multibillion dollar franchise with hours of content and years to develop to an animated show for kids but in this case I just can’t help myself. So, Star Wars. A story about evil warlords being defeated by the chosen one who harbours magical powers within; all while being supported by the rebel forces. Well, that sounds familiar.

There’s a reddit post that talks about worldbuilding better than me so you should check that one out. It not only provides critique, but also examples to make it better.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Voltron/comments/mauvh2/1_the_worldbuilding_of_voltron/

I’m only focusing on the impact of the rebel fighters here (in that post they’re referred to as the Voltron Coalition).

In Star Wars we have the Rebel Alliance. They’re immediately recognized as an important faction and we can tell that there are people fighting against tyranny because we see them act. With more content we get to learn more and more about the rebels and their history. This is a very crude summary so don’t quote me on that.

In Voltron the rebel fighters were first described by Rolo as lucky few who managed to escape Galra or simply haven’t been enslaved yet. In S3 we learn that this is not the case and that somewhere out there exists a group of freedom fighters who fight against Galra. But we only figure that out because they saved Matt once. Their first real appearance happens when Remdax and Vakala capture Kuron. And finally when Voltron Team somehow manages to contact one of the groups and invites them to Olkarion.

The rebels' biggest showdown happened during their attack on the Zaiforge cannon. After that everything related to rebels and the coalition happens off-screen because the focus shifts from fighting the Galra to Lotor’s mega quest.

And of course, that’s when the unthinkable happens. When Voltron Team decides to link Galra’s map with the map from the Castle of Lions... leaving the blades and the entire coalition exposed. But that’s a rant for another time.

As far as the coalition goes they’re never involved in anything that has to do with Lotor. Or anything at all for that matter. You can’t tell if they’re fighting for their lives or if they’re just chilling at Luxia’s hot tubs. You can axe them from the story just fine and it will still be manageable. The world feels empty already. And this sucks.

In this reality everything revolves either around Voltron or the Galaxy Garrison, apparently.

I want my rebels spin off.

#If you can taste the salt from this post then I've done it right #It's ok if you have a different opinion on this #vld #voltron legendary defender #Voltron #Matt holt #romelle #slav #rebel fighters #voltron coalition #rant #i really want a spin off about the rebels #they seem to have a cool history but #but voltron hates side characters

44 notes · View notes

fureliselost · 2 years

Text

vld rewatch s1e6

- little early to strt with the keith+lance screenshots, but there was no need for them to have Keith react like this

(they aren't physically together, but i'm counnting it in)

- Lance immediately asking what's the plan after he's debriefed

- ok ok ok, I've yet to talk about this but, while Hunk/SHay is a great ship and I ship them, they were never intended to be a ship. Someone might have already talked about this in the fandom way back when, but idc, i'm giving my two scents: ep 5 wasn't about revealing who pidge is, that reveal happened 1 or 2 eps prior (my memory betrays me on whether it's ep 3 or 4), that was about the paladins' stances on the war.

We had two distinct POVs: Shiro & Keith staying to fight because the war is bigger than just them and Pidge & Hunk wanting to leave for their families. This ep was about Hunk and Pidge finding reasons to fight the war and stay in team Voltron -- Pidge stays for the team and Hunk stays because he also realizes that the war is bigger than he thought.

BUT BUT BUT there's one person missing from this equation and it's Lance. Except Lance also gets a few scenes in this ep which were focused on him -- the famous Coran & Lance scenes. So let's get the point, Lance talks about how heavily he missed his family and earth but, in this moment, he doesn't express that he wants to leave the war for going back to earth. Lance is the midpoint. I think they were fools to not put as much emphasis on this.

- Lance, my pure, confused boy

- these clowns be like "haggar has his ear" like, noooo, she's the heart of the fuck-up operation

- Rolo and Nyma.... *sighs*

- Lance is an alien fucker

- Shiro, like me, can't stand this straight shit

- This Lance & Nyma thing is physically painful

- Lance, is that a kink?

ep 7

- k+lance screenshots

-- pidge getting excited over acronyms

- Keith: gets fire power | Blue: now, we can't have that, Lance, have sum ice

- I like that Shiro never shies from giving Keith and Lance missions together. I mean, this is the first actual mission they have and that's one of the first things they do

- And the most shocking part: Lance and Keith work great together

- Lance is smarttttt stop treating him like he's dumb

- The fact that Lance was with Keith when we got the first clue that keith is part galra (which doesn't have much relation except for the fact that keith never seems worried about what lance might thik about it)

- Lance asking Allura if there was any way to get them out via castle was actually a smart thing to question

#vld rewatch #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #eli rants

10 notes · View notes

ebhenah · 3 years

Text

First Lines Meme (repost dont reblog)

List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

Tagged by @lokiitama I'm not going to tag anyone becausemy mental health just won't let me do that right now- but if you write and you want to do this, PLEASE do and please tag me so I can see. All the fics below can be found on my AO3 if you are interested in reading them. They range widely in ratings and warnings though, so mind the tags!!

1. Shore Leave, klance with an allurance detour, canonverse. In-progress. Written for ff.n and AO3

Lance's head appeared in the doorway, "hey Pidge- Hunk around?"

2. Single Dad Keith, klance, post-canon. In-progress. Written for AO3

When Keith had sent a message asking if it was ok if he brought a couple of guests with him the next time he was on Earth, Lance was intrigued, and maybe a little worried.

3. Sass, shklance (specifically v-poly with Lance as hinge, so shance and klance, with friends sheith) post-canon. Complete. Written for Seasons of Shklance zine, sequel to Champagne and Flapjacks.

The jacuzzi had been an excellent idea if Lance did say so himself. There was just something so decadently romantic about soaking in the bubbling water together, drinking champagne and feeding each other chocolate-covered strawberries for what felt like hours.

4. Champagne and Flapjacks, shklance (specifically v-poly with Lance as hinge, so shance and klance with friends sheith) post-canon. Complete. Written for Seasons of Shklance zine, prequel to Sass.

It wasn’t often that Shiro let loose enough to get tipsy.

5. Midsummer Moonlight, shance, fae au. Complete. Written for the Spooktacular Shance Minibang.

Growing up with a secret had made Lance exceedingly good at schooling his facial expressions and body language to appear unaffected and calm, even when he was anything but.

6. Heart's Match, klance, fae au. Complete. Written for Klance Secret Santa Exchange 2020

At first glance, the Galra seemed to be fairly uniform in appearance.

7. Pink Lights, lotura, modern au. Complete. Written for VLD Secret Santa Exchange 2020.

Money had been a little tight since she’d started that unpaid internship, and so she hadn’t been able to splurge on it, but still, the tree twinkled prettily, tucked away in the corner of the new apartment.

8. O'Lantern, klance, high school, urban legend, fae au. In-progress. Written for the Langstron Exchange.

To be honest, Lance much preferred trick-or-treating to the weird no man’s land that Halloween was in highschool.

9. Birthday Boy(s), klance, romellura, post-canon, 'Future Klance Family Fics'. Complete. Written for AO3

Sometimes, it was hard for Keith to recognize just how much he’d changed over the years.

10. Trust Me, shance, post-canon. Complete. Written for Shance Fall Exchange.

One more time.

11. Cha-Cha-Cha, klance, post-canon. Complete. Written for the 2020 Klance Pinefest.

“No, not like that,” Lance chuckled, the sound rolling down Keith’s body like an actual caress and making his brain short out.

12. Brownies, implied future kurance, canon-divergent. Complete. Written forthe Operation Kuron Zine Still reeling from the loss of the castle, Lance felt like he was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

13. Pretty Perfect, klance, romellura, post-canon, canon-divergent. 'Future Klance Family Fics'. Complete. Written for AO3

No matter how thoroughly they’d discussed the details of starting their family, any reminder of Rachel's insistence that she help would never stop making Lance tear up.

14. My Am-Badass-Ador, shance, post-canon. Complete. Sequel to Am-Badass-Ador McClain. Written for Julance 2020.

It wasn’t until the door slid closed for the final time that evening and he engaged the locks that it really hit him.

15. Wheelhouse, klance, romellura mentioned, post-canon, canon-divergent. 'Future KlanceFamily Fics'. Complete. Written for AO3.

Laundry was, by far, Keith’s least favorite chore.

16. Am-Badass-Ador McClain, shance, post-canon. Complete. Prequel to My Am-Badass-Ador. Written for Shance Love Bang.

Docking on the Atlas felt strange- simultaneously familiar and brand new.

17. Annie & Pepper 3: Soon, shance, modern au. Complete. Annie & Pepper series. Written for Fall Into You The Unknown bonus for Fall Into You- Tales of Shance Anthology.

There were lots of things you could tell about a couple from how they interacted with each other when they were with trusted friends, Lance mused.

18. Annie & Pepper 2: Breakfast, shance, modern au. Complete. Annie & Pepper series. Written for Fall Into You The Unknown bonus for Fall Into You- Tales of Shance Anthology

The end of the semester was close enough that everyone was bemoaning their workload, but still far enough away that no one really felt like they didn’t have time to hang out and unwind.

19. Annie & Pepper, shance, modern au. Complete. Annie & Pepper Series. Written for Fall Into You- Tales of Shance Anthology.

The post-it note was bright yellow, almost glowing in the dim light of the hallway.

20. Process of Elimination, klance, canon-divergent, hanahaki. Complete. Written for the Hanahaki Bang

When he arrived smack dab in the middle of the Castle’s sleep cycle, Coran met him in the hangar.

I think my favorite is "The post-it note was bright yellow, almost glowing in the dim light of the hallway." I don't really think of my writing as being particularly 'visual' or 'image-rich' but that image was so clear in my mind when I wrote it, and I think it sparks interest in the story as well as ties the idea of 'Lance' to the concept of being a bright spot in Shiro's life.

#klance #shance #shklance #lotura

14 notes · View notes

shirophantomvox · 3 years

Text

Lotor's Nanny

Hello y’all! I am back yet again with another Voltron short fiction! I got this prompt from @vld-prompts and this one is great! Some dialogue in this are mixed quotes from the show. The prompt is: “Dayak comes to Galra HQ unexpectedly.” The link shows the reference I used in this story. Its somewhat the same, I changed some elements and dialogue. I mentioned the Code of Ethics because some companies do not allow in-dating. That means you cannot date one of your coworkers. This story has been on my mind for a while and it came out better than I expected! I hope you all like it. Be sure to follow me for more writing content!

Team Voltron slowly walked across the bridge of Galra HQ formerly known as Zarkon’s ship. Chills ran down their spines as they approached the now Emperor Lotor and his staff. Right above them were tapestries filled with light purple, white, and yellow; the same colors the paladins of old had. The expression on Lotor’s face was the complete opposite of his new comrades. The paladins had been through enough; their lives could end at this very moment and to think they blindly walked into Galra HQ? Thank God, Lotor didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve...or did he?

Lotor approached the Paladins with open arms aimed at Princess Allura; hoping she’d give him a hug and not leave him looking like a fool. Reluctantly, she embraced him softly, barely placing her arms fully around his back. That was good enough, for now. She backed up quite smoothly, lifted her head, and looked at the tapestries that hung above her head. They all gasped and at the beauty and detail of them. The yellow had thin lines of dark yellow as the outline. They glistened in the spotlights because of the white glitter that was in its place. Lotor smiled large, folded his arms, and lifted his head. This was his time to shine and he was ready to do so.

“The colors you see before you are the same ones that our fathers used while battling. These colors represent friendship, leadership, and an emphasis on an unbreakable bond. Although the unbreakable bond didn’t workout well the first time, I’m certain it will now.”

Lotor’s smile slowly faded as he glanced directly in between Allura and Shiro. “Lover Boy” Lance McClain came storming between the two, stood toe to toe with him, and pointed his lengthy index finger in his face.

“Lance, that’s rude! What are you doing?!” Allura’s tone wasn’t her usual sweet, calm reflection but instead more like an irritated mother. She had been used to Lance’s irrational fears but this was TOO FAR for her. She developed feelings for Lotor, she is one of the leaders of Voltron, and having him misbehave insulted her leadership skills.

“Don’t worry, princess. I just want to make sure he doesn’t have any tricks up his sleeve.”

Lotor arrogantly chuckled quietly to himself. Although Lance appeared to be the airhead surfer boy, he took his role as paladin and valued his team seriously. They had been ambushed several times by Zarkon, his father. They have every right to be paranoid even if Allura didn’t think so. One thing that irked the team was her sense of trustworthiness. She hated Lotor simply because he was truly a threat and was Zarkon’s son but once she found out he was half Altean, it appeared as if she did anything he said. She fell for him; hard and that isn’t always good.

“I assure you, I am not here to play games or have any “tricks up my sleeve”. Trust me, if I did, you would know about it already. I am more skilled than you. There’s no need to lie.”

“As much as I would love to believe you Lotor, the Galra aren’t the ones to ‘turn the other cheek’. They keep fighting and fighting until they die.” Hunk began to sweat a little as his nerves began to run amuck.

“Hunk has a point. Why all of a sudden are we teaming up with Zarkon’s son to fight against his own empire that your the head of? It doesn’t sound right.”

“If Pidge agrees with me, it must be a set up.” Lance turned around and allied himself with the rest of the team. They were not pleased at all. Could it be a possibility that they were being paranoid? Is it wrong that they haven’t given him a chance to prove himself? Lotor released an irritated sigh, closed his eyes, and opened them again.

“I assure you, I have nothing to hide.” He snapped his fingers and two robots came at his side quickly. “If you all don’t mind, we are going to HQ and we will have a chat about what our next steps are going to be.”

The centurions led the way to HQ. On the way there, it was quiet and awkward; the only ones that were talking were Allura and Lotor. He had a large binder open with pages and pages of scientific research that Honerva had been using to figure out information regarding the creatures from the rift. Both were so intrigued by the findings that they began to pick up speed next to the centurions, leaving the team a bit behind. Allura took hold of the binder to find something specifically related to Oriande relating to “life givers”. Lotor began to close the space between the two placing his arm around her waist and gently placing his hand around her thigh. Lance was about to blow his fuse! Pidge and Hunk reassured him that Allura has stated several times before that she is not interested in dating him. It would be unprofessional; Lotor and Allura were considered to be allies. If they dated they’d be violating the Code of Ethics...somewhere.

“If she wouldn’t be interested in dating him, why isn’t she throwing his arm off her?”

“Lance, I haven’t dated yet but I know something about girls.” She pushed her glasses closer to her face and pointed in the air. “Some girls just entertain the behavior in the moment so the guy doesn’t flip out. They also do it so the man’s ego won’t get hurt. Both reasons are stupid and unhealthy but that is why. I have no idea why a man’s ego is so easily destroyed just because a girl rejected his passes.”

“Good question. It makes the good guys look bad.” Hunk stuck his finger in the air and smiled. “I’ll always treat my woman like a queen!”

The team had finally reached HQ. Lotor suddenly became quiet and stood still. He squinted his eyes, frowned, and slowly moved away from them. Once he approached his subject, his eyes widened. There was a tall woman dressed in long black clothing, her head covered, with her back turned. She had two blue binders that said “memories” on the binding side and an old cloth blanket. The emperor face palmed himself quietly backing away instructing the team to leave HQ quickly without making a sound. As soon as the robots began to move, the woman turned around, gasped and yelled his name.

“Lotor!”

“Goodness gracious,” he replied quickly under his breath.

The woman came walking towards him with a smile of endearment. He could now see the front of the binders and nearly lost his mind. He blushed at the sight and glanced back at her. She laughed, assuring him that she was moving his belongings to another part of the ship.

“Oh, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Embarrassed about what?”

Lotor changed his expression and turned around. Still blushing, he managed to smile.

“This is Dayak, my governess. She raised me when I was a child, trained me, and helped me become the man I am today.”

“Barely,” Lance blurted out. He snapped his head and smiled oddly at Lotor. Lance was able to put two and two together and realized what he was embarrassed about.

“Wait, wait, wait. She raised you from a child? As in your nanny?!”

“Governess!” The emperor face palmed again, not able to look in Allura’s direction.

Why would ANYONE want their old photos to be shown to anyone they liked?!

“Oh boy, you had a nanny! Oh my goodness, I didn’t have one!”

“That’s why you're lacking in so many areas. Can’t you tell?” He began to flex his arm, showing the implied muscles through his shirt.

“That’s all you’ve got? At least mine are real!”

“Mine are too! You look like you’ve been using steroids!”

“Steroids? How do you know what those are? You’re an alien.”

“Ok, Lance, that’s enough. Dayak was going to speak,” Shiro said, somehow not irritated. Given the chaotic life he has, this was nothing but pure entertainment.

“Thank you. True enough I am this young emperor’s governess and I did far more than nanny duties. Lotor underwent intense training at the age of 6 years old. Many doubted his abilities but I knew he had it in him.”

“Thank you, Dayak.”

“Lotor, don’t hate me for this. Dayak, what are in the books that you are holding?” Hunk was generally curious and had no ill intent in asking unlike Lance. Still, Lotor was pained to see what was in those books. His style would have definitely been cramped.

“I’ll show you if it’s ok with the emperor.”

Lotor sighed heavily and threw his hand in the air.

“Yes, it's ok.”

Everyone gathered around his governess as she opened one of the books. The font read “Memorable Moments” and God knows what was in them. The team released a number of “awws”, “wows”, and “oohs” . Dayak, the nanny--governess, smiled as she turned each page remembering how cute the emperor looked in his formal clothing and how hot she looked when she was younger. This stage in his life would have happened matter what; Honerva would have done the same thing.

“This picture was taken after Lotor learned the Galran alphabet, vowel sounds, and numbers.”

“Wow! Lotor used to take a stuffed animal to class?” Hunk laughed. “Ha!”

“I was afraid, ok? I was all by myself.”

“And no one is shaming you for it buddy! Well, maybe Lance, but we aren’t.”

“This picture was taken during PE class. He loved to play buckets. I thought he was going to pursue somewhat of an athletic career!”

“I have to admit, he gets his muscles from Zarkon.”

“Aw. Thank you Princess.”

“That’s not a compliment dude.”

The emperor realized that the old photos of him weren’t so bad after all. They were milestones; it showed how well he has progressed and how he will continue. These were his allies after all. It was important for them to see him during his softer moments to know that they could talk to him about anything.

15 notes · View notes

nooowestayandgetcaught · 2 years

Text

you know what,,, I never get to be that guy!! but I wanna be that guy!! here's a collective list of Halloweeny and/or spoopy feeling fics I've done that I think y’all might really enjoy!! 🎃🖤🧡

Chills & Thrills (Yuri!!! On Ice, Mila Babicheva & Yuri Plisetsky, Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino, T-rating, 1348 words)

After getting pranked by Yuri for weeks, Mila decides to get a little revenge around Halloween. He hasn't heard yet about the legend of the eretica: a woman who sold her soul to the devil and visits in the form of an old, vampiric woman in rags.

Simply Meant To Be (Nightmare Before Christmas, Sally/Jack Skellington, E-rating, 314 words)

Jack has no memories of his time being alive. But they exist. He loved a woman once, and she has never left his side since.

thriller night (IT Movies, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, No Rating, 1161 words)

Halloween is supposed to be about trick or treating. Eddie finds himself instead fearfully wandering a graveyard with Richie.

Take Me And Do As You Will (Godfather Death - Fairy Tale, Death/Morrigan | The Physician, E-rating, 1159 words)

"Watch over my son Morrigan," the father begged, wheezing. "He has no mother. No kin. I do not have long if you are here."

Death agreed, patiently waiting for his heart to cease, soothing his brow — for in the eyes of Death, all souls are fair and equal.

My Body Is A Cage (Junji Ito’s Tomie, Kawakami Tomie/Original Female Character(s), E-rating, 1007 words)

"You didn't do it right."

Tomie leans over her shoulder, embracing Mori and nuzzling her blood-splattered cheek to Mori's face. Her pearly teeth gape from her jaws carved to the bone. Her voice fades in and out of girlishly high to a monstrous rumble. Tomie's glow-eyes blink.

"Make me pretty. Make me pretty like I really am."

A Long Way Away (Halloweentown, Marnie Piper/Kal, No Rating, 930 words)

She wants to kiss him, and that's confusing and frightening. She wants him to want to kiss her. Even after what Kal did, terrorizing the mortal world and Halloweentown, she remembers how he made her feel.

(MORE FICS UNDER THE CUT)

Let The Dead Things Go (VLD, Keith/Lance/Shiro, E-rating, 5896 words)

On Halloween night, Shiro and Lance get brutally attacked by an intruder in their home and survive. Three years later, after packing up from Massachusetts to Texas, they carry the physical and mental scars. Shiro can still feel himself struggling to grasp reality. He and Lance eventually befriend Keith who lives in the area and teaches self-defense to Shiro at the rec center.

They invite Keith into their lives, only to discover Keith has his own secrets left behind in the past.

Kiss (Peter Pan, Wendy Darling/Peter Pan, No Rating, 302 words)

Wendy believes for many, many years. Neverland had been real, and so had been her adventures.

Nothing Of The Heart Remains (The Umbrella Academy, Ben/Klaus, T-rating, 1025 words)

Medieval AU. Ben as The Horror Living In The Forest and Klaus as The Man Who Brings The Sacrifices.

Long, Long Ago (The VVitch & The Autopsy of Jane Doe crossover, Jane Doe/Thomasin, E-rating, 532 words)

Jane Doe recalls another name — hers — and of Thomasin preaching shame and misery in her life. How everlasting hellfire would keep her warm. Jane Doe never thought of such fancies, nor of conjuring or worship or admiration. But she did for Thomasin.

More Than Enough (Stranger Things, Mike Wheeler/Eleven, G-rating, 1085 words)

El frowns to herself and stubbornly pulls the bed-sheet over her head, adjusting her eye-holes. The only thing stupid is assuming the bad men would see her in her Halloween costume — and they won't. It's one night. Hopper won't even know she left.

Splatter (Hellsing, Alucard/Walter Dornez, M-rating, 243 words)

Walter lurches forward, Girlycard’s icy-cold fingers clenching around his face and pulling him up. “You may want to be careful with that silvered tongue of yours,” she murmurs, almost giggly. “It doesn’t flatter you at this tender age.”

Forever With Me (BBC Merlin, Freya/Merlin, E-rating, 849 words)

The dead whisper, and they are often never heard.

At Your Own Risk (Riverdale, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, E-rating, 300 words)

Toni and Cheryl work on Riverdale’s haunted house attraction, getting a little distracted with each other while alone.

Monsters On Parade (Yuri!!! On Ice, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, T-rating, 1109 words)

Viktor and Yuuri are persuaded into dressing up and chaperoning Lilia's grandkids for trick or treating.

Sweet as Candy (Original Work, Girl/Her Straight Slutty Roommate, E-rating, 1000 words)

There's a couple of important things to remember about Candy: her full name is Candice Marie Peterson. Phone number 555-8193. She's a sophomore undergrad majoring in Communications, after dropping out of a Nursing degree. Something about negligence and a severe lack of empathy. Her height is 5'7 in heels.

She's not Candy though. Candy shares a bedroom with her, decorating it entirely with sparkly, pink twinkle-lights and silvery ribbons, and never hears a complaint.

She doesn't remember much beyond Candy.

Tower, Tower, Burning Bright (Rapunzel - Fairy Tale, Königssohn | Prince/Rapunzel, E-rating, 1330 words)

Rapunzel, after years of marrying to the Prince and escaping the witch, returns to her tower. She discovers a girl inside.

Unforgiven (Harry Potter, Godric Gryffindor/Helga Hufflepuff/Rowena Ravenclaw/Salazar Slytherin, No Rating, 1130 words)

"We cannot allow you to harm one of the students," Rowena murmurs.

Salazar glares in her direction. "I would never," he vows.

Dead By Now (Halloween Movies, Laurie Strode/Annie Brackett/Lynda Van der Klok, M-rating, 597 words)

Annie and Lynda end up surviving Halloween night. Laurie would give anything to forget what happened.

Nothing But Sweet Dreams (Dracula, Count Dracula/Jonathan Harker, No Rating, 443 words)

In the gloominess of his bedchambers, Jonathan awakens from a deep, restless sleep to The Count watching him. Jonathan tries to call out to him, but his mind feels soft. Damp like lumpy, foul rags.

That's What Fiends Are For (Scooby Doo and The Ghoul School, Elsa Frankenteen/Phantasma/Sibella, Tanis/Winnie Werewolf, G-rating, 525 words)

Sibella gets hurt from playing the Halloween volleyball tournament. Phantasma and Elsa Frankenteen insists she rests.

#halloween #ao3 #fanfiction #about rie

3 notes · View notes

voltrontranscript · 3 years

Text

VLD S8E7: Day Forty-Seven

Season 8 Episode 7: Day Forty-Seven

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Summary: Kinkade and Rizavi film a vlog that follows a relatively normal day on the IGF-Atlas with its humorous moments and the stress of battle.

[Google Doc]

Kinkade: Hello. This is Lieutenant Ryan Kinkade, MFE pilot. The time is 0600 hours. It’s day forty-seven. And this is a glimpse at day-to-day life aboard the IGF-Atlas.

[Cut to Kinkade brushing his teeth as the camera floats over his shoulder.]

Kinkade: Last night, I unpacked my video gear and decided to document the crew. I know it seems strange, but before Earth was attacked, I didn’t go anywhere without my camera.

[Cut to Kinkade running on a treadmill.]

Kinkade: Back home, people asked me why I liked recording things. They also asked me why I didn’t talk that much. To both of those things, I’d always say… [grunts]

[Cut to Kinkade doing pull-ups.]

Kinkade: Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

Romelle: You’re recording? Why?

Griffin: Kinkade has always been, uh… an individual who’s most comfortable observing and reflecting on life. Being a fighter pilot was actually his backup plan.

[Cut to Kinkade wearing a blindfold as he works on his blaster rifle.]

Kinkade: It’s true. I learned how to shoot with a camera before I learned how to shoot with a rifle. I guess filming is just a small piece of the larger puzzle that makes up the picture of who I am. Hm.

[Cut to Kinkade turning the camera on once more and walking to a fighter jet.]

Rizavi: So you’re really shooting another documentary? Please tell me this is going to be more exciting than that project you did for Mr. Pollard’s biology class about yeast.

Kinkade: That was actually about the process of fermentation. Yeast converts carbohydrates into carbon diox--

Rizavi: Boring! Okay, look, if this little documentary is how history will remember us, I’m gonna help you spruce it up! How many cameras do you have? What’s your visual effects budget? Do you have any smoke bombs?

[Cut to Keith and Pidge facing the camera as it focuses on Pidge directly.]

Kinkade: Okay. We’re set.

Rizavi: So, uh, catch us up on what’s going on.

Pidge: Right. Well, the Atlas is headed to the Grei-Aye system where we’ve identified the remains of a disabled robeast.

Rizavi: Oh! Those things are pretty dangerous, right?

Pidge: Do I need to explain that the robeast was one of the ones used in Honerva’s intergalactic ritual?

Rizavi: No, it’s fine.

Pidge: Okay. Um, so, once the Atlas arrives in orbit around the planet, the other Paladins and I will head down to the surface to secure the robeast and hopefully find its Altean pilot.

Rizavi: Ugh, okay. Keith! Why don’t you tell us about the dangers of this mission?

Keith: Well, every mission has some inherent dangers. For this one, we have to be especially diligent about the robeast. Even if it’s not fully functional, it can still pose an extreme threat. Combine that with the hostile Altean that’s probably still in the vicinity, and you’ve potentially got threats on multiple fronts.

Hunk: Hey, guys. What’s up? You making a movie? Cool. Can I be in it? Now, wait, if this is an action movie… is it? I don’t wanna be in it.

Rizavi: Hunk, we’re trying to do an interview here.

Hunk: Oh, sorry. Yeah, my bad. I just came by to see if you wanted to try this new recipe I’ve been experimenting with. This is just the first pass. The final version of it will be coming soon. No, Bae Bae! Not for you! I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’ll make you some doggy treats later.

Kinkade: What’s the recipe? Can we watch you work?

Hunk: Well, yeah! Yeah, this’ll be great! I’ve secretly always wanted my own cooking show.

Rizavi: What? No! Keith was just telling us about the mission and all the dangers! We’re not losing that to document cooking.

Kinkade: But, I like cooking.

Rizavi: It’s like you’re trying to make this boring.

Hunk: Whoa, first of all, cooking is not boring, okay? And it can bring people together. Some of the best times of my life were spent breaking bread with loved ones.

Keith: So, is this interview over?

Rizavi: No! Great, now the talent’s getting restless!

Iverson: Everyone, report to your battle stations immediately! I repeat… battle stations immediately! This is not a drill!

Rizavi: The camera!

Kinkade: Leave it! We need to go!

Rizavi: But this is gold!

Kinkade: Come o--

Iverson: MFE pilots, report to hangars alpha-bravo! Scrambling fighters in five! Paladins, stand by for launch.

[Scene change as Bae Bae finds the fallen camera and carries it around.]

Shiro: Where did it come from? Veronica, get me eyes on it!

Coran: That thing just appeared out of nowhere!

Shiro: Iverson, fire when ready!

Iverson: Target acquired! We’ve got lock! Wait. No… we lost it! Target has gone dark!

Veronica: Electromagnetic radiation from that planet is overloading our radars.

Shiro: Voltron, do you have a visual? I repeat, Voltron, do you have a visual?

Keith: Not yet. We’re going in now! Stand by! We can’t see a thing in here!

Griffin: Copy that. We have zero visibility as well. We need a visual.

Curtis: Roger. Trying another avenue. Scanning for biometrics. Visual acquired!

Coran: Incoming!

Iverson: Recharging all starboard cannons!

Curtis: Sensors are offline!

Iverson: What is that thing?

Coran: It’s massive!

Shiro: Iverson, open fire!

Coran: Direct hit! It’s coming back around for another shot!

Shiro: Veronica, prep shields!

[Scene change as the camera falls down a vent into Sam and Slav’s workstation.]

Sam: Whatever hit us just knocked loose the gravity generator! Grab the flaxum assembly!

Slav: I can’t do that! It’s red!

Sam: Is this one of your crazy probability, reality things?

[Scene change to a hallway as soldiers float through to their stations.]

Shiro: All crew, report to stations and prepare for Atlas transformation--

Atlas Crewmember: Go, go, go!

Shiro: --in T-minus thirty seconds!

[Scene change as Bae Bae finds the camera again and carries it.]

Colleen: Bae Bae, what are you doing out here? And what’s this in your mouth? A camera? Come on, girl.

Shiro: All crew, prepare for Atlas transformation sequence in five… four… three… two… one!

[Scene change as the camera dies, then powers on again facing Kinkade once more.]

Kinkade: Camera’s fully charged. We’re good to go. The time is now 0900 hours. We just experienced a minor mishap aboard the IGF-Atlas, but we’re back on track. In the future, we’ll hopefully be avoiding creature-occupied gas planets.

[Cut to Kinkade floating through a hallway.]

Kinkade: Hey, Seok Jin, where you headed?

Seok Jin: I’m transporting these samples back to Earth. Commander Holt thinks it can help with the recovery efforts there.

Kinkade: Well, they couldn’t have picked a better man for the job. Take care, man. Hey, Seok Jin… we’ll miss you, buddy.

[Scene change to the camera looking into the mess hall, where Vrepit Sal is cleaning tables and then rotates to face the hallway.]

Rizavi: There you are! Tell me this thing was recording during the attack! That was so intense! Oh, this documentary’s gonna be awesome!

[Cut to Kolivan sitting in a small office facing the camera.]

Kolivan: I believe our heading readout en route was 92254739.275. Wait, no. It was 9.265. Yes. That was our heading per our readout just prior to our deployment.

Rizavi: [mock snoring]

Kolivan: Our teams vary in size. Often we use the three-person unit, but it’s not unusual to have a four- or a five- or perhaps even a six-person unit. Seven seems rare, but... it could happen.

Rizavi: Okay, I like everything you’re telling me, but let’s just try it a little less like you’re reporting the facts to your commanding officer and a little more like you’re telling your friend an exciting story in the gym. You understand?

Kolivan: Yes, understood.

Rizavi: Okay, good. Why don’t you tell us about your last mission?

Kolivan: Our last mission took place on planet K-V Exus. The Blades divided into three four-person teams and we escorted approximately twelve rescue crafts to the surface. I believe our heading readout was 359.222--

Rizavi: Thank! Thank you! Okay, I think we got it!

Kolivan: But I wasn’t done.

Rizavi: Yeah, you nailed it. Yeah. We need to get someone more exciting in here.

[Cut to Coran leaning into the camera as it slowly attempts to focus on him.]

Coran: Then the Atlas started firing with everything it had! And don’t forget the white hole is swirling right next to us the entire time! Oh, no, it’s about to close! Meanwhile, not one, but two, yes, two, robeasts are attacking! Shiro’s shouting out orders. “Coran, get closer! Iverson, open fire!” Beams of quintessence energy are converging from all over the galaxy! Ah! You know, you could just imagine it.

[Scene change to Rizavi turning the camera on in Slav and Sam’s workspace.]

Sam: Welcome to the engine room. What you see here is just a tiny part of what keeps the ship functioning.

Rizavi: Slav, you’ve created some incredible technology. What do you think of the Atlas?

Slav: I can respect any engineering that extrapolates for transmutation, but I wish the writing was in Altean.

Sam: He’s mentioned that a few times.

Rizavi: So what are you doing now?

Slav: Right now we’re about to adjust the gravity generator, which was fractionally increased during our last battle.

Sam: Yes, our gravity generator is actually a fluid system, ever-changing depending on the specific needs of the location, so it requires recalibrating from time to time. Okay, adjust gravity generator back down to .12.

Slav: Copy. Adjusting now.

Sam: What did you press?

Slav: I don’t know! Which one is the two again? I can’t read these weird symbols you call numbers! Hey, big guy, toss me over! Oh, no. Directly on a crack!

Kinkade: Weird.

[Cut to the camera focusing on some juniberry shoots in a pot.]

Colleen: Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s an Altean juniberry. The first one to bloom in nearly ten thousand years. I managed to get it to grow by resequencing the genetic code of a similar plant. I wanna give it to Allura. These are our fertilizers. We have fish emulsion, worm castings, Kaltenecker manure. Just so much great recycled poop! And this is our lighting station. I like to say our lighting array is literally out of this world! You know, because we’re, you know, on a space ship.

Rizavi: Can I take a shot at this?

[Cut to the camera panning across the crops in the grow room.]

Rizavi: Welcome to extreme space harvesting! Where we have plants and crops and super fertilizers all under one roof! Meet Colleen Holt, the botanical genius behind it all.

[Cut to Colleen sitting in a chair in the grow room.]

Colleen: I guess I just liked plants all my life. I’ve done a lot of research, but I know I have much to learn. I guess… I like… the challenge. I’m sorry, where am I supposed to be looking?

Rizavi: Without Colleen, all life aboard the ship could perish. One bad crop, the introduction of one foreign pest, and it’s all over.

Colleen: I just like plants.

Hunk: Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something again? I just--I just came in to see if Colleen had a very specific type of yeast.

Kinkade: Yeast? What for?

Rizavi: Oh, no.

Hunk: It’s that recipe I’ve been working on. I think I got the topping down, but I’m still trying to figure out the sweet bread.

Colleen: Well, I have so many strains of yeast, it’ll make your head spin. I got AB972, S288C. I even have O unilateralis. Don’t mess with that one.

Kinkade: Are you getting this?

Rizavi: Unfortunately, yes.

[Camera cuts to Kinkade and Rizavi floating through a hallway.]

Rizavi: The time is 1200 hours. We just got word that we are in the Grei-Aye star system. The Paladins will be heading down to the surface of the planet any second now.

[Cut to the camera facing Allura, Lance, and Keith in the hangar for Black Lion.]

Rizavi: Lance, how are you feeling about the mission you’re about to go on?

Lance: Oh, hey. I’m feeling good, I guess. Maybe a little tense. Maybe a lot tense. I don’t know. Why’d you have to ask me that question?

Allura: I think what Lance is trying to say is he’ll be fine. We all will.

Keith: Let’s move out.

[Camera cuts to Kinkade and Rizavi standing a ways away from Blue Lion as it launches.]

Rizavi: Right now, we’re headed to the situation room where we’ll be monitoring the Paladins in real-time.

Kinkade: By the way, you know we’re not gonna be able to bring our camera into that meeting, right?

Rizavi: Says who?

[Scene change to the situation room where Veronica, Coran, Sam, and Shiro are all facing a screen showing a no-signal symbol.]

Sam: Come in, Pidge. Are you reading us?

Pidge: Okay, we’ve just touched down on the surface.

Keith: We’re at the crash site now.

Pidge: That’s the robeast. It looks disabled, just like our intel reported. The Altean should be nearby.

Shiro: Paladins, brace for incoming!

Hunk: I didn’t know it could do that!

Keith: Take cover!

Shiro: Paladins, report! We’ve lost visual. Bridge, lock onto that ship now!

Curtis: Yes, Captain. Adjusting to long-range parameters. Locked on!

Shiro: Light it up!

Curtis: Direct hit!

Lance: Nice shot, Atlas!

Hunk: Yeah, thanks for the cover!

Shiro: Bridge, stay on alert.

[Cut to the Altean viewscreen of Pidge’s point of view through her helmet.]

Allura: Stand by, Atlas. We’re approaching the ship.

Hunk: Guys, there doesn’t seem to be a pilot inside.

Keith: Hey, guys. Over here.

Pidge: Keith’s found something. Let’s go! Give me a second. Just reconfiguring to this barrier’s isometric frequency. There! That should do it.

Keith: Atlas, our target is acquired.

Overlapping voices: Yippee! Alright! Yeah!

Shiro: Great job, everyone!

[Cut to Kinkade and Rizavi floating through another hallway.]

Rizavi: We just got word that the Paladins have returned from their mission. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of this new Altean.

Kinkade: This’ll be the sixth Altean pilot we’ve recovered from the powered-down robeasts left behind after Honerva escaped Oriande. Allura keeps trying, but she hasn’t been able to get any information from them as of yet.

[Camera cuts to Rizavi standing outside a room marked “Authorized Personnel Only”.]

Rizavi: Commander Shirogane said you two were needed on the bridge. We’ll cover your station.

Woman: Yes, Lieutenant.

Rizavi: There! Oh, man, I think we missed the beginning.

Romelle: Tavo, please. You and I grew up alongside one another. You must trust me. We’re here to help.

Tavo: We were told you are a traitor, and I can see now that it is true.

Allura: I’m done talking with him. I’m done with all of them.

Kinkade: Uh, what are you doing?

Rizavi: Sh! I got an idea.

Lance: Anything?

Allura: No. He was just like the others. A true believer in Honerva, and there’s nothing I can say that would make him think otherwise.

Lance: I’m sorry.

Allura: No, I am. These Alteans are the key to unlocking Honerva’s plan. They’re my people, but they won’t speak with me. You have no idea what it’s like to find out after ten thousand years that you’re not the last of your kind… only to be rejected by them.

Lance: I don’t. But I wish every day there were something I could do to change it all for you. You’ve suffered more than anyone should in a thousand lifetimes. But still you persist. Through the pain, you inspire. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you.

Kinkade: No, that’s private.

Rizavi: Kinkade, what are you doing? That was our love angle!

[Camera cuts out, then focuses in on Romelle’s face.]

Kinkade: Please don’t touch that.

Romelle: Oh, sorry.

Rizavi: So, Romelle, you know these Alteans from your time on the colony?

Romelle: Yes, I lived alongside them for many decaphoebs. They are good people.

Kinkade: What do you think would make them join forces with Honerva?

Romelle: I don’t know. But you must understand, my people were hunted nearly to extinction. They’re afraid. And this Honerva… she’s turned that fear to aggression. If there was just some way to get through to them.

[Cut to the mess hall.]

Griffin: I’ve never seen anything like it. All those tentacles… so nasty.

[Cut to the kitchen where Hunk is stirring something purple in a pan.]

Hunk: Oh, hey. You’re just in time. I was just about to add the yeast Colleen gave me. No, Bae Bae! Bad dog!

[Cut to Kinkade and Rizavi sitting at a table with Allura.]

Kinkade: First off, thanks for doing this, Allura.

Allura: You’re welcome.

Rizavi: Maybe we can start with the Alteans we have aboard.

Allura: What about them? They’re on the wrong side of this war and they refuse to speak with me. There’s nothing else to say.

Rizavi: So, you’re frustrated?

Allura: Yes, I am. Oriande was destroyed, Lotor is back, and we aren’t any closer to tracking down Honerva. She’s out there, right now, planning something, preparing, and growing stronger. And we’re here flying around in circles, searching for Fraunhofer lines that don’t appear and scanning for wormhole signatures that don’t exist!

Rizavi: Do you think we’ll ever find Honerva?

Allura: No. I think she’ll find us.

[Camera cuts back to Hunk in the kitchen, this time wearing oven mitts.]

Hunk: Okay, it’s been a long day, but I’m finally done.

Kinkade: What is it?

Hunk: It’s an authentic Altean dessert! I’m gonna give it to the Alteans. Coran helped me with the recipe, but I think his memory was, like, a little bit fuzzy, so, you know, I did some improvising. No big whoop.

Kinkade: You did this for them? Why?

Hunk: Well, I don’t know. Because food has a way of reminding people of moments in time. That’s why I made a dessert. Usually, when you eat dessert, you’re pretty happy, right? Who knows? Maybe this’ll help those Alteans remember some moment that made them smile. Something before all this madness. That could go a long way in building a relationship. Well, that’s just what I think.

[Cut to the Alteans in a holding cell as the camera zooms out and pans to face Hunk.]

Hunk: Please, eat. Look, it’s good! Mm, really!

Tavo: You made this? It reminds me of home.

Hunk: Well, I had a little help from someone born and raised on Altea. A-and I know you don’t wanna talk with them, but Allura and Coran know more about your homeland than anyone alive. They were on Altea until its final day. They both would’ve stayed and died to protect it if Alfor hadn’t sent them away. That’s how much they loved it.

Tavo: I heard Altea was one of the most beautiful places in the universe. Did your Alteans ever tell you about the zyo crystal springs outside of the capital? The stories say those cliffs were more beautiful than all of the stars combined.

Hunk: They never told me about them. But I’m sure they’d love to tell you themselves.

[Scene change to Kinkade sitting in casual clothes facing the camera.]

Kinkade: This is Lieutenant Ryan Kinkade, MFE pilot. The time is 2300 hours. Day forty-seven aboard the IGF-Atlas is officially done.

End.

#vld #voltron #transcript #hunk #pidge #tavo #allura #lance #keith #shiro #curtis #sam holt #slav #romelle #colleen holt #james griffin #ryan kinkade #nadia rizavi #coran #iverson

20 notes · View notes

rueitae · 3 years

Text

Writing Roundup 2020

This is a writing reflection I’ve been doing for myself every year for the last four years. Its a positive boost to myself see how far I’ve come and look back on my progress for the past year and look forward to the new year.

Everyone is welcome to use this same format if they’d like to do the same!

~~~~~~~

Stats:

Words written:

330,000, which is nearly half of all the words I’ve written on Ao3 in the last three years.

One Shots Posted (all fics plance unless otherwise stated):

In the Arms of the Ever(pink?) Tree (4463 words)

For the Plance Secret Santa exchange. Post s8 date/not date on a snowy moon. Love confession.

Birthday Treats (2129 words)

For Pidge’s birthday this year! Domestic family fluff, breakfast in bed, plance kids.

Begin Again (Together) (4805 words)

Canon divergence from before episode one! Pidge and Lance are established dating when alien intervention brings them to where they are supposed to be: with the Blue Lion. Just a brief look into what the AU would look like.

Common Ground (4521 words)

A treat for my friends who introduced me to Magic Knight Rayearth and pointed out some fun character parallels. There is this beautiful art Arya made to go with it because we’re all trash for both series. Plance meet up with Fuu and Ferio post series for both couples.

Bonded To You (1808 words)

For the Langstron Halloween Exchange! Established plance with a baby Lance is trying to keep safe from a witch who would take advantage of the child’s heritage.

It Tasted Good (6785 words)

Pikelavar for Pikelavar Month! The premise is crack, but it's mostly treated seriously. Pike ate the Jewel of Jitan by accident and doesn’t realize it until Haggar finds them. Meklavar gets Protective.

The Remainder of Days (3188 words)

Part of my Bad Things Happen Bingo. Fantasy AU where Pidge is a minor forest goddess and Lance is her neighbor mortal farmer.

I Love You a Lily More Each Day (3232 words)

Another of the Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon compliant where Lance is undercover at a flower shop and knee deep in an illegal smuggling operation.

Lease on Life (4978 words)

This one was also part of Bad Things Happen Bingo and was an experiment. It’s POV of an oldest plance kid, canon verse. Her parents’ Paladin days come back to haunt them one night. Some cute family stuff too in there.

Ready to Dance (4135 words)

For the Valentine’s Day exchange! Post series. Lance tries to get back into the party scene and Pidge rescues him from a disastrous night.

Loopholes (5476 words)

Technically I didn’t write this fic this year, but a very kind reader asked if I would post this to Ao3, so it was my first fic of the year on Ao3. It’s Lotura! Originally a gift for a dear friend I’ve had since elementary school. It’s a fantasy AU where Lotor stumbles into Allura’s kingdom needing help.

Next to Me (7311 words)

Also for Bad Things Happen Bingo, this is probably one of my favorite fics of the year. This is the canon verse AU that went all wrong in s7, and Sendak succeeds in destroying Earth. Lance and Pidge end up not only his prisoners, but also two of the last humans in the universe. Ends open ended, but it became a series in the end!

Into Me (14248 words)

The sequel to the above fic. There are two versions, this and the one below. The title tells all. Lance and Pidge come to terms with their new life aboard Sendak’s flagship and do their best to keep the other comforted.

Into Me (non-explicit version) (7228 words)

Exactly the same as the fic above, only this one is SFW

Sunshine (3831 words)

A Bad Things Happen Bingo! One of my favorite concepts. Canon verse. Pidge gets sick while she and Lance are on a scientific mission.

Showoff (635 words)

A really short fic for a friend on their birthday, featuring their plance kids!

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

A fic I have been wanting to write for a very long time. I love the concept of Pidge as a Disney Princess in the sense she has the forest guardian theme and all these animals love her. So there’s some play on that as the Paladins stop for lunch on their journey back to Earth in early s7. Lance comes to a realization and they have a chat surrounded by the animal friends. @anchoredtetherart did a phenomenal piece to accompany it. Please look at it in awe here.

The Hardest Part (3960 words)

For Bad Things Happen Bingo! An AU of the episode The Reunion where Pidge doesn’t return when she’s supposed to.

A Planned Sacrifice (4988 words)

Another Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon verse. Pidge assumes that being a sacrifice for the ‘forest god’ is strictly ceremonial and at worst a wild animal. It’s actually Sendak, who no one has seen since Shiro shot him out of the Castle. He remembers Pidge and is far too pleased to see her again, tied up on a silver platter.

Almost Forgotten, but Not Gone (3946 words)

Bad Things Happen Bingo. AU sometime in s1 where Haxus isn’t as dead as Pidge thought.

Touch (7519 words)

Written for the Lance Goes Boom bang! It was inspired by @fenixseraph ‘s amazing art here! It’s a different take on The Way Forward, where Pidge and Lance are separated from the rest of the team and placed in their own cell. And the Red Lion causes issues.

Chaptered Fics started/added to:

Wolf In Thieves’ Clothing (4516 words)

An AU of The Castle of Cagliostro from Lupin the Third series. Lee, you have my thanks forever for making me watch this finally. Pidge is a literal princess whose kingdom is in the middle of an internal coup. Lance is a gentleman thief who rides with his best buds Hunk and Matt. Their paths are destined to cross again when Lance goes back to the castle he used to call home.

Game of Love (4593 words)

The most crack of the bunch. AU of Fall the of the Castle of Lions where Sendak and Haxus get away with it all. Pidge and Lance are prisoners on Haxus’ new ship, and Lance finds an opportunity for eventual escape when he learns that Haxus has a crush on his second in command. Operation matchmaker begins. (happy ending planned for all)

What Tides May Bring (20704 words)

Collab with the fantastic @anchoredtetherart for MerMay! Established plance as mermaids and guardians of their elements with adorable mer child. Then angst because they are all captured by a ‘research’ institute.

Seasons of Magic (16546 words)

I actually added a chapter this year! Ongoing collection of one-shots with mage Pidge who lives in the country and cultivates her plant magic and makes potions with the assistance of her dragon familiar, Lance. Mostly domestic fluff.

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words)

Added another chapter this year to my Keith-centric AU. It’s basically VLD but five years early and they’re all literally child Paladins. Keith gets to meet Krolia earlier and its fun to go into tween friendships as they try and navigate the reality of their situation.

Seeds (48833 words)

Added a ton earlier this year. A collection of plance fics all or mostly under 500 words. All meant to be adopted by others if interest strikes. Covers many genres.

Chaptered Fics Finished:

Resolve to Fly (75799 words)

Written for the Pidge Angst Bang. My artist @alchemie0 did an outstanding job capturing the feel of the fic. Look at the art here! Canon verse AU where Pidge encounters Haxus, who has crashed on Earth. She helps him repair his ship in excitement and good faith, which he pays back by kidnapping her. For two years she survives as little more than a housepet on Sendak’s ship. Gen.

Who's Protecting Who? (28989 words)

Also technically not written this yeah, but posted. A collab with Hush waaaay back in 2018. It's a plance Altean AU with Pidge as distant royalty and Lance as a bodyguard.

A Dish Served Cold (21533 words)

Finally finished this one! Canon verse in which Pidge accidentally runs into Sendak on an isolated planet. Sendak takes advantage of this encounter and tries to return to the Empire with her in tow. Much Pidge whump. Gen

Reflections:

Best title

I still really really love Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words). Because it's too soon for the Paladins to be Paladins, and for Keith it's not nearly soon enough for Krolia to return. It just feels like it has a lot of heart to it. I hope I can keep it going, but my ideas are incredibly scattered for it.

Worst title

Touch (7519 words). Yeah it’s a play on ‘Don’t you touch her’ but it feels soooo dry.

Best/worst last line

Best: This was really, really hard choice this year, but ultimately, making up for the terrible title, its Touch (7519 words)

“It feels good to escape the ship with all of his teammates, secure in the knowledge that he has a way forward not just as a Paladin, but also with Pidge.”

- Not only did I manage to fit the title of the episode in there, it's got that hopeful tinge to it and reflects on personal growth both internally and with Pidge.

Worst: This one isn’t necessarily bad from Begin Again (Together) (4805 words), but it could be better. It didn’t get quite the epic sense I was hoping to pull from it.

“Okay,” he smirks, hand firmly on the throttle. “Operation save Earth starts now.”

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Definitely wrote way more. Even with posting two fic that are essentially the exact same, I still ended up writing nearly half of my total Ao3 word count this year. (330,000/670,000). Doing Bad Things Happen Bingo was a bit part of that - I was very inspired at the beginning of this year - but also there were many events I participated in (8 total!!) on top of my personal projects.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

A really hard decision this year, because there are several that make me really happy. I think oddly enough though, it’s Game of Love (4593 words) because of its potential and how much crack it is. It has such whacky rom-com energy to it but also that underlying angst of the situation I can fall back on. My favorite trope to explore is what happens to the characters when they’re captured. I just really enjoy the concept and the challenge to make such a concept believable with minimal suspension of belief.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Using kudos as my gauge (and not counting the chapter fics), the winner is:

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

Not surprising because Ivy’s art is STUNNING.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

I think that’s It Tasted Good (6785 words), the pikelavar fic. Pikelavar is underappreciated in general

Story that could have been better?

For all I was excited to write Sunshine (3831 words), it didn’t quite fall the way I had imagined in my mind. I don’t know if it was the structure or I was running out of steam or what. All i know is that I wanted more but all I could concentrate on was that scene where he’s caring for her in bed. Maybe I was just too ambitious.

Sexiest story?

No brainer it's Into Me (14248 words). Literally. Which really shocked me that it happened. Didn’t think I’d write any smut at all, let alone this year. This particular fic just kinda called out for it

Saddest story?

The prequel to the above fic: Next to Me (7311 words). How much more sad can you get than Earth being destroyed, being Sendak’s prisoners all while trying to tell each other ‘i love you’ without seeming weird because you’re the last humans in the universe.

Most fun?

I think it's Ready to Dance (4135 words). Just Valentine’s fluff and impromptu slow dancing in the park at night.

Story with single sweetest moment?

I’m picking What Tides May Bring (20704 words). Listen, mer Lance and mer Pidge playing with their mer baby in their domestic paradise is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. Dad Lance has my heart.

Hardest story to write?

The last chapter of A Dish Served Cold (21533 words) was like pulling teeth. I’m pretty happy with it in the end but at the time man it was so hard.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I wrote smut. It was...weird? But also strangely calming. I wrote more for another fic but it's still a WIP. I definitely need to be in the mood to write it.

Proudest Achievement:

The Pidge Angst Bang. Resolve to Fly (75799 words). Look at that word count. I only wanted something under 3k at first, so it was just going to be Pidge meeting Haxus. But by the time I finished that part it was already 10k. So even though I was going through a rough part of my life, I just kept going and it ended up being my therapy. I’m really proud of the fic and I love my artists’ pieces. It really lifted my spirits. (You should all really go check out the Ao3 collection of all the bang stories and art they are AMAZING you won’t regret. If you love Pidge angst they are all must reads.)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

I’d like to finish my Bad Things Happen Bingo card and then focus on my current WIP, that includes the Seeds collection. There are days I still feel a bit overwhelmed, and I’m still trying to find a routine after moving. I’d like to do more events too, but I think I need to be more selective about which ones I do. I don’t want to burn myself out.

Apart from that, I’d really like to try and give back to the community more. I’d like to start consciously writing fics for others without an event to go by.

Past Years:

2017

2018

2019

#plance #pidgance #rueitae #writing roundup #my writing #vld #2020 writing roundup

26 notes · View notes

kingdomoftyto · 3 years

Text

OKAY, HELL, I’m reading through another old unpublished fic document and goddammit, there’s SO MUCH GOOD STUFF in here, I NEED to share this before it gets lost to the void entirely.

So okay LOOK, a few years ago when Voltron was briefly my main fandom obsession, I had an idea for an AU... a Phantom of the Opera AU. Galra!Keith as the Opera Ghost and Lance as the dancer-turned-famous-singer.

And I got INTO it. This concept CONSUMED me for several weeks. I listened to nothing but PotO soundtracks, I rambled about it to my friends and family (none of whom had ever seen Voltron), I got all flustered thinking about potential dialogue.

However, I’m chronically incapable of finishing a proper story outline, which was this fic’s ultimate downfall. I would start by trying to outline the basic roles and plot points and quickly devolve into describing specific scenes and character interactions. On the one hand, this means I never got enough of a cohesive plot figured out to actually start writing the damn thing properly.

...But on the OTHER hand, in the end I was left with a fairly thorough--if chaotically organized--collection of ideas and scenes that come together to still present a really fun and interesting premise.

In the time since writing all of this up in 2018, I’ve mentally moved on from Voltron and the finer details of its characters, etc, enough that the thought of ever going back and actually FINISHING this beast moves past “daunting” and into “impossible” if not outright “laughable”. THEREFORE, I hereby present to you, dear readers, the extremely haphazard, pre-alpha version, never-going-to-be-written-so-I-might-as-well-share-what-I’ve-got, Icarus-ian pseudo-fic that is....

......THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA KLANCE AU THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED:

[The setting is roughly the same as in PotO. The characters’ names and races and all that are the same as in VLD and it doesn’t affect anything, shhh, don’t think too hard about the details, it’s just one of those vague Victorian-flavored Gothic Romance versions of Paris... except all the Voltron characters are there instead.]

[I’m going to basically stitch this together into a semblance of chronological order from the jumble of stuff in my notes document. There’s literally a section header in there that reads, “Outline Reboot 9/2/18″, so yeah, buckle up lmao]

Keith is half-Galra, born with partial Galra features--like, purple fur over half his body, pointed ears, a glowing yellow eye, fangs, claws, the works--and thus, after his parents are out of the picture, he’s seen as a monster and treated as an outcast.

His dad dies when he’s very young, and he ends up paraded around Europe as a freakshow. He runs away and teenage Shiro finds him scrounging for food, befriends him. They learn that his “deformity” invites violence and agree to keep his existence a secret, with Shiro eventually helping him build a sanctuary inside the theater and serving as his one lifeline to the outside world. Mostly, though, Keith ends up fending for himself in the catacombs beneath the opera house, becoming a sort of terrifying ninja hermit not afraid to steal what he needs to survive.

Shiro, of course, becomes a famous singer—the primo uomo of the premier opera house in Paris. Keith watches his career from within the walls and secret passages, growing to love the art and music and quietly learning the lives and habits of the theater’s inhabitants, from the jovial but hard-working stagehands to the fussy but kind prima donna [i.e. Allura. potentially.]. He learns the sounds of the instruments, the mechanisms of the machinery, and the plots of the operas. The habits and personalities of the workers, the performers, and the regular patrons. He watches each little triumph in the lives of the theater inhabitants, as well as dramas spanning years.

He sings to himself in the darkness, and finds he has a natural talent for it.

Meanwhile--because the fandom seems to love making Lance a dancer in AUs anyway for some reason???--Lance is a danseur in the opera house. He tells people he got into it for all the beautiful women, but secretly he’s super into the art. The dancing, the music, the spectacle... He keeps up with his dancing career, good but not the best at it, and starts singing songs he’s picked up from the productions--over-the-top, off-key goofiness to his peers, but soft and hesitant in the privacy of his rooms...

Keith notices him, from behind the vents and mirrors. Lance has a good voice but secretly lacks the confidence to go out and be a leader star. Keith sees the quiet, more sentimental side to Lance that the dancer tries to keep hidden, and Keith is... enamored. Smitten. Maybe a little obsessed.

One night when Lance is drunk and half-asleep, Keith sings to him. Lance thinks it’s a dream, but then it happens again and he demands answers. Keith hesitates but realizes how desperately he craves companionship (especially with Shiro’s career increasingly preventing them from spending time together), so he relents and has an evasive conversation. Lance, unable to pry a name out of Keith, starts calling him his “Angel of Music”.

- -

[This is one of the bits where the “outline” devolved into disembodied dialogue and back before I could stop myself ghahgjsdhgf. Observe: ]

Eventually he can’t stand just observing anymore. He summons his courage and, when Lance is alone one evening, dozing in a secluded dressing room after finishing off a bottle of wine he’d snuck off with, Keith starts softly singing to him.

Lance is too tipsy to think properly about what’s going on, convinces himself that the voice is just a dream. A lovely, pleasant dream.

Except Lance hears the voice again the next night, too, and he gets the chills. “Who are you?” he asks, feeling exposed. Some kind of prankster? he asks. One of the stagehands trying to freak him out?

A long, long silence. Then, “No.”

“You don’t expect me to believe you’re some kind of ghost?” But he sounds uncertain.

“I’m no one.”

“Tell me what’s going on or I’m bringing the others--we’ll find you and deal with you--”

“No!” the voice interrupts, then more calmly: “Do not tell them about me.” A pause. “Lance--”

“How do you know my name?”

“I know all about you,” the voice says, and Lance shivers, from cold or fear or something else. “I have watched you for a long time.”

When the owner of the voice refuses to give his name, Lance settles on calling him “the angel”, initially as a joke. (Over time, he might briefly question if there could be more truth to it than he’d expected, and of course eventually the title would morph into a genuine endearment: “my angel”)

- -

Keith has observed the bustle of the opera house for years but has virtually no experience interacting with people, so his first conversations with Lance are brief and neutrally formal. He tells Lance that his voice is good, and that, with some practice, his skills would be better suited for the leading role than a random dancer. Lance scoffs at this of course, but Keith offers to tutor him.

Side Note: For the sake of this AU, we pretend that the primo uomo--a phrase I just found out even existed--has an equivalent role/connotation to the prima donna. i.e. adored by fans, bit of a narcissist, theater desperate to keep him happy. Male diva, basically

So they begin lessons. Lance still half-believes Keith is just some sort of hallucination and falls head-over-heels for his mysterious new friend almost immediately. Though, on the off-chance Keith is not a figment of his imagination, he keeps his feelings (mostly) to himself.

Keith, likewise, has been in love with Lance since nearly the very beginning, though initially he’d mistaken it for some sort of disturbing, dark obsession from the depths of his “monster” soul. He continues to believe this on some level throughout the story, though little epiphanies like the way his heart lifts at Lance’s smile make him question his own inner darkness.

The two continue this mentor/student dynamic for a while, growing used to each other’s company and their new shared routine. Keith encourages Lance to let others hear him sing, and eventually Lance summons the courage to try it. His friends and fellow dancers are impressed, not to mention surprised. His popularity is now growing at the same rate as his skill in singing, and he’s eventually chosen to play a major role in a production as the Blue Lion. His performance is met with instant acclaim.

- -

[another VERY EARLY dialogue snippet that probably wouldn’t have even ended up in the final fic, for your consideration: ]

“Angel, are you there?” Lance stage-whispered to the empty room.

The corner of Keith’s mouth twitched upward. “Of course.”

Lance bounced giddily on his toes, “And?”

“The play was amazing. The ballerinas were in top form tonight.”

Lance’s expression soured instantly. “Oh, they were, were they?”

Keith couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, and he thought he saw Lance’s eyes widen slightly at the sound. “You were incredible,” he admitted, his voice dropping all teasing edge. “Bravo!”

It was difficult to tell from this distance, but Keith thought he could see the dancer’s cheeks darken.

“The Blue Lion suits you,” he continued automatically, his mouth apparently speaking on its own accord. “It’s a fine debut role for a man of your looks and talent.”

Lance’s face was definitely flushed now. He cleared his throat. “Right. Right, I knew I’d blown them away with my amazing skills. I just wanted to make sure my otherworldly tutor approved, too.”

“More than approve. I’m very proud of how far you’ve come.”

“Thank you,” Lance said softly, his shoulders relaxing. “Figment of my imagination or not, hearing you say as much means a lot.”

Keith blinked, watching his student’s face. The man who just moments ago had burst into the room full of bluster and excitement was now slumped against the wall, looking tired and relieved and… vulnerable. Why did he trust Keith so much?

“Why should my approval matter more than your audience’s?” he asked instead.

“Because they’re not in this for me,” Lance said easily. “They just want to hear the pretty music and see the pretty dancing. But you’re always helping me. You, owner of the most beautiful voice in Heaven or Earth, spend time with ME, a poor upstart dancer with no training, and patiently mold my pathetic skills into something even the clueless managers of the theater can recognize as worthy of respect. You’re the one who’s incredible.”

Keith’s face grew hot.

- -

[Here, I was having a bit of trouble with the actual plot. I waffled a LOT on what Shiro’s ultimate role in the story was going to be. I wanted to keep at least somewhat true to the overarching plot of PotO, but I’d written myself into a bit of a corner by making Shiro a kind of fusion of Carlotta and the Daroga’s/Madame Giry’s roles. :U My reasoning was that the Black Lion/leadership role in VLD translated best in this AU to the lead performer in the theater, right? Especially with that being Lance’s ultimate ambition. (Lance deserved to pilot Black in VLD and yes even after all this time I WILL die on this hill.) Therefore, even though being a celebrity vocalist seems kind of strange and out of character for Shiro, it could be worked around as a necessary side-effect of the AU as long as his personality and relationships stayed more or less intact. HOWEVER, Carlotta’s only real purpose in PotO is to be a rival/obstacle to Christine, and Shiro’s just?? too kind and good to want to hold Lance back like that??? Even contriving a reason for Lance to be given the initial Blue Lion role instead of Shiro was giving me some trouble. I was working on it and had some ideas--Shiro seeing the signs of Keith’s activity and voluntarily resigning his role in this production to keep an eye on him? Then when Lance becomes such an instant success, he grows even more suspicious and worried, because it’s not like Keith to get involved with the outside world--but it was a fairly big stumbling block and one of many reasons this project ultimately sputtered out... v_v Anyway, continuing on.]

While Lance’s ego seems to inflate massively around his peers, in private he noticeably softens. During their next tutoring session, he thanks Keith for everything he’s done and asks if there’s any way he can repay the kindness. Keith’s heart spasms and he avoids giving a direct answer, knowing that there are many things he’d like to ask of Lance but none that Lance can give.

Meanwhile Lance admits to his friend Hunk, who works in the kitchens, that he’s learned so much so quickly because he’s being taught by an “Angel”. Hunk initially laughs this off as typical Lance silliness (which is what Lance was hoping he’d do anyway), but eventually something in the way Lance talks about the heavenly tutor strikes him as a little too sincere to be a joke. He asks Lance a serious question about it and Lance blatantly backpedals a little, deepening Hunk’s suspicions.

Meanwhile, Keith is sulking and skulking even more than usual. While aimlessly wandering his secret passageways within the theater’s walls, wallowing in his own self-loathing, he stumbles into a small stagehand in the near-darkness. He seizes them and, knife held to their throat, demands to know how they found their way in, before realizing that he recognizes them as the young girl who’d been disguising herself as a boy: Gunderson. He tells her as much, insisting that he’ll expose her secret if she so much as mentions the hidden passages in the walls or how she found her way in. The girl begins apologizing and agreeing to his terms, only to suddenly knock him off-balance and shake free of his hold. She turns on him, her own dagger drawn, and is ready to start demanding her own answers when she sees his glowing yellow eyes. She instantly stills, and Keith thinks she might attack him at any moment. Instead, she simply asks, “Who are you?”

The two have a guarded conversation wherein the girl—Pidge [sort of my take on the Joseph Buquet character, though obviously unlike Buquet, Pidge lives!]—admits that her reason for infiltrating the theater under false pretenses go beyond just needing money. Pidge explains that her family, the Holts, are part of a small underground society of scientists—Cerberus—specialized in the study of “elusive species”, i.e. monsters. (Cerberus: Protecting the Threshold Between Hell and Earth?) Her father and brother had gone missing almost a year ago after following an old but promising lead on a “monster sighting” to this very building. They both come to the same conclusion: that the Holts had been looking for Keith. Pidge goes on to say that she has a hunch Keith didn’t capture or kill them himself, given how he’d not done her immediate harm. He agrees that he has no idea what happened to them, and the pair end on a truce and a promise to investigate the issue together.

[The first version of the outline had a similar first meeting with Pidge, but it also alluded to some dialogue that I really love and would likely have tried to work into the final draft: Pidge sees the purple claws of Keith’s hand and is terrified but fascinated. She admits as much to Keith, and he tells her that he has powers beyond her comprehension, that if she breathes a word of him to another soul, he’ll know and he’ll kill her. She doesn’t quite believe him, points out that the safest thing for him would have been to kill her as soon as she’d given him the information he’d wanted. He growls at her. She agrees to keep his secret if he keeps hers.]

Keith is shaken by the encounter, having assumed his hidden passages were more secure, but he can’t help but also be a a little buoyant because another human being had faced his deformity and not immediately fled or tried to kill him. Maybe there’s hope for a connection with Lance after all.

Keith makes his way to Shiro at the soonest opportunity, asking if he has any information on the Holts. Shiro is shocked by the question and admits that yes, a little over a year ago he’d been approached by someone who seemed to know too much. But he’d misdirected them, giving them a plausible-sounding false lead to get them away from the theater and away from Keith. He’d never mentioned it to Keith because he was afraid it would scare him. He isn’t sure what could have happened to them since. He asks Keith how he’s learned all this, and Keith tells him about Pidge. Shiro is concerned but trusts Keith’s judgement. He reminds him to be cautious—“you know what happened last time we tried letting someone new into our confidence”*—and Keith deflates a bit, chagrined. Shiro reminds him he doesn’t blame him for what happened back then, that he only cares that Keith is safe, and Keith thanks him, assuring Shiro that he’ll keep him updated on the investigation.

(*The incident alluded to here involved Keith, not long after being rescued by Shiro, revealing himself to Shiro’s best friend--and, though Keith didn’t realize it at the time, his romantic interest--Adam. Shiro had been struggling to articulate why he was so suddenly and adamantly leaving their home town to live in Paris. Adam seethed, “You can’t seriously be so intent on throwing away your career, your- your life with me! Takashi, how important am I to you?” Shiro could offer little response. Keith, sick of seeing his brother/guardian tormented so, stepped in and spoke up in his defense. Adam responded with fear and confusion, accusing Keith of being a demon and of manipulating Shiro. Shiro, snapping out of his panic, whirled on Adam at his accusations: “Enough.” He explained to Adam that he’d hoped to introduce the two someday, when things were quieter and more settled. That he’d hoped a man as logical and idealist as Adam would understand and accept Keith, but that that day had taught him otherwise. Shiro led Keith away, voice cracking as he left Adam with one final request**: “If you truly care for me, never reveal what you saw today to another soul.”)

(**Adam comes back into Shiro’s life, of course. Cerberus, following a trail of rumors and stories through the European countryside, had essentially tracked Keith to the small town where he and Shiro had met. There, they’d hit a dead end and spent the next several months trying to find another lead, until finally Adam, in his own personal search for answers, had crossed paths with Sam and Matt Holt. Upon discovering that they were interested in these eerie, yellow-eyed, human-like creatures, but not in harming them, he agreed to share his information with them, on one condition: he must be allowed to tag along on the mission to find it. They happily agreed, and eventually the trio found themselves in Paris. The Holts interviewed Shiro--careful not to reveal their source, per Adam’s wishes--but they were unable to extract many details from him. Shiro refused to provide them with anything but feigned ignorance and a hint that he’d heard tales from his colleagues of a violet-haired monster in the Alps. They skeptically related their findings back to Adam, who dismissed the story outright, lamenting, “Takashi is as terrible a liar as he ever was. Your creature is still here; I’m even more sure of it now.” Before the Cerberus crew could decide on their next plan of attack, however, they were descended upon by cloaked assailants, some with glowing yellow eyes.)

Two weeks pass without any progress in finding more information on the Holts. Having spoken with Pidge multiple times now, he is shocked to find how comfortable their interactions can be. How normal. Since her initial (and understandable) defensiveness, she hasn’t shown any fear or unwarranted caution toward him. They slowly become allies, maybe even friends. Keith has a rare moment of introspection and realizes that—with this major counterexample to his old “humanity will reject you” mindset—he doesn’t have a good reason to hide himself from Lance anymore. He’s still absolutely terrified of the idea, of course, but he also can’t resist the curiosity, the irresistible pull.

He decides to throw caution to the wind and, without allowing himself time to chicken out, admits to Lance that he’s never danced before. He refers back to Lance’s offer of “repaying kindness” and asks Lance to teach him. Lance isn’t sure how to respond. He stutters and asks what Keith means, and Keith manages to say again that he wants to learn to dance. From Lance. In the flesh. “Will you teach me?” Still stunned, Lance squeaks out an affirmative and asks when. Before he can change his mind, Keith blurts, “Tomorrow night?”

This gives Keith enough time to scrounge together a decent outfit, a cloak, and a mask. He knows deep down that Lance still hasn’t considered the depth of what’s happening, and thus Keith can’t spring everything on him at once. However, he steels his nerves and shows up to Lance’s dorm after the evening’s performance has concluded.

Lance returns to the room, visibly giddy in his own anticipation. Keith watches him silently from behind the mirror, torn between exhilaration and dread at what comes next. Lance calls out for him and Keith remains frozen. Lance, expression crumbling, questions his own sanity aloud. Keith can’t bear the sight of his despair and speaks up: “Bravo, again.”

They exchange pleasantries but can’t stall forever, and finally Keith asks if Lance is ready to meet his teacher. Lance, in disbelief, says yes. Keith uncovers a lantern, breaking the illusion of the mirror and revealing himself.

Lance is inwardly disappointed that the disguise obstructs so much of his view, but is still in awe that he can see Keith—can touch him. “I’m either completely sane or even worse than I thought,” he marvels.

Keith leads Lance by the hand into his labyrinth of passageways. Heart pounding, he directs Lance a relatively dry and open part of his lair, lit by a myriad of candles and lanterns, light reflecting off the stones. Lance is completely speechless and clings to Keith’s hand like he expects him to vanish at any moment.

He teaches Keith to dance. It’s exceedingly awkward. When ballet proves to be out of Keith’s reach, he asks if there are any other forms of dance Lance could teach him instead. Lance hesitates, but suggests the waltz. Keith, helpless to his own desire for contact, agrees.

After a long moment, Keith turns to him, and, awkwardly, raises his arms in a shy mimicry of a waltz stance. Lance clears his throat too loudly and takes his hands, launching into a lesson. After several minutes of going over the basics and Keith beginning to practice the movements, Lance breaks a comfortable silence to ask Keith if he has a name. Keith tells him, and they fall silent for several more minutes before Keith abruptly steps away, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact--the closeness is too good, he wants too much, he needs space... He ends the lesson there, claiming he has other obligations.

He motions for Lance to follow and begins heading back toward the passages, but Lance wordlessly reaches out and grabs hold of his hand. They both tell themselves it’s for his safety.

When they return to Lance’s room, Keith slips his hand free from Lance’s. Lance, doing his best to hide his rising panic, asks when Keith’s next lesson will take place. Keith says it’s up to his instructor. Lance, disbelieving, grins and says it will be after his own next voice lesson. Keith can’t entirely smother his own answering smile as he returns to the dark recesses of the opera house.

More time passes. They both continue their lessons.

Despite knowing Keith’s name now, Lance continues to call him Angel for the most part (Keith thinks it’s like a title, but it’s 100% an endearment). Keith encounters Pidge in another secret passage. She’s unrepentant but shows him the weakness in his defenses. They’re slowly becoming friends. Keith is baffled.

During one such meeting with Pidge, she asks about the “poltergeist activity” he’s stirring up. He asks what she means. “Objects going missing, ropes swinging by themselves, mysterious noises in the dead of night… People won’t shut up about the theater being haunted. You mean you’re not doing it on purpose?” Worried by this revelation, he tells her no, he must have just been careless. He’s been distracted lately. “But maybe you should be doing it on purpose,” she suggests. The rumor has had long enough to build up now that she’s quite certain even the managers of the opera house are getting superstitious. “Use the paranoia to your advantage. Make some demands.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know—start small, test the waters.” When Keith draws a blank, she chirps, “Make them leave you a vacant seat! If they do it, you can let it sit empty and follow up by saying you appreciated the view during the play—they’ll wet themselves!”

Keith chuckles dismissively but decides to try it. Before long, the Opera Ghost goes from rumor to legend, and Keith has his own undisturbed box from which he can watch performances.

- -

[After that, it’s mostly a few poorly-thought-out ideas (like veering into Keith resenting Shiro over hiding him away instead of giving him a chance at a normal life, which might have ended up getting touched on briefly in the final draft but not to the extent that Keith would come to hate Shiro or want to harm him or anything), and all-caps half-thoughts like “RED LION INSTEAD OF MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH”.]

[However... there was ONE more scene that I did have written, and it was the sappiest, cheesiest, most self-indulgent goddamn thing ever and might have even ended up as the final scene of the entire fic. Re-reading it after all these years still makes me feel some things about these characters and I didn’t want to leave it to rot in the black hole of my computer without at least letting people share in the fun of the AU itself. SO, all that said, I now proudly present to you, LE PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE........]

- -

“No more talk of darkness. Forget your wide-eyed fears. I’m here—nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you…”

Keith lets out a strangled sound. He can’t believe his ears.

“Let me be your freedom,” Lance continues, his hand rising to Keith’s face to brush at the wetness there. “Let daylight dry your tears...”

Keith’s breathing hitches and he flinches away, but Lance draws him back in, voice steady and grounding.

“I’m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.”

Here is this beautiful man, this being of pure light, soothing Keith with honey-sweet words, touching him, blue eyes smoldering violet in the firelight as he watches Keith’s face. He’s waiting for Keith to pick up the duet, the silence stretching on a beat too long as Keith shakes his head violently.

“Let me be your shelter, let me be your light,” Lance continues after a moment, undeterred. Keith stares back at him, the image wavering as more tears threaten to spill. “You’re safe. No one will find you. Your fears are far behind you…”

“All I want is freedom,” Keith gasps, his voice sounding distant and strange to his own ears. “A world with no more night. And you,” he clutches the front of Lance’s shirt, ducking his head down and away from Lance’s searching gaze, “always beside me.” His volume drops impossibly lower. “To hold me and to hide me…”

Lance tilts his chin up so that their eyes meet again. He smiles. “Then say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime.” Keith’s heart stops. “Let me lead you from your solitude…”

Lance places his hands on either side of Keith’s face, thumb brushing reverently through the soft fur on his cheek. “Say you need me with you here, beside you.” Lance closes his eyes and brings their foreheads together. He stops singing, desperately whispering instead, “Anywhere you go, let me go, too. Please, Keith… That’s all I ask of you.”

Keith lets out another choked sound, and he’s not sure if it's a sob or a laugh. His fingers shake where he’s still holding onto the taller man’s shirt. He clings to the familiar words of the song like a lifeline, the only refuge in this cyclone of emotions threating to tear him to pieces. He knows what comes next, knows Lance wants him to continue, “Say you love me—"

“You know I do,” the response is so quick it nearly overlaps.

Keith’s heart swells and he suddenly feels weightless and dizzy. “You—” he pulls away to peer up at him. “You do?” he asks, nearly inaudible.

Lance grins, the flash of dazzling white teeth enough to knock the breath out of Keith’s chest once more. His hands fall to Keith’s waist and he spins them both around in a graceful twirl. “You think I’d abandon you after all we’ve been through?”

“That’s not—” Keith clears his throat, head buzzing. “Not leaving is not the same as—”

“Angel,” Lance murmurs, expression softening into something so sincere it makes Keith’s heart stutter. “My angel. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

Keith blinks, sucks in a long, steadying breath. He hesitates only a moment before leaning his full weight into Lance’s chest, fingertips brushing his shoulderblades in what was surely a sorry excuse for a hug. “Anywhere you go, let me go too...”

Lance returns the hug, and Keith can feel Lance’s lips brush the top of his head. He can practically feel the smile tugging at them.

“Love me,” Lance begins.

And their soft voices weave together, muffled by the closeness: “That’s all I ask of you.”

❤💙

#my fic #Voltron #Klance #I've been meaning to go through and organize this into a post for a little while now #because I wanted to share it even if it's a bit of a scattered mess #....man. despite everything. I still love these characters

2 notes · View notes

delaneytveit · 3 years

Text

Satellites Part 14

LOLOL Tumblr really didn’t want me to post this part, first it wouldn’t let me transfer the story, then it completely deleted the post, then it wouldn’t let me copy and paste, then it deleted it again.

The things I go through to update on here.

Well in the original I was super excited to tell you guys that I got a new job but ummm excitement has depleted with this h3llsite’s choice of violence. anywaysss... come say hi to me on twitter! I need new vld friends and also if you’re feeling generous, maybe consider supporting me on ko-fi?

Twitter - sfw -> @/spacemom_laney | nsfw -> @/15_agentwash

ko-fi - ko-fi.com/delaneym_15

Now lets get back to Lance and the gang!

(Part 13) (Masterpost) (Part 15)

It was a few hours before the rest of the team returned. Long after dinner, Keith, Lance and Coran stood on the bridge, ready to welcome the beaten and battered team back.

As much as the three knew about the team’s state, it didn’t dismiss the fact that once they had finally entered the room, they were able to fully relax.

Apparently, the mission had gone well. A good amount of information had been acquired, which though bittersweet for Lance, he felt a swell of pride for his fellow paladins. They had pulled off the mission well.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. His friends had seen where he had been held. Where he had been stripped of himself and put back together. They had seen what had been done to him.

However the longer he heard about the message, the more confused he got. That didn’t sound like a testing facility. It didn’t sound like anything besides a normal ship. That couldn't be right. Project Leo was a research project, an ever going experimentation.

“Hold on, are you sure you went to the right ship?” He asked, interrupting one of Pidge’s rambles.

“Uh, yeah! Don’t you have ears? We literally said that we got the info we needed!” Pidge exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

“Hold on Pidge, let Lance talk.” Lance was grateful for Shiro, statement. As much as he knew Pidge didn’t mean to be cruel, it hurt that she thought she knew more about this project than the literal subject of it.

Pidge huffed, but didn’t say anything else. Instead she along with everyone else looked at Lance expectantly.

“What you’re describing sounds nothing like where I was held. I thought the mission was to infiltrate a testing facility.”

“Hold on, you mean there's more ships?” Keith exclaimed. Of course there were more ships. There’s no way they’d only have one ship, why didn’t anyone even think about that? Keith felt like an idiot and by the look on everyone’s faces, save for Lance, the feeling was shared.

“Well I was held in a testing facility. That was how they were able to do all of the um...experiments.” Lance hated talking about it, but he knew he would have to someday. “So if there was no lab, which you guys definitely would not have been able to miss, then yeah there's more than one ship.”

The team stared at him dumbfounded. No one really knew what to say.

Pidge had been positive that the ship they were infiltrating for the mission was the same one that Lance had been held on. It was clear now heer mistake and she cursed herself for not thinking about it. If Lance had gone with them, he would have known instantly.

“Well, now we know.” Shiro stated simply.

Everyone seemed to agree with that, and the conversation was quickly steered away to focus on the information Pidge and Hunk were able to steal.

Thus began the day of sifting through files.

Shiro had ordered everyone to rest before dinner so that they could talk more about it. They had a lot to work with and apparently a lot more questions to ask Lance.

The team was gathered in the lounge room, the sound of various conversations filled the air as Pidge sat on the couch, fully engrossed in her typing. Sure Shiro had said that they needed to rest, the mission wasn’t that hard but it had taken a significant amount of time and it was no doubt that everyone was tired - the Green Paladin could only sit still for so long.

She was searching through some files and attempting to get them translated. It was a long process and she was sure that she would be up until the early hours of the morning and still only have finished half of them.

She was mourning her sleep when a voice startled her. Lance had leaned over, apparently he had questioned what Pidge was doing, though she was too distracted to hear him.

Pidge watched as Lance’s eyes grew wide at the sight on her screen.

“Pidge, are those the files from today?” he asked, the room instantly went quiet.

“I-I was just translating them.” she didn’t know why she was feeling uncomfortable about it, but she did, immensely. Maybe it was the look on Lance’s face, or the unmistakable tenseness of his body.

It was clear his demeanor was seen by everyone as Keith leaned towards the Blue Paladin and placed a hand on his arm. “Lance?”

He took a few more seconds to stare at the screen before pointing at the numbers at the top of the current file.

Subject 7234.

“That’s me.”

Pidge had been given the green light to get as much out of the files as possible. She was determined to find out as much as she could out of the information, for Lance’s sake. They needed to know the extent that he went through during his experimentation.

Pidge halted her typing momentarily.

Lance had been experimented on. Her friend, her brother, had gone through this process. Had been treated as nothing more than a lab rat for who knows how long. From the information she had already translated, it was clear that the process was a lengthy one. Lengthy and painful. Lance had been subjected a whole new form of torture for the gain of scientific knowledge.

And he remembered almost all of it.

She didn’t think she would ever get the look on his face out of her mind. The haunted look of realization as he read the numbers. They gave him fucking numbers. Called him by fuckin numbers. They reduced him to those numbers, as if that was all he was.

As if he wasn’t a human being. A person, with a family, dreams, desires.

But none of that mattered to them, and they had made it known.

The more she learned about the process, the more horrified she became. How had Lance endured all of that? How was he still alive?

The next day, the team met on the bridge to discuss Pidge’s findings.

“So, any knews?” Hunk asked. He had been feeling uneasy since the mission. The thought of his best friend having to go through what he did completely alone broke him.

“Well, we know that they were trying to enhance their soldiers. I found out a little bit of their process.” Pidge announced. “Essentially they were testing a serum that enhanced the subject on a genetic level, targeting the DNA specifically.”

“Uhh, Pidge, audience.” Shiro reminded her.

“Right, basically whatever they did, they wanted to make it permanent. So instead of like introducing lab made hormones and stuff, they were making Lance’s genes exhibit extreme versions of themselves.”

Keith had been listening quietly, but something just wasn’t adding up. If he had only paid more attention in biology. “I don’t get it, what exactly did they do?”

Pidge huffed, “Think Captain America, but without the dramatic reveal, and a much, much longer process. The serum at even a low dose would speed up Lance’s genetic metabolism and hormone production to a lethal speed. But too low wouldn’t give any results, so they had to introduce it over time.”

“Over time?” Hunk asked, he had been nervously twiddling and picking at his fingers since the conversation had started.

“Four doses.” It was the first time Lance had spoken that day besides a goodmorning at breakfast. He was sitting on the platform of the consol, his eyes never leaving the floor. “They did four doses over the span of 8 weeks. The first two were separated by five weeks, the last two were only a week apart from each other.”

There was a heavy silence in the room, stretching longer than comfortable but no one seemed able to break it. It seemed that with more answers they only got more questions about the project.

“So, they were trying to make super soldiers, right?” Keith finally asked.

Pidge nodded.

“But something isn’t making sense. If they were trying to enhance their own soldiers, then why use Lance?”

“Why would they test it on their own soldiers?” It was Lance that answered Keith’s question, eyes finally looking up at the group before him. “Think about it, all the other tests failed, why would they risk perfectly good Galra Soldiers.”

“...But yours didn’t.” Keith pointed out.

“It almost.”

#vld lance #lance serrano #lance mcclain #langst #ahhh poor boy #it builds character I promise #also the team is slowly getting an understanding of what happened to lance #how will they handle it?#how will Keith handle it???

12 notes · View notes

arinaco · 4 years

Text

Role of the Dark Entity in the VLD series

Translated and edited by @ Nadezhda932

This short meta focuses on a very important element of the VLD series, completely overlooked as a result of the changes in S8. It never received any explanation, although it appeared in S3 for the first time. Namely - the Dark Entity (hereinafter - DE). I thought about its importance when I analyzed the scenes with Allura in Clear Day episode (S8Ep8) and came to interesting conclusions. But ... let's start in order. The first time DE appears in flashbacks, in the story of Coran (S3Ep7). When Alfor comes to visit his friend Honerva, she tells him that only one creature has responded to the signal she sent to the Rift. The creature was a small floating ball that Honerva placed in a flask. Alfor already then felt that it wouldn't end well, but the cycle of events, alas, was launched, and the alchemist king turned into a passive observer of the impending tragedy. At that time, we learned only one thing: that in the Rift between realities, where there's an endless stream of the purest quintessence, such dark creatures live. That is, for them the quintessence is a natural habitat and a natural source of nutrition, since there's simply nothing else there. And this is very (!) Important. Because you need to remember that in the ordinary world, the quintessence is only inside living beings: planets, flora and fauna. Moreover, the concentration of the quintessence inside living bodies is several times less than in the Rift. Just compare. We got to know what the raw quintessence looks like in the episode where paladins get to an imperial staging post (S1Ep12), and Keith tries to steal a vessel with a purple quintessence. The Red paladin is wounded in the arm and crashes into a flask of yellow - raw - quintessence. And having already escaped from the kind, sweet druid, he looks in amazement as, thanks to this yellow liquid, the wound on his hand heals right before his eyes (however, at that moment he was more alarmed by the purple tint of his own blood than by the very fact of healing).

The yellow flask is as tall as Keith, and the resulting violet one fits in the hand...

Quintessence is the energy of life. The yellow quintessence is the energy that is present in an ordinary living organism in normal natural concentration (someone has more of it, someone has less of it, I don’t know what the process of its extraction is). It's weak, but completely harmless. It healed Keith without harming him.

One large flask of yellow quintessence produces a small flask of purified violet quintessence. And I think that even less is the more powerful blue. And in the Rift, the quintessence was in an absolutely pure - white - form, completely intolerable for normal living beings. Yes, the quintessence is the energy of life itself and can't kill (that is, according to the logic of the series, Lotor just couldn't die in the Rift), but this doesn't mean that its overdose will lead to good consequences. The purple quintessence made the warden at Beta Traz (S2Ep10) swell like a balloon; with the help of blue quintessence they created a real monster (S5Ep5); the pure stream burned Honerva and Zarkon's brains in just a couple of minutes, and melted Lotor like cheese in the microwave.

Nothing from our universe has been able to survive the passage through the Rift.

Because they deformed so much that they ceased to be themselves.

In some way it was lucky, because next to it was a delicious Altean alchemist. As we know, even an ordinary Altean produces quintessence more than other races, and a powerful alchemist turns into a walking battery. In addition, Zarkon visited his wife periodically and became an excellent addition to the main course.

As a result, when Alfor came to check on his friend, he was surprised to notice that she had lost interest in him and was overly enthusiastic about research. And even Zarkon, who was initially wary of research, now also supported it.

This is because the quintessence diet wasn't the only feature of the entity. Remember how it got to Honerva in the first place: the entity responded to the signal sent to the Rift, sent to search for intelligent races, which means that DE is in a sense a kind of intelligent creatures (which "predates time itself", S8Ep8). And due to the lack of material organs, most likely, the entities communicated with each other through telepathy. The entity possessed mental abilities and, seeing a stable source of power in Honerva, tried to keep her close to itself, and also influenced Zarkon so that he fully supported his wife's aspirations.

I thought we've discussed this. We must exercise caution.

Alfor, belatedly realizing that it's not very smart to investigate an incomprehensible thing, tries to urge his friends to be careful. And it seems that at that particular moment he could have succeeded, because the DE's reaction to this statement was comparable to the reaction of an indignant cat - it immediately released the needles and hissed. And then, almost immediately, a whole wave of the entities poured out of the Rift. I think, it didn't like the new living space in the flask, and feeling a threat to life, the entity used its mental abilities and called for help.

Yes, if you think about it, then a fairly clear logical chain is built: Alfor showed aggression towards the entity - the entity was frightened - a whole wave of its relatives poured out of the Rift. They didn't just attack Daibazaal - they responded to the call for help. The entities clearly had a mutual mental connection, and maybe something like a collective intelligence. They even knew how to merge into a single organism that works no less harmoniously than Voltron.

As a result, literally a stone's throw from the capital, the planet was invaded by an army of dark creatures. Yes, Alfor and Honerva managed to stop the main stream, but who said they were able to trap all entities? Zarkon later stated that if urgent measures weren't taken, his people would be exterminated, which means that the entities had a chance to demonstrate their abilities. Perhaps only the security of the complex suffered, or maybe some of the creatures escaped from its borders, because there was a large lively city nearby. Having lost their natural source of food, the DE infiltrated the first victims, and the Galra died from exhaustion, since they didn't have a high level of quintessence like the Alteans. They literally turned into mummies in front of the doctors. The only thing that saved from the general pandemic was that it seemed that the entity couldn't leave the host itself and died with them, otherwise the DE would have jumped between the victims until they completely exterminated the Galra people (I'll explain a little later what led me to this idea). But not only the Galra were among the victims. Honerva said that Kova suffered from the influence of DE, and she had to treat him with quintessence. It was thanks to this that she discovered that the quintessence is the energy of life, capable of even giving immortality, and after such processing, Kova himself was able to survive even in outer space (S8Ep2). At that moment, Honerva believed that the entity simply hurt/badly affected her pet. No one could have imagined that DE isn't just an intelligent species, but capable of inhabiting living beings and even influencing their minds.

He revealed the truth to us.

Kova became unexpectedly aggressive towards Alfor in the absence of any clear reason.

And that was very bad, because Honerva herself became a victim of the parasite. She was an Altean and also an alchemist, and therefore at the beginning didn't even notice the "tenant". It ate hearty, almost without harming its feeder, even helped in some way - for example, it suggested to Honerva that the quintessence could save Kova from "illness", otherwise why would she even think of treating her beloved cat with a source of energy for ships and equipment? But. Just because an entity found a stable host doesn't mean that it was content with its position. The entity wanted to go home back to the Rift and began to influence its host to help in this. And therefore, after the death of the monster, despite all the troubles that it had caused, Honerva suddenly announced that she wanted to continue research. And Zarkon's behavior looks absurd at all: first, he demanded from Alfor to urgently use Voltron to save his people, and then almost immediately didn't care of Daibazaal's well-being and supported Honerva in her desire to continue working on the Rift.

My planet, my people ...

You would risk your entire planet, the entire solar system? For what?

And all because the entity tried to take control of him too. It no longer just sat in a flask, as happened with its predecessor. It had a feeder in the form of a powerful alchemist, and it was able to draw energy from her in sufficient quantities to spread its influence. And although the influence on Zarkon was weaker than on Honerva, it was still present enough for the Galra emperor to blindly agree with his wife.

Unfortunately, Alfor never understood what was happening. He thought that the prospect of owning the quintessence had simply overshadowed Zarkon's eyes, he didn't notice how dramatically his friend had changed. And even after whole years, the alchemist king realized that something bad was happening only after visiting Daibazaal years later. Apparently, away from his wife, Zarkon behaved quite adequately, because he got rid of the influence of the essence. But next to her he became blind and deaf, repeating the words of his wife like a dummy. As a result, the paladins continued their heroism, and the entity continued to eat Honerva and influence Zarkon. And at first no one noticed the changes. After all, the Alteans in S8 also didn't notice that the entities were harming them. When Honerva informed Zarkon that she was expecting a baby, she looked gray-haired but still as young as when she first appeared on screen. The body of the great alchemist more or less coped with one parasite. But when the fetus grew and began to draw all the juices from the mother, Honerva's health deteriorated. And the mind too, because the entity, sensing the critical state of the host, began to worry and increased its pressure.

A huge difference with a timeline of several months.

Remember what Lotor said about his mother's logs. According to him, at the very end, the recordings were made... as if by another person. Feverish, insane and disorderly. Fear and paranoia appeared in them.

She's frantic, paranoid, erratic, her reason and intellect have gone.

But what could Honerva be afraid of? Where did she get paranoia? She was expecting a child and was happy with the thought that she would give the empire her son, knowledge and a bright future. And all because it wasn't her emotions. The entity sensed that its host was dying and panicked. DE was afraid for its life and was afraid that it would be revealed when the host became very bad. It panicked and at times even subdued the body, trying to write something itself.

Therefore, when Alfor received disturbing news about Daibazal's condition and decided to visit a friend, he saw Honerva aged and... not quite in an adequate condition. Not realizing that Zarkon and his wife were under the influence of the DE, the alchemist king quarreled with them and left, slamming the door, although he was probably the only one who could help them in this situation.

After the conversation, Honerva faints as her condition reaches a critical point.

Remember what Honerva said when Zarkon desperately asked how to help her? She said she needed quintessence. Because the entity sensed that the host wasn't doing well and broadcast signals for help. Honerva asked to open the Rift not because of a clouding of her mind, but because DE really wanted to return home and save its life.

Quintessence is life.

For Honerva and DE - literally.

If we collect all the scraps of her phrases together, then we get this:

"We must... we must have it...we must have it... get back, get back, get back... quin... quintessence... quintessence is life... into the R... into the Rift. We must... we must have Voltron. Voltron! Voltron! This is the only way"

And it can be understood approximately like this:

"We must return to quintessence in the Rift. The quintessence is life. We need Voltron, only this can help"

And... who are "we"? Zarkon, of course, thought to himself, but who said that Honerva was talking about him?

If Alfor knew what was happening, if he tried to help Honerva, he might have saved both the mother and the child, as Allura saved Tavo (S8Ep8). In our situation, events developed in a sad direction: Zarkon deceived his friends in a desperate attempt to save his wife. And look: when Zarkon climbed out of the Lion with Honerva in his arms, they were immediately surrounded by entities. Because they were waiting to take one of their kind home. They didn't attack the paladins first, they were just going to take Honerva.

But one way or another, the DE's plan fell through. It remained inside Honerva, while Zarkon returned from the Rift with a burnt-out brain and a parasite inside. Actually, then even Lotor got the DE. The doctor noted that the child had the same strange energy background as the parents, and expressed concern that it wouldn't be possible to save the empress. Now there were already two entities and a child sitting inside - no wonder Honerva was getting worse and worse. And the poor nurse Haggar died simply because even the charge received from the Rift wasn't enough to survive Honerva. No alchemical gift was enough to cope with such a burden.

She only seems to become aware when we administer her Quintessence.

From this it's possible to draw conclusions about how the “illness” proceeded in other people, and it's weighty to assume that the entity couldn't leave the host of its own accord, dying with them. Otherwise, the DE would have left Honerva as soon as she began to fade.

Honerva only survived because Zarkon took care of a constant supply of the quintessence for his wife. Now he himself turned into a feeder and needed nourishment from the outside, since he was neither an Altean, nor an alchemist. The entity inside him, like all its relatives who fell into this world, wanted to return home, and therefore gradually a manic desire developed in Zarkon not only to get more quintessence, but also to return Voltron, as the only weapon capable of opening the Rift again. That's why he considered the creation of Alfor so special and necessary, despite the fact that the empire itself perfectly coped with the spread of its influence in the universe.

Moreover, in this situation, it's worthwhile to clearly distinguish between the change in character of Zarkon and his mania. Since the change in character was due to irradiation with pure concentrated quintessence, and mania appeared due to the presence of a parasite.

How the entity influenced Lotor remains questionable. The statement that it's DE who made him extract energy from the Alteans can be dismissed at once: first, as a prince of the Galra, he could receive the quintessence in the official way in any quantity and even take a bath of quintessence every day; secondly, even before birth he was irradiated with pure energy, which not only endowed him with immortality, but also awakened the sleeping gift of the alchemist. That is, Lotor didn't need personal consumption of the quintessence. On the other hand, his quest to end his mother's research may seem a little intrusive... but only slightly when compared to Honerva's obsessive research. Lotor was cold-blooded and non-fanatic about development, believing that research could solve the empire's energy issue. Therefore, the most stable theory is that, having settled in an unborn child, the entity simply fell asleep and slept peacefully for ten thousand years, signing with the energy of its immortal host.

But let's get back to Honerva, as her postpartum changes affected the future of the entire universe. Having given birth to a son, Honerva got rid of two parasites at once and, thanks to the influx of quintessence, gradually returned to normal. She didn't remember her past, but at some point she managed to realize that "a guest worker" was sitting in her body. Perhaps this knowledge came to her during a crisis, when the entity tried to contact everyone and asked for help. Being a great alchemist, Honerva no longer just put up with the intruder and obey it, but, on the contrary, set her own rules. From a parasite, the entity turned into a subordinate symbiont and shared its abilities with Honerva. It was from DE that Haggar received the gift of influencing other people's minds and drawing energy from living beings, which led to the creation of the Komar. Before her, none of the alchemists possessed such talents, and only Allura showed similar skills after a Clear Day episode. Haggar ceased to be just a feeder, she began to purposefully use the entity for her own purposes, and it had only to obey. As you can see, Haggar supported Zarkon in everything, but at the same time she was inclined to destroy Voltron rather than use it, and this is a consequence of the fact that the DE lost its control over her, turning into a humble servant.

One of the questions I asked myself while watching the show was who the druids of Haggar were and why they worship her so much. The druids had similar abilities, and I couldn't help thinking that Haggar was conducting experiments on the Alteans and turning them into her minions. But in the light of these considerations, everything turns out to be much simpler: Haggar gave dark entities to her subordinates/laboratory assistants and taught them to use them. For them, it became a revelation and a special gift, and therefore they treated their high priestess with such respect, and the needs of the essence were easily satisfied with the quintessence available to them.

And by the way, the real Lotor couldn't know about all this, since he was born much later than the events on Daibazaal. Lotor was aware that Haggar was able to read other people's minds and therefore became a real paranoid, but had no idea about the nature of this ability.

Entities like this gave Haggar the ability to conquer the worlds...

Lotor just couldn't know about it either.

What does Lotor's degree of falsity have to do with it? And here we need to move on to the events of Clear Day episode and the scenes with Allura, which made me think about the importance of the DE for the plot. And yes, on Clear Day we meet a different prince than the one who accompanied us throughout most of the series. Remember the moment Tavo was saved. Sam put the entity in a flask, and the first thing the entity tried to do was to take control of Allura. But the fact that Sam interrupted the process doesn't mean that DE stopped there. It's hungry, it lost her host - well, how can you resist a walking battery right in front of your nose?

And all of Allura's dreams, all visions didn't just appear out of thin air. DE really wanted a new host for itself, it aimed at Allura and wasn't going to stop. And note an interesting point: the longer Allura was near the entity, the closer she was to it, the larger the DE became. How small it was after being removed from the Tavo, and how huge it became by the end of the episode. First, the DE dug at the very top of her consciousness, and saw regret for her motherland and mother, because Allura just turned off the hologram with her parents before going to bed. Then it dug a little more and saw Lance. And then it dug in the very depths, saw Lotor and realized that yes - it would work.

Look at this frame and remember the frame with Honerva that I inserted above.

They (who edited S8) tried to show us that the terrible ghost of Lotor inclines Allura to something bad, but in reality Lotor didn't send anyone or anything. Lotor doesn't know alchemy and doesn't know how to control entities. How does he even know what kind of creatures they are? After all, he's a very proud man and will never beg anyone for himself. Why would he come and ask for help a woman who actually betrayed him and left him to die? The entity just wanted to eat and get a new host. And this whole performance with visions had one specific goal - to get Allura to free the parasite. And in order to achieve what it wanted, the DE showed Allura what she wanted to see. With these scenes, we were actually shown to whom at a given moment Allura had the greatest trust and affection, whom she wanted to see, and therefore they tried to either cut out or alter the scenes, because they clearly showed that memories of her mother became the main hook for Allura, and most importantly - Lotor. ...however, they didn't succeed. The scenes still look like Allura chased Lance away and indulges in erotic dreams of Lotor...

And laughing Lotor at the very end of the episode is the joy of the very DE that it achieved its goal. And it said to Allura "Follow me!" because in some way it decided to fulfill the desire of the new host. Want to chat with Lotor? I'll deal with it - in the end, my relative is sitting in him, and we have a mental connection with each other. And it was the understanding that such a connection between entities exists that allowed Allura to then penetrate into Honerva's mind. But first, Allura had to figure out that yes - there was a connection. And she could only figure out, only realizing that it was thanks to the presence of the DE inside that she was able to connect with Lotor. Does it look logical? It is logical. And I can easily imagine the beginning of their conversation, when Lotor is surprised at the appearance of Allura in his mind/dream, and she exclaims in amazement that he himself called her. A situation will arise that requires a retelling of the events that have taken place, which will make Lotor understand that now Allura is ready to listen to him and is capable of a reasonable dialogue.

On the other hand, Alfor's worries becomes more justified. He was frightened not just by the self-will of his daughter, who decided to play with an unknown force. Before his eyes the example of his own best friend, who suffered from a parasite, arose, and after all, Honerva was an experienced and powerful alchemist. He was afraid that Allura would also become a victim of the entity, and therefore began to persuade his daughter to abandon the dangerous idea. Yes, Alfor was prone to hyper-custody, but he wasn't as bad a father as they tried to show us in S8.

But at what cost?

And after all that has been described, only one question remains: how did the history of the DE come to an end - but alas, it's no longer possible to find out, since the end of this storyline was simply cut off. Perhaps the entities managed to somehow come to an agreement with Allura, and she helped them return home, because in the end this is exactly what they wanted most.

Personally, I'm simply glad that, despite the flair of alchemy aka magic, Voltron turned out to be much closer to science fiction than to a space opera, and the events have a more weighty explanation than just a magical plot twist that arose at the behest of the screenwriter. A parasite from another reality, a higher mind as the last stage in the evolution of an intelligent being - these are quite classic elements of this genre, very elegantly blended into the outline of the series.

#VLD #voltron #haggar #honerva #zarkon #Allura

33 notes · View notes