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Moon in Gemini Man - Unlock The Love In His Heart

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Moon in Gemini Man - Unlock The Love In His Heart

Optimistic, smart, outgoing, and funny. If you have found a moon in Gemini man then you have found the life of the party.

He is always on the go, bouncing from discussion to discussion, amazing everyone with his charm and intellect. But even the moon Gemini can be sometimes too smart for his own good.

If the Gemini is identified with his dark side, it produces a guy who is emotionally disconnected and directionless in life. So, how does he treat others?

Moon in Gemini Man Key Features

Positives

Optimistic

Friendly

Intelligent

Social, and a

Adaptable

Negatives

Flighty

Disconnected

Indecisive

Manipulative

Ideal Partner

Someone outgoing, smart, open-minded, adventurous, who likes to talk a lot.

Needs To Work On

Connecting with his emotions and respecting the feelings of others.

Positive Traits

The happy-go-lucky Gemini moon guy makes a great companion for those who like to explore all of life, jumping around from one thing to the next.

He likes to be intellectually stimulated and is open to trying out the whole buffet that is life, and then going back for seconds.

This Gemini male can be extremely entertaining and usually, has a smart wit, the type to pull out one-liners that simply amaze those who surround him in his wide social circle.

Yes, he is a popular guy. Not only because of his charm but also because he is an optimist with an A-plus attitude that pulls in friends and associates like a magnet.

Gemini represents communication, and the male is usually a master wordsmith. He can either sell you beachfront property in Montana or verbally express ideas and philosophies that can help the masses in major ways.

It turns out his flightiness mixed with his inquisitive nature serves him well in most instances. As represented by his zodiac sign of the twins this man can balance a lot of ideas at once.

Likely, he has multiple interests and projects he works on and you are more than welcome to join him if you can keep up. Though, it takes a special mind to do so.

Negative Traits

This man’s moon sign is in Gemini, which is an air sign. So, he filters his emotional experiences through his intellect.

If not careful, he can be disconnected from his feelings because he tries to analyze them from an intellectual standpoint, and because of this disconnect, the Gemini man may unplug himself from his emotional outlet altogether.

He can be sharp mentally, yet cold emotionally. This recipe sets the Gemini moon guy to be crude and even belittling of others.

A moon man on the dark side of Gemini can be vain and manipulative. Since he is shut off from his emotions and the emotions of others, he sees no problem in using others.

He can be pretty good at it too. The Gemini male is known for his two sides; the twins. As a natural-born actor, he can fill any role.

Gemini Moon and Love

This moon in Gemini can be flighty, jumping from one experience to another, and in conversation skipping from one topic to the next so fast, it will make your head spin.

But is he the same way with his romances? Possibly???

He may hop from partner to partner, looking for a real connection, or maybe he is a tough one to get to commit.

However, once he is settled with someone, he will need to keep the relationship fresh by changing things up regularly. He will not try to do this by his might, it will occur naturally.

You cannot expect him to surrender to any type of schedule. He probably will not like to have a set date night or anything close.

A relationship with the Gemini moon is more like going with the flow.

For the romantic at heart, this will be fresh air. The adaptable Gemini man will not only be full of surprises, but he is also content with doing the things that you want to do too.

He aims to please and he is only happy if he feels that he is making his partner happy. He will do amazing things that most guys will not, like admit that you are right, or that he is at fault.

He craves to be the hero in the eyes of the woman he loves, but things need to be done in a subtle way. He wants to be wanted but not used or taken for granted in any way.

Someone who has studied this behavior in a man is relationship expert James Bauer who has helped 100s of women find true love.

If you want to be assured of a long-term future with your guy, you need to understand this deep yearning that a man requires in a relationship. This video by James explains more.

Gemini Moon – His Sexual Nature

The Gemini moon guy will need to feel like he has a meaningful mental connection with someone before he can let himself go in the bedroom.

The man thinks a lot, and we all know that making love is more physical and emotional than anything. If he feels safe with his partner, he can drop out of his head for a bit, and then it is game on.

He will go to the moon and back just to make sure that you are satisfied. He enjoys sex, and he values you more if you appreciate his need for reassurance.

Gemini is one of the most versatile signs that there is. This means tons of excitement and adventure in the bedroom.

The moon in Gemini man placement will need to feel like he is taking on the dominant role between the sheets, but in actuality, he does not have to be. He only requires that you make him feel as if he is the leader.

One way that has been proven to work is by stimulating his brain by whispering words of encouragement and reassurance during lovemaking.

Something that can help you in this department is a program that I recently discovered called The Language of Desire by renowned relationship expert Felicity Keith.

Confidence between the sheets is a must-have ingredient in any relationship, so you might find it worthwhile listening to this short video by Felicity entitled The Language of Desire.

Gemini Moon and Attraction

The moon Gemini man is an outgoing social butterfly in full flight out of the cocoon. He likes to flirt, banter, and kid around an awful lot.

He forges his relationships based on a mental connection, so, If you want to meet him, it is really as simple as striking up a conversation with the guy.

He is governed by his intellect and appreciates witty humor and anything else that is semi-interesting.

If you can make the weather sound fun and smart, he will bite. Show him that you can match his pace, and you might win his heart on the spot.

He appreciates charm, beauty, and sometimes a dash of dramatics on the side. Do not be afraid to crank up your inner diva around him, as long as it is done tastefully, of course.

The man with his moon in this placement will definitely take notice if you decide to go all out with makeup, dress, and attitude. Just make sure he knows that you still have class and wits about you.

Final Thoughts

The positive and extroverted Gemini moon will converse with you for days about anything that holds his interest for more than a minute.

He is intelligent, and even when he is clowning around, he comes across as smart. The moon in Gemini man can seem like an airhead, jumping off topic often, and conversing with him is like a wild ride.

But if you are social and fast-paced, show him that you can give him a run for his money, he will swear that he has just met his soulmate.

TOP 20 DAVID WARNER ROLES (PART II)

10º Ivan Petrovich ‘Vanya’ Voynitsky (Performance: Uncle Vanya, 1991)

Warner leads in this 1991 televised production of one of the most famous Anton Chekhov plays. Ivan Petrovich (Uncle Vanya for his niece Sonya) is a more then sad and angry man, who sacrificed dreams of love and intelectual success to administrate a cottage of wich provide money to his brother in law, an old professor called Serebryakov (Ian Bannen) that does nothing but look down upon him, all the while being favoured by Vanya’s own mother. Making matters worst, Vanya is one of the two man who is in love with the professors wife, Yelena (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Two days of a family reunion mostly consisting of verbal fightings eventually makes all the tension that acumulates in Vanya’s mind eventually explode.

09º Konstantin Treplev (The Seagull, 1968)

The younger spiritual predecessour of Ivan Petrovich. Konstantin Treplev is an aspiring writer, who wishes to find a new style to talk about dreams, receiving praises from his mother (veteran actress Arkadina, played by Simone Signoret) and the love of the beautifull aspiring actress (Vanessa Redgrave). But the popularity of the best-selling writer Boris Trigorin (James Mason) and Konstantin’s problems to directly comunicate his feelings eventually make him fall down a tragic spiral of loneliness.

08º Bob Cratchit (A Christmas Carol, 1984)

Interestingly, when this 1984 adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Warner was first invited to play Jacob Marley. But he asked to play Bob Cratchit instead. And we all must be glad that he did, because he gives a very wholesome performance, that makes anyone wish to have him as a father figure.

07º Keith Jennings (The Omen, 1976)

In this aclaimed 1976 horror film, Warner’s character is a photographer, whose only job was to registrate the birthday party of the rich child of the american embassador (Gregory Peck) until a series of strange accidents start to kill people who knew that child or his relatives. Intrigued, Keith Jennings starts to investigate, and decides to form a duo with the american embassador, filling the role of the more proactive lancer to the mostly passive protagonist. One of David Warner’s most iconic good guy roles ever putt on the big screen.

06º Merlin (The Wizard, 2013 and The Once and Future King, 2014)

The two years in a row when David Warner played one of the most iconic wizrd mentor figures in mithology and pop culture. In 2013′s comedic short film The Wizard, Warner plays a Merlin that wakes up in modern times and is starting to adapt in a office work, while his colleagues try to adapt to his magic quirks. And in the BBC Radio 4 six episode drama The Once and Future King (adapted by Brian Sibley, the same guy who adapted the 1981 Lord of the Rings radio drama, from the novel series by T. H. White), where Merlin’s spirit sits alongside Arthur in the final battle for a conversation, we see how his Merlin could have acted in the past alongside King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, providing wise counsels with a bit of a snarky sense of humour and melancholy. Those works are two “must check out” for David Warner fans and for fantasy and arthurian mithology fans.

05º The Evil One (Time Bandits, 1981) and Ed Dilinger/Comander Sark/Master Control Program (Tron, 1982)

Yes, number five is a tye. Those two movies camed in a row, and in both David Warner played technology themed villains. In the first, Time Bandits, he is implied to be the Devil himself, and as such is portrayed as very powerfull and in control during most of the movie. In the second, Tron, Warner gives a triple performance: as the human Ed Dilinger and the program Comander Sark, he believes he is in control, but in reality is not. The real power is hold by Warner’s third character, the Master Control Program of the videogame. This transiction from a more simple one-and-all-powerfull antagonist to a more complex dinamic of a trio of antagonists was, for a lot of people, the introduction to Warner’s acting range, and for this reason it appears as a tye in this ranking.

04º The Doctor (Sympathy for The Devil, 2003 and Masters of War, 2008)

In the late 1970s, the BBC camed to search David Warner with an offer for him to play the Doctor in the main Doctor Who BBC Television series. He was interested, but unfortunally his filming schedule conflicted in working more them one season into a long-running TV Show, so he had to put the offer down. It was only in the 2000s, after the founding of the audio-drama company, that we would get a grasp of his portrayal of the Doctor, in the what-if scenarios provided by two episodes of Doctor Who Unbound: Sympathy for The Devil and Masters of War. In those audiodramas, he plays a alternate encarnation of the Third Doctor that is sent to Earth in 1997 instead of 1969, and thus could not help U.N.I.T with the Alien Invasions that happen in the 1970s. Thus, he finds a retired and pub-owning version of Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, and has to relearn to gain his thrust, until the two become companions of adventures that investigate new alie threads indepedently of U.N.I.T 

Warner’s Doctor is a bit less quirky encarnation of the character, having instead a more pratical temperment. He sees the danger, and he goes straight to investigate how to stop it, all the while trying to keep the people around him calm. And later he will make a comment about neading more conforting and fitting shoes. 

This is a Doctor that you would surely trust to keep your life safe. 

03º Lisander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1968)

A production that made a lot of millenials become Shakespeare fanboys, and they own this in part to David Warner’s performance as Lisander, one of the most romantic (if a bit bumbling) Shakespeare protagonists. Seeing the moments when he conforts and encourages his beloved Hérmia (Helen Mirren) and makes a mess of himself when he is enchanted to fall for Helena (Diana Rigg) is one of the most fun rides that an audience will ever get. Seriously, his Lisander was adorkable before the word ‘adorkable’ even existed.

02º Henry VI (The Wars of The Roses, 1965)

From a fun and very popular Shakespeare protagonist, to a heart-breaking and very underrated protagonist. For years i was one of several people who did not care for the Henry VI plays as it cared for its famous sequel, Richard III.

This all changed when i watched this 1965 televised production of the Wars of the Roses, that condenses the four plays in a way that makes it more accessible for audiences. Once again, this was helped in a big part by the performances of the cast.

David Warner was only 24 years old during this production, and had to cary the role of the vulnerable Henry VI from his youth to his old age and eventual murder by Richard III. 

And in my opinion, he carried it brilliantly. This was the sign that a very versatile actor would have a very long career.

And my number one David Warner role is...

01º Morgan Delt (Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, 1966)

Henry VI stablished David Warner as a lead in theater and television. Now it was time to stablish him as the lead in film. And they did exactly that when casting him in the role of Morgan Delt, a painter who grew up mixing a familiar comunist education with an obsession with animals (particularly gorilaz) and is frustratred with his divorce of his socialite wife Leonie (Vanessa Redgrave), who is about to marry Jack Napier (Robert Stephens), art merchant and Morgan’s previous best friend. While trying every crazy squeam to take his wife back, Morgan must take on a journey to mature, so he can his wife go and be happy and he can recouver his career. But until this happens, transitioning from the sweet and romantic to the angry and scary, for Morgan, taking bombs home and wearing ridiculous gorila suits it is. 

For showing the range between scary villain and simpathetic hero that would be his trademark on years to come, and providing loud laughs mixed with an interesting commentary on masculine insecurity and entitlement, is that Morgan Delt is my favorite David Warner role. 

@amalthea9​ @superkingofpriderock​

Love After the Fact Chapter 61: In the Company of Blades

In which Keith has friends, Lance gets to show off, and Shiro wants Adam to step on him

First  Previous  Next

“Anyway, that’s where we are right now. One thing at a time, and I will come up with a meal plan, just in case,” Thace says. They’re rushing through hallways to get to the training yards.

“Thanks.” Keith twists his hair into a large knot on the back of his head, keeping it in place with a pin. “And thanks for the pin.”

“No problem. I just hope you don’t get impaled through your skull.”

“Hasn’t happened yet. Miraculously. We are very late.” Which means probing questions from one Altean, and a probing stare from another. One, Keith can’t say no to -because he’s soft- and the other, Keith is too scared to lie to.

“Fortunately, it’s easy to blame your health. So long as we can keep Lance’s mouth shut.”

“Right...” Keith is about to explain, but Thace's exasperated groan tells him he doesn't have to.

The training grounds are divided into a series of yards, with walls erected for privacy and so no one takes up too much space. Some are large, some small, some flat, some full of obstacles and ground cover, climbing walls, chasms, even stands of trees. There are even places to practice elk-riding, a means of preserving the ancient history of the mounted warriors of old. The Marmora have more respect for tradition than one might think.

When Thace and Keith arrive, they’re beholden to quite the spectacle. Adam, wielding a polearm, squaring off with one of Kolivan’s two kits, Antok. Regris, his other kit, is standing next to his father. Both are grown, but were raised by the Blades, and remain quite close to their sire.

Regris apparently got the good end of the stick, because Antok is getting his ass kicked by the smaller Altean. Adam’s polearm is indeed double-ended, this one equipped with glaives, which he’s currently using to repel Antok. The Altean is also wearing gauntlets with small blades attached, good for slashing throats if an enemy gets too close. Keith imagines that they also discourage grappling.

It’s strange, but Keith has never once in his life thought of Adam as a warrior. He’s always the behind-the-scenes man, and battle tends to be so upfront and personal. Seems Keith was wrong, because Adam is good. He’s fast, too, keeping up with Antok’s limbs, which includes an incredibly mobile tail.

Shiro seems to be enjoying the view, watching the fierce-eyed Altean swing his polearm like it’s a toothpick. A very long, dangerous toothpick. “That’s literally the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Gross.” Keith shoves his brother away.

“I want him to impale me,” the larger Galra sighs.

“You’re a pervert.”

“I concur with Keith,” Thace murmurs.

“Yeah? Well neither of you gets an opinion because you were both late.”

“Health thing,” Keith murmurs. “Where’s Lance?”

“Three yards down, showing off his marksmanship skills. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing at all,” Keith murmurs. “I just had a few questions.”

“Ah.” Shiro shifts awkwardly. They’re still a bit uncomfortable, despite putting their disagreement behind them, and being otherwise normal with each other. “Listen.”

The fact that Shiro bothers to turn away from Adam’s totally-not-an-exhibition is a contributing factor as to why Keith actually does choose to listen to his brother’s opinion.

“I’m here for you. No matter what. Know that.”

Keith smiles. That sounds like his brother. “ I know. Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need you. Or Lance will let you know because I refuse to ask you for help.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Adam finally manages to disarm Antok, spinning his polearm and holding it behind his back.

“Well, Remind me never to push Adam over the edge. I’m gonna go see what Lance is up to.”

“You do that,” Shiro murmurs. “I’m gonna go find a deserted hallway and bring your attendant with me.”

“Have fun. Pervert.”

“I will, thanks.”

Rolling his eyes, Keith trots over to the other field, curious to see what Lance has got up to. Thace hurries right behind him, scanning the facility. “Where the fuck is my mate?”

“Who cares about your mate? Where’s- mine…”

As it turns out, Keith’s mate is firing arrows from the back of a galloping elk. And every shot is perfect. He’s also shirtless, which is really great, but kind of gross because he’s doing that weird ‘sweating’ thing that Alteans do, where they get all wet and slippery. Why can’t they just pant to cool off like a normal species?

But whatever. It’s still incredibly impressive. Especially since the targets, little floating spheres, are both moving and firing at him. And it’s nice to see Lance in his element. He’s got a borrowed bow in one hand, a couple arrows between the fingers of the other, another between his grinning teeth.

“Good to know your chosen mate isn’t entirely useless,” a gruff voice murmurs from behind. Kolivan’s followed them from the other field. “Wasn’t sure about him when Shirogane came back with a report on his swordsmanship. He’s actually an incredible shot.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

The only thing better is the way Lance’s face brightens when they make eye contact. He removes the arrow from his mouth. “Hey, beloved! See something you like?”

“Hm. Not sure. You should go around again so I can decide.” Keith’s smirk morphs into a grin. “I take it you're enjoying yourself?”

“I am kicking ass! This is so much fun! Can’t believe I’ve never tried this before! Also, this is Bruna, and I love her.”

Keith smiles as Lance hangs his bow from the elk’s saddle, stroking the doe’s soft, red fur. “You know she’s carnivorous, right?”

“All close friends have their points of contention, and admittedly her terrifying teeth are… one of those things, but she’s also loyal, and fast, and very sweet.”

Keith eyes the elk skeptically, gaze lingering on her four sharpened antlers crowning her head and the filed horns protruding from her face. “This sharp, vicious creature is your friend?”

“Bruna will be loved and adored by yours truly all the days of her life.”

“Okay. Good luck convincing your father to let you bring her home.”

“Oh, I don’t have to convince either of my parents of anything. I just have to convince you.”

Keith stares down the hopeful look in his ridiculous elk-loving husband’s face. He’s thoroughly unmoved by those large, pleading, blue-and-pink eyes. Completely unswayed… Except… “If you’re getting one, I should get one too. It will give us an excuse to spend time together without being buried in tablets.”

“See, this is why I love you.”

“I love you too. Now shoot some more arrows so I can watch.”

“Okay, should I put my shirt back on, or-”

“No, it’s fine.” A sly smile. “You can keep it off if you like.”

Lance quirks an eyebrow before lifting his bow again -Does he have to show off that he can ride with no hands?- and preparing to continue his practice.

“When you’re done flirting,” Kolivan mutters. “Your mother is waiting to kick your ass.”

“Yeah, okay.” Keith looks around. “Where did Thace go?”

“I dunno. Probably to stick his tongue in Ulaz’ mouth.” Kolivan sighs, leading him to yet another training room. “I’d been counting on you to be the only one of these idiots to keep it in their pants.”

“What about your sons?”

“Pfft. Found mates while you were gone. They’re always… visiting.”

“Gross… Well, I promise never to visit you.”

The Galra chuckle. Kolivan never really has a lot to say, but what he does have to say is either incredibly serious or mildly amusing. He’s an acquired taste. One that Keith has acquired in order to survive. Kolivan’s also his mother’s closest companion, so he insists on their getting along, despite what one might call ‘creative differences’ when it comes to leadership roles.

Essentially, Kolivan’s an unapologetic, amazingly blunt asshole and Keith tries his best to be more… constructive.

“It’s about time you showed up.”

“Hey, Mom. Sorry. I stopped by the med ward.”

“Okay.” She goes easily, drawing her sword. “But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

That’s what Keith loves about his mother: the understanding. For only having known each other for two years, they share so much: a loss, a condition, a passion for the personal freedoms that their rulers restrict until they can barely breathe.

But Keith and his mother find a way. They dig their roots into unwelcoming ground. They learn to thrive. They draw breath.

And swords. Krolia has Keith panting in minutes, forcing him to the brink of his skills. He really is out of shape, but he’s missed this. He’s missed this challenge, this push, this direct, up-front, physical confrontation where no one is screaming, or complaining, and there’s no stack of work staring at him from behind another stack of work. Just him, trying his damndest to beat the crap out of someone who can actually match with him.

And, surprisingly, he’s doing well. His stamina and strength have taken a hit, but he’s picked up forms and techniques on Altea that give him an edge.

The Galra know how an Altean fights, but Keith knows how they think, why they make the choices they do. Their aim isn’t disarming or killing an enemy. A Galra's aim is to defeat the enemy, to beat them into submission until the ground beneath thier boots is painted red. An Altean’s aim is to make it past the enemy toward a larger goal, and do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Krolia isn’t his enemy. She’s just in the way. So, dodging a slash of Krolia’s sword, Keith slips past his mother, elbowing her in the kidney as he darts past. Krolia doesn’t flinch, even as she turns to stare at her son, but nobody can fully brush off a hit to the kidney, and she lowers her sword, panting her way through the pain since she has the option.

“What was that?” she asks.

“I applied a different philosophy. In a mission, you wouldn’t be my target, and I saw no reason to waste my time dispatching you.” Keith shrugs. “Why bother?”

“Because I could have gathered information on you-”

“You didn’t. In this scenario, you, an unnamed, random assailant, are not worth killing, and I have a different mission.”

“And what might that mission be?”

“I…” Keith pauses. “I hadn’t thought that far. I just wanted to show off.”

“Clearly.” Krolia looks her son up and down, amused. “I don’t understand, but you seem to think you’ve achieved something, so-”

“HA!!!”

“AHhhhhh!!!”

“-So what the fuck was that?” Krolia growls, adjusting her grip on her sword.

“I’m not sure, but that was Lance and Adam, so something’s probably being destroyed.” Keith sighs, heading back to Lance’s field. “Welcome to my life.”

Lance is indeed messing around with Adam, wielding a broadsword with an adequate amount of skill -a miracle, honestly, and one courtesy of Keith- while Adam comes at him with his polearm.

From behind the fighting idiots, Shiro grins at him, notching his head at Lance. Keith presses his lips together to hide his smile, ducking his head. He knows he’s doing a good job, but to have someone else say it means a lot.

“I thought you said he didn’t have any skills,” Krolia murmurs, watching the Alteans go back and forth.

“That’s what I thought.” Keith lifts his gaze back to his chosen mate, the glint in his eyes as he experiments with the sword in his hand, figuring out how to make it more effective against Adam’s chosen weapon. “But I was wrong. He just needed some more one-on-one coaching. He’s typically quite capable on his own, but always better when he’s working with others. He’s a people person.”

“That is one of the many, many reasons I don’t understand why you love that little creature,” Krolia murmurs.

“He’s a good buffer. He does all the talking, and I just stand there and look pretty.”

That’s not entirely true, less so as time goes on, but for some reason, Keith doesn’t want to share all that much about his life on Altea. It almost feels too personal, like he’s not ready to share his experiences with anyone yet.

“Hm, I’d think looking pretty would be his job,” Thace teases, clinging to Ulaz’ waist. Ulaz himself only nods, a more quiet kind of friendly than his mate, but friendly all the same. His fondness for Keith is indicated by a softened eyebrow, rather than a smile.

“No, but he does it exceptionally well.”

The corner of Ulaz’ mouth quirks. “Perhaps you can both come over to our place tomorrow and look pretty around our table. The kits want to see you, Mashan in particular. Besides, the hunting party returns tomorrow. A little lizard told me that they slew a pack of vakalt. Herdsmen are coming up, too. We can celebrate together, maybe put a few of them up at our den for the night. Get in a few good stories. Also, be forewarned, Lotor wants to speak to Lance outside the castle, so he may 'spontaneously decide to visit'.”

Keith nods. He watches Lance and Adam spar, glancing to his littermate across the yard. So far, his companions have been more than agreeable concerning the Galra way of life. Lance, at least, will enjoy the experience, and Adam will enjoy a chance to crawl all over Shiro. Maybe he’ll even be able to drag Pidge out of their closet. It’ll be nice.

“Sure. We’ll come.” Keith smiles. “Thanks for the invite.”

“Nonsense!” Thace claps him on the shoulder. “You’ll always be one of us, Keith, and you’re always welcome in our home. You, and that Altean of yours.”

“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate that.”

He does. He’s glad that he still has a place here, even if it’s no longer his only home.

Rock and Roll Storytime #6: The Rolling Stones Against the Establishment (i.e. Drug Trials)

Let’s face it, I think most of us are prone to that moment or two where we can’t help but think about how lucky we are to be alive right now. Most rock stars in particular probably aren’t nearly as worried about the potential of being arrested for drug possession (nowadays, I’m hearing about more rockers being arrested for far more serious crimes). Yes, even with the somewhat-accepted notion that rock stars are prone to doing drugs (”sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” after all), it still happens, but in the 1960′s, there was an even greater chance of that, especially since rock and roll was still fairly new, and some moral guardians were in an uproar about it.  Because *of course*, anything new and exciting must be “corrupting” the youths, right?

Enter Sgt. Norman Pilcher (or, as John Lennon called him “Semolina Pilchard”), one of the ass-hats I partially blame for Brian Jones’ downfall (even if Brian, himself, set the ball rolling). He was a detective in his 30′s and was just about dead-set on sending a bunch of rockers to prison for something as *awful* as drug abuse (throughout, I’m just going to start using asterisks to denote my sarcasm). Even though, of course, these guys were often doing drugs in the privacy of their own homes and not harming anyone. Among the list of those he arrested were John Lennon, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Keith Richards. He almost nabbed Eric Clapton, but Eric bolted out the back door once he realized Sgt. Pilcher was at his doorstep. 

This article is, primarily, about the Rolling Stones, and how the ensuing drug trials may have led to one being found motionless at the bottom of a pool just two years later. 

So, in 1967, it was practically a sport to see if someone in the Establishment could get a rock star busted for using drugs. In January, the tabloid, News of the World (defunct since 2011, thanks to a phone-hacking scandal), published a three-part story entitled "Pop Stars and Drugs: Facts That Will Shock You". In it, there were many allegations against pop stars supposedly using drugs and hosting drug parties at their residences, including Donovan, Pete Townshend and Ginger Baker. Part Two was all about the Rolling Stones. At one point in the article, it was alleged that Mick Jagger had taken several Benzedrine tablets, displayed a bit of hashish, and invited his companions over to his flat for a smoke (one of whom happened to be an undercover reporter). Turns out, that was just Brian Jones being a little careless about who he was talking to about drug use. Mick tried to sue the paper over that one. 

Quick aside, how the hell do they mess up Brian Jones and Mick Jagger?! Like, Brian’s blond and baby-faced and Mick has brunette hair and big-ass lips!

Either way, this attracted the attentions of Semolina Pilchard, News of the World was more than a little eager to discredit Mick and avoid a huge lawsuit, and on February 12, 1967, eighteen police officers raided Keith Richards’ home, Redlands. Mick was charged with drug possession after four amphetamines were found in his possession (he and Marianne had bought them in Italy, where they were perfectly legal). Robert Fraser, an art dealer who was friends with the Stones, was charged with having heroin in his possession. And Keith was charged with allowing his premises to be used for the smoking of cannabis. 

Stupid 1965 Dangerous Drugs Act...

Their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, was supposed to help them figure out what to do, but instead, the slimy bastard fled to the United States of America and his role fell to Allen Klein. Lawyers told Mick, Keith, and Brian that it’d probably be best if they got out of the country for a while, so, Mick, Keith, Brian, and Brian’s girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, all made their way down to Morocco. It was there that Brian and Anita’s relationship came to a messy end when she left him for Keith, and Brian was left stranded in Morocco for two days, which is all a story I’d *love* to tell in more detail some other time. 

On May 10, 1967, Mick, Keith, and Robert were formally charged with various drug possession charges. At the exact same time, Brian’s flat on Courtfield Road (since demolished) was raided by police. Reportedly, Brian had cleaned up his flat in preparation for police arrival, but the police still managed to find a purple Moroccan-style wallet with cannabis in it. Brian and Prince Stanislaus “Stash”  Klossowski (the latter of whom was later acquitted) were formally charged with cannabis possession on June 2, 1967 and elected to undergo trial by jury,

Mick, Robert, and Keith decided to undergo jury trials. Of course it went pear-shaped, I mean, this is the Establishment we’re talking about. If you don’t believe me, just take into account that the judge, Leslie Kenneth Allen Block, was unforgiving, and he practically reveled in the thought of sending a member or two of the Rolling Stones to prison. He even told the jury to dispel any reasonable doubt the defense had injected into the case, which, to me, seems pretty damn unethical, whether we’re talking about US courts or UK courts. Robert plead guilty, but Mick and Keith plead not guilty. On June 27 1967, Mick was found guilty of Benzedrine possession. He and Robert spent the night at Lewes Prison. 

Two days later, Keith was found guilty of allowing his home to be used for cannabis smoking. It was then that he, Mick, and Robert (the latter two had been held in confinement until Keith’s trial was over) were sentenced. Mick got three months in prison, Robert got six months, and Keith got a year. In addition, all three were fined. In case it wasn’t obvious enough, the sentences were extraordinarily harsh (and you can probably see why this whole affair pisses me off). Mick and Robert were to serve their sentences in Lewes, while Keith was sent to the notorious Wormwood Scrubs. 

Now, for some of you, it may be obvious that Mick and Keith didn’t serve their full sentences, but what may surprise you is that national newspapers, once all too happy to pounce on the opportunity to make fun of the Rolling Stones, now sprang to Mick and Keith’s defense. In particular, conservative William Rees-Mogg wrote an editorial, Who Breaks a Butterfly Upon a Wheel?, in which he criticized Mick’s sentence in particular. Soon after, Mick and Keith were released, awaiting appeal, and on July 31, 1967, Keith’s conviction was overturned entirely, citing circumstantial evidence, whilst Mick’s sentence was downgraded to a year’s probation.

So, that’s one part of the story that ends well, but what about Brian? Well, first and foremost, he didn’t take the whole affair as seriously as he could have, and was even the one Stone to plead guilty, against the advice of his lawyer and friends alike, and as a result from the proceedings as a whole (thanks a *bunch* Allen Klein), Brian became more isolated from the Rolling Stones than ever before. And keep in mind, just five years before, he was the one who put the ad in the papers and brought the guys together in the first place. On October 30, 1967, he went on trial, was found guilty, and was fined and sentenced to nine months for allowing his premises to be used for smoking cannabis and a further three months for cannabis possession to be served concurrently (though for some reason, some sources only list nine months). 

Also, as a fan of Brian, I must leave photos/video from around this time because, he just looks so... broken after being sentenced to a year in prison.

Compare that with pictures of him earlier the same year: 

Need I say more?

The next day, Brian was released on bail, awaiting appeal. Helping his case was when Judge Block was caught lamenting the fact that the Stones had won appeal/were waiting appeal. Though he claimed his remarks had been sarcastic, it must have seemed to the public (if only the anti-establishment kids) that there truly were ulterior motives for the trials. On December 12, 1967, Brian went back to court for appeal. His defense argued that he had become suicidal and wouldn’t fare well in prison. The judge tossed out Brian’s prison sentence in lieu of three years’ probation, but upheld the fine and ordered that Brian get professional help. 

The next day, he was found unconscious in his apartment after apparent drug and alcohol overuse and was driven to the hospital. He subsequently went to the Priory Clinic. 

Sadly, this would not be the last time Brian wound up in court on drug charges. On May 21, 1968, Brian was arrested for the second time after his home was raided and police, led by Sgt. Robin Constable, found a ball of wool that contained cannabis resin. According to some accounts, Brian had been trying to get clean, and when police found the ball of wool, he became distraught. Given that the media had already been alerted, there is almost no doubt in my mind that the evidence had been planted. This time though, Brian fought back, if only by pleading not guilty. The trial took place on September 26, 1968. Although Brian’s case was built on circumstantial evidence at best, he was still found guilty, by a court system that seemed out for his blood (especially since he seemed the most vulnerable of the Stones). However, the judge, Reginald Seaton, was much more fair than Block, and he said, “I am going to treat you as I would any other young man before this court. I am going to fine you, and I will fine you relative to your means:  £50 with 100 guinea costs... but you really must watch your step and stay clear of this stuff. For goodness’ sake do not get into trouble again.”

In my very loose style of paraphrasing: “Look, it’s obvious that you’re innocent, but the jury really wants to see you found guilty, so I’m just going to fine you, but for the love of God, don’t end up in court again. It won’t end well.”

Even so, the trials had very clearly taken their effect on Brian: 

The rest, as they say, is history. In June 1969, Brian was fired because his convictions left him unable to get a work visa in the US, and less than a month later, Brian drowned under mysterious circumstances. 

I did say earlier that I essentially believed that Brian’s drug trials led to his early demise in a way. Well, I guess it’s high time I explained that. See, I’ve read the toxicology report, which stated that Brian had 1720 micro-gms of an “amphetamine-like substance” in his system, which the coroner speculated was Mandrax, which had been prescribed to Brian in the months leading up to his death. Mandrax was the brand name for methaqualone, aka quaaludes, and once upon a time, before people realized that they were addictive, they were prescribed for anxiety and insomnia. According to some stories, Brian had been trying to get clean around the time of his death, but it is my honest belief that Brian relapsed the night he drowned, and may have had too many sleeping pills, the effects of which would not have been helped by the fact he’d been drinking that night (approx. 3.5 pints of beer). 

All of which I should probably explain in more detail another day. 

As for Sgt. Pilcher? He was eventually found guilty of perjury (unrelated to possibly planting dope on rock stars) and sentenced to four years in prison. 

Thank God for that. 

Sources: https://groovyhistory.com/sgt-pilcher-stories-narc-arrested-mick-jagger-john-lennon-keith-richards-george-harrison Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock’n’Roll Band by Bill Wyman http://timeisonourside.com/chron1967.html https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/inside-allen-kleins-role-in-1967-jagger-richards-drug-bust-43267/ http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1968.html https://www.nme.com/photos/the-great-rolling-stones-drug-bust-1402298 https://dangerousminds.net/comments/simon_wells_the_great_rolling_stones_drugs_bust https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/may/11/archive-rolling-stones-on-drug-charges-1967

also 2 + 9 for for keith bc i love your keith hcs

I LOVE KEITH SO MUCH, FUCK

2. What is your character’s relationship with their family? Family is a word which here refers to biological relatives, close companions, and/or the individual(s) who raised them.

[cracks knuckles] alrighty, let’s go! a lot of this lore is from my fic The Secret Garden, a Hollis character study and Hollice fic, as well as @keplersheetz’ headcanon that Keith is Calvin Owens’ older brother and Zeke’s son, as well. Keith is the oldest of three brothers - he has a younger brother Fred, as well as his youngest brother Calvin. Fred used to be captain of the Kepler Stunt Club, a few years back, but he had a really bad accident that caused him to drop out right before county finals in 2014. Sheriff Zeke tried to get Keith to quit the club, too, but Keith was too loyal to his friends to ever want to back out, and that caused a rift between them - especially when the stunt club changed their name to the Hornets and started doing more delinquent activities. Having a cop as a dad sometimes makes Keith feel incredibly guilty, because he considers the Hornets to be the closest family he has.

His relationship with his brothers is strained but overall positive. Fred doesn’t mind that Keith still does the stunt club, and is a little disappointed that Keith hasn’t made up with their dad, but he understands that Keith’s doing what he cares about. Calvin is a little less forgiving of his older brother - though he does still look up to him and think he’s cool.

Keith’s relationship with the Hornets, though... that’s something completely different. He spends more time couchsurfing at his Hornets friends homes than he does in his own house. He’s Hollis’s right hand man for a reason; they trust him with everything and care about him a lot, and he’s had their back for as long as they’ve been in the stunt club together. He’s one of the older members of the stunt club, and the role of oldest brother comes naturally to him. 

The thing about Keith’s chosen family, though, is that he’s constantly terrified that he’s going to lose them and their respect. This results in him sensing out just what the Hornets’ opinions on things are, and cleaving to them as close he can to stay with the group. This sometimes results in him being a jerk and a bit overeager with certain things - exhibit a: the whole jake thing on the slopes of mt. kepler in episode 12. He can be a bit of a prick sometimes, but he has a heart of gold and good intentions, and would do anything for the Hornets.

9. How would this character react to someone confessing their love for them?

Keith’s brain would just go [metal gear solid alert noise] and he would have no idea how to react. Honestly? He would probably assume that they weren’t being serious, or that he was wildly misreading the situation, because he has no idea how to react to something like this. He’s such a dork sldkfjslkdjf

these were so fun to fill out!! thanks max!

send me a number from this list and an OC/Tin Special Edition minor character!

Margaret “Daisy” Suckley

President Roosevelt himself took this photograph of Daisy Suckley in the White House as she went through various papers, February 10, 1942. (Photo: FDR Presidential Library & Museum)

This post was written by Keith Muchowski, an Instruction/Reference Librarian at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) in Brooklyn, New York. He blogs at thestrawfoot.com.

Margaret Suckley was an archivist at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York from 1941 to 1963. But she was much more than that.

“Daisy” Suckley, as she was known to friends and family, was born in Rhinebeck, New York in 1891 and grew up on Wilderstein, the family estate on the Hudson River not far from the Roosevelts’ own Springwood in Hyde Park. This was a small, rarefied world and in the ensuing decades Daisy saw sixth cousin Franklin’s rise to prominence. She eventually became one of his closest friends and confidants, sharing the good times and the bad with the country’s only four-term president. Ms. Suckley was there for Franklin in the 1920s when he was struck paralyzed from the waist down with polio, knew him during his years in Albany when he was New York governor and he became a national figure, attended the presidential inaugural in 1933 in the depths of the Great Depression, offered a discreet and comforting ear during the dark days of the Second World War when, as commander-in-chief, he made difficult and lonely decisions affecting the lives of millions around the world. Finally, Daisy was one of the inner circle present in Warm Springs, Georgia when the president died in April 1945. Roosevelt was inscrutable to most—some called him The Sphinx—but if anyone outside his immediate family knew him, it was Margaret “Daisy” Suckley.

Ms. Suckley (left) in Roosevelt's private office at the presidential library with actress Evelyn Keyes, and Library Director Fred Shipman. Ms. Keyes is holding the album-version of Ms. Suckley's book The True Story of Fala, October 31, 1946. (Photo: FDR Presidential Library & Museum)

There were perks to being Roosevelt’s close friend. The two enjoyed picnics and country drives. Both loved to dish the gossip about Washington politicos and the Hudson River Valley families they had known for decades. Daisy helped President Roosevelt design his Hyde Park retreat, Top Cottage. She enjoyed the “Children’s Hour” afternoon breaks when Roosevelt would mix cocktails for himself and his friends to unwind. There were getaways at Shangri-La, the rustic presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains known today as Camp David. She attended services at Hyde Park Church with the First Family, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth when the royals visited in 1939. It was she who gave him Fala, the Scottish Terrier to whom he was so attached after receiving the pooch as a Christmas gift in 1941.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stood at a podium on the grounds of his family home in Hyde Park and dedicated the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library on June 30, 1941. He was still in office at the time, having won re-election to an unprecedented third (and eventually fourth) term seven months previously. Roosevelt clearly believed that libraries and archives were themselves exercises in democracy in these years when fascism was spreading around the world. Ever the optimist even as World War Two raged in Europe and the Pacific, Roosevelt declared “It seems to me that the dedication of a library is in itself an act of faith. To bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgment in creating their own future.” Then he quipped to the two thousand gathered about this being their one chance to see the place for free.

Roosevelt had been an unrepentant collector since his earliest boyhood days, with wide-ranging interests especially in naval history, models ships, taxidermy, philately, books on local history, political ephemera, and—probably above all—anything related to the Roosevelt clan itself. His eight-years-and-counting administration had already produced reams of material via the myriad alphabet soup New Deal agencies that had put millions of Americans to work during the Great Depression. It was becoming increasingly obvious in that Summer of 1941 that the United States would likely become entangled in the Second World War; as Roosevelt well understood, that would mean even more documents for the historical record.

Presidential repositories of various incarnations were not entirely new. George Washington had taken his papers with him back to Mount Vernon after his administration for organization. Rutherford B. Hayes, Herbert Hoover, and even Warren G. Harding had versions of them. Nora E. Cordingley (featured in a March 2018 Women of Library History post) was a librarian at Roosevelt House, essentially a de facto presidential library opened in 1923 at Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace on Manhattan’s East 20th Street whose papers and other materials eventually moved to Harvard University’s Houghton and Widener Libraries. What was new about Franklin Roosevelt’s creation was its codification of what is today’s presidential library system. Roosevelt convened a committee of professional historians for advice and consultation, raised the private funds necessary to build the library and museum, urged Congress to pass the enabling legislation, involved leading archive and library authorities, and ultimately deeded the site to the American people via the National Archives, which itself he had signed into being in 1934.

The academic advisors, archivists, and library professionals at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library were all important, indeed crucial, to the professionalization and growth of both the Roosevelt site and what would become the National Archives and Records Administration’s Office of Presidential Libraries. However, Roosevelt understood in those early that he also needed someone within his museum and library who knew him deeply and understood the nuances of his life and long career. That is why he turned to Ms. Suckley, securing her a position as junior archivist in September 1941 just months after the opening. The library was very much a working place for the president, who kept an office there, where—unbeknownst to museum-goers on the other side of the wall—he might be going through papers with Daisy, entertaining dignitaries while she looked on, or even making decisions of consequence to the war. Ms. Suckley worked conscientiously, even lovingly, in the presidential library, going through boxes of photographs and identifying individuals, providing dates and place names that only she would know, filling in gaps in the historical record, sorting papers, and serving in ways only an intimate could. The work only expanded after President Roosevelt died and associates like Felix Frankfurter and others donated all or some of their own papers. The work also became more institutionalized and codified. Other Roosevelt aides took on increasingly important roles after the president’s death in 1945. More series of papers became available to scholars in the 1950s and 60s as the Roosevelt Era receded from current events into history. Through it all Daisy Suckley continued on for nearly two more decades until her retirement in 1963.

Margaret “Daisy” Suckley lived for twenty-eight more years after her retirement, turning her attention to the preservation of her ancestral home there on the Hudson but never forgetting Franklin. In those later years when reporters, historians, and the just plain curious curious showed up at Wilderstein and inevitably asked if there was any more to tell about her friendship with Franklin Roosevelt she always gave a wry smile and demure “No, of course there isn’t.” After her death at the age of ninety-nine in June 1991 however a trove of letters and diaries was found in an old suitcase hidden under her bed there at Wilderstein. A leading Roosevelt scholar edited and published a significant portion of the journals and correspondence in 1995 to great public interest. While it is still unclear if there was every any romantic involvement between Franklin and Daisy—as some have speculated for decades—the letters do provide a deeper, more nuanced portrayal of their relationship and show just how close the two were. Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have been The Sphinx to many, hiding his feelings behind a veneer of affability and bonhomie. To his old neighbor, distant cousin, discreet friend, loyal aid, and steadfast curator Margaret Suckley, he showed the truer, more vulnerable side of himself.

Ms. Suckley later in life at Wilderstein, 1988. (Photo: FDR Presidential Library & Museum)

Further reading:

Hufbauer, Benjamin. “The Roosevelt Presidential Library: A Shift in Commemoration.” American Studies, vol. 42, no. 3, Fall 2001, pp. 173–193.

Koch, Cynthia M. and Lynn A. Bassanese. “Roosevelt and His Library, Parts 1 & 2.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, vol. 33, no. 2, Summer 2001, Web.

McCoy, Donald R. "The Beginnings of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library," Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives, vol. 7, no. 3, Fall 1975, pp. 137-150.

Persico, Joseph E. Franklin & Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherford, and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life. Random House, 2008.

Ward, Geoffrey C. Closest Companion: The Unknown Story of the Intimate Friendship between Franklin Roosevelt and Margaret Suckley. Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

sharp gray eyes size up their unwanted companion through a lung-staled waft of smoke. “ ‘ey. ”  a tip of the chin. cigarette ash darts to pavement. crunch. eddie grinds that shit in, real good. nothin’ like a pair of trusty docs to do the trick. “ what the fuck’s your damage ? ”

or alternatively :  yo, yo, whassgood ?  the name’s liana ( she/her/hers ) and i am so friggin’ hyped to bring you my spoopy lil’ music man, eddie williams !!  below the cut you’ll find a big hodge-podged mess of facts, potential connects, and other delicious chips of info. his favorites are hoppin’ jalapeno crunch tators, thanks for fuckin’ askin’. (   imagine how heartbroken he’ll be when frito lay discontinues them in the 90′s... rest in spaghetti never forgetti.    )

— ❝ wait is that THOMAS HAYES ? or is that KEITH EDISON “EDDIE” WILLIAMS who arrived in las vegas TWENTY-THREE years ago? HE is TWENTY-THREE years old. last time i checked they were a GUITARIST IN CRIMSON & CLOVER / ARTIST AT ATOMIC TATTOOS . rumour has it they’re very BEGUILING and very HARUM-SCARUM. the CISMALE reminds me of SAY WHAT YOU WILL BY FASTWAY.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: DEATH, DOMESTIC ABUSE, VIOLENCE, DRUG USE/ABUSE, MENTIONS OF ADDICTION.

eddie is the lovely ivy williams [ @poiseonxivy​ ] ’s older brother !  they grew up in a contentious household here in vegas, with an abusive alcoholic for a father and a complacent/despondent mother. fed up with the abuse and chaos, their mother walked out on them when eddie was 13. he and ivy caught her in the act, and this savage kid called her out for being a coward and opened the fuckin’ door for her. “ die in a ditch, ”  is the last thing he ever said to that sorry waste of a woman.

naturally, things with their father only got worse. he was quick to provoke and impossible to please. the williams siblings had to step up to upkeep their home, make sure bills got paid, etc., all while receiving the worst of it from their father. ivy, as the youngest, was blamed for the family’s downfall. eddie got berated and slurred at for his tendency to peruse his sister’s things, paint his middle fingers interesting colors, ask her to do his makeup on halloween. his father was the first person to ever look eddie in the eye and call him a faggot, and, well... that shit dug deep.

it’s not that he’s overly concerned about it. hell, labels are fuckin’ dumb, alright? he’d sooner be gagged with a spoon than told he has to live his life all boxed up. he doesn’t care that the lady at the bar’s stunning and so is the guy pourin’ her drink, alright? what he does care about is... what if he is that thing his dad said? what if he... what if he is the man his dipshit dad saw in him ?

guitarist in el’s band, crimson & clover !  the band formed several years ago and has been playing gigs ever since. it’s definitely made him grow as a guitarist :  you can frequently find eddie chilling on fire escapes experimenting with new riffs and the like. he’s absolutely got that band aesthetic ––  distressed tees, tight pants, leather, leather, leather. doc martens. beat up sneaks. jaw-length hair, wavy. usually teased on stage and left to its own devices off-stage. music has always been an escape for him, especially from the hellscape that was his childhood home. catch him chillin in el’s record shop, cig in hand, blissed out to the latest rock releases blasting in his headphones.

jake wheeler’s next-door neighbor / best friend !  we have yet to plot about this, but that’s a wc eddie fills & we could do something with that, too!

tw: drugs, abusive tendencies, mild violence.  eddie’s genetics do predispose him to addiction. and, unfortunately, this bitch way more than dabbles in a haphazard lifestyle. he’s BIG into psychedelics, stimulants. alcohol. acid. he’ll pulverize the occasional bar asshole’s face. make fights out of nothing. but s’not a problem, alright ? he’s cool. he’s cool.   (  this guy’s a sinkin’ ship in heavy ass denial.  )

art. tattooing.  art has also played a pivotal role in eddie’s life. from a very young age, he created edgy doodles: skeletons in their sunday best, ghost cartoons carrying guns. the late 60′s/early 70′s saw his school notebooks filling with vietnam-inspired strips, doodles, and sketches. he used to draw “tattoos” on his fellow delinquents during detention in sharpie ink. gave himself his first poke tattoo on his ankle  ( a scrawled so what ? )  in eighth grade. now, he works as a tattooist at atomic tattoos. always flirts with the clientele. and they always leave happy.

tw: death. wears a dharma wheel pendant at all times, tucked beneath his shirt or, if he’s shirtless, just out in the open. he’ll say he found it in the street, but it actually belonged to a guy he started seeing his senior year of high school, in secret.  glenn farley. he was older, around 27, but he offered up the first safe place eddie’d ever known. dude disappeared close to eddie’s graduation. eddie stayed angry for a long time, until his photo turned up in the obits :  glenn was killed in a hit-and-run outside a dive bar.

on the topic of sexuality & gender expression :   eddie honestly couldn’t give a flyin’ shit. he’s of the belief that existence shouldn’t be coded or explained. so, yeah, he’s male. and yeah, he’ll be attracted to whomever he pleases. but in a time where that shit’s not too common? not too accepted? he does feel like he’s playing hide-and-seek. it’s exhausting. and... there’s still something that nags him, at the back of his mind, when he decides to hook up with a guy. it’s all tied up with his family history ( see the stuff about his dad above ) .

eddie is very outspoken & unfiltered. he won’t mince his words; he’ll speak bullets without considering the exit wound. 

he’d much rather have coffee and cigarettes than a meal. but if he’s gotta have food? and you’re forcing him? cinnamon waffles with ten gallons of syrup. delicious.

wears rings because hell, if he’s gonna punch you, he wants that shit to hurt.

smells like tobacco and amber and fresh-fallen rain.

likes makeup. tends to get away with some eyeliner/eyeshadow on stage, but typically doesn’t wear any day-to-day. maybe some eyeliner on his waterline, but... he’s learned how to get by.

cross his sister and he’ll eat your face for breakfast.

default greeting: blinking at you like you’re offending him by taking in the same air.

honestly he’s never thought to leave vegas. he likes it here. his crew? they’re good people. as in reckless. fun.

has almost a full sleeve on his left arm, and two bands curling around his right bicep. one ear pierced, but doesn’t always wear an earring there.

can he offer you a winter green lifesaver in this trying time ??

goes by eddie or williams. call him keith and he can’t be held responsible for what happens to you. the only person who’s got keith privileges is his kid sister.

thomas hayes has brown eyes but eddie’s are a staggeringly light blue-gray. they look like ice. he’s 6′1 and that type of lanky that tends to look sleek, enticing, and mildly emaciated. he does have muscle to him, but the guy doesn’t eat very often and he’s on a steady diet of destructive habits, so... he’s got that matty healy circa 2012 vibe going on

potential connects.

chaos crew. they hit the clubs. they try their hand at scheming and tricking the best poker leagues. chug beers, crush the cans, and toss ‘em in front of cars. experiment with drug cocktails and haunt the town. all laughs and dilated pupils and forgetting, forgetting, forgetting the cracks in their ribs, the scabs on their knuckles. nothin’ hurts when your blood pumps this quick.

diner pal.  eddie rolls up to his favorite diner in the wee hours of the morning. 2am, 3am. when he can’t sleep or he’s comin’ down from a heckish night, he’s there, whole pitcher of coffee and a stack of waffles. mussed hair. an entire encyclopedia of wild stories. one night, he stumbled into this person’s booth high as all shit, and they’ve been inviting themselves to one another’s tables ever since. could be a romantic connection. could be platonic.

ex on bad terms.  kid’s got commitment issues. i’d love to give them a source.

fuckbuddies.  they could just be friends who get fucked and do the deed. maybe there’s feelings. maybe it’s a you service me, i’ll service you situation. either way, they’re indulgent. they’re reckless. and they’ve got no regard for any damage they’ll cause.

people he’s tattooed.  

sworn enemies.  acerbic words, gnashing teeth, icy glares. they’ll cross the fuckin’ street just to avoid being within a ten-foot radius of one another.

caretaker.  a friend ( or even stranger ) who’s taken it on themselves to monitor this maelstrom. all i can say is... good friggin’ luck, kid.

obviously there are so many more but this is just a list to get some juices flowing !

if you want to plot, please feel free to message me !!  i’m headed to the gym now but after that i’ll hit up the starter tags !!  so flipping excited to write with you goons !!

Bet

Summary:

“The entire team thinks we’re in love with each other,” He blurts and then claps a hand over his mouth. He can feel the redness spreading across his cheeks and down his neck. He thinks flinging himself into a wormhole with no armor would be a preferable option to this.

Keith’s face is equally red but he, at least, has the determination to look Lance in the face. “What?”

“That’s what Allura just told me. They have some ridiculous bet going on about which one of us confesses first.” He’s rambling now, and he’s aware of it, but he doesn’t know how to stop. “I mean, that’s just insane, right?” When Keith doesn’t say anything, he adds, “Right?”

“I didn't want it to come to this,” Pidge is sitting on a barstool in the kitchen surrounded by most of her companions. Hunk is seated directly next to her, looking like the second in command for the meeting, both of their expressions serious. “but I think we need to intervene.”

“With what?” Allura asks, seated across from Pidge. Her hair is down--a rare occasion--and she brushes a stray piece behind her shoulder.

Pidge opens her mouth to respond, but Hunk beats her to it, slamming his fists on the counter. “With Keith and Lance, of course!”

Allura looks around the room at everyone who seems to be nodding in agreement at the mention of the only two people not in the room. “Intervene with…?”

“I'm confident that we can all see what a crush those two have on each other.” Pidge takes back the speaking role, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Allura inclines her head in understanding. “We also know that they're both too stubborn and oblivious to ever say anything to each other.”

“That's why we propose offering them some help.” Hunk places a hand on Pidge's shoulder to show that the idea was the brainchild of both of them.

Shiro is the only one to look unimpressed and unamused. “That's not going to work.”

“Don't you want to see them together, Shiro?” Pidge prods.

“Of course I do,” He responds. “But the only way it'll ever happen is if Keith is the one to confess and he is not about to do that.”

“What?” Hunk slams his fists on the table a second time, “You don't think Lance would confess? He absolutely would.”

“I happen to agree with Hunk,” Allura cuts in. “Lance is one bad pickup line away from confessing his crush.”

“I love Lance, but he would never confess. That requires a lot of courage, which is definitely a Keith thing.” Pidge adds.

“Lance is very courageous!” Hunk yells, turning to look accusingly at Pidge.

“Yeah but Keith is more courageous!” She counters.

Before things can get more out of hand, Coran finally speaks up. “Why don't you guys make a wager?”

“A bet? On the love life of our friends?” Shiro's tone is enough to convey his disapprovement of this idea.

“I like it,” Pidge says. “Shiro and I will try to get Keith to confess first. Hunk, you and Allura work on Lance. Whoever gets their paladin to confess first, wins.”

Pidge looked around the table, weighing the expressions of her teammates as the idea sinks in. Hunk and Allura both have grins on their faces and Pidge can almost see the wheels turning in their heads, coming up with ideas on how to get Lance to finally admit that he has feelings for Keith. Shiro, on the other hand, looks resigned to his fate.

“Deal,” Hunk and Allura say in unison.

Shiro sighs. “Fine, I will help. Only because I want to make sure it's done right and nobody ends up getting hurt.”

“What are the stakes?” Hunk asked, looking determined.

“I think we should wait and see who wins,” Pidge answers, “And then the winning team gets to consult with each other and choose their prize. Everyone okay with that?”

There’s a round of affirming sounds from the rest of the clan and Pidge smiles to herself.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

Keith is sitting on the bridge with Pidge settled a few seats down from him. They aren’t talking, but it’s nicer to have company than to be alone, so he doesn’t say anything. Pidge is absorbed in one of her electronics, as expected, so Keith leans his head back and lets his mind wander. It doesn’t take long for his mind to settle on Lance. It doesn’t ever take his mind long to relate something back to Lance, it’s almost impressive.

He closes his eyes, trying to chase the thoughts out of his head. He tried his best not to think about Lance when he was around other people. It didn’t matter that he could keep a good poker face or that Pidge was distracted. He harbored a fear that somehow, she would see his feelings written all over his face.

The door to the bridge slides open and then closed but Keith doesn’t open his eyes. He would recognize the sound of Lance’s footsteps anywhere. He can tell all of the team’s footsteps apart by now, but he is always acutely in tune with Lance’s. He’s always acutely in tune with Lance. Period.

“Lance,” Pidge says and Keith imagines she must’ve looked up from her gadget. “Is that a new shirt?”

There’s no hiding the joy in Lance’s voice as he replies, “It is!”

“Keith,” Pidge says, an undertone of… something in her voice. He obliges and opens his eyes, looking at her. “Isn’t Lance’s new shirt great?”

He turns his eyes to Lance to observe this new shirt for himself and he must admit that it is great. It’s a little tighter than his normal shirts, but not in a way that seems to cling to him. It just hangs a little closer to Lance’s body and moves a little more fluidly with him. His other shirts were too big and he just looked like small, scrawny boy swimming in them. This shirt showed Lance for what he was; muscular and languid, not lanky. “Yeah,” he replied, swallowing. “Great.”

He averts his eyes quickly, hoping to not seem too obvious and glances back at Pidge. She’s looking at him with an expression he can’t quite place a finger on.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

Lance is sitting on the ground in the training room, ragged breaths filling his chest. Hunk is sitting behind him, leaning his back against Lance and breathing just as heavily. Keith had been here with them but had left to shower. Lance needed to shower, too, but he was too tired to stand.

“Man,” Hunk huffs behind him. “That was a tough session.”

Lance lets out an unstable laugh. “For us, yeah. Keith--” he stops, clutching his bayard tightly in his hand. He turned too many things into conversations about Keith and he knew it. It wasn’t intentional--everything in his life, everything inside of him revolved around Keith--but he knew he needed to stop. He had accepted his feelings a long time ago, but he wasn’t sure how the others would feel about it, or even if it was a good idea.

There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong. Like dating in the workplace, but worse. Dating in a close-knit team that relied solely on trust to function meant that if anything went wrong, they would be doomed. The entire universe would be doomed. He would love nothing more than to call Keith his, but he wasn’t sure he could risk the whole universe for that selfish desire.

“Yeah?” Hunk says, his voice suggesting that he’s waiting for more.

But Lance isn’t sure he should say more. But he can’t say nothing, either. “Keith made it look easy,’ He finishes lamely.

“He is really impressive,” Hunk says quietly. “I mean, he’s so strong. And really brave. He’s gotten us out of a lot of tough situations, you know?”

Lance isn’t sure what to say. He agrees with Hunk--more than agrees, really. He could go on extensively about all the ways Keith benefits the team. He could go on for even longer about all the ways Keith benefits him, personally.

“I’m continually impressed by him.” Hunk adds.

Tentatively, Lance adds some of his own opinions. “Yeah, I agree. He’s very talented and cool. He’s skilled with his bayard, but he’s also skilled hand-to-hand. And he makes a great leader, he’s really able to bring the team together and maximize our strengths.”

A silence stretches between them and Lance fears he has said to much. Before he can worry too much, however, Hunk shifts behind him. He turns so that he is facing Lance and shoves his shoulder kindly.

“You should tell him all of that.”

Lance laughs. “Are you kidding? He doesn’t care what I think.”

“You’d be surprised.” Hunk edges.

“He doesn’t care what anybody thinks,” Lance amends, standing up, “Least of all me.”

He helps Hunk to his feet and stalks out the door without another word, trying to push that ridiculous idea--and the sting associated with it--out of his mind.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

Keith never used to have trouble sleeping. He used to sleep peacefully at night, laid out under his covers, arms jammed under his pillows. It used to be no problem. But now--now sleeping was nothing short of elusive. Most of the time he walked laps around the castle, trying to justify it to himself as keeping a secure perimeter. But the truth was that he was hoping the exercise would wear him out enough that he would just collapse out of sheer exhaustion and sleep that way.

Except, that never worked. Instead of being exhausted, it was like taking a trip down memory lane. He would round a corner and see Lance there, leaning against the wall and throwing his head back in a laugh. He would walk through a doorway and see Lance sitting there, the infamous flirty smile on his lips as he winked at Keith. He couldn’t go anywhere in the castle without a ghost of Lance popping up, reminding him, achingly, of the boy he loved.

The boy spent every day around. The boy whose touch he knew inside and out. The boy who filled his soul with hope.

Keith stopped and ran a hand down his face. This was why he never slept.

“Hey,”

He didn’t jump, he had heard Shiro approaching. “Hey,”

“Can we talk?”

Keith drops the hand from over his eyes and looks at Shiro in surprise. “Now? In the middle of the night?”

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says, smiling wryly, “Do you have some other pressing plans?”

With a small smile of his own, Keith relents. They walk through the next door and into the control room, taking seats opposite each other. Keith tries not to look to his right where he knows he’ll see a memory of Lance.

“What’s up?”

“Keith,” Shiro begins before sighing. He shifts slightly so he’s more comfortable and more relaxed. Keith’s insides knot. He recognizes Shiro going into space dad mode. “I can only watch you torture yourself for so long, you know?”

“No, I don’t know.” Keith tries, but Shiro shoots him a look and he sighs, dropping his head back onto the top of the chair behind him. “It’s nothing.”

“Mostly I’m just wondering why you wouldn't talk to me about it. Me, of all people? I mean, Keith, you’ve met Adam.”

The words sting but Keith knows he deserves it. Especially since keeping secrets and harboring feelings jeopardizes the entire team. If he can’t talk to Lance about it, the least he could do was talk to Shiro. At the very least, it would stop weighing him down that way.

“It has nothing to do with that,” He says, and it’s true. “It has everything to do with the fact that it doesn’t matter.”

“Love always matters.”

Keith flinches, sitting upright. He knew he had feelings for Lance and he had moved past being able to deny them, but love? That was absurd! Lance had started off his rival and had somehow turned into his right-hand man, but that was as far as it went. Maybe he was mistaking admiration for something more. That could be. What couldn’t be was love.

Shiro’s smile as he keeps speaking is kind and reserved. “I understand. I felt that way when I realized I loved Adam. But I did--do love him. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Loving a boy wasn’t something to be ashamed of, Keith agreed. And he wasn’t ashamed. It was just--Lance? Of all people? That was what he was hung up on, not Lance’s gender.

“I’m not--” Keith fumbles over his words, feeling them stick in his throat. He takes a deep breath, swallows, and tries again. He’s no more successful. “We’re just--” He drops his head into his hands.

“That’s why you haven’t told him, huh? You haven’t admitted it to yourself yet?” Shiro stands up and crosses the space between them, dropping a hand onto his shoulder. “Now I understand.”

“There’s nothing to admit,” Keith tries again but his words are feeble, falling apart before they even pass his lips. He can feel his heart in his chest, beating against his ribcage. He can feel the way it aches as he tries to deny what he knows is true.

“All I’m going to say on it now is that you’ll be surprised, I think, if you do admit it to him. It might go better than you expect.”

Shiro takes his exit then and Keith finds himself alone on the bridge, more wide awake than he’s been in a long time.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

The cargo hold is colder than the rest of the ship. Lance is sure there’s some scientific reason for it that Pidge or Hunk could explain, but he didn’t really care. All he knows is that the cool air gives him a little bit of breathing room. It seemed to clear his head and allow him to focus. Also, it was normally empty.

Normally. Because this time, as he walked through the door, he found Allura standing there in front of Blue. “Allura? What are you doing?”

“Oh, Lance!” She turned to look at him, a smile lighting up her face. “I actually wanted to talk to you!”

Surprised, Lance crossed the room to stand at her side. There was a time when those words would have thrilled him, but that time had passed. He still enjoyed talking to her and he wanted to hear what she had to say, but his heart didn’t take off, gallivanting across the universe, at the prospect of it. Instead it beat steadily away in his chest, unbothered. “What’s up?”

“Well, you see, everyone has been noticing--” She paused, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. “Well, we’ve all noticed your feelings for Keith.”

Immediately Lance goes on the defensive. “Woah!” He cries, taking a step back from her and throwing his hands up in between them. “Woah, woah. No. There’s nothing to notice.”

Allura presses on, “And we’ve noticed Keith’s feelings for you, too.”

Lance opens his mouth to say something back to that, but he honestly isn’t sure what he would say. “Keith’s--what?”

“And honestly, Lance, we just want the both of you to be happy. So I guess I’m just here to say it’s okay. And to tell you that I think you should tell Keith how you feel.”

“There’s nothing to tell!” Lance says automatically, but there’s no real conviction behind the words. “I don’t know where you are getting your ideas from, Allura, but honestly--”

She cuts in smoothly, “Oh, it’s not just me. Everyone thinks so. We have a bet going on it.”

“What!?”

A look of panic crosses Allura’s face when she realizes what she’s said. “That is--” She sighs. “Well, I guess that’s out now. It’s true, we do have a bet going. Hunk and I think you’ll be the first to confess. Pidge and Shiro think Keith will be.”

“This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard of.” Lance drops his head into his hands. “This is insane.”

The cold air of the cargo hold is no longer helping him. Lance feels like his head is spinning in circles and he might tip over at any second. The whole team knows about his feelings? He had thought he had hidden them so well. Did that mean Keith knew, too? He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself, but it didn’t do much.

“What about Coran?” He croaked, trying to fill the silence. Trying to get his mind off of things. Trying, just desperately trying, to get a grip. “Who did he vote for?”

“He didn’t vote,” Allura answered, an annoyed expression crossing her features. “He started to tell some story about when he almost lost the castle in a bet…”

She trails off and they find themselves in silence again. The air surrounding Allura feels tense. Like she has more to say but isn’t saying it. Unsure that he can handle it for even another second, Lance turns on his heel and walks out of the cargo hold, ignoring Allura calling his name behind him. There’s only one way to settle this.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

He knocks on Keith’s door before he has a chance to second guess himself. The door slides open automatically and he steps across the threshold, not waiting for Keith to invite him in. Once inside, the door slides shut, Lance looks up and all of his determination slips away. Keith stands in the middle of his room, jacket discarded and hair messy. He’s looking at Lance with a puzzled expression.

“Hi?” He says, running a hand through his messy hair.

Lance’s throat runs dry. He tries to look around the room, to find something to distract him, but he finds nothing. The silence is stretching on and Allura’s words are coming back to him and suddenly Lance feels like he could pass out. He needs to fill the silence. He needs to say something. He needs to leave.

“The entire team thinks we’re in love with each other,” He blurts and then claps a hand over his mouth. He can feel the redness spreading across his cheeks and down his neck. He thinks flinging himself into a wormhole with no armor would be a preferable option to this.

Keith’s face is equally red but he, at least, has the determination to look Lance in the face. “What?”

“That’s what Allura just told me. They have some ridiculous bet going on about which one of us confesses first.” He’s rambling now, and he’s aware of it, but he doesn’t know how to stop. “I mean, that’s just insane, right?” When Keith doesn’t say anything, he adds, “Right?”

Silence.

A silence that seems to never end.

Lance thinks maybe he imagined it all. Maybe he didn’t say anything and he’s just been standing here silently staring at Keith all this time. That would explain why Keith wasn’t saying anything. It wouldn’t explain why Keith wouldn’t look him in the eyes, though.

“Keith?” He says tentatively, “Buddy?”

“Why are you so upset about it?” Keith finally asks and Lance immediately wishes they could go back to the silence. “Am I that bad?”

“No!” Lance paces in a small circle. “No, no. That’s not--”

“Then what is it?” Keith asks. There’s an edge to his voice but not the irritated one he’s used to. It’s a rough edge--fear?

Lance stops and faces Keith. His heart is beating so quickly he can no longer distinguish between beats. it feels like his insides are going to explode. The panic filling his chest is pressing against him, making him feel anxious. He needs to escape it. He needs to do something. He takes a deep breath. Another. One more. And then he launches into some long-winded explanation that he has no plan for and he just hopes for the best.

“Keith--quiznak, Keith, you are brave and--and strong. You are our fearless leader. You are smart and competent at everything you do. I used to be jealous of you but somewhere along the line that turned to admiration. And then I got to know you and instead of being my rival you became my friend.”

Keith isn’t saying anything. He’s staring at Lance with a strange sort of intensity, his mouth twisted halfway into a smile. His face is still red, but he seems less panicked now. It makes Lance feel marginally less panicked, too.

“And then, once you were my friend, there was only one logical step left to take. I would love to deny it--I’ve tried to deny it but clearly it isn’t working. If the entire team is making a bet on it, it’s definitely not working. I always want you there, Keith. You realize that, don’t you? That I always want to be next to you? And that I feel better when I have your support. I--”

“Lance,” Keith cuts him off and Lance is thankful. He takes a deep breath, trying to stop his spinning head and get a grip on what has been happening. If there were ever an out of body moment, this were it. “What are you trying to say? Short version?”

“I’m upset because I do like you, Keith. And I know it’s ridiculous to think you would like me back. I don’t expect that. And I just think we need to set it straight to everyone else so we can--”

It takes Keith no time to close the gap between them, pushing Lance against the door and pressing his lips to Lance’s. Lance responds, automatically, grabbing the front of Keith’s shirt and pulling him closer. It only lasts for a moment before Keith takes a step back. It’s not far enough to make Lance drop his shirt, but he does anyways, feeling suddenly self conscious.

“Keith?”

“You said it yourself. If the entire team is making a bet on it, it must be obvious.”

“Keith?” Lance says again.

Keith shoots him a smile, all confidence and security. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“I would really appreciate that.” Lance replies.

“I like you too, Lance.” Keith says and then he drops his voice. “How could I not? You’re selfless, kind and caring. You are everything I’m not. You complete me. God,” he groans, “How cheesy is that? But it’s true.”

Lance crushes him in a hug. He wraps his arms around Keith’s torso and pulls their chests flush together, nuzzling his head into the crook of Keith’s shoulder. Keith responds, wrapping his arms back around Lance and securing their connection. Lance considers the possibility of staying like this forever, but he knows it can’t last.

As they part, Keith meets his eyes. “Stay,” he says and it’s not exactly a demand but not exactly a request, either. More like an offer.

“Are you sure?” Lance asks. Keith nods. “I’m not going to wake up tomorrow with your knife pressed to my throat?”

Keith rolls his eyes but chuckles a little anyways. “No death threats to start the day, I promise.”

“Keith?” Keith looks up at him, his expression clear. Lance notices the way his shoulders look less tense. He notices the way his own shoulders feel less tense. Maybe getting the truth off your chest did that for you. “I like you.” He repeats. “Really like you. More than like you.”

“I love you too, Lance.” Keith says.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.

Pidge happens to be walking by Keith’s door at the exact right time the next morning. She happens to be the one standing in the hallway when the door opens to reveal Keith and Lance, together, exiting the room. Lance is in one of Keith’s shirts, although it fits him well, and they’re both sporting a bad case of bed head.

“Good morning, you two.” She says, trying to keep her voice innocent.

“Good morning,” Keith replies, entirely unruffled by her roving eyes.

“Mornin’,” Lance mumbles, eyes elsewhere and cheeks slightly pink.

“Did you two… have a good night?” She asks.

Instead of responding, Keith grabs Lance’s hand, lacing their fingers together. The cheesy smile that lights up Lance’s face in response is all she needs.

“Finally,” She breathes. “Who confessed first?”

“Sorry, Pidge, we’re busy. We have lots to attend to.” Keith says as the two of them set off together.

“Wait! Just tell me how it happened!” She yells at their retreating back.

“See you later for training!” Is the only response she gets.

Luca hc’s / AU Part 5

The officers on the Atlas, as well as the Altean Princess, kept on coming and they kept asking Luca their questions. That didn't stop. But Keith kept his word about not pushing her whenever he'd come to visit. Their time together were mostly spent making small jabs at each other while playing with whatever Keith'd bring with him for her. Sometimes they'd talk about trivial things, stuff they liked doing before all this, and sometimes they'd read books or comics in silence, but still enjoying each other's company.

Once, Keith brought with him an item that played music. That day had been mostly spent listening to different kind of songs and Luca had enjoyed it imensely.

He would also bring her different kinds of food that held more flavors in them than the ones she'd gotten in the beginning, saying something about his friend refusing to make her only taste the bland store-bought meals when he could easily make something himself now that he'd gotten access to the kitchen. Luca didn't get why he would take the time to cook for a prisoner, but she wouldn't complain about it. Last week, Keith brought her something called ”pasta” and Luca had loved it. She couldn't rememebr the last time she'd eaten anything that good.

Keith had laughed, saying that he would tell Hunk that she liked it. That the Yellow Paladin would be happy and perhaps she could get more pasta meals.

Luca sure hoped that would be the case.

...

Luca appreciated Keith's effort in giving her things to do when being bored.

While she had never really been fond of drawing, she kept the sketchbook Keith gave to her and filling the pages mostly by just mixing together different colors.

It looked good enough, in her opinion.

Keith would draw. He'd draw sketches of different sceneries and animals, showing them to her. Luca felt absolutely freaked out over the long necks of the ”giraffes”. How do they balance themselves? Wouldn't a crick in the neck be such a pain? (Keith: ”That is... actually a really good question. *mumbles* Do giraffes even get cricks in their necks?)

Luca liked looking over his drawings. Keith'd always look sheepish and a bit unsure of himself when showing them, but Luca thought they looked amazing. She could see the care and effort being put in and while she hadn't seen it for herself, she believed that the sketches of the landscapes were realistic. On the other hand, when they played a game of finishing sketches of different objects the quickest, the works of both of them came out really messy. You almost couldn't tell who had drawn what.

One time, Keith made a sketch of her in his sketchbook. It had been one of those days when they didn't really feel like talking, so they both sat and did their own thing. Keith sat in a corner and sketched while Luca continued reading some comics. By the time she had finished 2 of them, Luca looked over to Keith and her eyes met a rather intense stare. Luca blinked, a little taken aback and Keith imidiately turned his gaze down again with an awkward look on his face.

Luca: Is...something the matter?

Keith: No, sorry. I got lost in thought.

He went back to his sketchbook and Luca decided to shrug it off. The more time that passed though, the more curious she became. She had went from reading to listening to some cd's at this point and yet Keith was still sitting in the corner, pen glued in his hand. Luca wanted to see what he was skecthing.

Luca: Is it finished soon?

Keith looked up, startled.

Keith: Uh.. Yeah. Almost.

Luca: Can I see it?

Keith hesitated. He glance down at his sketch and fiddled a bit with his pen.

Keith: It's just a doodle. I don't think you'll be that impressed by it.

Now, Luca really wanted to know what was going on. Keith had never hidden his drawings before, so she knew he was keeping something from her. Well, Luca wasn't known for giving up when she wanted something.

She stood up, quickly walking toward him. Keith felt his body tense up.

Luca: Come on, let me see it.

Keith: It's really not that impressive. If I can get more time to fix the details-

Luca grabbed hold of the sketchbook and fixed her gaze on Keith, challenging him. Keith gripped his book tighter and met her in the staredown. They both sat like that for at least 10 minutes before Keith finally yielded and loosened his hold.

Keith: Fine. You can see it.

Luca gave him a victorious grin and then she snatched the sketchbook, eager to see what he had worked on.Her grin quickly slipped off once her eyes fell on the page. Keith rubbed his neck in silence.

Keith: I'm sorry... I know I should have asked for permission, but I just...

Luca stared down at the sketch. The sketch of herself. Her long hair, the shape of her face, her pointy ears, her Altean marks, her eyes... Luca took in every last detail.

Keith: Are you okay..?

Luca gave a short nod, her eyes glued to the paper. She looked so.... beautiful. Luca didn't know she could look like that through someone else's eyes.

Luca: Can I keep it?

The question came out in a soft voice. Keith blinked in surprise, but soon found himself smiling.

Keith: Of course.

…

The more they spent time together, the more Luca found herself enjoying herself. She wanted to know more about the Paladin.

Where did he grow up? What was his childhood like? What made him become a Paladin of Voltron?

She had so many questions.

When Luca learned that Keith was considered the best pilot of his generation, she imidiately grew enthusiastic to talk about their training and what had made Keith want to become a pilot in the first place. 

Luca too was considered the best when it came to piloting the mecha. She had found something to personally bond over with the other.

Keith had told her that he had always wanted to leave this place. To fly among the stars. He had wanted to prove himself greater than what others made him out to be, to be more than the hopeless orphan who nobody expected anything from.

Luca could relate to that. She had lived a good life in the colony, but she had always wanted to leave their hiding place, to go out and explore the universe and become part of something bigger. She had never felt like she'd truly fit in with the other Alteans. Not since her parents left. Others had tried, of course, but her intense personality had made most of them turn away at some point. Except for Merla. Merla had kept coming to her to spend time together even when Luca would lash out in annoyance.

Merla hadn't grown tired of her.

The thought of the other girl made Luca's heart grow heavy. She missed talking to her.

Merla had been the only one Luca would truly call her friend. She was the only one who was perssistent enough to stand by Luca's side. When bringing this fact up to Keith, she thought the other would call her a lonewolf or something similar, which he did, but he said it so fondly that Luca was unable take it as an insult.

Keith: Honeslt, the only reason I even got the chance to become a pilot is because of Shiro. He got in a good word for me and even when I messed up, he didn't leave me. He took on the role as my mentor. Now, he is my best friend.

Luca had listened to him in interest. It was amazing, really, how alike the two of them were.

Luca: I guess we both used to be lonewolves then?

Keith laughed.

Keith: Yeah. It's a good thing we both found someone to build a pack with, though. It's hard to survive when you're all alone.

Luca agreed with that. Without Merla, she probably would have worked herself to death before even getting the chance to leave for this mission. Merla had made sure she'd gotten enough rest and had forced her to go and eat together with the others. She had slowly dragged Luca further into her own pack of wolves. Luca might not have appreciated them as much as Merla, but she had been less alone.

Looking over at Keith, Luca realized that here, she always felt less alone whenever he was around. The fondness that were starting to build up in her chest felt close to the same she felt when Merla would refuse to leave her and Luca decided that she didn't mind it.

Keith was someone she was happy to call a companion.

Luca smiled, mournfully.

If only he could have been part of her pack.

Everyone is writing depressed Lance on the way back to Earth (and I just want to feel included) omega Lance

Lance was gutted. He felt like a worthless fool. A worthlessly embarrassing fool. He'd slipped. He'd let let whole team have a glimpse of a side of him he'd rather they'd never seen. He was Lance. The comic relief. The seventh wheel. The temporary Red Paladin who'd stupidly fallen under Allura's spell! He didn't get it. He couldn't figure it out, no matter how he thought, it all came back to, why?! Why had he let himself develop feelings for someone so... perfect, and brilliant and so far out of his league? Hey gorgeous personality, her beautiful appearance and enchanting smile... he'd thought he'd loved her... but he'd never realised to what degree... they'd been so close, now it all they had was awkwardness. And since when had all his pretending become reality?! He might have flirted with Allura since day, but he'd known he never had a chance. He was just a boy from Cuba... and a boy who's heart already belonged to another. So now, here he was. Listening to the others chatting, as his shook. Crying silent tears so as not to burden the others. They were all so happy. So happy that Keith had come back... even if he wasn't the Keith remembered. The Keith he remembered was barely the same height as him. He was the Keith with a quick temper, always baited by the slightest quip... but this Keith... he didn't know what to do. What to say. Keith had come back radiating an aura of maturity. An aura telling Lance his feeble jokes and bad flirting weren't going to be appreciated. He was now someone Lance didn't recognise, yet his stupid feelings wouldn't leave him alone. His verbal banter with Keith had kept him going. When everyone was busy, all it'd take was a look, or a gentle teasing of Keith's mullet and that was it, they'd fall into an almost family like fight, no real bite in their words, but nothing akin to love. That had been enough, but now he didn't even have that. He was alone in Red, Kaltenecker his only companion, and the memories of his death to keep him company. He was lonely and miserable. Hating himself for how desperately he wanted one of them to reach out, to simply ask if he was ok. It was pathetic. He was pathetic. They were going home, but what happened then? Shiro was back. Which once again meant there were more Paladins then lions. If they were to build a new castle with the help of Earth and the Galaxy Garrison, then they'd insist on staffing the castle with their people. Most suitable Paladin's would be selected, though it was up to the lions if they accepted them. None of them had asked to be Paladin's, yet the others... the others filled their roles so perfectly. There really was no space for him. Hunk's laughter filled Red. Pidge teasing him over something trivial, while Hunk spluttered and laughed. It hurt to hear. They were all so happy. So full of hope. While he was alone. He didn't even know if they knew he'd died. He could still feel the coldness nested in his heart, at first he'd thought it from Allura accidentally breaking it, but now he was sure it was from his death. He was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be dead and now he was sitting here like some abomination "Paladins, we'll set up camp for tonight on the planet ahead. We need to plan our trip home, and there will be much to do along the way" "Alright Allura. Because you asked so nicely" "Don't be hangry, Hunk. We'll feed you once we get there" "I'm not Hangry" "Sorry Hunk, I've got to agree with Pidge on this one" "Ha! See. Even Shiro agrees!" "Shiro, man. I thought we were friends" "I think we could all use some rest and food..." "I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to this confident Keith" "Don't start on me Pidge" "I'm just saying! You've changed" Allura giggled as something rustled in the background "Of course he's changed. He was gone for two years!" "And he comes back with such a pretty girlfriend" "Shiro, Romelle isn't my girlfriend" "Why not. She's pretty" "I can't believe you. I save you and this is how you repay me?" "What can I say? My little brother is so grown up" "Keep going and I'll put you back in a pod" "Now boys, no need to fight" "That's right. I'm recovering, go easy on me" "And he's only got one arm!" "And grey hair! You've gotten old!" "There's nothing wrong with my hair!" "Yeah, nothing a little dye wouldn't fix!" "Shiro, ignore Pidge. I think your hair suits you" "Shut up, Matt!" "Thanks, Matt" See. They didn't need him. They hadn't needed him when they'd stopped on Olkarion to explain the situation. They hadn't needed him when Matt had decided to join them. None of his friends had even noticed when he'd returned to Red ahead of time, only caring that he'd been in his pilot seat when they took off. It wasn't like he hadn't asked if there was something he could do, but Hunk had brushed him off, while Pidge had told him to leave it to the "big kids". He hadn't said a single thing to any of them since, that was a nearly a movement ago... * Landing on the planet, the others had landed so there wasn't actually any space for Red near them. The plateau they occupied was nestled between two sharply sloping rises, neither of which had enough space for Red, and the next closest space was a good three to four hundred metres away. Whatever. It was better this way. No one would hear him crying in his sleep, and no one would bother making the walk. He'd just get some sleep, and be yelled at in the morning for keeping them all waiting. Standing, Lance ran his hand over his pilot's chair sadly. He was going to miss Red. Even if she might not feel the same "Red, can you please open your mouth? I need to let Kaltenecker out for the night" Obliging, Red lowered herself, opening her mouth and allowing a cold gush of fresh air to fill her cockpit. Kaltenecker mooed, not at all impressed over the frigid air "I'm sorry girl. You know the rules" Kaltenecker went out at night, otherwise she'd mess up Red's cockpit in more ways than one. Leading his stubborn cow down, he tethered her right beside Red's jaw, before backtracking and grabbing her water pale "I know girl, but you've got plenty of grass?" Kaltenecker looked so completely done with him. He really must be pathetic "Don't worry. I'll make sure you go to a good home when we get back to Earth" Flicking her tail, she turned her back on him. Opening the doors to the cargo bay, Lance looked at the pathetically small piles of belongings he had. He'd tried to make the effort to keep things neat and organised in a manner that would make Shiro proud of him, but what was the point when he never talked to them? Back home, his mother had always been on his case about making his bed. About how an omega needed to know how to run a household. How to cook. How to clean. What to say. What not to say. What to wear. What to be. Every part of his life was ruled by his secondary dynamic, and it wasn't until he'd joined the Galaxy Garrison that he'd realised he was incredibly lucky to know everything his mother had taken the time to drill into him. Male omegas were a joke. An abomination. They weren't even permitted into the Galaxy Garrison, but Lance had gotten his letter of acceptance before he'd ever had his first heat. No. That came two weeks later when his mother and father were away on a business trip and he was supposed to watch the house with his older brothers, but they both had girlfriends and he'd been left alone. The moment he'd realised what was happening, he'd been filled with terror that just thinking of the memory still triggered that same terror. His mother had come to find him half dead, unable to care for himself during his heat. His brothers had been been smacked with her shoe until they'd both been reduced to tears, while he had been taken to the doctors and given a new and highly experimental shot, designed for long term suppression. He still got "heats" but instead of loosing control of himself, it instead consisted of a week of cramping and headaches, while his own sweet scent was completely obliterated. Something he considered a small price to pay to achieve his dream of being a pilot. Scents were one of the first things noticed when finding and selecting a desirable mate, but he couldn't smell the difference between an alpha and beta, or even a omega for that matter. The only scents he could pick up were from deodorants, or soaps, or shampoos. Things like that. When Hunk and Pidge had incorrectly assumed him a beta, he hadn't corrected them. Being a beta wasn't exactly high in social standing, but it was miles higher than a male omega. Shaking his head over the state of Red, Lance ignored it completely, making his way over to the pilot of blankets that now served as his bed, and crawling into them without even bothering to undress, or bothering to eat. The Olkari had made sure they were all stocked with enough rations to last them a phoeb. His having magically appeared one day in Red's cockpit without his knowledge. He would have liked to have thanked Ryner, but she was always so busy with everyone else that it always felt rude to interrupt. Now he'd probably never have the chance. Curling around his Bayard, he cried himself to sleep. Lance was awoken by angry pounding. His heart was racing, being woken by anger was perhaps the scariest way to wake. When his dad had lost his job, he'd drowned himself in drink. Being the youngest, Lance hadn't known to run and hide like the others. His father had knocked him around more than once, before his mother had thrown him out to get sober. When his dad had come home, things had gone back to normal... but the fear remained. It was an irrational fear his seven year old self couldn't understood. Every time his father would raise his hand, even if it was to ruffle his hair affectionately, his heart would race as he flinched away. Veronica had let it carry on for your years before finally explaining to him. He didn't hate his dad for hurting him, his dad hated himself enough over it for the both of them. But trauma is a funny thing. Climbing to his feet, he wrapped his arms around himself as he walked over to door in Red's mouth, pressing down on the hand pad to reveal a very pissed Pidge "What the fuck, Lance?!" "What..." "Don't what me. Your stupid cow was down at camp this morning. If you can't look after her, you never should have brought her with you" "Is she ok?" "No she's not. She's cut her back leg on something. Allura's going to take her so Romelle can treat her wound" "I..." "Just get your act together, and stop sulking. You're not the only one hurting right now" "I get it. Sorry, Pidge" "So you should be, we don't need the stress right now. We're heading out, so try not to fall asleep" He knew Pidge wasn't a morning person, but shit. He'd made sure Kaltenecker was tethered properly. He'd even double checked she was. Now she was hurt, and it was his fault... Once again the kept their coms at they flew. With no teladuv, they'd fly for six or so vargas, land on whatever moon or planet was closest for a short "lunch" break, then fly for another 6, before making camp for the night. As usual everyone was chatting off and on around him, while Lance stared down at his Bayard. Allura has said he was meant for greatness, and he supposed idiocy counted. The world's greatest idiot. That was him "So Lance, what's the first thing you're going to go when you get home?" Lance jumped at the sound of his own name, taking a few ticks to place the voice. Keith's mum... why was she talking to him? She should be happy with Shiro and Keith... she'd practically adopted Shiro on the spot "Knowing Lance its going to be something stupid, like chatting up girls by telling them he's some big space hero" "Either that or he's going to stuff his face. I can smell the garlic knots from here" Everyone laughed, Shiro pointing out that Hunk was probably going to be the one to stuff his face. Lance's face burnt. Keith had probably told his mum just how much of hopeless flirt he was, and about all the times he'd been rejected "Ha ha, good one guys" "See, he doesn't even deny it" "Seriously man, there's more to life than girls" When he didn't reply to Matt, Pidge giggled "Awww, I think we hurt his feelings. Lance, its ok. I'm sure someone out there will like your bad jokes" "It's fine. I'm going to take a nap" "Food and sleep! What a life!" The conversation moved on from him, Lance crawling from his chair, making his way to behind it as he hid his face against his knees. He just needed to make it home. If he made it home, he'd never see any of them ever again. When that nights planet was decided, he was the first to land, turning his coms off and heading out of Red before the others had even finished powering down. Relieving himself quickly, he ignored how light headed he felt. He probably should bother to eat, but it was just so much effort. Walking back to Red, he could see the others already making camp. Shiro supported by Krolia, Keith standing beside the protectively. It was a bitter feeling. Heading back into Red, this time he actually bothered to find a ration pack, and bottle of water. If he got sick, they'd all get madder at him. Settling down in the back corner of Red, he picked at the granola like bar with disinterest, while trying to figure out how to actually contribute to the team. He didn't want to be dead weight anymore. Lance was crying softly when something wet ran up his face. His breath caught as he tried to escape the situation, only to be yipped at as something solid pressed against his chest. Wiping his face, the omega blinked, sniffling as he realised it was Keith's wolf "Did you get lost again? I'm not Keith..." He couldn't even remember the dumb dogs name, but staring right into his eyes, it lowered itself down, huffing as it did. It's two large paws firmly against his chest, so there was no way he was going anywhere. Thumping it's tail, the wolf nuzzled at his face "I'm not your human..." Lance hesitated before wrapping his arms around the beast, nuzzling its soft coat as his soft cries turned to sobs. This was the first real warmth he'd felt in quintants that hadn't come from a cow "How come you're here? Keith's gonna be mad when he realises you've been slumming it with me" Carding his fingers through the blue fur, the wolf didn't pull away, though it did stop nuzzling at his face, instead resting its face on his shoulder "Sorry. I should let you get back" When Lance's fingers loosened their grip on the fur, the wolf let out a whine, as if telling him not to let go "Do... you maybe want to stay here a little while? I was going to go to sleep" Keith must have taught the wolf "sleep" as it pulled away, before laying beside his leg "What am I going to do with you?" Sliding down his bed, Lance tentatively snaked his arm around the wolf, burying his face back again the fur as his he pulled a blanket over the pair of them, and settled down properly "I don't know if you can understand me, but thank you... all I ever do is mess up... so.. thank you" That night was he first night since his death that Lance didn't wake from a screaming nightmare. Instead he woke to Keith's wolf liking at his face, and pawing at his chest "Alright, I'm up. I'm up!" Yipping, the wolf disappeared and reappeared, playfully lowering its self before each jump "You need to go back to Keith. He'll get mad" The wolf cocked it's head, as if telling him he was stupid "I don't have much for breakfast..." The granola bar from the previous night was still beside his pillow. Pulling the wrapper off, Lance threw the bar, the wolf catching it happily "You need a name. I don't know what Keith calls you, but I'm going to call you Storm. Thanks for last night, but I'll be ok. Go back to Keith before he gets too worried" Yipping again, the wolf disappeared, this time not reappearing the cargo hold. Today's topic of conversation was Keith's missing wolf. Lance hadn't turned on his coms until after they'd left the planet, so had come in late to the conversation "She was gone all night" "She probably just found a rabbit" "Her fur was damp... Coran, didn't you say that planet was devoid of water?" "Right you are, Keith" "Which means she was off getting into trouble" "She seems happy enough" "Maybe she's been raiding the supplies?" "Don't even joke about that, Pidge" "Why don't you follow her?" "Because following a magical disappearing space wolf is just that easy" Lance didn't even realise what he'd said until it'd slipped out. Allura had been asking a simple question "Wow Lance, someone's salty" "Lance, you didn't need to be rude to Allura like that" "I'm sure Lance has his reasons" No! Why was Allura making it sound like she deserved it... "That's not what I meant..." "It's fine, Lance" "Way to bring down a mood. Wanna play "eye-spy?"" "No, you cheat" "I do not cheat! You just can't match my level of intellect!" "Oh I beg to differ, Katie" "Are you challenging me, Matt?" "I just might be" "Bring it on!" Someone groaned, but Lance didn't want to hear it. Cutting the transmission, he pulled out his Bayard, activating it. Staring at the blade, he placed it in his palm, balancing it while sighing. He'd suffered with depression for years, even before presenting, but he'd never hit a low like this. Each time he'd felt low, he'd always forced himself to carry on, but if he was leaving them all, what was the point? He'd never tried to hurt himself intentionally, outside of punching the occasional wall or door, but maybe that's what he needed. Inside Red, he was safe. His emotions numbed to some degree by their mental link. Maybe that was why he was feeling so disconnected? He just wanted to feel something other than depressed, and pain... that wasn't sadness. With his shirt hiked up, and his pants unbuttoned, Lance had his bottom teeth captured between his lip as he stared down at his right hip bone. He'd always been so gangly. Too tall to be an attractive omega, and his curves were barely existent. Pressing his blade to his hip, he hissed as he nicked the skin, and drop of blood rushed to form. Shit... he'd actually... he didn't want to do this... yanking the blade back, the tip caught on his hip bone, cutting through his skin for a good inch and a half before he even realised what he'd done. He'd never been great with a blade, but now he'd panicked uselessly and done the very thing he'd decided not to. Blood poured from the wound while Lance cursed himself. Pressing his hand firmly to the site, he forced himself up, gritting his teeth as he stumbled into the cargo hold. Leaving bloody hand prints across his supplies, he finally found his first aid kit. Who the quiznak thought letting him a blade was a good idea? It took him nearly half a varga to dress the stupid wound because the bleeding didn't want to stop, and then his pants rubbed against the gauze, making him yelp each time he tried to move. The others would love this. He'd hit the bottom, tried to hurt himself, scared himself out of it... only for him to hurt himself and get blood all over the place.

I think a while ago you talked about how Pidge would be a Beast Tamer in a fantasy setting and Keith seems to often get compared to a knight in the show (shield&sword for bayard, assigned the knight pieces in the comic, etc) and we all know Allura's a (fairy) princess. So, based on the common troupes/character traits with certain fantasy roles, what do you think Shiro, Lance, Hunk and Coran would be?

Honestly I’d argue that Keith’s not really what I’d put as a knight in a pure high fantasy setting, so, I’m just going to go with a lot of my sensibilities/rough abilities that I sorted them into in Hallowed AU:

Pidge: Rogue (Beast master)

Not much to say here. Pidge offsets her own relative lack of staying power, reach, etc. with stealth, maneuverability, and tricky properties. It’s very popular to make her a wizard, but I’ve always thought it’d be interesting, rather than giving Pidge a massive font of magical power, for her to have a few very limited little magics, things she hasn’t had enough time to study or the materials to perfect since she’s on the road and on a mission, but a lot of experimentation and little flash grenades and glamours and sharp daggers. And probably poisons, too, considering her canon affinity for plant life coupled with, in this continuity, a fondness for cute little guys that just might be a little bitey if you aren’t her friend.

But of course, her bag of tricks is limited by necessity- she herself is small, slight, and not really kitted out for direct engagements. In this sense, the kind of creatures she’s liable to befriend fit nicely- she usually goes for the small ones, with the exception of Green- and even she’s small, nimble, and stealthy compared to her brethren. Just imagine Pidge fitting her faithful companion and steed with a set of saddlebags to carry all kinds of equipment and reagents without fear of them falling out if they run into trouble suddenly and need to launch evasive maneuvers.

Keith: Spellsword (Dark sorcerer)

What’s the point of having a long lost bloodline if it doesn’t give you spooky magic, right? Also, in a high fantasy setting, Keith is just set out to be a wizard. Boy’s a glass cannon, through and through.

My personal favorite spin on this is the idea of Keith’s capabilities being overwhelmingly self-taught, framing him as both kind of a prodigy, and in an awkward position since his particular brand of magic is really not socially acceptable or in fact, usually practiced by good people. Which, again, as a self-taught vagrant in the middle of nowhere puts him in just a bit of a pickle to explain himself to well-meaning local law enforcement.

No, if anybody’s a knight in here, it’s....

Shiro: Paladin (Mounted warrior)

Give him a hand-and-a-half sword, a shield with a royal crest, and some spiffy armor and just watch this guy sit straighter and carry himself as befitting a Defender Of The Realm, Ally of Justice, basically a faux-medieval superhero. While I like to reimagine the Lions in a fantasy setting as steeds, I can imagine Shiro and Black having a unique bond where they’re the most likely to actively wield proper cavalry tactics and fight more together than apart. Not that the others don’t fight together, but Shiro having like... actual training and an education in battlefield tactics and why you don’t leap over your allies’ shield wall when your enemies all have spears and you don’t wear armor, Keith.

The thing about knights is more than just Some Guy With A Sword, there’s a pretty big deal in most high fantasy about honor. “Chivalry” literally comes from the same root as cavalry, and while all of the team arguably fights for a higher, more noble cause, Shiro’s the kind of guy who I can see pursuing a career that lets him really dedicate his life to that higher cause, because frankly, whether or not he had a liege to serve and a sword in his hand, he’d be making a stand against injustice anyway. That’s just the kind of guy he is, and when we have an obvious liege that would look favorably on that sort of thing, it’s pretty clear what the result is.

Lance: Bard (Longbow fighter)

Not only is Lance a quintessential support class- he very naturally and easily falls back to let other people shine and picks off enemies with rather fearsome precision from a cozy distance- he’s someone who loves people, and, frankly, has a rather effective way with them. No, he’s not the casanova he sort of pretends he is, but he’s an actor, a charmer, a showman, and specific to Hallowed AU, he might just have a pinch of supernatural assistance in that regard.

My first reflex as weapon of choice would be a crossbow, since it has a lovely silhouette very similar to canon Lance’s rifle, but the longbow spoke to me, because the thing about Lance, is he’s very not a prodigy. This is a major point of contrast between him and Keith- and yet on several occasions in canon, we’re shown that people who are hard to impress (Commander Iverson, and the Red Lion) find Lance worthy of standing where Keith, the actual prodigy, once stood. This tells us that Lance is a hard worker. 

The longbow is a very difficult weapon- they say to train a longbowman, you start with his grandfather. That saying, for me, makes me want to put one in Lance’s hands in a fantasy setting for what it implies- about him, about his family. That he started young, that he likely hails from a family of, perhaps even generations of, archers. And of course he’s not going to say that, acknowledge training until his fingers bleed, or anything like that- he’ll goof off and show off- but there’s a certain obvious respect just him having that weapon and using it effectively and when he notches an arrow, draws that fairly heavy bow back, and fires with deadly accuracy.

Hunk: Fighter (Alchemist)

Hunk seems commonly sorted as a cleric and while I can appreciate that, I think personally Hunk doesn’t have the kind of patience to pursue a skill set where he can’t barge up to the thing chewing on his friends, who he is trying to keep healthy, thank you very much, and crack ‘em solidly in the teeth. He certainly has the muscle of a frontline fighter, and I can see Hunk wielding a simple, but sturdy crooked staff.

The real danger comes in the fact that while Pidge has a foot in the magical and the alchemical, higher education likely pointing to a more aristocratic background- I can see Hunk being someone of humble roots who, out of a combination of necessity and curiosity, learned how to fix, stitch, patch, scratch, and brew, just about everything.

Hunk who smugly goes “Yeah, well, I’m no wizard, but if all you need to knock a wall down,” lights the fuse on a homemade tied-off little packet and lobs it to a satisfyingly sized explosion, or who heard you were picking a fight and brewed up a batch of greek fire for the occasion. He’d probably leave the poisons to Pidge, though- someone who takes as much pride in the culinary arts as he does isn’t going to sully his cooking with anything if he can help it.

Allura: Mage Knight (multiple weapons)

Allura’s handiness with the bladed whip makes a lot of sense as athletic royalty who has the time and leisure to acquire unusual weapons and train with them heavily, though supplementing her more eclectic decision with something as ubiquitous and versatile as a pikestaff means that even caught unarmed, she only needs to lay hands on the nearest broom, or whatever other straight, sturdy piece of wood is around to be seized.

Her being a sacred princess possessing a grand holy power able to work miracles with the right setup frankly needs absolutely no modification for a high fantasy setting except more practice and proficiency in it given it’s more common and ubiquitous in this sort of world. As a personal addition for fun in this setting, the mice are full-tilt shapeshifters able to reconfigure themselves into different forms for Allura’s needs- able to be anything from horses to handmaidens to small but aggressive dragons.

Coran: Spymaster (swordsman)

I sort of like the idea of largely nonmagical Coran, following in the wake of magic using Alfor and Allura, and yet in a context where Allura would be surrounded by a proper royal court and a lot more attendants and advisers, I’d make changes to make sure Coran properly stands out himself- because really, he’s the royal family’s steadfast blade in the dark. If there is anything they need, he’s the kind of person they can trust absolutely.

And absolutely nobody is going to suspect the older, foppish nobleman loudly recounting the time he got peas stuck up his nose to a vaguely disquieted audience is an obstacle to an assassination plot until he very politely rests a blade against their jugular and informs them that they’re going to have a friendly little talk, over there, in the room full of surly guards, about trying to drop unapproved things in the princess’s drink.

Because frankly having quick reflexes, a keen eye, and a couple of shortswords hidden up your sleeves is a very fast route to being plenty dangerous. 

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

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

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

Hunk Garrett: Gronckle

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

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

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

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

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

Keith Kogane: Monstrous Nightmare

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

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

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

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

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

Pidge and Matt Holt: Hideous Zippleback

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

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

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

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

Lance McClain: Deadly Nadder

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

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

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

Allura: Deadly Nadder

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

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

Takashi Shirogane: Night Fury

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coran: Hotburple

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

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

Do you have recommendations for a Klance slowburn fic? (Doesn't really matter if it's an AU)

Friend f r i e n d it’s been ages since I actually got to sit down and read a fic but I’ve read lots of them in the past so you definitely came to the right person :P (I actually wrote one of my own; it’s called Magic Me Some Love and is about Galra!Keith/Magician!Lance in a medieval fantasy setting, if you’re into that.)

Now. Slow burn klance fics that aren’t on pretty much every fic rec list out there already with a minimum of either 60k words or that are unfinished still:

Ignorance Is Bliss by YouAreInAComaWakeUp

As it turns out, learning that your house is haunted makes the ghosts a lot more aggressive. Who knew?Ah, well. At least one of them is hot. And he’s the less-evil one, too, so that’s always a plus.

>> R E A D  I T  IT’S SO MUCH MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE GHOST FIC JUST- JUST DO IT JUST ONE CHAPTER D O I T– JS UT FKCIN G D O IOT- -

The Message by Shipstiel

Keith is texted by accident by some idiot one day, and honestly he’s not even sure why he responds. Or why he keeps responding. Yet somehow he finds himself drawn in, and okay, so maybe this fool is mildly entertaining after all. Who would’ve thought.

>>wrong number AU with an extra dash of angst. But if you’ve read any of the other fics this author has written you’ll know that they specialize in fluff and that absolutely shines through in the fic^^

Quest for Altea by fandomlicious

20 years after the legendary sword Voltron was drawn from its stone by Queen Allura, it is stolen and eventually lost in the dangerous Balmeran Forest. To prevent the rogue knight Zarkon, his witch companion Haggar and their army of Galra warriors from claiming the sword and conquering all of Altea, it falls to Lance, with the help of a dark-haired hermit, to embark on the treacherous journey, save his kingdom and reunite his broken family.

>>if you don’t mind OCs that you get to know throughout the fic taking on a more important role, you should totally check out this fic. It’s plot heavy and reads like a published novel :D

Foreign Scenes by bwyn

Lance has been dreaming of travelling since the first time he heard stories from his family as a child. Now, having finally the time and money to do it, he goes on a trip to Europe to see some of the most culturally rich cities on the continent. Except he keeps bumping into the same guy over and over again, in random cities, doing stupid shit, and ultimately dragging Lance into his trouble, too.

>>it’s one of the few fics that I haven’t read personally yet and still won’t hesitate to recommend. lots of my friends have read and praised it, apparently it’s fluffy and fun. it’s absolutely on my to read list :D

Crossroads by manamune

When Keith crashed his Lion into a Galra warship in order to stop it from destroying a solar system, and more importantly, his friends, he was fully prepared to die for it.What he didn’t prepare for was to wake up in an alternate universe where he and Lance were dating.

>>this one. if you haven’t read it yet, go read it. it was my fav voltron fic for a long long time!!!! it’s got it all, plot, romance, character development, realistic amounts of angst- it’s very very good. 

Drive It Like You Mean It by Zizzani

The Castle of Lions is the venue for the city’s most dangerous illegal street races where drivers come to test the cut of their tires. Lance has long defended his title as champion, but when a newcomer shows up and threatens his position things take an interesting turn.

>>not into cars and street racing AUs? neither am i, my friend, and yet this is one of the best voltron fics i’ve read. trust me when i tell you that you want to read everything written by this author.

Sharps and Accidentals by Zizzani (! unfinished!)

Keith is a talented up and coming violin virtuoso. Lance hates him immediately.Or an AU in which Lance and Keith both attend the same music university. Keith is deaf. Lance is Trying™.

>>if there is one deaf!AU you should read then it’s this one. it’s really amazing all around - i’ve been following it since 2016 and i still always get excited over e-mail updates.

Ghost of the Future / Shadow of the Past by wittyy_name & Zizzani (! unfinished!)

When Lance is thrown through time, his future self from one year ahead is transported to the past in his place.-When Lance is thrown through time, he finds himself one year in the future, in place of the Lance that should be here.

>>WHEN I SAW THAT THESE TWO WRITERS WOULD COLLAB ON A FIC I NEARLY DIED BRUH THESE MIRROR FICS ARE AMAZE JUST LIKE THEIR OTHER FICS

Stick It by noussommeslessquelettes

After a run-in with the law, former national phenom turned delinquent Keith Kogane is forced to return to the regimented world of elite gymnastics, facing old foes and new challenges.

>>!!!!!!!!!! it’s such a good fic!! based on such a good movie!!!!! i’m kinda upset that not more people have read it, it’s good, give it a try, it won’t disappoint^^

Not That Bad by varelsen

A college AU featuring coffee shops, silly rivalries, motorcycles, arcade games, friendships, and lots of warm, fluffy feelings that are both confusing and delightful all at the same time.

>>the summary nails it. also starring socially anxious!keith but despite that he seems pretty in character. it’s amazing and i really love this author’s style of writing :D

He Who Fights Monsters by magisterpavus

In a world where monstrous dragons terrorize humanity daily, the Garrison trains valiant Knights to slay the evil beasts and defend Earth. But when Knight cadet Lance Espinosa is kidnapped by a strange red dragon who kills its own kind, certain truths are revealed…and so are the true monsters.

>>dragon au i repeat dragon au this is not a drill everyone - this fic!!! is freaking!!!! amazing!!!!!!! it’s in my top 5 minimum go try it out :D

Altea High by Lixie (! unfinished!)

Go back to school they said. It’ll be fun they said. Yeah, sure. It’s tons of fun scaling lava walls, accidentally setting things on fire, and being babysat by the school’s flirt.When Lance signed up (*cough* bribed *cough*) to show the new firebug around the school he thought it would be a piece of cake. He did not anticipate the sour attitude, spontaneous explosions, intimate moments in elevators…

>>the sky high au you always knew you needed :D it’s still in the very early stages but the fic is really fun so far!!

Blue Shells and Comic Books by SonofHades (! unfinished!)

Lance has too much time on his hands, Keith doesn’t have enough. Lance leans more towards being outgoing and sociable, while Keith keeps to himself and can be mostly unpleasant. Neither think they have anything in common. What they don’t realize, however, is that there happens to be a very popular graphic novel that connects them together. Lance happens to be an avid reader and Keith just happens to secretly be the author.

>>another fic i’m super pumped for oh my god. each new chapter mail has me grinning like a maniac. the waiting between updates is suffering but all worth it in the end. it’s fun and interesting and i love it!

Flirting With Death by drippingpen (! unfinished!)

Keith commits the ultimate taboo as a grim reaper: he saves a life.More specifically, he saves Lance’s life.Now they are forever linked, unable to survive without the other. Keith must protect Lance from the forces that are trying to right Keith’s wrong and kill Lance.

>>skdfghjksfhgdksjfhgjfjd i cannot describe it. the plot is really amazing and keith and lance are so attracted to each other but they can’t kiss because that would literally kill lance. it belongs to the top most interesting voltron fics out there :D

in your shoes by lydiamartin (! unfinished!)

The one where Keith and Lance live in different cities but swap bodies – and angry love notes – multiple times a week.

>>Kimi No Na Wa (your name) AU!!!! so basically anything but your typical body switch AU :P give it a try, you will be surprised by it, especially if you haven’t seen the movie.

Of Lions And House Cats by Ms_Towa (! unfinished!)

Keith is a superhero who’s been pining after the cute boy who works at the music shop across the street from HQ. He also doesn’t know that the cute boy is the same vigilante he wants to bring to justice.

>>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all the chapters are insanely long but they’re all worth it. the plot develops rather slowly but it’s perfect as it is :P the slowest of burns. despite that it never made me lose interest in it so definitely go check it out if you have multiple hours of nothing to do!! :D

I’m gonna stop here because this list is already insanely long but it is faaaaaar from finished, believe me. This fandom produces so many good fics I can’t keep up with it ; - ;

Okay but Consider This: Lance....... loving himself................... and actually feeling like he's good enough.... like he really does deserve to be part of this team...... Yiss

now this is a concept i can get behind,,imagine: Lance being happy and secure in his role as a fundamental part of Voltron. He knows no one wants him gone and that he’s an exceptional asset to the team, besides being a delight to be around, also because all of his friends keep telling him in backhanded compliments and praises. “Nice shot,” Keith calls into the comms, and Lance can feel the smile in his words as the others whoop in agreement. He grins and pumps his fist in the air, dodging another ship coming his way only to turn back and bullseye it with an ice ray. In the castle hangar, Shiro pats his shoulder amicably and says “Good job out there, Lance” to which he replies with a snarky one liner on the gist of “I kinda missed the smell of galra’s kicked butts.” Everyone laughs genuinely, and Lance is still grinning as he takes a long, hot shower, humming some indistinguishable pop song to himself under the spray.

He still misses home, but the hollowness it leaves in his ribcage is filled with weird altean game nights and the feeling of belonging to a new mismatched family. They’re doing this together, for better or worse. And when they’ll have saved the universe and come back to earth, he’ll have cool scars and amazing stories to tell. Maybe he’ll write a book and they’ll get an apartment all together, maybe he’ll be able to tell his mom that he’s fallen for an unruly boy with a mullet and a heart of gold, that they want to get a dog and adopt children. He’ll bring alien stuff to his nephews only to see their eyes light up in awe, their little faces rapt in wonder as he recounts the tale of the salvation of humanity and everything beyond. He’ll tell them that he was there, with the bravest companions he could ever desire, and they fought back to back by the skin of their teeth against a tyrant with a will as strong as steel. He’ll tell them how he saw cities crumble and raise from the ashes, a testimony of just how strenuous is the instinct in all living beings to keep fighting for good. He’ll tell them, at last, how the light will always shine brighter in the darkness, and that there is always hope for a better future.

There are a lot of things that he didn’t know at first, and even more that he still doesn’t. The road is long, and bumpy, but he’s ready to learn, and see where it takes him.

That night, as he laughs at something Hunk said, Keith entwines their fingers under the table and squeezes gently. One thing, he definitely knows. Lance squeezes back, and knows that they’ll be okay.

Q&A with the Lair

75 FR Lore Questions

1. What Flight is your clan?

The BloodClaw doesn’t really have a flight since they fight for themselves and the Assassin, but they generally float around light territories.

2. Why did they choose this Flight?

Living in the sky can be dangerous and the light territory is the most sunny.

3. Have they been loyal to other Flights before this? Or will they never move?

Most dragons come from different flights and most of them are okay with it, fights are not seen kindly in the citadel.

4. What would be the deciding factor in a move, if the clan had to?

The Assassin usually chooses where to move, unless there are more urgent problems. Last time they moved it was due to a meteor shower in the arcane territories.

5. Is the clan spiritual and highly loyal to their deity? Are they indifferent?

Most dragons believe in the dragon deities, some of them in less known religions but so far no cult has risen in the citadel.

6. How does the clan view those from different Flights? Are they welcoming to all dragons, or suspcious of newcomers?

Being in the BloodClaw citadel means business so everyone is kind of suspicious of newcomers but they treat everyone equally.

7. What does your lair look like? Go into detail.

The BloodClaw Citadel is a giant floating island, there are some minor shops and laboratories on it as well as a giant dorm with some parts reserved for guests. There is an Inn, an alchemy laboratory, a forge, a small market to exchange goods, a vault, the Star Tower where the Assassin lives, a giant garden with fountains and an underground area where most animals and goods are kept along with training rooms.

8. Who founded the clan?

Hsin Thelanor also known as The Assassin. Son of a very famous mage from another part of the planet, their heritage is now lost and he’s gone rogue.

9. Who is your clan leader? Why are they the leader? Have there been any leadership changes?

Hsin was the clan leader when they were few, Evron became the ultimate leader when the clan grew because everyone found him reliable while Hsin was always busy.

10. Was the leader chosen? Were they elected? An heir to the throne? Or maybe they achieved something within the clan?

Evron was never really chosen, just usually people find it easier to go to him for complaints, requests, questions and such things.

11. Who handles interclan relations? Any diplomats? Peacekeepers?

12. How does your clan view the Beastclans? Who handles Beastclan relations?

Most Bestfolks are welcome as long as they don’t cause a mess, the citadel rule is there will be business along peace. Some of their member made friend with dragons and was welcomed into the lair. The clan is generally non aggressive toward Beastclans as long as they don’t attack first.

13. Does your clan have specific roles for each dragon?

All dragons living in the lair have a job unless they are minors or offer other services to the lair, like consulences and such.

14. Does your clan have any Flight ambassadors? What do they do?

15. Does your clan have a council? An elected group of dragons in power?

There is more of a hierarchy in the clan, Hsin orders are absolutes, Evron after his and then Lilith. Other dragons in working positions have more authority then others but only regarding the job. There are guards trained to remove those who disobey.

16. Are all dragons in the clan expected to contribute in some way? Or are they left to their own devices?

If a dragon wishes to live in the lair permanently will most likely be asked to contribute in some way, everyone is free to leave if they don’t like the place.

17. Who protects the clan? Who is in charge of battling/guarding?

Nightbane, Dathris, Mordekai, Katamite are guards of the citadel, Kur’Talos and his wife are mercenary in case there is a need to eliminate some uncomfortable guests.

18. Does your clan trade with any other clans? Any allies? Enemies?

The BloodClaw clan welcome all clans to trade and interact. For now, no other clan as showed themselves as an ally or an enemy.

19. How is exalting handled in your clan? Any ceremonies? Is exalt fodder something that is part of your lore?

Exalting is seen as a willing sacrifice from a dragon to their deity or a kind sacrifice for corpse found while gathering. (fodder exalting)

20. Who does the gathering in the clan? (digging, scavenging, hunting, etc.)

21. Does your clan have a healer?

The BloodClaw Clan has a medic, Aelerya; a “doctor” (more like a mad scientist for prothesis and augments) Raigeki; and a spirit counselor, Vanilla.

22. Who looks after hatchlings? The parents, or a general hatchling-sitter?

Lilith was paid to look after hatchlings if theyir parents don’t want bothers. Sometimes Ayrin helps.

23. How does your clan educate younger dragons? Is there a scribe, scholar, or mentor?

Lilith is a basic teacher, when they’re old enough they can choose what they want to do in the future and will be sent to other dragons to learn.

24. Do you have any artists within your clan? How do they make a living from their crafts?

Symmetra is an architect, she builds custom rooms for dragons, she generally gets payed by guests to do their room.

25. Does your clan have a cook? Who handles the food?

Hsin used to cook then Evron started to help, but since both of them were trained to cook but used to live alone it was a kind of a mess. As the clan grew they hired a cook, Tahm Kench.

26. Who is on the Coli team? Who trains future warriors?

Evron, Electra and Lilith are the main team that goes into the Coliseum. Rhys and Kaya are fighters in the arena. Generally dragons gets trained by Evron or Dathris.

27. Any messengers? Scouts? Delivery dragons?

Keith is the flight master, he gives directions to dragons and help with cargo. Cinthyaq is a messenger for friendly requests to other clans and Deathwing is a messenger for war. There are a few more dragon that help with resource deliveries.

28. How does apparel work in your clan? Are any pieces of apparel status symbols, or indicators of the role the dragon has?

Apparel is mostly seen as normal clothes, the way a dragon dresses is the way to find out what they do in the clan and their wealth.

29. How are familiars viewed in the clan? Pets? Companions? Friends?

Most animal familiars are pets to dragons, most humanoid familiars are friend or for some even lovers.

30. Do you have any familiars that are intelligent enough to directly interact with the dragons?

Any Beastfolk in the clan is intelligent enough to interact with dragons.

31. Who cares for the familiars? The familiar's dragon, or a general caretaker?

There is a kind of adoption center for unused familiars, most dragons care for their pets, Maiev and Shadris care for the others. Eyrin usually wanders in the pet hallway to pet all of them daily.

32. Are extra familiars/non-bonded familiars free to wander around the lair? Or do they not exist in the lore?

All unused familiars are neatly organized in cages and habitats they can live in, they are taken good care of by Maiev and Shadris.

33. Does your clan have any Beastclan members living among the ranks?

The only Beastclan member actively participating in the lair life is a Serthis Alchemist called Eris.

34. Who hoards what? Do the dragons each have a personal hoard, or is there one big storage area?

There is one big storage area even though some dragons tend to hoard certain items.

35. Does your clan specialize in anything?

Some members are trained assassin from another corner of the world, the others are just plainly common dragons.

36. Does your clan stand for anything? (truth, might, knowledge, etc.)

Business. Plain and simple. Hsin got bored of the hight and mighty life so he’s just hoarding money and artefacts for fun.

37. What is the origin of your clan's name?

Hsin and Evron the founders of the clan both share a very bloodied past, being a dragon clan Hsin opted for BloodClaw.

38. Does your clan have a set of rules or guidelines for the members? What happens if a dragon breaks these rules?

There are very simple rules in the Citadel, no fights, no stealing and everything has a price. If someone breaks the rules they will be warned, after a couple of warning they will be banned from the citadel and not allowed to fly in anymore.

39. How does your clan view Gen One dragons?

Mostly orphans or dragons who don’t remember about their parents.

40. Does your clan have a territory? Or just the lair?

The BloodClaw clans has a flying citadel and a small territory with the ruins of an Elune temple with a nearby garden and arena.

41. Do any dragons in the lair have a bias or dislike towards certain breeds or a Flight?

42. Which dragons are good friends within your clan? Any enemies? Best couple?

43. Who's the cinnamon roll, and who's the problematic fave?

44. Do you have any dragons that aren't part of the lore? Just for show?

There are a lot of unlored dragon as for now, but i plan to write lore for most of them.

45. Are there any dragons in your clan who dislike hatchlings?

Evron is very good with hatchlings but he just doesn’t really like them he never grew up near them. Shiryu doesn’t like hatchlings because they are too naive.

46. How do permababies work in your lore? Do you have any?

47. Who manages the treasure and gem hoards?

48. Has your clan gone through any unfortunate events? Tragedies, even?

49. Are roles assigned to dragons when they are born/come into the clan, or do they choose their role?

Some dragon will have their parent urge them to take a precise role but most are free to choose.

50. Who kills the spiders?

Dathris.

51. Who eats all the food?

Eyrin.

52. Do you have any tricksters or prank loving dragons? Do they cause mischief?

53, Most intimdating dragon?

Evron and Dathris.

54. Most friendly dragon?

Tahm Kench.

55. Dragon most likely to bring back a stick from gathering?

56. Laziest dragon?

Kelpie and Rhys.

57. Funniest dragon?

Katamite.

58. Do you have any sub-clans? What are they called?

For the time being only the Kor’Kon Clan lives in the lair, they are a small clan of dragons who can shapeshift into orcs like humanoids. They work as mercenaries for the Assassin.

59. Does your clan decorate the lair at all? How so?

60. What markers does your clan use to let others know they live in the area? Flags? Banners? Runes?

There are some runes near the ruined temple, but the shadows of the floating island is enough to warn others of their presence.

61. Smartest dragon?

Symmetra.

62. The dragon everybody loves?

Lilith.

63. The dragon everybody hates?

64. Do you have a clan rune?

65. Pick a song that best describes your clan.

66. Who gets into arguments the most? Who keeps the peace?

67. How do skins and accents work in your lore?

68. Best dressed?

Kirye.

69. Does your clan have any elders?

70. Does each dragon in your lair have their own space, or is the entire lair shared?

Every dragon owns their own room but the common spaces are shared.

71. How do you handle gene scrolls in your lore?

72. Who loves festivals the most? Who parties the hardest?

73. Pick two dragons and talk about their relationship.

74. Choose one dragon and talk about them.

75. Choose a dragon with a familiar and talk about their relationship.