#darkslover

Shallura first kiss, in the control room, lights out!��

((I’m assuming by “control room” you mean what I would call the “bridge”? oh well, I’m going with that, sorry. ^_^; I couldn’t decide at first whether they deliberately turn the lights out or it’s an accident or what. I hope this is okay!))

“Whoa, what the...?!”

Allura chuckled at Shiro’s surprise. “Diagnostics, remember?” The Castle hadn’t had a thorough diagnostics run since she and Coran had come out of stasis. They were on Olkarion now, a planet full of the best engineers in the galaxy, and Ryner was adamant they could provide some much-needed updates given the proper data. So a full diagnostics scan it would be, to give the Olkari the most complete picture possible. “I told you various systems would go down as the Castle cycled through them.”

“You could have warned me when the lights were about to go though.” He was trying to sound surly and, judging by the sound of it, failing. The Castle’s viewscreen was off as well, so the bridge was pitch dark. 

“I could have,” she admitted smugly.

She thought she saw his outline rise from his workstation, but she couldn’t be sure she wasn’t imagining it. “If I fall, it’s your fault.”

She snorted. “You have the ability to generate your own light,” she reminded him.

“Don’t need it,” he said immediately, “and don’t want to.”

“Don’t need it?” she asked. “Then why are you so upset over the lack of warning?” He was a shadow among shadows coming closer to her; her vision was extremely acute in all light levels, but there was no light level at the moment. Her eyes were adjusting, slowly.

“It was still a surprise.” He sounded... unsteady. 

She moved towards him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I just...” His breathing was picking up.

“You don’t sound fine.”

“It’s nothing. I just don’t like not knowing where I am.”

She reached out to him and took his hand. He jumped a little. “You’re safe. You’re on the Castle of Lions.” She moved in to stand closer to him, and that’s when she realized why he’d said he didn’t need the light: the light bars on her suit, the glow of her tiara. They illuminated his face a little, shone in his eyes. 

He looked afraid, and she could still hear his heart racing. But he smiled and began to ease down. “I’m safe,” he reminded himself. He squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back. “Is it...?”

“Yeah,” he said before she could get the words out. “We were kept in the dark, sometimes literally. Lights went on and off without warning. We had no control over it, and...”

She came in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Shiro. I didn’t mean to upset you. I should have warned you. I didn’t even think about it.”

It took him a moment before he wrapped his arms around her in return. “Thank you, Allura. It’s okay. I’m... I’m okay.” 

“Your heartbeat is still fast.”

Doubtless he didn’t mean for her to hear him mutter, “Altean hearing...” but she did. She chose not to comment on it. He cleared his throat. “It’ll slow down eventually.”

She pulled away just enough to look up at him. “I hope so.”

He looked into her eyes and a curious thing occurred: the sound of his breathing stopped and the sound of his heart picked up. She’d never had the opportunity to focus so much on the sounds of him; but in such low light and with no persistent “hum” from the Castle systems, she couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.

“Shiro?” she asked, feeling a bit breathless herself. She was focused on the sounds of him, but he seemed to be focused on her, with an intensity she’d never seen before. At least, not this kind of intensity. 

He started breathing again and licked his lips. “Sorry, I...”

“Don’t look away,” she said suddenly, not sure why she said it other than that he’d been about to, his face starting to turn, and she wanted to keep him here, wanted to continue to have his full attention. Don’t look at the darkness. Just look at me. Just keep looking at me like I’m the center of your universe. She wondered if the light from the tiara betrayed her blushing cheeks.

He looked back to her. 

She was used to reading an opponent in battle. Used to watching their body language, used to judging their next movement by the look in their eyes, by the set of their jaw, by where and how they carried themselves. She could almost see the next move in her mind and how she would counter it, how they would react, etc. 

She could see the next moment in his eyes. She knew how she’d react, how he would... she could see it all play out. She licked her lips.

Apparently he could see it, too. “We shouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

HUNAY

who is more likely to hurt the other? hurt physically? shay, just because she has much tougher/rougher skin and is like, rocks. so sometimes her shoulders will like rub against hunk in a way that isn’t always enjoyable.who is emotionally stronger? neither? i think they’re both pretty well adjusted, but i would say that hunk is more pragmatic and shay is more emotionally driven.who is physically stronger? shay, but not by muchwho is more likely to break a bone? hunk, because he is a wee flesh bagwho knows best what to say to upset the other? hunk can be petty but i would imagine when shay does strike she strikes hard, so i’ll say shaywho is most likely to apologise first after an argument? related to the previous point, shaywho treats who’s wounds more often? shay because hunk gets injured more often in battlewho is in constant need of comfort? hunk because he’s constantly going through a lotwho gets more jealous? possibly shay just because i feel like hunk might be oblivious? and shaywho’s most likely to walk out on the other? hunk, but only if the mission called for it. shay if their relationship just wasn’t flat out working anymore.who will propose? they both propose at the same time because they’re lovestruck nerdswho has the most difficult parents? neitherwho initiates hand-holding when they’re out in public? shaywho comes up for the other all the time? hunkwho hogs the blankets? hunkwho gets more sad? shaywho is better at cheering the other up? shaywho’s the one that playfully slaps the other all the time after they make silly jokes? shay, a bit too hard sometimes toowho is more streetwise? hunk, just because shay was far more sheltered for most of her lifewho is more wise? hunkwho’s the shyest? shaywho boasts about the other more? hunkwho sits on who’s lap? bOTH but mostly shay in hunk’s

SHALLURA

I just bask in the glory that is shallura. Ticking all the boxes.

I will never be not amazed that you write Lisa and Shiro. It’s like you describe: a familiar feeling without any memory. Please, do write more.

oh wow.  Oh wow, thank you!  It is such a teeny tiny ship but I love it so dearly and every time someone comments on it I just must grow about ten feet taller.  I am so glad you liked it and so VERY glad you told me so.  You’re a treasure.  And yes, I am slow but they’re not going anywhere.  There will absolutely be more chapters.  I promised @portrait-ninja I wouldn’t leave them that way!

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

BREATHE.

JUST BREATHE.

IT’LL ALL BE OKAY!!!

Well, I mean, it already is 1 Dec where you are, but STILL.

Shallura Holiday Month will be going on ALL MONTH! People can contribute to some days and not others!

Zarkon the Quintessence Zombie or Zarkon as he was before?

Zarkon is a really interesting character, and I love what they’ve done with him. In DotU, he was just The Bad Guy. He’s evil and power-hungry because all villains had to be evil and power-hungry back then, that was the schtick.

This Zarkon was never wholly good - no angel, he - but he was... trying? He was making up for past misdeeds (apparently the Galra and the... Nalquodians? weren’t exactly the best of chums before). His culture was obviously very class-conscious, but he was a good leader, a good strategist, and he cared deeply for his friends and loved ones.

Power was never far from his mind, but I think that might’ve been caught up in the fact that, well, he’s the Leader. He’s the King of the Galra, and so anything that makes him/his people more powerful is Good. That’s what he’s supposed to be going for.

I love everything about his falling for and marrying Honerva. EVERYTHING. His love for her wasn’t his entire undoing, because there’s little doubt he was over-exposed to quintessence as well (though not, I think, to the extent she was), but chaos knows I’m never going to forget that shot of him leaving Voltron and carrying Honerva out into the quintessence. Like... DAMN. That’s powerful. That stays with you.

None of this changes the fact that Zarkon as he is now is Evil and Power-Hungry. There’s no excuse for his actions since “reawakening,” especially not the destruction of Altea and its entire system. (Dude, at least Alfor evacuated your planet first... which wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place if you hadn’t continued to let the rift destabilize your planet, but ANYWAY.) The oppression of entire races, the destruction of entire planets... Zarkon has presided over untold evil.

As with most zombies, the person he was before is gone. Is there hope the old Zarkon could return? ...possibly. Haggar seems to be having Honerva-flashes. It’s not impossible. I’m not sure what I’d really like to have happen; there’s a lot of different options, and they’re all pretty awesome. I’m definitely very interested in what the creators decide to do with him in the end.

… please don’t answer questions about Slav ever again. PLEASE. /is traumatized

Aria answers a great many questions about Slav.

And Shiro.