Voltron Fic Recommendations
Unsurprisingly, I’ve hooked my attention onto a new fandom of space gays, and boy oh boy has this series turned up some phenomenal stories.
Back With A Madness (Champion) by Mytay
(Keith/Lance, Shiro/Matt – Action/Adventure)
Lance gets himself mixed up in an underground fight club tournament in a bid to protect a local family and one by one draws the rest of the team into the fray, leading to extensive anxiety, battle practice, espionage and rigging, and way too many cryopod visits for a growing boy.
Has the most unique romantic confession scene I’ve ever seen in fanfiction, a healthy heaping of platonic affection between all characters, fun OCs, and an intreguing subplot involving Shiro and a clone.
The Dreaming Dark by Pterodotyl
(Keith/Lance – Thriller/Adventure)
The Garrison Trio comprise a deep sea explorative team tasked with diving 14,000 metres into the Kraydah Trench in search of answers as to what happened to the Kerberos Mission, and in doing so discover something a little more… monsterous.
By far the most well-researched story I have ever read. The author is a sweetheart and crafts amazingly cinematic scenes, and there’s a curious political subplot simmering in the background. The character interactions are gold, and things shift between fine and terrible so quick you can’t put the fic down. Lance has the voice of a chipmunk for two chapters. A close second on my Coolest Story Ever list.
Goodnight, Travel Well by Europa_report
(Keith/Lance, Shiro/Allura – Horror/Thriller)
The team discover a silent planet with a terrifying history, and awaken something with a very deep-seated grudge. Caught in a 400 day countdown until certain doom and with their leader missing, the paladins are stuck desperately searching for a way to defeat all-encompassing evil while handling undead invaders, an ancient curse, uncontrollable wormholing, and a baby.
Witty, wildly inventive, harrowing and so absolutely endearing in the character affection department that each new chapter makes me cry at least once. Tops my Coolest Story Ever list for its absolute complexity and complete deviation from the fanfiction norm. Cinematic to a fault. Heartbreakingly romantic and sweat-inducing terrifying. This is not a fic to pass by.
Ghost of The Future and Shadow of The Past by Wittyy_name and Zizzani
(Keith/Lance – Adventure/Romance)
In a freak ancient tech accident, Lance is launched exactly a year back in time… and his past self is launched a year forward. These two fics run concurrently, and between all the avoidance of “spoilers” by each team and the standard run of missions with one very out of place paladin, it becomes very obvious that doing the time warp is not good for a person, especially when you do it again.
I’m a sucker for loop distortion anyway, but these two stories really stretch the concept by creating two parallel event sequences that effect each other in real time. The romance is heavy, the paradoxes mind-bending, and the these fics get bonus points for being the final push I needed to start learning Spanish.
Homesick At Space Camp by Kobot
(Keith/Lance – Drama/Romance)
After realizing that Lance’s antagonism has been keeping Keith from really connecting with the team, he makes it his solemn duty to be the Best Possible Teammate, even if that means sticking his foot halfway down his throat and roping them into pretending to be lovers for the sake of avoiding Keith’s engagement to an alien.
Absolutely hilarious chapter titles, solid characterization, and a play on the fake relationship trope that’s quite grounded and realistic. Charming and sweet. Lots of dancing, an epic final battle worthy of the Jak series, and an exceptional butt-ton of all over gay.
Nothing’s Quite As Sweet by Dimpleforyourthoughts
(Keith/Lance, Shiro/Allura – Drama/Romance)
Keith works at a the world’s worst cafe due to debt and a simple lack of anything going on in his life; Lance works four different jobs and also across the street. Cats ensue.
Honestly this is the perfect coffee shop AU, no challenge. Have you been having a shitty day? Do you like soft non-sexual romance stories? Are you the opposite of a dog person? Look no further. Side effects include great need to snugglebum it up with gourmet lattes and overwhelming sense of hope for your own potential to change someone’s world.
Never Saw You Coming by Dimpleforyourthoughts
(Keith/Lance – Biography/Drama)
Keith has always been ready to run, to reach the stars, and to die, more or less in that order. Lance Fucking McClain repeatedly throws wrenches into all three of those ideas.
Repeat contender DFYT is back again because my dudes I couldn’t show you the soft fic without its bookender. Part Keith exposition and part romance story, this one is heartaching to a fault and pulls no punches. The rough and tumble idiot boys in love poem you’ve been hunting for.
Hearts Don’t Break Around Here by Klancekorner
(Keith/Lance – Drama/Romance)
They’ve been wheeling around each other since first grade, always with one foot in the other’s orbit, no matter the fights or fears or losses. Keith realizes he’s fallen in the same way the moon would if it arced too close to the Earth – quickly, irreparably, and ending in disaster.
This seems to be an AU that already has a reputation, and for good reason. The song I Found by Amber Run encapsulates its core emotion, by which I mean the scenes are well-suited to a prime-time YA drama, and that at its heart this fic is daringly romantic. The author builds characters from the ground up and fleshes them out so fully that they might as well have called the entire cast OCs with canon name tags. I got weepy, I admit it.
The Purity of Sin by IcyPanther
(Platonic Keith/Lance – Action/Drama)
Being kept away from their lions and trapped on a hostile desert planet of short, angry cat-people would be difficult enough had they not gotten Lance wrapped up in sacrificial cult magic with a three day countdown. Thankfully, Keith is nothing if not determined to keep them both alive, no matter the cost or consequences.
Talk about a whump fic, but one with some solid worldbuilding, good characterization, and a satisfying, fit-for-TV climax. Great for those times you want affection and care between your characters but none of the romance. Allura cosplays as a cat.
