I’ve been reading a lot this one really good Matt centric fic made by the peeps over at @this-iswhywefight
and since there’s only a small amount of character description I though it’d be fun to try drawing some of them!
Seconds turn!Martek: Matt credits him with being the reason he was able to feel like a person. Martek was his assigned roommate when he first joined the Coalition, and they bonded pretty quickly, even when Matt was holding everyone at arm’s length. He was Matt’s first friend, and his first point of “I’m really out, I can maybe be okay again”, and Matt didn’t hesitate when asked who he wanted to make his second in commander. Before Kartok could even finish his question he’d chosen Martek. Ortraz: Ortraz was unknowingly helping members of the Blade of Marmora when he was quietly sowing dissent in the Gladiator pits when he was still among the Empire. If the Coalition hadn’t gotten to him first, the BOM would have snatched him right up. !oshi: They are the most essential cog in the Coalition’s diplomatic works. Nothing happens on board concerning diplomatic relations that they haven’t had a hand in. From organizing meetings, full on trip and events to making sure that the chains that Matt wears with his cloaks are polished, it’s !oshi. And they do it damn fucking well. Omontu: She never meant to stick around with the Coalition for as long as she has. She’s a medical researcher by trade, and joined up after an offer from Valdis like a year into the Coalition existing, when they’d liberated her planet pretty early on. It was supposed to be short stint, no more than a year, but she was needed, and she wanted to help so she stuck around, made friends with Leilani when they were Akello’s second, and stayed close when Akello died and Leilani became Commander and needed her at their side. It’s been years and years and she can’t imagine being anywhere else at this point.
How old are your ocs? And ik they are aliens so the years can't tell me much but let's say they were human, in what "life phase" will they be? Like teen young adults middle age etc..
This is all equivalencies bc alien ages are wiiiiiiild
Leilani: late 30sKartok: late 40s-50sZarra: mid 20s (about Matt’s age)
Martek: early 20s (slightly younger than Matt, like a feisty undergrad assistant)Ortraz: late 30s-40s
Jion & Zetri: late teens
Akello: late 30sValdis: mid 30s
If I’ve forgotten any of the major OCs please forgive me…….
What are translators like in TIWWF? Do you have any language barrier moments to share?
We’re running on the idea that whatever the translator situation is for the Castle of Lions, the Blade of Marmora bases and the Galra prisons/cruisers/ships/bases it’ll be the same setup for the Coalition. They do use a retrofitted Galra cruisers as the main Coalition base. As for language barrier moments...This might not be what you’re looking for, but there’s definitely words and phrases that don’t translate coming from Matt. He’s liberal with slang and Earth colloquialisms. A fun game he likes to play is to keep track of who gets confused when he says stuff, and then try and actively trip them up and make shit up to say around them. Martek has a running list of phrases and words that Matt has said, his own little glossary of sorts. There’s a good number of things on there that Matt’s made up. He just has to say it casually enough, or be just flippant enough for Martek to sigh and add it to the list. Fun fact: Zarra’s favorite phrase is “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw”. She thinks it’s ridiculous and violent and so dumb. It makes her giggle.
Prompt: a new rebel has something similar to Valentine's day in their planet of origin, and without knowing who is Matt, besides thinking he is hot, they ask him to be their Valentine's and Shiro is visiting the base
“What is happening?” Matt frowns, blinking at Fighan and his too sharp grin over the petals of the wildflower being offered in his face. “Why aren’t you in training?”
“I finished my training for the day, sir,” Fighan says, his voice a low purr. It’s not as attractive of a sound as Matt thinks Fighan thinks it is. He sounds a little like the engine on a toy robot Katie built after she got a hair tie stuck in it. “Captain Rel dismissed our Alpha team and we were allowed some recreational time.”
“Okay,” Matt says slowly, blinking. “Next question. Why are you here?”
“To make my offering, sir.”
“Your– what?”
“My offering for you, on this bright Solstice Day.” Fighan straightens up a bit, his full height putting him just a bit taller than Matt. “You know about the Solstice Days, do you not, Commander?”“Yeah.” Matt nods, wiping away the screens in front of him with a dismissive hand. “There’s a few people on board who celebrate.”
“And you know the purpose?” Fighan presses, taking a bold step closer. Matt arches a brow at the move. There aren’t many people outside of his kin who have the audacity to just assume it’s okay to get in his space these days, not unless they’re looking for trouble.
“Believe it or not, I’m aware of the cultures I’m surrounded by, and I even make an attempt to be respectful of them.” Matt holds Fighan’s gaze. “You gonna keep playing coy, or are you gonna answer my question?”
“Coy, sir?” Fighan twirls the flower by the stem, it’s bright flowers flouncing like little wings with the motion. “I do not know what you–”
“Fighan!” Martek’s voice is sharp and dangerous from behind them. “What is the meaning of this?!”
“Hey Martek,” Matt drawls, looking past his young Alpha to his clearly pissed off second. “You know what’s going on?”
“Unfortunately, sir.” Martek sets his data pad down on top of the nearest console as he approaches. “This is completely inappropriate–”“Martek,” Fighan starts, sighing and frowning. “I am-”“Out of line!” Martek snaps. “And I said as much to you last night when you were discussing this nonsense at the end of the meeting!”“Oh this was a planned thing?” Matt muses. “Fun. Cool. I still don’t really get what’s happening.”“Commander Holt-”“I am making my intent, sir,” Fighan says, speaking over Martek, not even glancing his way. “I am utilizing the purpose of the Solstice and–” Matt holds up a hand, silencing him.“Do you think I’m stupid? I got that.” Matt rolls his eyes. “I mean, why is it happening, when you know I’m taken? That goes against some of the basic fundamentals of the Solstice Day, doesn’t it?”A beat of silence. Fighan’s confidence falters for the first time, the flower going a little slack between his fingers. “Sir?” Oh. Oh clearly he definitely didn’t know. Ah shit.“This is what I said last night!” Martek hisses. “But you did not want to listen!”“Be easy, Martek.” Matt keeps his gaze on Fighan. “I’m taken. Bonded. I’ve got a boyfriend.” He loosens his arms and lets them fall to his sides. “To the Black Paladin? That’s… kind of why he’s here without the rest of Voltron right now? Do people seriously not know this about me?”Martek sighs. “Commander–”“I thought I was being pretty obvious,” Matt muses idly, shrugging. “Apparently not. Gonna have to do something about that. Martek, remind me to do something about it later.” Fighan looks… crushed. Fucking hell. “Ah jeez.”“I–” Fighan starts before his cheeks color quickly and he whips the wildflower behind his back. “I’m sorry, Commander. I didn’t– I don’t….” His pointed ears droop just a bit at the tips. “My apologies sir. I overstepped my bounds. I had been sure that…” he shakes his head. “I am sorry.”“It’s… fine?” Matt blinks. What was fucking happening? “I’m… I’m good with pretending this didn’t happen, and seeing you in training tomorrow. Okay?”Fighan swallows and nods. “Yes sir. Thank you, Commander.”Matt nods. “Right. So… you’re dismissed, Fighan. See you, uh, later.” Martek steps aside so he can let the embarassed Alpha fighter slip past and hurry from the otherwise empty Hub. Thank God it was empty… Matt waits until the door hisses shut behind him before sighing. “What the fuck,” he breathes, carding a hand through his hair. “Did that just fucking happen?”“Yes,” Martek supplies. “I told him he should not advance on this ridiculous endeavor, sir.”Matt closes his eyes and sighs. “Yeah. I got that. Thanks… I think.” “Of course, Commander.” Martek pauses. “I do not know if now is the time, but… Shiro asked me to come find you. Your comm is still on silent and he has been trying to reach you.” Matt sighs once more, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll call him.” Shiro was going to have a field day with this.
Plz disregard this if you are not accepting any more whump bingo prompts, but A3?? If not, plz accept my compliments. Love all of your works, they are so emotional and very well-written💓 and hope everything in your lives isn't too stressful!
(ok, so no lie, i have been waiting for this one. This is my kind of whump guys)A3: Touching clothing and their hand comes away bloody.
Matt tugs off his helmet with a hiss, blinking the sting of blood from his eyes. His vision was already hazy, the blood certainly wasn’t making anything easier. “What is the point of wearing a helmet and getting nagged if I still get fucking head wounds?”“You do not get to complain if you take your helmet off as frequently as you do, sir.” Baerl glances at him over her injured shoulder. “You took it off while you were completing the manual override because, and I quote, sir, “Fucking fuck this fucking thing, are you fucking kidding me, fuck this”.” She’s almost smirking at him, too amused for how much pain he knows she’s in and how many laps they both know he’s gonna make her do in training after she’s patched up for the snark. Matt rolls his eyes. “There seems to be a sudden lapse in my memory.”
A soft chuckle from the pilot’s chair, the sound more of a raspy rumble, like most things from Hepabt are. “Must be the head wound,” he muses. “Shall I alert Commander Leilani, sir?”“Everyone’s a comedian,” Matt mutters, shaking his head. It would be unprofessional to flip off his team, right? Baerl barely covers a laugh with her hand and Matt feels like a little unprofessional-ism might be warranted. He restrains himself and sighs instead. “Don’t call them. It’s just a scratch, and we don’t need to bother Leilani with it.”“You should get it checked out, Commander,” Baerl sighs, rolling her shoulder with a wince. “Just to be safe. Head wounds–”“All this first aid knowledge and you sound like Rel. Those late night chats having an affect on you, hmm?” Matt teases, shifting in his seat until it hurts, little pinpricks of firey bits of pain sparking up all over. Her ears perk up and twitch and Matt starts to laugh so hard his head spins. “I don’t know what you mean, sir,” Baerl sniffs, going for prim and falling short. Matt snorts and shakes his head. “Sure. We’ll pretend that’s true.”If Galrans could blush she’d be pink (Purple? Could she get more purple?) to the tip of her ears. She’s saved from anymore teasing by Hepabt’s quiet announcement of their arrival back on base.Matt gets to his feet with a groan. God, everything fucking hurt. He can’t wait to shower off and fall into the arms of his kin for the night. That brings a small smile to his lips as he steps out of the pod. Leilani will fuss, but with the fussing came gentle hands and sweetness on his tongue, all to the tune of Kartok’s chuckles and the soft rasp of Zarra’s purrs. Martek is waiting for him, as per the norm, and towering at his side is Rel, with a small smile on his lips. Matt glances to Baerl at his side. “Still want to pretend?” he murmurs, nudging her gently. She doesn’t respond, but she doesn’t have to, not with the way the fur around her ears puffs up, just like Zarra’s does when she’s pleased. “Welcome back, Commander,” Martek says, drawing Matt’s attention. “You are bleeding sir.” Could he sound more politely displeased? Matt makes a mental note to really test that one day when he’s not so tired and sore. Matt waves it off, heading down the steps, helmet in hand. “It’s just a scratch, no big.”“How did you acquire this scratch, Commander?” Rel asks, voice measured, but eyes bright. “Should your helmet not have prevented this?”“Yes,” Martek answers before Matt can, and Leilani’s not around, but Matt can practically taste the bitterness in that single word. Matt rolls his eyes and moves past them.“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. It happened, I have a headache, Zarra’s gonna glare, Kartok’s gonna sigh and Leilani is gonna make everyone taste metal for the next two hours, so I really don’t want to hear anything from any of you.” He sets his helmet down on a console table, and fishes out his data drive from his belt. “Got it?”“Yes Commander,” Rel says, amused even as he dips his head with genuine respect. Baerl and Hepabt echo him, both of them engaged in stripping from their outer armor. Martek just sighs and paces closer to Matt, launching in to his usual post mission routine.“The Commanders are all engaged with tasks at the moment sir. Per your instruction, I did not disturb them when your estimated arrival shifted earlier. Would you have me contact them now?”Matt shakes his head, looking past Martek’s shoulder to watch Rel approach Baerl, reaching for her with such obvious and gentle care. “Nah, don’t bother them. I’m gross and I want a shower before Lani starts to fuss and I get trapped in the lounge or something for the foreseeable future.”“Yes, sir.” Martek nods, making a small note on his pad, and then holding out his hand. “Is the drive ready for analysis?”“Yeah.” Matt hands the drive over, and then stretches his arms up over his head, hoping to crack his back for some relief. He’s met instead with instant regret as pain rips through him and a groan startles past his lips. “Shit!”
“Are you alright?” Martek asks, eyes sharp with concern. “I’m fine.” Matt holds up a hand, closing his eyes, hand gripping tight to the edge of the console. He can feel the gazes of his Alphas from across the hangar, silent and sharp and vigilant. “Took a few rough hits getting out of there, that’s all. I’m just a little sore.”“Sir–”“Leave it.” It’s an order, but there’s no teeth behind it. Matt’s tired, he wants a shower, he wants his kin, and then a bed. To get any of that he needs to get out of the hangar and he’s sure as shit not gonna accomplish that if Martek starts in on motherhenning him over a few scrapes and bruises. “I’m gonna head out.”“Commander-”“Get the drive to Jion and some of the new coders. Let him run the breakdown, but double check the processing.” Matt pushes off the console and starts for the door. “He’s good at teaching, but he lets minor mistakes slip through in his work while he’s busy checking over theirs. But don’t tell him.”“Commander Holt-”Matt keeps going, talking and walking on his path. Get it all out now and then just get out. “It’ll just make him feel bad, and undermine how comfortable he’s gotten since you got back from Shi’or. I’d like to do anything to prevent that from–”“Matt!!” The snap of his first name rings through the air and stops him in his tracks. Martek never uses his first name anymore. Matt turns to face him slowly, the scrape of the metal soles of his feet the only thing to pierce the air. He expects to see annoyance or frustration on his second’s face, but instead finds… fear? What?Before he can ask what’s up, Martek steps closer to him pad and drive hugged tight against his chest. “You’re bleeding,’ he says, quickening his pace.Matt blinks. “…Didn’t we just do this? Coming out of the pod, we did this, right? Or did I hallucinate all that?” “Not your head.” Martek is at his side now, and he’s not looking at Matt, not looking up to meet his eyes, his gaze trained somewhere low on his torso. “Your side.”His side? What?” Matt follows Martek’s gaze and twists as gently as he can manage to try and get a hand over where Martek’s intense gaze rests. If there’s blood there, it’s gotta just be a stain… but it’s warm and sticky to the touch.He looks down and there’s a tear in his suit between two plates of the flexible body armor he wears, nothing big, barely more than a fingers width of space, and the black material is definitely wet. The spot doesn’t hurt, not anymore than the rest of his entire body, in fact, it’s almost numb to his touch.He pulls his hand away and stares down at the blood that’s now there. “Oh,” he breathes, new pain spreading through him, hot and fast, a sharp contrast to the icy haze that seems to trip down his spine, like someone threw cold water over his head. “Shit.”
if you're doing requests, maybe: seconds support group is in session?
Omontu bursts forth into the meeting room with a scowl, and a sharp glare that she aims directly at Martek. “You need to control your damned Commander!”“Hello Omontu,” Martek says mildly, not bothering to look up from his work. “Nice to see you. Are you having a good morning? These are just a few acceptable greetings far more appropriate than simply shouting at me upon entering a room.”
“What did he do now?” Ortraz asks, leaning across the table to grab the pitcher to refill his and !oshi’s glasses. They trill at him softly in thanks, cheeks glowing a sweet pink. “I resent that you think he did something,” Martek notes dryly. “Omontu has a rather quick fuse, my friend. How do we know she is not-”
“Martek,” !oshi chides with a laugh. “Come now.”
“Yes Martek,” Omontu snarks, throwing herself into a chair. “Come now, and enlighten us with tales of Commander Holt’s newest bout of reckless endangerment to his own health and well being!”
Martek purses his lips, finally looking up from the slices of data reports before him. A long moment of silence hangs delicately in the air, tinged expectant, amused, and frustrated all at once. He sighs, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.“…He tried to break out of the infirmary.”!oshi blinks. Ortraz schools his face into a mask of calm. Omontu seethes.
“He what?”
“I don’t– He woke up after being healed from the head wound after his helmet malfunctioned, had a bit of a panic when he didn’t immediately recognize where he was, and he… are you really going to make me say it?” Martek opens his eyes and the look he shoots them all is beyond plaintive. “It’s Commander Holt, what do you think he did when presented with the possibility of suddenly finding himself in an unfamiliar environment?”
“He re-injured himself, somehow worse than before, and destroyed two cots!” Omontu snaps. “Two! Not just the one he was resting on, but one on the other side of the infirmary! I don’t even know how he did it! It’s not like he had his damn weapons!”
“Oh dear.” One delicate hand covers !oshi’s mouth. “What did Commander Leilani have to say?”
“Nothing!” Omontu throws a hand in the air. “Commander Holt is a menace to himself and everything around him and Leilani finds it precious!” She makes a show of going wide eyed, getting her hands folded up under her chin and sweetly cooing, “Oh Starling! Come now, darling, let me drown you in citrus and honey. Let us be easy. Bah!” Omontu breaks the imitation with a huff, sinking back into her chair.
Martek closes his eyes once more, and sighs. “Well,” Ortraz says, after another stretch of silence between them all. “That’s certainly a start to the day.”
When does Martek find out his glossary is half made out of fake words? What does it look like-what are some of the phrases on there?
He doesn’t find out until Shiro is made aware that the list exists. And really, Martek isn’t even mad. He knows Matt tries and makes shit up, and he calls him on it almost sixty percent of the time, usually because Matt is too amused with what he’s come up with to keep a straight face.Some phrases on the list:-Jumping Jehoshaphat-Fuck a duck-Christ on a cracker-Fuck me gently with a chainsaw-Dance on my dickThese are just a few. Matt is a ridiculous person, and I love him so much.
