I Finally Finished

we have the whole gang now 🫶🫶

Starting Nov 10th Walmart will be bringing back Sensory Friendly Hours everyday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

This will include:

No walmart radio

Dimmed lights where possible (sky lights may prevent some stores from appearing dim)

TVs turned to a static low sensory channel

Please 🔄 this post so people with sensory processing issues can be aware of it! Thank you! ❤️

He didn’t die.

He didn’t die at the end.

Grian jumped off a cliff. Scott was slash killed. Pearl was blown up. Martyn was struck down.

But not Scar.

Scar escaped. He ended with 5.5 hearts. He’s still alive. The watchers didn’t take him back.

He’s… free?

klance is canon king

Hi sorry just gonna rant about the song I'm currently obsessing over (The Milk Carton by Madilyn Mei)

(I'll be saying "they" and "the person" instead of "her" and "Madilyn Mei" cause it's my interpretation of the music, not Madilyn's. (Future Luna here, I'll also be using "you" apparently.))

Okay okay sooo... I've seen a variety of interpretations for this song, but personally I think of it as a person who is growing up and suddenly being thrust into the adult or 'real world'.

So, starting with the first lines:

"I think I really miss my bed / Oh when, oh when will the nightmare end?" - so, I can see this in two ways;

One, with the bed part being a metaphor. The person misses the comfort and easiness of when they were younger, (their bed,) but are now an adult, and can't live life like that. (the nightmare.)

Or two, the person actually misses their bed. They can't just relax on it like when they were younger, they have to get up and work, and do all the other things adults have to. (which is the nightmare.)

Now, this part:

"I had it good, I had it good / And yet I left and can't retrace my steps" - this one's pretty straightforward;

So, the person had it good as a child, yk had a good, happy childhood, (imagine that,) but now they've become an adult, they've left that behind permanently.

Now the next bit:

"You're gonna be eaten by a coyote / Run, little one, though the pack may follow" - so, I see this as the person being given some "advice";

They've just become an adult, (hence the 'little one', because they're still young,) and, well... people can be cruel. Some people are like coyotes, taking advantage of people who - like the person singing - are a bit lost. The newbies, so to speak. So, this is kinda like, the person's met someone who is going to take advantage of them, or hurt them, or something along those lines, and someone's giving them a piece advice of sorts, like, "be careful, don't hang around those people/that person, (aka the coyote,) cause you're gonna get hurt. (aka 'eaten'.)" The other person tells them to run, even though those bad people (aka the pack) might follow.

So, next line:

"Two quite thin, their brother fatter / He can still win, just gotta be faster" - this is saying like, everyone is fighting to get through life;

Some people are bad, but they're also just trying to get through everything. Even the coyotes are trying to be faster, to win the race - or chase, as we see later on - despite their disadvantages.

Next up:

"Run for the yard, they've barred up the gutter / That was our route, better find another" - this is about the unpredictability and difficulties;

There are a lot of challenges as you grow up, and sometimes you have to improvise, to find another way when you can't go the route you wanted. Doors close. Sometimes, they can be locked; you have to find ones that aren't.

These two lines are some of my favourites:

"Was that a rabbit? Really not like the one / I'vе seen on a cereal box" - childhood vs. adulthood;

Rabbits are common on children's cereal boxes, and they're all cute or cartoony - not at all realistic. But suddenly you go out into the 'real world', they're, well, realistic. It's a comparison that is also seen later on; the realisation that the world is nothing like what you see as a kid, and that it's much less, well, happy, for lack of a better word. So yeah, I love this comparison.

It's also a bit of, like, you're actually seeing it in person now. You're not just looking at the 'real world' and at the adults (aka the rabbit) from afar - you're there, in person.

"And the birds don't talk / Likе the ones on screen / Have they really domesticated me?" - like the rabbit, it's childhood vs. adulthood;

Birds talking is very much from children's shows, and really illustrates how the world you see when you're younger is much prettier that what it actually is. You're looking at it with rose tinted glasses.

And again, like the rabbit, the change from seeing things in person, and actually being there in the world, compared to seeing it through a screen as a child.

Then, it talks about having been domesticated. There are two meanings that could fit with this.

Firstly, being domesticated as in "make (someone) fond of and good at home life and the tasks that it involves." In this case, making them used to how life is as a child, and not prepared for life later on.

The other meaning it could fit is "tame (an animal) and keep it as a pet or on a farm." Now, this one's really interesting. The person is comparing themselves to an animal that has been tamed. And this is just so interesting, because they're saying that they were so easily tamed, like a dumb, clueless animal - because, at least compared to humans, animals are generally at least a bit dumb - by this wonderful-looking world they were presented as a child, and never saw the truth until they were right in the middle of it.

Now, next part:

"Cotton tail, gonna end up in jail / Wrong place, wrong time / Bad tune but it rhymed / And lined up perfectly to blame / The one who is far too tame." - Okay, so quite a few lyrics in here cause they're all connected;

This one's quite simple, honestly - life's unfair, people get blamed for things they're innocent for, punished when they shouldn't, just because they were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, or they acted some way or so many other reasons.

Time for the next lines:

"And he say / "Out, let me in, let me in, let me out / Stop tellin' me all about your problems / I been to hell, still in, get me out / Whatever they are, I don't know how to solve 'em"" - this one's similar to the coyote one;

Other people are also struggling. They have their own problems, and a lot of the time, they don't wanna listen to yours. Everyone's struggling, everyone's trying to just get through this.

And the title comes into play:

"Say, is that the kid from the milk carton? / Can I do anything when I'm also missing?" - some more childhood vs. adulthood. Here's why;

So, when you're younger you can see the kid on the milk carton, but you're disconnected from it - that is, until you're also like that kid. You grow up, and suddenly you're not just seeing some of those struggles, you're feeling all of them yourself. Suddenly, it's all the more real. And you have to ask yourself, can I really help them? cause you're also struggling, so how can you help them find their way when you can't find yours?

Next:

"Something tells me kid / Never learned to swim / But can I do anything when I'm also drowning?" - this is the same as the one with the milk carton;

How do you help someone when you can't help yourself? How can you teach someone how to swim when you never learnt either - or, in this case, how can you teach someone how to manage the 'real world' when you never learnt either?

Now, next lines:

"Think I forgot a couple things / My brain is still at home / Home's far away" - more about being unprepared and missing your childhood;

So, they're unprepared. They've forgotten things, left their brain at home. They weren't ready and are now lost and confused. And now they can't go back - just like home's far away, their childhood is in the past and they can't go back and learn everything they needed to now. They've just gotta make do.

And the next two:

"I really thought that life was one big race / But now I know it's one big chase" - I referenced the chase thing at the start;

It's really simple. When they were younger, they thought life was just a race, but now they've realised they're being chased. They're not just living their life, (aka racing,) they're surviving while unprepared, and it feels like everything's out to get them (aka being chased).

You could also see this as chasing an easier version, trying to get a better life.

Next up:

"You can still win, just gotta be faster / You can, you can, you can, you can win" - more about life being a chase;

You have to win, to come out on top when facing all of these challenges. That's one of the biggest messages in here, which pops up a lot more near the end. You've got to win, to beat all of the struggles chasing after you.

Also, these two lines repeat 5 and a half times consecutively. Really trynna get the message of "you have to win" ingrained into your brain, prepare everyone else so they don't struggle like the person singing did.

It shows how the person is learning that winning the chase is what matters.

Now, next, it's been repeating for a while but there's a change I wanna talk about:

"Two quite thin, their brother fatter / You can still win, just gotta be" - at first, it was "he can still win", not "you can still win".

Now, it's about them. It's not talking about, "oh, other people are also struggling," like at the start. It's about how they can win. About how they can come out on top - they're learning, so to say.

Nearing the end now:

"Oh, the air is thick / Kinda makes me sick / Can I give CPR when I'm suffocating?" - This is in the same vein as the milk carton and drowning ones;

How can you help someone when you can't help yourself. Also, if you had barely any breath, would you give what you had to help someone else? Should you help someone, give them CPR, when you know you can't spare those breaths?

Next:

"And the birds don't sing / Like the ones on screen" - now the birds aren't just not taking, they aint singing either;

This is moving from "childhood vs. adulthood", and realising life isn't what it looks like, to seeing things from a really negative, twisted perspective. Now, we're going from seeing the world way too positively and naively, to seeing it way too negatively and darkly. From not seeing the dark, to not seeing the light. The sun shining, birds singing - that's all very positive things. Now, the person can't see those things cause there's so much dark. They're so focused on winning the chase, they can't focus on the things outside of it.

Second to last line:

"Have they really domesticated me? (You can still win, just gotta be)" - this is just repeating prior stuff, but I do wanna talk about some things;

These two messages - shock at how unprepared they were, and having to be fast and win the chase - repeat several times. These are the things that the person is taking with them. The shock and maybe even betrayal about the fact that the people who should've prepared them for this didn't, and the knowledge that you have to be faster, keep on running, win the chase, are the lessons the person learnt.

Final line:

"Have they really domesticated me? (Faster!)" - very similar to the last one, but I still want to talk about this;

Really hung up on the fact that the last word is "faster". The last thing you hear, the final message, is to be faster. It's not them reflecting on the difference between being a child and growing up, it's not them wondering if they can help someone when they can't help themselves, it's not even them asking themselves if they've been domesticated, although that is right before this.

But no. The final thing they want you to know is that no matter what, just be faster.

Au were after there time on the space whale Keith and Krolia continue to get visions.

Keith was always sensitive to quintessence.

He can feel the blue lions call from miles away even though it isn’t his lion.

Red will come for him from a distance.

He has the strongest bond with his lion up until the lion switch.

But the whale takes that and jumps kicks it. Yes Krolia still gets them to but no where near the frequency or detail that Keith does.

He brushes up against someone and gets a flash of their past or their future.

They are trying to form a plan of action when suddenly Keith will stop moving and talking and get this far away look in his eyes. Only to snap back with a gasp moments later and drastically change whatever plan they had. Snapping back from a vision from the future of one of his friends dying

It first happens once the battle with Lotor is done. It’s a surprise to everyone as it’s the first one Keith’s had outside of the whale.

One moment the group is relaxing and liking their wounds. Trying to figure out what to do next.

Suddenly Keith freezes. He was mid-sentence talking to Pidge when suddenly all movement stops. His eyes are glassy and far away, he’s obviously looking but not seeing what’s in-front of him.

Pidge freaks out. Shiro (one of her big brothers) was just discovered to be a clone, Lotor a maniac, and they lost the castle ship (their home) and now Keith (anther brother to her) has completely frozen and stopped responding.

She calls out to the other, panicking “somethings wrong with Keith!” The other scramble over to them. Krolia quick to her son’s side while the others circle around.

Lance, seeing as Shiro is down, Allura is reeling from all that’s happened today, and Keith is the one is trouble, takes charge of the situation.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. We were talking and then suddenly he just froze up”

He’s still breathing and doesn’t seemed to be in distress. He’s just frozen. He’s not responding the them in anyway.

Until suddenly he gasps. His eyes going wide and he’s whipping around trying to get his bearings. He’s breathing hard and Lance and Krolia moves to stabilize and support him.

“Keith! What was that? Are you okay?” Lance was trying to catch his friend’s eyes and Keith snapped his head to him and locks eyes.

“They’re going to earth! The Galra! They’re going to attack earth! They’re going to kill Adam!” His breaths are panic as he tries to communicate the horror of his vision.

Lance feels like the floor has open up below him. “What?”

After panic and confusion. Krolia explains the visions in the space whale. How they had been blasted with visions of both the past and the future.

Since they spent two years on the space whale, it must have warped Keith connection to quintessence. Add that to his natural sensitivity to quintessence and his connection to Voltron, which enhances his abilities. This equals to a Keith how now gets visions from the universe.

The group is quick to decide to head to Earth. Coran tells them it would take a year and a half to get there and the whole group is distressed. They don’t have that kind of time.

Lance remembers how they got up here. That the blue lion created a wormhole all on its own. No teladuv or working castle ship.

Allura has always wondered how that was possible since only an Altean should be able to open one and that in a lion it would take an incredible amount of power. Power she might have now but after saving Shiro she needs time to get that energy back.

Time Lance can’t imagine waiting. His family is in danger. That was the whole point of fighting this war. To keep his family safe. He looks at Keith, who is more shaken that Lance has ever seen (he’s hiding it well from the others but Lance has always been able to read Keith) and he knows that the vision was so much worse then Keith is telling them.

They have to get to earth now!

But he doesn’t know what to do. Everyone starts packing up. Wanting to get moving as soon as possible with the trip as long as it will be. Keith takes a moment to walk over to Lance.

“Lance. I was thinking about what you said. About the wormhole that brought us here in the first place.” Keith pauses trying to find the right words. “It was just us. No alteans, not castle, just you piloting Blue.” He pauses again Turing to look up at the red lion.

“You know Red’s always been over protective of her paladin. I think- I don’t know maybe if you reach out to her. She might be able to open a wormhole home.”

Lance looks at Keith in surprise. “Why don’t you ask Black then? Or Pidge and Green? Or Hunk and Yellow. I mean your all a lot better-” the then I am dying in his tongue as he looks down.

“What are you talking about. You’re an amazing Paladin, and you’re the only one who’s gotten a lion to one a wormhole before. Not even Allura can do that.” He moves forward to place his hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Just give it a chance. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work. Besides if anyone can pull this off it’s you.”

“Thanks Keith.” Lance smile at Keith and goes to thank him when Keith’s eyes go all glassy again. “Keith?”

Moments later Keith snaps back to himself with a gasp. His body lurching forward as if someone just struck him. The hand on Lances shoulder tightening its grip as his form starts to tremble.

“Keith! What is it? What did you see?” Keith straightens up to lock eyes with Lance again.

“It’s Sendak. He’s the one attacking Earth.”

“Don’t you mean he’s the one who will be attacking Earth?” Lance asked as he placed his hands on Keith’s sides to steady his shaking friend.

“Lance” Keith looked so scared and vulnerable “on the whale I had visions of the future and the past. I have no clue which I’m seeing now.”

Lance felt ice flood his veins. “So everything you’re see could have already happened?”

Keith couldn’t meet his eyes anymore “yes”

Lance take a moment to feel the horror of this all. Earth could already be at Sendak’s mercy before pulling himself together. For his family, who needed him to come save them, and for Keith who must have seen something truly horrific in his vision.

“Then there’s no time to waste. Let’s go home.” He makes a split second decision to pull Keith in for a hug. “We’re going to save them.” There was no other option. Not for Lance. Not when he had sacrificed so much to keep his home safe.

They separate slowly, lingering in a moment not meant to stretch.

Then there is yelling. Something is wrong with Shiro’s pod. Lance can see the fear and anxiety flood Keith system. He gently cups Keith’s face drawling his focus back. “I’ll get the others ready to leave. Go take care of Shiro.”

It’s exactly what Keith needs. The stress of the last few hours. Lotor, Shiro, clones, the battle with Lotor, his visions, and now Shiro’s in trouble again. Lance stepping in to take weight from us makes it feel like he can breath a little.

Keith rushes off to Shiro begging him to fight, to stay alive.

Meanwhile Lance helps Hunk and Pidge ready to go. He checks in on Allura and Coran to make sure they are ready. He makes sure Romelle has a place to go, she’s riding with him. She had wanted to stay with Keith and Krolia but Black was pretty full with Keith, Krolia, the wolf, and Shiro’s pod. Lance offers her a ride. He understands that she’s the odd one out right now and boy does he know how that feels.

Once they know Shiro is going to be okay. They’re ready to take off. Lance takes a moment to breath. He focuses on his bond with Red. ‘Please. I need to get home. Please help me protect my family.’

Let us protect our pride, Son of A-

Lance misses what Red was about to say when he heared Romelle gasp. In front of them is a wormhole. Lance smiles in relief ‘Thank you’ he sends to his lion.

“Lance! You’re-” Romelle is gasping and pointing at his face. He had expected her to be pointing at the wormhole but she’s looking straight at him. “Altean!”

Lances brain short circuits for a second. “I’m what!!!!”

When Lance was talking to red and asking for a way home his cheeks started to glow with the altean marks. His family had Altean blood as some escaped to Earth to hide a few centuries ago.

They head back to Earth and get there just in time to join in on the first firefight with the Galra. There are still casualties but Adam is not among them. The damage to Earth is far less than it is in canon.

Adam and Shiro reunite and recover together.

It is still a long fight as Sendak is determined to take the planet and keeps coming no matter how many times they push him back until finally Shiro and Keith end him once and for all

Keith is still having visions. Some are of the pasts of the people around him. Some are glimpses of the future.

He and Lance finally figure themselves out a get together. While Lance is introducing Keith to his family Keith gets hit with a vision. Lance explains what’s happening as he holds Keith’s hand and waits for him to come back to himself. It doesn’t take more than a minute. Lance braces himself for some horrible news, but Keith jumps up and runs straight to the kitchen. Everyone wonders why until he opens the kitchen door just in time for a pan in the stove to ignite. Someone had left the stove on and now there is a fire. Keith puts it out with no panic or surprise. Once the fire is handled, Lance walks up to him. “So your vision…” -Lance “house fire”-Keith.

Needless to say the family finds him weird but endearing.

Everything is going well until one night Keith wakes up screaming. Hagar is still alive. And she’s going after the Alteans. And Allura is going to die.

yall, quick. whos read paradise lost (and biblical mythology?). we need 'em here stat

Okay, I’m just ridiculously curious about if/how you’re going to portray Lucifer in the upcoming TSC books, and I’m wondering if you can give us any info, snippets, anything about him and/or the other Princes of Hell. It’s probably too spoilery, and probably too early, for much of anything, but I’m really fascinated with how you’ve incorporated the Princes of Hell into the TSC world, as well as the other dimensions. I’d just love to know more. Thank you! Hope you’re doing well! ♥️

Hmmm. I don't think I can say specifically, but I can say that TWP is something of a return to the biblical/demonic mythos of The Mortal Instruments. A lot of what happens turns on various pieces of biblical mythology (since we're dealing with Lucifer!) and references to Paradise Lost/Dante.

Gem is great!

I dunno if I'll have time to do all the prompts for gemweek so I went a bit bigger with this one. Gem and her season 8 base.

i love u krolia

bonus:

one of my favorite tropes is when pidge is the last one to find out 💀

Predicting that in the last shadowhunter (tls? tlsh?) they close the openings/rifts/whatever that allow demons to get through. That's why its called the last sh, bc they wont need sh after that