Headcanon that Shiro was…really out of it for a while after waking up in the clone’s body.
He had good days and bad days. On his good days he was like the old Shiro, full of battle stratagems and words of encouragement (and the occasional sarcastic remark). On bad days he could zone out for hours at a time, his gaze trapped somewhere in the middle distance despite his friends’ efforts to grab his attention. It was like he was looking through them all, into something dark and nebulous beyond their reach.
On Shiro’s worst days he forgot who he was—what he was doing in space. Those days he’d simply shut down like a broken toy. He only panicked twice, and those times Kosmo knew to teleport Keith to his side. For some reason he always found comfort in Keith’s presence, even when he didn’t know who he was.
(“Your name is Takashi Shirogane. My name’s Keith; I’m your friend. We’re traveling through space now, on our way to Earth—our home. It’s okay. You’re safe here, I promise.”)
Other weird things started to pop up over time. Keith swore sometimes when Shiro stood behind him he could see starlight flicker out of the corner of his eye. On rare occasions Keith would think something and Shiro would reply to it like he’d said it out loud (“What? No, I’m sure you said that. I heard you say it.”) He can’t fly Black anymore, but Keith also heard him talking to the Lions a couple times—very casually, like they were old friends.
Like, Shiro was basically dead for a long time, trapped in the Black Lion’s consciousness. You don’t go through something like that without taking some of death back with you.
Ooooooh I accept this headcanon! Shiro even said to Lance that the whole situation had left him “out of sorts for the last few weeks” so this isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
And yes I love the idea of Keith being Shiro’s anchor during a panic attack!
what if voltron was just a really long dnd campaign
matt: zarkon emerges from the ship with the black bayard in hand. what do you-
keith: i attack him
matt: …keith you’re a level three
keith: i’m rolling
matt: you arrive at your brother’s grave, confirming that he was one of the casualties in the battle. you collapse into tears in front of it and-
pidge: i’m rolling for perception
matt: wh- what is there to perceive? he’s literally dead-
pidge: it’snat 20
matt: i… you notice that your brother’s birthday on the tombstone is wrong. he’s left you a code. on his grave. for some reason. because apparently he’s not dead now
lotor: i try to convince them to ally with me
matt: you do realize you’ve tried to kill these people on multiple occasions right?
lotor: i’m going for it
matt: …okay. roll for charisma
lotor: …i got a 1
matt: you attempt to charm the princess by talking about her dead father for fifteen minutes
lotor: i try to convince them to give the galra empire unlimited access to quintessence
matt: i- you know what? fine. allura, roll a perception check
allura: ………i got a 1
matt: …you think lotor’s plan is absolutely wonderful and allow him to join your party
matt: the sea serpent follows in quick pursuit. it’s gaining on the blue lion fast and-
lance: can i roll to seduce it?
matt: no
lance: why do you hate me
matt: rax asks if your ship is still working so that you can leave
hunk: well we can’t leave without the crystal, and we still haven’t found out a way to get it…
coran: i have a plan. we attempt to impersonate a galra sentry
matt: you… do realize they’re robots right
coran: yes
matt: alright then. roll a bluff check
coran: i got a 5
matt: you grab a broken sentry and get on hunk’s shoulders, putting on a cloak to hide your body from view. the two of you stumble towards two guards, very obviously whispering to each other under the cloak, and attempt to convince them that their shift is over. they raise their weapons and ask for your identification number
hunk: …yeah i’m just gonna shoot at them now if that’s okay
Matt: Allura gives you instructions on how to shut off the main generator. Roll for knowledge.
Pidge: dang. Nat 1.
Matt: all the labels are in altean. You can’t read them. What do you-
Pidge: I stab them with my bayard.
Matt: you can’t just-
Pidge: I rolled for luck. Nat 20. Ha.
Matt:(internally: why am I even dm-ing for these people they’re all insane-) fine. You, miraculously, survive hitting the *high-voltage alien tech* with your bayard. The power goes off. I hate you.
Pidge: thanks. Hate you too.
Matt: Allura and lotor are separated, and in front of them a giant white lion begins to attack you
allura: i role to hug the lion
matt: uhh thatll be uhh seduction i guess?
lotor: thats dumb, i role to punch the lion in he face
konekorambles 