[Open] Catch-all~

[padadin]

Who: Shiro and you
Broadcast: No
Action: Yes, on the planet
When: Throughout the whole month

[This planet... is FUN! Who would've thought? After dealing with the mystery and following dark news of their previous visit, plus the arrival of an undesired person from home, Shiro is ready to distract himself with some contests. He doesn't show it often, but he has a competitive side and while he's not a sore loser (for him the main point is definitely enjoying the activity) he does play to win. He's also very athletic and loves taking part in sports, even if actually watching them isn't his thing unless there's a friend he wants to root for.

So here he's now, wearing the Starstrikers colors (so... not different from usual), signing up for things and, after a few days in the planet, also being followed by a bunch of fangirls/fanboys. Try and ignore them, he does most of the time.]

A. Arm wrestling

[So obvious, isn't it? And you may think, doesn't this count as cheating? Don't worry, Shiro is a fair man, and he asks his opponent what arm they want him to use: his robot arm or the natural one. It doesn't matter much - so far, he's won with both. If his opponent is friendly and chatty, so is he, but if they are the kind that want to trashtalk or provoke him, he keeps his poker face and ignores them. Everyone gets offered a handshake at the end, though, no exceptions, and it's then that some times he gets ignored. What happened to good manners in competitions? Geez.

Sore losers aside, it's obvious that Shiro's enjoying himself, and he grins as he calls out.] Point for the Starstrikers! Who's next?

[Some girls squeal, others yell the kind of things they want Shiro to use his hands for. Shiro hides behind drinking from his water bottle before the next match. Embarrassing...]

B. Nope.gif
((ooc note: depending on how conversation goes, threading this may include mentions of Shiro's past in a gladiator arena and his PTSD))

[There's a reason why he's chosen arm wrestling and other stuff like board games for activities. Sitting at a table is easy to deal with, only a small or medium group of fans around it is easy to deal with. It's not a big stadium, it's not a cheering crowd asking for more.

But sooner or later, the discomfort comes. It can come in the way of the referee raising his arm and calling him champion, with some times the fans putting the damn word together with his name. Or it can come in the way of the Starstrikers recruiters following him around and begging him to join some other activities like boxing, kickboxing, wrestling or martial arts.

No matter which scenario your character witnesses, Shiro's reaction is the same: his face gets white and he removes himself from the situation. He makes his way through the crows as quick as possible, bumping more than one shoulder, and more than possible bumping into your character too.]

Sorry, didn't see you there. [He mumbles before trying to continue his escape without being noticed. Go after him?]

C. Gotta go fast

[Races are good. Races are great. Yes, races have a stadium and a crowd, but they're the exception. Because here, Shiro can turn off his brain and just let adrenaline, concentration and speed take over. He has pilot blood in his veins and it shows - bikes, cars, shuttles, some times even traditional running, he joins them all. And with Keith in more than one occasion, which shows how in sync they're with each other, a look being enough to leave a group of opponents eating their dust.

If there are obstacles, even better. So maybe he has a bit of a daredevil hidden in him, don't judge him

You can come and race against him! Or catch him between races doing stuff like having a snack while watching the mechanics do their thing, signing autographs (yeah, ok, he's given in) or admiring the vehicles they get to race.] It's a pity we can't take one of these back to the ships with us, isn't it?

D. Who let the dogs out

[Procyon has grown quite a bit since December. While he hasn't reached full growth, he isn't that little puppy anymore either - he's somewhere in the middle. Enough to join the pets competition! Shiro has tied a bandana with the team colors around the dog's neck and is now showing what a good boy he is. Sit, roll, paw, bark, he follows every order without hesitation.

For his last trick, he approaches a member of the small crowd (aka maybe you!), drops a flower at their feet and then covers his face with a paw, playing embarrassed. Isn't he the cutest?]

E. Shopping

...is everything branded here?

[Shiro sounds frustrated, and that's because he is. He's trying to find a cute gift but even the most innocent flower has a logo on it. Young girls don't like that, right? (Not that the gift-ee is literally young, but details.) Of course, you may not care about the brands and you may care more about the fact Shiro is looking at cutesie stuffed animals, flowery hair pins and sparkly bracelets. Feel free to ask.]

F. The fandom

[He shouldn't be surprised, really. At home, he always had people going after him because of his looks, and then he became the golden boy of the Galaxy Garrison - a hero. A reputation. Later on, according to Coran, he was the most popular member of the "Voltron Show". And it's when he remembers that show, how important it turned out to be for the sake of the universe, that Shiro finally gives in and tries to give some attention to the big amount of fans he's gained in this planet.

The Black Lion, they've nicknamed him, and he doesn't dislike it. He does dislike when they push each other or argue, so sorry if you're caught in that while trying to approach him!

He signs autograph books, Starstrikers hats and sweatshirts, and some lion plushies that have started to go around (they're even winged! cute, they can stay), but then... there are pictures. Very candid ones. Taken by certain photograph member of a JRPG boy band, but Shiro doesn't know this. He looks around and frowns.]

Where are those coming from?

G. Wildcard!

None of those prompts work for you? Here are some other places where you can find Shiro this month:
1. At the beach - wearing a full body swimsuit, either swimming or playing beach volley, throwing a ball or disc for his dog
2. Playing board games - watch out for his poker face, he's a strategist
3. At the snowy area - skiing, playing with his dog, making snowmen or joining a snowball fight
4. Tropical area - having his morning run and breakfast (most likely joined by dog too)
5. Rooting for friends in other activities
6. Buying tons of food stock for the Blameless

Comments

[padadin]

Real competition makes it fun. [And with Thor in his own team, he hasn't gotten anyone that can beat him yet. So this guy shares ship with Keith and Lance, huh? He grabs Ben's hand and gives it a slight shake, as an almost-handshake.] Nice to meet you too. May the best team win.

[His smile disappears when his face goes for a more concentrated expression and his arm starts pushing, not full strength yet. He wants to see what he's going against.]

[privateeyed]

Can't say no to that. [Ben doesn't care so much about fun, or even competition, but this is a little different; it isn't often he runs into someone else with the arm addition, and while he hates talking about his, he'll talk about them in general for a while] Let's see how I do first and then I'll consider joining a team.

[he's soloing it for now. He gives a slight shake back, but his expression doesn't change from casual neutralness. He does push back, matching the strength and then adding a little bit of his own]

[padadin]

No team yet? I'm surprised you aren't being harassed by them to join one them.

[They can be quite persistent, to say the least. As soon as Ben adds strength, Shiro adds his own too, enough to match his opponent at first, then adding more as he sees it needed to win. He doesn't want to use all his strength in one go, not knowing how much Ben's arm can take, so he slowly eases into it while making sure that he's not pushed back.]

[privateeyed]

I've got one of those faces that says "leave me alone", I guess. Can't figure out why.

[that's a flat out lie, he's been asked a few times already. They don't take "no" for an answer, sadly.

Ben isn't one to turn it up to 11, so to speak, right off the bat; he likes to keep things fair, and simple, and as much as he hates being the center of attention if he has to he's going to make it worth it.

But there comes a point where his arm can only take so much without turning on the strength mod portion, and the last thing he needs to do is break the damn thing. He wrinkles his nose, arm straining as Shiro starts moving his arm back] . . . okay, can that thing go stronger or am I going to break your arm if I go stronger?

[he's a considerate jackass, at least]

[padadin]

Oh, I know the type.

[He may be thinking about Keith... maybe. And hey, he appreciates the consideration - just because he hates the arm it doesn't mean he wants it broken. Smiling a bit more cockily now, Shiro adds strength of his own, ready to receive whatever Ben has in store.]

Go for it. You can't be worse than a giant alien crab, right?

[privateeyed]

Uh - I don't know how strong a giant alien crab is, but I can guarantee my arm isn't that strong.

[that's about all the warning he gives before he adds a significant bit of strength, which - were it a normal person, would be plenty and then some enough to slam their hand into the table - and probably break it.

Good thing Shiro isn't a normal person]

[padadin]

Consider yourself lucky for not knowing that one thing.

[Not a happy memory, that's for sure, although it has to do more with other reasons than the crab itself. Which indicate yes, Shiro isn't a normal person! Ben manages to move Shiro's hand a bit but before things get bad, Shiro counterattacks with strength of his own. Can you keep up, Ben? Because now that Shiro knows what his opponent's limits, he's just going for it. Good luck with that!]

[privateeyed]

I know how strong top of the line mods are - that's probably close, maybe.

[well if he's going for it - Ben puts up a good fight at first, at least until he hits his own arm's limits. He's strong enough that a metal door is only a few punches away from being knocked down, but that's when his mod is at its best - and Shiro's is very obviously more superior in that respect.

He doesn't push, though; when he hits the limit, Shiro's able to push his hand to the table. It's all fun and games blah blah, but he doesn't want to break his own mod, or even Shiro's. Accidents and all that] —son of a bitch.

[padadin]

[The table doesn't worry him, but he doesn't want to break Ben's arm either, which is why he doesn't go as far as activating it. It's over before before he knows it, though, and he can't help chuckling at the win at the words.]

It was a good game. [He gives Ben's hand a quick handshake before finally letting go.] You have a good arm - I don't know what "top of the line mods" are like in your world, but you have plenty to be proud of already.

[privateeyed]

[look at this sour face. But he isn't a sore loser, despite his general attitude - he shakes back and gives a faint huff] They're expensive as shit and not worth the price if you ask me, but thanks. Yours is pretty good, though - don't think I've run into one as strong as yours yet.

[padadin]

Oh, what you have it's usual for prosthetic? Impressive. [While Shiro's Earth has come a long way, prosthetics that give you strength aren't a thing yet. Just nice ones. At the comment about his own arm, though, he hesitates a moment before shrugging.] Mix of alien technology and alien magic. It's rare even in my own world.

[And he hopes it stays that way. Here, too, because another arm like his showing up would mean an enemy showing up.]

[privateeyed]

Ehhh, mine's an older model, but it's military-grade. Got it before they were widely available for everyone. I've got it modded to be stronger. [he raises both eyebrows at the admission and gives a low whistle] If I hadn't seen it in action I'd call bullshit.

[padadin]

So you're military too. [Sup, buddy, guess who has rank over here.] Did you lose it on the field? If it's ok to ask.

[He chuckles at the whistle, but also raises his eyebrows at the comment.]

Really? Even after all the things you get to see here in the fleet? [And just to prove his point, he closes his metal hand in a fist and activates it, which gives it a purple and warm glow.]

[privateeyed]

Yeah, I was a corporal in the US army. [he gives him a "you too?" look before he shrugs] I did. Explosion took the arm - drone, blew through a door I was blocking - and the shrapnel from that took my eye on the same side. Fun times.

[his nose scrunches up] Magic and aliens are movie shit where I'm from, when you're used to that it takes a bit to get your head around that it's real elsewhere.

[padadin]

[A nod at the silent question, then he winces when he hears Ben story. That's even worse than he expected. The eye too? Geez.] My sympathies. But I admire your recovery and the craft of your doctors. You can't tell unless you're looking for it or paying extra attention to detail. [Which means Ben probably doesn't deal with as many awkward questions as Shiro does. After a pause and some hesitation, he turns off his metal arm and pats it with human hand.] P.O.W.

[It's all he says on the matter, and by the sounds of it, Ben would understand enough.

The nose scrunching up is amusing though.] Good point. It's not exactly an old thing for me - Earth doesn't know about alien life yet, and how I got involved into an alien war is a complicate story. But I've been here for a year now, and after meeting creatures from the myths, an actual god and the recordings of the talking ponies in the network? There's little that can surprise me anymore.

[privateeyed]

Ehh. [he kind of winces at the admiration, because he really didn't come out of it 100$ - physically or mentally] Thanks. Most people don't notice, especially not when it's as common as it is back home now. Guess it works out for me. [Ben doesn't do sympathy so much as he's just bad at it, but understanding? That he's a little better at. He just nods, eyes drifting briefly to the arm and back] Sucks.

[and that's all he'll say on it. He isn't one for the standard stuff]

Talking ponies. [...] Yeah, I met some myth folk, that was pretty cool. Dunno about ponies, though, I think that'd actually freak me out a little.

[padadin]

How is it "working out" anyway? Do you need to keep up with maintenance here?

[That's fine, Shiro actually appreciates the lack of interrogation over how the arm came to be, so Ben gets a nod of acknowledgment. Yep, sucks indeed. Also if this is Ben's reaction to the ponies, he has to wonder how he'd react to Voltron.]

One of them was pink, does that still add to the freaking out factor? [Ok, so he may be a bit amused at this.]

[privateeyed]

Yeah, but basic stuff I can do on my own. Usually only need one hand for it and I don't like bugging people if it's something I can do myself. [a shrug] If I need someone with two hands, then I have a volunteer. Or I get to poll the masses again.

[you don't want to know how he'd react to Voltron, or maybe he does, if anything it'd be a good reaction? He likes cool shit]

I'm going to say yes, only because I hate the color pink.

[padadin]

Oh, that's really convenient. I don't understand half of mine. [To say the least.] Most people in the fleet are very nice and helpful, so you'll never be short of volunteers.

[He laughs a bit.] In my universe, pink was a color worn in mourning and remembrance of fallen comrades for the Altean race.