#VLD Blaytz | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Mobile US users spent an average of 115.8 minutes on Tumblr app monthly.

galraluver · 4 months

Note

Can we please get headcanons of reader taking care of hurt/sick Blaytz and vice versa I can see him being dramatic a little if he’s the one who’s sick xD

You sure can, I hope you enjoy 🥰

I can totally see him being the biggest baby when he's sick, too

_________________________________________

~ Whenever you get sick Blaytz insists that you stay in bed so you can get better as soon as possible

~ This man takes time off of his kingly duties so he can take care of you

~ If the paladins need him he politely tells them that he can't go anywhere, he's busy taking care of you and you always come first

~ If you're super sick Blaytz has the doctor put you in a healing pod bc he doesn't want you to suffer

~ He's definitely the type to be super hovery whenever you get sick

~ Blaytz always provides you with plenty of tissues, a humidifier, a bowl (in case you need to throw up), a cloth to wipe your face off with and anything else you might need while you're sick

~ He might need to leave the room when you throw up and he always has a servant clean out the bowl, he kinda has a sensitive stomach when it comes to that kind of thing

~ Expect him to sanitize every surface you touch while you're sick since he doesn't want the germs to spread

~ Blaytz will totally make soup for you when you're sick and he'll use his grandmother's recipe, it's delicious and it helps to soothe sore throats

~ Whenever you get injured, however, his reaction might be different depending on how badly injured you are

~ If it's just a little scrape or a small cut he comforts you, he doesn't see any reason to overreact about something so small

~ If you accidentally burn yourself he takes you to the infirmary so the doctor can apply burn relief ointment on it

~ However, if you sprain something or break a bone Blaytz is known overreact

~ Imagine him hyperventilating while the doctor is taking care of it in the least painful way possible

~ If the recovery time is a long time then you go into a healing pod, otherwise Blaytz helps you with daily tasks until you're fully healed and the cast can come off

~ Blaytz either gives you a muscle relaxant cream or a massage if or when you accidentally pull a muscle, he knows how it feels and he doesn't want you to endure that pain

~ Whether you're sick or injured he's always there for you

_____

~ Whenever Blaytz gets sick he tends to get a little dramatic, even if the illness he caught isn't life threatening

~ He takes time off from his duties every time he's sick because he can't make any good decisions or remember much while he's got brain fog

~ Acts like he's dying though he's not, even after you reassure him that he's going to be okay

~ He's definitely the biggest baby when he's sick

~ You always make sure he has everything he needs, that way you're not constantly having to go get stuff

~ One of the things Blaytz hates most about being sick is that you won't kiss him because you don't want to get sick too

~ *cue Blaytz pouting sadly because you won't kiss him on the lips*

~ You won't kiss Blaytz on his lips when he's sick, but you will kiss him on his forehead

~ There was one time when Blaytz got sick after getting sprayed by some kind of pollen after he went on a mission with the other paladins, needless to say he was covered with itchy pink spots for about a week

~ If Blaytz is sick with the space flu you have a servant clean out the bowl you give him since it's not a pleasant task

~ Blaytz taught you how to make his grandmother's special soup so you can make it for him whenever he gets sick

~ When Blaytz gets injured he isn't as dramatic about it, although he likes resting a lot if he's got a sprain, strain or a fractured bone

~ If he's got a really bad broken bone he lets the doctor reset it before they put him in a healing pod

~ Blaytz is careful not to accidentally get burnt, but if he has a cut or a scrape he'll let you clean and bandage it

~ There was one time when he ended up getting a gash on his left leg when he wasn't watching his step and fell into a hole while you two were out on a hike, you held his hand after he got taken to the hospital where a doctor gave him stitches

~ Blaytz might be a sort-of warrior but that doesn't mean he can handle the worst injuries, he loves having you with him when he's injured because your presence makes him feel at least a little better

#Blaytz #VLD Blaytz #Blaytz x Reader #Nalquod #Blaytz x Reader Headcanons #King Blaytz #Blue Paladin #Original Blue Paladin #Original Voltron Paladins #Voltron AU Where Everybody Lives #Voltron Legendary Defender #Voltron #VLD #SFW #SFW Headcanons #Headcanons #Jan 2024

7 notes · View notes

spezzaru · 2 years

Text

do legendary defender fans even exist nowadays

i want a muffin

#voltron legendary defender #vld #lance mcclain #blaytz #voltron blaytz #blue paladin

112 notes · View notes

xochitai · 1 year

Text

Do you think we could have been friends? - ficlet

The young prince approaches the kit half-hiding behind the blue paladin’s leg.

“Greetings. I’m Lotor. You are?”

They retreat further until Blaytz pats their head. “Go on guppy,” he says in soft Nalquodi, “you’ll be ok, and I’ll be right here if you need me. Maybe you’ll make a friend today.”

Wide yellow eyes look first at their father, then back to the little galra in front of him. Cautiously, they step forward. Their Galran is rigid, but they manage to squeeze out: “My... name... is Kolivan.”

#inspired by the theory that Kolivan is descended from Blaytz and the galra he was flirting with #vld #voltron: legendary defender #vld lotor #lotor #blaytz #kolivan

23 notes · View notes

digoload · 6 months

Text

the paladin line up!!! (click for better quality)

This is a part of my voltron AU that I already did a bit of art on this here. i'll probably update my foolish design at some other time but there he is for now.

Under the cut -- my reasons for these particular characters, plus some sketched story ideas i had for them/their backstories prior to canon.

(also, yes - qtubbo tucks his jeans into his socks)

Green Paladin - Tubbo. He's green already, fantastic. Also, a nerd like Pidge and naturally curious. I considered other Create-oriented QSMPers for green lion but I think Tubbo fits the best!

Yellow Paladin - Missa. For a while I was gonna make Forever the yellow or blue paladin, but then I realised the whole cast would be wayyyyy too zany or weird. We needed a sturdy, relatable character. Someone who was scared. Someone who didn't really want to be there. Someone who would have an unlikely romance with a menacing purple rebellion-leader alien in space. I knew Missa was perfect for the job.

Blue Paladin - Etoiles. We don't know the specific qualifications for someone to be the blue paladin (thanks Lance), but there are some clear similarities between Lance and Blaytz (I know Allura doesn't really fit with the pattern towards the end of the series, but work with me here), so I sort of made up my own requirements. 1. screams with joy when they get to pilot their lion. 2. dogboy. 3. ready to throw down. (season 1 allura fits all 3 of these, but arguably not really towards s6-7-8). I kinda relate him most to Blaytz out of all the blue paladins.

Red Paladin - Roier. You KNOW it had to be Roier. Who else. Literally who else. The man is red. Ready to throw down. Trusts his instincts. Angsty backstory. Right-hand to the guy who takes the lead in most situations. Also, just in general, I have a vivid vision of qroier in the red lion's cockpit. He could totally pull it off.

Black Paladin - Cellbit. The other characters I considered for this role were bbh and philza, but in the end I liked them more with having alien roles mainly due to their backstories (BBH as an immortal soul-guide demon and Philza as an avian). I just think that Cellbit would fit this role better. He already sort of heads the Order, is associated with the colour black as well. But most of all. I think there's a lot of potential for an angst arc where he goes off on his own for some dumb self sacrificial reason I guess, or maybe because of his extremeee trust issues, and neglects his leader duties because of this. and then there's a whole lesson learned kind of thing, maybe roier brings him back, etc.

Now for some backstories:

I think Tubbo would follow Pidge's backstory and motives pretty closely, given his penchant for breaking into the federation offices and snooping around (very Pidge-like behaviour). The thing I struggled with was getting someone to be kidnapped by space aliens that Tubbo cared enough about to go searching for. I already have plans for Fred, Phil, and the eggs, and they're the main things that drive qtubbo. Also, ideally, they'd have to be somewhat older than Tubbo in order to be on the Kerberos mission in the first place. For a while, I thought about somehow having Tubbo and Pierre being connected, but they're not super close in canon, even if he would make an Excellent Sam Holt.

BUT THEN I REMEMBERED: MORNING CREW. ITS PERFECT. I don't think they'd be directly related, but Pac as Matt Holt just works so well. I think Fit and Ramon would be rebel fighters that free Pac from the Galra and they sort of fall in love that way, but Mike was on the Kerberos mission too and is still missing, and that's Pac's main motivation.

So I think the best people for the Kerberos mission crew would be Pac (technician), Mike (engineer), and Cellbit (pilot). Cellbit obviously takes Shiro's role (sans robot arm, that's Etoiles' duty later on - this AU would divert from VLD canon pretty early on). Roier never gives up on Cellbit, just like Tubbo never gives up on Pac (and Mike). Except unlike Tubbo, who has to purposely get enrolled at the Garrison as a cadet in order to get intel, Roier is already graduate from the same class as Cellbit. He KNOWS there's a coverup of some kind, but he has no way of proving it. Fortunately, an old upperclassman/ex-tutor believes in him enough that he believes in Cellbit too, and together they get to work on figuring out this mystery. When an alien pod crash lands, they know they've got to get a closer look.

Missa is an unfortunate decontamination unit first-responder who gets in the way. They can't just leave him behind to sound the alarm - he has to come with them while they rescue Cellbit! Unbeknownst to them, Tubbo has already taken out the alarms and is also on his way over. Miraculously, they all escape with their lives, and magic space lion adventures ensue.

I feel like none of them would really have any time to change into casual clothing, so they're all in uniform. Cellbit would probably still be in prisoner clothing but tbh I just didn't think of that lol. Also, I wanted to draw him in a garrison uniform that wasn't detox or combat oriented. There are so many cool garrison uniform designs out there so drawing the same one twice was kinda soul crushing lol. cant wait to show you guys their individual character sheets!!

#my art #qsmp tubbo #qsmp cellbit #qsmp roier #qsmp etoiles #qsmp missa #tubbo fanart #cellbit fanart #etoiles fanart #roier fanart #missasinfonia fanart #qsmp fanart #qsmp #voltron legendary defender #digo speaks #qsmp vld au

102 notes · View notes

depressocafe · 1 year

Text

What is the real reason why Zarkon thought Lotor was weak? And why did Zarkon become power hungry after the quintessence incident?

------------------------

In this week's edition of VLD Theories I hyper fixate and overanalyze the show once again but this time I think I have something really interesting, considering the fact that we're not just talking about the inner workings of the Voltron universe but we're also discussing everyone's favorite father son duo.

-----------------------

Something that's always irked me is the cliché way Zarkon was written (and don't worry we'll get into Lotor and his relationship with Zarkon as well as childhood trauma in a moment but to get to that we have to talk about the Emperor himself). Zarkon is written as everyone's typical, immoral, emotionless, power hungry bastard and while that is essentially what a 'bad person' is it doesn't make for good writing nor does it function well with the cannonisity of the series or even its inner workings.

Let's go back to what Shiro said himself about Quintessence Corruption. Shiro stated "Zarkon fell to his own evil instincts. The quintessence field didn't create Them, it revealed them." This sentence states that the chemical itself is capable of sensing and seeping into hidden or strong desires. But here's the thing, Zarkon initially didn't desire war. He conquered planets because that's what his race had done for generations, that was until Alfor helped Zarkon to end his conquest and ally with several of his enemies (Alfor, Blaytz, Trygel, Gyrgan) then Zarkon put conquest behind him and worked on being a benevolent ruler who desired peace. Quite a switch but that still leaves the question, what changed? What made him power hungry? What ruined him? Well the answer is actually quite simple and was staring us in the face the whole time.

It was the overwhelming feeling of weakness. Weakness that came with his greatest failure, the inability to support what he loves and cares for. Namely, Honerva, Lotor, his planet, his military, his citizens, and with each day watching the things he loves grow weaker, even himself.

Zarkon watched his life grow into something spectacular and then started watching it's downfall. Even when he put stabilizers into his planet, that only slowed its collapse. He struggled to make his wife pregnant and now he was struggling to keep his son, his only child, healthy in his mother's womb. Speaking of his mother, Honerva slowly and harshly deteriorated right before Zarkon's eyes and he couldn't stop it. Because his planet was dying, he struggled to feed and support his citizens as well as provide nourishment for the soldiers whose job it was to stay healthy and protect all of Galra existence. And thusly Zarkon himself began deteriorating, His mind losing its sense of morality in favor of a stronger sense of survival. He's been weakened. Powerless to stop anything, the quintessence at this point is the only support he has. And thus the only thing he can focus on. If he can harness it, he can fix everything.

See, the quintessence didn't reveal Zarkon's evil nature, he wasn't evil to begin with. The quintessence corrupted his deepest desire. To become strong enough to support all that he cares about. To have power over all that he controls and sees. But no wish comes without a price. Power and quintessence became his biggest concerns. And turned him into what we now know as the Evil Emperor Zarkon.

------------------------

But how does this tie in with Lotor? Quite easily actually! You see a lot of what Lotor is, happens to be what Zarkon once was. Lotor had a deep seated love for existence. He indulged himself in other cultures, he respected every living being, he befriended individuals other than Galra, and he believed he could harness quintessence without destruction or disrespect to life.

But to Zarkon, that is Arrogance, Foolishness, it is Weakness beyond compare. Because he thought that way once, and it only brought Daibazaal to ruin and made him incapable of anything. But as we know, that's just Zarkon's perspective through his corrupt eyes. We, the viewers, know Lotor is right in his beliefs But his father is incapable of seeing that because of his fear, having no control over anything, no power over anything. This led Lotor and Zarkon to have an even more broken relationship than they already had, disintegrating to the point Zarkon couldn't stand his own son anymore and sent him away.

But he didn't kill Lotor. Not until 10,000 years later. Because his son was one of the things Zarkon wanted to save. Another reason why Lotor and Zarkon had an abusive relationship has to do with the Quintessence Corruption itself. Because Zarkon desired that power and control over everything, he desired it for his own son as well because if he can't control his own child then the weakness will grow again. The fear Zarkon let die along with his friends and planet will regrow and resurface. But Lotor is not the kind of person who allows himself to be forced, coerced, or manipulated so easily into obedience. Especially when it has to do with his father's sense of Value and Morality. So naturally in Zarkon's mind Lotor has become weak and as he's said before "Weakness is an infection. Better to cut it off then let it spread." We all know what happened next.

And if you need more evidence. Look no further than to Lotor's own corruption itself. Lotor was never good enough for anyone. And honestly saying that statement grossly understates Lotor's actual suffering. But it's still accurate. There are many things the prince wanted in his life. He didn't just want good parents he wanted his parents to be good. But that wasn't going to happen. He didn't just want to accept and be proud of himself he wanted people to accept and be proud of him. But that wasn't going to happen. His home quickly became nothing short of a survival situation and a place where he couldn't belong. So he decided he'd find that place himself and if he couldn't find it, then he'd create it with his own two hands. A place where he is accepted and everyone is proud of him. A place where his accomplishments and intellect matter. A place like the Altean settlement

Initially yes, I believe Lotor made this settlement to save his race. There is no denying he's always had a good heart. But sadly, he's never had a sane mind. Lotor was in Honerva's womb when she and Zarkon became corrupt and it's even stated within that show that when Galra doctors did a health read on Lotor shortly after his birth, he was giving the same quintessence readings as Zarkon and Haggar. In addition, Lotor seems to struggle with letting go of a grudge. Understandable but holding onto grudges creates emotional instability which can cause problems for your mental state. Take it from me if your angry with someone, forget the pain you felt but remember the harm that was delt. Learn it and let it hone you for further down the line in your life. Lotor, didn't do that. He wouldn't forget the rage he felt, even if he could still get revenge on his abusers if he wanted. And with his hidden desires and quintessence his parents seeped into his veins, it was only a matter of time until Lotor finally lost it.

Lotor desired a place to belong and he was going to make it happen no matter what. No matter what or who he had to sacrifice to get it. That's what the Quintessence brought out. His hidden desire for belonging. To be honest, Honerva had her desires herself. But we already understand what those are. Her desire for endless knowledge as well as control over quintessence, life itself. And we know what it made her. We've always been aware of Honerva's mind so there really wasn't a place for her in this post. This statement does exclude her actions for season 8 and that's because who she is then doesn't fit into who she once was or what were discussing.

------------------------

Zarkon became what he wanted to be but at what cost? His desire ruined everything. So did Honerva's. It tore apart the universe, it destroyed their son, it slaughtered their friends. Zarkon got the power he wanted and control over his fear, but in turn it ruined everything he built. Immoral sacrifice for absolute solace.

Post made: Feb 18, 2023

Updated: Mar 9, 2023

#Lotor #Zarkon #Honerva #Haggar #Alfor #Blaytz #Trigal #Gyrgan #Galra #Voltron #VLDTheory #Theory

123 notes · View notes

artsyjesseblue · 1 year

Text

Slowly Going Mad - Part I - Zarkon

There’s a subject I’ve been meaning to write about for quite a while (of course it’s about VLD). A character analysis that, I believe, will justify their arcs and give a better view into some controversial turning points of the story. I’d like to zoom in a bit into Zarkon’s, Honerva’s and later, Lotor’s gradual psychological shifts. To set the premise, I intend to show that each of them - as presented along the episodes - had various stages of mental transitions - progressive changeovers, to be more precise . And even though some of the transitions are not so evident, they actually happen along the many millennia. Each of them are triggered by profound and very unique sets of reasons. Since discussing about all three will take up quite a lot of pages, this will be a three-part meta, and I will link each of them to the others. Here is the link to Honerva’s analysis. Update: Lotor’s analysis is also complete.

Zarkon

The beginning of the show paints a very stark and ominous image of the emperor. The absolute enemy, heartless, bloodthirsty, obsessed about getting Voltron back, especially the Black Lion. As the show advances, he becomes more and more maleficent, to the point where he declares a full-on annihilation chase against his own son. But as we see from snippets of his backstory, during Coran’s accounts in S3E7 “The Legend Begins” and way-way later in S8E2 “Shadows”, Zarkon starts from the point of a very brave paladin with admirable intentions, a loving husband who is over the moon about the news of having a son. Unfortunately, while Alfor regards the comet ore and the quintessence as endless sources of clean energy, Zarkon starts drifting into the lust for endless power. Along with his wife Honerva, they become obsessed with their rift project, to the detriment of their friendship with the rest of the world. As Honerva’s experiments progress, we see him transform from a jovial team leader into an irascible and deceitful individual.

As he later admits in S8, when the paladins awake his consciousness - the quintessence blinded him. But Shiro’s clone actually pointed out in S6: “Zarkon fell prey to his own evil instincts. The quintessence field didn’t create them, it revealed them.” We clearly witness his tendency for pride and need for power, before quintessence even touches him. Watch closely the scenes at the beginning of S3E7 "The Legend Begins", when the old paladins are gathered at the feast table; watch Zarkon’s stiff and dominant demeanor around his colleagues and his superior attitude towards the “servant class” that brings food and drinks to their table.

[Blaytz invites the waiter to "pull up a bench and join the feast. Zarkon, after intentionally clearing throat, scolds him: "You know that fraternizing with the servant class is not permitted. It erodes discipline."]

In my opinion, sustained by examples from the show, his own weak spot - power greed - became his downfall, and quintessence only acted as an amplifier, a catalyst; quintessence was not the original cause.

At this point I’d like to make a distinction between the substance called “quintessence” and the red little creature called “the entity”. The entity hails from the quintessence field (aka “the rift”, “the zone between realities”). Somehow, the notions got muddled together, but I believe - if the show was allowed to end the way the writers and EP’s intended to - we would have understood more about these two. So the entity is a living creature (somewhat sentient, as it seems, too), capable of some very magic and powerful stuff (it “gave Haggar the ability to conquer worlds”), while quintessence is a potent substance, (“the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe”, as described in S1E10 “Collection and Extraction”). The entity is responsible, among other things, for Haggar’s magic, while quintessence acts as a fuel (for ships, for weapons, for other living beings, for the entity itself - as we’ll further see). Quintessence can, indeed, poison one’s mind, as seen when the Paladins enter the rift, but stack the entity on top of that and you bring the game up a notch: once becoming “one” with the entity, there is a big risk of completely losing your reason, your memories, your own character and consciousness. Only someone with a higher spiritual training and with positive intents can properly handle such a potent entity (hint: Allura).

Back to Zarkon. After the comet hits Daibazaal, we see his first encounter with Honerva, who was assigned as a scientist to study the rift; we witness his shyness around her, his hilarious look at the sight of little Kova the cat. A very humanizing portrait, of a man capable of superior feelings, despite his hard shell. From here, unfortunately, things will only go down. I patched up the succession of events forming Zarkon’s backstory from the two episodes: S3E7 and S8E2: Years pass, Honerva continues her work on the rift. Zarkon, “softened up” by his relationship with Honerva, marries her. Alfor and Melenor have a baby - Allura. Alfor continues to visit his friends and discovers with great apprehension that Honerva is conducting experiments on an entity that arrived from the rift, in response to her call. Honerva’s Altean cheek marks still look intact. The entity trapped in Honerva’s tube screeches and calls out for its congeners. The rift monster attacks. Voltron defeats the monster. Honerva and Zarkon push for more experiments, while Alfor disagrees. We clearly see, from Zarkon’s verbal conflict with Alfor, that his greed for more power has grown, even after encountering such a dangerous creature as the rift monster (which is basically a mega-conglomerate of entities). Alfor (who wants to close the rift): “You have to know when it’s enough!” Zarkon: “I’ll decide what’s enough on my planet!”

Voltron continues to be a force for good in the Universe for the years to come, while Honerva pursues her rift work. Fast-forwarding some decades into the future (and jumping all the way to S2E8 "Shadows") Honerva announces Zarkon she is pregnant. Although I’ll revisit this when discussing her arc, it’s worth noting that pregnant Honerva features the distorted cheekbone marks, not the original Altean half-moons.

Zarkon receives the news about the baby with utmost elation. They discuss a name for the baby and together they come up with something that honors both cultures: Lotarious + Kaltor = Lotor. Around the same time, King Alfor visits their rift project again (jump back to S3E7... yeah, it's all scrambled). We see the Altean king visibly aged, while Zarkon continues to look young. Kova the cat shows up. As Honerva explains, the cat fell ill when the creatures attacked (!!), but she treated him with quintessence and Kova is now 28 deca-phoebs (~years) old. Alfor is shocked to notice Honerva’s facial features have changed. This is the first time in the show when we have a glimpse at who/what is responsible for Zonerva’s incredible longevity. We are led to believe it’s the continuous supply with quintessence, but there is more at play here: the entity. Honerva says: “He [Kova] revealed the truth to us. Quintessence is so much more than you can understand. It is life itself.” Logical conclusion: entity + quintessence = life everlasting. In this same scene we encounter the first major conflict between Alfor and Zonerva. Alfor: “You’ve gone too far.” Honerva: “You’ve always been a coward.” […] “You wish to close off our gateway to enlightenment. We should be expanding it.” [note the word “enlightenment” - put a pin in it - I will discuss about it during Lotor's analysis]. Zarkon: “If we use Voltron, we can enlarge the opening to the other reality.” Alfor: “It’s madness! This prolonged exposure to quintessence has poisoned your minds!” Zarkon: “We’ve only scratched the surface! We can rule this entire universe! We can live forever! All of us!”

Zarkon’s megalomania has definitely reached a new level. As suggested by Alfor, quintessence seems to fuel this madness. After Alfor leaves, Honerva suddenly collapses on the floor. While a bedridden Honerva mumbles stuff about quintessence being life, Zarkon is desperate to get her back. Here, we see the portrait of a leader corrupted by his grandiose obsessions of power, but still very much in love with his wife. An almighty emperor whose terrible fear at that moment was losing his family, the one family he never even hoped to have until he met this amazing, brilliant woman.

The next stage in Zarkon’s undoing comes with his monumental deceit of his Paladin team, driven by his unbridled love for his wife, but also by his poisoned intellect. He tricks them into believing they are using Voltron to close the rift, by telling them that first they need to enlarge it to gather more quintessence. Once inside the rift, he takes Honerva right into the Quintessence field. If we get to think of it, Zarkon pretty much had no other choice at this point if he wanted to save her. Alfor actually stated this: “You’ve gone too far.” Indeed, both are gone beyond the point of return. Honerva is actually gone farther than Zarkon. The fact that she exhibits the distorted cheek marks, she is sick, delusional, incoherent, and she talks about herself as “we” instead of “I” - these are clear and distinct signals that she is possessed by the entity (plus more hints, as I'll discuss in the next meta about her).

Kova fell sick when the creatures attacked, but then he was revived with quintessence. Similarly, a very ill Honerva, who has been playing with the rift creatures for years, demands to get quintessence, because quintessence is life. Knowing that there is no other choice, Zarkon basically makes a ‘deal with the devil’. In exchange for Honerva’s health and their life everlasting, they must give up their own souls, their own consciousnesses. Something the EP’s have mentioned in passage: they are “dead inside”. But how dead? Let’s continue with Zarkon’s own transition: Once in the rift, Zarkon carries Honerva outside of his lion, and, with a clear gesture of offering, he lifts her up in his arms. The rift monster (most likely attracted by the call of the entity already inside Honerva) encircles them. And this is where we see Zarkon’s eyes suddenly transfigured into glowing purple orbs. The entity has taken over them.

The paladins, believing they succumbed due to quintessence overexposure, hold a state funeral. When Zarkon and Honerva reawaken, they are transfigured, both physically and mentally. Zarkon is able to remember who he is. Honerva does not. She was clearly far more affected by the entity than him, since she’d already been sick from it. But Zarkon, on top of the fact that he still retains his memories, might also display some (very small) traits of family affection. Let’s see how much, and for how long… After rising back to ‘life’, Zarkon orders a doctor to the room immediately, since Honerva is incapable of remembering who she is. So… he still cares about her, in his own, new twisted way. Full of rage against the Paladins and especially Alteans for destroying his home planet, he gets his revenge by killing his former friends and nuking Altea. His wrath against the Alteans reaches almost absolute levels. Almost… because his wife and his son have Altean blood, yet he doesn’t obliterate them. A “weakness”? In a very early memory of Honerva (S5E2 “Blood Duel”), before giving birth, Zarkon asks a doctor: “Can you save the child?” “We will try, sire. There are many complications,” comes the answer from the medic. Next, here’s Honerva (now calling herself Haggar) after she gives birth to Lotor, and Zarkon is there to watch for her proper care. A shred of compassion left inside him? Interesting aspect: the doctor mentions that she seems to regain her senses when they administer quintessence, but their resources are finite. The doctor implies that both her and Zarkon will need quintessence in order to survive. In private, Zarkon asks her: “Do you know of quintessence?”. “Can you find me quintessence?” This, right here, is the beginning of ten thousand years of quintessence hunt around the universe, to the expense of entire civilizations and planets, for the benefit of two vampire-like rulers. Both parents reject little baby Lotor. But… not completely. If Zarkon were truly dead inside and showing absolutely no mercy, he would have not kept Haggar or Lotor around him. Instead, she became his right hand, and little Lotor benefitted from a princely education, however devoid of parental love that was. In fact, we are shown snippets of Lotor’s childhood at the court. Zarkon wants updates on his son’s education progress. That is a sign of care for his child, even if the motives might not be altruistic. We could say he did it out of pure pride of having an heir to his throne. No matter, he does request that Lotor goes through the Agotian trials, as stated by Dayak. Some sort of Galra tests, from what we can infer. We also find out that he wants to “remove his impurities” (Altean impurities, that is), which corroborates with his obsession of eliminating anything Altean from the universe. Yet, when little Lotor wishes to ask a question, although considered “speaking out of place”, Zarkon still allows him to proceed with his inquiry. This is when Zarkon confesses something significant about Honerva: “I will tell you this and no more. She was my only weakness. But now she is gone.” Corrupted Zarkon considers love a weakness, yet he acknowledges he had one, in front of no other than his own son, who has Altean blood; all while former Honerva stands right next to him. How fascinating. Somewhere, inside there, buried in the depths of his consciousness, a flicker of emotion still persists. A tiny, almost invisible morsel of what was once a loving family man subsists beneath the veils of darkness.

A number of years later, when Lotor is adolescent, we see a dismissive Zarkon, treating his “insolent boy” with a dominant attitude, excluding him from important meetings. Yet he does not oust him completely. Farther into the future, we are shown an adult Lotor, in charge of Ven’tar’s mining planet. Let’s forget for a minute the harrowing events that happen next. Let’s focus on the fact that Zarkon entrusted his son an entire planet. He was willing to give him power, provided that he walked the same path as him, a path of destruction and annihilation (which we know Lotor didn’t). Lotor was the heir to his throne, and as such, Zarkon wanted to see him follow his steps closely. Alas, the emperor’s lack of empathy towards his son reaches a whole new level. This transitions Zarkon from a somewhat ‘caring’ father figure (if that could be called ‘caring’) into a murderous despot who ousts his son from his empire and obliterates an entire planet. This is another big step down towards Zarkon’s complete loss of self.

What triggered this further devolving? Two things: 1) Lotor’s confessing that he worked “alongside the denizens of the planet”, which is something Zarkon despised even before becoming corrupted. Remember his conversation with the old Paladins? “[..] fraternizing with the servant class is not permitted. It erodes discipline.” Spot similarities with his new discourse: “You dare work with this pitiful race as if they are your equals? […] The heir to the Galra throne should not sully our honor by working with his subjects.” 2) Lotor’s second ‘mistake’: uttering the words ‘mother’ and ‘Altea’… As implied by Zarkon’s own horror-stricken gaze along with a suspenseful “dun-dun” soundtrack, this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. When his own son dares to bring the subject of his one and only ‘weakness’, a line has been crossed.

But this is not yet Zarkon’s ultimate implosion.

Millennia pass, during which his son survives as an outcast (yet from what we see, he still has access to Galra tech and is able to form his own squad of generals). Zarkon allows his son to live, even benefit from some imperial amenities, most likely while Haggar keeps a spying eye on him. After Haggar revives the wounded husband and Lotor’s Emperor Pro Tem status is dissolved, Zarkon declares about his son: “he is no longer my concern”. So his attitude towards him is not yet wrathful, but rather indifferent, as if he doesn’t even exist. A complete lack of parental love, but no full-on enmity, yet. And right after this, comes the ultimate blow to Zarkon’s last thread of consciousness: finding out that Lotor hides another comet ore, building his own Voltron. The straw that demolishes Zarkon’s speck of family attachment is in fact his lifelong, biggest obsession: power. It is his most prominent “evil instinct”, the one that tripped him from the start. Along the many millennia, his son had been at best an heir with impurities, at worst an awful reminiscence of his only ‘weakness’ for an Altean woman. But now… now Lotor rises from the status of an ignored pariah and threatens Zarkon’s very own authority over the universe, his power. That cannot be forgiven. Thus, Zarkon starts a war against his own son, declaring him a “kill on sight” target across the empire. His final battle with Lotor is, tragically, the ultimate symbol of a man who completely lost himself to darkness.

But, in S8E10 “Knights of Light, Part 2”, we see Zarkon’s arc closing with a grand redemption of his lost consciousness. It seems that his essence is also trapped inside Honerva’s mind, just like the other old Paladins. Keith, Paladin of the Black Lion, challenges the monster: “You were their leader! They trusted you, and you betrayed them! You don’t deserve the Black Lion!” With the aid of the other four old Paladins, Voltron is able to defeat Zarkon’s mech and the emperor finally regains what seems like very old memories. Elated to see his friends around him - Alfor, Blaytz, Gyrgan, Trigel - he happily greets everyone, as if none of the ten thousand years of madness had ever happened. But Allura, enraged by the atrocities he had committed for millennia, makes sure to remind him of his dark past, through a mind meld: “You’ve killed millions!” Lance exclaims with a stupefied reaction: “Allura, what are you doing?” Allura, in raging anger: “Reminding him of the suffering he’s caused!”

Apocalyptic images from the past stream in front of Zarkon’s eyes, while he screams and grunts, pained by the heaviness of his own life. The last image brings back the memory of his final encounter with his son and it’s his complete undoing. Instead of a happy image with his one and only child, he gets the worst kind of parental farewell flashback. Kneeling, tears gush from his eyes, as he gasps… “No…”

Allura, unmoved by his remorse, continues: “You did that. All of it!” He attempts an apology, which appears to be truly coming from his heart: “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t realize what I —” Allura counteracts, though: “You knew exactly what you were doing. You deceived and betrayed your friends and allies!” Zarkon bitterly supplies: “The Quintessence… it blinded me. And you all suffered because of it.” Allura doesn’t seem to nod to his explanation, standing her ground once more: “If you’re truly sorry for what you’ve done, then help us stop her. You must have been placed here to protect something! What is it?” Zarkon: “I… don’t know. I… I’m sorry.” Allura, yelling back: “What are you protecting?” OK, let’s stop here with the dialogue, because we have enough to actually paint an image of this interaction.

I might ruffle some anti-Allura feathers, but I actually agree with her. Some have considered her demeanor here out of character and abrasive. When she yelled at Zarkon with all her might and forced old memories upon him, we all jumped out of our skin, like Lance - “Allura, what are you doing?” Like, what is she doing, going like that against a peaceful guy who just said “I’m sorry”? Also, with what authority does she bust into his memories, against his will? But based on how Zarkon’s portrait has been shaped along the >70 episodes, this is my conclusion: he knew exactly what he was doing when he deceived his Paladin friends, because, at that point, he was not yet possessed by the entity. He knew exactly what he was doing when he followed his lust for power, demanding more and more quintessence from the rift, more and more experiments alongside his wife, ignoring his friends, his duties towards his people, towards his unborn child. Sure, he was not himself when he was possessed by the entity, but before that, he was still in control of himself, even if the quintessence was starting to poison his mind. He knowingly allowed himself to drift to the point of no return. Of course, one can say that quintessence poisoning can be compared with substance abuse. And as such, it can justify his diminishing self-control, but when this converges into putting the lives of your friends and the future of an entire planet in danger, this takes on a different proportion. As the ruler of a planet, he had enormous responsibilities, which he neglected in his quest for more power. That is why Allura comes at him with such outrage. Because she, as a victim of his atrocities, as a leader of her persecuted people, as a representative of a Coalition of planets that suffered for 10k years, is entitled to accuse him, to point out his original sin (power greed), which… if Zarkon had realized it, did not magically appear because quintessence blinded him. It was his original, own evil instinct. Just like Shiro said: “Zarkon fell prey to his own evil instincts. The quintessence field didn’t create them, it revealed them.”

There needs to be accountability for what he’s done; Allura is right. It makes sense that her forgiveness comes with one condition: Zarkon has to help them defeat the witch. If the emperor truly wishes to redeem his consciousness, he needs to “ride one last time” with the other nine paladins and atone for his past sins. After aiding them unveil Honerva’s most hidden secrets - her deepest, unfulfilled wishes, Zarkon indeed helps the Paladins punch out of her mind trap. But not before an interesting conversation with Keith and the other Paladins. Honerva’s powers suddenly attack them and Allura falls on her knees, blasted by a terrible migraine. Zarkon: “You’re in her mind. She’s more powerful here.” Keith: “What do we do?” Zarkon: “There’s nothing you can do but accept defeat.” Keith: “No, we won’t give up!” Zarkon: “That’s your Galra lineage. It’s what makes you a great leader of Voltron. You and I share that trait. But look where it has led the two of us. My desire for unlimited Quintessence was the catalyst for 10,000 years of destruction. Your quest to save the universe took you into the mind of a psychopath.” Keith: “Yes, to gain the knowledge of what she’s doing. And now we know.” Zarkon: “Yet you still don’t know how! She’s too powerful.” Alfor: “Zarkon, Honerva may be more powerful than each of us alone, but the strength of ten Paladins working together as one is the strongest force in the universe.” Zarkon: “The Lions are gone, Alfor. Voltron is gone forever.” Keith: “No, Voltron isn’t gone. Voltron is within each and every one of us. We’re bonded to it, and to each other.” Alfor: “We have one last chance to set things right, but we cannot do it without you. Ride with us one last time, Zarkon.” Pondering on their words, Zarkon pulls out his bayard: “Form Voltron!” Taking a quick look at this dialogue, notice that Zarkon harbors quite a defeated attitude. He really needs a lot of convincing from his friends that there is still hope. Which is something quite uncharacteristic to a Galra warrior, but given the fact that for ten thousand years he’d been under the powerful influence of the dark entity, I can see why he believes defeating Honerva is an impossible task. Another interesting fact is Zarkon’s admission (finally… finally!) that his own desire for unlimited Quintessence was “the catalyst for 10,000 years of destruction.” Zarkon finally admits his sin! But he also thinks Keith is driven by erroneous intentions: “Your quest to save the universe took you into the mind of a psychopath.” To which Keith quickly explains the intention behind his quest, which is not driven by personal desires or ambitions, but practical reasons: to gain the knowledge of Honerva’s objectives. Keith does not have evil instincts to drive him mad. He does not get dragged into obsessive quests. His ‘stubbornness’, if we were to call it so, is bolstered by reason and a moral compass. Alfor’s final words beautifully close the emperor’s arc: “Ride with us one last time, Zarkon.” Their final ascent, united into one, 10-Paladin Voltron, is symbolic of Zarkon’s redemption, an uplifting message of unity and also of hope - that it’s never too late to atone for one’s past misdeeds.

Zarkon’s story, as I see it from this analysis, although at a first glance seems to highlight his abrupt change from a good guy to a rad villain and ultimately circle back with a redemption, is actually built through subtle shifts, and it’s challenging to follow because the backstories are peppered across the seasons, sometimes without a chronological order. But they are there, if you’re digging for them. I’ve used this quote in other metas and I’ll make use of it again here, because it has relevance to how they built Zarkon's arc. Here’s what the executive producers said, in a Syfy interview, about the way they shaped the antagonist characters:

LM: We’ve chosen to kind of selectively release little bits about our villains, like - along the way. We didn’t really have one episode where you expose everything there is to know. A lot of it is kind of underlying, for people to kind of - if they’re willing to look for it - they’ll find it. […] JDS: I think that - in our minds, and in the writers’ room - you know, there’s a full, fleshed-out backstory that goes back to… who-knows-when. Um, yeah, it’s all there, it’s all a matter of…, the viewers are gonna, like, find it, and… [motioning his fingers to suggest keyboard typing] Interviewer: …sift through it. JDS: Yeah.

The next meta in this series will focus on Honerva’s arc - the link is at the beginning of this article.

#voltron meta #zarkon #zarkon meta #vld meta #voltron legendary defender #madness in vld #jesseblue writes

21 notes · View notes

chibi-pix · 1 year

Photo

Taking a VLD screenshot, I felt the need to draw Chip and ended up needing Cinda, too, because I was hit with ideas. VLD blind twinverse, the others eventually meeting Krik and Cinda of planet Myra. And, different from my previous work with Cinda, I decided to make her more intriguing looking. Two-tone skin, like Blaytz or Ulaz, finned ears, perfect. I love her. Also, this is the screenshot I worked from.

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy this one. Until next time!

#Chip Holt #VLD Chip #Cinda #voltron Cinda #VLD #Voltron Legendary Defender #blind twinverse #Cinda redesign #I love the change #VV Cinda #VLD Cinda #screenshot redraw #screenshot edit

8 notes · View notes

spaceshark92 · 3 years

Text

Ok I do t want to be that person but idk what to think and I need help. I absolutely want to believe that blaytz dated a galran, and I want to say it was the galran servant he flirted with and invited to sit and enjoy dinner with or whatever.

But the pics show similar and different appearances

In the first his little bumps are the same color as the rest of his skin and he has darker marks but this second pic shows darker bumps and lighter marks.....

Plz say I’m reading too much into it and they are really the same people/galran servant and the looks changed over the years or editing mess up or something

Tell me something that says that blaytz dates the same servant I’m convinced he was flirting with. 🥺 it would be too cute to try and say different

#blue lion #vld blaytz #blaytz #galra headcanons #blaytz galra ship #cute thoughts #idk what to do #hope I read too much into it #vld poster #vld season 7 #vld season 6 #vld

67 notes · View notes

deadjihuam · 3 years

Text

Kinda thinking of redrawing some vld screenshots with the OG paladins ‘cause I love them (we need a spin-off).

#Voltron #vld #voltron legendary defender #og paladins #vld alfor #zarkon #vld zarkon #alfor #blaytz #vld blaytz #trigel #vld trigel #gyrgan #vld gyrgan #paladins #voltron paladins #art ideas #art prompt #tag abuse

12 notes · View notes

galraluver · 2 months

Note

If you’re ok with writing comfort can you please write Gyrgan and Blaytz (separate) x reader who’s not used to affection? (sorta comfort to fluff)

I love writing comfort 🥰. I was inspired to do this in headcanon form, so I hope that you don't mind

_________________________________________

~ Blaytz ~

~ Blaytz is a touchy-feely person in nature and he loves being physically close to people he's close with, but he doesn't touch you if you're not in the mood to be touched because he respects you

~ It's not that you don't like it when he touches you in a friendly way, it's just that you're really not used to people being physically affectionate with you

~ You're really good friends with Blaytz and over time you develop romantic feelings for him, but the concept of dating him seems impossible due to your unease with affection

~ Blaytz doesn't take it personally when you're not in the mood for even the slightest bit of friendly physical affection, he knows that you had a rough childhood which still affects you

~ He feels bad when you sometimes flinch a little when he hugs you, but when you practically melt in his embrace he knows that you're making progress

~ During your friendship with him you begin to slowly get used to quick hugs, brief displays of affection are the best way for you to get used to it

~ Before Blaytz asks you to be his girlfriend you know that you'll have to adjust to receiving affection from him in a more than friendly kind of way, which definitely includes kissing, although you know that Blaytz would never rush you to do anything you're not ready to do

~ And after the two of you begin dating? Blaytz knows when you're in the mood to be affectionate with him and when you're not based on your body language

~ Learning to get used to having a lovey boyfriend gets easier as time goes on

~ You sometimes give Blaytz surprise hugs when you're ready to be a little more affectionate with him, and he always gives you a positive reaction and reciprocates the hug

~ Cuddling and snuggling is foreign to you, but after doing it for a while you get used to being held close by your very handsome boyfriend who loves having your body pressed against his

~ Cuddling and kissing quickly become two of your favorite things to do with Blaytz

~ Hand holding is the easiest form of physical affection for you and receiving kisses on either of your cheeks or anywhere else on your face makes you all shy and blushy

~ Blaytz thinks it's super adorable how you get flustered and blushy so easily whenever he's affectionate with you

~ Kissing is great, especially when the two of you are relaxing somewhere together and he pulls you onto his lap so the two of you can make out and snuggle

~ With time you get used to being physically affectionate with Blaytz which he absolutely loves, that way he can show you how much he truly loves you

_____

~ Gyrgan ~

~ Gyrgan is affectionate in nature much like Alfor and Blaytz, but he's more affectionate than Alfor but not quite as much as Blaytz

~ Gyrgan doesn't blame you for your unease with physical affection; instead, every time he wants to hug you he asks for your permission first before he hugs you

~ He's your friend and he doesn't want to ever make you feel uncomfortable

~ It's not that you're not used to being affectionate with other people or receiving affection from them, it's just that you're really not used to it

~ Your family was never very affectionate with you, so being around someone who is affectionate is a big adjustment for you

~ As soon as you realize that you have a crush on Gyrgan after being friends with him for a few months you nearly have a panic attack

~ You actually like someone in a more than friends kind of way and you have a strong desire to cuddle with him and maybe even kiss him, it's definitely not something you're used to

~ You're hesitant to tell Gyrgan how you feel and thankfully you don't have to because he figures it out on his own

~ Even after the two of you start dating he doesn't force you to be affectionate with him, although he often let's you come to him

~ You love how gentle Gyrgan is when he kisses, hugs, holds one of your hands or cuddles with you

~ He's like a giant teddy bear, only better because he's your boyfriend who loves you in a way that no one has loved you before

~ As time passes you come to get used to surprise hugs and kisses from your significant other

~ Snuggling with Gyrgan is one of your favorite things to do with him

~ Eventually you become more accustomed to displays of affection and even make an effort to be affectionate with Gyrgan

~ He's elated, of course, because it means that you've finally adjusted to being somewhat lovey-dovey on a regular basis

4 notes · View notes

vicaldara · 5 years

Text

“the blue lion recognised something in me; something others couldn’t see.”

#voltron #vld #voltron legendary defender #lance #voltron lance #voltron season 8 #lance mcclain #vld s8 #vld lance #voltron blaytz #blaytz #vld blaytz #blue lion #blue paladin #art #my art #digital art #artist

3K notes · View notes

arta--ja · 5 years

Text

Texas is there chilling with the aliens

#fanart #my art #vld #artaja #voltron #krotex #krolia x texas #vld krolia #vld texas #vld kosmo #vld blaytz #vld bom

163 notes · View notes

blandvoltronheadcanons · 5 years

Text

The Kolivan is the son of Blaytz and the Galra servant, Krolia is Kolivan's daughter. This makes Keith the great-grandson of Blaytz and the grandson of Kolivan.

#voltron legendary defender #vld keith #vld kolivan #vld blaytz #vld krolia #oh god I’ve been gone for so long I’m sorry #bland headcanon #anon #anonymous

175 notes · View notes

foxaloxa · 5 years

Text