#lotor would hate me with a bloody passion

[kingofthewilderwest]

Things I Fucking LOVE About VLD S8

Katie watching freaking Defender of the Universe and marveling at how Pidge’s voice actor sounds.

Katie Holt looking adorable wearing ponytails.

Mrs. Holt totally momming Katie.

GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY!!! Getting together Nadia, Ina, Allura, Pidge, and Romelle?!!

Pidge and Nadia being such gaming nerds.

Pidge exploiting her fame as Pidge and dressing up as freaking Darrell Stoker / Retro Pidge. Like you have no idea how much I wanted to scream in happy seeing her with the old outfit and hairstyle, this is such a blessing. SUCH a blessing holy crow.

Allura wearing one of her old outfits from the 1980s too! So many DOTU references this season!

Coran is having way too much fun with Lance.

Lance and Keith chilling out together on top of the lion watching the sunset and having a good convo. Look how far these two’s relationship has come. Look at them. It’s so good.

Dinner with Lance’s family is so pure.

The visuals with Allura and the tree are so beautiful.

Cute photograph moment! 

There’s an entire episode dedicated to Honerva’s past, showing her struggling emotions now that she’s remembering everything that’s been, showing her internal conflict and struggle, giving us a clear and deep understanding of her hurt and hate.

Baby Lotor is fucking adorable. Like look at that kid. Look at those big eyes. Oh my gosh he’s adorable. 

Lotor’s past is painful and it’s exactly the sort of crap I expected. Received no affection from his father. Was pushed into a Galra empire that didn’t value mercy. Watched the place he cultivated destroyed. Exactly the sort of thing I was expecting from his past to lead to his current state of mind as we meet him in S3. It shows how he’s someone who wants to revolutionize the empire, but is someone whose mind and ideas have been clearly influenced by his culture and upbringing.

I like how the robeasts have been developed throughout the series. How they clearly evoke the past ideas from DOTU/BKG of turning biological creatures into mechanized weapons. How the first season starts with Voltron doing lots of single episodes one-on-one fighting the robeasts, akin to the 1980s show. How the robeasts grow into an increasingly great problem by S8, and are now piloted by brainwashed Alteans. It’s a legitimately cool progression and makes the robeasts feel like a threat even while not repeating the same episode format over and over.

So many Altean warrior ladies on the forefront of Honerva’s forces.

“The Prisoner’s Dilemma” is a fan-fucking-tastic episode all around. One of my favorites for this season for sure.

It starts with Voltron, the ATLAS, the rebels, and the MFEs working together to take down a base. This is an amazing fight moment. It’s showing how far everyone has come since the start, how much they’ve grown, and it sings. And it’s showing REALLY cool team coordination. This is like. All around epically cool I fucking love it.

Matt Holt and his ponytail <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I love how this episode focuses on trying to end the Galra Empire’s remaining power but also trying to show mercy to the Galra. I love how it shows a Galra leader who’s had help from Voltron before still being doubtful - and how more acts from Voltron bring him around. It takes time to convince someone who’s been part of the Galra Empire that Voltron is okay to ally with - and it shows how the Voltron Coalition is gaining ground.

There is some serious nice creepy tension in this episode.

KEITH BLASTING THROUGH THE DOOR WITH EPIC BIG GUN!

I love how Lance’s characterization feels like they took him and turned him more into his DOTU self over the course of the series. Honestly, as with all of them! The characters grow into those positions and selves.

“Battle Scars” is probably the episode that got me the most emotional. Olkarion is a planet and culture I loved, too. Watching it fall - watching that beautiful planet actually get destroyed along with many of its citizens - was painful. This is a good way to show Honerva’s power and the high-stakes dangers of her actions.

The idea of Pidge watching the past to learn what happened was a cool narrative effect, and also had good long-term story arc development since she learned how to track the robeasts, too.

Also amazingly good lesson / theme for that episode.

“The Grudge” is another cool episode that’s got the unique twist of the Paladins relying not on their typical weapons, but on having to be resourceful with the minimum. Another good, original premise.

Acxa and Veronica. Acxa and Veronica. Oh my gosh Acxa and Veronica. Acxa and the rest of the MFEs. Acxa and the humans. It’s so great. Acxa saying everything and it’s coming out SUPER edge-lord and everyone’s trying to figure out how to handle it. 

I fucking love Ina Leifsdottir. I love her personality so much. And I’m 99% sure the writers intended her as autistic representation and I think they did a good job with her.

Okay but this season really has a lot of fun with the MFEs. They don’t steal the show and take too much time, but we get a GREAT sense of personality from them. Rizavi and Kincade together is a delightful combo. I love her energy and love of action. I love his nerdy passions. They’re so fun. 

Let’s be real: one thing Voltron does consistently well is that, no matter how much screen time we have with a character, we get a GREAT sense of their personality, and we love them. There are so many different, lovable, often quirky personalities in Voltron. It’s so rich with its character personalities. I love how there’s a broad cast of characters and yet I can still connect to them all.

I appreciate how S8 wrapped up the story of Lotor’s generals. It would have been easy to have them die, just be casualties, and not have them or their narrative go anywhere. Instead, we get a wrap-up. They’ve been through a lot of twists, turns, and confusing life choices. Now they finally find a place. I like that Lotor’s team (who followed a man who was extremely misguided but wanted some good things) ended up being able to find a productive cause in the end. 

SPACE GALRA LESBIANS RETURN!

I honestly love the dynamic of ATLAS + Voltron. The Castle of Lions is really cool and I felt extremely sad and nostalgic when they lost it. But ATLAS + Voltron has a legitimately awesome sci-fi, mission-oriented dynamic. The Castle of Lions felt like there was always a home, whereas ATLAS gives the sense of being in space on a journey and mission. It gives me Vehicle Force Voltron vibes, ESPECIALLY with the inclusion of the MFEs.

Speaking of the 80s show and retro Voltron references, we got Merla!

This season focuses a bloody fuckton on Allura, but it shows a lot of depth and conflicted thoughts with her. It shows her as a woman of power. It shows her as someone tempted with problematic solutions or darker powers. It shows her loving, being loved, finding family, and marching ever-steady onward with her purpose. There’s a lot of complex psychology with how Allura’s handling these latest events and it’s written in a way we can understand exactly why she’s making the choices she does, good and bad.

“One... two... three... ALUMINUM!”

I love how Sam Holt overall gives Slav good respect for his more “superstitious”-esque approaches to things, and also valuing Slav for his powerful mind and abilities.

Lots of things from earlier seasons get remembered - Olkarion, Slav, Matt Holt, Shay, the Balmera, and more - and continue to play out in the final conflicts.

I legitimately love seeing Voltron team up with ATLAS in its transformed form. Shiro and Keith working completely equally. Keith’s become a fully-fledged leader. Shiro’s got hoards of respect and leadership power. Together everyone coordinates and kicks butt.

HOW have I not mentioned the visuals yet in this season? This was the most colorful and visually appealing season in Voltron YET - and we’ve been given season after season of really beautiful images. I love how, even though Voltron is set in SPACE, which is so full of voidness, we get so much color and light and appealing color pallets. Voltron is a visual delight.

“Day Forty-Seven” has got to be one of my favorite episodes of this season, if not a stand-out for the entire series to me. Some people might feel differently about this episode than me, but I honestly find it so unique and fun. It’s legitimately hard to try to write an episode following one camera for twenty minutes, while also telling a coherent story. And yet it DOES. We get a good narrative - while at the same time it feels so REAL. “Day Forty-Seven” gives us the ability to watch the entire ATLAS crew work, and allows us to watch Voltron from an outsider’s perspective as they go on dangerous missions - without the music, fanfare, camera angles, etc. And it’s so amusing getting everything from a dog carrying a camera around to Rizavi being upset that yeast is part of the documentary. And it shows so many characters and character dynamics and a sense of a full crew where everyone knows each other. And Rizavi and Kincade together are such a DELIGHT. And oh my goodness I could gush incoherently about this episode for a long time. It’s so much fun.

Keith and Hunk stuck on a musical ride. Love it. 

The bargaining Pidge and her mom do!!! The Holt family photograph!

Epic arm wrestling competition is epic. And I love how it all started because Shiro felt abashed being called “old.” Poor guy’s still in his 20s! And I love how it turned into all of Team Voltron CELEBRATING THE FUCK out of Shiro winning. Like, these guys have fought countless dangerous foes across the universe. And these dorks get over-the-top excited at Shiro’s accomplishment of winning an arm wrestling competition at a fair.

I laughed so hard at the Warden talking about how he found a purpose in arm wrestling.

The Voltron team joining up with the original Voltron team was pretty cool. I also love how it was animated where we would see the original Team branching off like apparitions out of Voltron, or how we’d see the pilots in the cockpit fading from one to the other.

Allura and Alfor reunion!!! I think this was done right. I am not a fan of stories where a character seems to lose someone, only for that person to magically be brought back. In this case, given the location of where Allura and Alfor unite, we know they’re not going to be able to resume a life of father and daughter. It’s a temporary reunion, and it happens a VERY LONG time after we’ve suffered through all of Allura’s pain in VLD about leaving Alfor behind. It doesn’t compromise the integrity of all the seasons that have come before it about their loss of Alfor and the Alteans, but it also gives us a touching moment of Allura seeing someone she’d never thought she’d see again.

VLD S8 shows that people aren’t cut-and-dry “always evil.” It shows how it’s a complex combination of your environment and your choice. Zarkon isn’t someone who is innately evil pure and simple, nor is Honerva, nor is Lotor. It also makes sure to remind us of the power of choice. Zarkon and Honerva also aren’t JUST victims of the entity - S8 reminds us that they pursued quintessence and poor choices that led to further bad consequences, too. And just because someone might not have been a villain with alternate choices, and just because someone DID become a villain... S8 reminds us that they still took this particular path. It doesn’t erase that Lotor might have wanted to make some positive differences, but turned into a villain. It looks at the complexity of people, how they have both goodness and badness within their potentials. And... it lets it be shown that just because you make a bunch of bad decisions doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to leave those choices and turn around. People aren’t “just evil.”

How have I not yet mentioned I love the uniforms that the Paladins wear when they’re not in their Lions?

THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THAT IS AWESOME AS FUCK!

The S3 idea of alternate realities gets brought back in QUITE the way as Voltron chases Honerva through many realities.

I appreciate how Honerva spends so much time trying to find the perfect reality... and when she thinks she’s found it, it doesn’t do what she wants. It’s exactly what we would respect she’d reap. You can’t just tear across space and time to find happiness. At the same time, we can also feel her pain. 

Okay but Honera? I love her armor in this season too. Man I just. Love lots of what people wear this season.

I love Allura’s send-off. I love that the stakes got so high in VLD that we had to lose a main character, but not in a way that felt like a painful death. I love that Voltron was willing to give us a concrete ending where there’s no “going back” to the way things were before. I love that they still give us a sense of hope and growth even with the hurt of losing a main character. I love how it takes Allura, who always had such a strong sense of responsibility, and act on that responsibility in the most responsible and selfless choice possible. I love that she got to embrace every Paladin and say how much they mean to her. I love that they cried. I love how this was done. That’s a proper send-off, one filled with heroicism and selflessness and responsibility and power and strength and emotional pain and also a sense of HOPE.

There are some fucking powerful quotes this season.

I love how we got Altean Lance? Like honestly, when I first heard fans theorizing about it, I thought it was wishful fantasy and the typical desire for AU characters. But the way this was incorporated into VLD actually in canon was really cool.

I love seeing Pidge create Chip. DOTU REFERENCE!!!!!

I love how the Galra Empire has been shown fracturing for seasons, and how it’s finally come to a point Keith can naturally talk about needing change - and it’s believable to think that the Galra would now be open to this change happening.

I love seeing the entire team together after everything’s ended.

I love how in S2 characters talked about defeating the Galra Empire would mean that Voltron was no longer needed. I love how the writers stick with that. I love how the Paladins choose to retire from being Paladins, but intentionally go forth to make the universe a brighter place - there’s still so much to do. I love how the lions themselves choose to fly away. 

I love seeing their selfies. I love that they intentionally make sure Allura’s in their Paladin team reunion selfies. I love seeing how the characters age. 

I love how Keith’s hair just keeps growing.

I love that ENORMOUS fucking Vehicle Force Voltron reference with the Holts! Holy crap! I’m actually seeing characters like Cliff and Wolo in the background!!! And given the premise of Vehicle Force Voltron seeking out a new planet after humanity has contacted alien civilizations, it feels entirely fitting that this is how Vehicle Force Voltron gets incorporated into the VLD timeline.

I love how the Holts, such a POWERFULLY BRILLIANT family, are the people who keep exploring technology and build the next round of Legendary Defenders.

I love seeing how Hunk’s passion for cooking isn’t treated as trivial. It’s treated as a means of creating intergalactic peace and happiness. He uses it as a way to treat the Alteans with kindness when they’re prisoners on the ATLAS. He uses it to create a culinary revolution after Honerva’s defeated. Hunk is revolutionizing society and making an enormous positive difference because of his passion. That’s majorly epically awesome like fuck I LOVE it.

I love everyone’s endings, honestly. I love how Lance chooses a quieter ending. He wanted a lot of glory as a fighter pilot at the start of VLD S1. He grows into someone so much more mature. Now he’s someone who understands he’s impacted the universe. He’s willing to talk to Alteans at school and spread positive messages with the people in his life. But he’s also taking quiet time for himself. The homesick boy from the early seasons isn’t feeling that more - he has a concrete embedded home to return to, valuing family ever onward. And it’s all embedded in him surrounding himself in the memory of people like Allura he’s held dear. It’s bittersweet and one that happens when someone you love is gone, but it’s not a sad ending, and it’s one that will turn into a lot of happiness, peace, and meaning. This boy’s got a good ending.

I love that we even see where Krolia and Kolivan end up.

And dude. Keith continuing to work with the Blade of Marmora but turning it to humanitarian relief??? This guy’s amazing. So amazing.

I’m a Sheith shipper but I never expected a canon-concrete Sheith end game, so I’m totally happy seeing Shiro’s ending. They gave this guy the happiness he needed. This is someone who’s been trapped in war for so long. He’s had to work so hard without break because of the necessity of defending the universe. This is someone who can finally leave the battlefield and rest. Anyone who thinks for a second Shiro and Keith are any less close just because it’s not romantic is kidding themselves - their relationship shall be as pure and close and powerful and deep as always. And we get an on-screen gay kiss! An on-screen queer marriage!

This is a good ending in that it wraps up all the conflict... but it gives us a look at the hope of the future for everyone’s lives. 

I’m here to spread positivity and excitement for the good Voltron Season 8 did. A show doesn’t have to be “perfect” (nothing’s perfect) to be awesome, meaningful, and enjoyable. This show has been SUCH a wonderful ride, start to finish, and I can’t be more grateful to have been an audience member for this story. It’s going to last as one of my favorite animated series of all time.

#I don't want to see nothing but salt on my dash so here's some positivity to light the way <3 #long post #vld spoilers #Voltron spoilers #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Voltron Legendary Defender #non-dragons #vld #spoilers #Voltron #analysis #my analysis #anyone who responds with negativity is being rude to me please don't #I will NOT listen to you at this current time #I know where you come from but I am here to have fun online #be nice and let me have it #and let me grant other happy people happiness too! :D #jsyk if I unfollowed anyone recently it's only temporary as you go through your salt #that's fine - salt away - I'll be back soon #I just don't want to salt myself :)

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

CSUAVS prt 11 start. Start it Lance's POV

Waking in a cold sweat, Lance groaned in disgust at soaked sheets beneath him. Every morning had been the same since Allura had left him behind. His dreams a never ending world of darkness. No matter how much he called, no matter how far he ran, all that waited for him was the inky blackness of the astral plane. Scrubbing at his tired eyes, he sat up to see Allura perched on the end of his bed. She never left him alone "Good Morning, Lance" "Nope. Not doing this" Frowning at him, Allura rose to trail after him when Lance climbed out of bed. Since her death, he'd felt broken and lost. His body no longer felt the way it used to. A constant itch beneath his skin that he couldn't scratch no matter how hard he tried. The marks on his cheeks an ever present reminder of the woman he'd loved, and the woman who'd left him behind. He knew her sacrifice was necessary, but she wasn't the one left behind to wonder every single day if things could have been different. When she'd died, he'd lost it. He'd planted field after field of juniper berries, foolishly praying she'd see his work and somehow come back to him. She never did "You can't ignore me, Lance" No. He couldn't ignore her. Her constant lingering presence was there, always living on the edge of his peripheral vision, despite the feeling that he had that maybe he needed to move on "I can and I am. You're in my head" "Lance" "You're dead Allura. You made it pretty clear what I meant to you. You're in my head. You know what you meant to me. I'm just a boy from Cuba and you... you were the princess of a whole planet... I should have known from the moment you said yes, that something was wrong" Hanging her head, Lance didn't know why he was bothering fighting with himself so early in the morning. When Allura had first appeared to him, he'd been excited. He'd thought maybe part of her had still lingered in the blue marks she'd gifted him when they'd parted. It hadn't been until three months after her passing that "Allura's gift" had revealed itself as the curse it was. Falling in, he'd realised this wasn't some usual illness. His scent had changed, his family constantly laughing and joking over the lack of personal hygiene he must have been forced to endure, given that he stank like he hadn't showered in a month. Embarrassed over such remarks, he'd showered three times a day, only for his family to remark he still stank. Aside from the change in his scent, a constant pool of desire seemed to have welled in his body. No matter how many times he jerked himself off, the feeling never passed. Fingers barely made a difference, his body crying out for something he couldn't understand as he locked himself away in embarrassment. The only way he could describe it was as if he was in "heat". He'd seen it dozens of times on the family farm. Bloodied discharge from their pet dog, yowling from the cats. The never ending need to be bred. Between his legs was soaking wet with some kind of fluid, serving to mortify him further as he his beneath his blankets. But what was worse, was through all of this all he wanted was to see Keith for reasons he couldn't understand. It wasn't like he didn't like Keith. Coming back from riding around on the back of a cosmic whale for two years had mellowed him into nearly an entirely different person. His happiness and confidence only served to remind Lance how chickenshit he was, and to remind him that Keith would never look at someone like him. Despite all his flirting, and self proclaimed title as a "ladies man", he'd long since realised he swung both ways. He was simply too scared to let anyone else see it, especially the team. It was awkward enough as it was. Nothing he ever did as a Paladin had been good enough. When Kuron had taken Shiro's place, he'd seriously believed the man hated him. Aside from the verbal taunting, the constant comparison to Keith, and the outright disregard of his ideas, each time they trained together had seemed to be an excuse for Shiro to hurt him. Naturally, it'd all been his fault. His fault he couldn't escape the choke hold. His fault he'd fallen when Shiro had kicked his legs out from under him with enough force that it felt like his knee had broken. He trained harder, but no one noticed. No one noticed as he improved on the training levels. No one noticed when his anxiety left him skipping meals. No one noticed when he wasn't in the room. Pidge was off with Hunk all the time. Allura was with Lotor. Coran was off... being Coran. Lance had no one, and at the time, no idea why Keith had stopped taking his calls. Sighing to himself, Lance opened his bedside drawer to fish out the small white bottle of painkillers that kept him functional. Between the nightmares, and general feeling something was wrong with him, painkillers were the only thing making things manageable. Red didn't like how much he was taking, his lion trying to take as much pain as he could, but there bond had never been as strong as the one he'd held with Allura. Lance had been honestly surprised that Red hadn't dumped his arse after they'd returned without Allura. "Lance! Mijo! Breakfast!" "Coming Mami!" Quiznak. His mother would know the moment she saw him that he'd had another restless night. She'd picked up the pieces of his broken heart the best she could, but none of his family really understood. None of them believed what they'd been through as Paladins. None of them had known how to treat his nightmares, and none of them knew he'd died. It's taken ph-months to feel normal again. He was on Earth. It didn't matter than aliens from every sector of space lived on the planet now, he needed to get his brain back to Earth time. He needed to remember that his time in space was over. Snatching up a random shirt, Lance swapped it for the sweaty one he was wearing. With so many people in the house, it'd be another day without hot water for his shower... an unappealing thought given he'd felt constantly cold since Allura left. Just another thing wrong with this body of his. Crowding into the kitchen, Lance jumped when Luis dropped his hand in his shoulder. Reacting without thinking, Lance swept his older brother's foot as his hand grabbed his wrist, only stopping when the fact it was Luis kicked in "Whoa! Someone's jumpy this morning" Snorting into her bowl of cereal Rachel waved her spoon in their direction "He's jumpy every morning" He loved Rachel. They'd been so close before he'd been shot into space in the Blue lion. Yet coming back to Earth it felt as if there was this invisible wall between him and everyone else. Smacking his sister on the back of the head lightly, his mother smiled warmly "Leave your brother alone. Mijo, you look unwelll" Rachel rolled her eyes at him, Lance ignoring her in favour of forcing a smile to his lips "I'm fine, mami" "You'd let us know if you weren't, wouldn't you? You should talk to that Coran of yours. It's not normal to be falling ill like you do" "Falling ill" was her polite way of referring his scent changed and becoming horny as hell over nothing "Hear that Lance, she thinks something's wrong with you" Smacking her upside the head again, Rachel let out an angry cry "Mum! I'm trying to eat!" "Leave your brother alone. He has a big day coming up" He did? "I don't see why he's going all the way out to Altea to remember the girl who chose death over putting up with his stinky socks" "Rachel!" Lance barely contained his flinch. It wasn't like he hadn't berated himself in a similar manner to Rachel... repeatedly... "Ugh. Fine. You love Lance more than the rest of us, we know "holier than though, Lance", can do no wrong" Gathering up her bowl, Rachel walked from the kitchen leaving his mother watching him as he slid into the free seat at the kitchen bench "Mami, its fine" "It's not fine. Especially not with Allura's anniversary just around the corner. Don't you worry, mijo. I'll talk to her" Oooh. Right. Allura day. For the last six months, Lance had been to Altea almost fortnightly. The constant back and forth becoming annoyingly normal. Especially when every thing there some linked back to something that was in tribute to Allura. He couldn't escape her. Their house sat in a fields of juniper bushes that he hated with a passion. Even seeing his old team barely sparked a fire of interest in his blood. They had their weekly calls. Keith would usually call him in the dead of night for no real reason separately, but those calls had started to taper. Feeling his mother and brother staring, Lance hated knowing what they thinking. He knew they both worried about him. He'd overheard his family more than once whispering about their concerns over his mental health. Should they force him into counselling? Would pills help? Maybe they should think about contacting Hunk? Or would Shiro be better? And why didn't he want to go to space again? What was going to happen to the giant Red lion if Lance didn't want to go back to space? Did he really help save the universe? Was Lance even their son? That was his favourite one. Coming back with glowing blue marks he couldn't explain, someone had mentioned to his family along the line that Shiro had been a clone... He loved his family dearly, but Earth just wasn't his home anymore. No one surfed anymore. Malls and shops were now filled with all kinds of space tech as more and more aliens called Earth home. The places he'd loved so dearly had been wiped out by the Galra. Varadero beach was still a no go zone as pieces of contaminated Galra debris was fished from the water. His dreams of returning to find Earth untouched had been ruined. Hunk's parents forced to work as slaves. His own family thinking he was dead for years, thanks to Voltron magically disappearing for three years and not knowing about it "It's alright. Rachel is just mad because I won't let her use my face mask cream. Where's Papi?" "Already out milking the cows" Where he was supposed to be. Kalternecker had assimilated back to life on Earth seamlessly "I'll head out then" "Not without breakfast you won't. I won't have my boy being hungry" Kissing the top of his head, his mother then went about busying herself with serving him pancakes for breakfast. Her fussing never seemed to dim, not with each passing day since he'd returned. Lance was really in no rush to return to space, but he wasn't blind. His presence was causing all kinds of friction within their family. His nieces and nephews had seen him at an all time low, both crying when they hadn't been able to calm Uncle Lance from a panic attack caused by a car backfiring. His brother had put him to bed more than once when he'd come home then passed out on the sofa from trying to find a way to rid of himself of Allura at the bottom of a bottle. Nothing he did worked, and nothing could take away the lingering festering ache that his lack of belonging brought. It was time to find somewhere new, or even somewhere old. Somewhere he wouldn't keep hurting the people he loved the most. * Allura Day came and passed. Seeing the team again had brought the memories rushing back. The more it hurt, the more he smiled. Keith looked so damn happy, and Lance's poor bi-heart couldn't take it. Keith had Axca by his side. He was the face of the new humanitarian works being carried out by Daibazaal, skipping Earth at his earliest convenience by the feel of it all. His friend had taken him out drinking to ease the pain, yet when Lance had woken the following morning, he found he couldn't recall the previous night at all. That was his story, and he was sticking to it. All he had was Keith looking adorable, half naked and dead to the world. His soft puffy lips parts as he let out small snores, that seemed almost magical in the soft light of the morning. Terrified he'd crossed a line, he'd fled. For years he'd loved both Keith and Allura. The harder he fell for his broody mulleted friend, the more he threw himself into flirting with everyone else. Keith had never been his rival, it'd all been born out his anxieties of never being recognised for himself. In the Garrison, he'd always been compared to the "amazing Keith", who made everything seem so natural as he rose through the ranks. The more he'd tried, the more he'd failed, and hence the more he'd been compared to Keith. He'd failed at absolutely everything at life, and now he barely had a life left. Loosing Red had kicked in the day after Allura day. His nightmares like shattered glass raining over his body without the warm reassurance of Red there to hold him together as he woke in his sweaty bed. When they'd left, he'd felt a moment of pride. Pride that Voltron had laid the path for peace. A peace that didn't need Voltron to uphold. But without Red there, and having watched how happy his friends were without him, he began to wonder what came next. Slowly his self medicating increased, as did his parents worried looks. He needed to leave who he was behind. He needed to leave his friends behind. He was longing for days they could never return to, nor did the others wish to. When the job on Erathus came through his communicator, Lance jumped at it. As part of the diplomatic duties they'd all had to fulfil, each of their individual skills had been highlighted. Speaking with the representatives that had contacted him, the job was a simple body guard mission for a travelling diplomat. The brunette couldn't deny his ego wasn't tickled as his sharpshooting skills were praised highly. Though, at that stage, he would have taken any excuse to get off Earth. Even to its "sister" planet Erathus. Agreeing to the offer, Lance was genuinely excited as he headed down to dinner. Rachel setting the table as his mother placed down a large tray of bread "Mijo? Did something good happen? Maybe with that gorgeous black haired friend of yours?" Huffing at his mother, Lance crossed his arms "Keith is busy. No. I was just offered a job" His mother's eyes widened "A job?! I didn't know you were looking" "It's protecting a diplomat" "Because you protected the last one so well" Stupid Rachel. Well. He wasn't about to let her ruin his mood "He has a tour and needs added security. I'll be heading out to Erathus tomorrow" "Tomorrow?! So soon!" "Mami, I can't stay home forever. It's time" "I get Lance's room!" Gazing at him with searching eyes, Lance nodded at his mother as he tried to mentally reassure her "Lance gets Lance's room" "You said I could have Ronnie's now she's out on the Atlas all the time, but Ronnie said no. I'm older than him!" "And Lance needs his own space" "He's going to space" "I need space! All he's going to do is flirt nonstop. Keith had the right idea running off with Axca before Lance got to her. Lady killer Lance doesn't need his own room" Ouch. Ok. That hurt. It was nearly as good as when she told him "he was literally a lady killer because Allura never came back". They used to rag on each other all the time, but Rachel seemed to have no filter when it came to think he wanted to forget. As the baby of the family, every single mistake seemed to be open season for everyone. Constantly paraded before his eyes as failed to measure up to his brother's and sisters. Why couldn't they simply be happy he finally had a job? A job that meant they didn't have to watch over him every moment of every day "Rachel. Why must you always fight with your brother?" "Mami, its fine" "It's not fine" "See, Lance says it's fine" "You can have my room, too. I don't know how long I'll be off world this time" "You don't know?" Shaking his head at his mother, Lance sat so there was a seat between him and where Rachel stood "No. It'll depend on how Erathus works out. If I do a good job, it's possible they'll hire me permanently" "Mijo... are you sure? It sounds dangerous" "Mami, it won't be any more dangerous than staying here and helping Papi with the farm. We could use the money, and I could... I could use some time off world" "I just worry for you so much" "I know you do, mami. But Earth isn't how it used to be. I can call. And Ronnie is out on the Atlas. I won't be all alone out there" "Fine. Don't think I won't send her after you if you don't keep in contact" "It might be a little hard to begin with. I mean with hours, but I promise I'll message" His mother gave a thin, tight lipped smile "Alright, Mijo. If you're really sure" "I am, mami. They practically begged me for my sharpshooter skills" Piping up, Rachel stumbled and ruined the effects of her own biting words "They probably begged you to shut up. Seriously, my little brother up there protecting a diplomat. They should be making sure he doesn't shoot them himself" Closing his eyes and opening them, Lance took a deep breath then exhaled "Can't you be happy for me, Rachel? I'm leaving" "I know" "Then why are you acting like this?!" Taking the tea towel off her shoulder, he mother raised it threateningly "That's enough. No more. I don't want to hear it. Tonight is Lance's last night on Earth for a while, we must send him off with good memories" They were good memories. A kind of bubbly happiness he'd forgotten had welled up at the idea of being free from the constant pressure of trying to be perfect for them all. Buzzing from the wine he'd shared over the table, Lance smiled as he kicked off his shoes, looking over to see Allura standing near the door "Don't give me that look" "Lance, you shouldn't mix alcohol with pain medication" "And you shouldn't haunt people" "I'm not haunting you" Half hanging off the bed, he picked up his nearest shoe and threw it through the fake Allura "You're not real. Ergo. A ghost!" It wasn't funny in the slightest, still, Lance found himself giggling. When he'd dated Allura, he'd never dreamt of throwing a shoe at her "Now shoooo!" Trying to sound spooky, Lance slipped off the bed with a thud "Hello floor" Nuzzling into the cold wood beneath him, he was still like that when Rachel walked in "What are you doing!?" "Hey, Rach. I'm chillin' on the floor. It's nice and cool" "You're so weird" "Mhmm. And you've been a bitch since I came back" "Only because you've been an arsewipe" "Nope" "Seriously, do you know how worried we were for you?" "Mhmm" "Then why haven't you even been making an effort to get over Allura?" "Allura's a ghost. How do you get over a ghost? They're all see through and you can't hold them, let alone get over them" "Lance..." His warm buzz was turning to nausea as he laid on his stomach "Damn it, Rachel" "You and Allura were never going to work out. Why are you still holding onto her?" "I'm not!" "You said..." "I'm not holding onto her! Your "lady killer brother" killed her!" "Lance... I was joking" "That's all I am to you guys! A joke! You wanted to leave me at the kids table. You told Allura all these embarrassing stories about me. She didn't love me! Ok, does that make you happy?!" "Lance, I didn't mean it like that..." Curling up on his side, Lance wrapped his arms around himself the best he could "I was gone for years... all I wanted to do was come home Rachel... Allura was so beautiful" "I can't believe you got drunk again. Let's get you into bed" "I'm fine" "Lance..." "I'm fine, Rachel!" Walking over to him, Rachel kicked his side hard enough to draw a grunt "You sleep there then. Don't forget to pack all your shit up. If you leave it here, I'm going to toss it" "Sure. Sure. Whatever"

[flutterbyhime]

So, like everyone, I’ve got some thoughts on Voltron Season 7. Spoilers inbound so... skip this if you still haven’t watched it. Which you should, because despite at least half the fandom acting like it’s the end of the world, season seven is actually pretty goddamn engaging. Like “oh, I’m just gonna watch the first three or so episodes and call it a night. I’ll watch the rest tomorrow.” followed by “It’s nearly three in the morning and I have finished Voltron season seven.” engaging

Okay. So I just want to give everyone a quick warning apart from spoilers, that I am not super used to writing reactions/reviews. Usually I just mule it over in my head, talk it out with some friends, and then that’s about it. BUT~~ since I’m the only one in group of friends that loves Voltron and I would like them to watch it at some point without certain story beats spoiled, I figured I would write out my thoughts this time. You know, try and put my thoughts, praises, and criticisms in a concise and constructive piece. And while I realize that some of the things I’m going to say are probably gonna invite some interesting...responses on my post or inbox, my first few browses of the Voltron tag haven’t actually shown constructive/concise criticisms outside of how the writers handled Shiro’s relationship with Adam (something that I’ll go into detail later. The actual relationship and what I think the text is, feeding on my first Voltron season 7 post, that is. The whole backlash to the writing I do in the next paragraph).

Which, speaking of how the writers handled Shiro and Adam’s relationship! First things first, I just want to say that I can see and understand why a lot of people are upset. Voltron has grown to mean a lot of things to the fandom, and with the news that Shiro is a gay man serving in the military with a long term relationship that was leading to marriage before Kerberous Mission was really exciting. It was fantastic to get a beloved character to be confirmed to be apart of the LGBT+ community. It still is in my book. The fact that Shiro has been through a lot of shit and still has hope and love to give to his newly found family already made him an amazing character. And with his confirmed sexuality, it’s like extra decorative and delicious strawberries on an already amazing proverbial cake. It brings that much more depth and interest in a character that could have very easily been a one note character. And for me, the confirmation announcement and the announcement that we would see parts of Shiro’s life pre-Kerberous was exciting. Of the core cast, the person we know the least about in terms of home life was Shiro. With everyone else, we either knew or learned some aspect of how their lives were before this grand space adventure happened. But we never really knew with Shiro beyond he took in Keith at some point and that he was a prisoner of a ten thousand year old war for about a year. So the glimpse of how he met Keith, came to took him in, and how his relationships were before leaving for Kerberous was a welcome story addition (also greatly needed from a character stand point in my opinion. Shiro was starting to get a touch...mythical). So with what we saw of Shiro and Adam was a fight about Shiro wanting to do the Kerberous Mission, followed later by Adam passing in a first wave offensive and later with Shiro realizing that Adam died, yeah... I see why a lot of people are upset. And if you are upset, I completely understand. You have every right to be upset. But here’s the thing.  Sending hate or being nasty to the writers and the cast isn’t going to help. What will help is giving actual feedback to Dreamworks and the writers. Whatever passion you feel for the show will come through, but an off the hip reaction doesn’t give someone a lot to go off of. Being calm and concise does though. Again, you can be disappointed and upset, but you can voice it in a way that doesn’t come off as an attack (which is what a lot of initial criticism read to me).  Joaquim Dos Santos, an executive producer of Voltron, wrote a wonderful open letter to the fandom addressing all this that you should read. A lot of it puts a number of things into clearer light.(https://twitter.com/JDS_247/status/1029181981572050945)  And I don’t want to get tin-foil-hat on you guys, but something tells me that the writers and producers had to fight to get ANY LGTB+ representation in, let alone confirm it. Which is sad, but Voltron is still a kids show. And I wouldn’t be surprised that some stuffy, out of touch white guys in suits said that you can’t do the gay thing because children can’t be corrupted or some similar bullshit. So be mad, be upset, be loud. But be loud at Dreamswork.  Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers and producers were showing all this backlash to the suits and going “YOU HAVE TO LET US GIVE THEM THE GAY FOR SEASON EIGHT. LOOK AT HOW MUCH THE AUDIENCE IS DEMANDING IT! THESE ARE THE PEOPLE BUYING THE MERCHANDISE FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!” Because I sure as fuck would.

And with that out of the way, let’s move on to some positive things!

This season was actually well-written. Were there mis-steps? Yes, but again (and getting a litte tin-foil-hatty here), I feel like certain elements were probably more studio driven than writer driven (looking at you Axca and your weird stares at Keith!). But overall this season was excellently written. The stakes were kept high, there was tension throughout, and the comic-relief episode was a wonderful play on fan headcannons (making Keith a terrible artists is something I’m still laughing about). And yeah, the last few episodes can be a little too similar thanks to all the action scenes, but at least the stakes were upped at each turn. And also, what better way to introduce the new big-bad than right after defeating Sendak?! It subverts the exception of a huge celebration with showing our heros that they may not have the chomps to fight against this new threat (which, let’s be real, it’s most likely Lotor and/or Haggar. If it’s not either of them, I will be thoroughly surprised).

One of my favorite things from season seven though is that is explores what happens after a major political leader of an empire is killed. It would have been so easy just to have another galra take the reigns of the Zarkon’s empire, but the writers went with the harder option of a bloody fallout. They showed a world/universe where people have formed their own factions and fighting for power, along with the mess that that creates. You honestly don’t see that a lot in fiction, let alone fiction aimed for younger audiences. 

And let’s talk about episode five for a hot minute. It’s been a long time since I was legit terrified from a children’s show. Like since Avatar: The Last Air Bender (that blood bending episode still gives me chills). The set-up and pacing is so perfect. Starting light before slowly turning tragic, which only leads to the sheer-terror of not only the situation, but of how brutal and cruel the universe has gotten in Voltron’s absence. With so little, it makes the viewer question of what’s happened to other allies of Voltron. And considering it follows the game show episode, it’s the hard left turn I personally wasn’t expecting. But I’m not going to lie, it’s probably my favorite episode of the season. Also, I legit started tearing up when Keith called Krolia “Mom” and they hugged. While I wish there was more mother-son moments in general when in comes to Keith and Krolia, I think that moment alone showed how much Keith has grown. He may still have some abandonment issues, but it’s clear that the trust he has in his family is helping him overcome that. That he trusts Krolia to come back and that he trusts his team/new family to be there for him. And I’m hoping we get that explored some more in season eight. (#MoreActualSpaceMomPlease)

There’s also the fact that they made the four years of Sam Holt’s time back on Earth engaging to watch. While I think we all knew that they were going to explain what Sam, the Garrison, and Earth in general was doing before Voltron arrived, I was worried how they would handle this. This is exposition that’s very easy to make clunky and a slog to get through. I was worried even when the first shot was “Four Years Earlier...”. Even with two episodes dedicated to some very important exposition, this is stuff that I think any writer can tell you is tricky to pull off. Yes, Sam is Pidge and Matt’s father, and we get the bonus of Lance’s sister Veronica (#BestBigSister #MoreVeronicaAndLanceSeasonEight), people who we’re emotionally invested in because members of the core cast are, but this is still focus away from characters we’ve gotten to know and love for six seasons.  These two episodes had to not only re-familiarize us with character we met briefly in season five, but had to reintroduce us to characters we’ve really only seen in episode one with brief cameos in various flashbacks, introduce us to both new characters and the command structure of the Garrison. And that’s a lot to do in less than a total of forty minutes. So the fact that it’s engaging and does not only that, but also clearly gives and raises the stakes for the rest of the season without ham-fisting it is impressive. We knew that Voltron was going to have to save Earth thanks to the trailer, but we didn’t know how dire the situation was going to be when we returned to Earth. Even though these were the episodes that Adam died, I still found myself emotionally invested.  If anything, its inspired me to write AU fanfiction where I take all the ‘humans are space orcs and Earth is a death planet’ ideas and put them in there, having Sendak and the Galra lowkey realize that the Lions of Voltron probably chose the most-level-headed humans to the be the paladins because fuck man, earthlings be terrifying and maybe we should leave??? (I’m serious about this bit. I’ve been going through all my saved screen-shot pins of them on pinterest and making note of which ones I want to use)

I like how we get to see more of the relationships between all of Team Voltron and the core casts’s family. I like that we got to see more of Hunk’s story and how Lance’s relationship with his siblings is very much the same as Keith and Shiro’s in terms of the emotional bonds (seriously, the paralles between Lance and Keith when their siblings (or if you’re a Sheith shipper, loved ones) are in danger is great. The Klance shipper in me is on the floor in tears crying about how these two boys will sacrifice themselves if it meant that their loved ones would live. Thanks for emotionally wrecking me on that Voltron writers). I love that we got to see Colleen Holt reunite with her husband and straight up go “FIGHT ME”  and win when Garrison command tells her she can’t stay because protocol, along with her being active in her own way. When she and Sam broadcast to their entire planet that an alien invasion is imminent, she doesn’t shy away from being the one to drop this bombshell. From the text, it appears that she fought long and hard trying to figure out what happened to her family long before Sam came back, I love that about her. She just wants to know her family is safe, or at least get some potential closure if their not, and she never backed down from that fight. So it’s great to see that reunion. And, quick aside, it’s clear from the visual text that she and Sam have a beautifully healthy relationship despite their years apart and they emotionally support one another. And I hope that we see more of that in the next season. And I’ve got high hopes for season eight for so many more reasons!

So now I guess I should address the one relationship that I said I would talk about at the start of all this.  Shiro and Adam.

Okay, so some of you may have already read my thoughts on an earlier post how how I didn’t believe we were going to get a tearful and heartfelt reunion between the two. (here’s the link if you want to read it in full: http://kirika-hime.tumblr.com/post/176794551537/okay-before-season-7-of-voltron-is-up-ive-got-a  It’s long, so sorry about that, but I’m going to be referencing it a bit here) And even with what little was given to us or even what could have been given to us, I can’t fully get behind Adam. 

Yes, we pretty much just got a fight, but hear me out for a moment. First things first, that fight, when you’re paying attention to it, actually sounds like a fight between two adults who care for each other and have been gone over the topic ad nauseam. Adam sounds tired. Shiro sounds tired and frustrated. The topic of Shiro going on the Kerberous Mission when his health is probably beginning to decline is clearly something that has truly strained their relationship. The acting and the animation show that with so little. And here’s the thing with that, it makes me asks a lot of big questions. If Shiro had stayed and they had gotten married, would that strain still be there? Would Shiro potentially resent Adam for convincing him not to go on the mission? If he does, does that strain begin to grow into a rift? What if their relationship was already showing some cracks in the foundation and they didn’t realize it? What if the fight and their split actually healthy for the two of them?  Would Sam and Matt still have gone the Kerberous Mission? And if they did, would Matt still even be alive? Would Sam find a way to escape? What about Pidge? Colleen? What happens to them? If Pidge is still demanding for answers, does Shiro demand for them as well? Does their relationship change? Does Pidge and Keith’s relationship change? Does Shiro get kicked out of the Garrison instead of Keith? Does Pidge still disguise herself And what about Voltron? Would the Blue Lion have been found at all? Or would Zarkon have found the others, including the Black Lion? Because if that’s what could happen, what does that mean for Allura and Coran? What does that mean for Earth? For Lotor and the Alteans he deceiving and manipulating? What about Romelle? What would have happened to her if Keith and Krolia never found her?

And I know a lot of these questions probably seem dumb and fanficcy to a lot of people, but I think they’re legit questions fans should ask. A lot of this story hinges on Shiro, Sam, and Matt going on the Kerberous Mission when you boil it down. So it’s important to explore how certain characters made certain decisions.  I don’t doubt that Shiro went on the Kerberous Mission to fulfill his dream one last time. He had no way of knowing that he was going to be abducted. But I’m positive that he wanted to be out in space one last time. I don’t think it was about breaking records, like Adam seemed to suggest. I think it was one man trying to get as much joy and fulfillment out of his life before he was fully confined by his illness. Shiro didn’t want to have any regrets when that time came. And possibly, he wanted to show Keith that even when the deck is stacked against him, he could still do amazing things. And it’s also selfish. Which is great because it gives Shiro a character flaw! And we can see how it shapes him when rewatching previous seasons. The guilt he feels from how he left things with Adam, of how he left Keith behind, probably drove a lot of his decisions and choices during his time as a prisoner and as the Black Paladin. Adam may have said that he wouldn’t be waiting for Shiro when he returned, but that still doesn’t mean Shiro wants him, anyone, to experience the horrors of war. Not when he potentially keep that from happening. As a Paladin, he can potentially redeem a lot of his perceived mistakes. That’s what makes Shiro interesting! (It’s also what makes him so difficult to write)

Adam is in his right to not want to put up with Shiro’s selfishness.  But I still hold from one argument from my previous post, that Adam gave up on Keith.

Now a lot of this is on assumptions and personal interpretation of the text (both actual words and visually) that’s been given to us, but I stand by that Adam gave up on a kid who needed him. No matter how you view Shiro and Keith’s relationship, Keith’s important to Shiro. He saw a lot of potential in a lonely child who, more than anything, needed someone to care about him beyond questioning if he was going to get into trouble or not. And as Shiro got closer to Keith, he saw a child who needed a family. A person who he could turn to when things started getting rough, for someone to be in his corner.  Keith at a young age was difficult to get along with, the first episode of this season showed us that. He’s closed off, kids his age don’t really want to take the time to understand him, and it seems that most adults aren’t willing to invest in the time to tease and pull out his strengths or see the kid that feels deeply for his loved ones. Keith has a lot of emotional baggage, and combine it with whatever possible galra childhood tendencies he might have that no one could have known about, you have a really tough job on your hands. And that’s what makes Keith and Shiro’s relationship so powerful. That Shiro was able to see the potential in him. Not just to be a great pilot, but to be a great and loving person. Shiro never gave up on him. 

But Adam did. Not once during episode seven or eight do we see Adam inquire after Shiro or Keith. Something that would have been so easy to include, and it never happened.  Adam no doubt was the first person Shiro talked to when it came to Keith (followed most likely by Sam, because, hey. Sam’s got two kids, he’s gotta know a thing or two about parenting overly-talented children, right?). He probably tried to get feedback, ideas, even confirmation on how he was interacting and raising Keith. And considering how close Keith and Shiro are, Adam definitely met and interacted with Keith.  Adam may not have fully agreed with Shiro pseudo-adopting Keith, but he saw how close the two were. He knew that Shiro was trying to give Keith the tools to succeed in life and get him out of a system that clearly did not care for him. And that could have been part of the reason why Adam loved Shiro.  Like I said in my first post, I fully believe that Shiro asked Adam to look after Keith while he was gone. I still believe that Keith acted similarly to Pidge in trying to get answers after Kerberous went belly-up. And I still fully believe that when Keith was kicked out of the Garrison and left homeless. And I still fully believe that Adam did nothing to help. Nothing that was given to us indicates that Adam tried to reach out and support Keith when Shiro disappeared.

In fact, I’m more angry at Adam now than before season seven was released. He understandably ended things with Shiro. He was tired of watching the man he loved putting his personal goals/desires before his health and couldn’t watch anymore. He told Shiro that he wouldn’t be waiting for him anymore. And I get that.  That sucks. Watching a person you love potentially destroying themselves hurts. The more you care about them, the more it hurts. But Adam, whether he meant it or not, included Keith in that. He cut Keith out of his life too. I don’t have any doubt that Keith tried to get Adam to help him in finding answers. Keith probably had his fair share of fights with Adam, trying to appeal to him that Shiro was too of a pilot for there to be an error, illness or not. That they have a right to know what happened to a person they love.  And Adam shut him out. He abandoned Keith. Whether it was to deal with his own emotional pain over Shiro’s disappearance or that he never cared for Keith in a similar way that Shiro did, I don’t know. But his response was to abandon a child he knew had no one. We get no indication that Adam opened up his home for Keith, or that he tried to find out where Keith went when he left for the desert.  And that’s what makes me angry. Is that Adam, whether he felt equipped to deal with Keith’s problems or not, abandoned a child who needed support more than ever. He didn’t have to care about Keith like a brother or a son, but he could have saw someone who was hurting as much as he was. Adam could have tried to talk to Keith and give him support. They could have potentially healed together over the loss of Shiro. But Adam let a young teenager, a child, feel abandoned once more and homeless on top of that. 

I can’t forgive him for that. Nothing in the text, via words or visually, indicates that Adam tried to help or be there for Keith. And I really wanted to like Adam, but what I’ve got to work with says otherwise.  Who knows, maybe season eight will prove me wrong. But until then, I just can’t. 

#Voltron legendary defender #voltron #voltron season 7 #voltron season seven #let's talk about the good things #and the bad things #also #don't send hate to people #that's the worst #i just really liked season seven guys #Shiro #Takashi Shirogane #Keith Kogane #Lance McClain #Hunk #Pidge #Pidge Holt #The Holt Family #Holt family is best family #Klance #Adam #Adashi #sorry for the long post #I'll try to break it up next time #why i'm not on board with Adam #why i'm not on board with adashi #what do you think? #really wanna hear #man that got sad at the end #i didn't mean for that to happen

[lethesomething]

Question

Furious speculation and spoilers incoming from season 3 and 4 of Voltron Legendary Defender. Also just... so many pictures of Lotor.

So guys. Serious question.

How friggin old is Lotor?

I have many questions about Lotor (and at least one of those is 'Can we get him out of that armor?") but the most prominent that comes to mind right now is how old is he supposed to be? Because a lot of things don't add up.

Let’s do the speculative math. Lotor is half Galra, half Altean. Altean lifespan seems to be roughly a thousand years, if we go by Coran standards. (he's 600 years old but seems to look and act middle-aged by human standards). Galra natural lifespan is unknown but personally I don't think it's as long as Altean. If the Alteans are space elfs, then the Galra are space orcs. They're more militaristic, they throw themselves at their death with surprising ease, giving me the feeling that life is considered less precious, and therefore the toll of years lost should be lower. If a human dies at forty, that’s a toll of thirty years they could have had. If you have a thousand years to live, it feels Very Wasteful to kamikaze yourself at nineteen. But that might just be me. The main takeaway, however, is that neither Galra nor Alteans live 10.000 years. That is, for pretty much anyone in the galaxy, an unnaturally long lifespan. The reason Zarkon and Haggar manage, is because they use quintessence to prolong their 'life' way past what is normal or even preferable.

Puting this under a cut because I overdid it again.

So. On to Lotor.

His natural lifespan should be about 1.000 years. Tops. He looks and acts fairly young. Like early twenties, by human standards. So 200? Thereabouts? But when the frig was this guy born? And how? There’s a few things that are just really off about the Zarkon family.

1. From what we see in their interactions, his parents don't seem to remember that they were married at some point. Whatever love or connection they had, seems to have been lost when they 'turned'. They certainly don't act like a married couple and in a very real way, I'm just having trouble picturing them in bed together, ok? Their power dynamic is just too weird at this point.

2.Lotor doesn't treat Haggar as his mother. He doesn't call her that, even though he addresses Zarkon as 'father'. He doesn't even acknowledge who she is. In the same way, Haggar talks to Zarkon about 'your son', not 'our son'. To Lotor, his mother is Honerva, Altean scientist. And he respects Honerva deeply. It's her work he's trying to continue by building the rift. He seems to care a lot more about that than the empire his father (and Haggar) are so desperately trying to preserve. But Honerva, at least that part of her identity, died 10.000 years ago.

So what the hell is going on.

Option one: he's like, so old

Consider Lotor being born 10.000 years ago, to Honerva, before the whole mess that destroyed the Galra home planet. That would give him 10.000 years to start hating his dad.

But. For him to still be alive in the series, he'd have to be given quintessence. His lifespan must have been expanded way past what was natural, in a manner similar to Zarkon and Haggar.

I don't buy that. Why? For one, it’s in his eyes.

Lotor, while being a Complete Asshat and just, the best kind of villain, has pupils. This is surprisingly significant.

Voltron tends to use eyes as a way into the soul. It’s a sort of way to show a person’s... for want of a better word, humanity. That’s why Haggar has yellow slits, Zarkon has purple slits.

#NoPupils. But that’s not how it used to be.

Lotor has his father's eyes, from back when his father wasn't fully evil. So what has changed? For Zarkon and Honerva, it was a trip to an alternate reality. But most modern day Galra have no pupils. Even the good guys, like Kolivan. That’s weird, innit? Now this may be some gene evolution thing, but I personally believe it has to do with quintessence. The purple evil stuff, and the use thereof. The Galra empire uses that stuff for Everything, it's like their electricity, but we've been shown quite vividly that it corrupts.

Meanwhile Lotor is 'the outcast brat'. He may have Altean blood to keep some of that corruption off, but he’s also staying as far away from headquarters with its druids and its massive stores of quintessence as possible. He's the rebel son traipsing around the outskirts of the galaxy with his pack of badass lady generals, all of whom have pupils, btw.

But of course, the eyes could just be part of his heritage or somesuch. Now let me add this tidbit of an argument.

He's too fabulous. No, listen. Being that old takes its toll, even if you're using eldritch magics and pure evil to prolong your lifespan. And the series shows this. Haggar and Zarkon aren't just old, they LOOK old. You can even see it in the god damned cat.

Kova went from cute fluffy pet to the galaxy's oldest feline, and while the kitty retained its pupils, it does SHOW that it's super old.

That creature is a skeleton covered in leather and ennui. Meanwhile Lotor is over here looking, well, young. Like he's in the prime of his life.

Option two: he truly is a young adult

If you consider that Lotor is like 200 years old, because he really is in the prime of his life, this opens up Many possibilities.

1. He was born the natural way.

This involves his parents getting it on, which, go you I guess. But it doesn’t account for the Very Strange family dynamic they seem to have.

2. In vitro fertilization (or whatever version of it the Voltron universe has)

Consider Lotor being Created in some way. Either as a pure test tube baby, or through some druid ritual or even using a surrogate mother (I have no clue about Galra biology and I do not wish to know). Somehow that makes So Much More sense.

It accounts for the lack of any motherly bond between Haggar and Lotor

It is certainly easier to imagine a lab working on this, than the strong but not exactly life-sustaining body of Haggar growing a baby.

You can just imagine Lotor being born and handed to a set of nannies and trainers. "Hello, you're the prince. Your father is emperor Zarkon, your mother is Honerva. Time to start playing space chess and learning to fight with a laser sword." And no one even mentions who Honerva is, because that seems to be like some kind of weird secret.

Shall we go deeper?

What if this Lotor isn't the first?

What if the original son was born and raised in the normal way, but died 10.000 years ago. What if every few centuries they try clone him, or recreate him, only for Lotor to disappoint his parents by rebelling and basically not being Zarkon.

What if the memory of her motherly instincts is what compels Haggar to keep trying? To put Lotor on the throne and to hope that he'll do it right this time?

I found Zarkon's reaction to his own son's actions very strange. This is your only son, and you're firing him like that? You're treating him with pure disdain? You're chasing him across the galaxy to kill him? The main difference between Zarkon and Lotor is that Lotor is cold and calculated, whereas Zarkon is emotional and passionate. Lotor is capable of changing sides, of scheming, of doing the rational thing for his continued survival. Zarkon, meanwhile, will drop everything to get the Black Lion, will go to alternate friggin realities to save his wife. It makes sense for Zarkon to try and reap bloody vengeance on his son for disappointing him, but not until he’s found out as a traitor.

But what if he's attempt number six? At this point he'd be nothing more than a product to Zarkon. Another failed subordinate who was given more chances than others, and who squandered them all.

Why is this important

The possibilities for Angst on all sides are just delicious in this scenario, so there’s that. But mostly, it opens up character development for our villain. It would mean Lotor is a total shit, yes, but an uncorrupted one. It would mean he does not have 10.000 years of evil juice running through his veins and like the eyes, it would mean he still has some humanity left to regain. I would personally not trust this fucker as far as I can throw him but... He could have the little redemption arc I’m sure a lot of us want. And I’m kinda hype for that.

#voltron #meta #character theory #prince lotor #vld lotor #hello yes #it's tuesday morning #and i just spent too much time writing about my fave villain #again #lethey writes #in other news #i finished season 4 of voltron #come scream with me #because i obviously need an outlet #voltron spoilers

[watachan]

OK, so Voltron S4 is tomorrow, and I decided to do a few lists about things I want and don’t want this season.

Let’s go.

Things I want in S4:

Lance continuing to help and support Keith, like the good right hand man he is

Keith and Lance having a sequel of the “discussion in the room”, where he ACTUALLY says what Lance needs to hear

Lance’s arc (IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!) (and everyone realising he has a lot of insecurities and his flirty joyful exterior is just to cover up his self doubts and estime issues)

Shiro coming back (and that he was all S3 with Matt and the rebels, maybe he was in a coma or had amnesia, that’s why he didn’t reach out to the team?)

The big reveal: Lotor’s mother, Honerva, is also Haggar. And Lotor freaking out about it because “my father’s bloody witch that I hate with passion is actuALLY MY MOM?!”

Lotor realising that his plan of getting “infinite quintessence in the space between realities” is hella suicidal (what if the creatures attack them and one of his generals almost dies?!)

Little details (if not a big reveal) that Keith and Acxa are siblings, or half siblings (I’m camping on that theory until proven wrong!!!)

Pidge and Matt being reunited. And Matt either joining team Voltron, or staying with the rebels but keeping in touch with the team

Kuron not being evil, or not on purpose at least. And him valuing the team over his “orders to destroy team Voltron” (theory he’s programmed to jeopardize the team from inside)

More touching moments between the team

More epic battles and new powers

MORE ALIEN DESIGNS!!! <3 <3 <3

That clip of Lance milking Kaltenecker being part of an episode like ATLA’s “Tales of Ba Sing Se”, with little stories about each paladin in one episode <3 <3 <3

Things I DON’T want in S4:

Shiro dying (and in any other seasons for that matter)

Matt dying (ISWEARTOGOD!!! If Matt and Pidge are reunited and then he dies... ARRRRRRRRGH!!!)

Kuron being the evil clone and doing just what he’s told. I want more than just the “creation doing blindly what his creators tell him” I want him to go against the order to destroy/kill team Voltron when it’s revealed he’s a clone, because it’s so much more powerful. He’s not a toy, he’s a living being and Shiro’s will and protectiveness is in Kuron, period.

Lotor not giving a quiznak about his generals or their safety and being ready to sacrifice them to attain his goal (he is no one dimensional character, so I expect him to value at least these four’s lives)

Things that would be interesting in S4:

Suppose Lotor and his generals are attacked in the “space between realities” by the creatures and one of the girls is wounded. Imagine this woman, being corrupted by the darkness, and going feral (worst case would be Zethrid, she could destroy anything) Imagine Lotor has to put down his own general, and then he gets it: it’s too dangerous and his ambition just cost him a team member, someone he cared about and who’s death is affecting him

A big show down between Lotor and Zarkon. A battle between son and father. And Zarkon winning and saying something like “you may be my son, but if you are not with me, I don’t need you” and trying to kill him. And Haggar saving Lotor (maybe in cost of her life?) And to stop his father (and gain the trone back), Lotor joins forces with Voltron (and yeah, being inside the team means he can learn a lot about them by just watching, it’s a total win for him)

Kuron dying while protecting the team. Like, he’s not Shiro, but he still cares too much about this little space family to hurt them. (plus, if the team don’t know he’s a clone, it could lead to a very angsty Keith scene... with Lance conforting him? (oops, my Klance is showing))

Keith turning purple or partially purple after some event (quintessence poured on him, Haggar’s magic, etc) and so showing his galra origines for everyone to see, including Lotor and his generals (i.e Acxa realising he’s her brother)

Anyway, I’m hoping for the best that my “don’t” list stays pure paranoia, because I know I’m gonna cry (thank you Josh Keaton) so I hope to be able to go to work on saturday and not look like a truck rolled over me (because it’s (up to this point) my last day of work so yeah, wanna give a good last impression XD)

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #wata s'exprime

[cr-yellow]

Voltron AU where Lance dies in action and Keith is too afraid to go back to piloting red

First off: Getting an Anon makes my day literally All the Time so this was especially a treat because I was having a pretty shitty one. 

Secondly: This was a beautifully sad prompt, so excuse me if I wrote a bit for it 

Keith’s hands were shaking. He had made it all this way, walked the few steps up to the cockpit and even took the last few steps to even graze a knuckle on Red’s controls; but Keith couldn’t do it. He couldn’t touch Red. He couldn’t even think about touching her, or piloting her, or anything like that. 

It wasn’t because the blood hadn’t dried from where they scrubbed it perfectly clean, and it wasn’t because Red wasn’t working for Keith. He just couldn’t do it. There was a part of him that wouldn’t let him.

This part was the part that died on some random Friday night.

Keith had been frustrated. All his attempts to thwart Lotor were going down in flames, and Shiro barking orders at Keith (who was supposed to be in the Black Lion now) wasn’t helping him. He wanted to catch this guy. He wanted to put a stop to this war so they could get a break, maybe a nice Earth meal, a nap. Now that would be the real gift of finishing this war. It seemed that right after they got done with Zarkon, Lotor picked off where his Dad left off, causing more trouble than he was worth and causing a whole bunch of ruckus. 

Lotor’s main plan revolved around targeting all the places Voltron had liberated. While this should have been a measly plan, it ended up dividing up the whole team. Hunk’s immediate reaction to the news was to go straight to the Balmera on Yellow, searching for Shay and praying they hadn’t gotten to her yet. Pidge went to the grassy planet in Delta Six where she found most of Green’s power, Allura went to their old neighbors in Blue, Coran and Shiro went to a few side-lining planets, Lance went to the underwater world with the mermaids in Red, and Keith was left entirely to his own devices in Black.

Everything was going pretty smoothly up until a point. Hunk had called back from the Balmera and told them everything was okay there, but he was going to stay a while to make sure they didn’t attack. Pidge, hilariously, called a few short hours after arriving, confirming everything was fine and reminded herself she hated plants with a passion. Allura said she was a bit of a ways out but she should have been back in a few hours or so, Coran and Shiro dictated where everyone had to go, Keith was on the whole, pretty useless…

And that’s when they all realized no one had heard from Lance in a long time. Keith was the first to be worried. “He’s usually calling to annoy us, or something,” His eyebrows furrowed as he talked to the rest of the gang on a group call. “I’m going to go after him in Black. Besides, I’m not really doing anything-” 

“How about we wait a few more hours and then Coran and I will go after Lance,” Shiro said sharply. It was unlike him to be so unworried about his other team members- especially after losing Matt. The rest of the team, uneasy but understanding, agreed with Shiro. 

They waited a few more hours and Hunk was the one to say something next. “I think you guys should go get him- I mean he would have at least called to check in, right?”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, pushing up her glasses from the bridge of her nose. “It’s unlike Lance to like, not brag about being with a bunch of chics. At the very least he would have confirmed the planet was okay.” 

“Oh what if he’s hurt?” Allura asked worriedly. “You have to go get him, Shiro. The telecommunication device in the Castle of Lions is impenetrable to most forces, so even if some kind of technological wave is disrupting Lance’s Lion, you guys should be able to tell us what’s going on. We’re counting on you.” 

Coran and Shiro nodded their heads and ended their side of the call, presumably going to the mermaid planet to find Lance. Keith shifted in his seat in Black. “I don’t feel right about this,” he muttered. “Something doesn’t quite add up. Where’s Lance?” 

“I have full confidence that Shiro and Coran will find him,” Allura said softly. 

The next few hours were a mix of sweat, uncomfortable dawdling, and the weird feeling in Keith’s gut that something was deeply wrong. 

“We haven’t heard back from any of them. They could be in danger. Voltron, let’s go after our team!” Keith shouted in a battle cry. The others hesitated for a second, but before anyone could protest Keith ended the call and had Black on Lance’s trail in a moments notice. 

The worst part was, he was the first to see the wreckage. There were hundreds of Galra ships in a circle around an unidentified object that Keith couldn’t quite see. Among the mass of Galra, completely unharmed, was the Castle of Lions. Keith felt his eyes go wide as he saw the sight before him, and moved Black behind the mass to get a better view of the thing in the center.

He wished he hadn’t. Floating like a dead animal on the side of a road was Red, beaten to pieces, smashed, blasted, and glass broken. It was very clear that Lotor had used his new favorite meteorite toy to do damage to the lone Paladin. Keith immediately called the Castle, possibly waiting for an explanation, and the first thing that popped up was Lance’s bloodied and beaten form, laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. 

“Lance!” Keith cried out, shocked. The Red paladin stirred in his position on the ground and looked up, a black right eye and missing a few teeth. 

“Keith…?” He said quietly. “No….. go…..”

Keith was completely at a loss. Go? How could he possibly go when one of his own-no, more than that- Lance- was in danger? “I’m not leaving Lance. Who did this to you? Who hurt you? Why are you in the Castle- are you okay? Did Coran and Shiro find you?” 

Before Lance could open his mouth another voice interrupted him. “Well, I wouldn’t call him Shiro, but he did find your little friend.” 

“Lotor,” Keith said bitterly. “What do you mean? Leave Lance alone!” 

“Oh I haven’t touched him,” Lotor said with an evil grin, walking into Keith’s line of sight in the video feed from the Castle. The others hadn’t arrived yet, it seemed. They didn’t know. “You’re dear, dear friend Shiro, on the other hand.” He made a tsk tsk sound and shook his head disapprovingly. “He’s beaten this boy almost to death, now hasn’t he?”

Just then Shiro walked into the frame as well, only, it wasn’t Shiro, not really. He had Shiro’s face, and Shiro’s body, and Shiro’s hair, but his eyes were stark yellow, and his hand was glowing purple. “S-Shiro?” Keith stuttered out. 

“The most pressing question of all, don’t you think?” Lotor intercepted. Keith watched as Shiro- or was it?- walked up to Lance’s body on the ground and lifted him to his knees to face the screen Keith was looking at. It was also then that Keith realized the others had arrived as well. They all gave cries of confusion as they saw their screens light up with Lotor, Not-Shiro, and Bloody Lance. “How do you win a war? Simple answer, really. Spys.” 

Keith looked at the screen wide-eyed, looking back and forth at Lance’s bloody frame, unable to move. It seems his body went paralyzed- from fear or shock he didn’t really know. 

“Your dear Shiro has been a spy from the Galra since you got him back, Oh Paladins.” Lotor walked up to Lance and gripped his chin, facing him so Keith looked at Lance full-face. “Now watch, Keith, Paladin of the Black Lion, as your Brother destroys your lover with his bare hands.” 

“No!” Keith screamed out. “Lance, no!” 

Lance looked Keith in the eyes, as tears streamed down his face, and whispered with all his might. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

The next moment his body jerked forward, as Not-Shiro’s Galra hand slammed through his chest and popped out the other end, like some old medival movie. 

The next few minutes were a blur, between the screams of his friends and the chaos of shots fired, Keith pushed forward full force. He murdered hundreds of Galra soldiers and it never seemed enough. Lotor and his clan left with fits of laughter, leaving the broken form of Red, the empty Castle, and Lance’s body alone. 

Keith numbly remembered Allura’s tear-striken voice as she said “Shiro must have knocked Coran out and ambushed Lance….. He was a spy all along…”

Keith didn’t care- about the betrayal, about any of it. He couldn’t find it in himself to even care about Red almost destroyed. He picked up Lance’s body and cradled it in his arms, soaking his suit to the bone. “You can’t die now. You never got to see your family. How am I supposed to tell them…” Keith whimpered out against Lance’s flesh, growing steadily colder. The smell of Lance’s feces was in the air but Keith couldn’t care any less. “We were supposed to win. The good guys never lose.” But Keith knew how dumb that sounded. 

It had almost been two months since then, and he can’t even go near Red any more. He can’t even go near Lance’s room without thinking about the horrible feeling in his gut. He had to fight this war for Lance. They all did. They had to win for him.

Ok that was terribly fun so thank you SO MUCH anon but anyway I love Voltron and Season 3 was a gift

#long post #character death #voltron #voltron s3 spoilers #writing #vld #lance #keith #klance #ok so I really really loved this I'm not going to lie #thanks so much anon #anon #prompt