#vld 1x02

[kcwcommentary]

VLD1x02 – “From Days of Long Ago”

1x02 – “From Days of Long Ago”

(Note: With the large amount of characterization/Lion-lore in this episode, the following is kind of long.)

With the second episode, we get the actual opening sequence. The sequence that never changes at all despite significant changes in the show that should have resulted in it being revised (the Lion pilot switch, Zarkon’s death, the destruction of the Castle of Lions). It’s good for now, but they really should have changed it, or at least the relevant shots within it as the show changed content.

The group bickers a bit during the descent to the planet’s surface, most notably Lance and Keith, until Shiro, again demonstrating his authority to be leader of the group, tells everyone to focus. Shiro uses appropriate team management skills by recognizing the division of labor and asks Lance, in his capacity as pilot, where they’re heading. Lance can’t help getting in another joke before turning back to being serious.

We arrive at the Castle of Lions. Shiro, ever the protector, advises caution. The Blue Lion roars open the Castle’s doors. The Castle eventually reacts, saying “Hold for identity scan.” This is very much a minor complaint but how does the Castle’s systems know English? Space shows with aliens all have this issue; sometimes shows handwave it with a quick line or moment about the use of technology or other methods allowing for instantaneous translation, but this show gives nothing. If this was my only complaint about this show, everything would be golden. But I still would have liked it addressed, or at least have something that indicated that the producers and writers of this show realized the challenge of language and communication that comes with the setting of a story in space with aliens.

Our team wanders through the Castle until they get to the stasis pods holding Allura and Coran. Allura emerges first, and the first word she speaks is: “Father!” The presence of patriarchy in this show begins early. Her focus on her father is literally the first word we ever hear Allura speak. Lance then can’t help himself but to try to flirt with her (learn some timing, man). She doesn’t return his interest. Allura does display some prejudice by being disgusted by human ears. She’s bound to have seen plenty of non-Alteans before, so why recoil so significantly over someone having slightly different ears than she has? She’s really not making the best introduction of herself.

Shiro, the one with any sense, tries to get Allura to recognize that they are as much in the dark about what all is going on as she is, and that they need her to provide answers but are also willing to work with her.

Out comes Coran, and immediately shows himself to be in charge of the department of comic relief on the show. “How could you do that when I’ve already come at you like this: Ha! Ha! Hai!” I laughed.

Allura introduces her and Coran’s 10,000-year time gap. Having reflected on this detail over the course of watching the show in the past, I think 10,000 years ended up being a ridiculous, overly large time frame. That our major antagonists now (Zarkon, Haggar) are the same as the antagonists from 10,000 years ago, it’s too much.

Flashback to King Alfor, who has a disagreement with Allura over whether they should fight Zarkon. Alfor uses the magic of patriarchy to touch his daughter on the cheek and render her unconscious. Nothing says that, as a father, you love and value your daughter like depriving her of agency and knocking her unconscious indefinitely.

The sides of this conflict are clearly established. Team Voltron, our heroes, and Altea versus Zarkon, Haggar, and the Galra. Haggar introduces herself with her cryptic behavior. Her being cryptic now is okay because this is the beginning of the story, but that behavior from her becomes more and more bothersome, distracting, and disruptive of the development of the narrative the more seasons of the show we get. We then get the introduction of Sendak.

We also have the introduction of the mice, who have more presence and significance in the show than Shiro’s “significant other” Adam or his last-minute husband ever got.

Lance and Keith continue to bicker, and Shiro again uses his authority to get them stop. I miss Shiro as a leader.

“Good, let them come!” Allura declares. At this early stage of the show, Allura’s prejudice depicted earlier and this angry, brashness now feel like the show is setting her up to be naïve now but to grow in wisdom as the show progresses. By the end of the show, she’s not naïve, but she’s not the beacon of wisdom that it feels like she was supposed to become.

Allura gives the team, and thereby the viewers, a major presentation of the show’s lore. She tells us, “The Lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together they form something greater than science can explain.” This is the establishment of rules on the show’s system; this is a promise the show is making to the viewer that this is how things work. I’m not personally fond of the mysticism “greater than science” aspect though, especially since the Lions were built by Alfor and the Alteans of long ago. This lore from Allura, until revealed otherwise later, made me think that some other super ancient and very powerful aliens built the Lions and that the Alteans had only acquired them. How Alfor could build the Lions without understanding how they work defies the nature of the process of engineering and construction. Also, if Alfor created the Lions, then where did their consciousness and personalities come from?

That last line aside though, the premise that the pilot and the Lion mirror one another is intriguing. It creates a narrative framework that allows us to understand the characters through their bonding with their lions.

“The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader, and in control at all times. Someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion.” I do object to the idea that anyone is a “born leader.” Leadership is a skillset; you learn and practice and grow as a leader. No one is born a leader. That aside, this proclamation cleanly assigns the position of the leader of the group to Shiro (until the show decides to unceremoniously take it from him in later seasons to shove him off to the side as no longer a member of the team). The qualities Allura ascribes here – decisiveness, leadership, self-control – those are all qualities we’ve already seen demonstrated by Shiro in the first two episodes of the show. Shiro’s discipline is what gives him the authority to tell Lance and Keith to stop fighting. His decisiveness is what prompts Lance to ask Shiro for orders at the end of the first episode, and it is what enables Shiro to diplomatically manage Allura’s initial freak-out when she comes out of stasis. Shiro is the leader of this team. The Black Lion says so. (The show never gives us a reason for Shiro to not be in the position of Black Paladin and leader of Voltron despite his removal in later episodes.)

“The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion.” And we’ve totally seen this in Pidge. She’s clearly inquisitive as shown by her constructing her own equipment so that she can gain transmission and observational data from Kerberos toward her goal of busting the GG’s lie about the Kerberos mission. We saw it in this episode in a quick, subtle two-part moment where she first sees the computer interface in the stasis pod room, expresses a wonder how it works, and then, once Allura activates and uses the terminal, declares, “That’s how that works.” It’s a small moment, but it’s one of Pidge’s in the first three episodes that really gets to me. It’s not just about intelligence for her, but also curiosity. Also identified in this proclamation is the need for daring in the Green Paladin. That’s definitely a quality we see very prominently in later episodes, sometimes much to my annoyance (because in those moments it makes Pidge incredibly short-sighted).

“The Blue Lion…” Allura’s interrupted. Lance makes a declaration of his own. He’s cocky. Allura’s annoyed and moves on without providing a description for the Blue Lion’s preferred qualities. This gap in the lore is never actually filled in, so we, as viewers, can only ever make suppositions ourselves. I wonder if the Blue Lion might like what we got from Lance in this very moment. Rather than allow Allura to make a proclamation about his qualities, Lance engages in an act of self-definition. With Lance’s story arc (at least before this show ceased to understand its characters) set up as him struggling with his sense of self-worth in light of the skills and reputation of others, I could see the Blue Lion with a value of self-determination as setting Lance up to come to terms with his insecurities through the process of self-definition.

“The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together.” This makes it seem the show is setting Hunk up to function as best able to ensure the team remains unified or regains unity in stressful, fractious situations. It also suggests Hunk can be self-sacrificial, with placing others’ needs above his own. Unfortunately, I’m not sure any of this ever really manifests narratively for Hunk as the show goes on. Maybe in a few, smaller moments here and there, but never anything narratively significant. While the show does retain Hunk’s skill with engineering/technology, I mostly feel he’s reduced to an ongoing joke about food. There’s nothing wrong with loving food, of course, but that should be a comparatively minor detail in defining Hunk’s character. Most of the description associated with him proclaimed here feels forgotten/lost as the show goes on.

“The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone.” Keith’s the hothead, the aggressive one. Yup, definitely have seen that in him so far. The declaration that Red is difficult to master implies that Keith has an aspect of himself that he isn’t in control of, part of himself that he hasn’t mastered yet. The problem with the show abandoning the lore that there are qualities each Lion expects of its pilot is that Keith no longer has to master himself as part of being the Red Paladin. Lance replacing Keith in Red does not connect Lance to the qualities ascribed here. It also invalidates the idea that Lance in Blue is about self-determination; rather than finding his own value, Lance always remains a substitute to Keith – he only got into the fighter pilot program because Keith was no longer in it, and he only got into the Red Lion because Keith was no longer in it. Keith in Red was about him learning to harness himself, to hone his instincts (aka his wildness) and find mastery over himself. Any of that kind of character growth happens for him offscreen and never as a result of his piloting the Red Lion.

The team splits up to track down and acquire the other Lions. The Green Lion is in some jungle environment. There is a really nice peacefulness to this location. “I’ve been locked up by aliens for a year. This is nothing,” Shiro says. I love this line. Shiro has been through some severely traumatic events in the past year, so his calmness here in the face of an expedition to another planet, it’s all good to him. Can someone let Shiro have two weeks of vacation on this planet please?

Lance and Hunk have less easy of a time getting Yellow. Lance literally throws Hunk out of Blue, further demonstrating Lance as being an instigating influence. We saw that in how he was responsible for the group coming together in the first place. I love Hunk’s little monologue while he’s trying to hotwire the platform: “Oh yeah sure, just drop me off on an alien planet. That’s cool. It’s only occupied by big, mean, purple aliens that want to kill me, but whatever. Just ignore them and go connect with a big, yellow, mechanical cat.” This is a moment of Hunk’s voice acting that I really love. The sarcasm, the quick-fire delivery. It’s fun.

Shiro’s retelling of Commander Holt’s comment, “If you get too worried about what can go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great” is so nice. Shiro’s so supportive. Can I have one of him in my life please? The quiet calmness of Shiro’s voice in this part is so nice; I could listen to him talk like that all day long.

Lance ends up in a precarious situation and Hunk and the Yellow Lion come to the rescue, though apparently by accident. Conveniently, Allura’s ability to hold the wormholes open begins to fade just as the Lions are acquired. Also conveniently, they’ve located Red. Inconveniently, Sendak issues his threat. How does communication systems for the Castle Ship work? Sendak establishes communications and makes his demand without anyone in the ship having to activate the system; really?

Part two of what functions as a three-parter complete.

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #vld criticism #voltron critical #vld critical #vld season 1 #vld 1x02 #commentary

[vlddaily]

Let’s go form Voltron!

#vldedit #voltronedit #voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #*** #andie #s1 #1x02 #team

[shiroallura]

shallura parallels: [39/?] → shiro&allura + using castle tech around each other (1x02, 4x04)

#shallura #vld spoilers #vldedit #voltronedit #shalluraedit #my edits #graphics #s1 #s4 #shallura parallels #1x02 #4x04

[vlddaily]

every voltron episode ≡ some assembly required

Good work today. We’re really coming together.

#vldedit #voltronedit #voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #*** #andie #s1 #1x02 #ev*

[vlddaily]

*Arrives 15 ticks late with starbucks*

#vldedit #voltronedit #lance #Voltron legendary defender #vld #*** #andie #s1 #1x02

[shiroallura]

professional vs emotional support, and why allura needs both {a meta}

EDIT: wrote 90% of this before s7. some stuff could’ve been touched on more, but overall i’m tired and just finished the last section today when looking through my drafts. anyway, if we’re in the mood for salt, or just more reasons as to why the relationships vld tries to pull in canon are almost always unhealthy, have fun!

Season six greatly teased both L0tura and Allur@nce as ships, and why they wouldn’t work (which also contributes to why I don’t ship either of them), but as I was mulling over both these relationships the past couple days, I realized it boiled down to one very similar but fundamental contrast: Lotor and Lance don’t support Allura the way she needs to be supported. 

I’ll be talking about Lance first, Lotor second, and Shiro last (bc what am I, a non-Shallura shipper?) so allow me to elaborate, and hopefully I can properly explain what I mean.

I’ve talked a lot about, in the wake of s5 and s6, why I don’t personally ship Allur@nce and why I don’t think it’s the right romantic relationship for either of them. 90% of this talk is because of anons in my inbox, not me of my own accord but I have made a few posts, like this one here. And I’ve been ruminating on this for awhile, that while Lance is a good friend and does support Allura well... he only knows how to in one way. Emotionally, and through relationship advice.

Namely, Lance doesn’t know how to support Allura professionally. And this goes beyond him not knowing when and where there’s a time and place for fighting (which is more prominent in s1/2, but has carried on into season six as well). 

In 1x02, Allura and Coran run a drill of a ‘fake attack’ to see how quickly the paladins show up. They show up late (I imagine the castle is huge and easy to get lost in) in the Alteans’ eyes, but Allura can still recognize that at least one person came through substantially: “Look at you! Only Shiro is in uniform.” The rest of the paladins are in their sleep clothes, or in their day wear. Lance doesn’t even show up at the same time as the others, and strolls in, completely unaware and uncaring of the situation. If this had been a real attack, only Shiro would have remotely stood a chance. It’s the first (or second) real test of the Paladins as paladins, and Shiro delivers; Lance barely even shows up.

But wait, you say. That’s in the beginning of season one. Lance has grown since then!

And he has, in a lot of ways. He’s slowly letting go of his need for parades and glory. He’s working on putting aside his rivalry with Keith. He’s working on letting go of his feelings for Allura. He’s become a much better pilot and team player, a more active listener, and more serious and compassionate when it matters. 

But we’ve come to season five and six, now, and the ways he’s able to support Allura as a partner, and the ways he’s not, are still glaringly, obnoxiously obvious. Like the scene in 5x01 for example.

Lance: Princess? The meeting’s about to start. Allura: I’m almost ready. If I’m expected to lead this, I need to know what I’m talking about. Lance: Yeah, but no one expects you to memorize everything. We can have a script-screen for you, or you could just jot some notes down on the inside of your hand, I mean I do it all the... time. I’m kidding!

Lance comes in to get her, assumedly sent by the team, and Allura shows that she’s still working. She explains what she’s doing, shows a hint of nervousness. So the respectful thing to do would be to stay quiet so that she could focus, or reassure her in a way that would be helpful. Instead, he’s just a distraction, and it ends in him backing off, realizing he was being a bit of a nuisance, and Allura giving him a death glare. Five seasons, and two seasons of their development in. 

As for the two times Lance has majorly supported Allura, the body language and conversational topics of which are exceedingly similar, both were emotional. They were about reminding Allura of her responsibility and importance (which, how important it is for Princess “the universe depends on me” Allura needs to be reminded of which can vary from situation to situation, although I do think Lance made the right call both times). Both conversations revolve around a third party love interest that Allura is struggling to deal with: in the first, she feels like Shiro has become her enemy. In the second, she knows that Lotor truly is, and her faith in her own judgement has been shattered (and even then, she doesn’t blame ‘Shiro’ or show any regret in trusting him, soo... that’s That). 

Compare that to how Allura reassures Lance in 3x02 when Blue is rejecting him:

A: Lance, what’s wrong? L: I don’t know, Blue’s shutting me out. Maybe Pidge was right. I am just the goofball. Not only am I not meant to be the leader, I guess now I’m not even meant to be a paladin. 

And this resonates with Allura, because hasn’t this been her journey in this episode too? Pidge called her “the decision maker” and yet Black doesn’t accept her. She goes to Red next, because “How can I allow others to risk their lives in battle and not be prepared to do so myself?” and her father’s Lion rejects her. And yet when Lance is given what she actually wanted, when she still has nothing, Allura doesn’t hesitate at all. She doesn’t show any hurt from Lance basically laying out her own insecurities on the table of a situation that’s already happened to her, and that he has now decided means that he’s not a worthwhile member of the team. She’s emotionally cognizant enough to focus on the mission even when Lance doesn’t, and starts making an immature jab at Keith, even while the team are basically fighting for their lives.

L: What was that? A: It’s the Red Lion. You must go to it. L: No way. Keith probably trained it to bite my head off. Maybe it’s roaring for you. A: I would love nothing more than for that to be true, but I know the Red Lion is not meant for me. It is choosing you. L: I don’t understand. A: My father built Voltron but he knew Zarkon was a better leader in battle, so he became Voltron’s right hand. Lance, when you accepted Keith as the new leader of Voltron, it proved that you value a strong team over your own need for glory. Just like my father. L: I won’t let him down. A: Go.

She creates an emotional base with Lance, and talks about her father, because after all, it was his Lion, but ultimately brings Lance back around to the mission through both personal and professional praise. It sets up a mindset of him supporting Keith, instead of against him. She states Lance’s good qualities, shows him that he’s worthy of her father’s Lion. She shows no ill will whatsoever in Lance receiving what she wanted and was deemed unworthy of, smiling even before it’s revealed that Blue is choosing her.

Lance, although accepting of Blue’s decision, is still clearly saddened by it and says “If I had to lose Blue to anyone, I’m glad it was you.” Changing Lions is still a loss to him, even if it’s a technical gain to Allura. So while Allura is capable of supporting Lance emotionally and professionally simultaneously, Lance? Not so much.

But wait, you say. What about when he inspired her to charge up Voltron at the end of s4? And yes, he did, but once again, let’s take a look at the actual dialogue of that scene: “There’s a reason the Blue Lion chose you. You’re the one who brought everyone together. You can do this. Every moment we’ve had together, they’ve all led to this day. This is your destiny. You are the heart of Voltron.”

Lance largely repeats her words from the pilot back to her (especially the destiny phrase), but he still keeps it personal. He ties it back to their Lion. He keeps the emphasis on Allura, and her alone. He invokes destiny, an idealized emotional concept. He talks about the sum of their experiences. He calls her the Heart. And once again, this was clearly an emotional experience for her, given the grateful look on her face and the fact that she takes time to thank him, afterwards. 

So while the value of Lance’s emotional support cannot and should not be understated, we never see Lance seriously stepping up to take weight off her shoulders. We never really see him share the burden of leadership. The only season he comes close to doing so is in season three, and even then, that’s not the type of relationship he has with her. He has it with Keith, who he supports as a leader (largely by going along with Keith’s plans or cleaning up Keith’s messes, but still). And even then, Lance isn’t a co-leader with Keith. He’s a right hand, a second in command. The distinction can be subtle, but it’s still important. And even then, it means degrading Allura to third (maybe even fourth) in command behind people she used to be in charge of. Great.

And as Allura says after restoring him in 6x01, “I owed you one,” is a concrete description of their relationship. Allura helps Lance deal with a new Lion; Lance helps Allura deal with a new Lion. Lance saves Allura from a blast, Allura brings him back to consciousness. Lance helps Allura emotionally, she compliments him. Lance comforts Allura about with Lotor, and Allura places a hand on Lance’s shoulder after he breaks down crying about Shiro. Their relationship is an obligation, and never would have happened if the real Shiro had been in the picture for s3-6, because the show knows, subconsciously, that Shiro was her pillar of support in s1/2 and someone needed to fill that void when he was gone.

I’ve talked before about how what Allura really needs in a relationship is a devoted partner and equal, in both her professional and personal life. She doesn’t need someone who’s going to crack a joke, or flirt, or distract her (or be distracted). She needs someone who sees she’s struggling, and offers to do half the work. She needs someone who’s going to step up and match her in her work ethic.

And I think that that, along with being Altean, is one of the things that attract her to Lotor. Because in him, she finds someone as fascinated by Altean history and alchemy as she is. They spend hours working on the sincline ships together, they’re mutually complimentary, she gets to carry on her father’s legacy. I’ve long thought that an important part of Allura’s arc will be her deciding to make her own path, instead of just trying to follow Alfor’s, but that’s another post for another day, as we’ve seen with Lotor, imitating Alfor can often lead her astray.

Because the problem with Lotor? He supports her professionally, not personally. He lets her work herself to the point of collapse before calling the day quits. He always brings up her father to further his own desires. I’ve written before about Lotor and Allura’s relationship (in s5, as it was post s6) on both sides here. When she cries and doubts herself, he does nothing to comfort her, and only her tears landing on the compass stone salvage the situation. Lotor consistently emphasizes that he cannot do things without her, and when you look at their alchemic projects, or relationship, and pay attention to who does what for the other, it is constantly Allura giving all the time. She helps Lotor achieve his dreams, build his ships, patch together his empire. You could argue that Lotor reaffirms her worth as an alchemist, but she’s the one who figures out how to get them into Oriande, how to get past the guardians, how to get out of the booby trap. She never needed him to begin with, except for the tracking crystal.

And even then, it’s clear that Lotor had another motive, for himself, for unlocking those secrets. There is nothing that Lotor does simply for the sake of being there for her, or caring for her, or at least, nothing that doesn’t also ultimately benefit him (and we see this come to a head in s6). Lotor represents the side of Allura she pushes towards to ignore the way she often neglects her emotions until she can’t anymore. He is cold, and entirely work focused, and taking, never giving. He is the professional side she would let herself break under, if there was no one there to pull her back.

What Allura needs is not a partner who can only commit to her emotionally, because as much as Lance might like the social life of a king, he’s far too attached to his family and doesn’t have the attention span nor patience to handle the politics and paperwork that would come with it. Nor does she need one that only pushes her professionally, as it would just lead to her never taking care of herself, or feeling frustrated that her partner isn’t pulling their professional weight in their relationship. Allura doesn’t need someone who supports her but doesn’t understand her. She needs a partner on equal ground, who gets what she’s going through better than anyone, who can support her but also challenge her, who can and has always respected her boundaries and compliments her in every way.

So, in other words: Shiro.

My supportive Shiro series is a basic catalogue of all the times he’s supported her, as allur@nce is the ship that gets lauded as being so supportive and... not only is it really not, but also, imagine waiting two seasons for your ship to have any interaction beyond invasion of boundaries and annoyance? Can’t relate.

We’ve all written meta about the Hand Touch, so I won’t go over too much here, but what is notable about 2x05 is that after Allura collapses in a life threatening situation that Shiro cannot control, he spends the rest of the episode doing his best to take care of her. He takes charge, leads the team, never places a burden on her shoulders, and stays by her side throughout it, even when she tries to blame herself.

A: It’s me. It’s been me [whose been tracked] all along. S: It doesn’t matter princess. We’re in this together, we’re gonna get out together.

He doesn’t say that she’s wrong. He says that even if she is being tracked, it doesn’t matter, because they are still in this together. He constantly takes the weight off her shoulders whenever he can, lets her have the final say on all matters that she’s around to actually weigh in on. 

And as I started this meta before s6, I won’t be touching on either s6 or s7 in detail (although they continued the previous patterns, with the two times Shiro supports Allura again is addressing her personal fears through a professional lens, and then professionally again on Earth).

But really, which man would you want, even by just going off each one’s first interactions? The one who catches but flirts with you when you’re clearly distressed, the one who terrifies you and nearly kills you, or the one who calmly and immediately offers help (when seconds ago he was saying they all had to be on their guard) and never wavers for even a second afterwards?

Honestly? It’s hardly a competition. It’s just too bad that VLD’s decided to rig the game.

#shallura #anti allurance #analysis series #anti lotura #i've kinda missed writing meta but i also know the show is going nowhere good and none of it meant Anything so #expect my meta to be sparse #that being said if anyone #wants some TSBS meta from me plz ask i'd love to write something like that!! #also when lance is reassuring about lotor in s6 he still puts everything on her 'the universe needs you' how about u offer #to idk HELP HER? #and the fact he blames shiro and then switches directions when she shuts him down.. y i k e s #s3 #s5 #analysis

[shiroallura]

just saw this interview and while sitting on the verge of wanting to vomit and wanting to cry, i still want to be coherent and say: for whatever reason, joaquim and lauren must be lying through their teeth.

because if shiro isn’t the one true black paladin, then why wasn’t keith picked by black from the start? why was allura wrong? why was shiro able to do the eye glow in 1x02, like alfor did, before any of the other paladins even after seasons of development with their lions? why have shiro’s arc of a full 26 episodes be about his leadership and bond with the black lion, when keith got maybe 7 episodes at best? why always show keith piloting black through his bond with shiro instead of bonding with the lion itself? why have shiro be the one to fight and earn black’s trust in the astral plane? why have s6 prove that keith was only picked by black because shiro wanted him to be? why already have a plotline of ‘shiro’ being the strategic director and showing him missing black? why have keith not be in black and instead have an entirely separate arc instead of proper development? why have keith unlock things that shiro was able to unlock by himself that keith needed shiro’s help to do? why have all the lions, including black, roar the way they did in the pilot only when shiro returned? why have such a heavy emphasis on shiro wanting to be a paladin if he wasn’t going to be one again? why have a main character, the closest thing vld has to a main character every season, suddenly be sidelined? why have shiro literally fulfil the role of the black paladin more or less from beyond the grave and in the voltron void for four goddamn seasons? why have shiro being in the black lion’s astral plane, because she refused to let him die, to have her save him at all costs until he could be safely brought back, for him to not be a paladin? why would keith be any more willing to be black paladin now that shiro is back for good? why have haggar call keith the red paladin, and the two black paladins refer just as easily to shiro and kuron in 6x05? why have keith pointedly not do the eye glow with the black lion in 6x07? why do this to their most popular character that voltron’s survival and popularity as a show fucking depends upon? why sideline and say that your disabled, mentally ill asian lead of colour isn’t as fit to be the “born leader” he was always made to be, than your white fave?

this isn’t the first time they’ve done this, saying one thing and the exact opposite happening (ie. shiro coming back immediately to pilot black in 4x01, something that keith was willing to pull away and risk lives over, for) but i swear to god, if s7 doesn’t fix this shit hole, not only are joaquim and lauren on my forever shit list and will i never let up with the hate against them, but i will drop the show. i will stop watching.

but the main reason why i think they’re lying, for whatever, reason, is because we still haven’t seen shiro use the black bayard in its true form. is because of all the reasons above, because s7 may open and it’ll seem like it’s keith, and then be shiro. because keith’s leadership “arc” began with him doing it for shiro, and ended with him rescuing shiro. because shiro as the black paladin is the only fucking thing that makes any sense.

because if it isn’t, it’s ableist. it’s maddening. it’s bad writing. and shiro deserves so much better. he always has. he’s always deserved writers who actually connect and give a single flying fuck about his goddamn character. and even if this is a lie, and this post was for nothing, you know what? this was still a fucking super shitty move, to say, “hey this character that ptsd-survivors and disabled people relate to? you’re not good enough to be in this story,” even as a fake out to generate talk. it’s a fucking shit move and i will never forgive them for any of this.

so yeah, i might stay a bit off voltron for the rest of the day. i honestly just feel so sick to my stomach, i’m trying to be hopeful and rational, but like... season three was so so terrible and voltron’s been better recently and i’ve been so scared it couldn’t last, and after season six i was so relieved and excited and confident about so much and this has completely blown me out of the water and idk. i just really want to cry.

sorry guys, i know that probably, or even this post, isn’t really what you want to hear, but we honestly have seen and known just how absolute shit voltron’s writing can be. if shiro isn’t black paladin... i may leave the fandom. either that or i’ll leave the show and focus wholly on my fix it fic verse, but even that might hurt too much. so, yeah. i just don’t know. i just know we’ll need the spoilers from 7x01 at SDCC on july 20th because like... i need to know so that i can either cry tears of joy/relief or devastation because i finally thought this wasn’t up in the air anymore and now it is again, and it’s just

yeah. dragons out

#takashi shirogane #lauren montgomery #joaquim dos santos #dragons gets salty #i feel so fucking sick to my stomach #shiro #i swear to FUCKING GOD #s7 #i've never hated them so fucking much in my life than i do right now in this goddamn second #dragons' shit list

[shiroallura]

voltron ask game

was tagged by the lovely @onemerryjester, @smolsarcasticraspberry, @moonbdreamin, and @littlespacestars. thanks guys!

How did you discover the show?

i heard that studio mir was animating it, and as i love both legend of korra and dreamworks, i decided to check it out.

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the show?

i watched the first episode, and thought it was pretty good, but i wasn’t invested until episode three of the first season? episode two gave me a ship i latched onto really hard in shiro and allura, obviously, but episode three was the first hint at shiro’s backstory and that forming voltron wasn’t going to be the automatic solution to saving the day, which i liked. then in 1x04 “fall of the castle of lions” i saw the show wasn’t afraid to have the world go wrong all around its characters and have high stakes, so then i was sold.

Do you have a favorite episode?

anything shallura, shiro, or allura centric, basically, but here’s some season from season.

season one: 1x01 “rise of voltron,” 1x04 “fall of the castle of lions,” 1x09 “crystal venom,” 1x10 “collection and extraction,” 1x11 “the black paladin season two: 2x03, “shiro’s escape,” 2x07 “space mall,” 2x12 “best laid plans,” 2x13 “blackout” season three: none bc it was a shit season fight me season four: 4x01 “code of honour,” 4x02 “reunion,” 4x06 “a new defender” season five: 5x02 “blood duel,” 5x03 “postmortem,” 5x04 “kral zera,” 5x06 “the white lion”

Do you have a favorite Paladin?

Shiro, ultimately, but only the teensiest tiniest bit more than I love Allura.

Do you have a favorite Lion? (If it’s different from your fave Paladin, why?)

the black lion bc she deserves to be happy and the red lion bc she’s just trying to keep her idiot child alive (and yes all the lions are girls to me i’m always so taken aback whenever any of them are referred to as a boy, ESP the yellow lion vld can rip this headcanon out of my dead cold hands)

Do you have a favorite villain?

Haggar. I love her magic and design, her betrayal of her people and her obsession with quintessence. I was always fascinated by how much stronger she seemingly was than Zarkon, yet she served him as an advisor anyway, plus her having been the one to experiment on Shiro kept her as a deeply personal threat in s1, rather than Zarkon’s more distant presence, I guess? I also find Zarkon and Lotor very interesting of course, and I adore the dynamic between all three of them in all its messed up, back-stabbing glory, but yeah, Haggar’s my fave.

Do you have a favorite Alien Race (Recurring and/or minor)

Alteans, Balmerans, and the Galra. I love the first two for their growing culture and values, as well as aesthetic. I’ve never seen an alien race designed like the Balmerans before, and I love elves, so self-explanatory. I love the Galra for the different variations for their race, and I would love to know more about how their culture works.

Favorite side/other character(s) - Rebels, Generals, Blade of Marmora, Garrison, etc?

Shay and Axca. I also have a soft spot for Kolivan.

How/Why did you join the fandom?

I joined the fandom because I had found A Relationship to latch onto. Sometimes I enjoy relationships more lowkey, but I’m not interested/invested enough to seek more things out for them -- ie. Jake and Amy from B99. But when I do get attached, it is Fast and often extremely dedicated. What Relationships (both shipping, and brotps) catch my fancy can fluxuate, as a couple with the tropes I love might enrapture me and another one may not and there’s not exactly a rhyme or reason to it (maybe chemistry or stakes?? idk) but yeah, Shallura was definitely one since 1x02, “Only Shiro is in uniform” and by the end of s1, I knew I was done for. I just had to find my people, then.

Care to share your favorite headcanon?

Well as previously mentioned: the VLD Lions are genderless bc they’re not humans, firstly, and not alive, just sentient. Allura’s mother knew Coran and Alfor also loved one another and she was cool and comfortable with it. Shiro was raised by his mother and grandmother, his father having been a war hero / pilot who died in an accident when he was little. I also headcanon Shiro as bi, Allura as pan (or at least, the closest word we’d have for it), that Hunk has two moms (one’s a cook and one’s an engineer). I also love the idea of Haggar having been the cousin of Allura’s mother, but I think that will undeniably stay fanon only? I still love it tho.

What do you think is the best part of the show?

I think Shiro and Allura’s relationship is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The animation from Studio Mir is always stunning, and the soundtrack really blows me out of the water. I’ve also really enjoyed the team as a whole found family group, and I adore all and any of Coran’s relationships, and Pidge and Hunk’s friendship <33

Any hopes and wishes for future episodes/seasons?

With s6 around the corner, I’d love / know that Operation Kuron is finally going to come to light, so that’s squared off. I’d love a bit more backstory for Shiro, and more information about Haggar’s druids because I find them fascinating. For Allura’s mom to have a name, and I think it would be really cool to have an episode, once the team is back in their original Lion lineup, to have either Keith or Lance be sick and have to sit a mission out, and have Allura take the helm of the Blue Lion again as a one-off.

Do you think you’ll stick it out until the end of the show?

Probably. Even if VLD does something that will make me drop it completely as Canon, ie. either Shiro or Allura (or any of the paladins, really) dying, or Shiro not being permanent BP, I’ll still watch and check in from time to time, just to see what enjoyment I can take from it. I mean, I’ve made it this long, and we all know bc Shallura are Idiots if they’re going to be canon they’ll only become so in the last episode. Plus, I really have been enjoying VLD again the past few seasons and I’ve missed that feeling, so I’m very happy rn with where the show is, even if it still isn’t perfect. So, long story short: I’ve been in this fandom since June 14th, 2016. I ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Idk who hasn’t been tagged yet? @shirofied, @materassassino and @braincoins and anyone else who wants to do so (if you’ve been double tagged, obvs don’t have to do the challenge again)

#dragons rambles #shallura fandom #onemerryjester #smolsarcasticraspberry #littlespacestars