stay with me, shiro

Please add to this list:

Why Haggar was interested in Shiro

Shiro’s illness

Cloning- mentioned once and never really brought up again

Kosmo

Keith’s turning into a Galra once and ONLY once

How different species are biologically compatible

What the hell are the druids

How Keith could sense Blue

Haggar’s appearing and disappearing maternal instincts

Why aren’t planets round. Moons can be round. Why aren’t planets round???

What Matt saw in Sam Holt’s cell

“Another [human]”- mentioned in the opening minutes and then not a thing since

Lance’s sword

what are the Blue Lion’s preferred Paladin traits

Voltron Coalition’s distrust of working alongside Galra

How Alfor even knew about the Sincline comet

The implied sentience of the MFE ships

Keith’s entire thing on quintessence sensing

What the hell Voltron even is, even the whole ‘universe’s strongest weapon’ got dropped as of, oh, s5

Lotor, how he learnt about alchemy, and really everything about him.

Lance’s insecurities/home sicknesses

Found family plot

Shiro’s life before being a paladin, and his time as a champion.

Shiro. did he hatch from a fucking egg. WHERE ARE HIS PARENTS.

Allura’s quintessence being connected to all the Lions. whatever happened to that

Alfor’s “if all goes well, we’ll see each other again soon” line - did that? ever pan out? or…?

why did the Lions not pick their endgame Paladins back in the pilot if that’s where they were supposed to end up. if Keith’s a better Black paladin than Shiro and Black “believed in him before he believed in himself” why didn’t Black just choose him in the first place

the Lion Switch still makes no fucking sense. where did the hierarchy of Lions come from. how would that even make sense. the OG Paladins were all rulers and leaders how did they get arranged into first-second-third

seriously though what the fucketh happens if the Red Paladin with the fiery temper who relies on instinct isn’t the trusted right hand of the Black Paladin. like this is a mess. it’s a fucking mess my dudes

Allura going from Mystical Princess whose life force is connected to All The Lions to Naive Teenage Girl who can’t fly in a straight line. seriously why. like why

for that matter why did they all struggle so much in early S3 if those were their ~destined~ true Lions like lmao okay just. *rubs temples* *screams into pillow*

the Blade of Marmora. were they just. chilling for 10k years doing jack shit. how did they form? who set that thing up? what did they have spies in central command for? what did the spies do??

seriously those dudes were all like “we just hang out in secret hating the Empire we cannot possibly do anything” like OKAY SO LIKE. WHAT IS YOUR M.O. WHAT DO YOU DO. WHO FORMED YOU. WHO’S IN CHARGE. CAN I SPEAK TO THE FUCKING MANAGER

how did spending 2 years on a space whale qualify Keith for leadership but a lifetime of learning and training was inadequate for Allura to be the one taking charge

what even the fuck was with Shiro’s illness. did he ever tell anyone about it. did it go away.

why did the Black Lion suddenly forget all about Shiro in S7. where did the bond go. i don’t fux with bullshit interviews EXPLAIN IT IN THE FUCKING TEXT YOU COWARDS

did JDS draw that blush on Allura’s cheeks in S7 with a sharpie

bonding with the Lions. remember when that was all mystical and about connecting to the element of the Lion. what happened to that. why did Pidge get that one storyline about it and then Shiro in the astral plane but no one else ever did

why is Keith’s quintessence still red and Lance’s still blue and they’re supposed to be “mirrored in their Lions” but they’re not

who would win 10,000 year old super-powerful quintessence zombie vs. one pointy boy

are there just like. 1000s of random Shiro clones roaming the universe now. just chilling in tubes. like what.

HOW? DOES? MAGIC? WORK? you cannot fucking have a science fantasy world feel compelling and real if you can’t even be bothered to map out a functional magic system. like does Allura just get power ups whenever it’s convenient

if Allura is supposedly “the heart of Voltron” why isn’t she in the Black Lion, since that forms the torso/heart of Voltron. yes i’m still salty about Allura not being in Black I ALWAYS WILL BE

whatever the fucketh happened to Allura’s ability to supercharge Voltron

why did Allura have to die seems fake but okay

WHY THE FUCKETH. did the Galra empire offer Keith the role of Emperor. i’m pissing this is the dumbest fucking bullshit i’ve ever heard. lmao WHY. WHY THAT DUDE. FUCK.

For that matter, how was Lotor’s plan to provide infinite quintessence and make the Galra peaceful by taking away the supposed material need for conquest going to address the cultural aspect? As badly as Lotor’s plan went, I don’t believe he’s stupid enough or naive enough to overlook that part.

Keith and Krolia spent a lot of time with Romelle (the exact timeline was not super clear to me) and yet once they rejoin the other paladins, they don’t speak to each other and have no relationship whatsoever.

Shiro’s relationships with any other lead characters in s7 and s8.

Why are they called Paladins? That usually carries a very specific connotation…

Coran uses the term “Sacred Altean” to refer to Allura and Alfor. …but there’s no follow up on that.

What determines who’s “worthy” to enter Oriande? I mean, I know it’s the Guardian, but what is the Guardian looking for? Why is Lotor worthy when, presumably, Haggar/Honerva wasn’t (seeing as how she apparently disabled and ensnared the Guardian)?

How come Honerva used those dark rift beasties to “enslave” all the other Alteans but apparently not her second-in-command (who later whips around and attacks her when she realizes they’ve been duped)? 

the opening shows Allura highlighting an entire field of enemy ships and Coran pushing a button - the Castle does a light show and everything blows up. WHY DID WE NEVER GET TO SEE THAT?! 

Allura says the Arusians are the first race in “the Voltron Alliance” - a term we never hear used again. I assume the Alliance are like “yay Voltron” and the Coalition are more like “We will FIGHT with Voltron”? But…?

At the end of s1, Red sprouts a huge-ass cannon on its back because Keith yelled a lot. We finally did get to see it again in season 8, but… where the hell was it all the rest of the time? 

Like… how tf do genetics work in Voltron? How does Galra chick + Human dude = Keith who looks entirely human but Galra dude + Altean chick = a purple Altean (Lotor)? (And meanwhile Allura looks like a freaking clone of her mom.)

How it’s possible for random mechs to just smoosh together and make a new mech all of a sudden? I’m not talking about the Lions forming Voltron; I’m talking Voltron + Atlas and Sincline mech + Honerva’s mech.

Balmeras can teleport apparently? wtf?

How did Lotor’s generals find Sendak? He was dumped into a random part of space. Is there a tracker in his arm? What’s the range on that thing?

Sam and the Garrison apparently built the Atlas to shapeshift? Like…?

They go into Honerva’s mind… but it’s apparently the Lion Spaces? How? What? Also, how did Honerva trap Alfor’s soul when, as far as we’ve seen, Zarkon faced Alfor alone in single combat and killed him?

Why did Lotor send his generals to the Ulippa System to steal the giant teludav lens (apparently from Haggar). What was he using it for?

Why was Axca collecting scaultrite inside the weblum? What was Lotor going to use THAT for??

What was the “pure strain” of quintessence (aka: the Altean body harvesting quintessence) being used for?

How did the aforementioned quintessence create Ranveig’s creature? 

What was really going on with the second Altean colony?

How was Bandor able to escape? How was he even able to pilot a pod?

How the hell did Romelle even know what Lotor’s fighter ships looked like?

We know Lotor has been through the Quantum Abyss so he MUST have had visions of the past and future. Did that affect his decision making going forward at all?

The role the Rift Creatures played in corrupting/manipulating resurrected Zarkon and Honerva (and possibly Lotor) is NEVER discussed. 

Also they mention that newborn Lotor has the same “energy signature” as evil Zarkon and Haggar (implied to be the Rift beings), but this is never explained further and literally never mentioned again.

The paladins never acknowledge that they royally fucked up the universe by killing Lotor. Like, they fucked up SO BAD, it’s astounding.

Also never acknowledge how Alfor’s decision to sacrifice Altea for “the good” of the universe is, in essence, the same exact decision Lotor had to make with the Altean Colony (albeit, on a much smaller scale). 

Voltron: Legendary Defender has many good moments with great characters and villains, even into its final season. The s8 finale, however, contains multiple plot holes that result in a very dark and unsettling message at its end.

The core issue surrounds the foundations from s6, about the second colony. The entire reason Honerva rises to power in s8 is because of the power vacuum caused by Lotor’s death. He is no longer there to maintain the Galran empire or to protect the (first) Altean colony from her influence. The result is mass-universal destabilization, the violent death of billions, etc. And why? We never learned what actually happened to the second colony or why/how Lotor was using that energy. All we have is an accusation from Romelle, and the existence of the second colony, with the assumption that everything is exactly as she recounted.

So the entire catalyst for his death, and the subsequent foundations for s7 and s8, remain masked in mystery.

Regardless, even if Lotor were truly so evil to deceive Alteans and kill them maliciously for their energy per Romelle’s exact statements, s8 fails to produce the logic for its own existence. Characters spend several episodes demonizing Lotor in various conversations as a deceiver/liar/killer, as a way to justify the decision to kill him despite the universal destabilization. And then Allura, who so despised him at the end of s6, offers at the end of s8 a general statement that “he was misguided but ultimately, he wanted to preserve life. Honor your son.” And Honerva agrees to say, “He deserved better.”

So wait, why is everyone so buddy-buddy with Lotor now that his face has been melted off? Is anyone taking responsibility for his death and for the power vacuum that destroyed the universe? Why are the people saying “he deserved better” also the ones who directly caused said misery? Why are they “honoring” the “mass murderer” they just slandered for the last two seasons?

The reason for s8’s problems with mass destabilization and Honerva’s rise are inherently tied to the revelation of the second colony. And yet, we have no further information about what really happened or why Lotor should be killed and then oddly vindicated/justified for his decisions as some strange Joan of Arc character. There’s furthermore no relevation from Allura prior to that point showing how she suddenly understood Lotor’s dilemma.

In the past, the s6 decisions have been meekly justified as a way to make Lotor a “tragic character.” In other words, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos admit that Lotor is a purposeful martyr for the overarching storyline. Such “tragedy” is the final straw to make Honerva lose whatever was left of her sanity in s8 to convert her into the big bad.

But is this tragedy? Or did they create something actually worse than tragedy?

Aristotle described tragedy as a means of obtaining catharsis—an emotional release of tension. That is the stated purpose of a traditional tragedy: to make you experience emotions of fear, pity, pain etc. within the environment of a fiction so that you can move onward in your real daily life (debatably, feeling better about your own life circumstances, feeling drained of bad emotion, or otherwise motivated to work on and understand your own flaws).

Catharsis in tragedy writing is achieved when a reason is given for said tragedy. Without a reason, there is no catharsis that can be achieved. Often, tragedies come to a point of catharsis when the tragic hero realizes his/her own fatal flaw that resulted in the disaster of their life. It provides a framework to understand their tragedy and therefore their position in the universe. VLD unfortunately never really explains why s8 had to happen (see notes above about the second colony). Furthermore, Lotor never admits to a personal failing. Allura/Voltron never admit to their politically immature moves or take responsibility for the power vacuum they created. Honerva never admits to her scientific curiosity going too far. The only person who perhaps achieves catharsis is Honerva’s mind-version of Zarkon, whose very existence is yet another strange plot hole to be discussed in perhaps a later post.

Given the overwhelming mystery and lack of reason for s8’s events, neither the characters nor the audience can achieve catharsis. This internalizes the emotions, resulting in the exact opposite of what a tragedy is for. VLD is missing catharsis entirely as its biggest plot hole in its questionable attempt to reach for adult themes and be edgy.

Additionally, a legitimate tragedy is couched within an overarching plot designed to instruct viewers in some greater lesson (ethical, etc.) Because the main characters in VLD never achieve a lightbulb moment about the reason for their pain, there is no instructive lesson or moral to be obtained. From a literary perspective, wisdom is central to tragedy. Wisdom must be revealed to both the characters and the audience, or else the entire story is meaningless.

Per s8, the only ultimate wisdom I could ascertain is that all good people fall to darkness for mysterious reasons, and the only escape to peace is death? There is no lesson or revelation from the protagonists that, “Hey, this is what happens when you create a power vacuum, and maybe we shouldn’t have done that.” Or, “Hey, this is what happens when we take scientific knowledge too far without question.” Or, “Hey, this is what happens when you play judge, jury, and executioner without due process.” Not one single character walks away with a deeper understanding of the universe or their circumstances.

Oh, but what about the show’s overarching lessons about teamwork and friendship? The stated theme of VLD is “strength in unity”—something that is repeated again and again in every single season. But in the end, writers break up the act in order to undo Honerva’s actions. Allura’s decision to sacrifice herself represents a direct contradiction to the heart of Voltron’s own theme. Ultimately, it isn’t strength in unity that saves the universe. It’s fragmentation and death.

Writers then slap a comic band-aid over the deaths and insanity, along with a shoddily constructed happy ending for a few living characters to make you forget that the show is influencing you and your children to believe life has no meaning (an extreme form of nihilism), ultimately undercutting the legitimacy of the happiness, as well as the ultimate value, of both the dead and still-living characters.  

Now, nihilism is an official and legitimate school of philosophical thought. There’s a lot of debate about nihilism, and a spectrum of more positive to more negative understandings about it. Some sectors of nihilism simply seek to reject traditional assumptions about reality and put the responsibility of making meaning on the individual—which can be very helpful and positive. Other sectors, however, assert that life has no meaning whatsoever, from both a subjective and objective perspective. Unfortunately, VLD’s outrageously incoherent structure results in a latter understanding.

So if you are sitting here, disturbed by Voltron’s finale without words to explain why, look deep into yourself. If you feel there is supposed to be meaning of some kind to life (whether subjective to you or objectively defined), then know that your disconcerted emotions derive from the fact that Voltron is trying to tell you differently.

Understand that Voltron: Legendary Defender is not tragedy because it cannot fit into the defined literary genre of tragedy. It is ultimately bad philosophical propaganda, because it offers no reason behind or meaning for its terrible events, and its contradictory construction does not allow for individual viewers to make a subjective, coherent meaning from its insanity.

[insert here a general statement of, “I’m backing up all my shit but I’ve had the same blog since 2009 so tumblr will get rid of me when they come kill me themselves”] — but at the same time, at least I make myself very easy to find on other platforms because I’ve used some variant on this username since I first made my old LJ, back in high school, so

AO3: amorremanet

Discord: amorremanet#5500

Dreamwidth: amor_remanet

Instagram: amorremanet (has exactly one post on it because I’m never on IG)

Pillowfort: amorremanet

Twitter: amorremanet (mostly used for retweeting fanart and whatever tweets I’m digging from Chuck Wendig and Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez today)

So, yeah. If y’all want to find me at any of these places, please do ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I didn’t know who he was, but the first time I saw him, I couldn’t look away. I still can’t even today … 

This is the Smiling Lotor Good Luck post. No need to reblog, just look at the :) and have a good day. 

Where My Armor Ends

One | Two

Summary:

A series of one-shots.  

Current Chapter:

When Shiro fused with his clone, he ended up in a body without a death sentence. He knew that. But he didn’t feel it, until it suddenly hits home. 

Excerpt:

Immediately, Hunk brightened.  "Oh, that’s a good point. Yeah, that’ll work.  Thank you.“ He dug in much more happily, though his eyes darted to watch Shiro’s new right arm float up and down as he ate.  "How’d your appointment go? All clear on the arm?”

Shiro put down his fork and held the hand out in front of him, curling each finger in turn.  "Yeah, everything checked out. No leftover alien metal, no other surprises, and no problems from the cloning process.   A clean bill of health.“

It had been odd, actually.  Usually, a doctor’s visit left him feeling grimly resigned.  He’d walked into the office, ready for whatever new twist would be thrown his way.  Part of him had been sure they’d find some new problem. Either it would be a tracking or recording device in some gruesome place inside him, or he’d find out that making and aging hundreds of clones in a year caused long-term damage.

None of that had been true.  Doctor Fraiser and smiled up at him and told him that Shiro was healthy, and to have a nice day.  

I don’t think so.

Kolivan is cautious, but he’s also incredibly protective of his own people when he feels like he can afford it. To the point that, after being released from Macidus’s control, the first concern he raises is an apology that his signal led Krolia into the trap. He focuses more on how his imprisonment and torture affected his fellow Blades than how it did himself.

Furthermore, while Kolivan does encourage people to not go back for their allies and instead focus on getting themselves to safety, it’s clear his objective is to minimize casualties, not write them off- when Regris stays behind, Kolivan calls for him not to do that.

In that sense… Kolivan wouldn’t demand Keith prove the blade is his, or put him through undue hardship if he’s Krolia’s son. That puts a completely different light on the weapon, and on Keith’s arrival. It would say Keith arrived and brought that weapon there because Krolia planned for this.

Also, the way Kolivan states that Keith could only have awakened the Blade if he were at least partial galra seems a lot like he’s only realizing this information for the first time himself. He doesn’t know Keith is anything but a full human. And, that’s sensible, considering how all of our other half-galra present visually (look at Team Sincline).

The thing is, if Kolivan knew Keith was Krolia’s child before the trials, that means he raked him over the coals for no good reason he can justify, which… is very unlike Kolivan, who is a dang meticulous person.

Ship Kiss Meme | still accepting

32. …to wake up

~*~

Ulaz is perfectly content to sit for a while and watch the fire dwindle down to a soft glow in the hearth. Against him, Shiro is fast asleep, snoring softly. Though not quite the same tone, it reminds him of a contented Galra thrum, and it’s the way he can determine if Shiro’s slumber is actually deep and restful. The first time he called it Shiro’s sleep-purr, his mate had smiled so wide, Ulaz’s chest got tight. Though the series of events that had brought them to where they are now were heavy and chaotic, Shiro and Ulaz live in the reverence of simple things. The noises Shiro makes when he sleeps, Ulaz’s delicate arrangement of no less than ten blankets on their bed for a proper nest, sharing meals and reading together in the evenings. The satisfaction of embracing the small comforts is such a contrast to the bold, big moves of their lives in wartime; whenever they can, they surround themselves in moments to be grateful for.

Even though Shiro is still called to serve and Ulaz answers to the needs of the Blade of Marmora, they fight to carve out whatever time they can together. Their modest house in a quiet neighborhood not far from the Garrison is their safe haven, and they make it theirs. The doorways are nowhere near as grand as they are on all the ships; Ulaz has to duck his head to go from room to room. Light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room are also dangerous if Ulaz isn’t paying well enough attention. But Shiro certainly seems to appreciate how Ulaz wraps his big arms around him and holds him like nothing in the world can touch him. If Ulaz had his way, nothing would. Their lives don’t always allow for that, but he tries his best regardless. Luckily, for all his fussing, Shiro eats up the doting protection quietly and with affectionate nuzzles given freely, especially when they’re alone. To this day Ulaz, wonders how it’s come to be that, after so often separated, they came to be mated. They’ll spend the rest of their lives together, with Shiro joining Ulaz and the other coalition members out in space and Ulaz learning about what life is like on Earth. Extremely tiny doorways and all.

The last embers of the fire still glow, and Shiro’s head lists all the way to one side. Ulaz frowns, his brow creasing. Shiro will have an awful cramp in his neck if he remains like that. It’s with great reluctance that he shifts to rouse Shiro, hearing a protesting noise from his mate in response.

“I apologize, Shiro, but I should take you to the nest to continue your slumber.”

Another resistant noise, and Shiro tries to bury himself against Ulaz’s side to steal more of his warmth.

Ulaz feels weak to the insistence they stay right where they are on the sofa, but this is for Shiro’s own good. He moves Shiro again, but leans down to kiss him softly on the lips to quiet his protests and get him moving. Shiro often seems motivated by their kisses, and maybe this will work. “Please come with me.”

Shiro’s eyes flutter about halfway open, and he peeks up at Ulaz from under his lashes. “Don’t want to move,” he murmurs.

“I understand, but…” Ulaz looks down at him, considering. Already, Shiro’s eyelids start to droop again, and Ulaz doesn’t bother to fight it. “If you will not come, then I will have to carry you there myself.”

Then Keith comes along and says this.

Shiro is actually really beat up, and physically vulnerable. He feels at his lowest and that this is it for him. All the previous voices in his head come back, but when he speaks his doubts Keith immediately shuts it down with strong emotion.

“Stop talking like that. You’re gonna make it.”

So my two cents honestly haven’t changed much since where they started in s3e5 when Ryou first showed up. (And I’m obstinate about not calling him Kuron- that’s not who he is that’s what Haggar did to him.)

That is to say: Shiro and Ryou are identical people. The one thing Josh Keaton says in his depiction of Ryou is that Ryou is a little shorter-tempered and impatient, and that’s not a difference of character.

Ryou is effectively just an exact duplicate of Shiro who was retraumatized where he felt safe and has a long, growing fear that he can’t trust his own thoughts and feelings. We’ve got abundant evidence before the switch from Shiro to Ryou that getting snappy and belligerent is Shiro’s stress response. 

Inktober Day 7: Werewolf!

I’ve been posting on Twitter every day, and am now slowly catching up here! If you want the daily update, head over to my Twitter!

last set before i hibernate again \  yeehaw au au

Adam/Keith/Shiro (established romantic throuple). Teen & Up Audiences. 7.7k (ch. 1 of ?). Modern AU.

After two years in a throuple and finally moving in together, Adam, Keith, and Shiro know each other pretty well. But when Adam and Shiro start at their first-choice graduate program in illustration, the pressure starts to get to Shiro in ways that Keith and Adam never saw coming.

Between fighting every day to prove himself and TAing for an asshole prof, Shiro turns to stress-eating, the toll of which quickly starts showing on his once-trim waistline. Keith and Adam don’t mourn the loss of their boyfriend’s eight-pack abs, but they do worry about what might happen if Shiro cottons on to how much he’s gaining. They don’t want him to find an extra excuse to treat himself like garbage. So, if they don’t mention his weight, they’re only looking out for him, right?

Shiro, meanwhile, is nowhere near as oblivious as Keith and Adam think — at least, not about how he’s getting pretty chubby. To his surprise, he notices that and finds he doesn’t mind. His boyfriends’ silence, on the other hand? Shiro doesn’t know what to make of that, much less how Keith and Adam might react to his true feelings.

***

Adam intends to tell Takashi about the progress he’s made on the Han and Leia cosplay, but his mouth spits out, “I’m glad you’re giving yourself a break like you deserve. And if it helps, I know you, okay? There’s no way that you’ve actually been hitting the Halloween candy as hard as you think.”

“Er, thanks for the vote of confidence? But I, uh?” Sinking in his seat, Takashi squirms like he’s been caught with his hand in someone else’s cookies. As he ducks his eyes and scratches at the back of his neck, his cheeks flush a pretty shade of strawberry. “Midterm season’s killing me, I swear. So, I really have been overindulging on the candy, lately.”

Oh, God, I hope so, Adam doesn’t say because it wouldn’t help.

Instead, he takes a deep breath and rubs his knee against Takashi’s. “Babe, I’ve heard you say that eating a single fun-size Snickers bar counts as overdoing it on the sweets. So, excuse me if I don’t necessarily trust your opinion.”

***

Additional Tags: Established Relationship, chubby!kink, Weight Gain, Feedism, Fluff and Kink, Stuffing, Chubby Shiro, POV Alternating, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Gay Disaster Shiro, Background Hunk/Lance/Lotor, Lotor & Shiro Friendship, Misunderstandings, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Shiro Has Long Hair

All this time Keith knew

He knew that Shiro’s days were numbered and his vitality would fade before his prime was over. He knew that Shiro had suffered when that stress was too much for his partner and they turned away from him. He knew that Shiro had forsaken safety and comfort for one last blaze of glory to achieve the dream he’d worked so hard for. He knew he may never see him again, and that every time he did, the clock was still ticking.

For a fiery, upstart, showoff with discipline problems, Keith has become one of the most compassionate characters I’ve ever seen. Despite his fear of abandonment. Despite what had happened to his father, and despite knowing that their time was limited, Keith never gave up on Shiro. He never encouraged him to abandon his dream or to give up.

Every time that Shiro faltered, Keith was at his side. Did he fear that each time might be the last? Did he fear that if he only let Shiro close his eyes that his dearest friend would leave him forever?