stars aligned

Announcing the prompts for Shallura Week 2020!

june 1 | stars ; sky june 2 | wings ; bloom june 3 | moon ; sun june 4 | horizon ; beyond june 5 | light ; dark june 6 | AU day! june 7 | WIP day!*

*Interpret WIP day however you want! Whether that’s finally finishing that WIP of yours or simply posting a WIP!

Use the tags shalluraweek2020 or feel free to tag us directly! Also feel free to join us on Twitter! 

Since I asked, and you guys answered, welcome to the SHALLURA VALENTINES DAY special of 2019! It’ll be a week of Shallura celebration with Valentines Day theme prompts, and take place from Sunday February 10th—Saturday February 16th. Here are the prompts I’ve come up with, but if people want others (Love letters I think is very susceptible to change) or want to use a day as a free sort of day, go for it! I decided to go with a mini Shallura week rather than a usual Valentines Day exchange, as A) this is a bit last minute, B) I’ve never run an exchange before and again, don’t want to hastily put one together, and C) it gives us all a bit more leeway as to when we post our stuff. Be sure to tag your posts (graphics, playlists, fics, fanart, etc.) with ShalluraValentines, although I’ll be checking the “shallura” and “shalluraedit” tags as well (as always ;)). That being said, if somehow I miss something, always feel free to shoot me a quick message so I can reblog it! NSFW is accepted but tag and use read mores appropriately.

Prompt List:

(10th) Day 1: Snow day

(11th) Day 2: Traditions

(12th) Day 3: Red/Pink

(13th) Day 4: Cliche

(14th) Day 5: Heart

(15th) Day 6: Love letters

(16th) Day 7: New Beginnings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ;)

And before anybody starts asking why Allura’s wedding dress is purple, well I have a theory: 

-If you search for Zarkon and Honerva’s wedding you’ll see her dress is also purple. And many of the “bonding moments” through the show happenend in a scene with purple lightning, Keith and Lance, Hunk and Shay, Allura and Lotor. Therefore my theory is that in altean culture means “bonding” or “union”.

“I would say that out of all the words that are ever said to Shiro, I think Coran saying, ‘No, Shiro lost Allura’ - I feel like that probably cut him the most.” 

- Josh Keaton

yeah. in the parts i’ve seen of s8 there were some bits where the animation looked sloppy, or just generally unattractive (the animators in particular seemed to struggle with lance’s more ‘heartfelt’ smiles, idk if it’s because his pupils are small, or what, but??) but shiro, as always, is beautifully drawn, and so was every damn frame of this goodbye

i’ve written before about why the dialogue of this scene hits so hard, but like, it really does bear restating:

Most of them won’t know the sacrifice you made so they could live. 

The quiet dissuasion of this line hurts me so much. It’s a gentle nudge, a gentle question: is this worth your life? Is this sacrifice worth it? And there’s so much pain on his face as he asks it, in just his eyes. He’s seen her go through so much, has always done all he can to alleviate her burden, but he can’t do it this time (i mean, he could: his altean powered arm, anyone? but for the context of this scene that makes very little sense in canon, we’re going to keep going under the ‘there’s nothing anyone can do’ context). Even if he promised her, once. I’m not leaving you. It doesn’t matter, we’re not leaving without her. It doesn’t matter, we’re in this together, we’re gonna get out together. But this is as far as they may go, and he knows he can’t stop her, he doesn’t want to make this any harder on her. So he’s gentle, and simple: he will have to live with the knowledge of her sacrifice even when everyone else she saved doesn’t. Is that worth it?

And they’ll never need to. Your selflessness taught me that. 

Do you think Allura wanted to ask him, what it was like to die? To transcend existence and be in another realm, unknown, and alone? Of what was on the other side? But Allura knows he died for her cause, for Voltron, and the Black Lion, for just one reality. He made that sacrifice willingly, and she knows he would do so a thousand times over. Knows that he would have let himself be captured and tortured by the Galra again to keep from leaving her. That that’s just who he is, who she is, who they’ve always been, but his selflessness gives her strength. And for that, she has to say:

Thank you. 

I know we as a fandom have already talked about this, but Allura’s hug and goodbye with Shiro is the only one where any comfort is offered to her. In the others, she’s helping Hunk, or Pidge, or just flat out saying goodbye to Keith, or crying with Lance. Shiro is the only one who you can tell is devastated, just by the look on his face or the way he cradles her close like he never wants to let her go. But he still sets it aside, and puts her first, the way he always has since day one.

You never have to thank me for anything.

And all I can do is applaud not only the animators, but in particular Josh and Kim’s voice acting because they really blew this out of the park, Josh especially. His delivery holds so much, as does the soft way their hair and cheeks meet, the tears in his eyes (when we have seen Shiro nearly cry over Allura twice before, but have not seen him actually shed tears over anyone, not even Adam, until now). Because in this one line, everything we’ve wanted acknowledged between them is done so, deep down.

Allura giving him a purpose as Black Paladin after he was beaten and feeling broken? Allura sacrificing herself for him? Wearing pink for him, carrying his soul in her body, bringing him back to life? Allura building an arm for him and then sacrificing her mother’s tiara for him? All, in some way, at long, long last, being acknowledged on screen.

More than that is its subtext within the dialogue itself.

Shiro says, Is every reality that ever has been or ever will be worth your one life? and we know he thinks the answer is no, but he as always respected her as much as he cared for and protected her, so he will accept whatever decision she comes to. He always has.

Allura says, Yes, and you always sacrificed everything, and how could I do any less for you? Thank you, for giving me the strength to sacrifice my life for every reality, the same way you gave me the strength to sacrifice my life for yours.

And he says, What you believe I have done for you, you have done for me tenfold, and all the thank yous in the galaxy will never be enough to repay you. You have left me beyond gratitude.

They say to each other, your soul is the whole world, and was worth the worth of my life, and so I will save you in every reality alongside the universe, because it’s what we’ve both always done, what we always will do because that’s just who we are and we’ve always been the same, and I’m sorry that this is the end. I’m sorry I can’t save you this pain. Please, take what I can offer.

But even then, Shiro keeps her spirits up as much as he can. He’s the only paladin to share a smile with her in this scene, and despite his devastation, he only lets it fall once she’s turned away and can no longer see him: 

Some animator did every frame of this scene so lovingly, and Josh and Kim brought their A-game, and I think they’ve always delivered the most emotional performances in the show as a whole, and just…

There are a multitude of very good reasons why if I think about this scene too long, no matter what I’m doing in my day, I nearly start crying.