#voltron;

allura started out as hating and/or distrusting lotor, and thinking he’s the big bad, that there’s something sinister there (and maybe there is, tbh i think it’d be a very interesting thing given their new dynamic) – but acknowledging that he has a point

i keep thinking about season 3 – their first first encounter was in episode 3, and allura was terrified of lotor, but also bc that was her first ever actual mission as a paladin. a lot of feelings has definitely festered since then (and tbh i can’t ever forget that either, or that he was their enemy at one point, and it’s not something that can easily be forgiven when you’ve been shooting at each other)

lotor on the other hand has always lied, and it’s not like allura has any reason not to distrust him. he lied to the empire about his intentions, lied to his subordinates?/friends?, and never seemed to make any meaningful connections with others

though i’m opposed to the whole idea of him needing her to the point of obsession, it is true that her presence helped him get closer to his altean side – something he’s been deprived of – and maybe it’s a side that he’s always wanted to get closer to. in fact, he’s done his research, he’s a history buff, and though he can’t shake his galra side by appearance and by upbringing, he’s always looking to balance it out

and all his appeals for peace, for liberation, for a new golden era are aimed towards allura, because something in him recognises that something in her, too. maybe it’s because they’re both chosen. or maybe because he knows that she believes in the same things. it’s just that they were brought up differently: allura has always been altean; lotor has always tried to prove he’s galra to others, and because he feels lost there, too, being altean seemed like the better option, and maybe the most beneficial to him – but there will always be that disconnect. 

lotor will always be part of two worlds. becoming an emperor might have given him title, and the respect that comes with that title, but it’s allura who listened to him, respected his view, not because of a title, but because she’s the type to listen, and he’s the type to be able to convince her to, and there’s definitely shared values there. it’s always “look beyond how you perceive things to be.” rather than being different, they look instead to what they share, and that i think is ultimately where their dynamic takes a drastic turn (for the romantic? who knows? i mean they keep hinting about a union/relationship as a means to reconcile, and as a means to achieve peace, rather than maintain distant and separate)

so, really, it’s not just allura who allowed lotor to be heard, and respected, and given some credit because of what he knows and believes in and tries to act on; lotor, in his own way, also opened up allura’s perception of the world, also believed in her in the same degree (if not more), and allowed her to reconnect with her father through alchemy. 

and in the end he recognises that allura deserved her place in oriande because she was more worthy than him. it’s not like he ever truly underestimated her, but it doesn’t seem like he held her in such high regard before, either. 

AND NOW THERE’S MUTUAL RESPECT AND ADMIRATION AND A SHARED BOND ABOUT BEING WORTHY ALTHEANS (to an extent; and which, to them, might mean different things to a certain degree) AND (it seems) A SHARED GOAL (and i’m h*ckin weak y’all)