I kiss you in my mind. Again and again and again… even if I can never touch you in reality. I kiss you in my heart.
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PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH

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Janaina Medeiros
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@keith-chronicles
I kiss you in my mind. Again and again and again… even if I can never touch you in reality. I kiss you in my heart.
He’s a messy eater.
(Daily Alastor: 6-IV)
Save to say, those two got me in an iron grip 😮💨
Abundantia
As an overlord, Husk seemed to be the type to get everything he wanted
gossiping old ladies
forget being afraid of being judged as a sinner or winner, I am afraid to be judged by THEM.
Oh yeah, new Sett skin. Nice.
I love their love ❤️ 🖤
If you have recently supported me on Ko-fi (one-off or monthly), you get early access to my latest Sheith mafia au comic! Just uploaded the complete sketch draft over on my Ko-fi Gold page: https://ko-fi.com/post/Art-Blog-1-Sheith-Mafiaau-comic-WIP-G2G0SCYY
Do you have any theories about the significance of scars? Obviously Shiro has one, but so does Kolivan, Sendak and Zarkon (all across their eyes), and Matt gets one before he reappears as a rebel in S4. Maybe others I'm not remembering...
I’ve seen a few interesting theories going around before about how the scars reflect certain characters’ positions in Voltron. For instance, Shiro and Zarkon were both “the head.” So it’s fitting their scars are on the face:
And when Keith is going through his Marmora trial, he takes a very bad hit that likely left a scar. Coincidently, this cut was over his right shoulder, and he was Voltron’s right arm at the time:
Then there’s Matt, who was never a paladin, but still has a scar. Like Shiro, it’s on his face. And for the most part, I think it really just serves to show that, like Shiro, he’s very much changed since Kerberos. Both visibly and internally. The shared commonality of a scar let’s the viewer very clearly see that Matt’s had his own trials to endure. That being said tough, it’s not as noticeable, and certainly not as striking. Still, it’s a small reminder that he’s also a rebel who’s been irreversibly changed by the galra.
We also have Sendak and Kolivan, both of whom have s scar over the right eye. I’d say that it’s a very parallel connection between the two. It shows how they’re both foils–one completely loyal to the empire, the other leading a rebellion. There’s also the difference in how Sendak’s eye was scarred enough to merit mechanical replacement.
Either Kolivan can somehow still see out of that eye, or he’s capable of fighting without depth perception. Either way, Sendak’s galran tech eye seems to indicate how he’s metaphorically blinded by the Empire’s ideals. Whereas Kolivan would rather break free from the empire than attempt to reap its benefits for personal gain.
Visually I also think Zarkon’s scar looks a lot like Shiro’s, and that’s very intentional. It goes back to their bond between Black and all the other thematic parallels they share. Their scars are also right there on their faces. They’re plain as day, and I think anyone who looked at Shiro or Zarkon would be able to deal they have a long history with the empire. Same goes for Sendak and Kolivan. Even Matt’s less noticeable scar is still visible at a glance.
If Keith’s trial really did leave a lasting mark though, then it’s well hidden. It’s not someplace we can see. And I think this speaks to his more mysterious backstory and how, even to himself, his identity is very much hidden. (And the fact that he got that scar while trying to rediscover his past is likewise very telling)
i find it funny that shiro is actually vld's damsel in distress
i’m living for this, honestly. all joking aside, this is one of the most compelling parts of vld for me, because here we have this archetypal guy—a military hero, a man who’s stated in universe to be a legend on multiple occasions, the unquestioned leader of voltron
but this is the side of him we get to see, over and over again:
he has this incredible vulnerability, and even if that’s not revolutionary, keith is, because here we have this sword-wielding firecracker loner who’s constantly watching out for him. keith is really the only one shiro feels comfortable enough showing this side of himself to, and this is the result: (pic heavy meta under the cut)
Keep reading
Inverted Mirror: A Discussion of Shiro & Sendak’s S7 Fight Scene
Back before Season 8 came out, I wrote at least one meta on my @fandomoverflow sideblog about the fight between Shiro and Sendak in response to seeing the constant hate being directed at the writers because people saw Keith being the one to kill Sendak as undermining Shiro’s recovery from the trauma of his time in the Empire’s prisons.
The original post has since been deleted and only exists as reblogs, because this was back before tumblr’s porn ban opened my eyes to the importance of archiving and preserving fandom activity. But after I decided to put together a masterpost of all the meta I’ve written, I figured that I would try to write my thoughts out again to reflect on my understanding of that scene years later and see how my thoughts now compare to my thoughts then.
And one thing that I still feel very strongly about even after all this time is that complaints about Shiro not getting to be the one to kill Sendak overlook the symmetry their fight in Season 7 has with their previous duel back in Season 1, and the significance of what that all represents in terms of Shiro’s character arc and the show’s themes.
In their first fight back in Season 1, Shiro and Sendak are evenly matched. It ends in a stalemate with neither able to back down without the other killing them, but also unable to strike without being killed themselves. Sendak’s victory in that fight only comes from Haxus intervening and taking Lance hostage, distracting Shiro long enough for Sendak to knock him unconscious.
In their season 7 fight, Shiro and Sendak are still evenly matched, and Sendak only gets the upper hand when his ship crashes on Earth’s surface. But Keith’s arrival in the Black Lion turns the tide and ends Sendak before he can kill Shiro.
The common pattern here is that both times they fight, Shiro and Sendak are evenly matched. The only time one is able to get the upper hand over the other is when outside circumstances interfere, whether it be the environment they’re fighting in, or the presence of their allies.
And it’s specifically the question of whose allies are present that determines the outcome of each of their battles. Shiro faced Sendak alone without backup in Season 1 and lost because Sendak brought reinforcements. In Season 7, Shiro has the rest of his team ready to swoop in and help, while Sendak is the one fighting alone.
It’s a demonstration of the show’s emphasis on teamwork and working together that has been hammered in from the very first episode of the series. When Shiro and Sendak fight, the one that fights alone is the one that loses, while the one who fights with the support of others is victorious.
And it also serves as an encapsulation of Shiro’s character arc that I observed in one of my previous meta a few months after Season 8: that Shiro started the series trying to deal with his problems alone without relying on anyone, and that he had to learn to admit his vulnerabilities and accept help from others. The point of his arc, like I said in that earlier essay, was a rejection of the mentality that someone is weak for needing help to deal with their problems, both physical and mental.
So having Keith be the one to kill Sendak when Shiro is cornered after the ship crashes serves as a visual embodiment of that message: that Shiro doesn’t have to face his demons alone.
Which is further supported by the fact that the series has already established a consistent track record of Keith saving Shiro.
First in Season 2 when he flew the Black Lion for the first time to rescue Shiro from the angry wildlife of the planet they crash landed on.
Then again in Season 3 when he rescued Clone Shiro as he was about to die from lack of oxygen and supplies in his stolen Galra fighter.
And finally in Season 6 when he refuses to let clone!Shiro fall even to save himself.
Even outside of life-threatening situations, Keith has always been willing to jump in when Shiro needs help:
During the paladins’ very first training exercise in S1E02 “Some Assembly Required”, Shiro freezes up at the sight of the Altean gladiator charging towards him and Keith doesn’t hesitate to throw himself in front of Shiro and block the gladiator’s blow.
So Keith killing Sendak rather than Shiro doing it is the culmination of this pattern the series has been building up from the very first season (barring any moments in Season 8 that were cut due to WEP’s meddling of the final season).
Part of the reason I think people reacted so negatively back in 2018 to Keith dealing the final blow to Sendak instead of Shiro is that they were expecting the story to resolve Shiro’s trauma with a big, cathartic confrontation with the major figures of the Galra Empire responsible for his pain. Something like Zuko facing his father during the Day of Black Sun in Avatar.
But even if that was the kind of story the writers had been planning on for Shiro and his PTSD, Sendak would not have been the Ozai in this analogy.
Back when Season 7 first came out, I saw a lot of fans at the time acting like Sendak was a major source of pain and trauma for Shiro because of the scene where Shiro has a panic attack while Sendak’s memories are being downloaded in Crystal Venom.
But when you look at the details that the show gives us about Shiro’s experiences as a prisoner of the Galra Empire, Sendak actually has very little to do with the trauma associated with Shiro’s time in the arena.
Sendak was never once shown or mentioned as being part of any of Shiro’s memories of his time in the arena, and when they meet face to face in “Fall of the Castle of Lions”, their reactions are distant and impersonal.
There’s no recognition of each other as anything other than a Paladin of Voltron and a General of the Galra Empire.
And before the fight even begins, Shiro takes a defensive position, waiting for Sendak to make the first move.
When Shiro is captured, Sendak does mention being impressed that Shiro managed to escape and wanting to see if the rest of humanity had his spirit, but this only really indicates that Sendak was aware of Shiro’s performance in the arena.
It doesn’t confirm any deeper knowledge of what happened to Shiro beyond what we already learned. Especially because his reaction to Shiro’s prosthetic arm during their fight shows that he didn’t know about it. Which indicates that Sendak was not directly involved in what Shiro endured.
And the scene where Shiro hears Sendak’s in the memory chamber during “Crystal Venom” is directly indicated to have been Alfor’s corrupted AI giving voice to Shiro’s private fears and insecurities, as Lance’s experience with the airlock earlier in the episode established that the corrupted AI could mimic the voices of other people such as Coran.
So while Sendak may have been the instrument the castle used to trigger a panic attack, the details of Shiro’s backstory don’t support him playing any significant role in the horrors Shiro endured beyond that of a spectator in the arena.
This contrasts with his reaction to seeing one of the people directly involved in his torture and modifications when Haggar confronts him aboard Zarkon’s command ship in S1E11 “The Black Paladin.” His immediate reaction to seeing her is to angrily growl out “you”, demonstrating that he knows exactly who she is. And then almost immediately he goes on the offensive.
Haggar was directly responsible for everything that happened to him and has a deep knowledge of things even he didn’t know, based on the fact that she announces her presence by referring to him by the name his fellow prisoners gave him. Unlike with Sendak, Haggar is personally invested in fighting Shiro and tormenting him for his lack of gratitude to her for “making him strong.”
So just in terms of the volume of information we have about each character’s relationship to Shiro, the character built up as the biggest source of trauma for Shiro in regards to his time in captivity was not Sendak, but Haggar.
If the narrative had been meant to build up to Shiro personally winning a battle against a major source of his trauma (and I won’t rule out the possibility that this might have been one more thing carved out of the final season by Bob Koplar’s meddling) like how Zuko fully broke free of his father’s influence by confronting Ozai during the eclipse, the Ozai in that scenario would be Honerva, not Sendak.
Especially because Honerva was the one directly controlling his clone self in the second half of Season 6 and forced him to turn against his team.
If Sendak was meant to correspond to any character in this ATLA metaphor, it would be Admiral Zhao.
Who, if you recall, was also finished off by outside interference during his rematch with Zuko during “The Siege of the North Part 2” when the Ocean Spirit dragged him into the Spirit World. And I don’t hear people arguing that Zuko was robbed of closure because he didn’t get to beat Zhao again.
But even outside of that comparison, Sendak actually does fit as the Zhao of Voltron in terms of their roles in their respective narratives.
Zuko and Iroh are our first Fire Nation antagonists, but we quickly learn that they are banished and are not representative of the Fire Nation military capabilities. Zhao, on the other hand, is Team Avatar’s first look at an actual military leader of the Fire Nation who directly opposes them..
Similarly, while we get brief glimpses of Zarkon throughout the pilot, Sendak is the first actual military leader of the Galra Empire who comes into direct, face-to-face conflict with our main characters. And by the time the Paladins return to Earth in Season 7, he and his Fire of Purification are all that’s left of it.
Galra civilization as seen in Season 8 was reduced to scattered colonies living on isolated planets, trying to stay alive while salvaging what they could from the remnants of the empire’s infrastructure. With the throne empty after Lotor was left in the Quintessence Field and Honerva killing pretty much all the potential claimants at the Kral Zera during the timeskip, the Galra Empire ceased to exist as a political and military entity by the time the Paladins returned to Earth in Season 7.
The only people left who were shown to still be loyal to Zarkon’s ideology that the empire stood for are Sendak and his Fire of Purification.
So by killing Sendak to help Shiro, Keith symbolically fulfills his own words from when he tried to kill Zarkon back in “The Black Paladin”:
“This is my chance to put an end to the Galra Empire. I have to take it”
But as I said, a big Zuko vs Ozai moment does not appear to have been the approach that the Voltron writers were taking with Shiro’s PTSD.
His arc, like I said back in 2019, was about learning to rely on his team and accept that needing help from others did not make him weak.
So contrary to what people were saying back when Season 7 dropped, Keith saving him from Sendak did not undermine his arc, but was (at least part of) its culmination.
TL;DR:
I don’t if this attitude is still common this attitude in 2022, but a lot of people post-Season 7 were insisting that Shiro should have been the one to kill Sendak, and years later that take still annoys me because it misses the point of Shiro’s character arc, exaggerates Sendak’s importance to said arc, and dismisses the multiple layers of symbolism and meaning in having Keith deal the final blow.
I remember thinking that it could have been written either way and been a solid choice, but I especially love the observation that Shiro and Sendak were evenly matched and it was the one who had backup that was victorious. Very astute.
Do you think it's possible that Shiro and Keith will go their separate ways when Voltron ends? I'm not going in with any expectations but... that would be so sad and I've lowkey scared myself :(
nope! I feel pretty confident they won’t just drift apart :’)) even the show runners can’t see Keith ever just leaving Shiro’s side, and honestly? I’m inclined to agree:
Lauren: “And that’s something that, where Adam might be able to walk away from a relationship, because he doesn’t feel that respect, that relationship is something that Keith would hold on to his whole life, and probably never be able to walk away from.” (source)
And I mean,,
let’s face it,,
not even death can seperate these two. They’ll cross time and space and defy the stars to be together–Keith urges Shiro’s soul to hang on and will himself back to life through the power of love, their bond anchoring him back to the mortal plane against all odds, like…they’re in this together. Their home has always been with each other. Their overarching characters arcs have revolved around their struggle to remain ever in each other’s orbit. That’s a core part of their characters.
Not sure if you answered this before, but what is the likelihood of Baby Clone dying or even sacrificing himself for the team or even for Keith?
ajskdflgk eyyyy so here’s the uh,, here is the thing, my guy–did you ever hear how the original Voltron ended with Keith having to choose between Voltron or Shirogane–Ryou, in this case. You know, kind of like how Keith had to choose between Shiro and his past in BOM, then decide whether to continue looking for Shiro or pilot Black, and ultimately left Voltron so “Shiro” could pilot instead, and how his whole character arc with Shiro mirrors that zaggar conflict especially his vow to save Shiro/Kuron “as many time as it takes”–so yeah.
Basically all of Voltron is leading up to what is probably an inevitable echo of the original series’ ending: Keith being forced to choose between the person he loves (Shiro/Kuron) or the universe. Just like Zarkon had to. And in the original, Keith chose to save Ryou!!! Just like what you’d expect from VLD Keith when he promises to save Kuron no matter what. And yes, I believe Kuron is very much setup to be our version of Ryou. The thing is, even though Akira (golion Keith) was willing to sacrifice Voltron for Ryou’s sake, Ryou took matters into his own hands, and chose to sacrifice himself. He crashes the ship he’s own, killing both himself and Lotor.
So, you know, if they wanted to give Kuron a self sacrifice end, there is precedence for that. But as I’ve said before, I think Keith is meant to surpass Zarkon. He’ll be able to save the person Shiro–both “Shiro’s”–without compromising the universe. Because the thing is, Keith had no one. For years, he’s supressed his feeling and kept his distance for fear of losing his loved ones. Either by rejection or abandonment.
So then, what does it say about him, if he has to just sacrifice the people he cares about, if love will just ultimately lead to your downfall? Keith needs to learn that those feelings he has aren’t incriminating or inherently damaging–they can be very healing, and he shouldn’t have to forsake his love by virtue of some moral debt owed to a universe that has repeatedly ripped away all his meaningful relationships again, and again.
Shiro’s own narrative is also compromised and met with an undeserved end if ultimately his arc was just about learning not to fight the inevitable. If he was just doomed from the beginning, why all the focus on Keith always believing in him? On Keith inspiring him to carry on his fight? Why have him vow to save Shiro no matter what, and then pull through for him again and again? And for what? Nothing?
I think it makes for a far more compelling narrative if both of these characters, against all ends, manage to claw their way to a happy end that has alluded them across multiple series for decades.
Hi, Love your blog and all the posts. I have a question. Why do you think ‘pinning Keith’ is so popular in VLD fandom? I never took Keith to be a pinning type sort of person, not that it’s bad, but in most K/lance fiction, it’s mostly pinning Keith or mutual pinning with most emphasis on pinning by Keith. Maybe it’s because Keith is suck a guarded character that it’s fun to imagine what’s going on inside his head? But most pinning-keith-fic have keith do nothing BUT pine and that’s just....Meh
The thing that confuses me about this is that I can’t see the dynamic at all for k/l, as the ship has no basis to me in canon. I can however under pining Keith in the context of sheith. As Shiro’s safety is always his top priority, and the two allow themselves to be uncharacteristically vulnerable and affectionate with one another. In his Marmora trial, canon literally establishes Shiro as the person Keith desperately wants to see, the living embodiment of his greatest hopes and dreams. The Blade of Marmora book acknowledges that Keith decided to give up his knife for Shiro’s sake, because, “Nothing was worth Shiro’s pain.”
Not only that, Keith is also terrified at the thought of losing Shiro. When commenting on the scene, Josh noted that, “[Keith’s] always scared he’s gonna say or do something wrong and he’s gonna lose Shiro.” (source). That level of longing sure reads as pining to me.
Keith also prioritizes Shiro’s safety above all else. He’s singular devotion to Shiro can certainly read as love and longingly, particularly when reexamined in the context that their dynamic shares so many thematic parallels with Zarkon’s unwavering love for Haggar. Keith is typically not someone who will look past the greater good for personal loyalties, but he does so when it’s Shiro on the line. This is the character who was against going back for Allura because it was too risky, but then ten minutes later, broke away from the team because Shiro’s safety was worth so much more than mission. Even when Lance called him out for it, he didn’t listen. Shiro was in trouble, and that’s all that mattered.
Keith’s unrelenting loyalty to Shiro is so integral to the plot, the narrative actually questions how strangely invested Keith is in him. Kuron jokes, “How many times are you going to save me before this is over?” And Keith’s admission is an easy, “As many times as it takes.” He’s completely unabashed in his confession, neither surprised nor embarrassed. He means those words wholeheartedly, and it’s something he’s believed now for a long time. Keith will do whatever it takes to save Shiro, no matter what, and that kind of devotion certainly sounds like pining.
It was especially disheartening to me that fans were excited by Shiro’s disappearance on the shallow assumption that Lance would step up to replace the void in Keith’s life Shiro left behind. Surprise–he didn’t. In fact, Lance even has the audacity to trivialize Keith’s very personal attachment to Shiro by claiming he only wants to pilot Black for his own glory.
And Keith’s response isn’t how you react to someone you love. Quite the contrary, in this confrontation Shiro is established as the person Keith loves most, whether you interpret that as romantic or platonic. And it’s something Keith outright confirms–“Shiro was the only one who never gave up on me, I’m not giving up on him!” The fact that he feels Shiro’s the only one who never abandoned him, the very noticeable point that he values his bond with Shiro over the rest of Team Voltron–it’s very telling. Lance literally spits on that dynamic in this scene, and Keith understandably lashes out. He’s still so deep in mourning when Lance makes these accusations, and it’s heartbreaking to watch.
The way Keith grieves Shiro is also further proof of his deep attachment to him. While everyone else has moved on, Keith cannot. He scours the same debris field for months, he adamantly refuses to seek out a new pilot, he sinks deep into depression until it eats away at him. He’s distant, despondent. He longs to see Shiro again. And he feels he’s completely alone in his mourning, can’t fathom how everyone else can just be moving on and doing fine. He’s the one deeply affected, he’s the one who can’t break past this. And he’s incredibly, understandably livid about it. “We don’t have Shiro anymore, either. Everyone else seems to have forgotten that.” He’s essentially saying, None of you care about Shiro like I do.
Keith even tries to speak to Shiro through the Black Lion. He’s the only one who ever does anything like this. He latches onto the Lion because of his bond with Shiro, desperately reaching out to try and reconnect with him any way he can. For him, the shared mental link with Black offers some measure of solace. It’s a comfort he clings to. Despite everyone else on the team voicing that they’re for him, he’d rather isolate himself and speak to someone who’s no longer there. The depth of Keith’s longing to reunite with Shiro is absolutely heart-wrenching, and you really are seeing him pour his heart out here. His bond with Shiro is a level of intimacy we never see replicated with anyone else.
Keith mourns Shiro in much the same one someone would grieve a lost lover. He fixates on this one person, blocks out everyone else, hangs onto whatever’s left behind. He’s continually carrying a torch for Shiro despite scenes like Lance saying that Shiro would want him to move on. And even still, Keith is ever loyal to Shiro, swearing he’ll find him no matter what. Never giving up on him. That sure sounds like love. Never mind how Keith was waiting for Shiro after Kerberos, but I degrees.
Consider also the look in Keith’s face during all three of his reunions with Shiro. In the pilot episode, he appears teary eyed as he gently reaches out to touch Shiro’s face. His very first line is choking out Shiro’s name. In Across the Universe, he chuckles softly and breathes Shiro’s name in palpable relief. In The Journey, he and Kuron slowly drift into each other’s orbit, all while Keith is gazing back at him with such loving, tender fondness.
So yes, Keith is typically a very reserved person. And, as he realizes in his vlog, a lot of that stems from fear of rejection. But in the same way that Keith freezes up when others reach out to him but easily opens up to Shiro’s embrace, there’s one person he’s wiling to let his walls down with. One person he’s not afraid to be vulnerable in front of, someone who has always loved and supported him no matter what. Shiro is the exception, and I don’t think we’ll ever see Keith be so openly affectionate with anyone else to this degree. This bond is very unique to just them. And in that respect, I can see where the idea that Keith is longing after someone he loves comes from. But the way it’s presented in fanon often doesn’t do his canon character justice.
As we find out, there is indeed a very profound reason for Keith to be so focused on Shiro‘s well-being. Since the death of his father, Shiro is the one person to reach out to Keith, offer him options, and then give him unconditional support as Keith tries to navigate the new situation. Those are the kinds of interactions that inspire devotion and loyalty and make it very easy to imagine that Keith’s regard develops into love. It’s also easy to believe that Keith, deep down, still doesn’t consider himself worthy of Shiro’s love and would hide it and pine instead rather than admit it and risk rejection.