Season 8 feelings. It’s going to be a long and messy one, but I want my thoughts here as well.
So I slept and still.. have emotions over Season 8...
I really really enjoyed the beautiful animation of this season. It was... so fucking gorgeous. All of the pretty mecha scenes, all of the beautifully coloured and lit scenes... How gorgeous everyone was drawn... It was all so urgh mwah
I super enjoyed all the girls getting to bond too, and I'd love to think that after S8, Acxa, Zethrid & Esor got to hang out with them too. They deserve to be able to go on more little outings, have movie nights, share their cultures etc
While it didn't have the build-up it needed, I'm glad Allurance became canon. Lance has, despite what many people say??, developed a lot as a character over the course of the entire show. And whilst I don't think that a character's development is defined by their romantic relationships, the way Lance handled his feelings for Allura and the way he supported her was a testament to his maturity. I would have liked to of seen more from Allura, how her feelings for Lance came to be, especially after her relationship with Lotor but there were a lot of relationships, motives etc that we didn't get to see. So I feel like Allurance was just another victim of the struggles the Staff has been battling with all this time.
Episode 7 was super cute and soft, I liked seeing more of the MFE Pilots, and to have that episode lead into the Clear Day Carnival was a good emotional break. Neither episode were entirely the 'goof' episode we're used to, but I feel that's with the nature of the final season.
I have to say too, that I really enjoy how Voltron dealt with villains. That in the end, none of them were truly 'just evil'. That good intentions, pure love, can be twisted and poisoned. That the end does not always justify the means.
We really got to see into Zarkon, Honerva and Lotor's world as a family and how it all fell apart. We saw them as they were, as they fell into obsession and how this formed Lotor and his motivations. We saw Zarkon mourn for what he had done, and Honerva's motherly love literally break the universe, as twisted and dark as it had become. I would have liked her end to not have been such a series of snaps, but I can appreciate how delicate of a mentality she had at that point.
And in the end, even if I don't think Lotor would have welcomed her into the afterlife as he did.......... I am glad that the three of them got to be a family. Maybe in the eternity of the afterlife they can mend.
Hunk was a stand-out this season. I feel like we all don't love him enough, and I'm glad he got the screen time he deserved and melded his love for cooking with his peace-making.
Pidge was cute this season too, though I really really.... REALLY would have loved to see Chip activated. Seeing the Holt family dynamic was adorable and honest to fuck she would have been an amazing character for me as a child.
One thing I want to touch on though, which will lead into a lot of things, is Allura's pain of 'I have no family and home to return to, but you all do'. Lance, Hunk and Pidge do. They all have their families and homes.
But, and this is going to be a theme, why are Shiro and Keith forgotten here? Shiro, we have no idea about his family or home life before The Garrison. We don't know what he has to return to, if anything. For all we know, he could have been an orphan too which could be another reason why he so wanted to motivate and help Keith way back when. And Keith, the boy who lived in a shack for a year, who only just got his mother 'back', whose father's grave is waiting for him on Earth... What home does Keith have to return to? What family? Krolia is, true to her character, going to remain in space with the Galra. And if the Epilogue is to be believed, then Keith continues to work............ Allura was never the only one with 'nothing'.
Found family was always a huge theme, as well as family in itself, and I really.... really wish all the Paladins had bonded more. In the end, they all splintered off. I didn't expect them to remain as a unit, far from it, but with how janky they'd been written from time to time - I don't know. I think it was the Epilogue that killed it for me. They were all bonded but also still never felt like an entire family.
And before I go into the Epilogue, I wanna touch on the final fight. Epic as it was, and it was (I loved the animation, the low-key/high-key NGE vibes haha)... there was a lot lacking from it.
Atlas forming with Voltron was fucking epic. Them flying through realities, ending up at the Beginning and the End was really really cool and dramatic and the sort of thing I'd expect. But what I expected more from was all of the Paladins working together.
Honerva and her robeast at the end was meant to feel like an enemy they could not overcome. But after the fusion, it felt like the team were doing worse against her than when they were apart. And there was no real tactics to the battle, they just kept getting bested and kept going. For a team that, through all these seasons, showed so much growth, a melting pot of all the different ways they think, and the undeniable intelligence and strategic prowess of their members, the final fight felt a bit blunt.
And what I just can't escape, as someone who yes has a giant ship of these characters, but also someone who loves their canon bond and the characters in themselves, who sees so much of themselves in these characters and got a lot of comfort from them...
They did Shiro and Keith, as individuals, as friends, as found family, as lovers, whatever we feel they are, -- dirty.
As individuals, I felt Keith got quite a good cut this season. He was an amazing leader, motivating his team and keeping it together even in the most bleak of times. He supported Lance, and I'm glad to see their friendship as something more stable and even now. And I know a lot of issues are going to come down to time, but I'm a bit sad that his whole bonding with Krolia was mostly an off-screen, two-year time skip where we just have to assume these two emotionally constipated characters worked their shit out.
And in the end, in the Epilogue, they're apart again. I know that's kind of part of their dynamic, but both of them have shown a deeper complexity of emotions, and with motherly love and family being such a theme I would have liked to of had something more there.
Shiro. Shiro felt especially empty this season. He was still the strong leader we love, commanding the Atlas like no one else could. But a lot fell short. His relationship, not just with Keith, but the entire team felt damaged and it didn't seem like he was bonding with the crew and people on the Atlas 'instead' (though if the Epilogue is to be acknowledged, then he had a lot of off-screen time with a character we didn't really even know the name of...?).
JK did an amazing job voicing him, and however flat or hollow Shiro felt this last season is nothing on him. And I can't get past adoring how Shiro was during the arm wrestling. Being called old, told he couldn't do something... That fire in Shiro is to be adored.
But something that a lot of us adored and could see, even those that weren't 'into' Voltron, even reviewers and 'professional fans' (who at times can feel distant in other fandoms), that wasn't really present this season - was Shiro and Keith's bond. No matter how you see it or HC it, throughout the entirety of Voltron one relationship has been strong and unbreakable. From Keith saving Shiro in the first episode, through as many times as it took to The Black Paladins, their bond was important. Special.
Whether you saw it as a strong male bond that went beyond male friendships in media or as a slow burn male love relationship - Shiro and Keith's bond has been something to be admired as it is, as it was loved by fans and staff alike and in the context of the media. And that, sadly, felt forgotten this past season. The two barely shared a conversation and were noticeably physically and emotionally distant. Why was it not Shiro that recognized that it wasn't Keith relaying those messages to them, but someone pretending to be him?
Why did they never seem more concerned for one another? Why when they knew they were losing Allura did they stand so far apart? There were so many moment where in the past seasons, we would just see the two together. Standing close. Sharing that bond. That trust. Something that was always there from their placing, to how differently they'd speak to one another, to the small expressions of physical contact. That was all... gone?
I'm somewhat happy to know that the original ending was meant to be all the Paladins running out into the night to see the lions do their thing. That that was the open-ended close LM and JDS wanted. But that just makes the Epilogue so much stranger. The Holts, Hunk, Lance, Krolia & Kolivan I can understand and see. Keith's ending, yes somewhat (but also he's never stopped being that awkward boy with people 1on1, so him doing something so social is dnjfnwef) ...
But Shiro? For a show that said they would never put in romance for the sake of it, that they'd never cheap-out, really did. I feel in my guts something is wrong, and while I'm happy to see a male gay marriage + kiss (especially in this media), I can't shake it... I can't shake that Shiro and Keith's bond was blunted this season, that they went back on their word about romance and relationships, that they ended with a 'the females died to save the world' storyline... That Keith was fucking blocked from the marriage shot???????
I just can't 'believe' it, if that makes sense. We had Shiro as our official rep, and he didn't have to end up with anyone to prove that, he didn't deserve to be paired randomly to get 'better' rep and Keith and Shiro didn't deserve to have their bond forgotten.
I just don't know. I'm currently starting to overheat, thanks Australia, and my mind is still blurry. But with how things have been going in this fandom, how antis and horrible people have harassed and attacked the staff, how DW failed to handle Voltron as a whole and choked their staff, I'm not surprised that the ending has left many fans feeling uncomfortable. I don't know if LM &/or JDS are ever going to be able to speak out about anything or if any of the ex-directors can.. or VAs... I wouldn't blame them if they just wanted to dust their hands with Voltron and move on. But I sure would appreciate... something? For now I guess I can just hold onto the open-ended end they intended to leave us with.
And love on the fandom, the good slice of the fandom, and try to enjoy myself. Though I fear that the ending will fuel some of the worst of the fandom, and that is affecting my want to actually get my ass in gear and create content for Voltron ...
I know I just need to connect with others here, share our pain and love, and heal together. I never expected a Sheith Canon Ending, and that's not what all of this is about... but you better believe that these boys in love is what I'm going to turn to to help me heal again.
Alright we got some WONDERFUL underrated shiros (astral plane shiro is my absolute fucking FAV), do you have any underrated keiths?? I know he didn't have changes the way shiro did, but just any underrated keith looks?
askfdlfdkgfdlh i dont know if i really have many underrated Keiths per say because i feel like I love the same ones everyone does?? THIS IS MY FAVORITE UNDERRATED KEITH BY FAR THOUGH,, I FUCKING LOVE THIS ONE,, SO RELATABLE,, LOVELY LIGHTING,, SOFT,,
more Attractive Keiths, in no particular order–TRAINING KEITH,, REALLY DEDICATED,, TONED,, READY TO F I GH T
boM TRIAL KEITH!!! KIHYUN RYU STORYBOARDED THE WHOLE FIGHTING SEQUENCE, SO ALL THOSE KEITHS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL,,
OFFICIAL BOM MEMBER KEITH!! The hood,, the Look,, I fucking love that aesthetic my boy looks so good,,, wanna just pull his hood back,, caress his cheek,, tell him he’ll be okay ;;
astrAL PLANE KEITH,, beautiful,, ethereal,, glowing amidst the starlight with Shiro where he belongs,,
ARTIST KEITH!! confused…trying his best…relatable…someone save him,, my poor boy,,
GALRA KEITH!! GALRA KEITH!! GLOWING EYES,, FANGS,, FINALLY LOOKING LIKE THE ALIEN HE IS,, HOT,, I LOV HIM,,
Leader Keith!! Take charge leader finally ready to commit to this,, cares about the team,, does his best to be the person Shiro believed he could be,,
KEITH ANYTIME HE DOES THAT PALADIN CONNECTION THING AND GETS SUPER INTENSELY FOCUSED CHANNELING QUINTESSENCE,,
KEITH WHEN HE DECIDES TO STAY BY SHIRO’S SIDE TO THE VERY END,, EVEN IF IT MEANS FALLING TO HIS DEATH,, DETERMINED MORE THAN ANYTHING TO DO THIS,, TO BE WITH THE PERSON HE JUST ADMITTED HE LOVES,, SCARRED AND EMOTIONALLY BEATEN DOWN BUT NEVER BROKEN, KNOWING THAT SHIRO IS STILL OUT THERE AND NEEDS HIM,, I CRIED,,
THOSE SOFT, LOVING LOOKS™ KEITH RESERVES JUST FOR SHIRO,, THAT ALWAYS KILLS ME,, THEY HAVE SO MANY EXPRESSIONS THAT JUST COMMUNICATE SUCH DEPTH OF INTIMACY AND UNDERSTANDING I LOV IT,,
NEW UNIFORM KEITH!! listen,, i don’t know what the exact color is here still lmao but like,, I love the look!!! i don’t know anything about sewing jackets but I really wanna cosplay this Keith or the trailer one I especially love how Shiro and Keith are walking side by side with similar posture here :’)
TRAILER KEITH READY TO RAIN DOWN HELL LIKE A BEAUTIFUL AVENGING GOD,, IM SO SMITTEN AND PERSONALLY ATTACKED BY THESE SCREENSHOTS,,
i lov many keiths, and he’s my go to for cosplay so!! I very much adore his looks :’))
Note: In this work I’ll be referring to Shiro’s clone as “Kuron”.
So after today’s episodes most of us hated that goddamn clone and wanted him gone and are now cheering and happy to have our classic Space Dad™️ Shiro back.
And while I am happy to have the real Shiro back and safe, please don’t write off that clone as a villain. Kuron, while only a copy of a person, was in fact a person himself. Let me explain why:
Kuron was designed to be an exact replica of Takashi Shirogane. Not only was he physically reconstructed with Shiro’s features and body type, he was created (programmed?) with all of Shiro’s memories, emotions, and idiosyncrasies. Kuron had everything from the way Shiro presented himself to even something as intamate as the “shoulder touch” Shiro and Keith had. He knew and he was Shiro. The memories he had might not have been Kuron’s, but the feelings and bonds those memories created were.
Kuron had no idea he was a clone either. He truly and wholly believed he was the fun-loving, PTSD ridden, and heroic leader of Voltron. And so whenever he had doubts of that, he lashed out.
Like in this scene here for example:
This was arguably one of the more obvious moments that showed Kuron and Shiro were two separate entities. Kuron was programmed to be the leader of Voltron. In his created memories, everyone did as Shiro had instructed because that was his job.
In this moment, Lance questioned Kuron’s leadership and that triggered Kuron’s agressive nature. Something was happening against Kuron’s protocol and he didn’t know how exactly to respond, so, much like a toddler not knowing what emotion to use when something isn’t going their way, he lashed out. Kuron was also heavily under the influence of Haggar during this time. Haggar’s anger and desire for Lotor’s return to her obviously carried over and made Kuron himself more and more agressive.
In the later episodes Kuron begins to notice his behavior and starts reflecting on himself. He even pulls Lance aside and tells him he’s not, “feeling like himself” which, in Kuron speak, means, “I’m supposed to be Shiro but for some reason I’m not acting like him”.
However, despite these confusing moments, Kuron still believes he’s Shiro. He has moments of humanity and personality. Kuron smiles when he sees Keith— someone Shiro cares about so therefor Kuron cares about them— and laughs and teases the other Paladins. The the DND episode, for example, was all about the team having fun and being alive and being normal. Shiro believed there was nothing more worth living for than protecting and caring about the ones he loved, which is why Kuron so strongly chose to be the plaladin. He was programmed to be the Paladin because that’s who Shiro was.
Shiro also had fun and put his all into everything he did. And so Kuron did too. He had his own emotions just like Shiro did.
In the end of Kuron’s life, he was finally taken over by Haggar and forced to attack those he loved and cared about. Yes, those he, Kuron loved. He lost all consciousness under Haggar and was just a meat puppet for her to use and play with. But the most awful part was that Kuron was awake to see what he had become.
Even though Kuron was just Shiro’s clone he still felt the emotions that Shiro had. Emotions like love for his adoptive baby brother Keith. It was Kuron who flinched when Keith called out to him, and it was Kuron who, in the end, had realized he nearly killed Keith.
This photo right here is Kuron awake and not controlled. It’s only seconds before he dies but in those seconds Kuron realizes the people he cared about were dying because of him. It’s debatable whither or not Kuron knows he’s not Shiro here, but it’s obvious that he cares about these people regardless and he put them in danger. Kuron died doing the exact opposite of what Shiro would do, the person he was supposed to be.
tldr; Kuron may not have been Shiro, but he still was a living breathing person who died believeing that he had just hurt everyone who ever mattered to him.
smoochtober day 4: super secret kiss
still frames on twitter 1 - 2
…in which i hit 18 frames before i told myself to chill out, so the end bit is undersketches lol. also featuring OG shiro, cos i hadn’t rly drawn him yet
@DWAnimation: Celebrating 5 years of singing trolls, dancing lemurs, confused Boov, giant space robots, well-trained dragons, crime-fighting cats, bossy babies, and so much more. Thank you for letting #DreamWorks be a part of your lives! We’re so excited for the journey ahead. #WorldTVDay
I dare say I noticed a theme in VLD that Keith can’t utter “I love you” UNLESS HE’S JUST GOTTEN THE SHIT KICKED OUT OF HIM, and so this comic was born.
kaledo-art
theartofmadeline
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
