#Keith can win pretty much any straight fight

[mosscreeperarchived]

The reason we never got an episode where Pidge and Keith paired off for a mission is because that episode would last 5 minutes max.

[edenaffinity]

I've finally decided to add more, inspired by @why-are-we-here-again 's suggestions <3

Check our their reblog here for Lance as Nothing New.

First...

I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser

Lance is Anti-Hero 🦸‍♂️

Lance 100% hardcore relates to this song. Especially in the earlier seasons.

I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis

Lance makes a lot of mistakes. He puts himself and the team in danger, he gets hurts, and he gets told off. And he tries his best to take the criticism and learn from it. He wants to get better. To become a valued member of the team. To become worthy of being a Defender of the Universe. But even still, he feels inadequate.

While he puts on a brave, confident persona most of the time, he often feels out of place. He feels like a seventh wheel on the team. He feels as though he's not cool enough or strong enough or just plain old good enough.

I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving And life will lose all its meaning

It makes sense to me that Lance would be scared that everyone would move on without him. He feels replaceable on the Team. He feels as though they're all above him in some way (in skill, talent, etc.), so why wouldn't they all just leave him behind?

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

Sometimes feeling this way can be too much to bare. So while Lance can fight off the forces of evil everyday like its nothing, its still a battle for him to look inward and learn how to love himself.

Next...

So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard Every lesson forms a new scar They never thought you'd make it this far

Lance is Eyes Open 👁️

I'm ashamed to admit I've never heard this song until now and HOLY SHIT!

The tricky thing Is yesterday we were just children Playing soldiers just pretending Dreaming dreams with happy endings In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords But now we've stepped into a cruel world Where everybody stands and keeps score

Ummm, this is so Lance??? Hello??

No because the Garrison trio was literally just plucked straight off of Earth and thrown into an intergalactic war. They left behind their families, friends, and literally their entire futures to become defenders of the universe AND FOR WHAT? Sure, they saved the universe. But at great personal cost. and they were literally just kids. THEY WERE JUST KIDS!

Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown Everybody's watching to see the fallout

Obviously, Lance is insecure. The fear of failure doesn't leave his mind. While he loves the team, he can't help but think that they all must be waiting for him to slip up. That they're looking for any reason they can to shove him to the sidelines, or just boot him from the team entirely.

And as a little bonus...

You're on your own, kid You always have been

Keith is You're On Your Own, Kid ☕

Of fucking course Keith is YOYOK! OF FUCKING COURSE HE IS.

Everything you lose is a step you take So make the friendship bracelets Take the moment and taste it You've got no reason to be afraid

Okay, as I see it, this as Keith finally accepting himself and his life. In the past, everyone he's ever loved has left him. So now he believes that everyone will continue to do the same. He's always been on his own. So, naturally, he will continue to be on his own.

However, it's not a somber acceptance. It's actually pretty optimistic.

As much as I hate the canon ending of the show, I think it fits well with this analysis. Keith goes off on his own. That's what he's always done. So after Voltron, he travels. He doesn't stay in one place too long and his travel companions change frequently. Or maybe he simply travels alone. Either way, he's on his own.

And he's okay with that. He appreciates the times he gets to see the rest of the team again. And he appreciates the new people he meets along the way. But at the end of the day, it's just him. Just Keith. And it always has been.

(YOYOK stand for You're On Your Own, Keith)

Anyways, that’s all my thoughts on that. Thank you for your time (again) <3

Klance as Taylor Swift Songs 👸🏼

Lance and Keith as Taylor Swift Songs 👸🏼

This idea has been floating around in my brain for FOREVER. So I decided to finally write it all out. Idk if it makes any sense at all, but here it...

First, the most obvious:

And I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try

Lance is mirrorball 🪩

mirrorball is about putting on a facade for the outside world, solely to please the people around you. But your facade is fragile and does you a disservice, as its only there to reflect the shine and brightest of others around you.

Lance feels as though he doesn't deserve to be apart of Voltron. He questions his place on team and wonders why he was chosen to defend the universe. He feels inadequate, he's insecure about his abilities, and he constantly compares himself to the rest of the team. He puts on a facade of comedy and confidence only to truly believe that he is less than. He sees himself as replaceable, instead of a integral part of the team.

Next…

And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad I have a lot of regrets about that

Keith is this is me trying 📝

I don’t care what anyone says, this was written for Keith!

They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential

This boy had so many issues in school, socially speaking, but was literally TOP OF HIS CLASS! Shiro, Garrison professors, and Keith's classmates could all see that he was going places.

Was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere // Fell behind on my classmates, and I ended up here

But whatever was in store for Keith's future of ruined when Shiro went missing. the one person who'd ever really pushed him to be better AND believed that he could be better was gone. So he dropped out/got kicked out and whatever future he had as a pilot was gone.

I didn't know if you'd care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that

There is no doubt in my mind that when he left to join The Blade, HE DIDN’T THINK ANYONE WOULD MISS HIM! Same could probably be said about him leaving the Garrison, EVEN LEAVING EARTH! He didn't believe anyone would care he left, because he didn't believe anyone cared he was there to begin with.

And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you

Keith missing Shiro when he goes missing? Keith lining for Lance? Either way, never met a character more "open wound" coded than Keith.

Next…

They see right through me Can you see right through me? I see right through me

Lance is The Archer 🏹 (duh)

Ah yes, a song all about being ready (or forced) to “go into battle” but hiding your insecurities behind confidence. And then you're worried that anyone will know you're secretly insecure?

That's Lance!

Lance is 100% ready to give up anything for the good of the team and the good of the universe. But he’s also incredibly insecure of his abilities and his place as a defender of the universe. The repetition of the “they see right through me” lines, as well as the “I see right through me” line, LITERALLY IS Lance speaking. Those are his words! Straight outta his brain!

Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?

Lance hides behind this vail of confidence only to truly believe the worst of himself. And he believes everyone else to also have this low opinion of him. So while he can behave as though he's a flirt and sincerely wanted by many, there is no part of him that really believes that.

Next…

And I can go anywhere I want Anywhere I want, just not home

Keith is my tears ricochet 💧

Keith can literally travel the universe, but he has no real home. No family. No safe space to return to once he's finished this travels. So he literally go anywhere he wants, but he can't go home.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around, saving face

"I didn't have it in myself to go with grace" sounds like he was angry and said something he shouldn't have. "The hero flying around, saving face" sounds like literally any other member of the team. It makes since that he would see them as heroes and not himself.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave

Definitely a line about Shiro. I mean, COME ON! "When I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave"! Not in a physically, angrily fighting way, but in an encouraging way. In a way that only Shiro could cheer Keith on while he fights to hone his skills and make something of himself.

And finally…

I know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it

Lance is tolerate it 🕰️

Listen to this song once while thinking of Lance, I promise you'll get it.

I notice everything you do or don't do You're so much older and wiser

The song as a few lines about how much the speaker looks up to the subject. Lance admires a lot of the team and puts them on a higher pedestal than he puts himself.

I greet you with a battle hero's welcome I take your indiscretions all in good fun

Lmaooo sorry, these lines are about Keith. I don't make the rules, I just listen to the lyrics. Like, when he comes back from The Blade to rejoin the team? The "I don't have time for this, Lance!" scene. Yeah.

I made you my temple, my mural, my sky Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life Drawing hearts in the byline Always taking up too much space or time

"Always taking up too much space or time"! FUCK! That's so Lance, it hurts. You can't tell me that he doesn't always feel like he's taking up too much space. FUCK.

Anyways, that’s all my thoughts on that. Thank you for your time <3

Klance as Taylor Swift Songs 👸🏼

Lance's playlist 💙

Keith's playlist ❤️

[teatimecrumpetsandsugar]

ethereal (voltron fantasy/royalty AU) (set up; part zero)

Heyo! It’s your friendly neighborhood Voltron fanfic aficionado- now your friendly neighborhood Klance writer but that’s honestly besides the point I don’t even know why you’d bring up my increasing obsession with them in this Klance fanfic that I swear everyone else will be in, too-

Today, I’ll be writing from a fantasy royalty AU with my favorite show cast ever, even though it may or may not be solely because I want to put water elemental!king!Lance in pretty dresses and makeup and just go crazy with my descriptions of gowns and other things.

I imagine, here, Lance would be from a kingdom with strong ties to Pidge’s kingdom, who has strong ties with Hunk’s kingdom, making them a powerful trifecta. I also imagine that Keith and Lance’s kingdoms are on very thin ice with one another, so Pidge encourages Lance to sit down with fire elemental!king!Keith. 

I also imagine that Pidge’s kingdom is closely allied with Allura’s and that the two of them grew up together, while she didn’t meet Hunk or Lance until she became queen. Also, I’d like to have my beloved Ruler Pidge go by she/they pronouns, simply because I see a lot of myself in the way she dresses and carries herself and I actually believe that these pronouns would fit her, alongside all pronouns.

Hunk and Lance likely grew up together in a very close ally ship and continue to be close friends well into adulthood because that’s just how they are. I can imagine Lance is very vaguely aware of Allura’s kingdom and would never dream of picking a fight with hers since, by default, allying with Pidge made him allies with Allura, but he probably doesn’t know her very well pre the canon timeline because I kind of want to build that relationship from the ground up to make up for what the show did to me-

Keith is definitely allied with Shiro, and Pidge and Shiro were always friends through her older brother, who, along with her father, abdicated from the throne and joined an adventurer’s guild instead (because they believed that Pidge would be a better fit for a ruler and decided that, given how they are, reconnaissance and exploration fit them better. She agreed with this insight, deciding to rule the kingdom the best way she knew how). Shiro, being a much more experienced king and friends with their brother, likely prepared them for the role as they grew into it; the two are on friendly terms, but allied isn’t exactly the right term as none of the people in their alliance knew Keith, so they weren’t sure they could ally with him. 

Lance met Keith at a gala years into his reign; they did not get along.

The system of Magic here will likely be dictated by what element one is born in the kingdom of, (i.e., Lance’s kingdom being the Aqua Kingdom, Pidge’s being the Spiritus Kingdom) and the strength of it in each person will be chosen based on a random set of variables that usually depends on the mood of the Gods corresponding to each element.

Lance- Water (Aqua Kingdom)

Keith- Fire (Ignis Kingdom)

Pidge- Life (Spiritus Kingdom)

Hunk- Earth (Terra Kingdom)

Shiro- Moon (Luna Kingdom)

Allura- Light (Lux Kingdom)

I imagine the reason an alliance is called for with Keith and Shiro’s kingdoms is because a traitor to Allura’s kingdom, either Lotor is planning on starting an entire mutiny with the ranks he’s managed to gather and then, consequently, conquer all of the rest of the kingdoms by force in the name of a long-dead kingdom- the Tenebris kingdom. His parents having died in the midst of a total economic crash caused by a codependent relationship with Allura’s kingdom whilst it was under her father’s rule, he was taken in by the state of Lux by Allura’s request, since they grew up together; unfortunately Lotor held lingering feelings of resentment- towards Lux, for causing the destruction of the only thing he could’ve ever considered his own by right, and towards his parents for always making him feel as if he was of no worth. He wants to conquer the entire world just to prove to himself that he is worth something, though, unfortunately, he’s on a path straight to death.

Might redeem him, might kill him off, might exile him- who knows at this point?

Hunk, I imagine, was a commoner who won the title of king through a series of magic-based trials (upon the death of the last ruler) and now keeps his entire family in the palace with him, using his title to take care of his family and citizens as a benevolent ruler. This likely happened when he was quite young- likely when he was 9 or 10, since magic is an innate thing and, in this kingdom, it’s tested in the youngest members of the kingdom in order to deem who is the most connected to their Goddess Terra.

Allura inherited her title when her own father died in the conflict with Tenebris- he went to battle with the people they’d unintentionally doomed in order to protect his daughter and his people, and died in the process; similar to her story in Voltron except her kingdom survives and Lotor and a select few survivors of the Galra become refugees.

Keith became king by beating the previous king’s son in a battle- his mother, being one of the higher ups in the government, sent word to him that the prince didn’t want to be king, so Keith wound up challenging him for the title. He won, successfully making his way into the world of prestige and getting closer to his mother. The prince left the kingdom shortly after- it’s believed that he ran away to be with someone, but no one is quite sure. All anyone knows is that he’s happy.

Lance wound up being king at a really young age- I’m imagining that, prior to his reign, his kingdom was incredibly strictly patriarchal. The previous king likely only had daughters, and the day of his death, Lance was born with incredibly powerful water magic. As a result, at the age of 6 years old, he was forcibly taken from his poor family and raised strictly to be a perfect king- however, he still saw his sister Veronica frequently in secret, the two of them sneaking around to eat baked goods and try on dresses together. When the palace staff found out, they tightened security and warned Veronica that she was no longer allowed to see him unless she wanted to be publicly executed. After his coronation (at age 8), however, he started making drastic changes to the laws that made the laws against commoners interacting with royalty more lax, and, once allowed to dress himself, started wearing dresses and makeup because it reminded him of home and made him feel as beautiful as he knew he was. He gets quite homesick quite often, and he’s still battling to get his family into the palace with him- he has, however, stripped the kingdom of its strict patriarchy. He constantly tells the kingdom that he hopes to one day pass the throne down to his own future daughter and still keeps the three princesses as his trusted advisors because he believes what happened to them was horribly unjust. The story will be told primarily from his perspective.

Shiro became ruler of his kingdom by fighting his way through gladiator ranks when he was only thirteen, winning the entire kingdom by brute force alone and leaving him with a lot more experience and trauma than he’d have liked. Being the oldest of the current generation of rulers and having inherited a kingdom that was closely related to Pidge’s and Keith’s, he guided them both through the process of becoming a ruler and the process of ruling, no matter how difficult it gets. It’s taken far longer with Keith than it has Pidge, since Pidge was raised a royal and has an innate sense of leadership and Keith is... interesting at the whole being a royal thing. Shiro, having grown up with Keith’s mother on the streets of the kingdom of Tenebris, was more than happy to take Keith under his wing- it helps the both of them come out of their shells more, so they have a mutual appreciation for one another.

I imagine this world will be vaguely futuristic and medieval at the same time- they’ll be able to have video conferences and reach other via communicators, holographic calls, things of that nature; but they’ll also be pretty old-fashioned in their manners of dress, their social systems, their currencies, and the vast majority of their laws. I hope that makes sense.

I wonder if it’s visible here that I spent three hours winging this and started getting more and more into it as I went, or if it’s obvious that I spend most of my time working with really obscure fantasy concepts. 

BAHDHAAHAHA I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS- 

If you’ve got any suggestions for relationship dynamics (platonic, romantic, or otherwise), any pitches for traits you think the characters may have based on their slightly altered backstories, or any feedback in general, feel free to share- I hope you all find this as fascinating as I did while I was writing it!

Also, @keefsteefs It’s happening, I’m doing it, it’s gonna be so fricking awesome-

[rangoatemybabynsfw]

Gonna answer all three of these in one go haha

PART 1

He did not hear that Keith decides as he power walks down the hall. Didn’t hear anything, he tells himself as he takes his shower. Nope. Not a thing, he insists as he lays down for the night.

But his dreams say otherwise as he lays there in his bed. Still hears Lance making those weak noises behind his bathroom door. Those soft panting breaths as he gets close. That needy moan as he called out Keith’s name and came--

“Fuck,” Keith huffs as he wakes. His boxers are tented. Cock rock hard.

How long had Lance been thinking about him like that? Only recently? For a while? Always? He’s not sure how the blabbermouth managed to keep it a secret considering he can never seem to keep his mouth shut when it comes to the many girls he likes. Then he considers the possibility that Lance...doesn’t want people to know.

Should he even bring it up at all? Or just forget it? How does he pretend like he didn’t hear the way Lance called out to him? With a desperate yearning that he could feel down to his toes? That weak moan and sweet breath of relief when he finally came? It was...fucking delicious. He wants that sound for himself. 

Lance wants him, there’s no doubt about that...and Keith can’t just forget that.

And he’s certainly not going to do nothing about it.

Training time the next day. They’ve been alone in here for about ten minutes for stretches and warming up. Then they get started on their sparring. Usually, Keith doesn’t focus much on what the other person’s face is doing. He just protects his weak spots and avoids hits when Lance throws a punch. But now he’s paying attention to how Lance fights.

His eyes avoid Keith’s. Did he always do that? He swallows a lot too. Not something he noticed before but he can’t help it now. He lowers his guard too often. 

At first he isn’t sure if Lance is doing it on purpose or not. It would be easy for Keith to take advantage of these openings. Openings that would make it a simple feat for Keith to flip and take Lance to the ground. When it happens more than once he knows Lance is doing it on purpose. He wants Keith to take him down...

After a good ten minutes of straight punches, kicks, and blocks, Keith grapples Lance. He forces him to the ground, arm twisted and a knee planted in his back.

“Give up?” Keith asks as Lance struggles to get out of his hold. “Just give up and I’ll let you go.”

Lance doesn’t say anything. He struggles and wriggles and tries his hardest to get free on his own. Grunts and groans until finally his body goes slack and he concedes defeat.

“Fine you win. I give up,” Lance sighs.

Keith lets him up and they start the match again. Within minutes Lance is pinned again this time with his face pressed into the floor and ass in the air. It’s a much more provocative position that has Lance flushing red. It doesn’t take long this time for Lance to cry uncle.

“I g-give up,” he swallows.

“You know from this position you have complete power over an opponent,” Keith tells him. “You can pretty much get them to do anything by painfully twisting their arm.”

“That’s g-great,” Lance nods. “Can I get up now?”

“But I wouldn’t have to twist your arm--” Keith says quietly as he leans in. “--would I?”

Lance swallows again as the air in the room changes. It’s charged with something electric and...dangerous in a good way. Lance wriggles to try and free himself but Keith grips him tight at his neck.

“Stop,” Keith says in his ear and Lance comes to a dead stop. “I heard you yesterday. In the shower.”

“I don’t know what you’re...talking about,” Lance lies and Keith presses his crotch right against Lance’s ass eliciting a yelp. “K-Keith what are you--” He makes the same weak noise when Keith does it again.

“Yeah, you sounded something like that,” Keith says and begins slowly grinding his hardon against Lance’s ass. “If you wanted this--” he says and gives Lance a sudden thrust that surprises another noise out of him. “--then you just had to say so. What were you using? Fingers? A dildo? Tell me.”

He’s been caught. No use denying it now.

“I-I...Y-Yeah...a d-dildo...” Lance stammers, shame flushing his cheeks.

“And you were pretending it was me?” Keith asks but then grins when Lance gives him an embarrassed nod. “Clever, but I doubt any toy you have could prepare you for me,” Keith says with a dark chuckle in his ear. “When you get tired of synthetic...stop by my room. There are some things toys just can’t do.”

Keith gets off of Lance and takes off for the exit. Sparring is over. Lance just stays there on the ground for several more minutes trying to will away his hardon. It’s not working because now all those times he imagined Keith saying things in his ear, pressing his body in on him--now they’re not fantasy. It actually happened. And now Keith is saying...he could have more than that.

He can experience the real thing. No more pretending. 

Lance dusts off his pants and adjusts himself to hide his aching boner. He doesn’t want to wait. He heads straight for Keith’s room before he can chicken out and before Keith can change his mind about the invitation.

[spiftynifty]

How come it seems like lm and jds can talk more candidly about their intentions regarding other ships like allurance and even k/l but not sheith? I don't understand why they can clarify things like allurance and how it was there from the beginning or flat out state that they never intended for k/l to be a thing, but when it comes to the topic of shiro and keith they won't just clarify what they did or did not intend/want their relationship to be? I'm confused by it. :(

Ooof this is an excellent question and I suspect a complicated one. 

First off, they can be candid about Allurance because 1) it’s a hetero couple (and therefore “acceptable” to executives and conservative parents) and 2) it was strongly implied and built up for almost the entirety of the series before they officially, canonically, became a couple. There’s no ambiguity there. They can be candid about kl because Allurance technically “kills” the ship by virtue of existing, but more importantly kl is the fanship that they have been directly asked about on more than one occasion and probably straight up badgered about it more times than we’re aware of. When your production studio gets blackmailed in the hopes of making k/l canon, that ship is being brought to your attention. 

Also, Afterbuzz is run by kl fans who have anti-like tendencies. They angle kl questions in nearly every interview, and I was pretty miffed by the way in this interview they heavily, heavily implied that only Sheith fans hated s8 “because their ship didn’t become canon” and yet in the same breath talked about how Allurance wasn’t good and came out of nowhere (something JDS delightfully shut down). In the live chat for the recent interview, people from all ship alignments kept begging the hosts to ask about why SK’s friendship wasn’t included in the final season. In the saltiest tone you can imagine, one of the more vocal kl hosts decided to answer the question (”they helped each other grow and evolve and since they’ve done that, we don’t need to see their friendship anymore, it got lots of screentime in other seasons”) and never let the showrunners actually speak on it, instead moving swiftly to another topic that aligned more with the hosts’ own interests. It was almost like she was afraid of what the answer would be. Was she afraid they’d say “well actually, on the matter of that, Sheith was our intended endgame” or was she trying to save them from having to talk about something NDAs prevented them from talking about? 

So why CAN’T they talk Sheith? I have a few theories. This gets long and a little rambly, so I’ve thrown it under a cut. 

1) Don’t ask, don’t tell. Except for post-s7, the showrunners themselves have never been asked about Sheith’s relationship in an interview. I think most Sheiths were afraid of rocking the boat and potentially upending a SK endgame by drawing too much attention to it. We were/are definitely the quieter side of the primary vld ships and honestly most of us were not expecting our ship to be canon. 

But vld ships and the ship wars are notorious across geekdom for vitriol and death threats, and the creators didn’t want to add any fodder to either side. In the middle of production it would have benefited no one for the EPs to say, “yeah sheith is meant to be viewed romantically” or “no, we can’t go back and change the story to make that true”. Either one would have resulted in an uptick of harassment from antis towards them, towards other fans. And nevermind the production side where DW/WEP weren’t ready for even a hint of m/m until right before s7 dropped. It was only AFTER they got the greenlight on gay Shiro that showrunners could finally be vague and say “some people will interpret [sk] as brothers, others will say it’s 100% confirmed they’re in a relationship”. Which is, in my opinion, a pretty interesting way to respond to that question. But again, if that interviewer hadn’t been brave enough to ask it, I highly doubt it’s something that the showrunners themselves would have ever brought up.

2) Sheith was actually intended to be romantic, but was blocked. We know now that Adam being greenlit as Shiro’s boyfriend happened right before (like a week or less) before s7 dropped. This was a show that had been in production for almost 4 years by this point, and the showrunners stated they picked Shiro to be their rep early on in the process. When they planted that idea in executive’s heads is anyone’s guess, as is when the proper fight for it began. I suspect their immediate team of directors, writers, and in-house producers were well aware and supportive, but kicking that up the chain was another story. I also have a suspicion that it wasn’t until season 6 was complete that the matter was brought up because greenlighting everything we got in s6 knowing Shiro was gay the whole time puts a lot of eyes on Keith. 

And really, it was Keith who was the problem all along. 

In every version of Voltron, Keith is the main protagonist. He’s the leader of the team, the primary “image” of Voltron, and thus, certain things about him need to be maintained. I’m not sure if this is sheer coincidence or not, but he is the only person on the team who stayed visually the same to his OG counterpart. All of the other paladins have gone from white dudes (and a white lady) to POC, or have had a genderswap. There is much debate about Keith’s race with people creating their own headcanons but ultimately Keith can pass as white. While the handbook states Lance is Cuban, Hunk is half black-half Samoan, Shiro is Japanese and even Pidge gets “Italian”, Keith is just listed as... human. Which is a surefire way to not upset fans who have HC’d him as POC while also not-NOT saying he’s white. Everybody “wins”. 

In addition I’m confident a major stipulation of the OG Voltron owners (the “gatekeepers”, as a few of the VAs and the showrunners themselves have darkly alluded to) was that Keith could not be LGBT. We know now he was meant to end up with Acxa, a fact that was already obvious to many of us from their Weblum meetcute. But that relationship was never scripted. 

Setting aside the fact that the OG Voltron owners (WEP) didn’t want Keith to be LGBT, I’m sure executives at Dreamworks would have struggled with the idea as well. Shiro stans can come at me all they like about this but Keith was always meant to be the primary protagonist of the show, of every version of Voltron, and making the main, masculine hero of a well-trodden, oft-rebooted franchise gay/bi would have been an ENORMOUS move for animation. Making him end up with the other main, masculine hero would have honestly broken the internet and the minds of countless conservative executives, and been a major benchmark not just for cartoons, but ALL media. Animation often trails behind TV and movies in terms of social progress because something something “protect the chillllldrennn”. And right now I’m struggling to think of a popular live action TV show, or movie, with an older audience, where the main masculine hero is lgbt, and in a relationship with the other main masculine hero. Feel free to offer me examples in replies but the fact that I’m struggling to think of anything is pretty telling. In short, if this revolutionary move still isn’t happening for the live action 13+ audience, asking for it to happen on a cartoon with a 7-11yo boy demographic is like asking for the moon. Keith couldn’t be gay, because immediately it would have been obvious to anyone that he was already very much in love with the other LGBT character on the show. Hell, it’s already pretty obvious in canon that this is the case, and dodging the question about his sexuality is dodging the confirmation that he’s in love with Shiro. 

I’d like to believe that one of the solutions to the Adam Problem that was proposed was that KEITH ends up with Shiro, but they were laughed out of the office. The pair’s incredibly close bond aside, it would have been the absolute easiest fix production-wise. They already have their shared history doing most of the legwork, all that’d have to be changed is:

-adding Shiro to the L/K scene in 8x01, just sitting there as Keith encouraged Lance.-Re-recording a couple of Shiro’s lines in 8x05 to make him seem at least somewhat upset that Keith was kidnapped-Showing Keith and Shiro hanging out in the video episode. You could just use the shot of Keith and Pidge but replace Pidge with Shiro.

And the best part is, you could change just one or two of these and then do the wedding epilogue you always intended (but write something that doesn’t insist Shiro retired) but with Keith instead of Rando. Not to mention, there is a slight, slight possibility there was a S/K scene (or two) cut along the way. I strongly disagree with the theories that have floated around about the “massive edits” done to s8, but I think there could be truth to the idea that a Sheith scene was cut to make room for Crew Member, or an effort made to downplay the Sheith friendship that comes off way more intimate than any interaction Shiro has with [man]. It’s more likely that SK scenes never existed at all in this season as the showrunners had to cave to pressures to “have more action”, had no idea what to do with Shiro besides relegate him to a stiff cardboard general, and perhaps had to follow strict instructions about the kind of friendliness an out & proud gay man could show to the men he’d enjoyed good interactions with before. 

All this to say, the Sheith battle is messy. It’s fine for the showrunners to say “getting the greenlight for Shiro was a battle” because it’s a battle they won that makes everyone look pretty good. It makes Dreamworks look like they Learned Something and are going to be more open to LGBT content in future properties. It makes WEP look not-terrible because they can add “allowed a character who wasn’t really an OG Voltron character to be gay” to their list of “generous” things they allowed for this re-envisioning of their property. It’s self-congrats all around.

Blocking Sheith has the opposite effect. It reveals that WEP is homophobic because they could allow Pidge to be a girl and Allura to be black but making the hero a non-straight man? That’s TOO FAR. It reveals that Dreamworks higherups are homophobic because they weren’t ready for two LGBT protagonists, just one plus a background character with 3 lines who is literally never named. No one wins, and to be asked about Shiro and Keith and be honest about it could potentially be the showrunners saying, “god, we wanted to, but we were blocked at every single turn”. And thus DW and WEP are the outed villains of the story.

3) Shiro and Keith were never meant to be read as romantic. The showrunners don’t say anything because there’s simply nothing to say. Sometimes the most incredible ships are happy accidents. Sometimes people genuinely don’t realize what they’re doing. I felt a little disheartened watching the AB interview because the way they talked about wanting to include more [man], or how they “hoped viewers would read between the lines” re:Shiro/Curtains, was so casual and flippant it was like they genuinely thought most people would be fine with Shirando if only there had been more scenes between them, as though completely severing Shiro’s relationship with Keith and instead only showing scenes of Shiro bonding with a new character would come off as a good move rather than a baffling (and somewhat hurtful) one. 

I do believe that certain directors were absolutely fans of the pair and angled in what they could. Chris Palmer is behind the famous “shiro loves you baby” art and responsible for the eps that include Shiro’s gay panic, the Sheith hug, “As many times as it takes”, Shiro falling into Keith’s arms, and “We have to stop, Shiro’s out there!!” among others. Steve Ahn was the director behind 2x01, 3x01 with heavily grieving Keith, Blade of Marmora, and the episode where Keith screams Shiro’s name so loud he astral projects and then Shiro holds his hands over the controls. He also got really soft when he talked about the pair in an episode of Form Podcast (before JDS kinda hastily shut him down). And even Eugene Lee, he directed The Black Paladins which is an episode so Sheith I still can’t believe it’s real, and 7x01, the other episode so Sheith I can’t believe it’s real. All three of these guys were the original series directors, which is pretty inchresting. 

But that doesn’t mean the showrunners were necessarily onboard. Maybe it was really important to them to show a positive male friendship since that never happens in media, just as they felt having Allura sacrifice herself was a powerful feminist move. However the thing I keep circling back to is JDS’ early interview about The Winter Soldier and how if he ever got the chance to do that, he hoped it would be in the future when things could be more progressive, hinting that he wanted to throw more overt romantic undertones if he himself ever got a fight like that to write or direct. It’s pretty interesting that he wrote the Black Paladins, which mirrors the Stucky fight in Winter Soldier so much that it actually rotoscopes one of Bucky’s moves. I’d also point out that JDS’ favorite characters are Shiro and Keith, and I find it impossible to be a fan of both and not also be a fan of how much they love each other, and how much that love straddles the line between romantic love and friendship.

This got long, but I hope it was helpful. The likely final-ever showrunner interview will be on Let’s Voltron sometime this month, and I do hope that now that the series is over someone is brave enough to ask them, “so... what was going on between Shiro and Keith? In a perfect world, what would have happened there?”. In a way it doesn’t matter though. There is always the risk of them saying “nothing was going on there” and us agonizing over whether that was a lie to protect their careers or bald-faced honesty in the face of an NDA or fucks-given that might have expired with their contracts. 

But I think the best we can hope for is the same situation that happened with the Avatar creators and that live action movie: 3 years from now when the NDAs are well and truly expired, JDS & LM may come out and say, “SO, on the matter of Shiro and Keith, it’s time to come clean.”

[aro-aizawa]

anyways, since the idea won’t leave me alone here’s my pitch for a prince of the galra keith au where lotor doesn’t exist and canon is just a suggestion i guess. (under a cut part ways in bc uhhh it’s like 3.7k words. rip.)

for starters: krolia is human and zarkon’s his dad. a nightmare idea, i know bc uhhhh the same thing that occurs w thinking about how lotor exists is uhh “zarkon fucks?” yeah. yeah he does. which uhhhhh yeah. but bare w me here, bc he’s still an utter dick in this au and krolia is still a badass. 

in this au, krolia was married to mr shirogane and had shiro before leaving earth on a garrison solo mission to pluto. she collided with a stolen galra ship manned by a prisoner who was trying to flee the empire, though the galra ship wasn’t damaged her ship was completely destroyed but she managed to survive for the prisoner to bring her aboard. together they tried to escape the empire, but they got caught. the prisoner was executed and krolia was taken to the arena. 

(earth believes she crashed her ship in the rings of saturn, and honor her death. no solo manned missions to space anymore, and certainly not to places humans haven’t been before. it also delays plans to send more people up there, so the next manned mission isn’t until shiro’s mission to kerberos. mr shirogane dies a five years before that mission.)

there she fought viciously and won literally every single one of her fights with only a dagger she’d earned early on in her battles. even when they provided bigger weapons, she always came on top with just a knife which earned her high praise and approval. enough to gain zarkon’s attention. 

idk why but he forces her to marry him, and when shiro’s 9 years old and krolia’s been in space for 5 years, keith’s born. he doesn’t actually go by keith at this point though because i doubt zarkon would let krolia name him that. not quite sure on what he’d go by though i quite like kyix of discordiansamba’s burgundy. krolia wanted to name him keith, and so calls him that when they’re alone as a secret nickname. 

keith doesn’t look fully human. a la lotor style i guess, he looks human but has purple skin and yellow sclera. pointy zarkon-ish ears and fangs. he’s still tiny as fuck though and doesn’t grow, to which he’s furious about bc galra are big and he’s a shorty but no one mentions it to his face otherwise he’d stab them right where they stand. 

krolia tries her best to raise him w good morals and lessen zarkon’s influence on him but she doesn’t fully manage it. he’s willing to please zarkon even if he’s not cruel about it, and he does wish for the best for the empire but knowing that his father’s reigned for over ten thousand years, he knows he’s probably never going to sit on the throne himself. doesn’t prevent him from getting all the training a prince would need (including a lot of combat training). 

he’s never told much about earth because krolia finds it hard to talk about. she does tell him about humans as a species and teaches him the three earth languages she knows, korean (her native language), japanese (mr shirogane’s native language) and english. she especially doesn’t tell him about shiro, but she does say that she left a husband and her family behind on earth, that she misses them a lot. 

back on earth, shiro goes to kerberos when he’s 26 (two years older than canon) and they still get caught. most canonical events in the year time zone go almost exactly the same. shiro gets sent to the arena, matt and sam still get sent off to the camps before matt’s broken out by the resistance, katie goes undercover as pidge, and lance and hunk are just regular dudes, but lance is in fighter class straight off the bat. 

(to earth, shiro crashes the ship and dies just like his mother did. which is......all kinds of sad to think about.)

except when shiro lands on earth, the garrison trio decide to break shiro out on their own. they then steal a jeep and head out into the desert, finding a nice guy who owns a shack (canon keith’s father but not in this au, who im gonna call mr fireman bc he doesn’t have a canon name). he’s been doing some investigating some funky stuff (the lion), and lets the kids crash at his place bc kids shouldn’t be wandering the desert w/o any supplies at night it’s dangerous. 

anyways, the shack conversation all goes almost exactly the same w mr fireman taking keith’s place. he goes with the kids, but he doesn’t get in the blue lion, she doesn’t let him in. mr fireman parts ways with the kids friendly-like, and the four of them head off to arus. 

things.....largely? stay the same? when it comes to stealing the red lion off the ship, they actually have to get the lions to drag it out of the cargo bay because they don’t have a pilot for it but as long as the lion is out of the empire’s hands, that’s all that matters although allura does try to pilot it when sendak’s ship is destroyed. due to having no pilot, they can’t retrieve black for shiro. so they only have three active lions, but three lions are still pretty powerful. 

from there i haven’t exactly worked out all the kinks but somehow they get in contact with rebels from their steady liberation of galra-controlled planets. they do small targets, taking out the weakest on the fringe of the empire and build up footholds while building the coalition. shiro fights with them on the ground, and using the castle with coran and allura when it’s not possible. sometimes he rides along with the other paladins. 

sometime before they go the galactic hub, and skipping over crystal venom entirely, they join forces with the rebels and the coalition to pull off a mission to kill zarkon. they’d received intelligence to suggest that he’s visiting a less secure ship, to oversee a project for a few days. instead of taking the lions and just blasting the ship to pieces, they decide to infiltrate and take him out stealth like to guarantee his death. 

only the information is faulty because it’s keith there instead of zarkon. 

when they learn that keith is zarkon’s son.......they kidnap him. 

their goal was to hold him hostage and/or interrogate him for weak spots in the empire, but somehow they end up thinking “hm maybe he can be redeemed bc his dad is literally an asshole and ehhh he can’t help who his parents are?” so they give him a chance....tentatively. 

keith, seeing this huge opportunity to sabotage his father’s greatest opponents and eventually steal the lions back for his father, takes this absolutely for granted and fakes his redemption. he basically pulls a lotor, and ends up helping them in certain areas but sabotaging them in others. he’s unable to report back to his father for spying purposes, but he does leave clues and/or hints to weaknesses somehow. all the while, the real reason for these things going wrong isn’t thought of. 

all the while, the paladins are trying to bond with keith. trying to get him to redeem himself, and they end up really liking him even though he’s still rather a loner, doesn’t pretend to be nice and trains like every day. he particularly gets along with shiro, the two of them forming a close bond that keith had not planned or counted on. 

allura is the only one who’s still suspicious of keith. she’s not....hostile. not really, she pretty much acts like she does in canon when keith’s heritage gets out. though they do have a few moments where they could maybe see eye to eye. she’s still apprehensive and unwilling to think that zarkon’s son could be anything but evil. 

this pays off when she investigates a major hit to the castle that renders it unfit for battle for a time and finds that keith was responsible for it. 

at this point, keith has been seriously reconsidering his allegiances. thinking that maybe the right thing to do really was to redeem himself and help out voltron and coalition. he’s not completely blind to the shitty things zarkon did, he’s well aware but he figures that maybe getting his father’s approval isn’t worth all the suffering of others nor something to desire. 

allura attacks keith and calls him out in front of everyone. providing evidence of literally all the times that keith’s fucked them all over. the team feel betrayed, keith is super guilty, and allura’s just pissed. keith doesn’t get a chance to explain before he’s thrown into a prison cell on the castle to wait until voltron can contact the coalition and decide what to do with him because it’s clear that zarkon hasn’t exactly been hurrying to find him. 

but then zarkon attacks the castle of lions with a massive fleet headed by haggar, a force that’s way too much for just three lions to take on while the castle’s defenses are still down. the whole team is in trouble and it pretty much starts to seem like zarkon’s gonna win and the paladins are gonna get killed. 

until the red lion reaches out for keith. 

so he breaks out of prison (that he could have done within minutes of being confined there), and heads to the hangar. he jumps in and uses the element of surprise to disable the fleet enough to make them need to retreat. 

the paladins are freaking out because uhhhh who the hell is the pilot of the lion? they do a little sound off like “allura that’s not you? coran? shiro?” but then keith uses the lion to communicate and basically says “sorry i broke out jail”. 

when they get back to the castle keith awkwardly does a heartfelt explanation of his plans and how the paladins actually did sort of make him want to redeem himself and realise just how much zarkon needs to get murked and stuff. he apologises for fucking them over and he even offers to go with whatever punishment they decide to dish out with no retaliation. 

the team go off and talk for a while. debating if they could really trust him anymore. allura is adamantly against it, pissed off that he’d already betrayed her trust after all zarkon did and the fact he piloted her father’s lion. lance joins her, upset he trusted him at all. pidge and hunk are apprehensive, pointing out that the lion must have seen the good in him to choose him. shiro believes in what keith’s saying and has faith in the kid to actually redeem himself. 

they tell him he can stay but the only reason he’s not dead and/or serving time in prison is bc he’s the red paladin. they make a lot of rules about what he’s allowed to do and not to do though, which keith doesn’t enjoy but he doesn’t complain about them. one of them is that he’s only allowed to fight the empire in the red lion and no on the ground stuff. 

now that the team have the red lion’s paladin they awaken the black lion and they form voltron for the first time. it’s badass, and the liberating of planets goes even faster than before. 

the paladins start to bond again even slower than before bc they need to rebuild that trust. it goes....pretty rockily considering the fact that keith is still pretty prickly in personality, and the others aren’t entirely convinced he’s actually changed sides. but shiro is essentially the only one that actually makes any headway in rebuilding the trust/relationship. 

one night he asks about keith’s mom. bc human far out in space? as far as the team knew there should have only been them and the holts, so he’s definitely curious. keith tells him about a pilot who’d been picked up in their solar system after their ship got destroyed and took them as prisoner. he tells shiro all about his mom and what she taught him of earth. 

but shiro. he starts to wonder who on earth this pilot was. because, uh, only very few pilots have gone missing in space and one of them is important to him. so he asks her name. keith replies krolia. shiro asks “as in...krolia kogane?” and keith’s like yeah. 

shiro mentally freaks out, doing mental acrobats all over the place but his thoughts mostly boiling down to a mixture of “HOLY SHIT MY MOM’S ALIVE” and “HOLY SHIT I HAVE A HALF-BROTHER WHO’S AN ALIEN PRINCE”. he manages not to let keith know he’s freaking out, and excuses himself. 

they end up doing a covert blood test and yup keith is shiro’s half brother. this earns him points in “okay yeah he’s capable of change if we warm up to him”, so the team start to treat him more favorably, not that keith is aware of this new revelation. so it’s common knowledge to the ship minus keith. shiro tries even harder to bond w his little brother, bc uhhh yeah he’s never had a little brother and he definitely likes keith so far even though he was a little evil for a while. 

keith at some point expresses to shiro why he’s fine with not telling zarkon that keith’s on the paladins’ side. that his mother would most likely be killed for turning him against zarkon due to the fact that paladins are humans, and that she’s still at central command completely unable to get away. like a glorified prisoner because, well, she is. 

shiro suggests to the team that they pull off a rescue mission to free krolia, not only for keith’s sake but for shiro’s sake too. plus the fact that she’d been a prisoner for twenty three years. which then kicks of the finale of season 1. (yes we’re still in season 1. it should have been way longer than it actually was.)

things go largely the same, except that in allura’s place it’s krolia. when keith charges at zarkon his identity is revealed to him. they manage to rescue krolia, keith fights zarkon and thace destroys the shield holding them in place. they don’t go through a corrupted wormhole though. 

then there’s a cute heartfelt reunion between keith and krolia. during which keith emotes more than he ever has in front of the paladins, who have pretty much all accepted that yep keith’s a good guy now considering he almost fought to the death with zarkon. 

but then shiro steps up and calls krolia mom which confuses the fuck out of keith, the only one who doesn’t know. krolia shakily says “Kashi?” and they tearfully hug, krolia completely caught off guard that her other son wasn’t on earth where she left him. keith is confusion until krolia explains, and keith asks if that means shiro is his brother. they say yes and they have a big old threeway hug, to which lasts for like an hour because its big family bonding time. everyone is happy for them.

you’d think, huh is this the end of the au? this is pretty long already.....nope!! we’re just getting started!!! (this thing is a monster......hence why im never going to even attempt to write it out lmao)

we go into season 2 where krolia starts to talk to the others about the rebel galra group that she helped and kind of joined called the blade of marmora. she tells them that there was a galra named thace who kept her in the loop about keith, and the goings on of voltron. she tells them that they would be a very good ally in the fight against zarkon. 

shiro then backs this story up with his memory of how ulaz helped him escape jail, and says that they should trust them. the team tentatively agree, but decide not to immediately go to them and focus more on building the coalition. krolia pulls keith aside and gives them a knife that they had given her to protect herself as zarkon prohibited her to carry weapons. its keith’s marmora blade that she was unable to activate because of her lack of galra blood, but they gave it to her to protect herself anyways. 

canon largely stays the same for a while. zarkon still does the tracking thing, except when allura and keith go out in a pod, krolia comes with them. they have a little thing where they make clear with each other where they stand and end up having a little fun despite the tense atmosphere until the castle is attacked by zarkon.

when the team meet up with the blades, keith demands why they didn’t help krolia themselves. they’d already proved with shiro that they could free prisoners if they wanted to, and demands to know why they didn’t risk it for krolia. he wants to know why they never took a bigger part in taking down the empire and why they never stepped forwards to work with voltron themselves instead of letting the team come to them. 

kolivan says that he only gets the answers, an alliance between them and gets to keep the blade if he joins as a member of their order and take the trials. keith accepts. the rest of the blades however, don’t like the idea that the son of zarkon was joining up and taking the trials. but when keith passes and pretty much immediately tries to kill memory zarkon on sight, he proves himself to them. the blades ally with the coalition and voltron. 

again, season 2 goes quite a lot like canon. except!!! in the finale they actually do end up killing zarkon along with haggar and shiro doesn’t go missing! hurray!!! 

but. that means with no prince lotor, and a dead zarkon instead of comatose zarkon, there’s no one to lead the empire. hence a kral zera is called. 

(here is where i mention i have vague memories of s3 onwards and haven’t seen past s4. so i don’t...actually know how most canon events from here on out go in explicit detail. its all pretty vague.)

the plan from there is for keith to attend and win. if he gets crowned the new emperor, he could officially announce the end of the war, and significantly reduce the amount of fighting the resistance would have to do to bring peace to the known universe. the coalition & blades don’t fully trust keith however, thinking that once keith is on the throne he’ll just betray them. 

keith understands and explains he doesn’t actually want the throne. he suggests that they just kill everyone on the planet when the kral zera is called, with no more candidates, the empire will be severely fractured and would still be easier to defeat than having a leader. in the end, they go with the idea of having keith become emperor, but the coalition there in case people fight back against his orders. 

keith wins, some back down and obey and some don’t. the coalition and voltron take down those that fight back, and from there it’s a lot of “keith orders galra to release planets and those that don’t, get liberated by the resistance”. its a lot of politics where keith frees all the prisoners of the empire, lets them get back to their home planets and finds sam returning him to pidge and matt. 

he sets up a colony in an empty solar system for the civilian galra to live governed by the blades, while he sees to it that those that were soldiers are put on trial and punished for their various crimes. 

again, still not entirely sure what happens in late canon, but i guess from there it does the whole...sendak takes earth thing? but it’s actually a pretty easy mission considering they have the might of the entire coalition (which is almost the entire universe at that point) and the blades and voltron. but after the defeat of sendak there pretty much isn’t any opposing galra resistance to keith’s reign? so from then on it’s just the paladins, allura, coran and krolia back on earth experiencing things. 

krolia busts into the garrison like “hey guess who’s not dead! also meet my alien son who’s king of an entire race of people, and my other son who’s leader of the universe’s most powerful weapon also with a sick glowing arm”. the garrison sweats under the pure power and skill the three of them exude. especially when krolia utterly annihilates all records on their simulators/actual ships. and then keith and shiro join in on it too and they end up giving them all the awards and accolades bc no one is going to top that ever. 

the paladins go to disneyland. keith is still technically emperor but considering the blades have been overseeing all galra activity anyways, he’s not really needed. so he just bums around earth for a while, getting to know the other half of his heritage that he never really got to. 

krolia meets mr fireman and they end up getting together bc krolia deserves good things and a desert hermit who helped get shiro back into space and eventually to her with is a good thing. they still live out in the shack tho bc mr fireman is committed to it at that point, bc he ended up living there through sendak’s invasion pretty well. 

and then uh i think that’s pretty much it. keith is a normal teenager, allura and coran get puzzled by human shit, lance reconnects w his family, hunk does too and cooks a bunch of food and pidge works w the garrison in making it less shitty while also just tagging along with whatever dumb things they decide to experience. 

end of au!!!!

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 113 Results

The chapter poll closed with 1,355 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,319 Responses

While still highly rated, last month’s chapter was a hard act to follow. The number of 5 ratings were down nearly 17%.

I find myself getting waaaaay religious whenever a new chapter comes out

Floch is annoying, Gabi is annoying, Eren is annoying, but I can't wait to see where this all is heading.

I could feel the ground shake and hear Zeke's agonizing screams and almost, almost really felt for the poor guy, falling victim to something worse than the angel of death itself.. gosh, I don't think a manga ever gave me such goosebumps before..well done Isayama, well fucking done.

Everytime I think Floch has reached the maximum level of assholery, he ups the game to inconceivable levels. I still can't believe poor Marlowe had to die for this.

Can I have a break from suffering? Thanks.

Forget opening a tea shop, Levi should open a sushi bar instead

Seriously how about Levi just go solo the whole world and win because he's so damn OP and save all Eldians and just end the story in the next episode

JUST TELL ME HOW ZEKE AND EREN MEET ALREADY!!

WHAT WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? 1,331 Responses

It was hard to choose a favorite moment. “All of it” was the top pick (21.5%) followed by “Levi’s face when he resolved to kill his comrades” (17.1%). Third place was “Levi slicing Zeke’s feet and legs” (10%).  Levi’s Angel of Death moment was the most popular write-in. In retrospect it should’ve been included as an option.

Levi looking like a goddamn Angel of Death.

Nothing I am invested in happened this chapter, but Levi emerging from the trees like an avenging angel was pretty cool!

This is the First chapter where I have trouble choosing one Option. This was a real rollercoaster.

Levi kicking Zeke’s a** is quality entertainment

Kinda bummed by this chapter, though it was good. As a Mikasa stan (lmao) I was looking forward to seeing her post-emotional destruction, but we didn’t see her face vs. the rest of the 104th which makes me think she isn’t crying, but has gained some resolve and will pull open the bars or some shit. Also FUCK Floch.

Thank you Levi for finally ripping Zeke apart.

CHAPTER 113 IS CALLED “SAVAGERY.” WHICH CHARACTER DID YOU THINK BEST EXEMPLIFIES THIS TITLE? 1,322 Responses

Close to 70% of the fandom believes Levi was the most savage this chapter. Floch was a distant second (18.2%). The most popular write in was “All of them!”

I think the title "Savagery" does refer to Levi, because I think he can be the monster he needs to be to survive. And I love it.

Paradis island. The whole chain of command is out of the window; the residents are becoming savages (those who drank wine becoming mindless titans, trainees beating up Shadis, Yeagerists promoting anarchy, etc.) They are becoming literal savages (they're all sociopaths because they're a little more savage than others lul)

Keith Shadis & Floch  would be the obvious choice. But I interpret the title as describing the overall savagery of war, as seen in all the different parties.

Walls were built to protect titan from Levi, amen

While it very much could be a direct description of Levi's brutal actions aganist Zeke, I believe everyone engaged in this conflict is being savage one way or another by inheritence, as war in itself is savagery.

Zeke did nothing wrong. Levi did nothing wrong. Floche is the worst.

SINCE HANGE AND PIXIS HAVEN’T SPOKEN, HOW DID PIXIS KNOW ABOUT THE WINE? 1,321 Responses

Most respondents (42.8%) believe that Pixis does not know about the wine specifically, but deduced that Zeke's scream had something to do with what happened. 24.8% believe that he is just a smart dude, but 23.2% think that he might have been tipped off by Yelena.

Pixis knows alcohol. He knows when something's up.

Imo Pixis , Eren and Zeke are all working together , so Pixis gained knowledge of the wine from Eren , although after he drank it.

He was willing to surrender to the Yeager brothers, maybe Zeke or Kiyomi told him beforehand.

P A T H S

SINCE IT’S BEEN CONFIRMED THAT PIXIS AND NILE HAVE CONSUMED THE TAINTED WINE, DO YOU THINK THEY ARE DESTINED TO BECOME TITANS? 1,325 Responses

While the majority is unsure (42.7%), more than a third (34.4%) believe Nile and Pixis are destined to become titans.  Only 22.9% think they will die another way be just fine.

I really hope Pixis doesn’t become a Titan I’ve always liked him.

I think that Zeke has a plan, probably he wants that Levi takes him to Sina with the Paradis high commands (Pixis, Nile, etc) to use his scream with they to turn them to titans. We saw in this chapter that Zeke's scream doesn't work with enough distance, that's the reasson that Zeke wants to go with them.

LEVI HAS LOST ANOTHER SQUAD, THIS TIME BY HIS OWN HANDS. HOW BADLY DO YOU FEEL FOR LEVI? 1,327 Responses

79.4% of people responding to this question: Levi lost his entire squad (...again). He didn’t lose 20% of his squad. He didn’t even lose 50%. He lost his whole squad (...again). Look at what it’s done to him. You can see the death in his eyes, but he keeps on going. This is why Levi is one of my favorite characters.

If I have learned nothing else, I have learned that the world has destined Levi to be a soloist. Every time he has a squad something goes wrong.

Man, Levi's face was just pure resignation. He knew he had to, once again, he had to take lives in order to protect others. Gut wrenching, but just completely real.

Ffs, just let Levi retire. Like, look at the PAIN in his eyes when he remembers the conversation with his subordinates. It's even worse when his expression changes to "knowing exactly what to do".

I think he will be correct that everyone’s deaths amounted to nothing in the end

That panel if Levi falling while all his comrades are trying to kill him; this guy can't catch a break

THERE’S BEEN SOME TALK IN THE FANDOM ABOUT LEVI BEING TOO OP. WHAT DO YOU THINK? 1,333 Responses

53.3% of the fandom agree that Levi is OP but they are a-ok with it.  20% thinks he’s powerful and not OP at all. Only 10.3% of respondents indicated that Levi’s extreme power hurts their enjoyment of the series.

It doesn’t matter to me that many think Levi is OP; whether you agree with that or not, come on, give Levi a break. He at the very least deserves a happy ending after all he’s been through

Levi is too overpowered. I didn't want him to die here but at least I want him to have a more difficult fight. Him getting a serious injury for example. Every fight he had he didn't even get injured (except against the FT and that was because of Mikasa). This is one of the reasons that for me Levi is a VERY boring character.

Levi destroying Zeke was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I think he stands a fair chance against Eren if he still has thunder spears.

Seeing all the Levi hate, because of the ""OP"" thing was kinda unexpected and annoying to me lol Without Levi's help for example in the female titan or RtS arc wouldn't be some characters where they are right now *cough* Mikasa would be dead *cough* I think Zeke underestimated him and that's was the deal at least.

Not sure the arguments about Levi being too OP make much sense. He was in the forest of giant trees, which has already been established as the best environment to use 3DMG. I really thought Levi was toast after last chapter just because Zeke utilizing the element of surprise, but I forgot how strong he was. Good to see him in action again.

I know a lot of people have had issues with Levi being too OP or with Levi being too cruel uwu but ffs have we forgotten who this man is? Levi fucking Ackerman, who is *supposed* to be OP af, who has the curse of having one of the worst fates in the series. Seriously, everybody around him is dying, he was born in a shit world that just keeps getting shittier, and he is no close to that pristine tea shop than he ever was, possibly ever will be. Sure he's Hella strong and survives all his battles with barely a scratch, but does it give him a happy life? No it fucking does not.

Levi isn't OP you guys are just mean

LEVI=GOD

DO YOU THINK LEVI’S QUICK DEFEAT OF ZEKE WAS UNREALISTIC? 1,332 Responses

Just over half the fandom (50.8%) say no, Levi’s quick defeat of Zeke was not unrealistic. Only 8.6% answered “Yes” to this question.

I know 90% of the Fandom has a hard-on for Levi but I wish the fight with zeke was more even.

Levi's fight against Zeke was fun but at the same time it felt like some sort of repetition of him fucking Zeke up back in RTS (I guess that was part of the purpose, lol), so it ended up not being very appealing to me after a couple of days.

Being Intelligent and being Smart are different things and yes Zeke might be good at planning strategies but he is a dumbass when it come to fighting and understanding other people.

Seeing Levi vs BT 2.0 gave me some serious highs. Was literally shaking while reading the leaks. I just realised how Levi truly is the perfect foil to someone like Zeke. The world could be crumbling, but give Levi any task, and you can trust him to deliver it 99.9% of the times, with the 0.1% being but the benefit of the doubt.

BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER, WHO HAD YOU THOUGHT WOULD WIN THIS ENCOUNTER? 1,327 Responses

At nearly 40%, a majority of respondents thought that Levi vs Zeke Round 2 would be a more even fight than their first encounter, with a close 34.7% thinking that Levi would prevail again. Only 21.1% believed Zeke would win.

Anyone who thought Zeke had any chance of facing Levi and winning mano a mano (even with titans) is not reading the same manga I am.

The "Farewell, Heicho" leak made me think Zeke won.

I thought Zeke's plan wouldn't be enough to kill Levi, but enough for him to escape. I still wasn't surprised lol.

If it came down to a straight battle, I knew Levi would win because we've seen him win against greater odds. The difference is that I didn't think the encounter would become a straight-up battle so quickly, I assumed Zeke would have some other distraction or escape plan other than literally just yeeting out of the scene

I hoped Zeke would escape or Levi would at least struggle instead of Ackerhaxing his way through 20+ Titans and still managing to catch up to an escaping Zeke and effortlessly defeat him, but no.

The outcome was fairly expected considering all the factors that stood in Levi's advantage (big ass trees, thunder spear, zeke's miscalculationsTM/underestimation...etc) so I wasn't surprised when he easily whooped his ass.

Bolting away while screaming was such a solid plan. I'm shocked it didn't work.

IF ZEKE HAD EXPLAINED HIS PLAN TO LEVI, DO YOU THINK THERE’S A CHANCE LEVI WOULD’VE UNDERSTOOD? 1,327 Responses

42% of respondents think it’s possible that Levi might have been open to Zeke’s plan, but equally possible he wouldn’t have listened. Nearly 40% are certain that Levi has no interest in anything Zeke has to say. A small 13% of respondents think that Levi would have been open minded if open communication had been present.

whether Levi would have "understood" the Jeagerbros' plan is irrelevant. I think Levi still lives by "make the choice with least regrets" and so would not have changed his mind, even if he had understood their motivations.

Poor zeke , Poor Levi , we wish Levi will understand zeke's point of view...😔😔

WILL LEVI FACE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR STOPPING ZEKE AND DELAYING THE YEAGERBRO’S PLAN? 1,324 Responses

Half of respondents believe that Levi will not be able to bask in his victory for long before the story throws him another wrench. 30% aren’t sure if he will or not and 15% are confident that Levi’s victory is solid and will be rewarded.  

I believe Levi has now somewhat of an advantage over the Yeagerists as he's holding the key and core to their plan captive, without Zeke the plan just won't proceed. Unless Eren suspected something might happen to Zeke and has a plan B up his sleeves, Levi has the upper hand now, and he can easily finish Zeke off any second. If he were to encounter Eren & co. on the way there's no doubt he'll use Zeke as a bargaining chip. I'm exceptionally excited to see how things will play out between them.

God I hope not, but knowing Yams, something terrible awaits Levi after the brilliance of this chapter.

not sure but SERIOUSLY people need to stop with the lies and secrets.

I think something we're not expecting might happen.

Why would he? If there are any negative consequences coming his way, it is because he didn't kill Zeke . Zeke seems like the type to come up with double plans -- for example, Levi could unintentionally be leading Zeke to his meetup with Eren.

I wouldn't say "negative consequences," but he definitely stalled their plans. Considering the fact that no one other than the two know what those plans are, I feel like Levi's victory over Zeke would allow some space in the story for these "plans" to finally be revealed and explained, whether it be to the characters in the story, or to us readers.

Zeke can regenerate anyway so I think he might get away with it

I'm afraid for Levi. He did what he did to Zeke with the best intentions, but I fear he's now inadvertently ruining the plan the brothers had so carefully orchestrated. I'm afraid he's gonna face Eren in a next chapter, who's going to do everything to prevent his brother from being eaten.

WHERE DO YOU THINK LEVI IS HEADING? 1,317 Responses

Historia’s Farm was the most popular option with nearly half the vote (49.7%). Shiganshina was second with 20%. In retrospect we should’ve included Rakugo as a potential destination since the theory that he’s heading there to feed Zeke to Connie’s mom is gaining popularity.

Historia's Farm or Ragako

Levi's smart enough to figure out there were probably more individuals on the receiving end of the tainted wine.  With that in mind, he'll be very cautious with where he goes to ensure no more transformations occur.

Unless he has some titan serum in his pockets going straight to Historia would be a bit pointless. Meeting with Pyxis first seems likely.

Taking Zeke to Shiganshina or anywhere where everyone else are is too risky. Zeke could get away and pull out his screaming card and shift onto his beast titan form.

The horses don't seem to be moving. So maybe he's just chilling out in an open field

To Erwin’s grave

Dear snkpolls. How about cutting out with this unfunny Zevi bullshit for sociopaths and including real ships some people actually like instead? I mean pairings. Not the actual ships. I don't want Titanic in the next poll.

Honestly, the Zevi getaway option gave me a much needed laugh after the chapter.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LEVI’S SLICE AND DICE OF ZEKE’S LEGS? 1,330 Responses

A tiny fraction (3.1%) of the fandom was upset or disappointed with Levi’s actions, the rest were fine with it. “I don’t blame him” and “cruel but understandable” comprised the thoughts of 70% of the fandom. 20% wish Levi had done even more.

I thought it was unnecessarily cruel and completely in-character for Levi. God I love this man

He didn't want Zeke to transform, what's so difficult to understand?

Honestly I’m not sure why zeke was so surprised that Levi came out alive lmao. Like he’s literally seen - up close and personal - what he’s capable of. He’s humanity’s strongest ffs.

I get it and it's hard to say there's not a little justification, but I think it's a very natural human response to wince at ANYONE suffering enormous amounts of pain. Most of us would cringe even if we were witnessing Hitler himself being tortured, no matter what we might think right now. It's just a natural, innate reaction to human suffering.

Unnecessarily cruel and it's gonna bite him in the ass.

I have not been able to eat celery since

DID ZEKE’S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE AFFECT YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT HIM? 1,328 Responses

44% of respondents were not swayed one way or another about their stance on Zeke after hearing more of his perspective, while 29% continue see him as a total enigma. 23% have started to see Zeke more positively.

Zeke shows he lacks fundamental understanding of human compassion

BABY ZEKE LOOK AT HIM ISAYAMA WHY DO YOU DO THIS

Zeke is officially an idiot and Eren is a bigger one for trusting him above his friends.

I kinda don't want Zeke to have some tragic background. Zeke as the series Joker who just wants to see everyone destroy each other no matter who they are, that is a far more interesting direction for me than more of the same 'Marleyans aren't evil, just misunderstood' rubbish that we have been force-fed for over a year

Zeke deserves life, love, and his glasses.

One other thing that really pleased me in this chapter is that Levi managed to give a reply to each of Zeke's annoyingly patronising statements. Zeke has always made me furious with his ""aww you naïve creatures, you don't understand"" bit, and I adored the fact that Levi actually shut him up while he fought him. About goddamn time someone shut up that monkey.

Zeke worrying about his glasses is a big mood because as a fellow glasses wearer, I would do the same

DO YOU BELIEVE SHADIS TAUNTED THE NEW RECRUITS IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT THEM/HANGE? 1,329 Responses

A huge majority (74%) agrees: Keith Shadis is a good dude, and wanted to protect the recruits and/or Hange with his boast. A minority (7.6%) believes he severely overestimated himself (oof), while everyone everyone else (18.4%) was not sure.

I didn't before, but I do now, you monsters!

Respect for Shadis for what he did.

Also, somebody please kill Floch already.

Shadis deserves only good things

Shadis is sick, anyone who says he isn't is trippin

I wish Shadis had head butted the shit out of Floch

I can't believe that Shadis roasted Floche to a crisp and sent him to the Burn Unit lolololol

YOUR THOUGHTS ON FLOCH ARE BEST SUMMED UP AS: 1,318 Responses

Floch will not be winning any popularity contests in the near-future, with 67% of respondents selecting the most negative options: that they want him to burn (44.5%), or that they just simply love hating him (22.5%). In contrast, only about 10% of respondents view Floch favorably:  3% say they are fully on his side, while 6.4% still reluctantly support him.

A character such as his is destined to die while Eren looks at him emotionless. Eren doesn't give a shit about him and this little boy will learn it the hard way. He's a prime example of the "brainwashed, vengeful" character who dies a horrible death.

He's just a pawn.  I have no feelings for pawns.

I'm really sad that Shadis got pulverized, but do still think that Floch is trying to help Paradis the only way he knows how (even if a tad misguided).

Floch is correct about needing to be more proactive, but he & Yeagerists are going about everything the wrong way. I do not support the Yeagerists.

Shadis' assault was absolutely unnecessary and savage for all the wrong reasons. Floch is basically on a power trip here and it was sickening to read. I hope he dies a slow, painful death, that dickwad.

I don't think there's a definitive answer as to who's right here. Marley's coming and if Eren is the right leader, then fine. But it's not given.

I hate him, but wonder if he might have a point

I wish someone would use P A T H S to rip the fabric of their reality open and that that would lead to Mount Doom, just so they could then toss Floch's ass into it. That would be great, thanks.

Now I'm not saying anyone is truly evil in snk... but Floch is sprinting in that direction so fucking fast.

WHICH CHARACTER(S) DID THIS CHAPTER MAKE YOU FEEL MOST SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS? 1,320 Responses

Levi easily takes first place this time around after losing yet another squad, this time at his own hand. He’s followed by Shadis (did he really deserve that, Floch??), Hange, and the rest of the 104th. Zeke’s short flashback garnered some empathy as well.

Levi, Zeke, Mikasa, Armin and the 104th, Hange, Shadis, Every single character in this chapter. Even Floch and the cadets.

I feel a lot of sympathy for Falco, waking up naked in a robe in front of strangers. What, they were in THAT much of a hurry?

I feel sympathetic to all of them - even Zeke a tiny bit. This whole thing is a clusterfuck of mamoth proportions.

Zeke might join the list, but depends on next chapter, I need his flashbacks to give me a valid reason to why I should sympathize with him, which I think they will as his past looks just as crappy and angsty as the other characters'.

Levi, Zeke, Mikasa, Armin and the 104th, Hange, Shadis, Eren. He looks miserable even though he's SOOO FREEEE~

IN LAST MONTH’S POLL, ONLY 17% OF RESPONDENTS BELIEVED THAT EREN IS IN CONTROL OF HIS ACTIONS. WE WANT TO KNOW IF THIS CHAPTER CHANGED YOUR OPINION. WHAT BEST DESCRIBES HOW YOU VIEW EREN’S CONTROL OF HIS ACTIONS? 1,324 Responses

The percentage of respondents who believe Eren is fully in control of his actions jumped from 17% to 23% this month. 29% percent still believe that he’s fallen victim to a combination of Zeke’s manipulation and previous titan holders’ memories. 16% remain confused and don’t want to make assumptions either way, 14% believe that the titan power is controlling Eren, and a small 8% actually think it’s the other way around and that Eren is manipulating Zeke.

I think what he said to MA is ultimately to protect them, but like Connie said - the eren we’ve seen since Grim Reminder 2.0 in Liberio isn’t the eren we once knew.

Eren is and always has been kind of a jerk. I think he's 100% free to make his own choices. However, I wouldn't discount the idea that the memories he's inherited and whatever selective knowledge Zeke has imparted are influencing those decisions. They're in no way forcing him though. This is all 100% organic Eren BS.

He is being only influenced by the previous titans, which is messing up with his mental state. This causes him to make decisions not regarding human life out of wanting to fight for freedom.

Eren is the master manipulator! Mark my words, guys!

Zeke and Eren are both misguided. Perhaps the rumbling is a lie, or they have a plan that only they would get, but I suspect that the rumbling isn't a simple concept, just like Marley and the Helos story.

Eren is definitely being influenced by previous titans. After he consumed the hammer titan some changed about the way he acts.

He's definitely not being controlled by Zeke, but I still think there is something off/wrong with him.

Eren's doing what he thinks is best for his people, and chose this path based on the memories he gained, the experiences he's had, and the information he's come to know. Its possible some of this information was skewed by Zeke, but other than that Eren is in control

I personally believe he is being influenced by the many titan powers he holds as well as the many memories of the people that held these titans before him however, I believe that these powers are not completely dominating him and he’s able to make his own decision. Eren is also probs not being manipulated by Zeke as I believe that these two bros will stay together.

Influenced to an extent but still in control in that the various factors we're considering has warped how he thinks the situation should be handled. I feel like Eren thinks his unpredictability gives him the most control because he'll probably try to do what's most advantageous on the fly as forks in the road appear (because he never really struck me as someone who can spearhead planning ahead). He's in control of his actions but I think he's still incredibly susceptible to manipulation by those who can plan as a result.

DO YOU THINK EREN IS REALLY WORKING WITH THE YEAGERISTS? 1,322 Responses

Half of respondents believe that Eren is actively working with the Yeagerists in order to achieve a larger goal. 17% aren’t convinced he has anything to do with them aside from tagging along on their road trip. Almost 10% of respondents believe Eren will eventually backstab Floch and isn’t on their side at all, and 9% feel that Eren has been the one giving orders all along.

Maybe he is, but I still have some hope for him that what he did was to protect the people he loves. I hope he still cares about them.

Eren is using them (he doesn't give a fuck about them) and the Yeagerists are using Eren. Eren will backstab Floch. I don't think Eren's aware of everything Floch's doing while using his name but, at the same time, if Eren "cared" about what they do he would ask/wonder... he's too dead inside for that tho

I hope he backstabs them but damn am i confused and a lil angry about this situation

Whether he is working with them or not, he did nothing to stop them but rather act as their leader and that makes him partially responsible for their actions.

Dammit Eren you better not be behind Shadis' beating, he's a good man

I have this feeling Eren doesn't really give a titan's ass whether they're on his side or not, as long as Big Bro got his back he will carry on with the plan either way. They sort of just formed this faction on their own but Eren isn't stupid not to take advantge of that. After all, who knows what might happen and keeping his own small army at arm's reach sure is helpful. But Eren did mature into this very prideful and confident rebel with that "aint need nobody bitch" attitude so.

They seems to be a different faction led by Floch, and Eren is exploiting this.

I think he is working with Zeke (whether they have the same end goal or not is something I’m not sure about) but I don’t think he is working with the Yeagerists and doesn’t even fully know about them or what they are doing

Zeke and Floch are on one side and think they are working with Eren. Eren is currently working with them solely as a means to reach an end and will go his own way after they initiate the rumbling.

PREDICTION TIME!! WHO IS MISTER XAVER? 1,328 Responses

Almost all respondents (81.9%) speculate that Mister Xaver is the holder of the Beast Titan that preceded Zeke, and 25% believe he was affiliated with Eren Kruger in some way. 21% think that he is a family friend of the Jaegers, while 8% believe he was an actual member of the family. There are all sorts of other creative ideas floating around about who this bespectacled mentor figure might be:

Titan Scientist

Pitcher and pinch-hitter for the Liberio Warhammers.

Zeke’s father figure

Zeke's only childhood friend

I think he’s the person who inspired Zeke’s plans

A member of the royal family

Kiyomi and Kruger's ally in the plan to restore Eldia in order to destroy Marley, hated by the three of them

I think he might be an “Ackerman” or someone from the Hizuru clan that secretly remained in Liberio to watch over the members of the royal family there (Dina, then eventually Zeke as he grew up). I also think he was working with Kruger to “groom” Zeke for the ultimate plan that is beginning to unfold now in the most recent chapters (whatever that plan may be idk) (just as Kruger’s influence and memories “groomed” Grisha, and perhaps Eren for what’s happening now as well) P A T H S.

Xaver runs a school for mutants.

PURE SPECULATION, BUT DO YOU THINK XAVER INFLUENCED ZEKE TO TURN IN GRISHA AND DINA? 1,324 Responses

Just over half of respondents believe that Xaver had some influence on Zeke, and that influence contributed to his choice to turn his parents (and the other restorationists) in to the Marleyan government. 33% are not sure, while ~16% believe that Xaver had no hand in that decision.

It would be interesting to see Zeke's flashback, I think you could be onto something, that Zeke himself is a victim of childhood indoctrination, and was manipulated by Xavier (a true honorary Marleyan) to turn in his parents and be loyal to Marley. He clearly thinks of him very fondly, and he seems to be the only one confirmed to be in Zeke's good books. He may or may not be the former beast titan, but I think that however he died is a major reason and key to understanding Zeke's current actions and main motive.

Since he has been shown comforting Zeke after he snitched on his parents, their relationship obviously goes way back and it drives me to think he was a close family friend/relative whom Zeke found some kind of comfort in to battle the neglect, pressure and brainwashing of his parents. From the final panel it doesn't look to me that Xaver wanted Zeke to become a warrior at first, hence probably why he infuenced him to turn in his parents, but obviosuly sth happened that changed that. I do believe he's the ex-BT, even if he wasn't, surely his death was a major factor in why Zeke decided to become a warrior. Dang it I should stop writing nonsense I just wanna KNOW WHATS UP WITH THAT MONKEY MAN

WHO DID IT BETTER? 1,326 Responses

Almost half of respondents thought both our Ackermans brought the thunder equally! Levi, however takes the title this time, with 31% choosing him over Mikasa when it comes to blowing up titans. 18.8% thought she still did it best. 

OUR TRANSLATORS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CHANNELING STAN LEE. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SFX FROM THIS CHAPTER? 1,300 Responses

“Splat” edged out “ba-BOOM” for the win with just under 20% of the vote. “BSHHT” was  third and “baKRAK” a close fourth.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,330 Responses

These last few hard hitting chapters have amped up the pace of the story, and most people are looking forward to further plot progression. 46.2% and 42.7% are hoping this comes are some sort of flashback related to Zeke or the Yeager bros, respectively. Historia and the warriors bring up the rear, and there’s always people hoping for something more specific in the write-ins:

I miss Reiner and Historia...bring them back please.

this chapter lacked a significant amount of Reiner, and i am tired of not seeing him

I'd take an entire chapter of Levi chopping Zeke up, please

Show me my Mikasa!

Missing Option: Mikasa, Armin, and the 104th

Literally a thought from Eren.

Gabi and Eren Talk

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Give Annie ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Someone killing Floch. Anyone. Please.

Let it be contain one panel of the best girl Yelena 😭

Prison break for the SC and equipping the 3DMG in preparing to battle

More Floch Greatness. All Hail The New Eldian Empire!

I can safely assume next chapter will be 75% Zeke flashbacks which is what I've been waiting for.

JUST GIVE US ANSWERS ISAYAMA!!!!!

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,286 Responses

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

Floch needs to — and I can’t stress this enough — die an unholy death.

Zeke should not have grown his facial hair back before all his skin lol

A very aptly named chapter, where there is savagery and violence, without glorifying or romanticising the brutality. Violence obscures understanding and communication, as seen with the inability for Levi and Zeke to understand each other, despite them being more similar than they realize. Levi kills all his titanized comrades but he is emotionally and mentally unravelling — it is not true victory, only loss and fading of hope. Floch’s violence through abuse of power only breeds cruelty and the reiteration of oppression — it is not true revolution, only regression. Zeke and Eren’s actions intentionally bring war upon Paradis — it brings death and destruction. And yet violence is necessary - it is an unavoidable truth in a world that refuses to listen, only fight, because of fear. The themes in this chapter have so many layers to them; it was a tough one to read because of how dark and brutal it was, but very thought provoking. As readers we look forward to action and fight scenes, but here Isayama deliberately and skillfully delivers it in such a raw and uncomfortable way.

Floch will forever be Manneke Pis. Shadis has been through enough. Eren is hot but needs to die. Falco needs some clothes. Where was Gabi? I fear for Historia's unborn child. Warriors when?

Regarding Zeke, seeing him tear up while thinking of Xaver hurt me a little bit. It's one of the few times (the first time, even? not sure.) that we've seen him show any strong attachment and fondness (and borderline remorse) with regards to his actions. He isn't the "absolutely evil" character in this series.

This kind of chapters are like "ok" to me but frustrating as hell. It will be nice to see it animated in 2030 nonetheless.

I still thinks Eren is a jerk but i still love him. Plus: Floch can be canceled i don't care. Plus+: I want my babies Armin and Mikasa free of the jail, They don't deserve that crap from Eren.  

Seeing Levi vs BT 2.0 gave me some serious highs. Was literally shaking while reading the leaks. I just realised how Levi truly is the perfect foil to someone like Zeke. The world could be crumbling, but give Levi any task, and you can trust him to deliver it 99.9% of the times, with the 0.1% being but the benefit of the doubt.

I think it was a waste of time if I'm being honest. We learned nothing new other than from the few pages with Zeke.

I think this chapter made me realise that I don't really care about Levi anymore.

I waited until the last day to fill this poll out because I honestly don't know how I feel about this series right now. While there's plenty of entertainment to be found in these recent chapters, I don't think I really like the direction the story has taken. I'm bored. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was surprised to see people genuinely being concerned about Levi surviving after the last chapter/when spoilers were dropping. Levi got plot armour thicker than a tank. He already took out a whole row of titans at far worse odds. He wasn't going to die.

I'm excited for what's coming. I wanted a high stakes story and I'm anxious, but in a good way. Still giving Eren the benefit of the doubt, he has to have info that he's not sharing (from having the memories of 3 titans).

I'm so dead inside due to having an awfully emotional week of being very sad about Zeke and celebrating the survival of Levi. I love both of them so much, this chapter exhausted me greatly.

It was nice to have a more action-packed chapter this time around, I've been missing those. It looks to me like at least half of next chapter will consist of Zeke's childhood flashback, then after that I would like to see Historia again. Please Isayama it's been half a year I miss my queen! :((((

Oh my god Xavier yes yes yes I thought Isayama had completely forgotten about the “mystery man”

I'm so glad Levi won and got Zeke tied up! Now Armin's got to find a safe way to do a titan jailbreak! Hange needs allied more than ever!

No Pieck, no party. Things are just heating up, and it’s still somehow a shitshow?

It's nice to know that characters such as Levi exist in a very morally grey world, and that of all the people given extraordinary powers and abilities, it's someone with that kind of mindset. It makes me feel positive that the series would end in an overall good note, even if this may include some heartbreaking deaths and turn of events.

I liked finally seeing a little more inside Zeke's head.

THIS is how you subvert expectations. Introduce that Levi is watching Zeke back in 106 and doesn't trust him then, and then showing their conversation in 110 to further building the tension. Because of the reveal of Zekerets and that Zeke had been working with Eren as well as the fact that Levi won his first encounter against Zeke - it makes sense from a storytelling standpoint for Zeke to win his next encounter against Levi. 112 plays into this expectation due to Zeke's sudden attack on Levi with a cliffhanger heavily suggesting that Levi would die. Instead 113 was the complete opposite, with Levi utterly decimating Zeke and making the story take an unexpected curve. This chapter is brilliant.

The story is progressing extremely fast right now. The Endgame arc is approaching its climax with all the players taking their stance in preparation for the Ragnarok…

Floch needs to be taught not to miss around with adult affairs that are way beyond his basic childish comprehension. I don't hate the guy but I will be satisfied to watch him shit his pants in a fiasco made of his terrible life choices.

okay but when will best boy jean finally read flock the riot act

there is no transparency in this arc, only suffering

[laallomri]

[fic for keithtober, from these prompts]

[day 7: dual wielding. an au of the end of s6, ft. klance going after kuron together and lance getting to use his “boy from cuba” line in a much diff scenario] 

Keith is tired.

He went on a mission—two fucking years ago—to check up with a blade member, a mission that somehow turned into a family reunion. Then he went right into another mission, then into what felt like an eternity’s worth of camping on a whale, then into the discovery that a supposedly lost race of people is very much not lost, then into a frantic trip back to save his friends from a power-hungry genocidal prince, then into the discovery that something is really wrong with his brother, the person who matters more to him than pretty much anyone else in the entire universe, and now said brother has escaped with said power-hungry genocidal prince into a fucking wormhole.

Actually, Keith is not tired. He’s exhausted, and he’s angry, he’s fucking furious, because he didn’t sign up for this, he didn’t sign up for this at all, he signed up for a basic mission—two fucking years ago—and all he wanted was to come back to this group of people, these people he cares about more than anything, his family, and give them too many hugs and listen to them talk too much and feel stupidly happy.

But he can’t, and that infuriates him, and his fury is so great that he barely feels the spin of the wormhole as he tumbles through it, so great that he feels intensely present as he exits the lion onto a platform, like the colors and sounds around him are heightened, made hyper-specific, like the rushing in his veins and his chest and his head are outlining exactly what he has to do so he can get this over with and finally get his stupidly happy reunion with his friends.

(if he is being honest, he is not—fully angry—about his anger—he is not angry that he is angry, but actually a bit—relieved—because his time at the blade has sapped too many of his feelings, has made him sad at best and empty at worst, and it is refreshing to feel again, even if it isn’t positive)

(it occurs to him in the next second how fucked up that is, how horrible it is that he’s relieved to feel angry. he already has half a mind to leave the blade, but this makes it certain; he can’t go back now, not when he finally remembers what it’s like to feel again, not when he’s finally realized how far gone he was, that anger is a relief rather than a burden)

He looks up and sees Shiro—or not-Shiro, as he’s starting to realize—on the platform, still carrying Lotor. He starts up the platform towards him when he hears a loud roar. He stops, frowning, and turns to see that the wormhole is closing, though not before the red lion zooms through and lands beside Black.

“What?” he mutters, his frown deepening.

Red’s mouth opens. Lance jumps out.

“Hi,” he says, as if they’re meeting at breakfast back at the castle ship. “I’ve come to help.”

Keith blinks at him. It takes him a second to recognize the feelings within him as worry and gratitude. 

“This is dangerous,” he says.

“Yeah,” Lance replies, as if it’s obvious. “That’s why I’ve come to help.” He tilts his head. “Did you hit your head going through the wormhole? That can happen if your helmet’s not on right.”

(worry, and gratitude, and fond irritation, and warmth, warmth at having him here to help, to back him up, to catch him if he falls, and he was relieved to be angry after so many months of feeling empty at the blade, but this is so, so much better, because it’s comfortable, spreads out from the pit of his stomach, makes the cold knot of fury in his chest feel more human)

“If you’re worried about the others, they’ll be fine,” Lance assures him. “They have Allura to lead them. But Shiro—or whoever that is, or whatever’s controlling him—he’s a lot stronger than you, and he has Lotor, and we don’t know who’s behind this. So you need backup.”

How the fuck does he have time to think about this kind of stuff? He didn’t have any more time coming through the wormhole than Keith did, but somehow he’s thought this through a lot better than Keith has.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Keith says finally. He sees Lance’s expression brighten. “Let’s go, he went that way.”

They run along the platform, far enough that they’re out of sight of the lions. For a moment Keith thinks this might actually be straightforward, that they can catch up to not-Shiro and Lotor without difficulty, but then—

“Disappointed but not surprised,” Lance mutters as the first druid appears.

Keith gives him a look. More druids appear, one by one in a circle, closing in like birds of prey. Keith summons his bayard and takes his Galra knife out from his pocket; both melt into their sword forms at the same time. “Is now really the time for memes?”

“There’s always time for memes, mullet!” Lance says. He turns to face the druids behind them, taking a few steps backward so his back hits Keith’s. “Would it really kill these people to just let us win easy for once?”

“Probably,” Keith says. “You ready?”

“Of course,” Lance says, and Keith knows that if he had time he’d probably go on about how he’s always ready, because he’s ready for anything, because he’s Leandro fucking McClain, but right then the last of the druids arrive, and there’s six of them, and there isn’t much time for talking.

(even with how many druids there are, long robes flowing and masks glowing and fingers crackling with deadly magic, Keith isn’t afraid. he is angry, and focused, and determined, but he is not afraid. how can he be, with Lance at his back?)

Keith goes on autopilot for the fight; he’s done this a hundred times in training, a hundred times on blade missions, and his arms move in a rhythm, swinging his bayard one way and his Galra blade in another. The only real break in his focus is when he whirls to avoid a spell a druid shoots at him; when he turns he sees another druid coming at Lance from behind, and he’s about to shout a warning when Lance turns and slices it in half.

Keith blinks, startled—because when the fuck did Lance get a sword, what—but he collects himself quickly and ducks just in time to avoid another spell.

It seems that some of the druids aren’t as experienced as the others; four of them fall relatively quickly, their magic too slow to avoid Keith and Lance’s blows. The remaining two are much harder to beat, disappearing and reappearing so fast that Keith gets almost dizzy trying to keep his eyes on them. 

At one point, both of them disappear in unison. Keith and Lance look round, shoulders tense, on high alert. Several seconds pass, and Keith wonders if they’ve left, if they should keep going after not-Shiro, when suddenly there’s a voice, disembodied and echoing and layered, like both of the druids are speaking at once.

We only require the red paladin, the voice says. The sound of it makes Keith think of a tin cup clanging onto a tile floor. Surrender and we will leave the other one alone.

Keith opens his mouth to answer, but Lance beats him to it.

“NO!” he shouts. “We’re a two for one deal! You fuck with one paladin and the other fucks you up for free!”

Keith’s stomach lurches. Having Lance here when they were equally in danger is one thing; having him here when he has an opportunity to escape unharmed is quite another. 

“You should—” he starts to say, but Lance cuts him off.

“Don’t,” he says, his face twisted. “Don’t even think it. I’m not leaving you.��

“But—”

“I’m not leaving you,” Lance repeats fiercely. “In fact”—he redoubles his grip on his bayard and it shimmers in response—“I’ll hold these two off myself, and you should go get Shiro. It’s been too long; we can’t risk not knowing what’s going on with him and whoever’s controlling him.”

He has a point, and Keith can practically feel the clock ticking, but he can’t leave Lance here, but to stay here any longer would mean more time for not-Shiro and whoever’s controlling him to do something horrible, but—

“Go!” Lance says, and he’s scowling, and there’s a bruise on his cheek, and fire in his eyes, and Keith—

Keith deactivates his bayard, then grabs Lance’s free hand with his own.

(he’s angry again, angry that he has to make this decision, angry that this decision makes sense)

(but he trusts Lance, trusts him to make it out of this safely, trusts that he will come back to him, and make him feel everything but anger, make him feel happiness and contentment and fond irritation)

He squeezes Lance’s hand tight.

“Be careful,” he says quietly. 

“You too,” Lance says, and for the briefest moment there is—something—something in his eyes, in his expression—but then he lets go of Keith’s hand, and the two druids reappear, and he turns away to face them.

Keith watches him for a second, his heart thudding, then turns around and runs down the platform. As he hurries away he hears the druids hiss, hears them say the red paladin, after him!, hears Lance say “I think the fuck not,” hears the clang of his sword as he intercepts the druid’s magic.

Why are you even here? the druid asks, annoyed and alarmed. We were not expecting you. Who even are you?

“Oh, no one special,” Lance says, and Keith can hear the grin in his voice, and despite himself he feels a grin of his own unfurl across his face, and god he’d really rather have no one else at his side for this, because Lance can strategize and tear a druid to pieces and say lines straight out of a fucking action movie with no trouble at all. “I’m just a boy from Cuba.”

(he destroys them, of course, and Keith comes back with not-Shiro to find Lance kneeling on the platform, badly bruised and breathing hard but otherwise safe)

(they have to go back quickly, to help the others defeat Lotor, but as soon as the fight is over, as soon as not-Shiro becomes real Shiro, Keith runs up to Lance, and throws his arms around him, and hugs him as tight as their armor will allow)

(and then Lance lets go, and dramatically tosses off the top part of his armor, and Keith laughs, and does the same, and then they hug again, properly this time, and it’s warm and close and Keith’s heart is full, full, full)

(full, full, full, and he’s not angry anymore, but happy, and content, and, thanks to the raspberry Lance blows in his neck, fondly irritated, and he thinks, for the first time in a long time, that everything will be okay)

[whumpbeans]

Soulmark

So I’m writing this bc when I was a young bean I was told that if I didn’t get married at 16 I was worthless, and then when I graduated high school I was degraded by my nuclear family so this piece contains some of that good venting hurt lmao. Also be gentle, I’m not a good writer and this isn’t edited lol.

Tw: suicide attempt, bullying, suicidal thoughts, near character death

Characters: lance centric angst, Keith, hunk, Pidge, Coran, Shiro, Allura (eventually), axca

Part one

He stood on the edge of a ten story building. The cold night wind sent a shiver up his spine. The hair on his arms stood up. He lifted a foot in front of him. He tested the gravity. No solid ground touched his foot. His heart pounded in his chest.

His foot firmly planted back on the ledge. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

His head pounded. He looked up at the sky. The stars obscured by city lights. Lance’s knees wobbled under him and he almost fell forward. He managed to stabilize himself and took a step down from the ledge.

This time he opted to sit on it instead. His feet dangled limblessly. He closed his eyes tightly and tilted his head back. His fingers gripped the ledge. He scooted himself closer to the edge. He let out a shaky breath. A wave of pain crossed through his chest. Something heavy and cold weighed his heart-or what used to be his heart.

“Soul-bonds, huh?” Lance chucked a crumpled piece of cement onto the pavement. Most people in the world were born with odd marks somewhere on their bodies. Once their destined touched them, the mark grows into a bigger tattoo. Lance stared at where his clean, unmarked flesh sat. His soulmark never existed. Likely his destined died in childbirth. Lance never even got the chance to meet them. “Fuck…” his voice choked. Hot tears slid down his cheeks.

“What’s the use of a soul if it’s incomplete?” His mother said this to his abuelita over the phone. She didn’t know he heard her.

“But it’s true,” Lance whispered to himself. He sighed. No point. “To be fair I never had a point here.” He chuckled, but his throat grew tight and hot. He coughed.

“I heard people lose their soulmates when they whore themselves out.,” his uncle glared at Lance. Lance was seven when he heard that. He shook his head.

“He’s broken, don’t touch him,” a woman grabbed one of his classmates arms and pulled him away from Lance.

“Broken,” Lance repeated numbly.

His eyes felt wet and burned. He squeezed his eyes shut.

He opened up his eyes and stared ahead. The shadows of tall buildings covered his frame from detection of any passerby in the street below. He took a deep breath and stood to his feet again. Another deep breath. He glanced behind himself. His neon blue sneakers sat propped on the base of the ledge. Lance’s eyes returned ahead of himself. Another deep breath.

Lance took a step forward. His eyes stared at the street. Time seemed to slow down. His body weight inched closer to the pavement. All the blood in his body rushed into his ears. It filled his head. He felt light.

His heart pounded rapidly in his chest. He closed his eyes. Lance waited for impact.

Except there was none.

Except someone held onto his hips. Strong arms wrapped tightly around him. His body half dangled over the ledge. The person who held him grunted. He pulled Lance back. Lance didn’t fight it. Instead he leaned his body backwards which allowed the guy to not fall over the ledge with him.

Lance fell backwards and onto the person who held onto him. He grunted. A sharp jab pressed against Lance’s ribs. Lance yelped and rolled off of the guy. He glared at the guy. His eyes immediately softened at the familiar face.

“Fuck me,” Lance groaned.

Keith-fucking-Kogane saved him. The most emo and well liked student amongst the garrison. He practically followed through Shiros, the school’s original top dog before he went MIA, footsteps. Why was he even here? Lance scattered to his feet and backed up. His back hit the wall of the ledge. Keith sat up quickly. His eyes wide. He quickly jumped onto Lance as if Lance would immediately try to jump off of the building. Lance struggled with Keith sitting on his hips. He tried to buck Keith off. Keith kept him pinned down.

Lance thrashed his head back and forth.

“Listen to me-hey!” Keith yelled at him. “Snap out of it!”

Lance tried to move his arms from under Keith’s grip. He Threw his head back and forth again. Keith wrapped his arms then around Lance’s torso. His body now supported by Keith. Lance froze.

Fat tears rolled down Lance’s cheeks. He buried his head into Keith’s shoulder. Sobs wracked his body. His hands clutched Keith’s stupid cropped jacket.

______________________________________________________

Lance was sure Keith didn’t recognize him when they got blasted into space. By the way he acted, Keith either could win a grammy with his acting performance or he didn’t recognize Lance. He felt pretty certain of the latter.

Now the team stood on an alien planet. They tried to recon with the planet but the planet was ambushed by galra.

Lance leaned his head back. His heart pounded in his chest. Blasters sounded off in the distance. He heard the familiar sound of a lion taking to the air. Now if he could just get to red…

“Get to your lions! We need to form voltron!” Keith commanded over the comms.

Galran soldiers yelled off directions. They stomped closer to where Lance hid. He readied his bayard. He took a deep breath in. He aimed. He shot down a soldier. He exhaled. The Galra turned towards Lance’s direction.

Lance took that as his cue to run like hell. He turned around and ran straight into someone. He quickly backed up, but his weapon got knocked out of his hand. Lotor’s squad. The big hunk of galran meat, Zethrid, grinned at him. Her murderous eyes filled with mirth.

“Can we do this another day, I gotta plane to catch,” Lances voice shook.

She grabbed his arm and threw him against the back of a tree like plant. He gasped.

“Lance! We don’t have time to joke around!” Pidge grunted through the comms.

Zethrid threw a punch at Lance. Lance ducked. He side-rolled. Lance ran forward. Zethrid grabbed his ankle and swung him into the ground. All the air in his body left him. She punched his chest plate. Lance choked.

He struggled against Zethrid, but she pinned him.

“Guys?!” he struggled to say into the comms, “I got trouble!”

The comms buzzed. “Lance, what’s your position?” Keith asked.

Zethrid raised her arm. Lance’s eyes widened. “I-”

She threw her hand down. The impact of her hand against Lance’s helmet cracked it. His head slammed against the ground. He felt dizzy. His eyesight blurred.

He could hear the comms buzz, but the sound they made didn’t make sense. Zethrid filled his vision again. She held up her hand again. Another punch. Lance felt the impact. His jaw ached. His eyes burned.

A neon blue colored bird landed in front of him. It bounced around and then took off. And with the bird, so did his consciousness.

Warmth spread through him. It dripped from his head and through his body.

Something pressed his shoulder. Something shook him. Lance lazily opened his eyes.

A purple galra shoved a clay cup into his face. Lance took it. He stared at the cup. His head dizzy and thoughts constantly derailed. He took a sip of the water. The water held no taste. Satisfied, the guard left. A cell locked in front of him.

Across from Lance sat another empty cell. Both areas purple and dark. Lance shivered. A cold draft passed through the cells. His head throbbed. Lance squeezed his eyes shut.

What happened? “Prisoner,” Lance’s eyes snapped open. He got taken. He looked down at himself. He wore nothing but a pair of scratchy, brown colored cloth pants.

“You’re up,” said a shrill voice.

Lance shivered.

His cell door squeaked open. A pair of sentries and a druid came in and cuffed him. They placed a magenta colored collar around his neck that attached to a similar colored leash. The druid held the leash behind Lance.

Lance’s heart pounded in his chest. He swallowed thickly. The robots lead him into an off room adjacent to the prison cells. In the room sat a large lab. Many large tubes filled with strange purple and silver colored liquid stationed around the lab. A large dissection table with straps attached. Off of the center stood something that looked like a pillory.

The druid yanked his leash. It sent electricity through the leash and onto Lance. Lance yelped. He quickly matched his pace to the druid. It lead him to the pillory. Lance felt shame burn his cheeks as they locked his head into place.

“Blue paladin,” the druid almost sang. “I have been given permission to test you in the most lethal ways, how wonderful!” The druid drifted towards one of the control panels. It picked up an item sitting on it. The druid levitated back to Lance. It displayed a long whip at Lance. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Fear gripped Lance’s stomach. “He-hey! I’m not really into this stuff,” he stuttered, “Maybe we should, um, do something else?” His voice became shrill. The druid disappeared from his vision.

The first strike always hurt the worst. Lance squeezed his eyes shut.

“These freaks deserve worse,” Charlie Diaz rose his stick up again. He slammed it against Lance’s back. Lance screamed. He couldn’t fight back. Charlie was much bigger than him being a fourth grader while Lance barely stood a chance at seven years old.

The second strike snapped against his back. He felt blood trickle down his shoulder.

A hand wrapped around his throat. “This is wha’ ya get!” His uncle slurred. “Soulmateless...ha! You’re a sorry excuse of a life.”

Tears burned Lance’s eyes, but he held them back. He’s been through worse. Another snap of the whip. Lance’s knees wobbled. After another hit, his knees gave out. He barely held on using his ankles to support himself in an awkward squatted position. His body weight now half leaning against the pillory.

Several more whips attacked Lance’s skin.

“Lo siento, mijo,” his mother kissed his forehead. “No tienes una media naranja.”

Lance didn’t really understand her words. Soulmates were for parents anyways, and he didn’t need an icky partner. They had cooties anyways. “No la necesito,” he whispered. He looked into his mother’s eyes. The whites of her pupil red and wet. Her cheeks flushed. She hugged him.

The pillory’s lock snapped open. Lance fell to the ground. His back ached. His limbs too heavy to move. The druid yanked on his leash. The zap of electricity brought to life his jelly-like limbs.

Lance stood up and followed the druid. It lead him next to the table. He laid onto his back. He yelped from the pressure on the lashes that covered his back. The druid strapped him in. It tied Lance’s leash to a pole attached to the side of the bed across from his head.

The druid then returned to one of the control panels. Lance took several deep breaths. It came back with a syringe filled with some strange neon blue colored liquid in it. Lance glared at the syringe. The druid slapped his arm a few time. It then held his elbow steady and injected the serum.

The prick distracted Lance briefly from the pain in his back. A familiar heavy feeling sank in his chest. The serum took full effect. The druid unlatched Lance from his restraints. It didn’t undo the leash from the pole. Lance cautiously sat up. Fatigue crawled through him. The druid levitated to a high vantage point.

Lance sat against the table. His head felt dizzy. His back hurt. His chest felt empty. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head against them. His heartbeat slowed. He swallowed back a sob and bit his lip.

He blinked hard. He wanted to...he shook his head. Not now, Lance ordered himself.

The blood on his back trickled. Unable to keep clotting. Lance let out a trembled sigh. He laid on his side. His eyesight blurry. He heard the druid levitate closer to him.

[andymull]

WWE NXT Takeover Toronto 2019 – Preview & Predictions

Adam Cole (c) vs Johnny Gargano – NXT Championship 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match

The third big match of their rivalry takes place tonight, and truthfully mostly everything has already been said about both guys. The extra touches to this feud recently have been some great video packages put together by the NXT team, the Cole celebration tour video visiting Gargano’s father as well as his gym, and this weeks hype video were both awesome in adding the extra touches to make this feel different to the other matches.

Now the added difference here with the 2 out of 3 falls stipulation is both guys getting to select their own stip to one of the falls, and NXT GM William Regal adding one for the 3rd fall if needed. A straight one on one match as well as a street fight have already been chosen by the competitors, but come on this is blatantly going 3 falls so all comes down to Regals choice. The smirk/grin that Regal gave during this weeks show when talking about it had got me thinking one of two things, either we go completely comedic to confuse everyone and Regal names the 3rd fall as musical chairs. Or, they go 1-1 and both guys are yelling at Regal to make a bigger stip like a first blood match for example, Regal must beat it and announces, ‘loser leaves NXT’. The crowd will pop in confusement and shock and both wrestlers will love the chance to vanquish the other, then we can have them regret the decision very quickly after allowing some interesting promos after by Regal in regretting the decision but HAVING to go big. Maybe just a cage match with weapons....

I don’t see the result here going any other way than Cole walking out as champion as I need Gargano to be out of the title picture as he has bored me a fair bit lately, out of NXT or not I just need him doing something fresh for awhile – COLE

Shayna Baszler (c) vs Mia Yim – NXT Women’s Championship Match

Ive been saying it for months but is this actually the time to take the title away from Shayna and close out her second title reign? The women’s division does need a change as she’s mowed threw most of the women she’s faced, but, I don’t really rate Yim that highly.

After Mia came in I said to friends that I don’t rate her but gave her time to show me more in her NXT run, but she really hasn’t done too much to impress me sadly. The story is there for her, the video package was great, but her in-ring isn’t my favourite (not saying she’s awful in the slightest) and calling herself the HBIC is dreadful. If you’re outside of the WWE and a heel then great the Head Bitch In Charge is a decent gimmick to sell shirts from, but in the WWE the Head Baddie In Charge (or Blasian) just sounds stupid especially as she’s a face lol

But as I mentioned I still think they have her take the strap, more on Shayna later, then we move to Io moving into the title scene and quickly taking the belt herself – YIM

Pete Dunne vs The Velveteen Dream (c) vs Roderick Strong – NXT North American Triple Threat Match

This match should be great, all talented guys that will be around for years growing and growing, and for this match I see Roddy being the guy to shine. He’s been such a monster in the ring for quite awhile now and goes so far under the radar its unbelievable, if the guy was a foot taller he’d be in main events on Raw or Smackdown destroying people.

I did originally want a longer Dream title reign but to be honest he’s a character that really doesn’t always need a title to defined him and his character, so its not a big loss if he does indeed lose. And we don’t really know about Dunne and if he’s over in NXT for awhile or just a one off, I lean to him being around for longer and being the next challenger for this title but really he should be on Smackdown making an impact right now for me – STRONG

The Street Profits (c) vs The Undisputed Era – NXT Tag Team Championship Match

Another match I sadly see as being pretty easy to predict, with the Profits being on Raw weekly they really are just counting down the days with NXT until the move is a full one, and the final chapter they need to close is that of having the tag titles. But the main thing here is that they NEED to have a top notch quality match tonight to see them make the move more smoothly, if they stink up the joint they may see their NXT stay extended (they wont, don’t worry).

Will be nice to see them make the jump to Raw but really are a team that needs more seasoning for another year as the top guys in the division, as they really haven’t had a long run on tv compared to others as they seem to have been slightly streaky in their appearances for awhile. Plus, I think the company is missing a trick by not having them both make the jump with Bianca Belair at their side, all three as equals making an impact all motivating each other to success, would be a super positive stable.

Sadly the Undisputed Era don’t seem to be close to getting called so while in NXT I need them all in main events as much as possible, I don’t think they fully know what they have with the group until they don’t have them. These guys are vital in getting newer wrestlers tv ready as well as giving them vital in-ring experience working with great wrestlers. Plus the key thing for me is that if you hadn’t noticed this show will finish with ALL of the Undisputed Era holding gold to close the show…… - UE

Candice LaRea vs Io Shirai

A second women’s match on a Takeover, at last, this match should be really fast paced and passionate with both women being great. Io’s new heel character is undoubtedly awesome and if your more than just a WWE viewer you’ve most likely seen her before and know the damage she can produce. And isn’t it nice that Candice finally is getting the chance and a bigger spotlight to shine her-self, as she really hasn’t had the focus she deserves since joining the company (Hi Keith!)

A one-sided match this should become but that doesn’t mean it wont be fun along the way, Io takes the win and moves higher up the card. Man, how much better and more passionate though would this have been if Kairi hadn’t have been called up and Io had turned on her? – SHIRAI

 This should, as usual, be a really fun NXT Takeover, albeit a heel heavy winners side.

I have a feeling there may be afew callups in the near future and some of the results tonight may make it clearer as to who will be gone soon or who will be wound down slightly over the next month before leaving. Dream/Profits/Shayna are the main people im thinking about and the ones to keep an eye on, I expect the Profits to take a round of applause after their bout similar to Ricochet and Black did previously.

As well as the matches announced I think they may still do something with Riddle/Dain after them not having their match on this weeks tv, maybe a quick match or another big angle to setup something for tv perhaps?

The depth they have currently is massive when you cant guarantee a Matt Riddle match, let alone having Keith Lee under contract and not really doing anything solid with him in a year, or Kushida who hasn’t been a focus the past few weeks after being focused on pretty heavy since his debut.

And to lead on from that Im not sure we really need more guys coming BACK to NXT from the main roster, Breeze/Dango/Crews and potentially more. While it does give them the chance to alter their gimmicks and regain some confidence from how they’ve been handled the past few years on the main roster, they really just are taking tv time from others that need it more. The problem we have is that the company aren’t releasing people anymore with AEW as competition so many guys are just backstage during Raw watching the show or eating in catering, at least the guys mentioned are guys that have requested to move down to help theirselves better what they do, but at the same time they’ve had the opportunity and haven’t been able to cling to it while others are desperate for that same opportunity. But hey, this is a topic we could talk on A LOT more another time.

Enjoy the show folks and keep your eyes peeled, I smell a breakout guys invasion with Stokely looking for someone to manage.

Bye for now

Andy

[starryeyed-char]

Like A Star

It's the two year anniversary of Voltron, and so naturally I have to post something! And the whole thing is actually on tumblr again (though it’ll be on AO3 too, as usual). Season six comes out soon, and I wanted this to go up before that, so here you guys go! Just a heads up; I never cry writing angst, but I cried writing this. No happy endings here. So before you yell at me, I did try and warn you (even though all of you probably skipped over this anyway).

This is my personal take on Lance's whole 'let's go down swinging' philosophy, how I think he’d want to go out, and how I think Keith would react, since it’s a Keith-perspective(ish) piece that still focuses on Lance. I'm not sure if anything like this has been done before, and it probably has knowing how much people in this fandom put Lance through, but this is my take on that. I had the small idea of the title and how it would go and it just kind of... turned into this.

I’ve been wanting to post this for a while, but haven’t because it’s a bit... different than what I usually do. Still, I hope you enjoy, and I always like hearing your thoughts!

“How do you want to die?”

The question came out of nowhere, startling Keith out of his thoughts. He was even more shocked that Lance had asked this, of all people. Lance, who was smiling or laughing more often than not, asking about death?

Keith wouldn't have believed it, if they weren't the only two people standing on the bridge, looking at the star map.

“What...?” he asked intelligently, unsure what else to say. Lance huffed a short laugh.

“How do you want to die?” he repeated. He looked over at Keith this time, and met his eyes. “It's a simple question, really.”

“I... I don't know,” Keith stammered. “I've never really... given it much thought.” And he hadn't. Keith never stopped to consider that death was even a possibility. Because it wasn't an option— they were going to win.

Heroes always won.

Lance hummed thoughtfully. “Well, we're kind of fighting an alien war, but sure. Death could never touch the mighty Keith. His mullet is feared in every corner of the universe!” He broke off into laughter, and Keith shoved him lightly, forcing a smile.

“Have you?” Keith asked, genuinely curious. “Thought about it, I mean.”

“Well, yeah,” Lance said, as if it were obvious. As if the very idea of him dying wasn't... impossible. “Of course I have.”

But death could never touch Lance either. Not someone so... radiant, like Lance was in everything he did. Apparently, he didn't see it like that.

“So... how do you want to die, then?”

“Well, when I was little I wanted the end to come on a beach,” Lance began, eyes suddenly a million miles away. Keith didn't miss them snagging on a particular part of the star map. “I had all these dramatic ways cooked up in my head. Maybe I'd drown after getting swept away by a riptide, or I'd get attacked by a shark while surfing. Something really cool like that.”

Keith failed to see how dying could in any way be cool, but he didn't interrupt him.

“And then when I got older... I don't know. I've always had a big family, so I guess I wanted one in the future some day, for myself. A lot of kids, even grandkids, all that nonsense,” Lance told him, with a small smile. “Seems kinda unrealistic now, but... anyway. I think the best way to go would be surrounded by family, by people you care about, people you love, who remind you of the life you lived. You know?”

Keith didn't know, didn't understand, but he nodded along anyway.

“But now that we're here... defenders of the whole freaking universe...” Lance trailed off, sighed, then smiled again. There was something almost bitter in it. “I've had to reevaluate my plans a bit.”

“How so?”

“I want to die like a star,” Lance said, and his voice had suddenly gone so soft that Keith didn't know what to say in response.

“What, like, a movie star? Why does that not surprise me?” Keith tried for humor. The laugh died before it made its way out of his mouth.

Lance glanced at him briefly, then kept going, the words spilling out of his mouth faster and faster as he went on. As if he'd been wanting to say them for a while.

“No, like— an actual star. Shining. Like a big, supernova explosion,” Lance continued. “I want my death to mean something. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll probably die out here, but I don't want to be someone that's just... gone. I want my death to be something everyone else will remember.”

He paused to look at Keith again, who could do nothing but stare at him.

Lance brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “I know. It's pretty selfish of me, isn't it?”

Keith shook his head immediately, because Lance wasn't selfish at all. Anything but, really. He just didn't know why it'd taken him so long to notice.

“How...” Keith had never been good at putting his thoughts into words, but he had to try anyway. “How can you just... assume that you're going to die out here?”

You can't die, you can't leave. It's impossible.

“It seems a little unrealistic that we'd all make it out of this unscathed,” Lance pointed out, and since when was he the logical one? “And if any of us was going to be the one to bite it, it'd totally be me, right? You have to realize that.”

Before Keith could even comprehend the meaning of those words, Lance stood up. He patted Keith on the shoulder as he headed for the door, and waved goodbye over his shoulder.

“Let me know when you figure it out! I've always had you pegged for either being too reckless or sacrificing yourself in some grand hero gesture. Sound about right?”

Keith stared after him, looking at Lance like he'd never seen him before.

Months went by, and that conversation was pushed to the back of Keith's mind. He chalked it up to Lance messing with him, and everything else continued as normal.

And then it happened.

The battle was a difficult one, and one they were clearly losing. The Galra fleets just kept coming, seemingly no end to the amount of soldiers they had to fight. A few of the bigger factions after  Zarkon fell had apparently teamed up, and attacked them all at once. They wound up splitting apart Voltron just to take care of them all.

It happened because Shiro and Matt had gone on a separate assignment on a podship a few days prior. Keith was, by chance, back from his latest mission with the Blade, and so had wound up having to pilot the black lion to counter the ambush.

Something he hadn't had to do in a while.

Keith was stupid. Reckless. He forgot that his connection to Black was still weak; he hadn't spent anywhere near enough time piloting the lion to really master it.

So he got in too close to the ship, and his lion froze up. Some sort of tractor beam, it must've been.

Keith was trapped.

And then the Galra began charging their ion cannon.

“Keith, get out of there!” Allura shouted. She was the first one to notice.

“I can't! It's a tractor beam— I can't control the lion! Black won't move!”

“You cannot let that blast hit you!” Pidge insisted. “If it does, it might— you might not make it!”

Keith grit his teeth, pulling desperately at the controls, but it was no use. They'd never been able to escape a tractor beam before without Voltron, or an outside force physically pushing them out of the way. He was stuck.

Stuck, right in the line of fire of something that had nearly destroyed the castle, even with it's massive size and powerful shields.

He wouldn't stand a chance.

“Can we— what can we do? We can get to him, right? We could take out the ship first?” Hunk was clearly growing frantic.

“I... I don't know if there's anything you can do,” Keith said softly.

“The Galra have us completely split up!” Allura reminded them. “We can't possibly work around all these ships and get there in time. There must be another way. Keith, can you try harder to focus on bonding with your lion? If she feels you're in danger, she should protect you!”

He was already trying to concentrate as hard as he possibly could, but nothing was working.

“This is exactly what the Galra wanted to happen,” Pidge realized. He could hear her voice shaking. “Keith— I'm trying to— I'm sorry, I—”

“It's okay,” Keith said, and was surprised to find that he meant it. “It might be too late for me to get completely out of the way, anyway.”

It was strange. Something in Keith's mind registered that this was the end, but an odd sort of calm settled over him.

Lance did say I'd die being reckless.

The thought sparked a chain reaction, and suddenly Keith's mind was reeling.

Lance hadn't said anything, even though the others were still shouting into the coms, even Coran. He looked over to where he'd last seen the red lion taking down a battle cruiser, but it was nowhere to be seen.

He... he would've liked to maybe hear Lance's stupid voice one more time, before he died. He would've liked to...

“Guys,” Keith said suddenly, feeling the need to say something to express at least some of what he felt. These guys were as good as family to him, after all. “Thank you, for always being there for me. All of you, I—”

“Oh, no you don't!” Lance's angry voice cut him off, and while Keith would normally be irritated by such a tone directed at him, now he couldn't find it in himself to feel anything but fond. “You are not dying like this!”

“Lance, I don't really think we have a choice. My lion won't move.”

There was a pause, and for a moment Keith could hear nothing save for the ion canon continuing to charge up. Then, “Mine will.”

It finally clicked in Keith's head, and he turned with horror to see the red lion barreling towards him, at full speed.

The red lion is the fastest, and most agile. It requires a skilled pilot who relies more on instincts than skill alone.

Lance maneuvered easily around the ships, ignoring the shots they took at him and heading straight for Keith.

Maybe the most reckless lion and the most reckless pilot really did go together well, after all.

None of the others would've made it in time, but that didn't matter.

Because what Lance was doing... this plan was suicidal. The red lion had the least amount of armor, and Keith would know. She may have been fast, but she took a lot of damage. Lance didn't seem to care about any harm befalling himself.

But... he'd said that Keith would be the one to make the grand hero gesture.

“No, no, Lance, you can't, you'll just get us both killed, for once in your life don't get in the way—”

“Sorry, Samurai,” Lance said, and god damn it, how could he sound so happy? “I can never resist getting in your way.”

The red lion slammed into him at the exact time the ion canon fired, and the momentum was enough to send Keith clear of the blast. He opened his eyes after his lion stilled again post-impact, and—

Lance hadn't been so lucky.

The light of the blast was like a million stars. It was too bright, too blinding.

Supernova.

“I want to die like a star.”

The words replayed in Keith's head, only to be drowned out by the screaming. So many voices, screaming. His own throat felt raw.

Lance was too, at first, the sound unlike anything Keith had ever heard from him before.

But when Lance's voice died with the light of the ion canon, leaving nothing but a silent, dark-eyed lion suspended broken in the emptiness, it was even worse.

“LANCE?!” Hunk was the first to call out, the one word already betraying his sheer panic. “LANCE!”

“You... he wouldn't... Lance can't be...” Pidge's voice shook before dying into nothing more than a whisper they could barely hear. “I can't lose any more of my family.”

Me neither.

He knew Pidge thought of Lance like a brother, and while he didn't know exactly what Lance was to him, he knew he couldn't lose it.

“Lance! Answer us! Say something!” That was Allura, trying to stay strong. Her voice broke on the last word anyway.

The coms gave them nothing but static.

“Lance,” Keith whispered. “Lance, please.”

Lance didn't respond. But Black did.

Perhaps the tractor beam was entirely out of range, or perhaps his apparent distress at Lance's current predicament was enough to make her open her mouth.

Whichever it was, Keith wasted no time in jet-packing over to Lance's lion, and Red immediately let him in. He knew she still cared for him.

Maybe that's why she let Lance put himself in so much danger, because it would've been Keith instead.

Another thing that made Red and Lance so annoyingly similar; they both threw caution to the wind to save Keith, on numerous occasions.

And Keith had... he'd missed both of them, while with the Blade. Terribly.

He could sense Red's sadness and regret as he explored their old bond. Almost like she was... mourning.

The thought did nothing to calm his nerves.

And when he got inside the lion...

Red. Much, much too much red.

Blood was everywhere.

Lance had been knocked to the floor, and was lying in a puddle of it. Keith couldn't figure out the source, but the sheer amount of it was enough to chill him to his core.

He was on his knees beside Lance in a second, and pulling him into his lap. The slight rise and fall of Lance's chest didn't give him any comfort, not with the strangled sound of his breathing.

The pulse Keith found on his wrist was too slow. Too soft.

He looked back to Lance's face, and fresh tears rolled down his cheeks when he saw that the other was awake. Pained, glossy, ocean blue eyes met Keith's.

“L... Lance.” Keith's voice desperately clung onto the word.

“Hey, man,” Lance replied, and somehow found the courage to smile. “Why're you crying?”

“Why... Why am I— Lance, you're... you're...”

You're dying. He couldn't even bring himself to say it. That would make it real.

“I know, I know, but you don't have to be sad.” Lance coughed, and a small trail of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. “This is just how I wanted to go, after all.”

Keith shook his head, grasping for something, anything. "You... you can't die here. You just pushed me out of the way, that's not... this isn't good enough. This is reckless, this is how you said I would die, remember? You need to get that big, supernova ending, right? Like a star? It's not supposed to be my fault, I—” he stopped, choked off by a sob. “It can't be my fault.”

“It's not your fault,” Lance said, voice firm despite the pain he was feeling. “And... thats not quite what I... what I meant. I mean, d-don't get me wrong, the... explosion was n-n-nice, b-but I meant... I meant... being cr-cradled in your a-arms.”

Keith didn't understand. “...What? No. You... you wanted to go out with something meaningful, right? That's not—”

“Of course I d-do,” Lance cut him off. "And this... it is. But before... before th-that, do you... do you r-remember what I said?”

Keith blinked, the tears spilling out of his eyes. “Of course I remember.” How could he forget? “You... you said that back on Earth, you wanted to die with your family, people you care about. People you—” And Keith stopped, eyes blown wide. “No.”

“People I love,” Lance finished for him, smiling shakily. “Y-Yeah.”

“No,” Keith said again, shaking his head. “No, no, no, you can't— Lance, you can't, I—”

“Give the Galra hell from me, okay, Keith?” Lance asked.

And he was dying. Dying in Keith's arms, even if he didn't want to admit it. “Okay,” he whispered.

“And you g-guys will... you'll remember me, r-right?”

Keith's grip on him tightened, ever so slightly. He could feel another lion tugging them towards the castle, but he knew they wouldn't make it in time. “Right. Of... of course we will. I won't let anyone in this entire universe forget.”

“You'll tell... m-my family? And th-the team, too... that I l-loved them?”

“Yes,” Keith told him, pressing their foreheads together. “I promise.” And then, because he'd wanted to for so long, because he never had and he never would again, Keith kissed him. Pressed their lips together, soft and sweet and much, much too short, and then drew away, face wet with both of their tears.

Lance sighed, a soft smile ghosting over his features. “Frente al amor y la muerte no sirve de nada ser fuerte. And Keith?”

“I'm here.”

“Thank y-you. For... everything.” Lance's eyes slipped shut. “Puedo ver a las estrellas.” All the breath left him. He didn't draw in another.

Keith buried his face in the crook of Lance's neck, and sobbed.

[ravenvsfox]

Hey Meghan. Have you seen season 7 of Voltron yet? I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews. I watched it and was disappointed in some ways (though not surprised), and a little bored at parts (parts of it reminded me of the politics of Order of the Phoenix), and I loved some other parts. Cosmo for MVP this season. But what was your take (if you watched it)?

Okay holy shit!!! I literally just finished it this instant right now and I have many many thoughts if you’ll indulge me

(obviously there will be spoilers below so uhhh....... watch out)

Firstly I want to be clear that like everyone’s critiques of this season?? beyond valid. so absolutely justified.

I’m mostly disheartened to my bones that the writers think they exist in a creative vacuum that’s somehow out of reach of the bury your gays trope, and that they assumed hyping up a two dimensional gay character destined for death would be.... okay

“here’s a dead gay man that we did not mourn for nor care about plEASE clap”

plus I don’t like.. care about allurance and I thought it was boring and unnecessary lol but like it is what it is and I’m not surprised by it

I think their relationship scans the same way that Aang and Katara’s did in atla, you know? like they’re together bc they’re both..... there.... blue and pink, boy likes girl, girl gives in eventually (when OBVIOUSLY zuko would’ve been a better and more interesting match for katara 👀👀)

making allura a blushing schoolgirl who’s like.. forgotten lotor I guess?? weird. making keith seem straight??? curveball. homophobic

All that said though? I love love loved this season I thought it was hopeful and rallying and emotional and connective

Here are some of my favourite things!

- Shiro and Keith’s brotherhood is such a key emotional force and seeing a vulnerable furious rebel find himself a family and a purpose all at once was SO  effective 

- Keith is a superb leader, like. everything about him is beyond s1 keith’s wildest dreams. He fosters emotional connections and commands respect, he’s a mama’s boy and a deeply awkward friend as well as being the utter coolest and thinking so quickly on his feet that he’s a blur my dude

- the war feels like a war!! there are such interesting stakes, military proficiency with a healthy dollop of alienness and magic, quirky pilot personalities, interpersonal drama, and endurance of human spirit. When it’s the Earth on the chopping block everything seems more frantic and flawed and personal

- I totally get what you mean about kinda boring politics, but it actually felt the most compelling to me of any season’s shop talk, maybe because there were familiar faces on home turf, and we got to see the way the Holts or Iverson or Veronica worked through their fear and hope

- I loved that there was some lost time, I love that people grew up and grew apart, the implications of time flushing out years and lives from the resistance instantaneously

- now like.. the paladins are unquestionably soldiers, saviours, legends, and they’re also kids who will never really know how old they are?? like they’ve suffered all of this loss and blinked in and out of existence, and when they face Earth again, both they and their home are unrecognizable, and everyone is struggling but also more capable than they ever thought possible

- Hunk is the bravest gd kid and he got to actually hear and feel and understand that (Keith is so fatally honest and wildly action-driven that I think it was critical that he was the one to tell Hunk his worth as a soldier). He has incredible ideas and unshakeable heart and he went from relating to Romelle to relating to Keith? like from poking fun at his own fear to understanding that bravery and terror are two sides of the same coin

- Allura wrestling malfunctioning technology to the floor and gifting altean tech and being metal as fuck but also embodying this steady kind of gentleness?? unreal. give her more interesting lines.

- I heart Coran, my alien kiwi dad

- all of them being vulnerable and sleepy and bored and confused, roadtripping and participating in a game show and spiralling out into hallucinations in space. interesting arcs for interesting kiddos

- Pidge is a child in the war of a lifetime and we got to see her vulnerability and brilliance coexisting in the same scenes. When she leapt out to hug her mom with all four limbs and when the Atlas was under attack and she like whimpered ‘dad?’ she was so so young we really weren’t allowed to forget it

- Cosmo (Kosmo??) you’re absolutely right, a true MVP, head and shoulders above the rest of the animal sidekicks, my apologies to mademoiselle kaltenecker. That scene where lance guides keith & pidge through guarded terrain and they teleport around on the back of a wolf? TIGHT as HELL

- everything about lance, everything everything

- the way he always stands up for his friends first, before anyone else, with that determined mouth of his, “don’t you touch her”, the way he thinks mixed heritage and leadership are the future, the singleminded tenderness for and reliance on keith as “team leader” even though it makes him second in command

- his pristine marksmanship, the focus and seriousness and planning, his ease in battle scenarios, slapping down a shield in front of Veronica to free his arms for fighting or swinging out a rifle to cover Keith’s back, the way war looks on him

- and the way it isn’t all of him!! his gnawing worry for his family, the way you can see him shrug off his trauma when he sees them again, how much kids and animals adore him, his willingness to die for his cause or his sister or his people, self sacrificing over and over again without hesitation, looking so sad and grave when no one’s looking

- his strength at Keith’s side, their constant fizzing energy in battle, their trust in each other, turning their bayards in tandem and creating magic together, voting each other out of purgatory

- (calling him the dumb one is patently untrue and pretty shitty in general lol)

- Veronica? exactly perfect. strong and annoyed and fierce. The only person who makes sense to be lance’s sister, so exasperated and kind and willing to die

- Shiro’s gorgeous character design, his blinding strength, (like..... he shouldn’t have to be this strong and he should’ve gotten big gay married and never been hurt again but) his expression when he finds himself at the helm of a sinking ship and the sheer grit that allows him to win anyway

- his victory is (as always) borne from his generosity for the people he loves and always always believes in

- the last episode?? the coalition of survivors, Shiro’s rousing speech, the sweeping music, the way everyone looked at ruin and division and got immediately to work? hurts. exactly the right emotional punch. 

- unity, shiro says. unity, the universe echoes.

[hazyheel]

NXT 2/27/19 Review

The night began with Johnny Gargano coming out to address his loss to Velveteen Dream. He talked about how he was called up to the main roster recently, he also talked about how he did not live up to the North American Championship. The crowd chanted Johnny failure, and he didn’t seem too bothered by it. He said that he still felt like a champion, but he needed a championship. He was about to say who has helped him win the titles, when Tommaso Ciampa came out to address him. Ciampa said that those two make magic together, and that they were meant to be. Ciampa suggested that the two of them enter the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic together, and get their mojo back. The crowd was very conflicted, some saying that Gargano didn’t need him, others chanting “DIY.” Gargano shook Ciampa’s hand, confirming that the two will team together.

Grade: A-. It is pretty clear that Ciampa is manipulating Gargano, who is already very conflicted emotionally. I think that this story is great, both of their characters are developing incredibly well, and I’m super into this story. Personally, I hope that the two make it to the finals, but lose there so that they can have a match between the two of them. Johnny really does need to hold the NXT championship soon. So, lets see how this story goes, maybe they will stay allies for a while, or maybe it’ll be a quick turn. But these guys are the highlight of NXT right now.

Backstage, Kathy Kelly interviewed Ricochet about the Undisputed Era.  Ricochet says that he and Aleister Black want to take on the whole stable. Ricochet also said that, since Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are in the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic, they will enter as well. Outside of the venue, Candice LaRae confronted Gargano about his decision to reform DIY, simply saying that she hopes Gargano knows what he is doing.

Next match was Vanessa Borne and Aliyah vs. Tayanara Conti and Xia Li. The match was quite basic, no real big spots. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry, and the match was over quickly.

Grade: D-. I liked Xia Li, she worked well, but other than that I didn’t care and the work was sloppy.

In another interview, Velveteen Dream talked about how he is the new NXT North American Champion, before the Undisputed Era approached him and told him that Adam Cole will be winning the belt back. Dream then told Adam that he was a small man, and that he wouldn’t be talking so much shit if he didn’t have his friends around. Dream then just said that he didn’t have time for this, and walked away, leaving the Undisputed Era furious. In another backstage segment, Bianca Belair and Io Sharai were in a shouting match, before getting pulled apart.

Next match was Domanic Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee. These two have had a five star match in PWG before, so this is a match I’ve been waiting for. The two started out a bit slow before progressing into a shockingly quick match. Lee tried to offer a handshake, but Dijakovic pushed him away. At one point, Lee had Dijakovic up for a powerbomb, and Dijakovic countered with a monkey flip, only for Lee to flip out of it. The staredown after that clearly was supposed to mimic the staredown of Ospreay and Ibushi at WK13. These guys are awesome in their offense, and can sell for days. There was an incredible springboard moonsault to the outside from Dijakovic, looked incredible. That move actually caused a double countout. The crowd chanted to let them fight, and then chanted for Regal to come out. After the match, the two tried to get at each other, but the referees refused. This rivalry is not over.

Grade: A-. Awesome match. This is certainly not the last time they will meet in the ring, so I’m not too upset about the non-finish. Still, I loved this match, with the power of these two guys combined with their agility, it is really incredible. They put on the match of the night, and their feud is just beginning. I can’t wait to see where this goes, and hopefully it goes right to NXT Takeover New York.

The last four teams were announced for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and the bracket was shown. The first round matches include DIY vs. Undisputed Era, Street Prophets vs. Moustache Mountain, Lorcan and Burch vs. the Forgotten Sons, and Black & Ricochet vs. Aichner & Barthel. Should be a great tournament, and if I had to pick a winner, I would have to go with the Forgotten Sons. It may not be the popular pick, but they are supposed to be forgotten for a reason. So I am calling that those two will win the whole tournament. Its a match I want to see, so I will look forward to it. 

Then, something pretty unexpected, Sasha Banks and Bayley popped up in NXT! They were showered with a welcome back chant, the crowd is super hot for them, and honestly, this is surreal to see them back in NXT. It is awesome. They also got you deserve it chants. They even have Izzy in the crowd! I didn’t think it was her when I saw her, but it is! They even referenced how Sasha made Izzy cry a few years back. They reiterated how the belts will be defended on any brand. It was damn awesome to see them in NXT, and it is frankly where they belong. The crowd was super hot for them, they felt like a big deal, when a lot of the WWE main roster crowds don’t give that feeling.

Grade: B. Pretty basic promo, and they didn’t say much that hasn’t already been said, but the excitement of seeing the Boss n’ Hug Connection in NXT is enough to bump it up to a B grade.

In the main event, it was Shayna Baszler vs. Mia Yim in a non-title match. Baszler was toying with Yim at first, just doing simple takedowns, until Yim got pissed and was really fighting back. This match was a straight up brawl consisting mostly of striking. However, when Shayna had control, she worked over the ankle with sickening ferocity. Yim was doing an awesome job selling, to the point where it became tough to watch. Baszler looked to end it early with the Kirifuda clutch, but Yim fought out of it by stretching the fingers. Yim tried to hit some sort of running move into the corner, but collapsed out of the pain. Even when Yim hit her finisher, the weaked ankle meant that it didn’t fully connect, and it did a lot of damage to Yim, so it was only a near fall. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda clutch again, locking Yim’s arm with her foot in order to keep it locked in for the win.

Grade: A-. Awesome work on both of their parts. Yim’s selling made the match very emotional, and she made Shayna look like a million bucks. Offense between the two was hard hitting, they have great chemistry, and I would even love to see Yim take the belt from Shayna at some point. The fact that this match had a real finish make it slightly inch ahead of the Lee vs. Dijakovic match from earlier, making this main event the match of the night.

Next week, we have one of the first round matches for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, so that will be pretty exciting.

Overall Grade: A- (yeah, I’m rounding up. This show was super good.)

Pros: DIY reunion and LaRae getting pissed about it; Lee vs. Dijakovic; Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Bracket; Boss n’ Hug Connection cameo; main event

Cons: bad tag match in the middle.

[storiesbeyondthestars]

An anonymous person requested board game night with Team Voltron + Matt, Krolia, Romelle, and Kosmo for @fluffbingo

In the future, let’s try to keep the character amount down please and thank you :D. This was kind of hard to write, and I think I kind of cheated a bit?

It’s technically post series all together, since they’re older? Also, this ended up being borderline crack, but I had fun with it! 

Check it out on AO3. 

Thank you to @corancoranthemagicalman, @foxwithabunnyhoard, @guardianofzing, and an anonymous person for giving me ideas for this!

Back when the Paladins lived in the Castle of Lions, they started a bit of a tradition. Once every movement, they would sit down with out another and play whatever games they found around the castle, or whatever games they could create from memory. They first convinced Allura and Shiro that it was a good bonding activity, pointing out that even Keith participated in them.

Fast forward beyond fighting Zarkon, Lotor, Haggar, and so much more, they still made a point of having game nights with one another. They were set for every two weeks now (more if possible but definitely two no matter what), whether they were in space in their lions, or on Earth in their homes. When they were on Earth, they each took turns hosting their game night.

Somehow though, it seemed like Lance and Keith ended up hosting their game night more than any of the others.

“Well yeah,” Pidge said one time. “Each person hosts it. You two live together, so that means Lance gets to host, then Keith. It just happens to be the same place.”

Keith firmly called bullshit on that, because he never planned it. Training, he planned. Missions, he planned. Game night? He most definitely pawned that off on Lance. But wasn’t that what husbands were for? (Yes, yes they were.)

As it was, they didn’t even have to plan that much. Coran, apparently, came across a great board game in their travels that he wanted to share with them. He had only informed Lance and Keith of this, and both of them were rightfully a bit wary.

“Don’t worry,” Keith assured him. “I’ve got the fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a water pump, and a defibrillator.”  

Lance stared at him seriously as he finished dumping the last bag of chips into one of their many mismatched bowls. “But is it enough?”

Keith wasn’t sure, but he felt woefully unprepared.

…

Coran was positively shaking with excitement as he held a rather ominous black box.

The little apartment was pretty crowded. Of course, Keith and Lance were both there along with Kosmo, it was their apartment. Along with them and Coran, was Allura, Romelle, Krolia, Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, and Matt. Ten was the exact number that they needed for this.

“I thought it was Keith’s turn to plan and pick game night,” Matt whispered to Pidge, eyeing the box with interest.

“It was,” she answered warily. Matt didn’t understand why he should be so fearful, not even after all this time. They all loved Coran to pieces, but his ideas were nothing short of insane and wild.

The man in question cleared his throat and said, “Now, I know that we normally play board games on game night, but I very recently found this game in an Unilu swap-shop and had to get it.” Coran opened the box and pulled out a very colorful game board that came with absolutely no pieces to play with.

There was, however, a name on the middle of it that shifted and changed until they all understood it.

Garfle Warfle Snick – Boring Edition (No snick included).

Shiro, Matt, Krolia, Romelle, and Coran didn’t seem to have a problem with that, but Allura, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were terrified. Kosmo tilted his head and observed curiously.

“No!” Lance cried out as Coran touched the board, but it was too late. Suddenly, the entire room seemed to change around them, and they were in a frighteningly familiar game studio. He looked around wildly, seeing Keith on one end, followed by Pidge, then him, then Hunk, and finally Allura. The exact same as the first time they encountered this. Unlike then though, the second team, consisting of Shiro, Matt, Romelle, Krolia, and Coran were across from them.

“Welcome to Garfle Warfle Snick!” a familiar voice cried out. Bob appeared on his little hover chair, holding his arms out to an audience that actually wasn’t an audience, but a rather just a bunch of random shapes and colours. It was honestly kind of unnerving.

“Coran!” Allura yelled at him.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a game based on the legend of Bob. It’s a simulation, though the only way out is for someone to win the game. I had to upload information into the game to allow it to come up with questions and answers involving our lives or things we’d know,” Coran explained. “It’s a lot more like your Family Feud. I do enjoy that show.” Coran enjoyed most Earth shows, from soap operas, to game shows, to sitcoms.

“No snick?” Lance clarified.

“That is correct!” Bob said, waving an arm in the air. “This is the boring edition of the game with a simple question format and no snick. The game as three rounds, and the team that wins gets to go to the fast snick round – without the snick! Lets get the Team Captains up here first!”

Shiro and Keith both cried out in alarm as they were dragged out to where there were two podiums. Keith eyed it suspiciously. “I swear to god if he shoves another pacifier in my mouth, I’m shoving whatever I can get right up his—“

“And the way this works is that we generated a survey and answers. We put the top five answers on the board. To win, you have to get all five, but if you get three strikes, the second team gets a chance to steal all of the points you’ve earned. At the beginning of each round, we have a person from each team up here. I’ll read the question, and the first person to hit the buzzer gets to answer first. If you don’t do it quick enough, I would normally feed you to the snick, but I can’t do that here. So the other person gets to answer. If the second person gets a higher ranking answer, they get to choose to play or pass. Got it?”

“So we’re playing Family Feud, got it,” Shiro said with a nod of his head, looking at Keith with a competitive stare. Instantly, Keith felt something flair up in him and he stared back.

“Let’s go.”

Bob nodded excitedly. “Top five answers on the board! We interviewed 100 people from another dimension who are obsessed with you, and asked ‘what is their favourite Voltron romantic ship’.”

Everyone glanced at Coran oddly.

“To be fair, fair I used the Atlas to program it so there are many things that could have happened,” he explained with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Keith slammed in hand on the buzzer first, but then instantly started to panic as nothing came to mind. “Uh…I…” A few seconds later, a loud buzzer ran through the air.

“Too slow. Shiro?”

He glanced at Keith quickly before saying, “Uh…Keith and Lance?” There was a dinging sound as the number one spot flipped over. “What? Really?”

“Yes, really, your own little brother,” Bob said dramatically. “Now, play or pass?”

“Play,” Shiro said, before yelping as he and Keith were both yanked back to their teams.

“Really?” Lance asked, leaning around Pidge to glare at him. “Babe, come on! We’re married! You didn’t think we were number one?”

“I panicked!” Keith looked at the board. “Also, Laith? Why does your name get to be first?”

Ignoring this, Bob went to the other team. “Alright, Matthew! Give us an answer?”

Matt blinked before his eyes darted to Hunk. “Oh! Hunk and Shay!” He cheered when the number three spot spun around, revealing Hunay. “That’s an adorable ship name!”

“Uh…” Romelle looked around unsurely. “Allura and…Lotor?” She cringed as the buzzer rang through the air, a big X appearing on the screen. “I am both disappointed and relieved.” Allura’s face said that she felt the same way.

Krolia observed the Paladins before nodding slightly. “Hunk and Pidge.” A small smirk appeared on her face as the number five spot revealed Punk. “They do make a great team.”

“You know, we do,” Hunk said with a shrug.

“Team Punk for the win!” Pidge reached up and high-fived him. “But also, shipping? Romantic ships?”

“Yeah, no. Sorry Pidge.”

“We’re cool.”

“Hmm…” Coran regarded the board. “I’ll say…Allura and Lance!” The number four spot revealed Allurance, leaving on the number two spot empty.

“Now, no hard feelings guys,” Lance said dramatically. “Don’t get jealous or fight.”

Keith leaned forward so he could see Allura with a raised eyebrow. “You can have him if you want him.”

“I’m okay,” she replied with a shake of her head. Lance groaned and slumped on his podium.

“This is so strange,” Shiro noted as Bob came back to him. “I have no idea. It’s not something I think about. Uh…Keith and Hunk?” Another negative buzzer went through the air.

“To be fair,” Keith spoke up again, “Hunk is super shot.”

“Aww, thank you, Keith! I’d hug you if I could reach you!” Hunk said with a big smile.

“You know what?” Lance said as he stood up straight again. “I can’t even be mad, it’s true.” Hunk was close enough to squeeze him in a hug.

“You need one more answer and you only have one chance to get it right, Matt. Give us a ship!” Bob said, leaning on Matt’s podium.

“Uh…Allura and…” Matt looked around unsurely. “Keith?” Another buzzer and he groaned. “Sorry guys.”

“Alright!” Bob flew over to the other team. “You get one chance to steal. Pidge, what is their #2 favourite Voltron ship?”

“Well,” she said seriously, “judging from how people ship characters in our world, and applying that logic to an alternate universe where we’re characters that can be shipped…” She looked at Keith. “I’m so sorry. Shiro and Keith.”

The number two spot flipped around, and everyone on their team but Keith cheered. Keith looked downright horrified. “Shiro is my brother. Literally was my guardian. My teacher. I was a child when I met him and he was an adult.”

Shiro, for his part, looked just as horrified. “I don’t want to play this game anymore.”

Bob looked at him sinisterly. “You don’t escape the game board until someone wins.”

“Okay,” Shiro squeaked out.

Bob smiled warmly. “Great! Pidge, Matt, come on up!” The two both yelped as they were pulled to the front ones. “Now, we asked 100 Arusians, who gives the best hugs?”

Pidge slammed her hand down hard and yelled, “Hunk!” The number two spot spun around.

Matt looked confused before saying, “Uh…Shiro?” The number four spot spun around.

“We’re gonna play!” Pidge yelled before Bob could even ask, and they were both whisked back to their spots.

Bob moved over to Hunk to look at him. “Hunk, you huggable boy…who gives the best hugs?”

“Uh, Lance?” he asked, wincing at the negative buzzer. That was also to point out that Bob skipped Lance for some reason, but apparently that didn’t matter.

“Coran?” Allura guessed when it was her turn, also grimacing at the buzzer.

Keith glared at Bob fiercely, as if daring him to say he was wrong, “My mom.” There was another loud buzz, and he yelled, “That fucking thing lies! My mom and Lance give the best hugs ever!” He genuinely looked like he was going to climb over the podium to fight the simulated alien.

Bob zoomed over to Krolia. “Well, it seems your son thinks you’re the best hugger, but what do you think, Krolia?”

She hummed thoughtfully and then, “Kolivan.” The number one spot swung around.

Keith’s mouth fell open. “Mom…what the fuck?” She just shrugged.

“This is a difficult question, but I do have an answer. A controversial one though,” Coran admitted, stroking his moustache. “Zarkon!” The number three spot spun around and everyone stared at him. “He was great at hugs eons ago.”

“What kind of hell programming was made to create this?” Pidge asked as Bob went back to Shiro for the last answer.

Shiro, clearly panicking, blurted out, “The Black Lion!” Much to everyone’s shock, the fifth spot spun around, meaning they won the round. “What?”

“Yeah,” Hunk said, “if anyone thinks Black’s a good hugger, their programming is faulty.”

“Oh, come on! Everyone knows that Red’s the overprotective one!” Lance yelled out while waving his hand around.

Bob moved to the center of the stage again, “And now we have our final round. Whoever gets this, will go onto our fast points round! Give me Lance, give me Romelle!” The two both yelped as they were yanked to the front. “Top five answers are on the board. We asked 100 aliens, what is the one planet you’d love to visit.”

Lance moved fast. “Earth!” He cheered when it came up as the right answer. “Alright, we’re playing!” He glanced at Hunk as he was whisked back. “Come on Hunk!”

Hunk shifted nervously. “Uh, the Balmera?” The buzzer went off. “What’s wrong with the Balmera? They have amazing people and amazing crystals!”

“It’s okay,” Allura patted his arm. “Uh…normally I would say Altea but I assume these have to be current…maybe Arus?” She grinned boardly as the number four spot spun around.

Keith looked unsure, and shrugged. “Oriande?” The buzzer went off again. “I still wish I had seen some of it.”

“Yeah,” Pidge toned in sarcastically, “because suffocating was so fun.”

“We survived in the endless void of space with those for days. Did no one put on their helmet?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Everyone around him froze for a moment. “Shut up, Keith,” Pidge pouted and looked at Bob. “Olkarion.” The number two spot spun around. “Yes!” She cheered and high-fived Lance when it popped up in the number two spot.”

Lance calmed himself down and then looked completely unsure of what he wanted to say. “Uh…Senfama?” The buzzer went off and everyone stared at him oddly. “What? It seemed okay for a place with a giant canon, and I also couldn’t remember the world with the mermaids.”

“Too bad!” Bob went over to Matt. “Now, you have the chance to steal, but if you get it wrong, they get their points and win the game!”

Matt narrowed his eyes. “Reiphod.” He groaned when the buzzer went off, and the other team cheered loudly. “What the hell? What were the other two?”

Bob waved his hand at the board, “The number five answer is Thayserix! The number three answer is Naxzella!”

“Who would want to go to either of those places?” Coran wondered. Maybe the programming was off. It didn’t matter though, because the next thing their team knew, they were in the front row seats of the audience.

“And now for our fast points round!” Bob cheered. “I will select two from the team to answer six questions quickly in 20 seconds. They cannot see each other’s answers.” Keith, Lance, and Allura looked towards Pidge and Hunk. “No, I don’t think so. Give me antisocial Keith, and dumbdumb Lance.” Lance appeared beside Bob, and Keith vanished altogether.

“Why is it always us?” Lance asked.

“We’re in your house, of course,” Bob answered. “now, if you don’t get enough points, no one can leave the game!”

“What?” It was a sentiment shared by everyone.

“Ready to go?” Bob asked, not letting Lance answer before yelling, “Put 20 seconds on the board! Lance, we interviewed 100 aliens, try to five us the top answers…A name that Captain Shirogane goes by.”

“Shiro,” he blurted out.

“Pidge’s favourite thing.”

“Peanut butter!”

“Name an Altean.”

“Allura!”

“A Voltron Lion.”

“Red?”

“A Galra?”

“Zarkon?”

“Things Lance Denies?”

He hesitated but then said, “Height!”

“Alright, let’s get Keith out here!” He waved his hand, causing Lance to appear back beside Pidge.

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to tell us if his answers are right?” Hunk called out, but Bob ignored him.

Keith appeared beside the alien. “Alright, Keith. Lance gave us some good answers. I’m going to ask you the same questions, but you cannot repeat the answer. If you do, I would normally feed you to the snick, but I can’t. Instead you’ll get a violent shock through your body.”

“What?” Keith asked him.

“Put 25 seconds on the board! Keith, we interviewed 100 aliens, try to five us the top answers…A name that Captain Shirogane goes by.”

“Shiro,” he immediately said, and yelped loudly at the shock that went through him. “Son of a bitch!”

“Pidge’s favourite thing.”

“Wait, that wasn’t my…uh…Green Lion!”

“Name an Altean.”

“Allura!” Another shock. “Fuck!  Coran!”

“A Voltron Lion.”

“Black!”

“A Galra?”

“Krolia.”

“Things Lance Denies?”

Keith’s eyes swung around towards his husband, narrowing a bit. “Having a bonding moment.”

Somehow, that seemed to be enough to make the game around them disappear, and the ten of them found themselves back in Keith and Lance’s living room, the game board sitting innocently on the table.

Everyone stared at it, before Coran clapped his hands together, “Well, that was fun!”

“I mean, the idea’s fun, going into a real game like that, but uh…never again?” Shiro said. Everyone else agreed on that.

“Nonsense, we—no! Bad cosmic wolf!” Coran cried out as Kosmo appeared, grabbing the game into his sharp teeth, teleporting to the other side of the room, where he proceeded to chew it to pieces. “Drat.”

“So,” Pidge spoke up. “New rule for game night. Coran doesn’t pick anymore.”

It was something they could all agree on.  

…

BONUS:

“Are you still on about that? We’re married!”

“Can’t remember, didn’t happen.”

“Keith!”

[thecomicsnexus]

The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special

The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special #1. December, 1991. By Alan Grant, Keith Giffen, Simon Bisley and Lovern Kindzierski.

Aurifice and Ferryt Thung, unable to provide a material Christmas, are dreading facing the wrath of their ten kids in the morning. A knock at the door reveals a mysterious book on the doorstep called, The Lobo Xmas Sanction, detailing a story that would adequately scare any demanding children straight during the Christmas season. Hoping it is the answer to their fears, the anxious parents begin reading, "Once upon a time. There was this really cool dude."

Lobo and Dawg arrive at a drinking establishment to meet with a client. The client turns out to be a highly inebriated Easter Bunny who wants to put a contract hit out on Santa Claus for his perpetual upstaging of lesser holiday icons. Lobo joyously agrees to take the job and departs for the North Pole. He bursts into Santa's workshop guns blazing and begins massacring the elves. Some of the elves attempt to fight back against "the naughtiest one", but they are only armed with pop-guns. After turning the workshop into a bloody tableau, Lobo makes his way to the throne room of Kris "Crusher" Kringle. Santa is not the jolly, smiling old man personified in the traditions however. He is actually a merciless taskmaster armed with razor-sharp shivs and accompanied by a gorilla companion named Kong.

Before Lobo executes Santa where he sits, he is coaxed into a fair fight by the bearded bastich. Kringle chooses the weapons and leads 'Bo into the Elf-o-matic Cloning Unit, claiming there is more room to maneuver. The two brawl fiercely, and the fight is as messy as it is brutal. Ultimately, Lobo wins by decapitating Kringle with one of his own shivs. Exploring afterwards, Lobo finds Santa's naughty/nice data-bank and views the resource as an invaluable tool being squandered. He perceives the "nice" as weak, "Victims in the makin'!" Whereas the "naughty" he sees as potential competition. Manufacturing his own presents, he fills up Santa's sleigh with H-bombs and flies across the world, raining them down upon sleeping towns and villages.

Thrilled by such a horrifying tale, the Thung's no longer fear being torn apart in the morning but their own irascible offspring, but upon reading the last page - "This book is only good for one read. Gotcha, sucker!" - Ferryt solemnly heads upstairs with his shotgun and murders his sleeping children.

From DC Wikia

I am still unsure of how much of this I can post on tumblr, but suffice to say, the special (as any Lobo comic) is pretty gory.

But it is a fun read. Especially if you are not really moved by Christmas. If you question how canon this story is... well... it is canon for a specific set of comic-books, but I would say it is not for the DCU.

Simon Bisley is a legend, and an inspiration for several other artists. His style fits Lobo very well and it is hard to read a Lobo comic book with a different style and still consider it the same character.

And what was the deal with Kong?

I give the issue a score of 7.

[thomasjefferson1318]

Voltron S8 predictions

With the ending of Voltron S7 the fandom was left with several complaints as well as a lot of confusion and questions. Like what was up with the weird interaction between Keith and Acxa? Why is ATLAS so THICC??? And yes I type ATLAS in all caps and I totally think that it should be a thing. Continuing, what ever actually happened to Haggar? And finally, what was with that Altean piloting the ship they fought at the end of episode 13? Well, I think that I have some answers and some general predictions as to the direction that the show is heading. I want to start off by saying that I LOVE ATLAS. It is huge. It’s totally going to be a thing where they are going to have the team from the garrison piloting ATLAS full time and that it will act as their new castle base, despite being parked on Earth for whatever amount of time went by in the montage towards the end. I also think it’s great they they were able to get a working Teleduv and that they can just make wormholes now, but I’m not sure if they installed that in ATLAS itself or on Earth. Okay, the more serious stuff. Something that really caught me was the interaction between Keith and Acxa throughout episode 3. A lot of fans were freaking out because they thought it was being set up as a romantic interest, but it never actually crossed my mind. Keith and Acxa actually met for the first time back in season two episode nine, “The Belly of the Weblum”. She was the silent Galra pilot that he saved in that episode, so of course she remembered him and had some sort of attachment to him. He saved her life when he had no good reason to except out of the bottom of his heart, which is a concept that is foreign to a lot of the Galra out there. But what really caught me is what she said towards the end of the episode, “Zethrid, Ezor and I were marooned on that meteoroid for days. Finally, a galra ship came to investigate Lotors last known whereabouts. We took it over. With Lotor gone, it was clear that there was a power vacuum in the Galra Empire. Zethrid and Ezor wanted to exploit that for their own gain... but I knew that I had to find my own path. And it led me to you.” and then she looks directly at Keith for a solid few seconds. The you is directed specifically to Keith, they literally cut everyone else out of the shot to emphasize that fact. But this is a really important line. It could be interpreted in a lot of different ways. She could have gone on an inner emotional journey to find herself and thought back to when he saved her and decided to live by his lead, helping others out of kindness. Although, it could be something literal as well. Keith is part Galra, just like Lotor, Ezor, Zethrid, and Acxa. He has some sort of special ability, that granted we haven’t seen much of, because of Krolia. What special Ability? I’m not sure yet. Facial markings have proven to be very important and Keith gets his single Galra facial mark during his battle with Clone!Shiro, but we never really get much explanation as too what it actually means. Not to mention it was something he had to earn, similarly to the blade, because you can see the the mark flickers on and off of his face multiple times throughout the episode, before becoming something more permanent. Galra alone don’t have any special abilities as far as we have seen, but it was really weird how the mark burned it’s way onto his face. At first I thought it was an actual burn from the laser sword that Clone!Shiro was using, but then it also matches up exactly with Krolias marks and I found the mark appearing on his face multiple times in different frames of that episode prior to that scene and I doubt the animators would let those frames make it into the final cut if they weren’t supposed to be there. I am somewhat hoping that that this will be formally addressed in S8 and that it’s connected to Keith’s emotional state. In Keith’s battle with Shiro it was probably some of the most pure emotion we have seen from him aside from his interactions with Krolia, but even then the emotions weren’t nearly as strong or heart wrenching. Keith is probably the most emotionally constipated character we have seen on the show and while he has improved vastly since season 1 and he was smiling more than ever throughout S7, he still has a lot of emotions that he keeps bottled up. Part of that is because he it the head, literally, of Voltron now. The paladins need him there to hold everything together and so he needs to be there for them. Although, with how fast paced the show has been lately there hasn’t been time for him to emotionally vent. He has always relied on Shiro for emotional support, but Shiro hasn’t really been available for Keith to actually have this extremely personal/private and draining conversation with since his resurrection. Although, with things calming down a bit at the end of S7 it would be to be some sort of emotional exploration for the paladins. Specifically, Allura, Lance, and Keith. A lot has happened to the each of them and they need to actually process some of what happened. Lance died. Keith was gone for months. Allura was in love with someone who was bonkers and tried to kill her and all of the people she cares about. S8 is the season to make it happen. To tie up loose ends. To finally pick see if our ships become cannon. To figure out how to slip in more lgbt+ representation without driving away from the plot of the show too much. Speaking of the plot, I’ve been talking a lot about relationships and foreshadowing and paladin self discovery, but I haven’t actually discussed anything specifically main plot related yet. I’m going to start off with some facts. We have defeated Sendak, so who is going to be the next main Villain in Voltron? I would love to say that Ezor and Zethrid become our main “bad guys”, but I honestly think of them as more of a neutral evil. I think that in S8 we will be seeing the return of Haggar, more specifically Honerva. The last we know of her was that she went Orinade and successfully unlocked the secrets of Altean Alchemy and that she ditched all of her druids. It’s been nearly three years since then and counting if we include the small time ski at the end of S7. I’m just going to straight out say that Haggar knew the location of the Altean colony and she went there. Haggar had been controlling Clone!Shiro who was there when Romelle told the story about the colony and what Lotor had done, which means it’s a pretty safe assumption. My guess is that something happened between her and the other Alteans when she got there and it lead to the Alteans abandoning the Colony, which is why it was empty when the blade group went to look for them. It also explains the crazy Altean robot weapon we saw in S7 ep. 13. That robot was only the beginning. They sent one out as a test. They had no intention of winning that fight, but it was more like they wanted to see how well matched their ship was against Voltron. But that’s just my theory. Feel free to let me know what you think.