#i am a 4kids stan until i DIE

[bloomvalyria]

What about Valtor initially drew you in? Sorry for the vague question but I was curious to know what your favorite things about him were.

No, it's not vague at all! I totally get what you mean.

I always like to reference a specific monologue Baltor gives in 3x13 where Tecna gets trapped in Omega and Tides is about to be obliterated. Icy asks him, "What about your minions, won't we need to get them out of Tides before it's gone?" to which Baltor replies, "I always assumed the mermaids wouldn't survive long enough to be part of Stage 2 of the plan." and when the Trix are like "What??" he proceeds to say, "I don't know why you look so shocked. I've already taken the magic treasures of Tides, and I can perform all their spells perfectly. There's nothing more that miserable planet can offer me. So, tell me, why would I need their mermaids?"

This is the first time we see the Trix genuinely horrified, and that is what sold him for me. He is maliciously methodical in a way the Trix have never seen. He admits so casually that the mermaids were only ever meant to be cannon fodder like he's talking about the weather. He almost says it like he's bored. Sure, Darkar was an intimidating villain, but the Trix never appeared scared of him. But they are scared of Baltor, and they repeat this tactic a couple times throughout the season to really drive that point home. It elevates Baltor to a level of villainy we as a viewer are not familiar with on the show, and if we see that the Trix are scared, then we definitely should be scared.

I hope that made sense. I'm trying to write this chapter and it's frying my brain.