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fire-of-the-sun · 1 year ago

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Speculation on Lotor's Armor

It's time for more unnecessary speculation about Lotor because I miss him. Last time we addressed Lotor's appearance, we talked about what was up with his incredible hair (here), now I'd like to discuss his iconic armor, the potential history behind it and how it services his character.

Even just at first glance in his introductory scene, Lotor clearly stands apart from his fellow Galra and not just due to his features. Even before we see his face, his unique stature and attire speaks volumes about the character we're about to meet as the colors and overall style bears no resemblance to anything we see a typical Galra wear - nor anyone else for that matter - singling Lotor out as a unique and unpredictable individual. So, why does he choose to dress so differently?

One interesting and inescapable truth about Lotor's armor is that it perfectly matches the color scheme of his cat, Kova, to such a specific degree that it can be no accident, so it only makes sense that Lotor himself decided to create or commission a suit to match. But why? Well, given the childhood that Lotor had to endure, it's not hard to imagine the inspiration was simply due to his allegiance to the fellow quintessence-touched creature. A way to honor it as the only true friend and companion he's ever had and the only thing that's ever truly been his or, at least, the one thing he chose for himself. Kova no doubt played a huge role in his lonely life and was probably the only decent thing in it as, for someone who had no real or meaningful connections, this relationship would naturally become incredibly important to him - important enough to showcase visually. In this way, perhaps the decision isn't just a matter of honoring a friend, but also perpetuating his own individuality as defined by his relationship with his cat as something that belongs solely to him.

However, if we dig deeper into this, things get more interesting.

When I was originally writing this meta, I was looking for clues in Lotor's main design that could legitimize the idea that he would have tailored it to honor his Altean side (as he clearly isn't dressed like a Galra), as I think that would make a lot of sense for his character. Unfortunately, there's nothing incredibly obvious in his clothing that matches the aesthetic of the Alteans we see in the show as the style and color palette just don't align. This makes sense, I suppose, given that Lotor would never know exactly how they dressed even if he wanted to emulate them. And then I thought harder about Kova...

Given that he was originally Honerva's pet and she's Altean and therefore is from there as well, one could argue that designing his appearance after Kova was, intentionally or not, reflective of Altean culture to some degree. And if Lotor devised that Kova was originally Honerva's, his signature look could also be a way to remember his mother as well as her culture, both of which he deeply admires and are intrinsically part of himself. At this time, he believes all Alteans to be extinct, making him (and Kova) the sole keepers of their legacy and he chooses to wear that proudly. Ultimately, Kova isn't just his best friend, he's also a connection to his mother and Altea and all the things he holds dear and thus becomes his own personal mascot of sorts.

This decision is also deliciously ironic given that his chosen appearance is simultaneously an unintentional extension of Haggar as well, whom he despises but cannot fully escape. Just as Honerva and Haggar are two halves of the same person and Kova, therefore, belonged to both, the style Lotor chooses is also inextricably a reflection of Haggar just as much as it is Honerva and what they represent to him: corruption as well as purity - which is an interesting contrast in regard to Lotor's character.

Speaking of contrast, it's worth noting that there is, of course, a distinct and purposefully clashing styles between the Galra and Alteans. The former made up of sharp edges and intimidating reds and blacks while the latter is defined by soft shades of blue, gold and pure white. Both designs are successful in respectively encapsulating a race who's known only war and another that promotes peace. With a parent from each, Lotor naturally stands somewhere in between these opposing views both in his internal struggles as well as an outward appearance that doesn't conform perfectly to either. Lotor's style, therefore, is an interesting amalgamation of his roots, an echo of their inherent conflict, and a bold statement to all who see him who he is and where he stands.

So, we have an idea of the inspiration behind the armor, but when did he implement it?

We see in some flashbacks that young Lotor did wear Galran styled clothing. Though he cannot change the reality of his mixed blood, he can try to speak, act and dress as a Galra - all actions that a young prince would be expected to uphold but also probably pushed himself to practice and perfect in order to assimilate himself better into their society and appeal to his father. However, there's a huge unexplored time gap between what we see of Lotor's childhood and him as an adult who has already adopted his very divergent final look with no real explanation. That's why I mainly want to address the flashback in 8x02, as it's the youngest adult version we see of Lotor and marks an influential event that I feel could have had a grander effect with a few tweaks to his design.

At the beginning of the flashback, we see Lotor and Kova together - the proximity affording the audience a strategic reminder of their unmistakably similar color schemes and of their bond. Now, perhaps his appearance remains unchanged here simply to make it easier for the artists and animators so they could avoid designing a new look for him for only one scene, but I personally find it a wasted opportunity to benefit the story further by showing Lotor at a very different point in his life and a different appearance would certainly help reflect that.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen him in more traditional Galran clothing here and maybe even sporting slightly shorter hair - even if only for the selfish desire to see Lotor look somewhat different at some point during the course of the entire show. The hair would help to indicate that he's a little younger here (though we don't actually know how long ago it was) and the traditional armor would supplement the story visually by showing him still bearing some ties to his Galran heritage at this point as he continues to try to prove himself to his father that he is an effective and worthy son. He does want to change things though and help his father see there are other, more merciful ways of reaching their goals and by appearing as a Galra in the best way he can, he could perhaps make his sentiments more palatable.

Of course, things go horribly wrong and this flashback details one of the biggest shifts in Lotor's life. In the span of one scene, he transforms from dutiful Galran prince trying to please his father to exile who has severed all ties to the Galra, all hopes of appealing to Zarkon and is now determined to bring him down. Until this point, Lotor has struggled and failed to be the prince his father and the rest of his people would approve of and changing his entire appearance after his exile would really punctuate his literal and symbolic divergence from the Galra by creating a look and identity all his own with no aesthetic connection to them. Lotor, at last, is taking control over his own life and no longer living in his abuser's shadow. Naturally, the change is openly rebellious - an unmistakable rejection of a culture that rejected him and a slap in the face to all who see him. He's charted his own course and pledged allegiance fully to himself and what he believes in. Lotor's generals are also tasked to wear the same style clothing as him - a clear sign to all who see them to whom they serve.

Of course, there could be other explanations that accommodate the writers need for him to maintain this look:

Perhaps Lotor just changed his look as an angsty teen who wanted to rebel perhaps. My issue with this idea though is that I don't think Zarkon would have approved of him dressing as anything less than a Galran prince is expected to and, as we see of Lotor even as an adult in the flashback, he's still trying to present himself the best he can to his father, and I don't think he'd take the risk of angering him just to feel more independent as Zarkon will use any excuse to punish him. I like to think that Lotor's outburst against his tactics in this flashback is the first real time he's ever rebelled against his father, hence the surprise and severe punishment. Lotor would never want to willingly incur his wrath unless over such an important thing as the lives of others - another reason why I think changing into his final look after his exile is the best narrative choice. Only after being formally expelled from the empire, I imagine, Zarkon would no longer care about seeing Lotor maintain a Galran appearance and would no longer protest to seeing him dressed differently.

Or, maybe he only recently adopted the new look while staying on Ven'tar's planet with Kova for a year. Perhaps, in his first real venture outside of Zarkon's shadow and Galran culture, he became more independent, more self-assured and wanted to adjust his attire to reflect that growth. To make something of himself on his own and define himself as an individual who is open to clothing untethered to just one culture. Maybe this decision was also partially bolstered by his inclination to make the people he's leading feel more comfortable around him as well by presenting himself as different than the other Galra they know and fear. Of course, during his conversation with Zarkon, we also learn that Lotor now knows about his Altean roots and that potentially recent discovery could also have played a role in his desire to alter his appearance (using Kova as his muse) as his time away gave room for him to begin to distance himself from the Galra and begin his exploration into his Altean heritage. Again, though, I don't think Zarkon would naturally approve of seeing him in foreign attire (especially inspired by Altea). He doesn't care about Lotor but he does care about maintaining his image as a Galra prince and projecting the strength and authority that title brings over others as demonstrated in this scene.

Ultimately, regardless of the exact origins, this visual separation from the Galra serves to aid Lotor in his quest to transform the universe by presenting himself as someone who stands apart from the rest of his race and their ruthless ways. He's independent with a unique appearance to match his unique manner of leadership and ideas for the future. Presenting a wholly personal choice of style that acts as a natural extension of himself and a love for his Altean heritage as inspired from the only friend he ever really had.

So, there you have it! That's my unnecessarily long take on why Lotor dresses to match his cat.

#vld #voltron #lotor #prince lotor #kova #zarkon #honerva #haggar #v:ld #voltron: legendary defender #lotor meta #vld meta #voltron meta #vld lotor #lotor vld

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imhereformysciencefriends · 1 year ago

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@loturaweek2023 Day 4: Free Space!

Tw: Mentions of child abuse

She found him in the garden, hidden under a rosebush, pout to his cheeks and a very unhappy-yet-resigned cat clutched to his chest.

Allura dropped down to her knees in front of him, startling the boy and making him drop the cat, which yowled as it jumped away from him but only went two feet before it sat and started grooming itself.

“Hi!”

“You scared me!” he scolded. “You shouldn’t do that!”

“Oh you’re fine you big baby!” she said with a roll of her eyes, probably getting dirt on her dress (but who cared about that, really, they should’ve let her wear her normal dress if they didn’t want her getting this one dirty!).

He sniffed. “Not for my sake. Of course I’m fine! But you could’ve gotten hurt. I’m a powerful warrior, you know, I might have killed you in one blow when you startled me. You should never sneak up on a Galra.”

Allura rolled her eyes again, even harder this time. “I wasn’t sneaking!”

“Yes you were!”

“No I wasn’t! You just weren’t paying attention!”

“A Galra is always vigilant!”

“Well apparently that’s not true.”

“Yes it is!” he said, pushing forward off his sad little tuckus to shove at her, making her yelp and fall back onto her own rump.

“Hey!”

“That’s what you get,” he sniffed, crossing his arms.

“You’re rude!!” Allura said, all the accusation in her tone as though she’d just convicted him of murder.

“I’m not rude. You’re rude.”

“Me!?!?” she gasped. “I came over here to say hello to you because you were being a little pouty pouter and you shoved me!”

“I wasn’t pouting!”

“Yuh-huh!”

He turned his head away with a lifted nose. “Your way of talking is very low-brow.”

Allura stomped to her feet with a growl and dusted off her skirts, slapping the fabric harder than she really needed to. “Well fine! You just sit here and be miserable and alone! I’m going to take the kitty and go have fun somewhere!”

She scooped the cat up without further ado and started speed walking, the cat growling low in its throat but not making move to swipe at her.

“Hey!” There came a pattering of short legs and small feet behind her. “Hey! You can’t do that! He’s my cat!”

She whirled around to glare at him, sending him skidding to a stop, and stuck her tongue out at him. Then she resumed leaving.

“Oh fine! I’m sorry I shoved you, just give Kova back!”

Allura contemplated continuing to be stubborn, but that’d be mean. And it was his cat. She stopped short, holding onto the cat for a few more ticks for good measure, and then spun and handed the cat back to him.

“There.” She turned up her own nose a little bit, just to make sure he knew she wasn’t about to let him think this meant a victory or anything for him. “What’s even your name, anyway?”

“I am Prince Lotor, of the Galran Empire!” he all but shouted, standing suddenly straight. Then he relaxed, petting his cat on the bridge of his nose. “Who are you?” he asked quieter, now sounding almost shy.

“Princess Allura of Altea.

“Oh,” Lotor said, recognition in his voice. “My father doesn’t like your father.”

“My father says it’s complicated,” Allura said, with all the disdain a child might have for adults’ antics. “He says he used to be friends with your father but then ‘certain matters arose.’”

Lotor frowned. “He’s never told me that.”

“You’re probably just not old enough to understand.” She was, after all, a few years older than him, which meant she was wiser and infinitely more mature.

“I am too! I understand lots of stuff! My Dayak says I’m one of the smartest children she’s ever had the misfortune of overseeing.”

“Does she call you a special little boy, too?” Allura asked, turning and resuming her walk through the garden. She didn’t know what a Dayak was, but she imagined it was probably something similar to an aunt.

“No! Even though I am. Mostly she just tells me what I’m doing wrong and how to correct myself.” Lotor had to halfway trot in order to keep up with her longer legs.

“Oh. My governess does that a lot. Sometimes she makes me sit in a corner with books on my head whenever I’m being ‘difficult.’”

“Mine just hits me.”

Allura stopped in her tracks with a gasp. “That’s terrible!”

“What?” Lotor seemed taken aback. “No, it’s normal.”

“No that isn’t! My father says that people who hit their children are the worst!”

“Well my father says hitting children is necessary to keep them disciplined and promote order.”

“Your father is a real brute!” Allura proclaimed. “I don’t know why mine was ever friends with him!”

“Well, your father is a weak spined coward! So I don’t know why mine was ever friends with him!”

“Hmph!”

They both stomped their feet and turned away from each other, Allura’s arms crossed over her chest and Lotor hugging Kova tightly.

“...Maybe we could be friends though?” Lotor suggested. “I don’t think you’re very cowardly.”

Allura deigned to twist just enough to look at him out of the corner of her eye. She stared at him, mouth hidden in his kitty’s fur, and then sighed.

“And I suppose you’re not terrible, or a brute. Even though you pushed me.”

“I said I was sorry,” Lotor muttered, turning just slightly pinkish at the tips of his ears where his velvety fur ran thin.

Allura held her hand out, and Lotor examined it with wide eyed curiosity.

“Come on. I’ll show you how to steal cookies out of the kitchen.”

“Won’t we get in trouble?” Lotor asked, but nevertheless put his hand in hers.

“Only if we get caught!” she conspired, and set off in a run, skirts billowing behind her in the warm Altean sun.

#lotura #allura #lotor #loturaweek2023 #vld #vt #my writing #haro writes #mentioned child abuse #kova #is there a succinct way to tag 'canon typical galran outlook on life and violence'#anyway i think they should be stupid children together not fully grasping the conditions that theyre living under

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