Takashi Shirogane - Blog Posts

YOINK Ch 2 of my band AU fic is up, pls leave kudos if you enjoyed!

Solve puzzles, explore history: Uncover the secrets of a beautiful Japanese puzzle box in SHI•RO.

Y’all this Japanese game is deadass called Shi.ro Ive never wante something more in my life and it looks BEAUTIFUL

If y’all are interested Shiro’s husband is called Curtis btw, he worked on the bridge alongside Shiro

*When the meaning is gone*

*There is clarity*

*And the reason comes, on the common tongue*

*Of your lovin’ me.*

if I had a dollar for every time ‘fire the ion cannon’ is said in voltron I could afford to pay for my therapy after all the shit that happened to my favs in every single season of this show

SEASON 7 SEASON 7 SEASON 7

boi where do I start wow what a season super intense 

KEITH AND SHIRO FLASHBACKS YES

actually explains so much thank you writers

Romelle having to get used to the paladin lifestyle is hilarious I love her

faunatonium what the hell 

drawing straws as to who gets to ride with who

um yeah so zethrid and ezor are gone well then

anyway I love axca 

Kosmo is a pure pup and I love him very much

speaking of Keith just admit it if you give it a name you’ll get attached to it and you don’t like attachments 

also using Kosmo for food transportation yes

just the entirety of gargle waffle snick

also same lance I’m so bad with names I relate

that one druid guy bro I was shook 

KOLIVAN IS BACK YES

I love Krolia

using Kosmo as battle transportation yes I am living

THE I LOVE YOU BETWEEN KEITH AND KROLIA

THE HUG

SKIN CLEARED CROPS WATERED WHAT DID THE WRITER DO THAT

the shit that went on between the paladins when they were lost in space wow that hurt

ALSO WHAT’S THIS HUNK CHARACTER ARC AND SAVING EVERYONE’S ASS YES I AM LIVING FOR THIS

Colleen Holt is a strong badass mother and she will not take shit from anyone I already love her

Sam Holt will also not take anyone’s shit

Colleen and Sam Holt are a power couple and no one can tell me otherwise

mess with them and you will be cut down

just don’t mess with the Holt Fam

The fighter squad all radiate big dick energy and I love them all

they have my entire heart

the way they portrayed Shiro and Adam’s relationship

lgbt+ was probs normal considering the events take place after WWIII so it wasn’t a big focus

the lifestyle they lived made it hard for relationships and they showed that well

the fact that they showed that war takes who it takes and doesn’t leave remorse or sympathy behind for the people who survived and how those left behind have to deal with it wow its so realistically portrayed you don’t see that in your average tv show

the fact that shiro didn’t have time to grieve because of everything that was going on and it’s so prevalent in today’s society wow props to the writers for how well they wrote this

Hunk trying to get his parents back just everything about that

the fact that this stuff like labour camps has happened in the past and continues to happen to some degree today and the way they showed it in a children’s tv show the writers are amazing 

SNIPER LANCE SNIPER LANCE SNIPER LANCE

KOSMO AND KEITH FUCKING UP EVERYONE ELSE SIDE BY SIDE I AM LIVING

the fact that Allura helped Shiro with his arm I love her

also gonna have to get used to the new arm design but I like it so far

the entire MFE fighter squad fucking others up

SPACE BATTLES I AM LIVING ANIMATION 10/10

Shiro being the captain of the Atlas makes me feel a certain way and I love it

look at my boy finally taking a leadership position after everything’s that happened to him

so proud

Iverson is soft as hell I love him

admiral sanda is pulling some admiral holdo last Jedi bs on us never liked her but thank you for your sacrifice

ALSO VERONICA HELL YES

THE SIBLING DYNAMIC BETWEEN LANCE AND VERONICA YES

MORE BATTLES

GIANT ROBOTS PUNCHING THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER YES

THE ATLAS DID THAT

giant alien robot hurt all my favs that was some intense shit felt like I ran a marathon or something

shiro built a giant robot with just his hand and the power of big dick energy

also the atlas is thicc

SHAY DEADASS MOVED THE ENTIRE BALMERA SO SHE COULD SEE HUNK MY HEART

EVERYONE WITH THEIR FAM

MATTHEW HOLT

HAS A SIGNIFICANT OTHER

HAS COOL NEW HAIR

I WANT TO SCREW HIM

ALSO WANT TO SCREW JAMES GRIFFIN

whomst?

whomst are you mysterious altean

are you someone from motor’s quintessence colony

whomst

I need answers

VOLTRON SEASON 6

oh my god

oh my god

everything hurts

YALL WE GOT KEITH’S PAST

BABY KEITH

AND KROLIA

WOW SHES SO BADASS

i cannot take Keith’s dad seriously with that accent

YALL KEITH GOT AN UPGRADE

ALSO BACK IN HIS PALADIN ARMOUR FLYING IN THE BLACK LION

I MISSED THIS

not to say that i didn’t like keith in his blade of marmora outfit BUT I MISSED IT

KEITH’S HAIR IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IVE SEEN

yall he’s developed so much since the beginning and im living

remember in season 3 when he had to lead and he wasn’t ready BUT NOW HE IS AND IM SO PROUD

ALSO GALRA KEITH

AND KEITH AND HIS WOLF AWWWW

AND HUNK

WOW LOOK AT MY BOI LEARNING ABOUT THE GALRAS WITH LOTOR’S NANNY

ALSO WOW LOOK AT MY BOI OUT THERE LEADING WHEN THE TEAM NEEDS HIM

and everything about him in the dnd ep

oh my girl allura

SHE KICKED LOTOR’S BUTT 

YES HONEYYYYYYY

ALSO SHE GOT TO USE HER POWERS SO MUCH AND ITS GREAT

SHES GETTING SO STRONG

PIDGE

MY GIRL PUTTING HER SMARTNESS INTO USE

LOOK AT HER WORK AWAY

SO PROUD

ALSO GETS TO SEE HER DAD NEXT SEASON YES I AM LIVING FAMILY REUNION

but also where is matt

EVERYTHING ABOUT SHIRO HURT

OUCH

HES SUCH A NERD

also the entire dnd ep gave me lord of the rings vibes

THEN TURNED INTO A KILLING MACHINE

THE ENTIRE FIGHT BETWEEN KEITH AND SHIRO WAS SO BEAUTIFULLY DEPICTED WOW ANIMATION ON POINT

ALSO AN INSIGHT INTO KEITH AND SHIRO’S RELATIONSHIP 

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED

oh poor lance

he’s gotten angsty and i just wanna wrap him in a blanket and hug him

essentially a bit of a rebound so dreamworks better deal with this quick or they’re gonna catch these hands

ALSO GETS TO SEE HIS FAMILY AGAIN NEXT SEASON

I AM HAPPY

yall coran is thicc™️

AND HE HAD TO SACRIFICE THE CASTLE OF LIONS OUCH

LOTOR

HOW DARE HE

yall but that’s not the last we’ll see of lotor

at least allura kicked his butt

and his generals ditched him finally they deserve better than him

overall i have been shook by this season

a good shook

i need season 7 now

hey, uh, did someone order some angst tropes?

lance being super insecure, feeling bad because he knows it’s irrational, but he feels like he’s being over shadowed by his fellow paladins.(shiro doesn’t have an arm and he’s fine, i really don’t contribute anything meaningful to the team).

pidge trying really hard to rationalize her feelings; isolating herself completely in the process, but not knowing how to open herself up to anyone, because she doesn’t even know how she feels.

hunk trying his best to be the support everyone needs, but he gets overwhelmed and breaks down because he can’t handle the emotional turmoil the team is unknowingly putting him under, but he can’t let it show because he’s the rock.

allura getting high-key depressed, because she is trying so hard to make the universe a better place, but every time she takes a step forward the galra push her five steps back, which makes her feel as though her efforts are useless.

coran not being able to stay on the same project for too long and being scolded for it, he tries to stay positive with new adventures and tasks, but he feels like he needs to put aside his personal happiness and wellness, because he’s being berated for it.

keith and lance get into a fight, so as shiro is trying to act as peace keeper, he overlooks important information and because he’s the leader he blames himself for any and all faults of the mission. he starts doubting his leadership but hides his feelings to appease the team.

keith blocks out everybody in his life, claiming he doesn’t need it, everybody already thinks he’s the lone wolf and all. he starts getting snippy and easily irritated because of his pent up feelings, which starts to put the team at risk.

This is pretty rushed but as soon as I finished  the season I wanted to draw something for it. The episodes were so good I’m so emotional right now, I can’t wait for next season!

All I want is to see Shiro chilling on earth for like ten minutes, is that too much to ask?

Happy birthday Shiro!

Shiro? Where are you?

I’ve just finished s2 and I’m very frustrated about this guy, please leave him alone, let him rest.

shiro the hero

I was bored and I made these Voltron gamers icons, for those who like to use them :D

Shiro icons

Quintessence, part II

This is a two-part comprehensive post on quintessence, its functions and role within the narrative of Voltron: Legendary Defender (VLD), and its effects on particular key characters - Zarkon, Haggar, Lotor, Allura, Shiro, and Keith. Part one found here. Images can be better viewed on another tab after right-clicking (PC) or control+clicking (mac) on them, then choosing “Open Image in New Tab”. As with any analysis, these are my interpretations of the text and not meant to be treated as canon, though I strive to support my readings with canonical evidence. This post contains spoilers for all aired six seasons, including SDCC 2018 information.

In 1.01, Allura states, “The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion.” Earlier on in the same episode, however, we get the first implied mention of quintessence through Haggar after she senses something amiss across the galaxies.

Likely due to her exposure to the trans-reality comet and deep connection to sorcery, Haggar also detects something off about Lotor, who has secretly been building the Sincline ships out of the trans-reality comet he seized from Voltron after the Paladins ventured into another reality. (4.03)

During 6.02, we learn that the Galra were able to design sensors that recognize the lions’ signature energy within limited range. This allowed Galra scout teams to score through the systems under Zarkon’s command after the discovery of the Red Lion. 

The signature is nearly identical to that of the Red Lion’s.

How did you know to look for the Blue Lion on Earth? We didn’t. After Sendak found the Red Lion, the Galra engineered a way to pick up the lions’ signatures from close range. Zarkon had thousands of scouts searching for them. 

(Is it coincidence that the first time the Galra are introduced in the series, they were scouting near Kerberos? Doubtful, but nothing is certain yet. It is clear that over a year later, Zarkon located the Blue Lion on Earth, prompting Ulaz to help Shiro escape from the empire.)

Because Alfor connected Allura’s life force to the lions’, she can locate their whereabouts by using the Castle of Lions and enhance Voltron’s quintessence. (1.01, 4.06)

Furthermore, she can even carry the quintessence of another living being; after learning Oriande’s secrets, this ability becomes refined. This is key for the Balmera-Altean symbiotic relationship and for Shiro’s “resurrection”. (Allura heals the Balmera in the episode called “Rebirth” even…) (1.05, 1.08, 6.07)

Interestingly enough, Keith at times has shown a similar aptitude to perceive and guide quintessence without outside assistance or mechanical instruments. Somehow he is able to find Shiro inside the Garrison’s quarantine tent with no delay. (It is important to note that many times energy is detected, it is quintessence or quintessence-related, so bear that in mind.) (3.04)

He is the one who sensed the Blue Lion in a general vicinity but couldn’t pinpoint its specific location until Hunk, Pidge, and Lance came along.

Inexplicably, he identifies the Red Lion’s position within Sendak’s war ship (after echoing Shiro’s mantra regarding patience/focus), an impressive feat unlike the other Paladins finding their lions because of the long range and lack of provided coordinates. (1.01) 

It is quite analogous to how Allura is able to track down the compass stone located inside Haggar’s lair with Lotor’s encouragement. (5.06)

The Red Lion has attuned with Keith in a similar fashion, finding Keith when he and Allura are stranded and reacting violently as Keith chooses his role as a paladin over recovering his identity during the Blade of Marmora trials. 

Right as Keith is engulfed in red, the Red Lion’s eyes illuminate. One can infer that these cases are only possible through the quintessence linking a pilot and their lion together. (A really nifty blink-and-miss detail is Allura’s eyes shift towards Keith when Shiro says “connect”, considering Allura’s composure turns fraught as she stands by the sidelines with the rest of the team as the Red Lion batters the Marmoran headquarters.) (2.06, 2.08)

During the assault on Naxzela, Coran notifies the Blades of Marmora’s strike team that the oncoming Galra fleet ceased quite a distance away from the planet, confounding Keith at the uncharacteristic move. Then he realizes that it spells danger, and acts upon that intuition with the rebel forces. Indeed, Haggar has repurposed and activated Naxzela as a bomb that could wipe out at least ten solar systems. (4.06)

When Voltron suffered from the effects of a virus on a sub-molecular level, Allura revealed that the bayards amplify each paladin’s life force; Keith is the first to employ his bayard while the lions are joined as Voltron, bisecting Myzax. (5.03, 1.03) This amplification may have saved Shiro’s life in the battle against Zarkon and evolved Voltron’s sword from standard to blazing sword. (2.13)

With Keith piloting the Black Lion, it was able to locate clone Shiro - likely because it sensed original Shiro’s signature energy, the foundation of the copy’s essence - before he could expire in his escaped vessel. (3.05)

Here are some more visuals to illustrate and compare Keith’s innate ability.

Notice the difference in coloring and framing of Shiro seeing through the Black Lion’s eyes, Alfor seeing through the Red Lion’s, and Keith seeing through the Black Lion’s eyes. (1.02, 3.07, 6.06) Alfor and Shiro’s are direct parallels to each other as they form and communicate through a psychic link with the Lions, whereas Keith’s is a superimposition. His eyes also do not glow yellow with the Lion’s; they glow in blue, the color of pure/concentrated quintessence. 

Allura as she prepares Voltron to unlock the rift reflects the former examples as well. (6.07)

Keith’s instance as a medium for quintessence to activate the Black Lion’s wings/teleportation ability is similar to what transpired when Allura absorbed Shiro’s quintessence from the Black Lion and integrated it with clone Shiro’s body. (6.07) 

Another comparison can be drawn to when she innately counteracts against Naxela’s magical gravity; blue quintessence surrounds her before outlining Voltron. (4.06)

Altean alchemy along with quintessence manipulation facilitates restoration, which is further foreshadowed by Haggar awakening both her memories of a past life and Zarkon from his coma through sorcery, and reverting to Honerva once she gains even more knowledge from undertaking Oriande. (3.07, 6.01, 6.07)

Perhaps Keith’s connection to quintessence is similar to Allura’s (and by extension, to Alfor’s and Haggar’s), just on a smaller scale. After her, he even comes next in line when they channel their energy together to open the rift in 6.07; I bring this up because based on top-down sequence, Pidge should come after Lance as she is the left arm, but Hunk, one of the legs, precedes her. I postulate that it indicates the ranking of each paladins’ sensitivity to quintessence.

Keith has constantly resonated with quintessence almost on an instinctual level. 

After Voltron enters the rift, just like Alfor, Keith is the first paladin to be focused on; I find this significant because in 3.07, Alfor is the one guiding his team into the rift, since it is Altean alchemy which makes it possible to enter it. However, instead of the frame focusing on Allura, it is Keith. 

Keith, again, is the focal paladin as the team pursues and experiences the visceral surge of energy from the quintessence field. (6.07)

Getting power from the quintessence is the only way we can match his strength.

All this quintessence is keeping us at full power. It’s more than that. Can you hear your Lions talking to you? Voltron is capable of more than we ever imagined.

Later, after saving the multi-universes as we know them, the team confronts the state of Shiro. Keith informs them that he interacted with Shiro in the Black Lion's consciousness, where the Lion retained Shiro's essence ever since Zarkon was grievously incapacitated. Shiro's life force resonates with Keith's, allowing them to communicate with each other in the astral plane; because quintessence is also involved, both Keith and Allura are instrumental to Shiro's reanimation. (6.06, 6.07)

This body is barely living, but Shiro’s spirit is alive. It’s inside the Black Lion. I’ve heard him talking to me.

We’re glad you’re back, Shiro. Rest. 

As to why Keith is quintessence-sensitive is left unanswered for now. Many, including myself once upon a time, theorize he is part Altean, which is not far-fetched, but it seems like too easy of a conclusion to settle upon. This reboot is known to twist itself in satisfactory ways. Going full circle, it was a deliberate choice to have him chase after the Blue Lion’s leads in 1.01 and the druid in 1.10, foreshadowing his hunt to find the enriched quintessence for over two seasons (and years). (4.01, 6.02)

It’s been two years. We can finally finish our mission.

I’m picking up some readings similar to those of the quintessence Ranveig found. This is the source of the readings. Let’s go check it out. (6.02)

Moreover, I believe Zarkon’s scouts encountering the Kerberos crew, Shiro’s return to Earth after Zarkon’s scouts located the Blue Lion, and the cave markings depicting a momentous arrival are connected, and may shed light on Shiro’s unique role within the story and on the probing question on everyone’s minds: why is Haggar so fascinated by him that her very agenda was to weaponize him?

Both Haggar and Allura have demonstrated the ability to harness and channel this mysterious substance for divergent purposes. They each use Altean alchemy to manipulate it. Haggar’s grand extraction of quintessence emphasizes her absolute disregard for life, the same disregard she stubbornly upholds prior to her reanimated state, which ultimately catalyzed doom for Daibazaal, Zarkon, herself, and even Lotor. Tangentially, I want to briefly touch on Lotor. Gradually Lotor’s goals are exposed, some intentionally given by him, and most times under pretenses and delusions. 

Due to the fact he was conceived before Honvera entered the rift, quintessence is part of his genetic make-up, slowing his aging as well as imbuing him with powers that may have granted him the Mark of the Chosen yet overall remained dormant until he once again returned to the quintessence field. 

(Notably, his marks look different from a typical Altean’s marks, and look similar to emaciated Honerva’s elongated marks before and after entering the rift. They both were immersed and came into contact with the rift creatures.) (5.06, 6.01)

Lotor’s fascination-turned-obsession for quintessence predates him. It is highly probable that Lotor will return from his prison, warped beyond recognition, just like and unlike his parents. Behind the veneer of charm and composure, quintessence reveals Lotor as a man completely consumed by his traumatic upbringing and heritage, keen to achieve his vision of peace with whatever brutal means necessary. But one does wonder... have we heard all there is to know about Lotor’s Altean colony and quintessence harvesting? Lotor has mentioned before that quintessence acquisition for him is something of an equivalent exchange, which echoes the Altean-Balmera rejuvenation ceremony. (1.07, 5.06)

And what did he mean when he does not wish to resort to the barbarism of the komar when he still gathered and harvested Alteans like livestock for over a millenia? (5.01) When, according to Romelle’s account, he exhausted them as scientific resources for his research on quintessence? When, in a particular perspective/interpretation based on one-sided evidence, he manipulated Allura to do his bidding by cultivating a veneer of charm and admiration for Alfor/Altea, appeasing her deference for her father, their shared culture and her wish fulfillment towards universal peace?  What other uses did Lotor have for the enriched quintessence? (5.01, 6.04, 5.06)

But in order to [create another Altean colony to increase their chances of survival], he needed to assess which Alteans were viable candidates to survive the journey. One by one, every Altean in the colony was given a series of tests.

Lotor is a monster and has been harvesting Altean quintessence for generations! 

Back to Haggar and Allura: as Haggar’s inverse, Allura serves as a conduit (like her name’s meaning - “Divine counselor” - suggests), transferring that life energy to mend others and to facilitate advancements. (1.08, 6.01, 4.06)

In the same vein, the komar and Lotor suffer the detrimental results of suffusing an extreme amount of concentrated quintessence. (2.13, 6.07)

We give Lotor all the power he wants.

What did you do in there? I transferred the excess power from Voltron. It’s a technique I learned on Oriande. Thanks to Lotor.

A running motif regarding Allura’s quintessence manipulation is that it is selfless. It emphasizes giving. This mirrors her character development from refusing to expose her worries and concerns, to becoming openly vulnerable to others. It commends dependability. That is how she connects with the Blue Lion, whereas stubbornly commanding it had been futile. (3.03)

Her trials in Oriande punctuate this point: she yields and presents her life as an offering, ultimately unlocking Oriande’s secrets. (5.06)

On the other end of the spectrum, Haggar uses force, puppeteering events to happen to her own benefit. (6.01)

She wields quintessence to create monstrous alterations using organic life, technology, and dark magic. Robeasts, an amalgamation of “robot beasts” helpfully coined by Hunk, are manufactured through an excruciating process of transferring a living being’s essence from its biological body into a massive artificial one. (1.03, 1.06)

I’ll audaciously throw in my speculation that clone Shiro is a sophisticated robeast that was...not-so-subtly foreshadowed back in 2.03; at least his glowing cybernetic arm counts. (1.01, 2.03, 6.05)

Here’s another observation I found. White/silver hair on a person seemingly insinuates quintessence (over)exposure (or more aptly the individual possessing quintessence-fused DNA). 

All the following characters have this hair type: Alfor, Allura, Allura’s mother, Lotor, eventually Haggar, and, with 6.07, Shiro. One wonders if Shiro’s white forelock in the beginning denotes the types of experiments Haggar forced upon him (and his clones…) during captivity. (3.05)

Speaking of clones, it’d be remiss to bypass clone Shiro’s amplified version of original Shiro’s negative traits relating to control and ruthless survival instincts; his actions seem more brutal after undergoing Haggar’s experimentations. And since learning that Project Kuron eliminated Shiro’s degenerative disease, one wonders if Haggar used quintessence to do so, just as she had done before for Kova. The unkempt appearance of Honerva poisoned by the quintessence and Shiro’s clone compromised by injections, as well as their increased assertion on authority, mirror each other. (1.11, 3.07, 1.03, 5.03, 6.04)

I digress again to mention that only white/silver haired individuals have been able to enter the trials - presumably Alfor, certainly Allura, Lotor, and Haggar/Honerva… Would that mean Shiro would undergo different trials proctored by Oriande’s guardian? Hardly a coincidence that clone Shiro vicariously experienced the trials, particularly being engulfed by its guardian lion, through Haggar as she manipulated her way into restoring herself.

We have yet to explore the reason why Shiro became heavily affected by Oriande, so I look forward to hopefully receiving answers in the upcoming episodes. But that’s for another post altogether. 

Six seasons of VLD has a lot to unpack, but I think I covered everything I wanted to discuss regarding quintessence for now… I’m sure future episodes will provide more topics to go over. I hope you enjoyed the read, and let me know your thoughts!

Edit: I included some bold italics regarding Lotor’s actions and the colony reveal. After some thought, it’s never made clear exactly if Lotor committed the very things Romelle passionately accused him of doing. Not to mention the incongruities found in her account; nothing was ever corroborated, almost as if this is something to resolve in later seasons. 

Quintessence, part I

This is a two-part comprehensive post on quintessence. I figured I should gather my thoughts regarding quintessence, its functions and role within the narrative of Voltron: Legendary Defender (VLD), and its effects on particular key characters - Zarkon, Haggar, Lotor, Allura, Shiro, and Keith. There is a lot of information to sift through, so bear with me (images can be better viewed on another tab after right-clicking (PC) or control+clicking (mac) on them, then choosing “Open Image in New Tab”). As with any analysis, these are my interpretations of the text and not meant to be treated as canon, though I strive to support my readings with canonical evidence. This post contains spoilers for all aired six seasons.

Quintessence is woven ubiquitously throughout the series’ mythos, but we only have it properly defined around the tail end of the first season: “[...] [T]he substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe.” (1.10)

Essentially, it is the VLD universe’s “life force”, a self-generating power source that provides fuel, longevity, and restoration. Zarkon’s dominating empire relies heavily on it as standardized fuel, colonizing and mining countless planets in order to harvest its power. Within the present timeline, Haggar successfully constructs and brandishes a device called the komar, capable of consuming an entire planet’s quintessence in minutes. (1.06)

We have seen it heal lifeforms. (1.10)

Confirmed when we see that Honerva administered an ailing Kova to live beyond his life expectancy, it is the elixir keeping Zarkon and Haggar alive over 10,000 years. (3.07)

Ultimately, quintessence drives Zarkon’s obsession to seize Voltron in order to create a new rift and attain unlimited access to the purest kind of quintessence which comes from the zone between realities. (1.11, 3.07)

It is why Voltron’s return after its absence did not deter Lotor; his means to enter the quintessence field (again) was within reach. (3.03, 3.04) 

The main, overarching conflict of the series stems from quintessence acquisition. (5.05)

The properties found within quintessence can be broadly defined within two categories - healing and transmutation. It can be divided into subcategories by color: yellow for raw, purple for refined, blue-tinged white for concentrated/pure. The following are visual examples. The first is Zarkon’s quintessence-infusion ritual conducted by Haggar and her druids sprinkled across the first season; Zarkon then has them enhance his paladin-lion link to track down the Black Lion across great distances. (1.03, 2.06, 2.03)

Next, is the results of Haggar performing her tests on the komar and using it in combat. (1.06, 2.13) The container which housed an entire planet’s worth of quintessence could not withstand Voltron’s, implying that Voltron’s quintessence greatly exceeds the amount found within a planet, and there are still some remnants left even after the extraction. Removal of quintessence begets death.

In contrast, immersion of quintessence promotes life. (1.08) (Too much of it, however, can be addictive and poisonous; I’ll touch more on this later.) 

After raw quintessence is refined into fuel, it powers Galra technology and grossly augments or sustains biology. (1.10, 2.10, 2.13, 5.02, 5.05)

Enriched quintessence makes its presence known in recent seasons, once even overloading Kolivan’s sensors while gathering intelligence. 

Keith becomes adamant that this new form of quintessence has something to do with Lotor, and rightfully so. (4.01)

His search leads him to one of Zarkon’s commanders, Ranveig, who intercepted a shipment containing the unusual quintessence. 

Ranveig experiments with the quintessence in order to create an incredibly powerful superweapon whose whereabouts are currently unknown. (5.05, 6.02)

I was with Ranveig when an unmarked cargo ship passed into his region. When we checked it out, there was no crew aboard. The ship had been nearly torn to pieces, but inside, a single vat of quintessence remained. It was unlike any other quintessence we’d seen.

Later, it is revealed conveniently insinuated by Romelle and Keith that one source of this type of quintessence comes from Alteans harvested by Lotor. (6.04)

As they explained their mission to me, we knew there must have been a connection between the missing Alteans and the pure strain of quintessence.

No! Petrulius! What’s happening to them? These people were supposed to be headed to the colony! Lotor is harvesting their quintessence. 

He uses concentrated quintessence to unsuccessfully traverse through the inter-reality gate before he recalibrates his plans. (4.05) It is uncertain if he used this type of quintessence for any other purpose, but the existence of large amounts of it, which are transported through clandestine, sometimes rigged routes, raises some suspicions.

Without quintessence, Voltron would not have ever existed. (5.01)

The inception of Voltron came from a comet that pierces through Daibazaal’s atmosphere and leaves a tear across reality in its wake. (3.07)

These tears, or rifts, radiate pure quintessence because quintessence resides in the layers between realities; these openings can lead to the quintessence field. (3.07, 3.04)

Alfor’s research into the quintessence-fused ore uncovers the secrets of life, encouraging further exploration to synthesize industrial uses for the universe’s sustenance. A single drop of quintessence can energize machines with no lapse in performance, a principle that Alfor implements to supply the Lions with endless energy and one that Zarkon seeks after for his own purposes. 

Quintessence also seemingly grants a sense of sentience to the Lions, which offers them a way to communicate with their chosen paladins. 

Alfor’s experiment with the ore in all likelihood led to his discovery of Oriande, the birthplace of Altean alchemy; the knowledge gained there is used on the Lions. Magical engineering grants machines remarkable resilience, demonstrated throughout the story.

When spacecraft made from the mysterious comet are successfully imbued with quintessence via Altean alchemy, they obtain the ability to traverse between realities. (3.07, 3.04, 5.05)

Voltron and the Sincline ships benefit from Allura’s abilities and alchemic knowledge, making the quintessence field accessible to them. (5.06, 6.02, 6.07)

Your father, King Alfor, was a gifted alchemist, whose unique ability allowed him to infuse the Voltron ore with Altean energy, granting it and the paladins access to the quintessence field. Now you, Allura, possess that same gift.

Our visit to Oriande has taught me more than I ever thought possible. 

How can he just disappear like that? He’s entering the quintessence field at will. Didn’t we blow up the gate? How is he entering without it? Because I gave his ships the ability.

Form sword. 

Being neither inherently good nor evil, quintessence is pure and malleable. External factors can determine its usefulness. Alfor and Zarkon’s ideological differences and goals for quintessence exemplify this: Alfor wanted quintessence to be used as clean energy dispersed throughout the universe whereas Zarkon aggressively coveted it because of his greed for power, mirroring Honerva’s insatiable pursuit for knowledge. (3.07)

Allura and Lotor repeat this polarization: Allura shows reasonable fear towards this ultimate power, while Lotor eventually abuses it for his own selfish agenda. (Is he truly autonomous, or is his agency compromised as well? Another point to tackle later in this post.) (6.04, 6.07) 

In the hands of the wrong person, this power could easily corrupt.

I can feel the quintessence coursing through me.  It’s like my spirit, my whole being, is more alive. 

Poor Allura! All the power in the universe at your fingertips and you still fear using it. 

Caution should be exercised when handling quintessence; like medicine, too much quintessence can deteriorate the mind and body. (3.07) Quintessence overdose also accentuates the negative aspects of the individual misusing it, leading to fatal consequences. 

(As an aside, clever in hindsight to have Shiro - his clone, yes, but still ultimately another Shiro - mention inner darkness as his own is involuntarily perverted by Haggar’s hand, once again drawing narrative parallels between the fallen hero and antagonist.) (6.04)

But even if they do reach the quintessence field, then what? That last time anyone got in there, it turned Zarkon evil. [...] Zarkon fell prey to his own evil instincts. The quintessence field didn’t create them, it revealed them. 

Hints scattered across the show illustrate this: Zarkon has always shown a sense of ethnocentrism and superiority based on social hierarchy and strength. His detestation for weakness means he has no qualms with looking down on those he deems lesser and extinguishing them. This is highlighted by his prejudice towards Alteans warping into unadulterated hatred for the entire Altean species after his resurrection. (3.07, 1.01) Remorselessly, Zarkon destroys Altea in retaliation to Alfor destroying Daibaazal. He shows zero hesitation in killing his own kin if their actions read as a threat of usurpation. (5.02)

Honerva gradually discards ethics and morality in the name of science, viewing anything living as expendable and only worth her attention if it advances her research. As Haggar, her sadism knows no limits. (3.07, 6.05)

However, you’ve continued the work I started all that time ago and have indeed seen it through to heights I could have only imagined. Your never-ending pursuit of knowledge is truly-- [...] You are an abomination. A twisted perversion of what was once so pure and beautiful. 

Lotor’s fear of yielding to his enemies morphs into a frenzied determination to wipe out all of his foes, boasting his status as a pseudo-god. The story emphasizes that Lotor’s all-consuming, infectious violence felt within the quintessence field stems from prolonged exposure to it. No one is immune to it. (6.06, 6.07)

Once I wipe out Voltron, I’m going to start a new Altea. An Altea that will never know of Princess Allura or King Alfor. Nor will they know of the Lions of Voltron. All they’ll know is me, their great leader! I’m ready to wipe the universe clean of all my enemies. Voltron, Haggar and the rest of the Galra.

Let’s end this! Finish him! Let’s destroy that guy! We have to get out of here. What are you talking about? This is exactly what happened to Zarkon. Exposure to all this quintessence turned him into a monster!

If we’d stayed in the quintessence field, we would’ve kept fighting until we destroyed ourselves. Just like Lotor. 

It may explain why Alfor kept the location of the second trans-reality comet (the one from which Lotor built the Sincline ships) a secret, to avoid it from falling into the wrong hands again. (3.04)

Similarly to quintessence-infused vessels, strange, shapeshifting creatures are capable of safely traversing between realities. (3.07)

Do they reside in the quintessence field? Or do they come from the particular reality neighboring the core one? Oddly enough, when Voltron and the Sincline ships fight within the quintessence field, no dark creatures appeared, which may mean they reside elsewhere yet still have the ability to traverse through the field… In any case, these creatures affected Zarkon and Honverva when they exposed themselves to pure quintessence, and perhaps give reason as to how they returned from the dead. (3.07)

Would they also explain the growing fractures in sanity experienced by Honerva, Zarkon, and eventually even Lotor, the latter with whom was exposed to the rift creatures in utero? Perhaps the rift creatures leech off of quintessence for sustenance; the more quintessence overdosing a living being partakes, the more the rift creatures consume, poisoning the being’s mind. As she writhed in pain, all Honerva could utter (likely under the influence of the rift creatures) was quintessence and the one thing that could ultimately wrest even more of the addictive substance - Voltron. 

During Shiro’s astral trip down memory lane, Zarkon’s eyes are glowing, unlike his former self before Honerva’s research, suggesting he was affected by quintessence and/or rift exposure but not to the extent that Honerva’s constant contact within her lab perpetuated (2.07).

Continue to part two here.

Edit: After reading up some theories that we don’t know the full story regarding Lotor, the Altean colonies, and Romelle’s suspicious, biased account, I altered some claims I made regarding Lotor.

after seeing misguided assumptions like the above littered in the sheith tags, i decided to impulsively conduct a survey. it’s a fun experiment to test the hypothesis: "Are Sheith Shippers Cis Straight White Women?"

bear in mind the pool was 300 responses, ergo do not wholly reflect anything, but there are apparent patterns which arise from the results. some data is expected to be skewed, as the respondents were not required to sign-in so as to maintain anonymity. the same respondent could have responded more than once to this survey

the survey’s questions/instructions were the following:

Do you ship Sheith?

Select the age range you fall under: 

Have you created and/or are creating fanart and/or fanfiction for this ship?

Do you ship other people with Keith or Shiro? (i.e. Are you a multishipper?)

Are you cis(gender)?

Are you straight?

Are you white? (If you are white-passing, you are NOT white)

Do you dislike Lance as a character? (This is a common assumption made about Sheith shippers)

Cont. from the above question: If you picked "yes" or "neutral/apathetic", please briefly explain. Character bashing is not permitted.

Do you think Sheith Fandom has a colorism problem?

Do you think Klance Fandom has a colorism problem?

Do you think VLD Fandom as a whole has a colorism problem?

Do you think you are treated unfairly within fandom because you ship Sheith?

Cont. from above question: If you picked "yes", please briefly explain/share your experiences. All responses are anonymous.

the results more or less poked holes through the hypothesis

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 283 out of 300 respondents chose “Yes” and were directed to the second portion of the survey. 17 out of 300 respondents chose “No” and were directed to the submission page

the choices were “Under 15″/“15 - 17″/“18 - 20″/“21 - 29″/"Over 29″. 160 out of 283 respondents chose “21 - 29″  73 out of 283 respondents chose “18 - 20″ 25 out of 283 respondents chose “15 - 17″ 20 out of 283 respondents chose “Over 29″ 5 out of 283 respondents chose “Under 15″ 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 170 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 113 out of 283 respondents chose “No”  i was curious about whether or not a sheith shipper was also a content creator

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 185 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 98 out of 283 respondents chose “No” i was curious about whether or not a sheith shipper was also a multishipper

the choices were “Yes”/“No”/“Questioning”. 159 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 90 out of 283 respondents chose “No”  34 out of 283 respondents chose “Questioning”

the choices were “Yes”/“No”/“Questioning”. 228 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 28 out of 283 respondents chose “Questioning” 27 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 151 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 132 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”/“Neutral/Apathetic about him”. 185 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 69 out of 283 respondents chose “Neutral/Apathetic about him” 29 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes”

Free Responses

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 256 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 27 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 163 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 120 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 142 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 141 out of 283 respondents chose “No” 

the choices were “Yes”/“No”. 150 out of 283 respondents chose “Yes” 133 out of 283 respondents chose “No”

Free responses

my conclusions? don’t assume anything about someone based on their shipping preferences. ship wars should not condone ostracization and hostility

thank you for responding! i was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. the most illuminating part of this survey, personally speaking, was the free responses. if you have the time, please look through those. i deeply appreciate the ones who shared their experiences; it can’t have been easy disclosing them (cw for emotional manipulation, bullying, harassment, mentions of csa and racism)

please remain respectful in the comments/tags, and don’t hesitate to share constructive feedback and thoughts regarding the results.

you can contact me using the following avenues: https://twitter.com/aomine_ebooks | https://curiouscat.me/aomine_ebooks