#and he'll rewatch them in order to make sense of them - to figure out if they were real because the memories all seemed to come from

[starry-bi-sky]

Hi uhh I really love your Damian and Danny siblings short. I wonder if uhh will you add a more connected story.

Also how did the mirage happen and is it only Bruce and Damian who saw it?

thank you! And honestly I might add a more connected story (i posted a miscellaneous post about the danny from that post because I was still thinking about him). The more I think about it though, yeah probably? I'd like to explore that reunion between Danny and Damian at some point. Plus Danny's experience in Amity Park and his growth from there.

The post was meant to be more of a prompt for other people to take inspiration from and add their own ideas onto, so the mirage was something I kept purposely vague so that people could come up with their own theories about it. But for my take on it? Magic user in Gotham that they got in a fight with. It was a physically visual mirage so anyone who was in the room could've seen it, and it was capable of being picked up on the cameras in their mask/cowls (which i hear is a thing sometimes) so it can be replayed back in the cave.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Loki 2x5 Voices Analysis

Spoilers for 2x5.

I was rewatching ep 5 and got to the scene right as Loki learns to control his time-slipping, he hears all these voices and they are kind of quiet and jumbled together but I did wonder if there could be any clues in those lines that might tell us what is going to happen to our characters, or just any other parallels or interesting connections.

So I turned on the trusty subtitles and I figured, as I've got some time to kill, I'd go through each line and talk about what I think the significance of it might be, as a quick note I haven't done these in the order that they are spoken in the scene as some characters had multiple lines. Also this is all just my own interpretation and opinions.

As I said above I do think there could possibly be some hints in here as to where are characters are ultimately going to end up, but I also think it tells us a lot about what Loki wants and what he was thinking about in this moment as he was losing everything.

O.B/ A.D Doug: It was a fiction problem.

To be honest if these are supposed to be hints as to where our characters could end up at the end of the finale then I haven't really figured out what this might mean for O.B. The line is in reference to the conversation he had with Loki earlier about the difference between a science problem and a fiction problem. Like science says its impossible for Loki to time travel in the TVA a place that supposedly has no time and that it's impossible for him to go back to the moment the Loom exploded and fix it , yet fiction says that he can, fiction says the impossible can become possible.

So maybe this line was added to remind us the audience but also Loki himself that if he embraces it as a fiction problem then maybe he can do the impossible, like going back and rewriting the story.

It could also be a nod to this idea of authors and the power they hold, the power fiction holds. You've got O.B, who was the author of the TVA handbook which played a very important part in this season, Victor Timely and how O.B based his work off of him and how Victor in turn based his work of O.B's creating that Ouroboros imagery. You also have HWR who very much played the part of the playwriter, dictator everyone's lives for them. Now you've got Loki who has figured out that he can be the author now and rewrite the story.

Another nod it could be to is the season 1 finale where Miss Minutes makes Sylvie and Loki an offer on HWR's behalf, telling them he can put them on the timeline together and give them everything they've ever wanted. Sylvie's response to this is that it is fiction and Loki follows up with We write our own destinies now. You also had Sylvie say earlier in this episode 'we are all writing our own stories now, you should go write yours.' So maybe this line is just playing into this idea of rejecting the story someone else has pathed out for you and instead embracing the power of writing your own story on your own terms.

As for what it might mean for OB I'm not fully sure but I do think there is more to OB than we know as he often seems to be the odd one out. Unlike the rest of the gang he doesn't seem to have had his memory wiped when HWR invented the timekeepers and began to work more in the shadows. He's the only one who doesn't have a team to work with in his department at the TVA, whilst all the others where in timelines with 2's in them, 1962, 1982, 2012 and 2022, but O.B is the odd one out with his branch being set in 1994. There just always seems to be something slightly off about him and I do think we might get some kind of big surprise reveal about his character at some point in the finale. What that reveal could be and whether its good or bad, I have no idea. Maybe if they form a new TVA and O.B stays he'll be given the role of like story protector or Story recorder, in charge of making sure people get to write their own stories and then recording those stories, if that makes sense. But I'm just kind of throwing ideas out here I really don't have a solid idea of where they might take his character, but I'd love to hear everyone else's theories.

B-15: I looked happy.

This line by B-15 I thought was really interesting because its from season 1 but also because she doesn't actually say it to Loki, he's not even present when she does say it, she says it to Sylvie after Sylvie shows her the life she had on the timeline.

For B-15 seeing her past life was a big moment for her, it changed her entire perspective of the TVA and there work they were doing. She realised how wrong it was that the TVA had kidnapped workers from their lives on the timeline, that they had lied to them, that they pruned so many timelines and variants, people, for what was actually a lie. Immediately she decided to do something about it, to fight to protect those timelines. She is the one that convinces the Judge to change her opinion on the future of the TVA and who tried to appeal to Dox as well.

I've been of the opinion since the start of season 2 that B-15 given a choice would choose to stay at the TVA instead of going back to her life on the timeline. At first when I heard this line I thought it might have debunked that theory and maybe it was hinting that actually B-15 would return to her timeline as she was happy there and that is one possibility.

But having thought about it some more, I do think there is still an argument to be made that she would choose to stay at the TVA as it could be a case of the context of what she is saying being more important than what she is saying. As I said, I think this moment is the moment she changed her motivation and view of what the TVA really was but also what it could be. It was the moment she decided that she wasn't going to let what happened to her happen to anyone else, no one else was going to lose their happy life on her watch, type of goal. So I still think B-15 will decide that she'll make more of a difference at the TVA than going back to her life.

I said that I also thought that these lines could tell us something about what Loki was thinking and what he really wants and I actually think this line is telling us that he doesn't just want his friends to be safe, he wants them to be happy to, it could be a hint that when the time comes he'll give the option to return to their lives back to them, because as much as he wants his friends with him, he also wants them to be happy, so he makes that sacrifice of letting them go for their own happiness.

Casey: The TVA...

So the only thing Casey says is two simple words, The TVA. So I think this will mean that Casey will be one of those who chooses to stay at the TVA. I mean his life on the timeline isn't the happiness and he even asked when Loki said that they should all go back home, if they had to go back to exactly where they were, so its obvious that he doesn't particularly want to go back to his life. At the TVA Casey has friends, people who think like him like OB, and he is useful, he can help people, so I think Casey will get a promotion and will continue with his life at the TVA.

As for what this line tells us about what Loki was thinking/wanting well I think this one is an obvious one, he wants the TVA back, its the one place where he has felt like he has a purpose, where he can be good and do good, where he had friends. So it makes sense that the TVA would be in his thoughts as he sees everything slipping away from him.

The rest of lines are also very interesting as both Sylvie and Mobius/Don get more lines than the others, where they only get one, Sylvie and Mobius get three each. I think the reason for this is because they are the two most important people in his life at the moment, the ones he is closest to, its the woman he loves and his best friend. He cares and loves them both in particular and he really respects their opinions and advice. So it makes sense that its their voices that are the most predominant in this moment.

Mobius

So lets start with Mobius and what he says in this moment. The three lines are actually two quotes split into three, the first is:

'No I have to go back to see my boys.'

And the second that is split into two is a quote from season 1 from the scene when he gets pruned:

'If I could go anywhere...'

'Where ever it is I am really from.'

So this may be an unpopular opinion amongst some fans but I think these lines make it pretty clear where Mobius is going to end up come the end of the series, back with his boys on the timeline. But I don't think this necessarily has to mean the end for his character in future MCU projects. I actually had a thought about what Mobius/Don's role could be going forward in the MCU. It seems like Clint Barton's character is going to be phased out, retired. One important role Clint played in the MCU was that he was the 'ordinary' guy who was also a hero. He didn't have a special power, or a fancy high tech suit, he had his bow and his arrows, but he was also a father, he had a family. This was important for reminding the audience of how high the stakes were and what the consequences of the heroes losing were. If something happened to Clint then it would deeply effect his family and vice versa. I think Mobius could fill this role going forward, he'd be the dad, the 'ordinary' guy who still does what has to be done because he understands what the stakes are if he doesn't. So I could see him living a happy life on his timeline with his boys but where he joins the team when the need arises and helps Loki protect everyone before going back to his family again.

Going back to what this tells us about what Loki wants and thinks, I again think this shows us how much Loki cares about his friends. He's thinking about how Mobius/Don has been ripped away from his kids, from his life and I think it comes back to Loki just wanted his friends to be happy, even if that means letting them go back to their timelines. I also think Loki might be feeling a little guilty here as Sylvie had helped him see that he had pulled the gang away from their timelines more for his own selfish reasons than because he thought it was what was best for them. Don/Mobius could have been back in his timeline with his boys, instead he has this moment of fear and panic as he sees people turning to spaghetti and realises that he could be next and his boys will be left alone. So that is also playing on Loki's mind.

Sylvie

So Sylvie's lines in this moment were the most interesting to me. So here are the three lines she says:

'Everything is falling apart.'

'What's wrong with wanting something?'

'Do you think that what makes a Loki a Loki is the fact that we're destined to lose?'

When it comes to the falling apart line I think this is again telling us more about what Loki is feeling and wanting in this moment. Like Mobius/Don's line about needing to see his boys, this line reminds Loki that Sylvie's branch, the one where he was told that she was happy in and had made her a life on was now gone. Loki wanted Sylvie to be ok and yet he wasn't able to protect her timeline like he kept promising the TVA could do, so again its playing into the feeling of guilt and failure he is feeling in this moment. Its showing us how much he cares for his friends, he wants them to be happy, he wants them to be ok but right now they are all lost to him.

The line asking what's wrong with wanting something is particularly interesting to me. Sylvie says this to Loki right after he says that everything turned out the way she wanted and that she was selfish and she replied that of course she was selfish, that she wanted a life and then she asks him that question of what's wrong with wanting. I feel like all his life Loki has been told he's wrong for wanting, he was wrong for wanting to be heir over his brother, he was wrong for wanting to rule, he was wrong for wanting to have a purpose. He's never been allowed to actually get what he wants, so I think he now has come to associate wanting something as selfish and as something bad. But Sylvie is asking him to question that to ask himself if wanting something is really wrong.

I am going to come back to this subject of wanting in a moment but I want to talk about the last line that Sylvie says as I think it ties in with the line about wanting. The interesting thing about the last line, loki's being destined to lose, is that out of all the lines its the loudest and clearest. It's this line that helps Loki gain control of his time-slipping, I think that remembering that line combined with seeing Sylvie disappear in front of him, makes him think, no I'm not losing this time. I mentioned in another post that something else that is significant about this line is that it refers back to Sylki's nexus moment in 1x4. It's the moment that they feel that romantic connection to each other, that shift in their relationship into something deeper. I think its kind of beautiful that as Loki is losing everything that its that reminded of his love for Sylvie, the love that he has for all his friends that allows him to unlock that control and power over the time-slipping, allowing him to have the chance of saving all those he cares about.

I said that I thought the line about wanting something and loki's being destined to lose were connected, this is because Loki believes two things, he's not allowed to have what he wants, it would be selfish and that he is destined to lose. When it comes to the conclusion of this season in order for it to be satisfying, in my opinion, two things need to happen. Loki needs to win and he needs to get what he wants and accept that its ok to want it.

So if we look back over the last two seasons what do we know Loki wants? Loki is really bad at communicating what he wants, likely due to this shame he feels around wanting anything, I mean Sylvie really had to push to get him to admit to something as simply as wanting his friends back. But I think looking between the lines we can figure it out.

Loki wants to have a purpose. There's this running theme with the Loki's having this glorious purpose and without a purpose Loki is kind of lost.

In episode 1x5, Loki also talks about wanting to find a life with Sylvie, when they are talking about what they'll do after they've got to the end of time and defeated HWR Loki says they could figure it out together. Also when Miss Minutes offers for them to be on the timeline together, they both look hopeful for a moment, like that is something they both longed for.

We also know that he wants Sylvie to be ok. He tells her in 1x06 that he didn't want a throne, he just wanted her to be ok. When he find her on the timeline and she told him she was happy there, Loki backed off and instead focused on fixing the loom and by extension protecting the life she had created for herself.

We also know that he wants to help turn the TVA into a force of good, something that can protect as we see him trying to convince Sylvie that the TVA could be used this way.

He wants to protect his friends, he wants to have his friends with him. He tells Sylvie after the Loom explodes that he wants his friends back. But I also think he wants his friends to be happy.

He doesn't want to be alone and he wants to find where he belongs.

So for me the worst ending for Loki would be if he ends up alone, without a purpose or a home.

I did have one theory based on the clips of Loki entering the loom without a suit in the trailers and its one that I really hate and I will cry if it happens, so naturally I am going to share it with you all so you can suffer with me. But I did think that maybe Loki will sacrifice himself in order to safe his friends. However I don't think whatever he does to the loom will kill him I think it will send him and trap him at the end of time, like maybe whatever he does cuts the end of time off from the TVA and there is no way to get there, Loki can still control the timelines and guard them against any HWR variants coming through but he can't return, it could be a parallel to Thor's story in the first Thor film where he makes the choice to destroy the Bifrost and cut off his way back to Jane but saving lives in the process, and Jane then trying to find a way to reopen that connection. Maybe we'll get some hope with Sylvie and the TVA using HWR tempad to try and figure out a way of getting back to the end of time and bringing back Loki but that it will be left open ended and we don't get the answer as to whether they ever actually managed to get there.

As much as I'll admit it would be a nice parallel between Thor and Loki and it would paint Loki as the hero, I still don't want this to happen, I just feel like Loki has lost enough and deserves to win for a change. The only way I could except this happening is if Sylvie and the gang do find a way to open that connection up and maybe Sylvie chooses to join Loki at the end of time, like HWR and Ravonna had planned, that way at least neither of them are alone.

Another option is that they both end up running the TVA together. I know alot of people think Sylvie will end up settling on her timeline and that would be a suitable happy ending for her, I personally don't agree. I think the show has made it clear that whilst Sylvie claims she is happy on her branch, actually there is something missing and she is lonely, people who are happy and content don't tend to listen to songs about loneliness and not feeling satisfied with your life like Sylvie often does. Also I think if they both run the TVA together there could be a kind of ironic poetry to it. They would essentially do exactly what HWR offered them in the season 1 finale, to rule together, but they would have got there their own way. Followed their own path there. It could be a good way of bringing their story full circle.

2X6 Prediction Summary.

So here's a quick summary of how I think the finale will go for each of our characters.

Loki and Sylvie will run the TVA together, or sit at the end of time together.

Casey, B-15 and possibly O.B (still unsure on him) will choose to stay at the TVA but will be given important roles within the new organisation.

Mobius will go back to his sons and life on the timeline but will still make sure that they know he is available if they ever need his help.

Anyway I've rambled on enough now, I might do a proper prediction post of everything I think might happen in the finale before the episode but that's all my thoughts for now.

[vanlegion]

S19 Mini Theory - Staff of Charon Fight

Okay, so I was rewatching some S13 stuff for funsies (a funny af "shotgun" moment). . . but I kept watching to the end. So here's a theory I had before, but now it's changed up a bit because I was wrong about the ORDER... and now I'm actually kind of flipping my shit just a touch if I'm right. I'll add a read more break here:

So lemme just start off all of this Preamble saying, IF we actually get to see the Staff of Charon fight, which was possibly teased by the Simulation run teaser Church was doing... Then this is my new theory for this fight (Which I assume will be at the very beginning of the movie). Okay, so at the end, Church is giving his little speech and saying how this is gonna have to be his last real moment with everyone. He's got to 'deconstruct' himself, and that the fragments he leaves behind will help them all get through the fight. When he says this, the fragments flash on the screen in a particular line up order. . . which also line up with certain characters in the same shot. A line up I was originally got wrong. This is the line up:

There are 6 fragments and technically six characters in this shot. When I first thought how the fight would go, I imagined some people would get some of the fragments somehow. I wasn't sure how it would be done until Church basically said he'd have to break himself up, but I digress. One of my first assumptions was that Delta would go to Simmons. He's typically the "smart" one and Delta is a logical AI. I also assumed this because I figured there might be a Holo-Lock they'd have to break through and so far, Simmon's is usually called to lock-pick a door. (*coughYorkVibescough*) Now however... After seeing this shot? HO-LY Fuck. Delta staying with Tucker makes sense. He's going to need a logical voice helping him with that suit. He'll be able to do his Big Damn Hero thing but with also with a calculated precision Delta can give him. Theta, almost invisible but there in between Tucker and Caboose, would go to Caboose. They are both childlike and find a lot of things scary, but Caboose is also good at not letting those scary things get to him. Theta will be able to protect him, I feel. Gamma with Lopez. I don't think I need to expand much on this. The Twins - Eta and Iota. . . Would go to Doc and O'Malley. Two Minds. Sarge getting Sigma somewhat surprised me, but after mulling it over, I realized that Sarge has always had the fiery passion of battle burn in his heart. I feel this will help keep Sarge sharp and speedy, and possibly we may even see him use his shotgun with new strategy.

Which leaves Omega with Simmons. This kind of shocked me at first. But then, again, taking a moment to reflect on it, this could possibly be fitting. Simmons can fight fairly well as it is, however, he can crack under pressure pretty fast. I feel like Omega is going to drive him to keep fighting even when shit looks really bad. He may even lose a bit of fear. He already seems to have a penchant for fighting - he enjoys it. He also at some point when Omega was a threat before, made sure to prep himself mentally in case Omega jumped back into him.

Of course, this is all speculation and theory over a fight that may or may not happen . . . but like, after that teaser with Church, I feel like if we DONT get that epic fight we're getting kinda robbed. But if I'm right about this, just. . . holy fuck. Anywho, regardless of all of this, I also have this far out/introspective Comic Idea that takes place at this moment. I'm going to call it an AU at this point because we get S19 in a month. But I wanna see if I can get the comic done before then. Let's say Church has one last internal conversation with someone, and gives them a temporary promotion... providing they help him and step their lazy ass up.

[imaginariaextraordinaire]

So much of this episode is about the unacknowledged labour of women, the sexism they face in different areas and the various methods women adopt to negotiate it.

Ji-Woo is such a great character because the show takes the idea of a film star and layers it with angularities and tenderness. She's well aware of what she's sacrificed on the personal front to become the successful professional she is in the present. I love how she's neither ashamed of it nor does she ignore that its a choice that came with lots of unpleasant baggage. We get a sense of this awareness in the conversation she has with Seon-Gyeom in the parking lot (it's also striking me as I rewatch the show that there's a beautiful little arc of Seon-Gyeom and Ji-Woo building a mother-son relationship almost from scratch).

The church scenes are also a great example of show-don't-tell storytelling. While Assemblyman Ki has to bribe and flatter people in order to get their attention, adoring gazes turn to Ji-Woo seemingly automatically. Except of course, it's not automatic, as the conversation with Ms Dong reminds us. Her fame as an actress is the result of hard work and putting everything else aside. I love the easy understanding between Ms Dong and Ji-Woo — both working women, both mothers. There's no shame in Ji-Woo asking Ms Dong to look out for Seon-Gyeom and no recrimination when she says Seon-Gyeom is closer to Ms Dong than he is to his mother. It takes a village, people.

In Ji-Woo and Seon-Gyeom's chance meeting at the parking lot, there's something tentative and formal about them. They're both putting up façades — Seon-Gyeom's polite mask, Ji-Woo's tinkling laughter — although she does allow him to glimpse what lies beneath. Ji-Woo only drops a vague mention of Assemblyman Ki making life miserable for the rest of the family because Seon-Gyeom isn't falling in line. It's obvious from both mother and son's body language that she doesn't need to elaborate. What's lovely though is that there's no complaint in her tone. She isn't telling Seon-Gyeom this detail so that he feels guilty; quite to the contrary. The laughter and ease of her body language is reassuring, as though she's subtly telling him that she can handle this.

While we're on Ji-Woo, how great is her barely-concealed impatience with all the smiling and greeting and praying in church!

I'm not sure what I love more — the shot of a the stained-glass Jesus, looking pained while the minister thunders out a prayer for Assemblyman Ki; or the fact that the very next scene shows a kid throwing a tantrum in a supermarket. It cannot be a coincidence that this is the one time that Seon-Gyeom is filmed from an angle that makes it look like he's descending down upon the kid (whom he bribes with a chocolate bar). Particularly love the longing on the kid's face as she stares at the retreating figure of the divine Seon-Gyeom.

The scene between Mi-Joo and Seon-Gyeom outside his hotel is so heartbreaking to watch and it's the first time we understand just how hard Mi-Joo is on herself. All this began with a drunk professor making offensive, sexist comments that demeaned Mi-Joo, but to explain all that to Seon-Gyeom feels almost indulgent so she takes the blame. She's the disappointment — for being poor, for being seen as someone who can be bribed, for having taken the money. She doesn't hear him when he places the onus of the blame on his father. It's so achingly obvious that all her belligerence is posturing and she's ending the budding relationship between her and Seon-Gyeom because she doesn't think she deserves him.

Thank the gods for May. Even if she and Mi-Joo start off at odds, it takes only seconds for them to be in sync. God bless the womance.

You've got to feel thankful for the family of choice when Dan-Ah bumps into human-trash brother. He's a strong reminder of the everyday sexism in society and how privilege doesn't mean you're protected from this venom.

Over the course of Run On, Dan-Ah figures out how to fight her battles in her own way, rather than by employing toxic methods, like putting her (half-) brothers down because society considers them illegitimate. At this point though, while her brother is disgusting and Dan-Ah is obviously nothing like him as a person, the weapons she uses to fight him — hierarchy, contempt, violence — are the same as those he uses on her.

In the middle of all these tortured, messed-up men, the kids are alright. We know this from not only the way the schoolkids whom Seon-Gyeom coaches react to the bullying scandal — interesting that the children have more perspective than the grown-ups who care about appearances rather than the truth — but also thanks to Yeong-Hwa.

I love Dan-Ah trying to subtle suss out exactly how young Yeong-Hwa is when he and Ye-Joon come to Dan-Ah's office. I also love how not for a second does Yeong-Hwa, for all his puppy-eyes, call her "noona". There's no ambiguity about this relationship. Also, while I still can't find anything remotely good to say about those wretched paintings, the idea that art forges connections irrespective of social convention/ hierarchy is one that has my heart.

If the Gyeommi couple is all about being heard and understood, the Danhwa couple is all about being seen for what you really are.

Speaking of Gyeommi, how cute is it that Woo-Sik is the one playing Cupid! In this episode, Seon-Gyeom is frequently reminded of how alone and solitary he is, but what we also see is that he's building friendships. The relationship with Woo-Sik changes from that of a senior with a junior colleague to something softer, warmer. With Mi-Joo, particularly at the dinner that Woo-Sik organises, you see Seon-Gyeom finding companionship as they attempt to set aside their attraction and actually understand each other. This is a relationship that works because they're so different. The fact that they don't think alike is why she can offer him the piercing insight of, "Why not include your failures as a part of your process?"

Also, what a bombshell to drop on audiences in a country (and continent) known for its fiercely competitive spirit... .

Rewatching this episode, Mi-Joo running back to home to translate the article in which Woo-Sik clears Seon-Gyeom's name reminded me of how different this is from the marathon run. Both times, she's running towards Seon-Gyeom, but this time it's more adrenaline than anything else and it's for him. It's the unthinking running that Seon-Gyeom told her about during their first drinking session — you're just running ahead, without looking back, focused on one external goal. The marathon run is much more internal as it pushes Mi-Joo to make peace with her past before she decides what she wants to run towards.

Also, looping back to that idea of unacknowledged women's labour, Mi-Joo works HARD to make sure the article goes viral and she claims no credit for it. She only tells an online group that she translated it because she knows that they will circulate it with more gusto if they know it's her work. This little snippet is also a good reminder that rarely do things go viral without a whole lotta effort from people in the background.

Finally, this hug in the rain turned me into full mush. By now, we know that Seon-Gyeom has grown up with very little affection. He prefers a hotel room to the family house. The only person he's felt comfortable enough to hug is the housekeeper. As far as he can tell, he has no friends (Woo-Sik and Yeong-Il will eventually set him straight on that account, but for now, he's utterly alone). At this point, the hug from Mi-Joo is something much more tender and basic than romantic love or sexual chemistry.

MJ: Don't tell me you don't know what I'm doing.

SG: I know. You're comforting me.

MJ: Correct.

I can't help but remember the later scene when they'll be on either sides of metal gates, when she won't reach out to him and he'll be upset that she won't trust him. Perhaps that's the difference between finding friendship and falling in love — they both can make you stronger, but the process is very different.

[bee-zs]

I'm still crying over the finale! any thoughts on where Shiro would be? You excited for dual-wielding Galra Keith?!?!! Do you think Keiths' mom is alive or died to keep him hidden? LOTOR CONFIRMED! Do you think he'll be bigger and badder than Zarkon or simply be a powerful aid? Personally, i'm leaning towards a power act where Lotor takes out Zarkon to become emperor (I mean, Lotor's been probs waiting this whole time for the guy to keel over so he can have the throne).

alright sit down babes its time for some quality Speculation™ i also haven’t slept in way over 36 hours and am only functioning due to the 3 cups of bitter, bitter black coffee i chugged back in the airport so lets see where we can go from here

Here are my thoughts on Shiro’s disappearance:

There were a lot of hints at this kind of ‘other’ plane of existance that the black lion (and it’s paladins) can access through their bond. Zarkon tells Shiro that if he dies during their fight there, his actual body dies too, so it’s safe to assume the place is pretty legitimate and dangerous. With this in mind, its entirely possible that Shiro is inside the mind of the black lion, or, worse, Zarkon himself, due to the three-way bond. There are a lot of huge gaps in the continuity of what exactly the hell happened in the final scenes of the season though, so I’ll probably revisit this after a couple more hours of sleep and a solid comprehensive rewatch, but these are my initial thoughts on what went down.

On Galra Keith:

We knew it was coming but now, folks, now we have it. With this comes a LITERAL fuckton of questions, and also the fact that pretty much the entire fandom somehow managed to overlook the possibility of Keith’s mom being his Galra parent instead of his dad. Sorry, Thace. Better luck next reboot.

Going off this, my theory is that Mysterious Mute Space Mans keith pulled out of the pod during the weblum mission could actually be his mom, or at least possibly someone with knowledge of his past. It’s way too convenient that this character is introduced right as keith is struggling with confronting his past and his new identity, and I will bet any amount of money they come back to revel something about keith in seasons to come.

On Lotor / Zarkon:

From the looks of things, Zarkon got pretty well beat in the final fight of the season. My guess is that a lot of Season 3 is going to find Zarkon on his sickbed while Lotor, his son or heir or whatever, steps up to the roll of Resident Asshole Space Tyrant and vows revenge on voltron for nearly offing his dad. My guess is that Zarkon is somehow linked to Shiro’s disappearance, so there might possibly be some more mind-control battles going down between the two of them in the future too, who knows. 

Since I’m on a roll I’ll also add that looks like Keith, our Resident Lovable But Occasionally Disaster Inclined Impulsive Loner, is gonna have to step up to fill Shiro’s shoes while he’s away, since thats what Shiro wanted and all, but there is probably going to be a lot of internal struggle caused by this. Keith hasn’t exactly figured out how to be a leader yet and I’m not entirely convinced the other paladins are going to be interested in taking orders from him anyways. On that note, because Keith is going to play Shiro’s ‘heir’ in that sense, it’s probably going to make for some cool dichotomies between him and Lotor, who is Zarkon’s ‘heir’ in a similar sense.  

seems like season 2 gave us more questions than answers, hopefully s3 will continue to build on the odd new string of events set into motion by s2