Your Meta Has Meta

Many transformative works fandoms start with the assumption that they are part of an aggrieved minority that's the target of unjust persecution, given:

- homophobia at large in the wider world (many polls indicate that fandom has a larger-than-average percentage of queer people);

- misogyny at large in the wider world (most polls over the years indicate that fandom is majority female);

- regressive conservatism across the board regarding (but not limited to) media content.

And in the wider world: yes, transformative works fans are a minority, and often each individual has trauma, baggage, &/or a history of being marginalized and oppressed, if not outright harmed, in "real world" spaces.

However, within the communities of fanspace, I have rarely seen any subsect of fandom acknowledge that it is the dominant force within that fanspace in a responsible way beyond the occasional fundraiser (that benefits third party charities and not marginalized individuals within the fandom) or campaigns to get continuations of their preferred media or for their ships to get canonized (which is, ultimately, self-serving).

Instead, we get:

- defensive posturing every time even the mildest thoughtful critique of their favorite ships/characters/fandoms enters their awareness;

- widespread harassment campaigns framed as "victims" just "fighting back" against "oppression" (when the "oppressors" have fewer numbers, smaller reach/social capital/etc within that space);

- a very Americanized blend of "staunch individualism" (where one's own actions should be judged on their own and not as part of a wider pattern across fandom(s)) and "White Girlboss Choice Feminism" (where "if a (white) woman chooses to do something, it is inherently progressive for her to do it, without regard for her positionally or impact within an intersectional framework").

And so on.

What would "responsible ways" of acknowledging one's power within fanspace look like, you may ask?

- donating directly to and signal boosting mutual aid links, especially for fans of marginalized identities;

- taking hard public stances against bigotry of ALL kinds within the ranks of your fellow fans, by sharing information about bad actors, deplatforming and disengaging with bad actors even if they make fanwork you enjoy, and protecting/standing up for targets of harassment outside your fandom coterie(s);

- openness to thoughtful critique of your circle within fanspace (rather than being defensive and assuming victimhood by default) and sharing same, encouraging both yourself and others to learn and improve;

- actively taking steps to read/share/create fanwork (which includes meta, media analysis, etc) that embraces/uplifts a diversity of perspectives beyond your own.

If we can't be responsible with our social power *within the spaces where we do hold that power,* we're no better than those regressive white nerdbros complaining about "woke invasions" of "our spaces" - when the reality is, nerds won the culture war and have way more social capital than some John Hughes-style archetypes of the Bullied Nerd.

We can be better than them. Our fanspaces can be better than that. Let's work together to make that happen.

Been a while since I did some Namine/COM angst

Shimmering I and Ghostly Hand, Cecilia Reeve, 2023.

more from the artist: site | instagram | available works

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.

sara

Happy Squall Saturday!

I wish I was a stress cleaner. Never once has my response to stress been “time to employ some good habits”

i can’t believe goli0n baptized akira/shiro in pure light and no one else

oh. For You page suggested a st*r*k post and I immediately blocked OP. Holy shit. No. Why does liking TW related posts automatically mean you want that content? No. Let me go mute any iterations of it before I McLose It lmaoooooo