Alright but I just noticed the neat parallel between Sven and Romelle and Keith’s parents–and I think it’s a tradition that might carry over to Shiro and Keith, so real quick:

In 80′s Voltron, Romelle gives Sven this knife/dagger for protection. They end up being love interests in the dub. But even that aside, Romelle caring so much about Sven’s safety and wishing him well is kinda seen as a romantic gesture. Real quick, but Romelle is also an alien princess (from Pollux, Altea’s “twin” planet) and Sven is of course human. 

yOU KNOW WHO ELSE THAT SOUNDS LIKE,,,

Yeah, Keith’s alien mom also gave her partner a thematically important knife before parting ways. So, wouldn’t it make sense that, if Keith ended up having a human love interest who was about to head out into danger–that he’d maybe give them the knife before they left? As a sign of good faith and for luck if nothing else; carrying on his mother’s tradition. Considering how important the knife is to Keith, I can see him giving it away as a measure of the depth to his devotion–I’m lending this to you for luck. But you know how important this is to me, so I expect you to come back alive and return it–something like that. 

But now, couldn’t Romelle also appear later as part of the Blade of Marmora, and give Shiro her own knife? Perhaps. But two things–one, Shiro is already associated with Keith’s blade. And two, of all the blades we’ve seen so far, Keith’s is actually the only one that really resembles a dagger, which is what Romelle gave Sven. Antok, Ulaz, Thace, Kolivan, ect–all their blades look different in their deactivated forms. Here’s a good reference showing how unique Keith’s blade is.

Now as for Shiro, the first he hears of Marmora is right when he escapes. 

“The blade of Marmora is with you,” Ulaz says. How fitting then, that it’s a Marmora blade that cuts Shiro free when he crashes back to Earth. On a thematic level, I think this is so much more than just The rebellion is with you. It’s the narrative saying–Don’t worry, Keith will always be there for you. Because, of course it’s Keith’s blade that frees him; of course, Keith is running to his rescue. Like he always does. Of course, out of everyone, it’s Keith and Shiro who keep crashing back together whenever they’re torn apart. It’s like fate.  

Not only has Keith’s blade saved Shiro once already, but Shiro has defended Keith and his right to keep the knife in turn. If Keith is going to pass on his blade at some point like his mother (whether temporarily or not), thematically, I think it’s just a logical conclusion that that person has to be Shiro. After all, I think he’s the only one that would really understand the depth of such a gesture. Because who was there with Keith in the Blade of Marmora, who saw him fight tooth and nail and nearly die for this? Who was the one that took the form of Keith’s greatest hopes and dreams–who did he fear losing the most? Who was the person he most desperately wants to see? 

Ulaz was right; Shiro does have the backing of the Blade of Marmora–and his fate appears inexorably tied to one blade in particular. That Shiro was there for Keith’s trial, that he witnessed Keith bare his heart and soul and saw himself reflected there–their endurance of the trial binds them together in a way I don’t think anyone else could ever fully grasp. 

And I mean, I think it would speak volumes about Keith’s trust in Shiro if he were to offer the blade to him willingly. After all, a big part of his trial was Shiro trying to force him to give it away.

Seeing Keith give Shiro the knife to safeguard him on a mission before they parted ways would be especially endearing becuase, well–when he does give in during his trial, he only agrees because he’s so afraid of losing Shiro. 

Shiro threatens to abandon him if he doesn’t relent, and so he does. To see the blade offered then as a sign of their bond, to show just how close they are and that this isn’t goodbye forever, that Shiro will still come back–I think that’s just the kind of closure for them I want to see. 

“people with mental illnesses are never abusive”

“people with mental illnesses are always abusive”

“people with mental illnesses are not inherently abusive, but can be abusive just like everyone else”

as much as i love hot, killer women… i dont like the femme fatale trope. like, it’s almost always geared toward men, and the strange fetishization of ultra-feminine, ultra-sexualized, ultra-violent women is just uncomfortable. women aren’t allowed to be angry unless it’s sexy.