As season 8 came to a close, signifying the end of Voltron Legendary Defender, a lot of us were shocked, hurt and angry to find the show had chosen to kill of one of their main characters, Princess Allura, after a long trend of having her suffer loss throughout the course of the show.
To have this version of Princess Allura be dark skinned meant something significant to many fans of color who often are not granted the ability to see themselves in the media they consume, let alone in such a significant role among a diverse cast. By choosing to kill off the only iteration of Allura where she is a WOC, the show slipped into a very tired and unfortunate trope which tells women of color they are meant to suffer, sacrifice, and either die or end up alone. There are many examples of this in media (Example: Abbie Miller- Sleepy Hollow) and it is disappointing for many fans to see the same fate happen to Allura and especially in a way that was senseless, unnecessary and seemingly only used as shock value to elicit an emotional response from viewers.
Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to reach out to Dreamworks/WEP to make our voices heard.
The point of this is not to get a rewrite or a release of an “original” season they supposedly kept from us. The damage has already been done. The point is to express disappoint at the season they chose to release and hope that by expressing our thoughts and feelings on this they will address our concerns, take this knowledge into future projects and learn that diversity isn’t just simply inclusion (in the rare instances that it’s given), but also respect for those characters and the communities they represent.
With that being said, we are taking in letters and/or 15-20 video comments to submit to Dreamworks and World Event Productions.
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR LETTER AND/OR VIDEO:
Be clear and concise on the reasons why the killing of Allura’s character is concerning. Avoid swearing, “yelling” or threatening. We want to be taken seriously rather than come off as ranting from a “toxic” fan.
You may bring up shipping but please keep it in the context of how Allura’s romantic arcs were simply used as plot devices and/or drama, often at Allura’s detriment. You may also take this time to explain the significance in which the one instance where Allura is a WOC is the one time she does not end up with the main male lead. Please remember, this is about Allura so stay focused on the writing/handling of these arcs. This isn’t about Lance, Lotor, Shiro or whomever else you hoped she would end up with. You may also explain why the “strong independent female who doesn’t need a man” trope actually negatively impacts WOC characters versus white female characters.
You may bring up your disappointment in how her character was mishandled overall, not just season 8. For example, her backstory was glossed over in comparison to other characters.
If you are a POC/WOC fan please share your personal stories/experiences about representation and inclusion in the media you consume and how Allura’s death has affected you. They need to hear how Allura’s death was perceived and the message it sends to the community she represented. If you’re not POC but still have stories to share please do.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Please send your media and comments to alluradeservesbetter@gmail.com Using the subject line #justiceforallura. Deadline is 1/26/19.
If you don’t feel like you have the time to write a letter or are too camera shy to film a video, please use the hashtag #justiceforallura. We will pull comments from there as well.
HOWEVER, letters and video give a MORE POWERFUL MESSAGE.
I’ve been sat here thinking about Yugiri and now I’m sad so I’m gonna share my thoughts with you:
I don’t think Yugiri is her real name. Tae is older than her (like from an early part of history), and we have a full name for her, if not a back story. Given Yugiri’s profession as a courtesan (basically a prostitute for the upper classes), I think she might have had a separate identity to distance herself from her family name as not to bring them dishonour
The scene where she tells Lily that she “does not care what happens to her, she’ll just go with the flow” (loosely, this is from memory but the sentiment is the same) is really sad when you consider her status during her life. She was no doubt a courtesan from a very young age and learnt to just “go with the flow” of what other people wanted from her
I reckon that’s why she still smokes, as an escape
She also said that she had never had a bonding moment with a group of girls before they did the foot spare, so imagine how isolated and lonely her living life must have been, existing purely to “entertain” the upper classes
Her cause of death remains unknown in the anime, but I think her throat was slit out of jealousy, because that fits both the main scar around her neck, and her profession. Whether it was from one of her lovers, a family member who was ashamed, or a wife who wanted to reclaim her husband, I am unsure
Yugiri is super soft and I’m so fucking happy that she has found a group of gal pals that love and understand and respect her
[ID: Illustration of a character with a human body and a skull head floating over the body. The character is wearing pastel clothes; pink sweater,blue jeans and pink shoes. They have a light skin color and bandaids on their hands and legs. They’re surrounded by plants.]
