Team Purple Lion is a group of analysts dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the editing of Season 8 of Voltron Legendary Defender and securing the release of the original cut of the season. Your Generals are Crystal Rebellion, Dragonofyang, Eliza Lynn, Acxa, and Leaking Hate, all adults of an academic bent who hail from the Lotura fandom.
Vrepit Sa!
Crystal Rebellion
Crystal brings with her to the team a history of speculative meta as early as Season 6 that fall in alignment with a majority of what the uncut Season 8 should’ve been. With a keen eye for detail and a sharp intuition for symbolism and reading double-speak, Crystal solidifies the humanistic side of the team.
Throughout the following seasons, she continued to produce meta and predict strong elements of the unedited Season 8. Her early metas include “Colony Theory” as well as predictive analysis of how the story simply cannot exist without Lotor as the core.
She continues in this same vein as a core member of TeamPurpleLion, putting her ability to see past the surface layer and to think critically about words, scenes, colors and symbolism in a way that helps bring occasionally refreshing or new perspectives and ideas to the table.
I am a part of Team Purple Lion because as a fan writer, the idea that someone could come in after I finished a piece – my own vision – and force changes upon me that I did not agree with, and then would not allow me to explain that much to an angry audience… is utterly horrifying. I wanted to know what happened – the truth of the story. I want people to be responsible for their choices – and only those choices that were their own and no one else’s.
Crystal Rebellion
Dragonofyang
Yang brings quick fingers and a keen attention to the interplay of literature and real life to the team. Having a BA in English and an emphasis on intersectional feminist theory, she helps with everything from transcribing interviews to connecting narrative beats to the real life issues they comment on. Having watched each season drop since the first, she joined the fandom later and found a community strong in artists, writers, and the sense of family VLD encouraged, even when life outside of the internet got harsh.
While not particularly active on the public side of fandom, Yang has extensive experience with archival work for VLD fan projects including anthologizing vignettes and compiling a conlang dictionary for fanfiction authors in the Lotura fandom. After Season 8 got released on Netflix, Yang found the story grating in not just the inconsistent narrative but in the hostile messaging that once was so accepting of diversity, and so when Crystal approached her about figuring out what went wrong, Yang has since devoted herself to Team Purple Lion and uncovering the truth of what happened.
I am a part of Team Purple Lion because as a kid I didn’t see myself in the characters the way little kids like me around the world can see themselves in the cast of Voltron. I want kids to see themselves represented and be the hero, be the fair princess or dignified prince, be smart, the sharpshooter, the leader, the lovable one. I never want a child like me to look at Voltron and feel the pain I felt when I watched Season 8 as an adult, and never know why they felt that pain. Kids are our future, and it’s our job as adults to step up for them, especially when no one did the same for us.
Dragonofyang
Eliza Lynn
Eliza brings her toolbox from her classroom to Team Purple Lion. With years of teaching under her belt, she strives to see the literary injustices done to Voltron corrected. Though she may be outwardly quiet on the meta front, Eliza’s skills are found not only with a red pen but with an ability to speak to anyone.
Days after the release of Voltron, Eliza began watching it with her father. Her passion for it began to burn bright with season 3’s release, and she thoroughly enjoyed pulling every friend she had into the fandom. Voltron was a place of refuge, happiness, and overall joy before the release of season 8.
After the release of season 8, Eliza turned to Crystal, highly distraught with the completely out of place plot contained in the final season. Crystal brought in Eliza to the team as the fifth and final member of Team Purple Lion, ready to fight for the true Voltron that was created with passion and love.
I am a part of Team Purple Lion because it was clear what the outcome of Voltron: Legendary Defender was supposed to be from the beginning. To see the final seasons being so far off the setup storyline breaks my heart, and fuels my fire. I want to make sure that no one person or team has the right to destroy another’s vision and dream.
Eliza Lynn
Leaking Hate
An artist first and foremost, Leaking Hate got into writing meta immediately post-S6.
She brings to the team a degree in Art History, a passion for storycrafting, a keen intellect, and a knack for thinking outside the box. A love of puzzles, logic, and a distinctly mathematical process have allowed her to break down and reassemble the remaining pieces of the fractured Season 8.
I’m doing this for the EPs, the writers, the VAs and animators – all the crew who poured their hard work into VLD.
Leaking Hate
And I’m doing it for the kids who are too young to understand why this happened, and just know that it hurts.
And I’m doing this for the characters, because they deserve better.
And for all the people down the line who get an idea to play in the Voltron universe; I want them to know to stay away if a Koplar still holds the IP.