I’m feeling super energetic tonight so I’m going to go write after this, but here’s a summary of what I think should have been done to make this better:

The AU where Allurance was better foreshadowed:

Season 1) Keep Lance’s flirting and Allura rejecting him, but give a slight glimpse of Allura looking somewhat frustrated that Lance is going off and flirting with Nyma or something. Also, give Lance and Allura a duo mission or training scene in which they work great together as team members, support each other as equals, and zero flirting happens. Somewhere in this scene, the fact that Lance likes Allura more than just as a passing thing should be brought up; maybe he asks her to dance at the party and when she rejects him, he plays it off in front of her but then shows the audience that he actually feels a bit hurt by it later. Something like that.

Season 2) Shit I forgot what episodes are in this season but I think Plaxum is in this season, right? I would have had Lance flustered about Plaxum’s behavior but also have a moment of him thinking about Allura and going “I already kind of… like someone else?” I would have added a scene of Lance talking to Allura one-on-one about the reveal of Keith’s background as a Galra, and have Lance listen to and respect her views, instead of everyone just shutting her down and acting like there’s no validity to her feelings. No flirting, just him being a good listener and helping her to talk through her anger and fear so that she can move forward and get back to seeing Keith as a friend. I think the episode where Allura and Keith run off together is in this one, so instead of Lance acting petty and jealous, have him genuinely worried for both Allura and Keith’s safety, and have him ask them to come back because it’s more important to face whatever is happening as a team than apart. When they come back, have Lance hug Allura in a non-romantic way, just as in an “I am so glad you’re safe” way. When Allura insists on going with Shiro to the Galra base and Coran tries to fight it, I would have had Lance start to agree with Coran, then stop and realize that no, he trusts and believes in Allura and this is something she needs to do. Also, sometime during this season, it needs to be implied that Allura has at least the starting of some interest in Lance, so that he doesn’t just look like a rebound later.

Season 3) Lance should have supported Allura for Black Paladin and explained that she had already been leading the team, so she is the most equipped to step in until they find Shiro. Personally, I would have skipped the entire clone!Shiro plot because it was pointless and unnecessary, and season three would have instead been spent searching for Shiro who would have been found or at least seen in episode cuts throughout this season, off on other planets hitching rides and helping out the locals.
Instead of Lance supporting Keith in season three during the chase scene with Lotor, it would be Lance supporting Allura and telling her how much faith he has in her. I would add at least one scene in which Allura is frustrated with her slow progress with the Black Lion and confides her frustrations and her fear that she won’t live up to being the great leader that her father was (not a great paladin or great alchemist–Allura should have aimed to be a leader like her father). This could have been the watershed moment in which Lance finally got screen time to confess his fears and insecurities, which would have been properly listened to, respected, and addressed by Allura. The two could have reached meaningful mutual understanding, grown closer, and committed to working together not just to help save the world, but also to help each other grow as people. The idea of Allura and Lance being close friends and a TEAM should have been established by this season.

Also, after their meaningful talk, Allura should have had a moment of watching Lance walk away with a very fond look on her face, so that it could well-established that Allura had at least SOME feelings for Lance before Lotor came along. Shiro should have been reunited with the team at the end of season three, and Allura should have stepped down from the Black Lion only because she found it more useful for her to lead the coalition and correspond constantly with all their allies–i.e., she should have stepped into an even bigger leadership role (queen of like half the universe lol) at the end of this season.

Also, somewhere in this season, Allura should have given Lance the encouragement he needed to really break out and shine during at least one battle or scene, so that the viewers get the chance to see her supporting him in action and to see Lance growing in both skill and confidence.

Season 4) This could have been a season with little hints and nods here and there to Allura and Lance being great team members, closer and closer friends, and the first really obvious hints of the romance plot line coming in, although I think that Allura should have maybe gone a bit into the “oblivious to her real feelings” category so that it wouldn’t make her look heartless when the whole deal with Lotor suddenly popped up. Mostly the same this season but the Voltron Show should have, instead of poking fun at Lance’s “lover boy” stereotype, instead of poked fun of his being whipped for the princess and Lance should have been like “Coran, this is totally not realistic at all!” while Pidge and Hunk are in the background like “Hmmm, are you sure??” By the way, Keith never would have left with the Blades because that whole plot line was dumb, so instead he’s just in the background of all these Allura and Lance scenes rolling his eyes.

Season 5 and 6) The whole “Lance is petty and jealous” over Lotor would not have happened. Or, maybe he would have started it and then taken a big deep breath and realized verbally or mentally (for the audience to hear) that he’s being a defensive jerk and he needs to make take a step back from the situation. He would apologize to Allura for acting out and let her know that the real reason he was acting this way is that he’s worried about not just Voltron and the future, but also about her personally, that he doesn’t want her to get hurt, but that if allying with Lotor is what she thinks is the best decision, he’s always respected her as a leader and he’ll go along with her and support her no matter what. After this, THEN we could get the scene where he confesses to the mice (or geez, you know, like another human being? Because Lance does have friends he could talk to, because in this AU the team is actually… you know… a TEAM? Better–Lance confesses his deep feelings for Allura to Keith, who pulls a “That’s rough buddy,” Zuko moment for comedic effect, but then does genuinely try his best to be a supportive friend because hey, they could have solved the Klance drama by making Keith and Lance into bros who support each other as friends instead of playing them off as overly-invested rivals?) So, Lance has meaningful flashbacks to all the great times he spent with Allura throughout the series so far, and confesses his feelings, and this time the audience genuinely believes him and feels the pain of his (seemingly) unrequited feelings for Allura.

Meanwhile, we see Allura struggling as she gets closer to Lotor, weighed down by the fact that Lotor doesn’t have Lance’s trust… The series could have made a huge point here: Allura glomed on to Lotor because she thought he was a kindred spirit, someone who thought like her and valued the same things as her–only to realize that the person who respected, valued, and supported her and everything she stood was Lance, right beside her the whole time. Little differences in Lotor’s behavior versus Lance’s would have been the hints to Allura that something wasn’t right, even before the whole colony thing (which actually if I had a choice, I would get rid of–just make Lotor a well-intentioned extremist without reducing him to a Hitler stereotype, please), and when Allura realized that Lotor never truly supported and respected her the way Lance did (and, you know, that he’s still carrying out a plot that only benefits himself) would have been the defining moment where Team Sincline and Team Voltron had to part ways. In this way, we avoid the issue of Lance looking like a rebound–instead, it will look like Lotor was the misstep and Lance was the right choice all along. This could also have been the moment where Allura realizes that her feelings for Lance aren’t just friendship but actually romantic.

Season 7) I didn’t watch this season so I don’t know what happened, but I would have slowly unfolded the romantic plot throughout this season, ending with Allura and Lance just tentatively hinting to each other about their feelings–maybe a nervous hand hold right at the end of the season finale, and a cut to credits with them looking anxiously but hopefully at each other.

Season 8) Plot happens. Lance and Allura continue to be amazing teammates and supportive friends to each other. Their romance plot line isn’t the focus, but the other characters try to tease Lance about it a time or two; at least one joke episode is dedicated to Lance and Allura attempting to go on their first date but every single being in the universe somehow accidentally getting in their way. The series ends with Allura deciding to found the coalition’s central command on Earth, so that she can stay with Lance (and his family, because god, she’s so happy to have a full FAMILY again) and also still fulfill her duties as leader of essentially the known universe.

TADA. I’m not saying this is perfect but I feel like most seven or eight-year-olds could have written a better romance than what I saw of Allurance so far.