#im just going to go off the assumption that nothing about it structure-wise has changed since eddie's younger years

[ebonyforged]

@riddlethat​: 💋 at pandora's. could just see him there if you want, but p.i. eddie is there on a job. younger eddie, probably not. || 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐑𝐏 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄 (accepting!, though they're not likely to end up this long lol)

Even when you have connections with the secretary of a cheeky P.I. with an... elaborate past, making you mostly exempt from paying for his services, there’s other things a girl needs to get through the day. Nightly motel fees, food, booze, what little savings she has in the form of crumpled up bills isn’t enough to make her stay in Gotham comfortable. She could rely on the same things she did back in Limbo City some seven years ago, put her body to use by combining business and pleasure, but Gotham hasn’t proven as satisfying a place to feed into carnal desires. The novelty of the city has already worn off, its true colors hard to ignore ( a harsh, dark place — but inside Limbo? lots of blues and purples. sometimes the walls flash green, and a rippling voice laughs. ).

Yes, it’s definitely Gotham that’s the cause of her reduced libido.

Thankfully Ebony has a very particular set of skills and what some might call a severe lack of inhibitions. The first few odd jobs didn’t stick, but they did lead her to another place, where her value has become very apparent very quickly. 

The red lights remind her of home.

It’s a nice routine, when uninterrupted. Rhythmic knocks echo down the long, filthy hall. Another worker ( a colleague, she supposes ) at the front opens the door if the code is right and she gets to lean back against the wall by the entrance, the one that leads to the real party, and wait for the patrons to get to her. If they take too long, she nudges another on the other side of the curtain to cover both their stations, so she can go break up whatever fight or fuck is happening just outside the club. There’s rules, even here.

There are also measures taken to make sure it’s clear to all that Ebony is not part of the fun. Ironically, she’s more covered up than she normally would be, not a hint of cleavage or collarbones in sight beneath the sleek, black suit that’s not her own. Pandora herself advised her to go for a different look than her usual for privacy’s sake, and while Gotham isn’t her main dwelling, she still took the advice. On nights when she works, her piercings are left back at the motel and she comes bare-faced, with a cheap but nice pair of shades to really complete the look. It does its job, and when it doesn’t she does her best to respond with a swift punishment that doesn’t leave the offending party moaning at her touch.

The footsteps usually tell her how many people to expect, so she pays close attention to them. The entire night, the only ones that have her straighten herself against the wall, straining to hear, are familiar ones. Ebony struggles to place them, until she recognizes the familiar tap of a cane that accompanies each other step. A second later, she spots green at the end of the hall. Her heart flutters.

Ebony stays right where she is, lounged against the wall with her hands in her pockets. It’s not her admirable work ethic that keeps her there. No, she wants to see how long it’ll take for him to spot her, wants to know if he’ll casually stroll in like many of the regulars do.

It’s quite apparent when he does, the way his eyes widen and his jaw goes slightly slack. She wants to say something sly, like ‘you found me this time’ or ‘I didn’t come to rescue you, promise’ but looking at the gears turning in his head is far more fun. Ebony lets him stand there in his baffled state for as long as possible.

Pandora interrupts them before she can decide to say anything, pushing past the curtains with the kind of purpose that tells her she’s expecting Eddie. Her moment to speak up may have passed, but she gets to watch Pandora approach him with open arms and pull him into a brief embrace. She doesn’t register the odd look on Eddie’s face and can’t see how Ebony smirks at him from behind her back. Her amusement is apparent.

“Eddie, it’s been too long!” And oh, isn’t that interesting? Her smirk widens, positively sly. Pandora pulls back from the greeting and notices how Eddie’s eyes briefly linger behind her. She twists around to look at Ebony, whose smile quickly settles back into something more polite, and waves her hand. “Oh, don’t worry, she’s very professional. Not a local, so not the type to care about our little reunion here. We’re all business tonight, anyway.” Oddly, a part of her relaxes at those words. She hadn’t stopped to consider how she might feel about doing her job knowing Eddie is just a few rooms away, indulging. She won’t let herself think about it now, either.

She turns to beckon him inside and Ebony acknowledges her boss with a nod. While Pandora flicks the curtain aside before Ebony can even offer, she makes sure to make a proper show of it for Eddie, pulling the velvety fabric aside while she dips into an elaborate bow. Her eyes may be hidden, but her smile says it all;

We’ll be talking about this tomorrow.

Later, some thirty minutes after they’ve gone, Ebony has to abandon her post to help deal with a commotion inside. An argument, or a strike taken just a step too far, it’s hardly her business as long as she shows the offending party the door. When she drags a man from the floor by his hair, streaks of red on her face and knuckles, she spots Eddie and Pandora leaving her office. With the floor around her somewhat cleared, their eyes meet, and it’s all too easy for Ebony to smile, push her sunglasses up into her hair, and wink.

The way the man in her grasp shudders and begs her to ‘hit me again’ does sully the moment, somewhat.

[kingofthewilderwest]

Hello, Haddock! Now that Voltron (sadly) ended, how would you rank the seasons? Also, could you tell how many times you've rewatched them?

Hey there, friend! WAY happy to chat Voltron and all its seasons!

Unlike most fandom culture, I’m not a chronic rewatcher, and the default assumption is that I’ve only seen any show once. It’s rare for me to see shows more than once, honestly, even ones I love. I certainly will be watching VLD more times, but because of my normal watching habits, I’ve seen a large portion of the show only once. I’ve seen S1 probably about 5 times, S2 thrice, S3-4 twice, and S5+ once. I’ve seen “The Last Stand” from S7 twice.

These are rankings based somewhat upon my emotional attachments and not simply objective elements like narrative structure! XD I already know my preferences are going to be different than lots of people in the VLD fandom, haha. These rankings are also based on memory, which is pretty strong admittedly for VLD, but it leaves room to change with a rewatch.

EIGHTH PLACE: VLD Season 8

Let’s be clear: I don’t dislike Season 8 and there’s much I enjoy. Give it up for S8 love!!! Standout episodes to me include “Launch Date,” “The Prisoner’s Dilemma,” and “Day Forty-Seven.” The women going shopping together and Pidge dressing as 1980s Darrell Stoker made my life. Not to mention… it was fun spending time with the MFEs; they didn’t take a disproportionate amount of time, but gave us good moments to make us love them. I’m thankful for the S8 ending giving us both a sense of wrap-up for the plot conflicts, but also looking forward to what our Paladins will do to rejuvenate the galaxy. There’s much I’m thankful for with S8.

That said, S8 isn’t my jam as much as other seasons. I’m not much of a shipper and I wasn’t into the Allurance, nor did I get pulled into the magic-heavy plot conflict with Haggar and her Alteans. And while S7 does give great screen time to Allura, it felt a little less like an ensemble cast and more like a spotlight on her. Enemies’ minds changed too fast for me to feel realistic, and the magic-wonky plot didn’t feel as gripping and intense as S7. It’s the reason I’m placing S8 here: from my own preferences, I attached with other seasons more.

SEVENTH PLACE: VLD Season 5

For whatever reason, S5 didn’t make as much of an impression on me as other seasons. I wasn’t as invested in concepts like “Kral Zera” and “White Lion.” Given as S5 is an odd numbered season in the middle portion of Voltron, it has an innate disadvantage: it’s written in all but name as the first half of a season, which means story arc ending payoffs wouldn’t happen until S6. I also feel like S5 is where plot writing is at one of its most tangled or muddied, given as there’s lots being juggled and introduced conflict-wise and lore-wise and universe-wise and character-wise.

However, S5 - like all seasons - gives us cool stuff. We got Matt (one of my favorite characters) participating in an adventure, lots of Lotor screentime, and a callout to 1980s DOTU that I never thought they’d be able to turn into a good episode (“White Lion”). And!!! We get to meet!!! KROLIA!!!

SIXTH PLACE: VLD Season 3

I have particularly fond attachment to S3. This is the season where I started getting actively involved in Voltron fandom discourse, giving my own take on Project Kuron theories. This is the season that gave us the first glimpse of the Classic Voltron formation - Keith in Black, Lance in Red, Pidge in Green, Allura in Blue, Hunk in Yellow. I felt a thrill go through me as Keith, for the first time, said “Form Voltron!” Also… Lance really stepping up to show his leadership potential??? So good. And this is the season where we meet Lotor, another long-anticipated character… and oh my goodness is his character introduction gold. So there’s lots of stuff I hold strong affinity for in S3.

The reason I have to rank Season 3 back here is because it’s more about the Paladins floundering around than anything else. It’s meant to create a new sense of chaos and instability… their leader Shiro is gone, and now there are new unexpected threats like Lotor to handle. However, at the same time, since half of the season is just the Paladins floundering around not knowing how to work together, it makes me less attached to particular episodes. None of the episodes are favorites or standouts to me on their own. There’s lots of cool moments throughout S3, but I think the only episode I notably emotionally attach to is “The Journey.” But still? Good season!

FIFTH PLACE: VLD Season 1

I can’t believe I have this amazing season all the way back here. I want it to be higher, except that I do have to rank other seasons above this one. 

Season 1 is what gets everything started. It sets the stage for what Voltron’s all about, teaching us about lions and robeasts and Zarkon and the Galaxy Garrison and all that good stuff from 1980s nostalgia… all the while creating a new vibe and energy to the franchise. In retrospect, S1 feels much calmer and less high-stakes than the rest of the series (especially post S2). However, it’s a solid season with good episodes that never feel less solid and good. We get great Hunk material with him finding conviction; great Shiro and Pidge moments as they share different worries over the abduction; hilarious Keith and Lance clashes; lots and lots and lots of good things. It’s a very solid season, especially once we launch off Arus.

FOURTH PLACE: VLD Season 6

If you want to know how tight my season rankings are to each other, S6 was almost listed second place.

I attach to specific episodes in particular for S6. I love the visuals in “Razor’s Edge.” I died howling with laughter in “Monsters & Mana.” I fell into so many emotional feels regarding Keith and Shiro in “The Black Paladins.” We get one of the all-time best emotional, action-oriented episodes of VLD… and one of the most amazing, hysterical filler episodes in S6. Despite being seven episodes long, S6 is an incredible ride and adventure start to end. It’s hard to believe so much occurred in that amount of time!

There’s hoards of great stuff in this season. We get the Kuron arc resolved, with lots of emotional content between Keith and Shiro. We get the Lotor arc resolved, learning whether or not he can be trusted, with great Lotor and Allura time. We get Keith returning to the Paladins. We get the introduction of Romelle, which all DOTU lovers have been waiting for forever.

THIRD PLACE: VLD Season 4

I have to put VLD S4 here because of its emotional power. There are damned AMAZING moments this season, alongside some of my favorite episodes and moments of all time. I know I and some of the other fans aren’t huge on “The Voltron Show!” But fuck it, guys, S4 gave us “Reunion” and “A New Defender”!!!

Matt is a delight this season, from his first meeting of Allura, to his tour around the Castle of Lions with Pidge, to his technological connections with his sister and Hunk, to his participation in the Rebels’ fighting forces. We also get some of the funniest moments for me in Voltron, between learning how to milk Kaltenecker and seeing HOW Pidge finally managed to rig up the video game system.

Then there’s the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. “Reunion” is the single most emotional episode in all of Voltron for me. Even though I’d seen screencaps of Matt prior to watching S4, I felt as shocked and heartbroken as Pidge to come to his gravestone. There’s so much POWER to this gravestone scene; it’s one of the moments that resonates with me the most even after I’ve finished the whole show. It might even be my Number One FAVORITE moment in the entire show. It’s not my place to analyze that scene here, but DAMN. 

Furthermore, the climax with the battle of Naxzela was INTENSE, with Keith almost sacrificing himself getting me screaming. That was such a great battle and climactic moment in VLD. This was a great culminating moment, in which the series has officially built up from a small team to a universe-wide conflict.

We get standout moments with Keith being badass with the blades, Matt taking initiative, Pidge seeking out her family, Allura helping Voltron flee the gravity field, Kuron becoming increasingly more suspicious. VLD S4 ramps everything up from the emotions to the excitement, resulting in an awesome and intense six episodes.

SECOND PLACE: VLD Season 7

It’s really hard for me to put this as second place instead of first place. I originally had it in first place. I want it to be first place. I LOVE the second half of S7 so much. This is, possibly, my favorite season from an emotional standpoint because wow.

It’s all-around outstanding. S7 showed us how far the Paladins have come as heroes; they operate with great teamwork, skill, and professionalism that is oh-so-cool to see on screen. They’re still the characters we love and cherish, but they’ve grown SO MUCH since their first days on Voltron. This is fully-fledged heroes doing fully-fledged battles and it’s GREAT.

S7 gives us standout moments to so many characters, including Hunk, Shiro, Sam, Colleen, Veronica, and Keith. We even get some good adventure time with Romelle! And as far as character interactions are concerned, we get touching moments between Keith and Lance, Keith and Hunk, and so many other combinations.

The story raises the stakes to higher levels than ever before, with an emotional and exciting conquest of Earth. There’s nothing more horrible and high-stakes to audiences than a homefront war. We feel extreme pain for Hunk with fears for his family, and Shiro for the loss of Adam. We feel the great sense of danger and desperation starting with “The Last Stand.” We feel the drama of a long and extended climax fighting for Earth’s freedom, including moments where the Paladins control the Lions outside their body (so cool), Shiro commands the ATLAS (SO cool), and the ATLAS also transforms into a fighting robot (SO FREAKING COOL!). This has some of the most exciting, badass stuff of Voltron ever. I love it.

Highlight episodes for me are “The Last Stand” (two episodes without the Paladins about Earth fighting for its freedom? this was fucking amazing), “Trial By Fire,” and “Lions’ Pride.” Essentially - all of the second half of the season.

FIRST PLACE: Season 2

Season 2 is probably THE MOST solid season in all of VLD. 

Almost every episode is good, memorable, fun, lovable, enjoyable, classic. It highlights the full ensemble cast. It creates an EXTREMELY exciting, exhilarating, fun climax. It is a strong narrative season, cleanly and proudly finishing the first 26 episode long arc for VLD. This season shows VLD at its best. Since it consistently delivers, there’s nowhere else S2 belongs except the top.

We get great Shiro time, what with his arc spent learning to trust Black… leading to him being a badass unlocking the Lion’s wings and taking Zarkon’s bayard. We get great Pidge time, whether it’s her freaking out over video games or drawing deeper into the beauty of the world - technology and biology both. We get great Keith time, with him fighting for answers in the Blade of Marmora and infiltrating Zarkon’s base in an extremely dangerous mission. We get great Hunk time, between unlocking his Lion’s claws and taking initiative in the Weblum adventure. We get great Lance moments, where he shows us he truly can be a sharpshooter for the team. We get great Allura moments, especially in how she fought against Haggar in the finale. This season rocks it for EVERY Paladin.

Not only does every individual Paladin get good spotlighting, but S2 also rocks it with character interactions. How Allura handles Keith being Galra is a memorable moment of character development for both of them. How Hunk and Keith interact in “The Belly of the Weblum” is a delight. How Shiro loses his cool with Slav is hysterical. I can never complain to Lance and Hunk combinations, like in “The Depths.” And of course every episode focused on Keith and Shiro gives us good feels.

Standout episodes for S2 include “The Ark of Taujeer” (THE COLORS), “The Blade of Marmora,” “Blackout,” “Space Mall.” I cannot believe I watched an episode where the character dressed as space pirates and rode on a flying cow to escape a mall cop. That happened. It’s a delight. And S2 kept rocking it with the humor, down to Pidge creating all her Paladin buddies out of space junk and imitating them. But S2 also gives us some of the most memorable moments of VLD storytelling, what with “The Blade of Marmora.” That episode is a staple for many reasons. Not to mention… all of S2 works together cohesively for the long-term arc structure.

And then there’s the climax. So well-done. So exciting. So immersive. So intense. So cool. So badass. Great colors, great flow, great plot, great everything start to end. I was in a THRILL at the end of S2 because this climax was so unbelievably fun. In retrospect it’s got competition with S7, and S7 probably takes the cake now… but fuck it, S2′s end will always be awesome.

Every single season in VLD gives me something to be excited about. There are things to love each step of the journey. I’m thankful for every episode from S1 to S8. 

What a ride this journey has been.