#ive only felt like this over the vld finale

[jazbell]

i cant believe they blueballed me again.

[pinkykitten]

boyfriend and girlfriend outing

- anonymous Hello, Ki!! 😊💖 Can I request a Lance Mcclain (Voltron) x shy female human reader fluffy oneshot about they are going to the swimsuit shopping at space mall? 🥰🥰💖💖 How would Lance reacts to shy female human reader trying on/modeling swimsuit for him? 🥰😂🤣💖 I really love to see Lance is blushing mess near her!!! 🥰🥰💖💖

- anonymous Can I request a Voltron fluffy oneshot about how would Lance Mcclain reacts to his shy female human reader wears his jacket? 🥰🥰💖 I bet he will be blushing mess to her cuteness, haha. 😂🤣💖 Bonus: fluff/general prompts #2: “aw, you’re so cute.” (only Lance) and #22: “i love you.” (only reader) 🥰💖 Please??😁😁💖  prompt(s):  “aw, you’re so cute.”  “i love you.” 

pairing: lance mcclain x female! reader words: 1,602 genre: fluff, romance, comedy, requested, prompt, one-shot

a/n: sorry guys i have written in a while ive been soooo busy atm so hopefully i can write more for you guys. its been a minute since ive written for vld and i so totally miss it esp my cuban bby. yes we all can agree it ended like poo but thats why moi is here to help w canon and make it a thousand times better bc im a miracle worker duh. ty guys fr for reading my stuff, following and reblogging my stories i really appreciate it. 

It was in order- in your mind to take time off for yourself. Getting up every morning at 5 to train hard your mind and body. All you wanted was one day to enjoy having fun and being a teenager. 

You giggled at your pathetic bucket list. To think on yours it would say go out to a mall or market when back on earth that was something so insignificant and so easy to accomplish. But you hadn’t done something exciting and something for yourself in a while. 

You practically begged Shiro to let you to go to the mall today. After much butting he finally gave in. You knew pouting your lip out and whining almost like a puppy would do the trick. 

You didn’t waste time in getting dressed and doing your makeup. You wanted to look fierce on your day out. 

A knock was heard on your bedroom door. 

“Where are you going?” Lance, your boyfriend raised his brow as he stood by your doorway, arms crossed. He was a bit jealous that you were going out looking so hot and you hadn’t invited him. 

“I’m going to the mall,” you applied lipstick. 

“Without me?” He pouted. 

You chuckled and went to hug him, squeezing hard. “What are you waiting for then? Get ready? We’re having a date.”

Going into the mall- it already made a huge smile on your face. The smells reminded you of home. Food, perfumes, creams, the clothing were of different colors and of different alien races customs. It was like a walking into a whole different world. 

Lance giggled as he saw your face and scooped you up, kissing all over your cheeks. “Aw, you’re so cute, you know that. What do you want to try first?”

You sniffed the air and couldn’t get rid of a cinnamon smell. As you went onward you saw what that smell was. 

“Doughnuts!” You were almost salivating. Grabbing Lance’s hand you raced to the stand. 

You and Lance shared a huge doughnut and Lance smudged some frosting onto your face. You tried pushing him away and all he did was tickle you. It was like a fight and as much of a flaco he was he still got a hold of you. 

“I’m gonna get you Lance,” you gave a hearty laugh. 

You climbed on Lance’s back and ordered him like a pony to go to the arcade. There were so many games there your eyes lit up with the bright neon lights and colors. 

“I want to try this.” It was a game of getting a hammer and hitting mini Prince Lotor’s. You and Lance were up against each other and of course you won. 

“You cheated,” Lance pointed an accusatory finger at you. 

You stuck your tongue out, “you just suck.”

Lance rolled his eyes and walked away pretending he didn’t know you. 

You guys hopped on a motorcycle game, Lance went first and you jumped in his lap and he taught you how to play. 

Next, was the perfume store. You bathed Lance in cologne as he twirled around, and rubbed himself on you. 

As you were walking onward you spotted a swim suit store. You were fighting with yourself if you should go or not because you were a bit shy around Lance but you decided to go because you would probably never come back again. 

“Let’s go in this store please,” you asked shyly. 

Lance didn’t want to show it too much but he was so excited to see how beautiful you would look in swim suits, especially bikinis. He saw how much you wanted to go in and he couldn’t and would never say no.

“Of course gorgeous,” he smirked and acted all charming. 

“You sit here and wait,” you pushed him onto the couch in the waiting room and fled to each aisle, picking up the ones you wanted. 

The store owner waved her tentacles around and glanced at Lance, “are you here for you?”

“It’s actually for my girlfriend.” He said proudly. “She’s special.” 

“Alright Lance,” you sang as you brought them in the room and tried one on. “This one I call Florida weather.”

You jumped out and the one piece had oranges on it. You modeled and pretended to peel an orange and eat it. 

Lance clapped and nodded his head, “that’s so cute!”

“Next!” You shimmied your way in the room again and put on a swimsuit that was adorned with a skirt and it was bedazzled. It looked so trashy and made for a grandma. It was the furthest thing away from sexy. You chuckled as you looked at your reflection. Lance was really going to love this. “What do you think about this one babe? I think this will be your favorite.”

“Let me see girl!” Lance bounced on the souls of his feet in anticipation.

“Tada!” You danced out, shaking your hips. “My name is abuelita.”

Lance was surprised to say the least but he clutched his stomach, bending over laughing. “Oh my God, you do!”

“Do you think this is flattering?” You strut your stuff and flung your leg out like a show girl. 

“I still think you look great sweetheart.” Lance grabbed your hips and kissed your lips.

Lance was the perfect boyfriend to you. Even though you looked like an old lady from the 80s, Lance thought you still looked perfect and that made you have fireworks in your tummy. He always knew what to say. “Alright, but I got one more!” You ran back to your room and lifted up the dark blue bikini. Was your body perfect? No. Did you care? No. You thought you were beautiful in your size and no body was perfect. It was for you and Lance loved you no matter what. As you pulled the straps up, you checked yourself out in the mirror. “Perfect.”

“Are you done baby?”

“Yes, I think you’re going to really love this one.” The beating of your heart was rapid as you thought of his opinions. Would he like it? You tiptoed out of the room and rubbed your arm sheepishly. “Do you like it?”

Lance was flabbergasted. Not because he never thought you would look that way but because of how perfect and beautiful you were. He was star struck. His eyes widened and shined bright like jewels. His mouth was wide open. His heart grew more large for the love he felt for you. You were his baby! 

“Well!” You crossed your arm, beginning to feel shy and bashful at his loss for words. 

Lance covered his mouth, “And I have the audacity to live.”

You shook your head as you giggled like a girl with her crush. It was kind of true he was your crush but he was also your boyfriend so you scored. Lance was so extra!

“My baby is so sexy oh my God!” He shouted so loud- everyone in the store glanced over your guys way.

“So this one is a buy?” 

“Heck ya! I’m buying this for you babe. You look so smokin in this like por tu madre, my girl gonna look good!”

As you both were walking out to go back to the ship. It was night time already and the sky was a dark purple. The stars looked like diamonds sprinkled on a painting. It made you have a warm feeling in your tummy to know that you were one of the many brave souls that traveled up there to save lives. The air was cool and the trees swayed in the wind. 

Hand in hand with Lance, you walk on the cobblestone, trying to balance as you place one foot in front of the other. The wind that blows by makes you shake and shiver. Goosebumps rise on your skin and Lance takes notice. 

“Baby, you’re cold?”

You didn’t want to seem weak so you shook your head. “No, I’m okay. Just the wind.”

Lance looked the other way, shy, as he stripped his jacket off and enveloped you in the warmth. 

You loved cuddling with it, the soft inside fabric tickled your cheek, and it smelled of his perfect self. You tried to hug the jacket subtly without his detection but Lance saw and became a bashful mess. You bit the inside of your cheek, not looking into his eyes because of your embarrassment. “It’s so warm,” your lips turned into a small, satisfied smile. 

“It looks amazing on you,” Lance said breathless. 

“Oh wait!” You paused as you sprinted to an open field.

“What are you doing, Y/N?” 

After a few minutes you ran back to Lance. 

“What did you do?”

You brought out a daisy, kissed it, and gave it to Lance. “A present for you, my Lance.”

Lance couldn’t contain his love for you. He lifted you up and twirled you in his arms. “You are defiantly my girl.” He put you on his back as you both traveled back to the ship. 

On his back, you hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his hair, kissing the back of his neck. “I love you.” You whispered your heart and soul into his ear. 

“I love you princess.” Lance kissed your hands as you started drifting off to the rocking of his steps. His breathing a peaceful melody in your ear. You needed the day to get out and have fun and just be you with Lance. As the day was ending your smile became wide as you thought about how perfect this day was and it was with the most perfect boy. 

[violethowler]

Break the Wheel

It’s a common point of discussion in the Kingdom Hearts fandom how often the main heroes are screwed over by the actions and attitudes of their various mentors. Ansem the Wise, Eraqus, the Master of Masters... Nearly every mentor figure in the series has contributed in some way to the pain the young people they interact with have endured over the course of the series. 

The Master of Masters deliberately manipulated his pupils into turning against each other and starting a war to further his own agenda. The Foretellers spread that suspicion and mistrust of each other outward to the members of their respective Unions. From what we’re seeing so far, the Dandelions are removed from the Master’s direct influence and are handling the Potential Traitor discussion so much better than the Foretellers did in Back Cover, but something still clearly went wrong that left at least four of them thousands of years in the future with only vague memories of their past at best. 

Birth by Sleep showed how Eraqus’ paranoia and distrust of darkness directly lead to the suffering of his pupils. His attitude toward Terra’s darkness in the beginning drove the latter to seek validation from Xehanort, who used Terra for his own agenda causing Aqua to trap herself in the Realm of Darkness to save her friend. Eraqus’ insistence that she spy on Terra and bring Ven back to the Land of Departure drove a wedge between the trio at Radiant Garden. And his willingness to kill Ventus to stop Xehanort leads to his duel with Terra and subsequent death. 

Ienzo’s role in the experiments performed by the Organization’s founders prior to the fall of Radiant Garden is unclear, but his conversation with Ansem in Kingdom Hearts III suggests that the older apprentices kept him in the dark about many things and might have potentially used Ansem’s fondness for him to manipulate their mentor. This resulted in Ansem’s banishment and - if DDD is any indication - turning Ienzo into a Nobody against his will when he was only 8 years old. 

Ansem himself went on to openly seek the destruction of Roxas, Xion, and Namine for the sake of his revenge against everyone who wronged him, using his prejudice against Nobodies to justify the things he did in pursuit of his goals. And despite guiding Riku to accept his own darkness in Chain of Memories, Ansem still fundamentally buys into the view of Darkness as something inherently negative, best illustrated at the end of Riku’s side of that game where DiZ attempted to make Riku choose between the “road to light” and “road to darkness”, implicitly trying to force Riku into a rigid either/or path that Riku rejects in favor of choosing “the middle road”.

This pattern has repeated often enough that when fans on Twitter shared screenshots of Dark Road from the game’s prematurely leaked website showing Master Odin, several fans - myself included - began eagerly anticipating the ways in which this pattern of old men failing the young would rear its head in Xehanort’s time as an apprentice. 

The fact that this pattern appears so consistently across the entire Kingdom Hearts timeline is not an accident. The entire starting point of the Heroine’s Journey is built around the idea that the protagonist’s environment - parents, mentors, peers, sometimes even their entire society - has failed them in some way[1]. By forcing them to adhere to a rigid binary of what traits are considered desirable versus undesirable, it forces people who do not fit those standards to cut themselves off from vital parts of who they are in order to be recognized and validated.

So when the younger generation grows up with these standards and is called to fix the mistakes of their elders, they are expected to do so on their mentors’ terms[2]. In doing so, they will ultimately continue the cycle that led to those problems in the first place. But the central protagonist of the Heroine’s Journey is different. The qualities which set them apart are the same ones that allow them to think outside of this rigid binary and ultimately break that cycle. In the course of their growth, the main character learns to create a new, better world not by vanquishing a villain who represents the failures of the old one, but by healing the wounds those failures created. 

Kairi said it best in Kingdom Hearts III that Sora’s journey is about helping people, many of whom he’s never met before. This is significant because the protagonist breaking out of the cycle has commonly taken the form of learning to solve problems with compassion and understanding instead of violence and punishment[1]. The main character cannot improve the world around them by simply killing the villain and calling it a day. In order to achieve meaningful change they need to help the people who have been hurt by this rigid cycle. And as the contrast between Sora’s attitudes towards the dying Organization members in Kingdom Hearts II and III demonstrates, that includes the same villains he’s fighting against. Yes, even Xehanort.

Because when you look back and think about it, every non-Disney antagonist in the Kingdom Hearts series is shown to be motivated by the pain and/or trauma inflicted on them by the worldview of their peers and mentors, which they then took out on the people around them. 

Marluxia as Lauriam was powerless to stop Strelitzia’s murder, and then he lost all memory of his past when he arrived in the present from the Age of Fairy Tales. That knowledge casts his behavior in Chain of Memories as someone trying to control the people around him as a proxy to feel like he has control over his own life[3]. 

Ienzo’s words when Ansem returns in Kingdom Hearts III[4] and the fact that he was a child [5] when Radiant Garden fell[6] paint his words toward Riku in Chain of Memories about the latter destroying his home as Zexion projecting the repressed guilt over the destruction of his home onto Riku. 

Saix’s cruelty toward Roxas and Xion in 358/2 Days is revealed in Kingdom Hearts III to have been driven by jealousy towards Axel and the feeling that he was being abandoned and replaced[7].  

All of these characters’ villainous actions can be traced back to the influence of the mentor figures of their generation. Marluxia’s survivor’s guilt over Strelitzia’s death is the result of her killer attempting to defy the manipulations of the Master of Masters. Saix was gaslit about his own humanity by Xemnas and Xigbar for over a decade with Xemnas’ manipulation and whatever effect Norting had on him on top of that. Ienzo’s conversation with Ansem in Kingdom Hearts III indicates that he didn’t fully understand what Ansem’s adult apprentices were doing around him when they were conducting their experiments, and the flashback at the start of Dream Drop Distance suggests he had not become a Nobody of his own volition. 

Xehanort too, is someone who was hurt by this destructive cycle. The things he indicates he saw during his world tour - people refusing to acknowledge the darkness in their own hearts and allowing it to grow [8] - showed him the consequences of repressing one’s darkness and negative emotions as he and Eraqus were taught. He wanted to change this, but he was still so entrenched in that system that the best he could think of ultimately amounted to the same rigid viewpoint but flipped so that darkness was on top. 

The merciless death many fans felt Xehanort deserved would only reinforce the “darkness evil, light good” worldview that Riku’s redemption arc was built on overturning. In order to truly heal the wounds created by the rigid belief system that made the villain who they are, the protagonist needs to be able to extend their compassion and sympathy even to their greatest enemies, or else it fundamentally breaks the narrative. The idea that there should be limits or conditions on such compassion is exactly the kind of mentality that led Eraqus to try and kill Terra and Ventus in Birth by Sleep. It doesn’t mean the main characters will ever forgive the villain(s) for what they’ve done, but that they are choosing to let go. To focus their energy on self-care and rebuilding, instead of more violence and more destruction[2].

Regardless of how individual fans feel about it, Xehanort being treated with dignity in his final moments needed to happen in order to show Sora’s growth. If Kingdom Hearts III had given Xehanort a violent demise like some of us wanted, it would have been a betrayal of the Heroine’s Journey’s major themes. Treating opponents with sympathy and compassion is a critical element of the framework, and is necessary in order to allow the protagonist to break free of the destructive mentality that created the story’s overarching conflict in the first place. 

Sources:

[1] “The Heroine with a Thousand Faces”; June 13, 2019;

https://www.teampurplelion.com/heroine-with-a-thousand-faces/

[2] “On Love and Lions Part 1: An Analysis of Love in VLD”; February 14, 2020. https://www.teampurplelion.com/on-love-and-lions-1/

[3] Analysis of Marluxia by @mlhelena;  https://mlhelena.tumblr.com/post/185211447430/thought-that-ive-been-nursing-for-a-while

[4] Kingdom Hearts III. Square Enix, 2019. 

[5] Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Square Enix, 2010.

[6] Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Square Enix, 2012. 

[7] Concerning Atypical Heart Regrowth in Nobodies: Saïx Case Study by dicax; June 23, 2019.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19329115

[8] Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind. Square Enix, 2020. 

[vegetalass]

hey!!! don’t worry about dropping off the radar for a bit, you’re totally fine! how do you like bnha? I’m the same way in that I love the show but think that the fandom can be kinda 😬😬😬

you are too sweet and i love u and ur my best friend🥺thank you for being so understanding!!💜

as for bnha... im not very far yet so its been kinda a mixed bag, but overall I have to say im liking it a lot! honestly a lot of it is sooooo dramatic to me which can be really cringey but its always nice to watch something that does a good job of balancing light heartedness with a good story/a topic that’s taken seriously, so overall its been great (esp since the fandom is active and i dont have to beg for content)...

I also think THe fighting and yelling is a little weird too but i think it will get better the more i watch, which im super excited to do!! i also want to pick up the manga eventually which may help.. overall i just need to get over my hatred of high school LMAO and then it wont be so awkward for me!! Its sad that all the characters are babies.. im not even that old but still... being 15 is like being a babby practically. 

honestly tho, now that we’re here... i think my hatred of the bnha fandom stems back to 2016/17 when i really liked voltron legendary defender (which is actually so funny lmao)... bc to this day, VLD is the only show/fandom i’ve had to leave due to fandom issues and i think at the time, i was just salty bc a part of me felt like the annoying VLD fans just moved on to bnha... since ive always been sorta picky abt fandom depictions of characters in shows / animes, this was scary to me for a lot of reasons and still is since .. more fans = more interpretations... 

however.... now that some time has passed im just hoping i can find a good part of the fandom to hang out in so that i can enjoy the show IN PEACE the way i deserve!! im finally ready to forgive bnha for. being annoying🥰🥰🥰 (lmao im jk) and overall excited to think abt my own interpretations u know? 

[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.

[bi-dazai]

2017 has actually been a fairly good year for me like. ive stopped worrying about my final results for school so much and focused more on being mentally healthy and fighting against my anxiety, i’ve been getting better at art (mostly because i took it up more this year because it helps my mental health), i found vld (a MASSIVE turning point in my mental health - i could go more into it but to put it basically - depression sucks your enjoyment out of things. i havent truly enjoyed something in ages..and then vld came along. it..literally cured my depression), apparently i was one of the best-looking at my formal, graduation is only a few months away, i know where i want to go on life and what and where i want to study at uni, im going to canberra and sydney in two weeks for a week!!

like there are obviously bad things going on, particularly with my mum and me realising she’s been emotionally abusive for many many years towards me and not knowing where i should be heading with my relationship with her (she also threatened to leave me and my sibling on the very day i was out having fun with my friends and she KNEW that so that was uhh...awfully nice of her). but all these other things. guys im over the moon with happiness right now and i havent felt like this in YEARS