#me posting on my silly little corner of the internet: i hope everything goes peacefully

[softeststarlight]

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[sshining]

As I did this, I noticed the same question come up over and over again in different guises, so let this be an answer to all of them: 

STOP SENDING HATE. FOR WHATEVER REASON. If everyone on tumblr got hate just for their opinions, geez, nobody would share anything with each other. We wouldn’t have a fandom. Stop it. Everyone’s entitled to think what they want. It’s fiction. Everyone has what they like/dislike and that’s ok as long as nobody puts anyone down for enjoying things they don’t necessarily agree with.  Fictional preference =//= IRL values. 

Ie) Game of Thrones is bomb af but it doesn’t mean I condone rape or senseless killing etc. 

this is a long af post. like wow. i should’ve studied but nope. do this insanely long essay questionnaire.  for @paperparfait

What’s your opinion on Klance? Initially I just thought it was another yaoi ship the fans had gone nuts with. Now it’s all over the place and rubbing off on me a little. It’s cute and there’s certainly basis for it in the show; ships have sailed on less for sure, so it was inevitable. I don’t hardcore ship it but fan portrayal of it sure is cute. Both Lance and Keith have had their fair part of being the blushy mess/cool side of the relationship. 

What’s your favorite ship, and why? JUST ONE ?! My go to used to be Shallura but I gotta say the platonic Shiro/Keith and Kidge have wormed their way into my heart. Damn it Keef. He’s got some strong Lion King Simba feels. Lost lonely Galra halfling boy. Poor thing. It feels impossible to not multi-ship after you really study the team’s interactions. They all have these wonderful quirks and things that make their relationships (romantic or otherwise) believable and have so much depth. It’s a great foundation for fanworks because there’s so much unexplored and so much potential for whatever the individual fan/viewer sees. It makes your heart twinge a little when your ship isn’t canon, but I think that’s what builds great storytellers in the fandom. It allows us to expand on it and I am grateful that the showmakers left it open (for now). Do you think the fandom is too concerned with “ship wars” that they’re not appreciating the show and its characters as a whole? YES. 

Do you think the writers are portraying Hunk as a “Foodie”, or someone who has a deep passion for cooking food? The latter. Passion for cooking and foodie aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive tho. He likes good food and he likes making good food for others to enjoy (Space Mall ?) so they can appreciate what he finds comforting, I think. It’s like sharing a blanket with someone, I guess. But food.

Are Allura’s inital reactions about Keith being a Galra justified? Why or why not?

OK OK OK; Allura’s anger is understandable, but never justified. She shows innately human responses; here is somebody she trusted who is (v remotely) connected to something that caused her great pain and loss. Obviously she’d feel betrayed and we know the reasons why; but this is somebody who has otherwise never done her harm. She hated Keith simply because of his relation to the Galra; she then mistook her anger at the actions of Zarkon for her anger at Keith. Spooky parallels between this and Katara being pissed at Zuko in the Southern Raiders field trip; angry over the loss of her mother, she redirects that anger at Zuko because he’s the closest thing to the Fire Nation she can take it out on. In the end, she realised losing her planet and race and her family wasn’t Keith’s fault and she never should have blamed him. I’m sure in her heart she knew better, but she let her anger control her actions. I think it shows great growth that she can move past it, because not everyone can pull an Aang and forgive. Even though she was a princess, she still had faults and I love that about her. Omg I want to write an essay on this.

Do you think that the Voltron fandom is “toxic”, if so, what do you think we could do as a fandom to end this toxicity?

The warzone and whatnot is toxic; I’ve been lucky to stay out of it and I’d recommend everyone do the same. No matter where you go, I think there’s always a huge risk of a fandom (especially a big one) of having a toxic corner. Let it be just that; a corner. Everywhere you go, there will be people who disagree/don’t like what you like. You just have to learn to either live alongside each other or avoid each other. Hopefully the people who disagree and whatever are mature enough to respect your decisions and co-exist. This is often not the case, so in that case, just do your best to ignore it. People who don’t want to listen just won’t. Let them sit in their angry little corner. Don’t let them stop you from enjoying something that’s so great like Voltron. This is the internet; it’s not like you have to see/work with these people every day - you can avoid it if you so wish. 

Do you think Keith would make a good leader? Why or why not? Does he show any evidence throughout the show that he would? Should people send hate to other people in the fandom for thinking Keith is a good leader, or liking the fact that he had character development? (see v first response)

UM. Keith right now at the end of S2 ? Not ready. Nobody is ever ready to be a leader right off the bat. It’s something he’ll grow into. I imagine by the end of S3 he might be more ready. He’s lost and unable to take into consideration the rest of the team because he’s so caught up in finding out who he really is. If you don’t even know yourself, how can you understand the team you’re a part of and lead it well ? Shiro is right that he shows potential; he sets a goal and he is determined and strong-willed enough to see it to completion. He cares about his team members. And he’s willing to listen to Shiro’s advice and learn from his mistakes. Kid’s got potential. But he lacks real leadership experiences. 

What do you think about the diversity of the characters in the show? LANCE IS CUBAN APPARENTLY. I love the diversity. Strong girls, all sorts of examples of masculinity and intelligence. Breaking stereotypes everywhere. Love it. Should it be an unwritten rule that fans should not harass the cast and crew members about issues in the fandom, or ships? Why or why not?

I’m so embarrassed actually that cast/crew members have been harassed (if it’s happened). Acting like kids in front of the people who put in hard work to bring you this wonderful content; you should be ashamed. Fandom issues are fandom issues. They just want to see you guys enjoy what they put their heart into. They always sound so happy and proud that Voltron has such a huge following of loyal fans. I hope y’all will act in a way that upholds their pride in the fandom. SIDE NOTE THO: apparently in Korea, kdramas have been ruined by online netizens (ie angry, loud fans online with nothing better to do) who demand certain pairings or endings. In the end, the drama goes the way the netizens want and the story is often ruined because of this. What the fans want isn’t necessarily the best way to go for a work. 

What are your thoughts on the Shaladin ships?

I had to search what Shaladin actually was. I just saw a lot of hate, unfortunately. Well IDK about romantic shipping, but certainly, I love exploring their interactions. They’re such dynamic characters, just LET ME STUDY ALL OF THEM. I want everyone (Besides Keith) to have a life changing field trip with Shiro at some point.

What are you expecting from season three this September?

I DON’T EVEN KNOW. I JUST WANT TO WATCH IT.

Do you think some people in the fandom are stripping the characters of Voltron from their diverse, fleshed-out personalities to slap their face on their HCs, ships, etc? If so, what are your thoughts on that?

Well yeah, this is a minefield of a question. Again this comes down to people disagreeing with things, respecting that other people see different aspects of a character and peacefully co-existing. Everyone sees what they want to see or sees parts of themselves in a character they like. Everyone is entitled to enjoy Voltron the way they want to, even if I don’t agree with them. Let people be happy. But I do love it when I come across HCs and ships with well thought out reasoning and study from the actual canon. It makes it that much more believable and enjoyable for me.

What is the show lacking?

MORE EPISODES. MORE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHARACTERS THAT NEVER GET TO INTERACT MUCH. Even though it was short, I thoroughly enjoyed Lance and Pidge being together and unlocking their big-bro watching out for his sassy badass nerd younger sister dynamic. SPACE MALL YOU GUYS. He doesn’t even question it; Pidge really wants this game and he’s gonna help her grab coins from a fountain like a pair of hobos because he cares about her. 

The more I thought back on it and re-watched the episode the more I wanted to see it. It’s so cute and I love seeing Lance not being a flirty McFlirtson and being a genuinely supportive and kind person. I also can’t wait to see Keith as Reckless Leader in a repeat of that early scene where he drives them all off a cliff and everyone is screaming their heads off but with him as official Leader and about to make everyone do something really high risk-high pay-off. 

Keith afterwards tho

What do you think Lotor would be like?

I have no idea. I’ve seen everything from shitpost Edgelord to flirty Lance lover to “I will avenge my father and lead our empire to absolute victory !” trailer Lotor. I think he’ll be most like what we’ve seen heard in the trailer. He will be a gallant prince who will fight ruthlessly and with charm. Hopefully we’ll see some silly sides of him too. I also want him to be one of those “omg we can’t beat this guy” mastermind and I want to see Keith trying desperately to lead his pride (of Voltron lions) to victory but he’s struggling against this chessmaster prince and he’s like “Shiro I’m sorry, I’m failing you as Leader” and everyone supports Keith and recognises how hard he’s working for the team but I want the team to be really panicked and have a “we failed the universe” moment. It will be heartwrenching and wonderful. A N G S T  4  L Y F E.

What do you think about people who say they will quit the fandom if their ship doesn’t become canon? Are you one of those people? If you are, why would you quit?

QUIT THEN. And no, I’m not gonna quit just because things didn’t go my way. I’ve lived through so many non-canon ships like whatever. It just means I can go on writing whatever HC I want and explore the infinite possibilities. Yeah it kind of hurts in the short term but eh. Respect the creators. Trust in their creative vision. Besides, this is not a romance-driven series, so why would it...happen ?

How can people in the fandom express their disliking for a ship without it making themselves look like an arse?

repeat after me: I do not like nor ship this but I will respect the fact that you do and refrain from sending hate to you about your choices.

Did you think Keith’s character development was well thought out? Who do you think his mother is, and what all happened in his past?

What development tho. He’s still as he was back in S1 imo. A little more mature and able to work in the team. He’s developed the ability to listen to others, but I think he kind of grew further into himself because of all the questions he had about his past. His mama is Galra for sure, and we know he was abandoned by her (for reasons unknown). Poor thing. I think he also learnt to tolerate Lance but you know they still fight like babies. So nah. IMO I don’t think he grew up that much. We just saw into a little of his mystery and understood where he came from. We just understand his actions more now.

Is Shiro dead? If not, where do you think Shiro is? (My best guess is the astral plane, but I would’t know :p)

Astral plane, bitches. Let’s go. Chekov’s...astral plane ? Why did they mention it at all if it had no other meaning in S2 ?

Is it okay for people to express their excitement online/in social media/publicly when (if) their ship becomes canon? Sure why not ? Congrats y’all ! Hopefully I’ll be one of those people ahaha. If not, ah well. Nothing new.

What are your thoughts on Matt escaping? Do you think Pidge will be reuinited with him in season three? 

iT’S HAPPENING WE ALL KNOW. I’M PSYKED. YES IT’S HOLT REUNION TIME. I wonder if that means everyone’s gotta call Pidge “Katie” now. Pidge is such a cute name.

Are you excited for season three? Why or why not? DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK, OFC I AM. Even if I had no idea what was gonna happen in S3, I’d still be excited because the quality of this show (aside from the beginning few episodes where they had to set the world up etc) has been so top notch. I have faith that S3 won’t disappoint. I have such immense faith in the cast and crew. 

Are smaller ships (such as Kallura, Kidge, Heith) in the fandom just as valid as the larger ones (such as Sheith, Klance, Shallura)?

It may not feel like it is, but every ship is valid so long as you’ve got shippers. Y’all kids are allowed to enjoy whatever it is you enjoy. Don’t let anyone send you messages saying otherwise. I wasn’t aware Kallura was a smaller ship tbh. Klance does dominate tho. Red oni/blue oni pairings are always popular no matter what fandom. (Spitfire in YJ anyone ?)

What are your thoughts on people calling Kallura heteronormative but then they ship another heterosexual/mantic ship (such as Shallura)?

I just read a lot of big words. I’m not sure what heteronormative even means.  *one Google later* I don’t deny that for nearly all of media history heteronormative stuff has dominated. But I think putting that on a ship that a) isn’t even confirmed canon and b) is just a bloody ship that people enjoy isn’t right. Say if a movie had a male and female lead who ended up romantically together and put a homosexual potential relationship in a bad or lesser light; that would be heteronormative. In any case, that’s not something to put blame on a bunch of fans that aren’t even related to the writing or creative process. They’re just enjoying a ship. And yes IMO that’s rather hypocritical; you can’t ship this hetero pair but you can ship this one because it’s ok by my standards. You better have some rock solid reasoning and logic behind that one. What makes it ok/not ok ? Is it the thing that Lance is (possibly) bi and a preferred ship for Keith ? 

What are your thoughts on sexuality headcanons?

they’re HC; let people ENJOY WHAT THEY WANT. Stop policing the way people think about a fictional thing. 

Do you think ship discourse will ever stop/settle down in the fandom? N E V E R.  So long as people have different opinions, there will always be a struggle to co-exist. It’s just human nature.

What do you think about Kalteknecker disappearing? Sadness. (are we talking about the cow ?) Do you think Pidge and Lance ever played their game? NO AND THAT’S EVEN MORE SADNESS. But I hope Lance comforted Pidge and they shared memories over stupid nerdy things on Earth they enjoyed. I hope they find a way to play it tho. Lance was really homesick so I think he and Pidge would really bond over that.

Between Keith finding out he was a Galra at the end of The Blade of Marmora episode, and The Belly Of the Weblum, they didn’t show everyone’s inital reactions to Keith being a Galra. What do you think happened between the team? Why do you think the writers left that out?

Well, firstly as an aspiring writer myself, I’ve been told: if it doesn’t add to the plot or move it along, you don’t need it. Less is more. The most important reaction was Allura’s; everyone else pretty much accepted Keith except her. It’s safe to assume that they were all shocked, but what’s more important is what they did after the shock. Shiro and Pidge were aiite. Hunk was “idk what to do” but got over it real quick realising Keith was still Keith. I don’t remember Lance’s reaction tbh. The team probably had a “OMG” moment and then got over it, because they’re a team. That showed easily enough in the final battle when they were all working together regardless.

Which is the best episode out (so far)?

I DON’T WANT TO SAY SPACE MALL BUT I REALLY LIKED SPACE MALL. I think I liked...the episode with the Olkari in it (Greening the Cube). Not only did we get to see Pidge in focus, the concept of green technology ALWAYS GETS ME. I loved the solar panel roads in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, and I love solarpunk/green tech stuff. It’s such a concept and the art looks amazing and so fantasy-esque in what’s a known sci-fi genre. It also gives me hope that we’ll have tech like that one day. Hopefully I’ll get to enjoy it. I think Keith’s little “we’re all related” moment also hit home. It was defs a “space Swamp” episode for Voltron and Keith had an Avatar moment.

What are your thoughts on Haggar being Altean? Do you think Allura will be distraught about this, the fact that one of her own people has been helping the Galra do such horrible things so loyally?

Plot twist wow. I think since it happened so soon after her learning of Keith’s Galra heritage, it didn’t surprise her as much as I expected. She was in the heat of battle tho, so I can’t gauge her reaction and thoughts as accurately. Maybe she’ll ponder over it, but I think most likely knowing that there are good Galra that have helped them (ie the Blade of Malmora) lends itself to the fact that the possibility of bad Alteans is in fact a reality. Maybe she’ll have an ultimate realisation/epiphany in S3 about it.

Do you think Allura’s apology to Keith was sincere? Do you think she grew as a person/character? Yes and yes. She was able to guide her anger at the Galra away from Keith and recognise that he was not an appropriate target for it. That takes some real emotional maturity. I haven’t seen the episode in a while, but from memory, she sounded like she couldn’t believe that she’d distrusted him so much after everything they’ve been through together. She had betrayed a friend and she regretted that. It might have felt a bit rushed since Voltron eps are only 20 mins or so long; if it had been longer, the writers might have had a bit more play time with it. What do you think the team’s reactions will be when Keith takes over as the pilot of the Black Lion? WHAT DO U MEAN WHEN. omg. Maybe some initial “WTF”, but they’re in a dire situation. Pidge probably understands this the most; her logic will win them over and they’ll most likely have to quickly accept Keith as leader in the meantime while they look for Shiro. Lance will have a fit over this probably. Pidge and Hunk will watch on as Keith and Lance have more fights than ever. Allura will probably step in as the parent in lieu of Shiro.

How do you think the team will take Shiro’s disappearance/death?

Poor lost little lion cubs. Keith will be the most anxious to find him and deny that Shiro is gone. I think he’ll feel the most alone since the Garrison trio will at least have each other to lean on, and with Lance probably mad that Keith is leader, it will most likely polarise the group. I’ve got the Shallura bug bad, so I wanna say Allura won’t take it well either. Maybe Keith and Allura will comfort each other and bond over the man who left them to deal with shit they’re not ready for. Do you think that we will ever find out who all made up the original team of Voltron?

WE BETTER.

How do you think Lance will take it when he finds out his rival will pilot the Black Lion in Shiro (his hero)’s footsteps?

sEE ABOVE. He won’t take it well. If at all.

Do you think Hunk and Lance grew as characters in season two?

Hunk is more ready to be a hero than he was in S1, yes. Lance. I can’t tell TBH. What do you think of Pidge’s character development?

I applaud my child’s acceptance of her new space family and her role in the team. 

Will Rover ever come back? Or will Pidge ever have a new robot friend? I hope Rover does come back. Pidge lost Rover as she accepted her role in Voltron (an episode I did rewatch recently); I find it sad that she lost a friend as soon as she learnt to appreciate friendship and support.

Is Coran the gorgeous man?

yaaaas. (but I really dig side-shaved emo-teen Coran’s design)