#vld wlw network

[vld-wlw-network]

Hey, everyone! The VLD WLW Network is looking for more mods.

Rules:

- follow this blog (feel free to follow the mods while you’re at it!)

- reblog this post

- fill out this application! (only a couple of questions, don’t worry)

Requirements:

- must identify as wlw

- must be a minor

- must be anti-shaladin/piladin/palalotor

We’re looking for 5-10 mods, and applications will close September 30th at midnight PST. Mods will be announced October 2nd at the latest.

All announcements will be tagged as #vld wlw network

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

[theliterarywolf]

Is She-ra any good? I was actually willing to try it out despite the "trap" jokes and being a reboot but then i found out about her creator who is kind of an ass. Her 3rd wave feminist, "lesbians can do no wrong", etc. mentality aside, i hated how she throws jabs at Steven Universe simply for not being queer enough and how much of an "anti" or "critical" of ANYTHING she watches can be

To answer the first question without any hangups or stipulations:

Yes, SPOP is good. Especially in the current scape of reboots that focus on just being 'new for the sake of new' rather than being good. Are there times where, as someone who grew up with OG!She-Ra, that this was just a new creative IP without having to be connected to something else? Yes. However, the show in of itself is enjoyable: definitely in that spirit of engaging YA adventure cartoons we got in the early 2000s before cable networks decided that comedy shows are the only ones worth the animation money.

Now, for the second part of your ask: I know Noelle has said some stupid shit about how she didn't like OG!She-Ra too much as a child --

Which, can I just say: can we STOP letting people who don't like/have never engaged with certain IPs be in charge of certain IPs? Between Thundercats Roar, TTG, Fan4stic, Godzilla (1999), hell, even toss in some of the moderators of Twitch hating video games and the people who play them (despite Twitch PRIMARILY BEING A VIDEO GAME STREAMING VENUE), and, even though I like it, SPOP, just... Give these projects to talented people who... Just so happen to like the inspiration material..? It's not that hard, really...

But I haven't read any comments by her on SU -- which will be disappointing if they're true, but... I have been noticing similar sentiments from some LGBT people who felt that some aspects of SU were copped out. Still shitty to say, but this wouldn't be the first time I've heard them. And I don't think she's an anti as much as she is a 'WLW ships are superior' wanker.

Which is still bad but, you know.

The only antis I know of on the SPOP crew were some of the animators who I don't even know their names so they are doubly worthless in the grand scheme of the universe.

There were also two people on staff who were salty Klance stans who kept trying to use their employment on this show to stick it to VLD but, again, I don't remember their names and they were called out on it so they are doubly worthless in the grand scheme of the universe.

Long story short, I would definitely recommend SPOP and if the people behind it really bother you, just mentally wipe all their names off of the production and say 'Wow, DreamWorks really did a great job with this show!'

'Wait, what about No--'

'WOW, DREAMWORKS REALLY DID A GREAT JOB WITH THIS SHOW!!'

[garr9988]

Hi, Dreamworks? 

It’s been 6 seasons, where’s the LGBT+ representation?

Not tiny hints, not just fan interpretation of lines and moments that could be construed in a non-romance way.

Actual queer representation.

We’re 20 something episodes away from the finale, and nothing concrete has been given. With LOK, you were working with a network that hated your show, so I can understand saving that WLW romance until the series finale.

You’re on Netflix now. You’ve been working on this show for a few years now. What happened.

On top of that, please please please, if you even include LGBT+ romance, even if it’s in the finale, please include MLM romance - a solid, lasting relationship, not a casual mention, not “I’m bi but I’m with a woman”. You repped WLW in LOK, MLM deserve the same representation. I’m not saying you can’t have both typed of relationships in VLD, but give us gay guys some representation too.

(Haven’t watched the show in a while, I’m not looking for actual spoilers, I just know there hasn’t been any concrete representation so far).

[ear]

We should put up a sign for the LGBT new comers to the fandom: abandon all hope ye who enter here

if vld has the same producers and writers who wrote a:tlok, which had a canon wlw couple on a network that didnt even ALLOW that at the time, how hard is it to make a mlm couple canon on a network that has barely ANY restrictions at all

[ladiesofvoltron]

Welcome to the launch of the Ladies of Voltron Network!

Firstly, huge thank you to @bosstoaster who made the gorgeous banner you see above!

What is the LOV Network? It’s a network entirely dedicated to the women and wlw ships of the Voltron universe, both VLD and previous canon. The network is discourse/hate free at all times and multishipping, so there’s bound to be something for everyone!

Who can apply to be a member of the network? Anyone! Being a creator (artist/writer/editor/etc) is a plus but not a requirement. I’m looking for friendly, active bloggers who will keep the blog poppin at all times 😎

How to apply? Simply send an ASK to this blog with the following information:

Your fave Voltron lady(ies) and fave Voltron wlw ship(s) - to get an idea what kind of content you’ll most likely be reblogging

If a creator, where can I find examples of your work? (tag on your blog, AO3 handle etc) *Note: this is optional, it’s just to get an idea what kind of content you might contribute

How often you anticipate you’ll be posting - to get an idea how active the network will be

How long will LOVNet applications be open? I’ll be accepting applications until the end of Ladies of Voltron Week, that is to say on Saturday September 30th at Midnight EST. I’ll review applications and announce the members on October 1st

Even if you don’t plan to apply, reblogging this post would be greatly appreciated to get the word out!

[bubleboobo]

hey bubble, i just started up the vld-wlw-network with some friends and i was hoping you could promo it!!!! it's pretty similar to the lance network, keith network etc. except it's all voltron wlw content all the time!

☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽

[aftselakhis-shaladin]

You are looking at a Doylist problem from Watsonian perspective. There was no canonical Korrasami content until last minute of the last episode because the creators were not sure whether the network will allow them to air a wlw storyline. And even when it did, it was showed in a way so subtle that it was easy to overlook unless you knew what you are looking at or followed the creators' social media accounts. In-story, Korrasami was not canonized until the release of the comic in summer last year, 31 months after the series finale.

As for VLD, the talk about diversity for me at least they meant racial diversity, which is kinda obvious: the Holts and Coran are the only white or white coded characters appearing in more than one episode. And if the creators meant queerness, they most likely meant Pidge, who shares many tropes associated with queer characters in manga and anime. Sheith will absolutely not happen, because every other incarnation of Voltron had Allura/Keith and Romelle/Sven(Shiro), there are parallels between Keith and Allura across various episodes, and Lauren Montgomery mentioned being fond of Romelle, so we can be 99% sure those pairings will be the endgame (unless the characters die, which is another probability).

I'm bi myself and as much as bi l@nce would bother me, I have to ask: Korra not Asami showed any outward interest in women either as far as I remember, as such it wouldn't be too out of left field for L@nce to be no would it? I mean they've heavily indicated he's straight, but it's not improbable.

I see where you’re trying to come from, but I’m just going to answer it from my own interpretation. Not only do I see it as improbable, as far as I’m concerned, it’s impossible. This comparison doesn’t add up for several reasons. First off, we’re talking about two completely different universes. If you read the LOK comics, you’ll see that many nations are still not accepting of lgbt people.

In fact, this intolerance is so notable, even Korra’s parents tell her and Asami not to be too open about their relationship so as to avoid trouble. They are explicitly told to keep a low profile so they aren’t harassed. 

It’s also a given that others aren’t very open about being LGBT, or at least, it’s an aspect of many people that was erased from history. It isn’t ever talked about how Kiyoshi was bi, and in universe that’s likely because of how homophobic the Earth Kingdom was, especially given the fact that being a powerful avatar still didn’t give her the ability to bring about more acceptance for LGBT people in her lifetime. And then, some incarnations later, we have Korra. You’re talking about someone from a universe where there is no significant representation for queer youth to identify with, where being lgbt is still considered a taboo and not something openly discussed. In this context, it makes sense for Korra to either not realize she was bi or not have the awareness of what being bi really is, having no previous frame of reference or access to an lgbt community. Internalized homophobia like Well, I can’t be bi, that’s not me, also makes sense in this context.

But Voltron takes place in a completely different universe. You’re talking about a world where the show runners have outright said there is no homophobia. Being bi isn’t a taboo, it isn’t looked down upon in this universe. You’re in a modern setting without homophobia, so lgbt role models, communities, representation, etc—that’s all readily available in this universe. That’s a setting with resources Korra never had. In canon, there is no excuse for Lance to have internalized homophobia causing him to only flirt with women. If he was bi, he’d openly flirt with any gender without guilt, denial, apprehension, and so on. This is very obviously not the case. Here’s an excerpt from one of the first interviews with the show runners on Voltron:

On the subject of there being no homophobia in the Voltron universe, Joaquim said, “In the future the paladins live in, these aren’t even issues that come up, and people are just accepting of who they are.”

Also interesting is Lauren’s comment that, “Representation is about “moving the conversation forward” and offering “more accurate representation of the people that are out there and our world.” (source here)

Korra as a person also doesn’t fall into the stereotypes that would make her harmful bi representation, but lance so clearly does. Furthermore, you can’t say but Korra never flirted with women and lance never flirted with men, so he could be bi too. Because the clear difference is this—Korra never flirted with every single male she laid eyes on. Lance flirts with literally every girl in sight. He likes flirting. And again, in a universe where there’s no homophobia, there’s no canon reason for him not to flirt just as openly with guys if he was bi. None. Context—that sort of thing is integral to analysis. Lance and Korra are two completely different characters living in very different universes that each of their own historical and modern context of LGBT issues. 

Going back to Lance, this notion that he was bi has been countered by the staff time and time again. Perhaps most telling was the show runners’ reaction to the question, “What would Lance look for in a future Mr. or Mrs Blue Lion?” Lance’s significant other, their gender was clearly left open there. The fact that “Mr.” came up at all and was said first, well, you can see where the interviewer wanted that to go. And yet, the show runners very deliberately responded with female pronouns only. In other words, Lance is exclusively attracted to women.

It was a very subtle, but definitively clear way of shutting down this idea of bi Lance in canon. They could’ve left their answer open, but they didn’t. Because, as they’ve said before, they’re against queer baiting. While saying that they never intended for k/l to be a thing in another interview, Lauren very kindly added that, “We’re not trying to cater to or bait anyone into anything, we’re just trying to do what’s right for the story.” (source) We’ve been given so many signals that lance isn’t bi in canon so as not disappoint or lead on viewers, but often time fans just don’t want to hear it. I’m thankful the show runners have assured fans they won’t even entertain the notion of hurting us through queerbaiting.

Interviewer: What would Lance look for in a future Mr. or Mrs. Blue Lion? I’m gonna guess she meant Red Lion now. I think she’s trying to fill out her space Tindr profile. But yea, what is Lance’s–And I like this, because Lance is kind of all over the place. He hits on anything that moves and is pretty, which all the aliens are pretty. But what would he look for, really, in a partner or a soulmate?

Lauren: I don’t know if Lance knows what he needs. I know what he might look for, but what he might look for is not necessarily what he needs. I think he needs someone who is self-assured and knowsherself, so that he can kind of become that same person and know himself. (source)

There are other clear indications from official source material that Lance is only attracted to women, such as his official character summary going out of its way to include the phrase, “Lance thinks he’s everyone’s best friend, especially if they’re cute and female.” Jeremy notes in an interview that, “No matter what [Lance] finds [Allura] attractive. Obviously he has a crush on her for sure,” and is able to make the clear distinction that, “it’s almost like [Keith and Lance] are brothers to an extent.” (source). Lance has never been mentioned having a crush or romantic feelings for any other gender but women, and it’s a point that comes up in both canon and supplementary materials time and again. See also Lance’s infatuation with princesses in the comics, how his romantic lines are all directed at women, ect. It’s both counterintuitive and counterproductive to write a bi character as straight as possible in a world where there’s no internalized homophobia. That’s just bad writing and it’s not representation. 

The show runners also said any possible lgbt representation was present from the very beginning. When asked about Korra and Asami’s relationship and whether Voltron would ever “take that step,” Lauren replied that, “We have those first 13 episodes and if we ever went beyond that, we would like to push the envelope.” (source here) So any representation they had planned, it’s evident from the very start. And yet, there’s noting to indicate Lance being bi in season 1. That’s why I’m more inclined towards Shiro and Keith–as they are already both very close and attached to one another from the very beginning, canonically have “the closest relationship” according to Joaquim (source), and neither has been written into a corner where they exclusively express clear romantic attraction to women like Lance. 

In conclusion, there’s no “evidence” I’ve ever seen for why Lance has to be our lgbt rep in canon, and everything that tried to appear as such read to me as just an excuse for canon k/l. I honestly think the popularity of the ship is the only reason why the bi lance headcanon is so prominent in the first place. People want bi Lance because it was a headcanon they arbitrarily decided on. In canon, there’s no reason for it. As far as I’m concerned, It could only ever happen as a result of bad writing and even worse representation. And when compared to Korra, you’re obviously looking at two very different narratives from widely varying contexts. Again, I’m sorry if I sound kind of down and bothered when I write these things, but it’s just…I think I’ve made my position on it clear, and I don’t think anyone is obligated to agree with me. That being said, I’m also not obligated to change how I feel. Because I’ve seen enough to have made my decision on how I view things.