everything voltron pt 2

vld season 7 thoughts

See, I'm kinda torn here. I liked the season, genuinely. Everyone had such powerful moments and I thought it was made well. But on the other hand, it WAS queerbaiting. They hyped up adashi, and then they kill off Adam. And I can understand not having time to really delve into the relationship, I really can. Voltron is not a romance, and some people can get so caught up with shipping that they forget that.

But there wasn't a reason to kill him off. None. Just have him fall back to the Garrison, it was that simple. Then there's a reunion, not overblown or anything, just an acknowledgement that yes, we love each other, then I left to go to space, and we need to mend this thing between us. It's frustrating. When I first heard about LGBT representation in Voltron, I was thrilled. I drew fanart, I wrote WIPS, I did it all. And now this. Instead of seeing a healthy couple that I can relate to, I get a dead soldier who never got to see his fiance again. And that, Voltron crew, really, truly, deeply hurts me.

Now, let's talk about klance.

I know I just said that Voltron isn't a romance, and I meant that. But if there was a couple that I wanted to get together, it would be klance. I just think it felt right. Lance being bi would give me anf others a role model, and Keith being gay would resonate with a large portion of this fanbase. Now, I'm not entirely sold on the idea of Lance being a rebound for Allura. It is a rushed relationship for Allura, and she showed no interest in him for the first six seasons, but I'll give the writers the benefit of the doubt. But Lance has shown genuine interest in Keith, as a friend, teammate, and partner. And Keith has reciprocated. Even this season, with trusting Lance to leading, and voting for him in that game show, and even screaming his name when Lance was injured in the explosion. It would have been maddeningly easy to make them a couple. Even people that worked on the show said that it would be natural, and said that they shipped klance.

What we got instead was allurance, which would be cute if it wasn't so rushed, and Allura felt as though she was written so plainly into that role. And, if I'm reading this correctly, we're getting kexca, which... Honestly, it felt like someone was stuffing paper down my throat and forcing me to swallow. They just met, not including the time where they didn't even speak to each other many seasons earlier. Plus, they had been enemies for most of the time they knew of each other. And suddenly now they're attracted to each other? That is bad writing.

As for the rest of the season? I liked it. Colleen is fierce, Hunk had some AWESOME character development, Pidge's brain came up with some big save the day moments, Allura's quick thinking with her crown saved Shiro's life, Coran got to show off his piloting skills (which are severely underrated), Romelle was adorable and so helpful, Keith had good leadership moments after getting his attitude in check, Lance proved to be way stronger and braver than anyone had thought previously, Sam took charge of the Garrison forces, Iverson stood up to authority, Sendak was a scary villain, Veronica used her smarts to get the allies out of dire situations, and Griffin and his crew showed just how vital some Garrison cadets can be in the face of a Galra invasion.

Despite everything, I do want to point out that while Shiro is not a pilot, he had some awe inspiring moments this season, queerbaiting or not. They way he took control of the situation on the Atlas ship? Awesome.

If you're mad about the queerbaiting, be mad. There was no reason for it, and it hurt. Take the time to rest and take care of yourself. Just don't send hate to the cast and crew, it just hurts more people. And if you ship klance, yeah, that can hurt too, it's okay. They hinted at it and used it to draw us in, and we played into their hands. But try to look on the bright side. There were genuinely good character moments this season, so maybe it wasn't all a waste.

Drop the show if you want, or stay for the final season. But take this day to take it all in. That's what I'll be doing. Don't be irrational and stay positive.