deconstructing-klance

[deconstructing-klance]

I finally finished VLD

Yes, it's taken me roughly 2.5 years after first watching VLD to finally finish the entire series.

I slowed down watching it in 2022 because I didn't want it to end. The thought of not seeing Keith in a new episode made me really sad. I have a thing for Keith, okay?

Another reason it's taken me so long is because, since I don't live in the same zip code as my parents, I was booted out of their Netflix and couldn't log on.

Today, I have no idea why or how, I was able to get back into Netflix, and finally finished s8 ep 8-13. Now that I've completed the show in its entirety, I feel confident in moving forward with deconstructing the Klance "evidence." I have no idea if I'll be able to get back in to Netflix again, but I'm planning on buying seasons 1-6. That will give me a lot of material to work with. If I can't get back in to Netflix after today, having those seasons will give me ample time to find a way I can potentially borrow someone else's Netflix to watch seasons 7 & 8.

I also want to point out, again, that the Klance ship is not the issue. It's the reasoning and cherry picking that people use to justify that Klance is "canon," and also the attitude of the really mean shippers out there.

So buckle up, buttercups! We're gonna get into some really interesting discussions.

[deconstructing-klance]

Is it bad that I'm kind of curious to know how many Klance shippers have already blocked me?

[deconstructing-klance]

Unhinged Klance Shenanigans #1

While working on my posts, I do a lot of research. My schooling involved research to support my ideas. I like to find anything that can back up what I say or confirm any Klance news. I like to be accurate, transparent, and thorough. If any official VLD news comes out that Klances does happen post show and confirms all of the supposed "Klance coded" moments, then I'll admit I was wrong.

But I still won't ship them because, in my opinion, they're not good for each other and would not last long in a relationship for various reasons. That's a blog post for another day.

Anyway,

I came across this while researching ... and I was just floored.

"As human beings, we deserve the right to have Klance be canon."

Much entitlement. Such audacity.

Let's take a look at the language here. (This is my speciality.)

Deserve is a verb. It stems from an Old French word, deservir - deserve, be worthy of, earn, merit.

Interestingly, deservir comes from the Latin deservire - serve well, serve zealously.

Breaking deservir down: the suffix de = completely, and servire = to serve.

And, according to Etymonline (my favorite website ever WHICH NOW HAS A MOBILE APP), the Latin sense of the world evolved from "to completely serve/serve completely" to "be entitled to because of good service," and then to the French "be worthy of."

This is a LOT to unpack.

Firstly, let's take a look at the original meaning of the Latin deservire: serve well, serve zealously.

I think it's pretty known that Klancers serve their ship pretty zealously. Almost to the point where it's a little scary. Maybe even a little cultish.

As much as I love VLD, making my own head canons, and acknowledging how much it means to me as a person, I do know that it is fiction. Just because something is fiction doesn't make it less valid or important. Saying "It's just a show" severely invalidates how deeply it has impacted people. But, at the end of the day, Voltron is a beautiful piece of fiction that has been shared with the world.

A fictional ship that has such a chokehold on you that you make a petition to get it canonized ... that's overkill.

And it can't be said that the majority of Klancers serve their ship well. Because raise your hand if you've seen Klancers bully people for not shipping Klance, or you have been personally bullied by a Klancer.

That brings about my second point concerning the modern day meaning of deserve: to be worthy of."

Frankly, because of the bad Klancer attitudes, they don't deserve to have Klance canonized. They're not worthy enough to have that ship canonized because their vitriol kinda dragged down the fandom.

This is what I mean about being tired of Klance shipper attitudes. Being a human being does not entitle you to have your preferred ship be canon.

As a human being, you deserve health, prosperity, love, and kindness.

DreamWorks would never take this seriously and I'm glad this petition didn't go anywhere.

Suggestion for the future: if you want to start a peition, your name really should be on it, because that's one way to show you genuinely stand behind what you're petitioning for. Notgivingmynameforprivacyreasons, I wish you luck in your future endeavors.

Also, I don't see any credit given to Ikimaru for the Klance art that was used. I may not be a Klance shipper, but I think her art is beautiful. (See? Even as a non-Klance shipper I can validate her art and see the beauty in it.) I even considered commissioning her for a time, before I realized she doesn't do commissions anymore (at least, last I checked), and after thinking it over figured Ikimaru probably wouldn't accept a non-Klance VLD commission. And that's completely okay.

[deconstructing-klance]

So I personally know the individual who wrote this fanfic.

Compared to the other information of the other fanfics on this blog, this post is extremely sad. Only one line of the summary is mentioned out of three pragraphs.

Most importantly, her OC is not mentioned at all, even under Characters. Her OC is a huge, huge, major character in the story - the main character next to Keith. Absolutely no indication in this post.

This is a really sad way to advertise a fanfic and writer who puts a lot of effort into her work.

In the Rough

read it on the AO3 at In the Rough

by glowing_embers16

This is a work in progress and the plot hasn’t been completely fleshed out, but here are the basics:

There are some things - and people - that the heart can’t forget. And the universe never gives third chances … right?

Words: 773, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt

Additional Tags: Angst, Music

read it on the AO3 at In the Rough

[deconstructing-klance]

I feel like this goes very well with my previous posts about shipping. I think this is also a reason I cannot stand it when people write soulmate fanfiction with teens, especially about k l a n c e. Those two, as much as I adore Keith and Lance as individuals, are way too stupid at 18 and 17 to realize someone is their “soulmate.”

I love my mom, because when we'd start arguing about kataang vs zutara as kids shed put a stop to it by saying "no one is meeting their soulmate at 16, and most of them are kids and shouldn't be dating anyone!"

[deconstructing-klance]

The Hypocrisy of the Klance & Plance Age Differences

I'm a Plance shipper. I think Lance and Pidge are perfect together. I'll get into that a different day, though.

The main gripe I hear from Klance shippers about how Plance is "creepy" and "doesn't work" is because there's a 3 year age difference between the two.

Alright then, let's look at ages.

The VLD timeline is convoluted at best. I literally spent about 3 hours one night trying to figure out the timeline and eventually came to one that I think works out pretty well. A HUGE shoutout goes to Greg Tyler who wrote several blog articles about this confusing conundrum.

The ages of the Paladins when they leave in the Blue Lion:

Keith - 18

Hunk - 17

***This is where I demonstrate someone can have their own head canon but still respect canon when it comes to official VLD issues. I personally believe his age is really 18. Hunk is listed as being 17 with his birthday is in January. Due to Hunk's looks, size, and maturity, I don't think the year they left in the Blue Lion he turned from 16 to 17. I think he turned from 17 to 18. So in the VLD fan stuff I create, Hunk is older than Lance, not younger. But we'll go with what the creators said and also because Hunk's age is 17 in the guidebook.***

Lance - 17

Pidge - 15

***Pidge's age has been disputed over the years, with some incorrectly saying she's 14. The guidebook states she is 15. I think some of the misinformation is spread so people can look down on the Plance shipping.***

To keep the mathing simple, let's assume Keith was born in the year 2300. Birthdays will be thus:

Again, the year is arbitrary to make mathing easier. I still can't figure out what year VLD takes place.

In S1 E1, there's a calendar on the wall in Keith's shack that has the number 2 on it. Assuming Keith kept up with his calendar, we know the Paladins left in the Blue Lion on the 2nd.

Picture courtesy of Violet the Howler

I go with Greg's timeline, because he's pretty much a Voltron scholar of all the different Voltron branches. Greg worked out that the Paladins left in May, which looks accurate from the scenery.

Note: I live in the desert, and yes, there is a difference between Spring and Fall. The sun light in S1 E1 looks much more like Spring light than Fall light.

So, the Paladins and Shiro left Earth in the Blue Lion on May 2nd, 2319.

Seasons 1-6 take place roughly throughout the rest of 2319 and I believe into 2320.

This is where things get complicated.

By December of 2319, these are the Paladins' ages:

Going along with the timeline, Keith does his two year age jump in the Quantum Abyss sometime in the first half of 2320.

So, the first half of 2320, the ages are:

And at the end of 2320, the ages are:

Take a good, long look at those ages for the second half of 2320.

Most people will be hung up on the fact that Lance is 19 and Pidge is 16. It's a 3 year age difference.

But what is Keith's age minus Lance's age? 22-19?

3 years.

Let's repeat that.

22-19 = 3.

Keith is 3 years older than Lance due to his two year jump in the Quantum Abyss.

Now before y'all come at me, finish reading the entire post.

Pidge and Lance are only 2 years apart for roughly 3.5 months, from April - July.

Lance and Keith are only 2 years apart for roughly 3 months, from July - October.

Thus, because of Keith's time jump, Lance and Keith are as far apart in age as Lance and Pidge.

Actually ... Pidge and Lance are technically closer in age by roughly two weeks.

"But 22 and 19 are better than 19 and 16 because 22 and 19 are adults!" I can just hear some of y'all screaming this at the computer.

Here's a fun little fact:

Just because someone is 18 and a legal adult does not necessarily mean it is okay for them to date another legal adult.

Someone at 19 can still be in a very predatory relationship with someone who is 22.

Klancers who are saying that their ship is more "moral" are just wrong.

It's not more moral. Either Klancers don't know how to math or they're willing to look the other way when it comes to what they want.

And before my words are twisted and taken out of context, I'm not saying Keith and Lance would have a predatory relationship. But the logic that their three year age gap is better than Lance and Pidge's because it's "more moral" doesn't hold any ground and is flawed.

Do Klancers honestly think a story with a 23 year old Pidge and 26 year old Lance is worse than a 23 year old Lance and 26 year old Keith?

Make it make sense.

If Pidge having a crush on Lance when she's 15 and he's 17 and then turns 18 is bad, then no one should have celebrity crushes - or just crushes in general. Ever. Until they're at least 21.

Do you really think a 19 year old Lance would date a 16 year old? I don't think so. Where are your morals if you think Lance would do that? And, quite frankly, neither of them are ready to date at the end of the series (before we get the 5 year in the future photo). Lance is still mourning the loss of Allura and Pidge is focused on improving the Garrison.

Not to mention all of the trauma and therapy everyone needs to go through. They need time to process and work on themselves. But I can see a Pidge and Lance in their 20s connecting with each other. They're a perfect balance of each other.

But, again, that's another post for another day. Don't worry - it's coming.

Right now, though, I'm gonna go water some Plance - I mean, plants.

[deconstructing-klance]

What's the purpose of this Tumblr?

Hello Voltron fans! Thank you for taking the time to browse this little blog.

Let's get right to it. While Voltron: Legendary Defender is a wonderful show, the VLD fandom sucks. This is, in the largest part possible, because of the attitude of Klance shippers.

The problem isn't the ship - I want to make that clear. If people want to ship Keith and Lance, that's fine. The issue is, as stated above, the attitude of those shippers.

I also want to point out that not all Klance shippers are mean and spiteful. Some of them are very open to other ships and OCs.

Sadly, they are few and far between. We need more Klancers who are either:

a) more friendly and accepting of other ships within the VLD fandom

or

b) know how to keep their mouths shut

I came to the fandom late - several years after the final episode aired. Once I got in the thick of things, I was appalled at what I saw and read online. The disdain Klancers had for anyone who didn't agree with their ship was palpable, sad, and upsetting.

I have read hateful comments. I have seen people question someone's writing because they paired Keith with an OC. I've seen an Instagram story that literally said, "I will be the most toxic Klance shipper." I have seen comments harassing the official Voltron Instagram account. And let's not forget about the time a fan blackmailed the studio about Klance.

What's most frustrating, though, is the fact that Klance shippers have seriously blurred the lines between canon and fanon.

Just because something is fanon - no matter how many people are behind it - does not make it canon. If it doesn't come from the creators or show runners in any official capacity relating to information about the show, it is not canon.

This also includes the personal opinions and preferences of the showrunners and creators. What comes out as official communication, guidebooks, etc. about the show is official.

Show creators work together. Not every idea in the writer's room will be used. What comes out in the show is what the creators agreed upon. As someone who works with a group, you have to put your own opinions aside at times for the good of the project.

The VLD fandom is a very isolating, lonely place for those of us who don't ship Klance.

And, honestly, I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of being belittled, made fun of, talked down to, and seeing other creators have their work torn apart because someone doesn't like it.

The purpose of this Tumblr is to take all the "evidence" of things that are said to be "Klance coded" and present how they are, in fact, not.

This is a place to point out where Klancers are reading too much into things, grasping at straws, and reeeeeeaaaaaaaaching too far to prove a point.

All sides deserve to be heard and taken into considering.

Klancers have been screaming in the fandom for years.

It's time to make everyone else's voice loud, too.