#vld s7 review

[zenchii]

scrolling through the st tag,,, god the post vld s7 of it all,,,

[keithxhappiness]

Voltron Season 7 In-Depth Review *SPOILERS INCLUDED*

I can't believe Pidge and Lotor made out in the Green Lion.

JK. But seriously, spoilers ahead, stay away if you haven't watched the season yet! Then, come back, and read my thoughts on it :)

1. Let's start by discussing the beautiful Keith. With his beautiful scar, and his beautiful "flippity" hair. I watched the first two episodes separately from the rest of the season, and I am so happy to see how far he's come. Certainly, season 6 was much more Keith-centric, and it seems that he's more or less completed his maturation then. This season was a chance to display his leadership skills and the product of that maturation. Although, of course, he did have lapses in his patience, where he lost control of his temper, in that space-madness episode, but what can you do? Space madness gets everyone, even Shiro probably. Anyhow, I almost shed a tear when he told his mom he loved her, and I am so so so glad that their relationship was designed to be one filled with optimism and hope, in place of resentment, guilt or regret -- which was another direction the writers could have gone. And it brings a smile to my face knowing that he was reunited with her again at the end of the season, and that their promises to each other were fulfilled. So, overall, I'm just happy that he's happy. I really only ship Keith with happiness and this season that ship became canon :) Also, can we start calling Keith "The One With the Flippity Hair"? What does flippity even mean? :') I love it.

2. Kosmo. Yorak. Whatever you guys want to call him. The space wolf. First off, I can't get over the fact that Keith thinks the wolf will tell him his name when he's ready. Keith, the wolf can't speak English! HE CAN'T SPEAK AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER, BABE. Kosmo is a bit cliche, but it's not bad. I really did like "Yorak", as given to him by the fandom. So much that I actually started referring to him as Yorak in my head. BUT, names aside, Kosmo was A BEAST this season. I was just thinking how he didn't serve much of a purpose the previous season except to give Keith a canine companion, but this season, he was fucking awesome. He saved their lives a BUNCH of times. Not to mention, the fight with that druid would have ended much sooner had it not been for Kosmo's teleportation abilities. Seriously, his teleportation was so so useful this season. Did you see how quickly Keith and Pidge got through that cruiser? Damn. Not only does the space wolf look cool, sound adorable, but he was an amazing addition this season. Keith and Kosmo does have a nice ring to it :)

3. Matt's HAIR. IS. SO. HOT. Every time they age up a character, they become a quadrillion times hotter. Who knew 3 deca-phoebs could do so much. If Keith ages up another 3 deca-phoebs by the end of the show, the universe may just implode from the heat.

4. OK, um, what's next? HMM...how about ships. I know Voltron is not too focused on romantic sub-plots. The one romance that actually took place went up in fiery flames very quickly. Personally, I like romantic subplots, whether in books, movies, tv shows. For example, I loved all the little romances in Avatar, and even though my ship never became canon (rip Zutara), I was happy to see everyone with someone. Of course, I hate it when they take up too much story space, but I think a sprinkle of romance on top of the adventure, drama, humor, and mystery can make a story more delicious. That was a weird metaphor. Anyhow, it appears to me that the show is pushing Allura and Lance as the main couple. This season showed us sure evidence that Allura reciprocates his feelings, and that his feelings are still there. You know why? Because their cheeks were animated red. When an animated character blushes around another animated character, they're basically canon. But there is still another potential ship...and no not Romelle and Hunk (although I'm into that)...

5. Acxa. What's her deal, you guys? What exactly is her connection to Keith? Is the show making her his love interest? But, how, there's no time! I mean, it only took a season to bring Lotor and Allura together, but still. I've read theories that she is related to Keith, seeing as she is also half-Galra. This is an interesting theory, and I did believe it for a while before this season. I mean, they both have pointy chins. If they are in fact related (e.g., half-siblings), they'd have to be connected through Krolia. However, Krolia and Acxa were together in the same place with Keith and Krolia showed NO indication of recognizing Acxa, or being unsettled by her presence. If Krolia was Acxa's mother, but didn't feel it was the right time to tell Keith, there'd at least be a shot of her face looking disconcerted or unsure around Acxa right? Or, some kind of awkward Krolia-Acxa interaction. I don't know, the siblings theory just doesn't hold up anymore after this season. So, that leaves the romance theory. Personally, I'm into that too. Acxa and Keith would make a good couple, connected by their Galra heritage, which conflicts with their own desire for peace. Both having to forge their own paths, Zuko-style, and both having been the leaders of their respective group. I though their fight with the other generals was really awesome (and the banter kinda cute), and I really believe Acxa's sorry for what she did. Also, we did see her at the end of the season watching Keith and Krolia. Yeah, I think a Keith-Acxa relationship is quite likely, especially now that Keith is at the peak of his maturation as an individual (evidenced by his ability to comfort Hunk in his own time of loneliness).

6. Next topic: LOTOR. I know Lotor wasn't in this season...like at all...and that still makes me sad. Keith said he was dead, and I'm wondering if we should start believing that to be true. I had hoped he could still be redeemed in some way, or at least return as a foe for the paladdins, but it seems that he's just as a gone as Zarkon. But Lotor is a million times more interesting than Sendak as a villain. I really didn't like Sendak as the villain this season. He's so cliche...with his evil laugh, and his giant weaponized arm. It's hard to take him seriously when there seems to be no actual motivation behind his actions except that he likes to be powerful by crushing other planets. Lotor had a backstory, and good intentions, despite the nefarious means he was using to achieve them. Lotor had a goal...to see Atlea restored. His goal may have been perverted, but still, we could sympathize with him, and some of us are still on his side. I really think it was mistake to throw Lotor away in favor of Sendak. But at least, Keith sliced Sendak open at the end of the season and we won't be seeing him again. The real enemy this season I think was hinted at at the end of the episode which brings me to the next point...

7. THE ALTEAN POD. WHAT. WHAT. WHAT. We knew the Altean colony had disappeared. The culprit seems pretty likely to me. Haggar. The motivation, on the other hand, eludes me. What reason would Haggar have to try to kill the paladdins? Is she mad at them for killing her son, maybe? They technically didn't kill Lotor...just left him, but as Keith said, he did choose his own path. And Honerva seems to have regained her rational mind, seems hard to believe that she has resorted to blind vengeance. No, I do hope her motivations are slightly more complex than revenge. But the ending did give us an indication of what the next season will be focused on...the Alteans...while still being a REALLY GOOD ENDING...which brings me to...

8. This ending was GREAT. For a second, I started to hyperventilate because I really thought all the paladdins had been killed off, and that the GG pilots & Veronica would be replacing them, but thankfully, the writers are NOT THAT merciless. I don't know if I could handle even one of their deaths, much less ALL OF THEM AT ONCE. OMG. I am freaking out just thinking about it! No, instead, we had beautiful reunions between all the paladdins and their families, as well as some of their former allies. Earth is safe, everyone is home, and Shiro has a new arm. Things wrapped up pretty happily this season, which I really like. It makes the wait for the final season much more bearable, and peaceful. If you believe that fictional characters continue to live on after you close a book, or turn off the screen (which I do), then I'm happy to know that they're together, and they're living in relative peace (with a little bit of unsettling mystery yet to be resolved) but no immediate threat anymore.

9. I enjoyed all the new characters this season! Veronica was a bad-ass, and I'll be really curious to see a Keith-James confrontation in the next season, I could FEEL the tension between them this season, but I'm glad they both held their tongues in order to work together.  Anyway, Voltron is back at it again with a diverse set of pilots, and there wasn't a lot of opportunity for them to shine (a problem that any show with a large cast has), they did sparkle in their own way. I'm excited to see a bit more of them. Still, I can't help but ask the question:

10. WHY ARE THERE ONLY 13 EPISODES LEFT? I understand that the show must have an end. Every good show has a solid ending, planned from the beginning. They shouldn't keep churning out episodes just because people are continuing to consume them. But I still think ending it now, in only one more season, is a mistake. There is still so much of the world that I feel needs to be explored, and that can be done more adequately with at least 3 more seasons. They can continue to age up the characters, and delve deeper into the NEW characters. 13 episodes is just NOT enough time to do that. It's not! The universe is still in shambles. Earth needs to be completely rebuilt! Of course, a graphic novel series continuation is a viable solution to this, as is being done with Avatar, but animation is just so much better. I'll be really sad to see the show end, so please, Voltron creators, take your time with its release, but at least, even if this creation is ending, those same people will continue to create new stories, and I'll be totally on-board for whatever the animators work on next. Hopefully, it's 2D animation though, cause I gotta say, I am really not into the 3D animation taking over cartoons these days. That is one technological upgrade we could do without.

Overall, awesome season, awesome characters, awesome animation and fight sequences, especially action-packed, and the one word I think I'd use to describe it: REFRESHING. The new environment, and new situations.

Also, Keith is still very hot. That is all.

PEACE OUT, FOLKS.

[klance-central]

VLD S7 Review [SPOILERS]

Okay bitches let’s talk

First of all actually really enjoyed this season. There were several times where I was actually impressed with everything that was happening. 

I love that Kieth was always showing off Lance’s potential. He was encouraging him to take the lead and basically making him his right hand man. 

I also loved how Hunk got to take charge and ‘man up’ if you will. We saw that he’s capable of so much more than we thought and he would do anything to save his friends. He’s a true hero. That scene with him and Kieth at the Garrison just broke me. It was so sweet. I liked how we got to see not only Hunk, but Kieth be emotionally vulnerable with each other.

I really like Romelle’s character. I think she's adorable. She and Hunk are adorable. I don't like how she kinda just disappeared towards the end? I don't remember her leaving and I don't remember seeing her since she was frozen in the red lion when they were drifting in space. (Correct me if I'm wrong of course, I just don’t remember it)

All in all, the season was actually very good. There were some parts that I wish they would have done better, like Episode 4, the game show episode. I wish they wouldn’t have made Lance out to be “the dumb one” because he isn't. He’s grown a lot since their mission started, and I hate that that is the approach they took with him. I think they could have easily turned it around to where he did know the answers to everything. Then the team, and viewers, could see his growth and that he isn’t the same boy he was when they left. I get that they were going for a funny pain relieving episode, but they just shit all over Lance and I didn’t really like that. 

Another thing that I have a major issue with, that I’m sure everyone else has an issue with as well, was that Adam died??? My biggest issue with that is it’s lazy writing. The writers could have told us Shiro is gay without making such a huge deal out of it, introducing this new character, and hyping him up. Especially since they were just going to kill him off anyways. That’s teasing and it’s lazy writing. I think they introduced this character and didn’t realize how many people would actually want to see this story developed so they just didn’t do anything with it. It was basically just a way for them to say “Oh, by the way, Shiro is gay.” Again, they could have handled that differently. 

Despite these two major issues I have, though, this season was really good and I actually enjoyed it. I’m not going to let the Adam thing ruin the season for me, even though it kind of pisses me off a little. I hope we get to see more of Lance being treated the way he should be. Kieth really exposed his true potential and I loved that. Lance is a great character and he has really stepped it up since season one. 

Anyways, that’s my review. I’d probably give it a 3/5 stars. Just because of the major issues I had with it. All in all, good season. Bring on season 8!

[panda013]

I’m Feeling Some Kind of Way: Voltron S7

I’m feeling some kind of way, but I mean that in the best way possible. 

This post will contain some spoilers!

Because I’ve seen some negative comments on the season, though, I wanted to lead with this:

I think Season 7 is my favorite season so far, though Season 6 is still in the running.

As with every season, there are some parts that I could have done without, maybe a joke or two I didn’t think was necessary, and as far as a connecting story goes, I think the first few episodes were fairly flimsy. But as the season progressed, especially towards the end, I was impressed.

For me, I think the biggest selling point all season were the character arcs. 

For starters, we finally, finally get to see Hunk in a light that isn’t just the comic relief or the foodie. They delve pretty deeply into how strong he is, simply because he’s always afraid. He’s always been afraid, a coward, but he never backs down when he needs to deliver.

It’s also important that he actually lost his cool, because while he was happy for Lance and Pidge reuniting with their families, he couldn’t hide his jealousy.  The writers really delivered on that front, too, by making this a conversation with Keith, of all people. It shows that both of them have come a long way, and having Keith tell Hunk that, out of all the Paladins, he thinks Hunk is the strongest, simply because of the way he’s moved on and persevered through his fear, was only a catalyst for more. And seeing Hunk take action, to take point in an attempt to find and rescue his family, is so, so important.

Hunk took a giant step forward, and I’m so proud of him and so incredibly glad he finally got a chance to show some A-class moxie.

That brings me to Keith, then.

We started to see the ways Keith has matured last season, after the 2 years floating with his mom and Cosmo (Kosmo? the subtitles used both...), but the way he easily slides into the leadership role is another testament to just how far he’s come.

Keith never wanted to be a leader, but everyone already trusts him. They’ve trusted his choices and his instincts for a while now, even if they didn’t always agree with them. And honestly, one of the most telling moments is when they’re in the game show episode early on this season and, when asked which member of the team they’d like to save, it’s Lance that picks Keith. Lance picks Keith because he respects his qualities as a leader and thinks that they’re important, more important than anything else, in the fight to defend the universe. 

Keith’s reason for picking Lance is, admittedly, disappointing next to that, but even though he said he picked Lance because he just didn’t want to be stuck with him for eternity, later moments of the season really solidify that he still trusts Lance. He leaves Lance in charge when he’s going to be gone, even for a short amount of time, when previously I have no doubt he would have given that responsibility to Allura. His trust in Lance, despite their bickering and their squabbles, is another key reason I think that Keith has shown a lot of growth.

And Keith didn’t actually argue with Lance a lot this season, or look down on him. He trusts Lance to have his back without question, to be able to lead in his place when he has to split up to handle something else. It’s such a huge statement, for as subtle as it is, and I think a lot of people missed that.

And then...there’s Lance.

Lance, who became the butt of a bunch of jokes in the game show episode but still persevered and tried his best. Lance, who made sniping drones that were shooting at them all look easy. Lance, the lovable idiot, who has quick reflexes and top-notch instincts and a protective streak a mile wide, who kept coming in clutch when the team--when the universe--needed him most. 

Maybe he didn’t do anything big or flashy this season, but Lance didn’t have to, and that’s what makes this such a good season for him. It’s because all of his good moments weren’t isolated to single incidents, but rather interwoven throughout the entire season. Maybe there wasn’t a solid stand out moment for him, but the cohesion with the rest of the team was there, the trust and belief that everyone placed in him was there, and that’s bigger than getting a few little standalone scenes.

Lance’s strength comes from unity and cohesion and instinct, and the subtle moments are where he practically shined.

The other characters all had their own moments, that supported and helped move the plot along. They all had important moments, but I really wanted to focus on these three here because this was solid characterization for all three of them. 

This is the culmination of Hunk’s arc, the coward who really was the bravest all along. This showed the rise of the reluctant leader, who slipped easily into his role because he knew he needed. And it showed how the one perceived as the weakest link is quite possibly the one they all trust the most, which in my opinion only makes him stronger.

To those who didn’t see any of this? I’m honestly wondering if we watched the same season.

Defining moments don’t have to be flashy. Defining moments don’t have to be recognized immediately. A defining moment can happen slowly and then all at once, or you can realize it later. Just because some of the moments are subtle doesn’t mean they’re not there, or that they don’t mean infinitely more than words can describe.

Take my words at face value, if you like. Take them with a grain of salt. But take them knowing that I mean every word I say, that I’ve spent hours thinking over them since I watched the season, that I’ve rewatched some scenes to help form my thoughts.

Take these words, knowing that I believe this season was one of the strongest yet, whether anyone else agrees with me or not.

[dumblesbianwrites]

all in all, season 7 was GREAT, there were a few things i’m like ‘:/‘ with but nothing major, it was divided pretty evenly between drama and action and had some great comedy moments too. this season truly had me going from the edge of my seat to laughing my ass off to sobbing my eyes out in the same episode. the timing/pace was excellent, i loved all the flashbacks (i hope we get more next season!) there was some truly decent development with the characters, even though some of them took a backseat this season. shipping moments were aplenty, and i saw something for nearly every ship so maybe the fandom will finally be happy?? idk i’ve seen people complaining already so i guess we can never be satisfied, oh well

tl:dr, amazing season, i loved it, 10/10 for structure, 7/10 for characters and 9/10 for content. can’t wait for s8, i have a feeling that after this, it’s gonna be real good

[blueskyheadleft010]

A few stray thoughts [Wrapping up watching Voltron S7]

But okay, first off I want to say this is obviously spoilery so don’t like, don’t read.

Also, my opinion will probs be a bit contradictory to most of the tumblr voltron fans, but bare with me here, I just wanted to point out some interesting things...

Okay so first, I just wanted to say the the ‘Family Feud’ rip off ep made me want to gag, and the only thing I liked about it was Pidge being smart enough to fool ‘Bob the host’ into letting his guard down so she could attack him.

Also, why? was it even needed? at all???? Honestly, the whole ep was like an animated bad work of fiction, and I seriously cannot believe the writers would pull this kinda crap so late in the series.

Moving on, there were points in the show that had me excited but there was also low points were I just wanted the story to move on and I felt like they were trying too hard to connect crucial moments and ended up adding in random junk because they had no idea what to fill in.

For example, the druid fight and finding Kolivan could’ve been shortened way down and honestly nothing would’ve changed.

Also, can we just talk about how Kolivan was being held? And (possibly) waterboarded?!? When I first saw that I was like, ‘woah, holy shit guys. That’s not okay. That’s not an okay thing to do/show’. That was fucking terrifying to watch, and even if he wasn’t being treated that way, the fact alone that he was being held in the air by rope in a very painful position is very scary and if Kolivan was real I would’ve been seriously concerned how tf he lasted so long without losing circulation to at least his extremities.

‘The Last Stand’ was where I began regaining my interest in the story as finally we got to see Sam back on Earth, and hot damn did he ever deliver the justice that the Garrison deserved. 

I also liked Iverson not ending up being a jerk, and was honestly just trying to keep the peace and do the right thing. It was a huge improvement, and whether or not he deserved this change in character, he reminded the audience that people can change and become better, which is something I can get behind 100%. :)

(Lol, tho I totally predicted the lady commander being evil. She had her head too far up her butt to see the light of day. Doesn’t mean I agree with her dying tho :U)

Anyways, I love how Sam just ends up taking the reigns, being an overall wonderful/kind man, and laying down the law just flat out instead of trying to play nice and let Earth be mowed over by the Galra. (Would’ve liked to have heard from other global powers about what their thoughts were on this whole plan, but meh I guess that would’ve been too crazy to write with everything else going on.)

What I didn’t expect was how long they were going to focus on the Garrison arc, and like, all the people inside. Like, that’s fine I guess? but it made me worry that we were going to be seeing something like Go!Lion or have another voltron team or something, and really the only 2 people on the fighter team we knew were Keith’s rival? and Lance’s sister, but the other people might as well have just been random civilians because idk what their background was other than they were good pilots. 

(also was the blond chick autistic or something? idk she just seemed a little less socially adept and more like a calculating computer, and god would I have loved it if they said she was and showed more about her and the other people because I can just sense a story behind them...)

It was cool seeing Earth tech and Altean tech work to make the Atlas, but seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!? You just HAD to make another voltron toy to sell didn’t you Dreamworks? V_V

Why did you make Shiro be the pilot? Why did the Atlas have to become the new Castle of the Lions? How come Coran couldn’t help with anything aboard it? HOW COME THE SHIP DIDN’T FREAKING BLOW UP AFTER THAT FIRST SPACE SHOT?!?

All of this felt weird and odd, and like now that it is the new CotL, idk what to think. It’s just odd to have a bunch of military/space cadets running about on a ship and listening to young adults/teenaged voltron pilots tell them what to do to help in a war.

Also, how come we didn’t see anything about the humans as slaves in Galra encampments? Like, is humanity screwed now? The galara did blow up their satellites, how will Earth work the same?

This was literally 9/11-WWIV to them. Which is so bizarre.

The paladins literally came back to an Earth that, for all they knew, was completely obliterated, and they were just walking over corpses. (There had to be some. There was no way every human on that planet evacuated in time.) That thought alone is weird to think about in a Y7 kids production.

Not to mention the fact that this even happened at all?? Like, I get the fear of Earth being destroyed is a terrifying thing, but the writers just kept dangling it over our heads so much that for a bit I genuinely believed that the amount of bs going on against the heroes would just pile up and the Earth was just going to be fucking obliterated by how many holes were in their plans. The only thing keeping me from that was the fact that there would be no show if they did that, but that’s not a very comforting thought, nor does it make me want to root for everyone. What’s the point when you know how it’s going to end?

Idk, it was so out of place I felt like I was watching an entirely different show. Since when did the paladins ever fight like military pilots? Why and how were there random pockets of human resistance that could somehow communicate to each other? How tf did the Garrison come up with tech to stop the drones from sending out signals to each other? Why didn’t they use that to stop Sendak’s ships???

Granted, there was some solid planning (mostly from Sam) that was genuinely smart (like the mini satellites they used that were too tiny and so many that the Galra couldn’t shoot at them); but most of everything after ‘The Last Stand’ episodes became a giant martyr after giant martyr of the team defying the odds but not having time to catch their breath. And that last robeast? I get why they needed to show off where the Altean colony went to, but the fight was lackluster compared to fighting Sendak’s whole fucking army and winning. (Even Allura complains about this, showing how self aware this show actually is when they put their thinking hats on).

The fact that the robeast was even that fucking powerful in the first place was insanity and why would you even have an impossible to beat villain take down the most hard to kill heroic team anyways? Aren’t we trying to show how friendship saves the day? Why give Shiro that credit? What the hell does he have that the paladins don't?

Apparently a big fucking ship named Atlas. That’s what.

And now we move onto my biggest grievance: The deaths and near-deaths of characters.

Why. Just why?

It was so poorly done, and kinda random. Adam didn’t get the screen time the writers were building up for him. All of Shiro’s problems, his degenerative disease, his near death again after the clone body tried to reject him (which ‘thank you Shiro’ we ‘totally’ need to be reminded how much shit you went through when you were talking with Lance about it. Not cool), and then his new arm trying to kill him? Dealt with in like 5 seconds. False alarm! Shiro’s totally not gonna die this time! ( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ)

But I think the worst one was at the end when Shiro is giving that speech to the  humans with the lions standing behind him not online after we’d just seen them crash land on Earth in a fiery blaze, and honestly??? I thought they were dead.

Goodbye my sweet precious babies, you died protecting Earth and now the fucking Garrison is gonna end up showing those knock-off paladin cadets into the lions and things are gonna be okay again~!

No joke, that’s what I thought. 

But then suddenly they’re fine? In a hospital??? Why???? WHAT?!?!?!?

Cue music overture with a montage of everyone’s families and friends coming to say hello to them (instead of explaining wtf happened to all of them) and lots of hugging and oh yeah we forgot about Matt so here’s two frames of him with his weird android girlfriend? thing and long ponytailed head.

Cute, real heartwarmer with Shay suddenly having an entire fucking Balmeran transport her to Hunk. (omg think of how that’s affecting Earth’s gravity atm, the ocean tides r gonna b so screwed over).

Anyways, I did begrudgingly like the new season; but only barely, and I was nowhere near as excited watching this one as I was with previous seasons. There was too much testing my suspension of disbelief, not enough breathers during the last bit, and just overall confusion from all the devastation and chaos caused by Sendak. (Where the hell is Haggar?????)

Overall the story seemed to be trying too hard, and I’m not happy with that. I want Season 8 to smooth over some of this, but I don’t have the highest of hopes. I honestly just want to see my paladin children happy and not fighting a war, and I don’t want to focus on random secondary characters anymore. I want fulfillment, I want the paladins to come to some sense of self satisfaction and growth, regardless of the shipping.

Season 7 took two steps forwards and two steps back with the character development. They progressed Hunk and Sam, but regressed Lance and the others a bit. Coran has officially become the doorstop, with Shiro getting a whole army to command, and random secondary cadets acting like their the lead characters of the show.

I don’t want that. I want the normalcy the show has had up till now. I just want back regular Voltron.

[catneylang]

Season 7 of Voltron is either going to add eons to my lifespan or instantly murder my ass.

[thirdstrikes]

Season 7 Review: Voltron thoughts from someone who finally got sleep.

So thoughts on the season: holy shit.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect this season, especially considering how wonderful Season 6 was. At first glance, it seems like this season might be one of those “either you like/or you don’t” seasons, such as Season 4, and I think it’s because it’s a lot different than we’re used to. But here’s some thoughts on what I liked, what I didn’t, and why the show is heading in the right direction.

We’ve been following the series so far through the eyes of the Paladins and exploring new things and a vast universe. But suddenly, we’re thrust back to Earth that is irrevocably changed in the most fundamental ways, and I think that, more than anything, really cements the fact that this show is winding down.

That’s a point here. We are in the tail end of the series. There’s no more character arcs to begin, only to tie up. The development has happened, and now we get to see it in action. For example, Hunk’s arc of how being a coward shaped him and having courage in the face of fear, and how he chooses to act on it. It was brilliant. We got to see Lance, who’s always self-doubted or complained, and how he was such a team player this season and had a bunch of opportunities to shine. It was amazing, especially for these two characters. We get to see them fully-fleshed out and real. And let’s be honest, I lived for their badass moments this season. 

The season really had two arcs: the Road Trip Arc and the Earth Arc. 

The Road Trip was full of filler episodes and some light-hearted antics, which were definitely needed considering the back half of the season, but it wasn’t pointless. It was all about building bonds between this group of Paladins and resolving issues such as “Keith ran away” and “Lotor” by bringing them to light and allowing them to be discussed. Granted, Voltron sucks at emotional scenes in some aspects and their fall-outs, so I’m going to take it with a grain of salt that these were addressed behind the scenes as well. That is one thing I wish we had seen more of was the issues addressed and fully resolved in front of us.

But a lot of it was building up the dynamics and relationships for the back half of the season. This is the first time we really get to see Keith as the leader and the rest of the team’s dynamics together, except for Season 3 when they were forced together and learning to work with one another. But back then, it was Keith trying to lead in Shiro’s shadow and the rest of the team fumbling with their new lion assignments. But at the end of this Road Trip Arc, we get to see how they work together and that they’ve bonded and might truly be a Team™ that can succeed.

The Earth Arc was the culmination of all of that as we got to see the Paladins work as a Team. It wasn’t about personal character arcs more so as the relationships between them and as a team in general. Sure, we got to see Lance and Hunk shine in their respective places, but it was about how far the team has come. The new powers of Voltron unlocked the closer they get--like that’s fucking amazing. At the end of this season, I can definitely say that it’s the first time this set of Paladins has come together as a team. And if you guys can’t see that, then you’ve forgotten the fundamental themes of Voltron.

In terms of character this season, I loved a lot. 

Absolutely loved seeing Hunk take action and act on his courage. We’ve gotten glimpses of it through the seasons, but this was the one where we really concentrated on it. Him sacrificing himself in The Journey Within to get his team safety, trying to launch a rescue op for his family against everyone’s best interests. These are not things we would have seen with Hunk before, and I think it’s because it got personal for him. 

A lot of people seem to gloss over the weight that Earth carries for Hunk, who’s always dreamed about coming home to his family safe and the world at peace, and he didn’t have to fight anymore. He even mentions in his daydream that he’d find a hot shot pilot to take his place with the Yellow Lion. But now they're home and Earth is invaded by Galra, and Hunk really steps up as a Paladin, which has arguably been his arc all along. He comes into his own. Not just a mechanic, not just a pilot, but as a Defender of the Universe. 

Keith this season really shined as a leader of Voltron. Look, I knew he wasn’t going to be the supportive and plucky leader like Shiro, but that’s something we all knew. He’s Keith and leads in his own way, and I really enjoyed it cause we got to see his own development, especially over last season, and how it came into play here. Yes, he was snippy but that’s just Keith; he still did wonderful, and I loved seeing how Lance acted as his right-hand this season.

 During The Fued, when they were picking who would survive, and Lance picks Keith because he respects his qualities as the leader, that was amazing, especially in terms of their relationship. It’s always going to be antagonistic, that’s just how they’ve always been, so the jests and insults are part of it all. You find similiar relationships through many shows and movies and books, but what Keith and Lance do have is a mutual respect for each other. Lance respects Keith and thinks he’s a good leader, and Keith knows Lance’s capabilities and trusts him to lead and use them in times of need. It’s very telling and very wonderful to see when you look back at Season 1. 

Anyway, Keith just did a good job and I can’t say much more than that. I loved him.

Pidge, while there wasn’t a lot of shine team, really completed her character arc this season. She got her family back together, and everyone is alive and happy. And isn’t that what we’ve always wanted all along for her? I know that’s what she wanted, so I can sit happy. Her story is done.

Lance was brilliant this season. Yes, he did get called “dumb” many times, but that’s just something people have to come to terms with in cartoons in especially. Each character has a default trope that they fall back on, especially in times of humor: for Pidge, it’s tech; for Hunk, it’s food; for Keith, it’s emo/lone wolf; for Lance, it’s an idiot. That’s just how it works, but it’s the moments he shines outside of it all that really got to me.

We got to see him as a fully-fledged sniper and fucking bad-ass at it. We got ot see his dynamics with Veronica, and how he took charge. We got to see him lead the team when Keith ran off, entrusting them to Lance’s care. We got to see his battle instincts at play, we got to see him take the initiative and have a had in arguably the biggest battle the Paladins have faced, we got to see him really come into his own. 

Lance’s arc has never been about him being the leader or being some smooth ass motherfucker. It’s been about owning who he is and becoming a team player, and how support is sometimes more important that the allure of leadership. We got to see all of these throughout the season - him playing support, him backing up the team, him protecting people, him leading. Like this the culmination of everything he’s worked for, and Voltron showcased it brilliantly.

Allura, I feel, will have a bigger arc next season. We’ve seen some of the final seeds being planted right now and stuff, especially with her and the Altean colony, but what this season really concentrated on was her becoming a Paladin. She’s always been a Princess, an alchemist, and this season it’s her being a Paladin. And she stepped into the role perfectly. I was so proud of her. 

In terms of her and Lance’s relationship, I do wish we had seen some more development before we started seeing her reciprocation. However, the development for this relationship has been in the works since Season 1, and if you step back and look at it, you can see what a beautiful thing it is indeed. Despite what felt like a rushed culmination for Allura/Lance this season, I loved their moments. They were very soft and beautiful, and Veronica teasing Lance about it was amazing. The fact that Lance didn’t believe her speaks volumes about how he’s changed. If Veronica had told Season 1 Lance that Allura liked him, you can bet your ass he’d be sidling up to her and trying to get her out on a date. But he didn’t. He didn’t pursue at all. And that’s just gonna make the resolution so much more beautiful to watch.

Shiro was fucking amazing. I loved watching him step out as being a Paladin and come to grips with what happened to him. Becoming a Captain of the Atlas was epic as hell, and really highlighted what I loved about his character. He was just exceptional and his scenes were so interesting this season.

The Adam thing was a harsh truth to come to terms with. Inevitably, like we all thought, he died, but I do thing this does work in terms of the narrative. Adam, while he was in a relationship with Shiro, was a good centerpiece for understanding Shiro’s backstory and character more, and the fact that he died makes this much more real in a painful, raw way. This, more than anything, really cemented the fact that this show is about a universal war and people die, especially when they brought the fight to Earth, which makes it just as personal for the audience. 

Killing Adam off definitely toed the line of the “bury your gays” trope that seems to haunt media like a ghost. I do think that it followed the “anyone can die” trope more so, considering what was happening, which was to highlight the fact that no one is safe in this war, especially with the Galra basically invading Earth. You saw that wall of names--it was a massacre. Adam was the one person from the Garrison that we knew by name that didn’t have a more prominent role, such as a a pilot of the MME’s or piloting the Atlas or being a Paladin, so he was the eyepiece into the idea that people died here. 

“The Last Stand” is a two-parter that shook me to the core. Earth has been overtaken, people are in work camps, in resistance factions, at secure bases, or fucking dead. Adam was someone we recognized that we unfortunately had to realize this concept with. 

Adam’s story is truly tragic, and I wish they’d spent more time with it. But like I said, this is war. And being LGBT+ does not mean you get a “get out of death” card. LGBT+ does not entail immortality, and LGBT+ people die in wars. It happens. But it sucks it happened here, especially because Adam was a stepping stone to Shiro being LGBT+ rep for us. But Adam got barely over a minute of screen time, and his role was to tell Shiro’s story. He was not a side character like Sam Holt or Admiral Sanda, but rather a tool in telling us what we needed to know.

I do wish we had more of him. I wish we saw more of him and Shiro. But then again, being LGBT+ is not the most important trait for either of them. Instead, let’s concentrate on the fact that Shiro arguably lost one of his closest friends, considering they’d been flight partners and friends before they entered a relationship. This whole thing is a bit of a gray area that I think... really couldn’t be avoided. People died, and just like other allies before him, Adam was unfortunately one of them. 

CAN WE TALK ABOUT EZOR AND ZETHRID BEING A CANON COUPLE BECAUSE IM CRYING. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

Overall, this season was definitely different than what we’re used to. Definitely more plot-driven and focused on the narrative than the characters, but we’re winding up and arcs are coming to a close. There’s not much else to do other than focus on how these characters interact with each other and show how far they’ve come. Plus the Earth Arc was arguably the biggest thing we’ve seen so far, so I’m happy we got the time focused on it to tell their story.

But watching them work as a Team and unlock secrets and discover new powers - it was so worth it.  But what made this season so cool was that this wasn’t the Paladin’s story so much as Earth’s. And that’s something that’s been teased and wondered about for 6 seasons so far, and seeing it come into fruition was amazing.   

People talk about how they’re leaving the fandom now because of much it deviated from the story we’re used to. And most of these are toting the terms “queerbaiting” and “promises” like we’re owed something from these people. Ships are not the focus of this show, and they never have been. This season shows this in prime form. 

Voltron is about defending the universe - and that’s what they did this season.

I think, in terms of understanding the story and the characters, maybe people need to go back to the roots and explore what Voltron is all about in the first place. You can complain and leave the show if you wish because your ships didn’t get airtime and you didn’t like how they were treated, and you’re entitled to that. But just remember that this show is ending and these are the culmination of story arcs. They aren’t building, they’re tying up loose ends.

Overall, this season was good, and I loved it. One of my favorites because I get to see how far the characters have come and the animation was stellar so. 

(Plus the Atlas scene remains one of the best of the entire show so kudos to the people of Voltron.)

(Best line of the show: “Well, I’m sorry, but I guess having my consciousness transplanted from the infinity of Voltron’s inter-quintessence into the dead body of an evil clone of myself has left me a little out of sorts for the past few weeks.”)

So definitely an 8/10. 

[gokugf]

[general-cyno]

Y'know this bit of the collider review keeps bothering me because of the loud but lowkey implication that VLD has somehow queerbaited its audience by not dwelling into the Adam/Shiro relationship or giving Adam a more relevant role. Because, thing is, SHIRO the character is meant to be VLD's LGBT+ rep, not his relationship with Adam. Plus, S7E1 showed us their break up and LM/JDS since then have made it pretty clear that they did indeed break up before the Kerberos mission and even have explained/talked about why it happened. So... Going into S7 with the expectation that they'd still be a couple or that something would happen between them is kinda, noah fence.....dumb, especially given the harsh nature of their break up.

[keiths-stupid-mullet]

someone made a post about their wife and I went to see if they were a man or a woman to understand the context of that post and I still don’t know but I found a long and horrible dissertation of s7 and in the notes people were saying that they’d never watch voltron now and it made me so sad

…Voltron is everywhere, and wherever it is, there will be people complaining about how “bad” or “disappointing” it is^^’ That tends to become a problem for shows with a big following. It gets hyped up, fandom’s expectations don’t get fulfilled, the fanbase becomes toxic, people get uncomfortable associating with it, and finally people trip over themselves to point out why it was a bad show from the very beginning. 

I’ve (begrudgingly) accepted this by now. Usually, I stop reading if I come across a post that’s inherently negative or pretends to be objective but then only addresses the bad sides of the show. (If people get really mean with what they say, I block them, too.) Hate-reading does no one any good. Discussing things on other people’s posts if they don’t invite it doesn’t either, chances are they won’t even listen to your points. Pick your battles, my friend^^

It’s sad that potential fans get turned away from a good show because of a bad review, but it’s their loss, I guess. The best way to counteract that would probably be to make your own positive reviews and hope it will reach someone. Shitposts, too, people seem to love those ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But generally this is a problem you can’t control, so try not to beat yourself up over it!!! ♥

[shiros-boyfriends-are-pretty]

So, the VLD fandom exploded today

(spoilers ahead)

Everyone's pissed about something, so I'm just gonna share my thoughts

1- the toxic klance shippers keep claiming that we got queerbaited, but tbh, its a basic marketing ploy to use a ship to make the show get more viewers. Like thats normal, the Voltron marketing team did a good job trying to entice people to watch the show, cause it worked

2- I loved this season, actually, but it was so emotionally draining that my energy all just completely wiped out of me by the time I was done. Everything was so intense and on edge, and they did a really good job of portraying to an audience what war is like. Every person I've ever talked to says the same type of thing, you turn on the people you're stuck with cause cabin fever, you get sick, and often, very often, you feel as if there is no way possible you will ever win because things and opponents keep attacking relentlessly and, as Lance said very often, it makes you honestly want to die as opposed to deal with it anymore (I do really worry for his mental health there)

3- the cast and animators and scriptwriters did a phenomenal job of bringing the storyline to life. It was gripping and emotional and I love how much we saw of the characters. It felt like the team from seasons 1&2 were back in action. In all honesty, seasons 3,4,&5 were the eh ones, the others were phenomenal. I love where the show has gone

4- at the end of ep13, with shiros speech, I shit you not, until we zoomed in on those portraits, I thought the paladins had died. Jeez.

5- ACXA IS DEFINITELY KEITH'S SISTER AND ALL YOU DUMBFUCKS WHO THINK THEYRE GONNA BE IN LOVE BECAUSE EZOR SAID SO (SHES ALSO AN ENEMY, WHY BELIEVE HER WORD) NEED TO STAHP. THEY LOOK SOOO SIMILAR, OR HAVE WE FORGOTTEN THIS. seriously. If I knew a paladin of voltron was my brother, even if he didnt fuckin know, Id do my best to keep him alive too. And she wouldnt tell ezor and zethrid theyre related! That would turn bad sooo quickly

6- Lance. Needs. Mental. Help. And. Support.

7- HUNK omg YESSSSSS HE WAS AMAZINGGGGG i loved it. I loved his new bayard upgrade, I love how he saved the day. We saw more of how he completes the team because hes so important (the fact that they tried to bring the barf thing back was weird tho, y u do dat, no). But the character development, the bonding with romelle, loved it all.

8- despite making fun of lance constantly (as in, the entire team does, which also needs discussion, stop kicking my poor son) keith still trusts him wholeheartedly as his right hand man. I love their dynamic as paladins of voltron, and ship or not, they work well together and thats what matters.

9- Jeez, shiro needs a nap.

And thats all! Do not respond to any of this, cause I dont wanna fight over a show. I loved it, but im tired and sad and anxiety ridden after that 13 episode rollercoaster, so Im gonna get away from this toxic fandom. I personally understand that my expectations of the show should never have any grounds over wat happens, and that any ships or headcanons I have are attached to me more than the show. That is all.

Love y'all! Be respectful!

[paladudette]

anyways. everyone please be optimistic and happy about season 7 cause i think it’s gonna be great :^)

[dumblesbianwrites]

vld s7 first thoughts:

oh my god???? that was everything i expected but also NONE OF WHAT I EXPECTED AT ALL (spoilers ahead):

- that was such an emotional rollercoaster i will never be okay again so much shit went down it was like a blocked toilet

- THEY MADE IT HOME THEY SAW THEIR FAMILIES IM SO HAPPY SCREECH

- seriously i cried when pidge jumped out of the truck like a fucking karate monkey it was so pure

- hunk this season?? he SNAPPED

- so much keith screentime,, i can feel my skin clearing already

- ezOR AND ZETHRID ARE LESBIANS LETS GOOOOOO

- acxa is back?? *slowly pulls keith sibling theory out of the trash*

- lance is SUCH a babe i mean,, is there anything he didn’t do this season for his family and friends?? i think the fuck not

- white haired shiro is hot now

- seriously he shines brighter than the sun he could light up the whole earth x

- they killed adam and i’m fine

- i’m not fine

- barely any allura time,, but my girl needs time to recover from zarkon so i understand

- pidge

- piDGE

- PIDGE KATIE GUNDERSON HOLT

- i didn’t think it was possible to become a bigger pidge stan but here we are

- coran you dumb fuck

- krolia drops an ‘i love you’ to her boy and i actually shrieked

- rip lotor i guess he ain’t coming back

- atlas,, is so thick,,,, check out that robot ass,, damn,,,,,,,

- voltron, once again, got its ass handed to it

- if sendak comes back one more time i WILL pop off do not question it

- plance is canon

- allurance is also canon

- kallura is canon

- kidge is canon

- hunelle and hunay are both canon they’re in a poly relationship

- heith is canon now too, apparently

- basically everything is canon, but plance is canon KING

- did you see the way lance protected pidge when she was almost getting tortured my HEART

- side note: pidge almost got tortured and voltron is still a kids show?? ok

- no matt until the last 30 seconds?? next season better give it good

- matt with that ponytail right at the end, it’s like the writers want me to die

- KOSMO THE SPACE WOLF TO THE RESCUE.... AGAIN

- i love him but he’s so op sjsjjs

- admiral sanda can suck it, no sympathy there bye girl

- my mfe babies!!!!!! whoosh!!!! <3!!!

- leifsoddtroeor is autistic and SUCH a babe

- leif x griffin?? sounds good to me x

- griffin x rizavi is also v good

- kinkade,, so little screen time but so much hot,,,,

- VERONICA

- MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL

- we’re getting married next week and you’re all invited

- colleen holt is THAT bitch

- sam holt is also, THAT bitch

- iverson got better but he’s still a dick

- are we gonna discuss that game show episode and explain it in any detail?? no?? okay thanks dreamworks xx

- aN aLtEaN?????!!!??!!!!????

- they pulled this trick already with romelle so it better be good

- so uh when’s season 8

[novarasalas]

Second Look Review: ‘A Little Adventure’, Part 2

Part 4: It’s Complicated

So, last time I talked about how Shiro has a chronic illness.

This time, I’m going to talk about how Shiro has a boyfriend.

..uh….had?

Hoo boy.

This scene lasted all of one minute, but it gave us so much insight into Shiro’s character. It also stirred up a lot of shit.

I’m going to be honest about what this is: a defense of Adam.

To be fair, I try to avoid the drama, but it just wasn’t possible with this particular plot point. People seemed to be pretty evenly split between ‘omg OTP boyfriends forever’ and ‘Adam is evil and deserves whatever happens to him’. The truth is, as is almost always the case, somewhere in the middle.

I, for one, believe that this was a very well written scene, obviously written by someone who’s had relationship troubles. And all relationships will have troubles. No one is perfect, and when you put two imperfect people together, disagreements will happen.

And even when two people seem perfect for each other, in the end, there may be that one thing that drives them apart.

In this case, that “one thing” is Shiro’s recklessness with his own health.

Now, in my first part, I talked about how much I could relate to Shiro in our shared suffering of chronic illness. You can’t let it stop you; you have to live as best you can while managing yourself and your health. You must learn your limits, and adjust accordingly if you want to keep living. Learning to do that takes maturity, and is something that you must grow into.

So, yeah, I’m saying that Shiro’s being immature. And I say that as someone who’s been there. I was immature like this once, too. And Shiro’s very young here. Both of them are, I suppose. We don’t get any info on Adam other than the knowledge that he and Shiro are together.

Aside from the illness, though, is just the nature of being with another person. You have to take them into consideration: what they want, how they feel, which direction they’d like to take the relationship. It’s why a couple is together. If you want to act completely on you’re own without thought to others in your life...well…

Yeah. This mess happens.

Adam feels like Shiro’s already made the decision to leave him. And hasn’t he? He elects to go on an already dangerous mission, complicated by his own worsening condition, when instead he could be as home with the man who loves him.

You can tell by the dialogue that they've had this conversation many times before. How long are two people suppose to suffer through this?

And now, I want to say this, specifically for the ones I saw mad that Adam would leave a sick man.

Shiro is sick, yes. But he’s not dependent on Adam. He’s well enough to have been considered for missions still, and while I’m sure that he appreciates the help he gets from Adam, he’ll be fine on his own.

I’m sick. If it would come down to something like this with me and mine, I wouldn’t want them to feel trapped in a relationship just because of my illness. I could use some help everyday, but in the end, I can still take care of myself.

I say this because I immediately saw people comparing Adam leaving to, say….a spouse leaving another after a devastating accident, or during cancer treatments, or something heavy like that. Those are unequivocally douchey moves, no doubt about it.  

That’s not what’s happening here. If you were to remove Shiro’s illness from the equation, and just have Adam be worried about him being just generally reckless, the outcome would be the same.

And I’m not saying this is all Shiro’s fault, either. It’s a partnership. And in this case, we only really get to see what’s happening as far as Shiro himself is concerned.

We know that the relationship ended. We also see, later on, that Shiro still cares for Adam. The actual break up happened off screen, but it was probably still amicable. It’s entirely possible to break up and still care for each other.

Do I think they would have ever gotten back together? Nah, probably not. And that’s ok. It’s really, really ok.

For more on this, please read this interview with Lauren and Joaquim from Hypable: _Exclusive: ‘Voltron’ EPs break down journey to LGBT+ representation, Shiro’s connections, ahead of season 7. _They say it all better than I can.

Also, please tell me how to link without breaking the tags.

Oh, and another thing. That ultimatum? Crazy, evil and manipulative?

From Psychology Today, in the article How to Issue a Relationship Ultimatum:

The worst part about ultimatums is that sometimes the recipient desires the same outcome as the person issuing the demand, but the ultimatum feels so aggressive that it forecloses the mutual desire.

The best way to avoid ultimatums altogether is for each partner to be perfectly clear about their values, goals, and intentions from the beginning. But sometimes even the best planning doesn’t prevent a situation in which one person is ready to move forward when the other isn’t.

When that happens—when it’s time to move forward or move on—it is entirely possible to deliver ultimatums in a compassionate and non-coercive manner. Instead of forcing the hesitant partner into a corner, ultimatums can honestly be presented as choices that highlight options and freedom, rather than pressure and sacrifice.

Please read that for more good insight. Nothing is as black and white as people on here would have you believe.

Part 5: He’s Gay

So I went on a lot about the chronic illnesses thing, but the real news was that Shiro loves men.

This is amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

I really enjoyed how casual it was. There was no exposition, no stopping and explaining it. Shiro knows himself and has for awhile. It’s just a fact at this point. Was is subtle? Understated, maybe. But not everyone’s queerness is Pride parades and glitter. I know mine isn’t.

And the fact that it’s Shiro, Mr. Voltron himself. The main guy.

The main guy. Because the fact that Shiro is male and queer is a big deal.

Now, I must admit, I’m really not up to date on what’s going on rep wise in children’s media. I know of two wlw relationships happening, which is a very good thing. I’m 100% on board with that.

But it needs to be acknowledged that it’s because they’re girls(and not the main characters, as well), it was easier to be more obvious with their relationships.

Why? Because our society still sucks.

Gay women? Hot.

Gay men? A threat.

Across all media, I’ve seen far more lesbians and bi women than I have queer men of any kind. To a particular set of men who run most things these days, gay men can only be dangerous. They’re predators, and they’re out to get both them and their sons.

So for Shiro to be allowed to be gay, however subtlety you see it, is a huge step forward. This is a main male character, who is in a cartoon primarily marketed to adolescents, who is queer.

I never thought I’d see the quiznacking quintant.

However you found this revelation, you must admit: this is progress, and this is a good thing.

Also, there will never be perfect representation, because there are no perfect people to represent.

I feel good about it though. Shiro is chronically queer, just like me.

In Summary:

Wow, that was a certainly something. That was a very strong start to the season. Heavy, too, which honestly sets the mood for the rest of the episodes. It’s still rated  Y7, though, which will never cease to amaze me.

A few things that I didn’t mention:

Let’s be honest, we all thought he was going in for a kiss here.

And this, which is one of my favorite things I’ve seen all year.

I call it

The Gasp of Knowing

Next up: The gang hits the ol’ dusty trail and set out to mosey on home.

[honeyhop]

i don’t think i’ve seen anyone post this yet (or if this was in a previous season and i just forgot)