Hi there. I read your analysis about The Voltron Show and I really liked it! At one point in that analysis, you mentioned that you feel the Voltron fandom is too quick to feel offended over how Hunk is portrayed in the show. Do you think it's possible that you could elaborate on that, if you wanted? And do you feel that this "overly-sensitive attitude" within the fandom extends to Lance's portrayal in the show as well?
Me? 27000 years late to an ask? HA HA HA!
âŚAlways. Sorry, @thenorthernphoenix, Iâve been absent for quite a while, and I totally forgot my askbox was a thing.
Anyway, a thousand times thank you for reading my meta! To answer your question, and I may receive a lot of heat for this, but I think the Voltron crew have handled Hunkâs portrayal well, actually, and Iâll explain why. Hopefully concisely. Definitely not concisely.
First of all, Hunk is fat. Can we just⌠admit that? Heâs fat. THAT IS OKAY. THAT IS SO OKAY. In fact, I think itâs important for boys who are also overweight to see. They need to know that they can still be the hero, despite their size. I know that a lot of the body positivity schtick has to do with encouraging women to feel comfortable with their bodies regardless of weight, but itâs really important for men, as well! Men probably have a tough time dealing with their body image because theyâre expected not to care, but theyâre also expected to simultaneously having ridiculously hypermasculine, ripped bodies, or theyâre not really âa man,â you know? But if people see Hunk and realize that this guy, yes, is overweight, but still kicks ass and is even the strongest paladin [stronger than Shiro!], thatâll give them just the encouragement they need. [Plus, Hunk is really f*ckinâ hot.]
Second of all, HUNK LIKES FOOD A F*CKING LOT. CAN WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS?!?!?! Okay, I apologize, Iâm getting heated⌠I just notice that people get extremely angry when Hunk is shown going crazy over food. I just⌠Of course he will act that way around food, heâs a foodie! Is it funny? Yeah. Does that mean weâre supposed to respect him any less? Of course not! Look, Iâm not overweight, but Iâm still a foodie! I, in fact, may or may not love food a bit too much in the most weird of ways! [-Food fetish much, Pinki? -Shut the fuh!] I honestly find it laughably relatable when Hunk drools at the sight of a delicious-looking hors dâoeurvre, or climbs over the invisible mazeâs walls to get to a fine alien pastry! Like, f*cking me too, Hunk! I donât know, maybe Iâm being insensitive and stupid, but I donât view Hunk as any less of a character because heâs very food-crazy. Last time I checked, though, no one was up in arms about Po using food to motivate him to become the Dragon Warrior.
I get it, this is just my own opinion. I like to believe that Iâm being sensible, though. Iâll admit that, yes, the food jokes get a little old sometimes, but hey, they are still tasteful [dammit⌠I⌠I swear I didnât mean to pun there]. Hunk is always depicted as a master of his craft, educated in the ways of the kitchen. He doesnât just make junk food, either, he can cook meats; pastas; god forbid, vegetables! Take a look at any other kidâs show, and tell me if you find a fat character who is treated respectfully by their friends like Hunk, is as intelligent as Hunk, and is as three-dimensional as Hunk. Seriously, lemme know, I think Iâd give the show a try, if thatâs the case.
*whispers* Am I getting long-winded yetâŚ
Okay, now for the second part of your question, I could go on for days about how the fandom basically becomes a volatile gershderned cult when it comes to Lance. The fandom is sensitive about Hunkâs portrayal, no doubt, no doubt- but when it comes to Lance, oh ho, they take it to an entirely new level!
Violent discourse has broken out surrounding Lanceâs race, sexuality, mental state, personality, and hell, even his g*ddamn last name! Iâm not at all ashamed to say, all of it has been bullsh*t. The f*ckers Lance stans of this fandom will only accept Lance one way, and that seems to be as a 100000% Cuban, 0.00000% American, Not Straightâ˘, mentally unstable, delicately insecure flower that a) must be protected at all costs and b) crying 24/7 unless Keith is there to comfort him. Any time the show contradicts this, itâs the executive producersâ heads.
Voltron Fandom, come close⌠gather round the fire⌠Iâm about to clear a few things up for you:
One, Lance is a Ladyâs Man. YEAH, I SAID IT, AND I WOULD 100% SWOON IF HE USED A PICKUP LINE ON ME, SO FIGHT ME! Heh, but seriously, he likes women. And, you know what? Women like him! Almost every time he flirts with a woman, she shows interest back! âŚsave Allura, but I think we can tell from Lanceâs vlog that itâs because he genuinely likes her and doesnât really know how else to approach her. Does that mean heâs straight? Uh oh⌠Uh oh⌠UH OH! IT MIGHT! Well, it might not. He could still be bisexual with a preference for women, which I honestly buy a lot more than him being flamboyantly attracted to both sexes. We canât assume nothinâ until itâs outright stated, but until then, the fandom needs to be aware that Lanceâs actual sexuality is pretty much up in the air.
B, Lance is Cuban. I love this about him, but when people start to throw sh*t when people headcanon him as mixed or possibly born in America or having a Western last name, it kind of ticks me off. Like, whatâs wrong with being a little bit white? Does that diminish the value he may have of his Cuban roots? Iâm mostly white, but does that make me not give a sh*t about my Chamorro heritage? Of course not! My mom has a Western maiden name, but that doesnât mean sheâs not Chamorro, too! If Lance had a Cuban last name, thatâs so great! If he has a Western name, itâs not âgiving in to the White Man.â Itâs probably just the result of some intermixing with Western people somewhere along his family line, and it could have been generations ago, anyway. About him being Cuban-American⌠Look, I think Americans can be pretty sh*tty and our country is f*cked up, but I wouldnât want to be anywhere else. So thereâs absolutely nothing wrong with Lance being American-born and proud to be it.
III, stop. Making. Lance. Helpless. Nnkey? I like Langst. I do. But please, administer it in moderation! Write/draw it sensibly! Iâm incredibly tired of seeing Lance portrayed by fans as some unstable, immature, dependent crybaby who is unable to control his emotions or stand without the constant support of a Love Interest⢠[itâs usually Keith, and as a stalwart Laith shipper, I am sick of this]. I think that, even beginning from the S1-S2 hiatus, the fandom read a bit too deeply into Lanceâs impending insecurity arc, and we all got so hyped up to see it, we were disappointed when it wasnât immediately addressed. Iâve probably said it a thousand times, but once more, with feeling: Lanceâs arc will be slow-burn. Weâll get snippets of his insecurities here and there, just breadcrumbs that will lead up to the climax of his arc, and itâll be awesome. But, the fandom needs to have patience until then. I hold faith upon faith in the creators, especially Joaquim dos Santos [Mr. Lance-Is-My-Favorite-Paladin himself], to deliver a delicately laid story unfolding around Lance that we will all love once complete, and wonder why we were ever upset.
In conclusion, I very much agree that the fandom is WAY too overly sensitive about how Lance is portrayed in-canon, and itâs actually warping their perceptions of reality. They think that theyâre the only ones who know what Lance is really like, and that the writers of the actual g*ddamn show are âdoing it wrong.â In the show, Lance is friendly, dorky, funny, cocky, emotionally mature, perceptive, and realistic. Fanon Lance is emotionally unstable, dependent, unconfident, incapable, tortured, bullied, and underrated by his teammates. This is not to say that Canon Lance isnât insecure and somewhat misunderstood by his friends, but he is mature in managing those insecurities and confiding in others [e. g. seeking solace with Keith, believing in Allura]. I just think Lance is a LOT tougher than his stans give him credit for, and I really love that about his arc; he wonât have to be that tough forever, and when he finally lets his barriers down, it is gonna be. Just what the doctor ordered.
ANYWHALE! I apologize for writing basically another meta in response to your ask, especially considering you sat through my whole âVoltron Showâ meta! I am so glad you asked, though. I know my wording here is very strong, but I think itâs better for me to be analytically bold than to be apologetically opinionated.
Seriously, thanks again for reading the meta and facilitating discussion about it; youâre an absolute dream! Sorry for being late to answer, and enjoy the rest of your ventures through fandom and meta thereupon!
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