Ok, first of all I just want to say that I generally try to stay out of series discourse, mostly because the worst fans of every fandom are really just awful to have to communicate with and I don’t need that kind of drama in my life. Unfollow me if you will, but the discourse surrounding Season 8 of Voltron has just pushed me over the edge and I feel I need to say something about it. And this rant actually goes for every fandom of ANY show that it applies to, the topic is just going to be Voltron.
I am kinda sick of fans acting like spoiled, entitled whiners. Just because you do not like the outcome of something, it does not mean that:
A. It was bad
B. Everyone in the fandom feels the same way
C. You can badmouth and harass the creators
Yes, you are MORE than entitled your opinion and feelings about something, but keep those opinions YOURS. DO not assume that the entire fandom feels the same way as you, and do not push those opinions onto people who haven’t watched the show to the point where it puts them off. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.
Do you have any idea the kind of effort that goes into making something of this magnitude? Do you even know the kind of red tape that is involved in children’s entertainment and story telling? Or the kind of censorship or forced rewrites happen behind the scenes? I can assure you that more often then not, a show delivers as much as they can within these strict parameters.
Stop quoting creators saying “this is something they promised us” without even knowing why it wasn’t or couldn’t be delivered. It’s like someone judging your life or actions without even knowing what you’ve been through or the reasons why you did something. It’s unfair and frankly childishly entitled.
Your ship didn’t end up together? Neither did mine, but I don’t care because I saw purpose behind the ships that DID end up together because I recognise that love can happen in many places for many different reasons, just like real life. This is what fanart and fanfiction is for, go and write and draw and discuss and make headcannons. That’s exactly why fandoms rock (and the only reason why I am still a part of them).
I’ve seen a lot of people mentioning that Allura’s death, Adam’s death and the end of Voltron resulted in everyone’s ships dying. Since when was shipping the only requirement for a strong and compelling story?
I was not crazy about season 7 and I will openly admit that, I was also pretty bummed about Adam’s death (especially with the current storytelling climate for gay couples in entertainment). But I also trusted that season 7 was a transition to a better season 8, and I personally feel I was right. Season 7 was an amalgamation of loose ends being tied up, relationships being solidified and a push into an exciting conclusion that I was more than satisfied with. I cried for like 8 hours about Allura, but you know what? That’s not a bad thing. Just because I am feeling sad, it does not mean the writers messed up. Sad feelings do not equal bad storytelling. Ships ending or not happening do not equal bad storytelling.
"I didn’t like it!” does not equal bad storytelling.
And again, I’d like to reiterate that I am not trying to silence anyone’s dislike of a show or the direction it went in, or even harsh criticism. I am merely pointing out that you are not entitled to a story going your way because you’re a fan. Making posts saying “Bring us the real season 8″ and “Season 8 didn’t exist” is not only grossly disrespectful of something that brought you joy for at least 6 seasons, but it’s incredibly disrespectful of the creators of the show who not only put in overtime to make this show happen (and I can promise you, there is no animated show this good without a disgusting amount of overtime), but also a complete disregard for the fact that they probably did everything they could to make this show work despite the restrictions they had.
And then some whiny fans come along and shit all over it without offering fair reason or intelligent conversation about why it didn’t personally appeal to them. They don’t care about any of the consequences of their words or actions. There are real human beings behind these creations, guys. Come on.
It has always surprised me how people who are fans about shows that preach love, acceptance, community and strength can embody the polar opposite of all of those things.
This will probably be the first and last rant about this, cos honestly this stuff drains me.
And to the otp-shippers, multi-shippers, discourse writers, fanartists, writers and others that strengthen the community, enrich the experience and respect each other and the creators - bless you and thank you.
