#literally this anyone who spends all their time talking about characters being ooc in fanfiction needs to touch grass

[spock-smokes-weed]

Another annoying thing about Fanon Tim is that he never has friends before YJ and is completely antisocial. While Canon Tim "is it new school? cool, cool, cool. I'm going to make friends with every second person I meet. annoying jocks? a couple of minutes and we are the best bros forever."

LITERALLY!!!!

Honestly I don’t think any of these people who write for fanon Tim know a thing about his character. And that’s fine, but it’s super annoying and frustrating when you have read the comics. Not to mention how it’s actively destroying Tim’s reputation in the fanbase.

Even when it comes to his YJ friends they only ever focus on Kon and Bart; sometimes Cassie if you’re lucky. When there was a whole nother group of people who Tim was friends with and cared about. Greta, Cissie, Lagoon Boy, and even the friends he made in the titans are just never talked about. Not to mention the people he’s close with in the batfamily are erased in place of making Jason his hype man (which is just so fucking weird????). Like Dick, Steph, and Cass are all super important people to Tim and it makes me so insane seeing them get tossed aside or written badly to make their uwu sad boy look better.

Like Tim’s history is constantly getting shuffled around and twisted and it’s just so strange. Like things that happened when he first became Robin will be paired with things towards the end of his time as Robin and I’m just ??? what’s going on??? Like one time I read a fic that was about Jason’s attack on titans tower, and it mentioned that both of Tim’s parents were alive, when at this point both would have been dead. It seems like they just hear about a few things that happened to Tim and just fucking run with it.

Tim is also constantly being portrayed as a wide eyed fanboy who always listens to Batman and others heroes, and while that was a part of Tim’s characterization when he was first Robin, he drops it over time the more he’s involved with the hero stuff. Like Tim regularly lies to Batman all through YJ, is constantly shown to not always trust Bruce’s judgment, and even thought Bruce was guilt of murder for a time because of how Bruce was behaving. And when he does have a wide eyed admiration for another hero it dissolves into just regular coworker respect pretty quickly (like when he met Ted Kord). So seeing him constantly act like a squealing fan boy who thinks his heroes can do no wrong is mad cringe. 

I have this big conundrum when it comes to the fanon batman fandom, because I’m fully aware that comics are an expensive and difficult hobby, and I started from reading fanfic because I couldn’t afford anything, but at the same time it’s just so frustrating to see panels and comic arcs get take out of context and twisted to prop up a OOC version of a character. And with Tim being a character that not many people know about, fanon is actively ruining his reputation and that just makes me every more frustrated.

I think the place where I come from is that because I used to read a lot of fanon fics, not knowing they weren’t even close to canon, when I finally did get to reading the comics I got really mad because how things are in canon is just objectively so much better. There is so many great stories and character in the comics and seeing it brushed aside for these just fucking terrible and watered down clones makes me wanna chew glass. And there’s huge attitude among fanon that fanfic and fanon is far superior than the source material. Which is just???? There is a near century’s worth of comics for batman and ur telling me fanfiction is better that all of it??? Please for the love of g-d touch some grass.

All I can really do is call out bad fanon when I see it, and recommend good comics and plotlines to start with. I have a Batman recs list pinned on my blog that I updated every so often. If anyone is new and wants to read comics, if you’re willing to spend a little chunk of change then the DC Infinite app is a great resource (if ur in the us 😔). They have everything DC has ever published and it’s all organized. They even high light a lot of really good storylines. If you don’t want to do that then just hunt down a character recs list and pirate the fuck out of whatever is on there. Piracy is a victimless crime and it makes u cool and sexy. 

Just…. please… read a fucking comic book before I walk into the ocean

#ask box #batman #tim drake #oooo I love ranting about fanon tim #I hate his guts and it’s my mission to kill him violently

[touchstarvedsam]

hi. i am sending this on anon because i want to talk and not to bring anon hate on myself immediately. i am literally from the other side of the fandom, i have no idea how your post ended up on my dash. but i am literally curious, so i want to ask you a couple of questions, you obviously don't have to answer at all, your choice. 1/

"they complain about misogyny and then go and refer to Sam’s wife as a walking uterus." isn't it an issue though? she is never introduced, we aren't even shown her face. this is a new character in a 15 year old show, introduced only for the purpose of being The Mother to the protagonist child. what they did is misogynistic enough, she has no name, no face - us laughing about it is not misogynistic because we are laughing about what they did which is insane. that is how i see it. they introduce2/

"Pay attention when Dean blatantly says “I don’t swing that way,”" and the rest of what you said in that paragraph ok i know i am on anon but are you. are you sure that when someone says this. this is always true. i know numerous peoplei, i am one of those people myself who were in such denial and told so many lies about themselves when it comes to sexuality and sorry but Dean makes an impression of some who would be in denial about many things but okay this is in headcanon territory 4/

this is in headcanon territory and everyone can have their own headcanon so why do you have such problem with people headcanoning him as bi "And besides that... the way they portray Dean in fics? They feminize the everliving fuck out of him, to the point that the character they’re writing isn’t even Dean. Like, in any way, shape, or form. "this is one of the things i can actually 100% agree with because Dean in fics is often feminized yes, it is usually ooc, yes, though if we are talking 5/

okay :* i know i didn't click anon on one of them because i am not used to sending anons but i did explain why i wanted them on anon in the first place - i have enough anon hate on the daily basis. i am counting on you to answer me or just leave it but still i think my asks weren't hateful. i am genuinely curious. and how did they ended up on my dash is a mystery for both of us

So, tumblr ate at least TWO of your asks, which tumblr does if you send too many sometimes. I’m just curious why it gave you a character limit? Tumblr lets me post long asks now and separate them by paragraphs, lol. But anyway. Ask number 3 and whatever is after ask number 5 is missing. But I’ll go with what I’ve got.

The one marked as number 5 is the one that bothered me first because I actually covered it in my post to which you’re referring.

Your question: this is in headcanon territory and everyone can have their own headcanon so why do you have such problem with people headcanoning him as bi

What my post said, a direct quote so you don’t think I’m cursing at you specifically: Like, whatever, you can headcanon a character whatever way you want. Write them however the fuck you want in fanfiction. But for the love of god, respect the actual fucking canon.

My point was Dean is straight in canon and people should respect that instead of forcing their headcanons down everyone’s throats. I headcanon Sam as demisexual. But is he in the show? No, he’s canonically straight. Does that sway my headcanons and keep me from enjoying the show the way I want? No. Do I shout that to anyone that will listen and try to get them to share my beliefs? No. That is the difference between canon and headcanon, and respectful fans and disrespectful fans. Too many people refuse to acknowledge that Dean is canonically straight because of the color of a flannel he wore, or strobe lights he’s standing in front of a bar, or the fact that a diner was out of pie and he had to eat a slice of cake instead. I am not kidding, those are reasons people have considered him bi. That is harmful to actual bisexual people like myself.

Now, in response to ask number 4: Dean is comfortable in his sexuality. If he was bi and was closeted, or hating himself for being bi, or in denial about it, do you think he would be so comfortable around gay people? He would most likely be repressing his sexuality so hard that he would come off as standoffish or lashing out at gay people because they are what he dislikes about himself. He wouldn’t be as comfortable as he was with the gay characters he did spend time with. He’s not hiding anything. He’s completely open. His dating profile says Interested In: Women, not Men and Women. If they wanted Dean to be bi, or give a nod to it, they would have said it in that tiny scene. Supernatural hasn’t queerbaited anyone, so the majority of the audience didn’t even see a possibility for Dean to be bisexual, because there wasn’t any subtext for it.

Ask number 2 (I don’t know why I’m going backwards, I’m a whole mess):

While I didn’t think the blurry wife was the best idea, I liked that Jared said that the intention was for Sam’s partner to be whoever we want them to be. They left it open because it wasn’t about Sam starting a family without Dean; it was about Sam’s half-life after he lost his most important person, and the buildup to when they would finally meet again. So they left the blurry person open to interpretation, just that they were not Eileen. You can laugh about it all you want, but calling the person a walking uterus is disgusting as fuck. Supernatural as a whole has been a pretty misogynistic show sometimes, not just to women, but to Sam who they have woman-coded throughout the show. So.

That’s my take. I hope I was respectful enough for you. Like I said, I don’t care what you headcanon, but when a character, the actor, and the creators specifically state that the character is straight, I suggest you pay attention to that. Don’t let it ruin your experience or your headcanons because that ruins all the fun, but also don’t disrespect the writers by denying what they have stated.

Have a nice night.

#anti destihellers #anti destiel #dean is straight #anon #kiri answers asks

[catnippackets]

PLEASE RANT ABOUT THE CHARACTERS BEING REDUCED TO ONE TRAIT I WANT TO K N O W

alright this got a bit longer than I intended it to be…all my salt came gushing out like a geyser….it’s under the cut for anyone who doesn’t want to see it. also it’s about Keith bc he’s the one I feel the most stongly about (believe me I have issues w how the fandom portays p much everyone but Keith bugs me the most bc he’s my favourite so he’s all I’m talking about here)

first of all it depends on who’s writing him tbh because generally I don’t see these things happening at the same time but he’s either:

1. aggressive, rude, and angry literally all the time

this bothers me SO much because he isn’t like this at all, and all the times he IS angry he has a very good reason to be?? he doesn’t hide his emotions with jokes, he’s not held back by anxiety, and he’s relatively young and thus not as practiced with managing his emotions. He’s a kid on the more quiet side who’s got so much placed on him and if you aren’t inclined to joke about it or anything then of course you’ll be more sullen most of the time. but aside from that, it’s already been shown in canon that he’s got a sense of humour, he can make jokes, he can be gentle, he cares about others, and frankly half the things I see him get mad at in fanfiction have already happened in the show and he didn’t get mad at all.

he’s definitely a hothead and has a shorter temper and less patience than others on the show, and he can totally come off as rude sometimes, but he’s not some sort of physical embodiment of rage which is how I see him portayed in too much fan content and it drives me up the wall. especially in modern day aus when the cast is under like maybe 10% of the stress they’re under in the show and thus even less reason for him to constantly be snapping at everyone like he hates all people for no reason. he’s not a social person but then again I’m not either and neither are most of my friends and none of us snap at each other constantly.

and then when it’s in klance fanfiction? it’s just really bizarre and weird bc the writer has Keith being a complete dick for no reason and then Lance for some reason always wants to be with him anyway DESPITE Keith treating him like garbage for no reason?? and then when they’re together Keith is still constantly insulting him (it’s always played off as affectionate nicknames like “idiot” and “asshole” like ok once in a while is ok but it happens too often to be endearing) and reluctant to show affection which is first of all super unhealthy and OOC for LANCE too, and second of all REALLY UNTRUE BECAUSE WE ALL WATCHED SEASON THREE AND SAW HOW KEITH TREATS PEOPLE HE LIKES (HINT, HE LOOKS AT THEM SOFTLY AND TRIES TO REASSURE THEM EVEN THOUGH HE ISN’T GOOD AT IT). so it’s just super icky on all accounts but especially icky when it’s in romantic situations

or he is

2. obsessed with cryptids and conspiracy theories

THIS INFURIATES ME THE MOST BECAUSE IT’S LITERALLY NOT TRUE IN CANON AND SOMEHOW EVERYBODY ADOPTED IT AND REDUCED HIM TO THIS AND THERE IS NO BASIS FOR THIS AT ALL EITHER AND I HATE IT SO MUCH!!!!

“but Selena! he had a corkboard in his shack with photos all linked together with string like a conspiracy board!” yeah because he was investigating something in the desert and organizing all his findings, if you were living in a shack all alone and started feeling weird energies wouldn’t you look into it too?? I’m not into conspiracy theories but I 100% would do that bc come on it’s interesting. This is the only conspiracy theory related event that he’s associated with and imo it’s not enough to turn that into his primary trait it just ISN’T

“but Selena! Shiro, his brother figure, was MIA and Keith got kicked out of the garrison, what if he got kicked out because he knew Shiro’s disappearance was a cover-up??” again that isn’t something that proves he’s got an obsession with conspiracy theories, it’s a single event and him knowing that they’re covering up something about his brother going missing and trying to figure out what it is?? Pidge did the same thing with her brother and frankly if something happened to my brother I would be looking into it too, and if someone tried to joke about how this meant I was into conspiracy theories I’d actually be offended bc how dare you take a traumatic event that I’m trying to figure out and imply that this is just something I like to do for fun

and the cryptid thing has literally no basis in canon at all so I have even less patience for this trope which is saying something bc I have zero patience for the conspiracy theorist trope at all

this is just a major pet peeve bc it’s not harmful at all and I know a lot of ppl enjoy it and there’s nothing wrong with it if it brings you joy but personally I cannot stand it!!! I hate it so much!!! SO MUCH!!! ESPECIALLY SINCE IT’S NOT CANON AND YET EVERYBODY TREATS IT LIKE IT IS!!!!!!! Every time a fanfic writes him as being obsessed with those things I just close out bc I hate it so much

I didn’t intend to spend over half an hour on this but once I got started I couldn’t stop and I gotta say I feel so much better after laying it all out

#Anonymous #ask #negative// #OK TO REBLOG BTW!!!! #I try not to persevorate on the things I don't like on this blog but I've kept quiet for too long dfkj #I can do the other characters later if anyone wants to know but it's nothing anyone else hasn't said before

[meredith-lives]

Fanfiction - The Captive (Part 4/?)

Summary:  The Blue Paladin gets captured by Prince Lotor.   Hopefully he’ll be able to figure out how to escape, that is, once he works out who the hell he is.

Pairing:  Lance/Lotor

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

It didn’t take long before Demaris arrived.  Her yellow eyes were still downcast as she laid out his outfit on the bed.  He had to admit the clothing was quite beautiful.   Long silver harem trousers with a swirling blue pattern a little like leaves paired with long robes with the same pattern.  It had a silver chain belt with a circular clasp.  It was a bit like what he’d imagine seeing in something out of Arabian nights, well, except this was far more modest.  

 Along with it came silvery soft shoes, more like slippers really.  He wondered if this would be warm enough to stop the cold from leaching in.  And, finally there was the bling, a confusing array of jewellery.  Silver earrings in intricate circular knots and attached that attached to the lobes with clips in some way.  Rings, silver ones for every finger except thumbs, and a necklace with a dark blue round gem.

 ‘Umm, do I really need to wear all this?’

 ‘It is what Prince Lotor wishes.’

 He thought of what Lotor wore, he’d only seen him in space-age armour, or those silver pants when he slept.  He picked up the fabric, rubbing it between his fingers. It felt surprisingly warm and thank God for small mercies with that, he was sick of the cold. ‘It just seems…too fancy?’

 ‘You are the Prince’s companion, it’s what is expected.’  There was disapproval in her voice.

 ‘Look, am I making you upset?  Am I doing something wrong?’

 ‘Not at all.’  She said, somewhat dismissive, and obviously eager to end the subject.   ‘I’ll help you with the jewellery.’

 Blue sighed.  He didn’t think he’d get Demaris to talk anytime soon.  But he had to try at least one more time.  ‘Look, I know you’re not supposed to chat.  But I literally know next to nothing about…well anything here, so.  I promise I won’t blab, it’s not like there is anyone to blab to anyway.’  And wasn’t that the truth.  

 Demaris’s lip curled slightly, and she looked away for a moment before turning back to him, her face now blank, giving away nothing. So catlike and foreign it gave him chills.   ‘You must have had a charmed life to believe anyone would trust so easily.  And you, yourself, should be careful who you speak to, companion.  Not everyone will be happy that Prince Lotor took you as his companion.’

 ‘Well, it’s not like I had much choice.’

 ‘None of us do,’ Demaris said.  ‘Even-’  Demaris stopped herself, seeming to think better of what she was saying and then continued.  ‘You will not be hearing any gossip from me, companion.’

 What, now 'companion’ was a title?  Maybe there was something more to it than Lotor had led on.   Sure he wasn’t  a sex slave, he was a warm teddy bear slave, a blankie to the big bad purple elf prince.  He should be relieved and in a large part he was, but it was also a bit humiliating. Especially the way he was being decorated, apparently to be dragged out to be shown off in public.  Wasn’t he supposed to be this badass terrorist assassin pilot?    Well, obviously not so badass, on account of being caught, but still  -  this wasn’t usually how evil overlords dealt with their captured enemies, at least not in any story he’d read.  

 But this wasn’t a story. This was real. Well, either that or a really bizarre drug dream, but it was pointless to worry about that possibility.  This world he as in, it seemed as real as it could get.

 By the time Lotor returned, from wherever he had been, Blue was fully dressed.  Belt buckled, hair down and half up in a braid which kept his hair behind his ear. The silvery knotted earring looped around his earlobes and clipped in place so the silver knots hanged from his earlobes (he was sure he’d seen some character wear something like it in Star Trek), along with a pretty nice choker with a dark blue stone.  Blue didn’t think he was one for fashion, but it was kind of classy (well, in a Persian/harem way), and the face and hand cream that Demaris had given him worked a treat. He’d have to ask her for more so he could do this daily.  The cold wasn’t doing great for his pores.

 ‘You look satisfactory,’ Lotor nodded.

 ‘Only satisfactory?,’  he put his hand over his heart acting wounded. ‘I got all decked out for this date and you’re-”  Blue stopped, suddenly feeling heated as he realised he’d been flirting.  What the fuck self.  

 ‘I’m what?’  Lotor said, looking both annoyed and confused in equal measure.

 ‘Well, I would have thought I was a bit more than satisfactory,’ Blue said in the most casual way he could, relieved that the hair grabby jerk didn’t notice.  Let a guy give you nice clothes, sparkly gems and hand cream and apparently, he might just be that easy.  Actually was he even gay?   Jesus, he didn’t know, surely such knowledge would be instinctive.  You shouldn’t just forget your sexuality could you?  Did this mean he had to go through a sexual identity crisis on top of a ‘who the fuck am I’ crisis?  Then again, Lotor was extremely pretty, those cheekbones and long silky hair would make most female models cry in envy, so it was hard to tell. Lotor probably could turn straight men gay.  That is, if they could get past his height and muscled biceps and wide shoulders and yeah, maybe he was just a little gay.  Oh God help him.

 ‘Are all human as strange as you?’  Lotor asked.

 ‘Since the only humans I can remember are movie stars and star wars characters, I have no freaking idea.’  Blue put his hands up.

 ‘Movie stars war?’

 ‘Never mind,’ Blue shook his hand.   ‘It’s a long story.  Anyway, I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me where we’re going, the Bridge right?’  Visions of the Enterprise floated behind his eyes.  

‘That is correct.  It is where I command the fleet.  It’s important that you be seen by the senior bridge staff.’

 ‘Sweet, think of all the intel I can gather, once I escape.  I’ll be the hero of the rebellion.  I’ll have all the hot babes after me.’   Yeah, it was official, his mouth had a mind of his own and he knew right form Lotor’s face he was definitely going to regret it.

 Lotor grabbed his right forearm, the pressure almost but not quite painful as he loomed over him.  ‘This is not the time for your outlandish jokes.  Listen carefully, Paladin, for your life will depend on it.  You will not speak to me outside these rooms unless I give you leave. You will not speak to anyone else under any circumstances.  Do you understand?’  His arm was squeezed and now it definitely hurt.

 ‘Okay, okay, I won’t talk to a soul.’  Calm down, Legolas.  

 His arm was let go and Blue rubbed it gingerly. Just when he was starting to see Lotor as maybe an ally, and not so bad, he was forcefully reminded of who Lotor was.   And reminded of how much of a jerk he was, no matter how good looking.   A jerk who had him a captive, a slave, a fucking doll to be dressed up and paraded around.

 ‘Good,’ Lotor said, oblivious to Blue’s resentment. ‘You’re part of my household now. I am the one who will answer if you insult another, and I am not in any humor to fight another over your foolishness.’

 Whatever! His right hand balled in a fist in angry helplessness.    Blue gave no fucks about Lotor’s problems, but he wasn’t keen to put himself on the mercy of anyone else in this strange confusing world he’d found himself in.   So he’d endure, play nice and he’d work out a way to get away somehow.  

 My first note:  Yes Lotor is a jerk.  But he’ll get better.  Maybe. I don’t know how much in-character he’ll be (heh, we’re all guessing right now), maybe he’ll be totally OOC, but I’m aiming to have this finished before the new series. 

Please tell me if I have any embarrassing typos. I write purely for fun, so I don’t spend much time editing.

Thanks for reading.

#voltron legendary defender #lance mcclain #prince lotor #lancelot #voltron

[sage-nebula]

I'm gonna ask Klance as I can't swing a cat without hitting 12 things tagged with that lol

Frrsajfddajgda I KNOW, RIGHT?? Like ffffff, I have nothing against the ship on principle (and more on that in a second), but I actually do have it in my tumblr savior because I could not go into Keith’s tag without seeing KLANCE, KLANCE EVERYWHERE and it got really tiring. I kid you not, once I added it into my Savior I once had a page with just one visible post because everything else was Klance. Jesus. 

But anyway, to talk about the ship itself . . .

Again, I have nothing against it on principle. I don’t ship it, really, but I don’t mind it either. I think that, if written well, it could be interesting and fun and even cute. The problem is, I feel like it’s really . . . really hard to find it written well.

My main issue---and part of the reason why I wanted to stop seeing it so much all the time---is that I feel like, since it’s such a juggernaut ship, at this point it’s become kind of removed from the characters and who they actually are, versus how fandom at large wants them to be. If you watch the actual show, there really isn’t anything romantic about Keith and Lance’s interactions. They’re certainly not the type to call each other “sweetheart” and “baby,” or otherwise act very sappy and in love. But fandom wants them to be like that---they want to believe that one or both of them are pining for the other, that everyone in the castle ships it (and has shipping it as their #1 priority, depending on the work), that this is some grand love story and that, if it doesn’t end up canon, the writers were queerbaiting (when, no, they haven’t been---there’s literally nothing in canon to suggest that this ship is going to be official). It’s to the point where the fandom is so large and so vehement that fanon has superseded canon for many people. Rather than viewing the characters as they actually are in the original work, fandom has decided that they prefer their versions of the characters. And when fandom realizes this, that’s okay (albeit not my cup of coffee), but I think that, by and large, fandom has a hard time realizing it. That’s why you get situations where the shippers harass the creators and voice actors and whoever else on Twitter (which, yes, has happened, apparently---it’s as bad as Steven Universe fandom, ffs).

Even setting aside the absolutely horrendous behavior of some of the shipping base, however, the mischaracterizations are really just not my thing. I like these characters because I like these characters, and so when they act super OoC for the sake of a fanart, fic, or whatever else, I immediately lose interest. I get that people do change how they behave around someone once they become romantically involved (to an extent---their personality shouldn’t do a complete 180), but I’ve seen so many fanworks that supposedly take place in the canon timeline where Lance and/or Keith are so OoC they’re barely recognizable. I remember seeing one fic where Shiro seriously injured / killed(?) Keith (what the fuck tbh), and Lance was crying over him and calling him “sweetheart” and whatnot and I just . . . no. That’s not Lance. It’s not Shiro, either (even though it was an accident on Shiro’s part, to be fair), but that’s really not Lance. When you get to the point that the characters are unrecognizable, why are you even writing fanfiction? What is it that you really want? Is it that you actually want these characters, as they are, to be together, or is it that you just think they’re pretty and want them to fill the tropes that you’ve already become attached to from other fanworks (/yaoi manga)?

I also have an issue with the fact that so many Klance works I’ve seen treat Keith as basically a prop or accessory to make Lance look / feel special. Like, it’s not necessarily that Keith is outright bashed (though I’ve seen that too, and it’s pretty disgusting), but it’s more like they want him pining after Lance as a way to make Lance seem super cool and amazing because he clearly has to be if Keith is pining after him! Or there are instances where like, Keith is the one to stay behind and fret and worry while Lance is out there running dangerous missions all the time (when, in all honesty, why wouldn’t they be on missions together?), or Keith obviously is just the supportive trophy boyfriend who wants Lance to be the leader, etc etc, you get the idea. And I’m not the only one who has noticed this; there was a post someone made a little bit ago about this very issue, where OP actually talked about how they’re a very passionate Klance shipper, but they’ve seen a “a disturbing number of Klance fics” (their words) where Keith is bashed. Keith is my favorite character, so obviously I’m going to have a real issue with Keith being mistreated (whether that’s bashing him or treating him as a trophy / prop to make Lance look better), but even if he wasn’t my favorite I feel like that sort of behavior is garbage. Why ship a ship in which you treat one of the characters horribly? Why are you using Keith as a prop or trophy for Lance? And why would you think Lance, even though he does see Keith as a rival, would want that? (/ why would you think Keith would tolerate it, because again, he’s not the type to stay home and fret while someone he loves does something dangerous---he would be throwing himself into the conflict right alongside them, tbqh).

So I have a lot of issues with how the ship is treated in fandom, and I’m tired, too, of the fact that it’s everywhere to the point where it’s essentially The Ship™ and so it’s present even in things that have nothing to do with it (like Broganes content that comes with a side of Klance out of nowhere, like, sometimes I just want Broganes, can we just focus on that, please?). But that’s more fatigue, rather than actual dislike.

But that said, as far as the ship itself and potential for it goes . . .

Again, if I look at it from a canonical perspective (i.e. if I see these characters how they actually are in canon versus how fandom wants them to be), then I really don’t mind it, and could even like it if it was developed properly. The way I see it is:

To begin with, I see Keith as asexual. His romantic orientation is up in the air; I haven’t decided, and I think that Keith hasn’t had the time nor inclination to really think about it either, because he’s been through too much in his life + is waaaaaaaaay too high-key stressed at the moment to even begin to think about it. Certainly there’s no way he was thinking about it throughout season two, when he was so preoccupied with the thought that he might be Galra (he is) and finding out the truth of his heritage. So even setting aside his orientation, I think that there’s absolutely no way that Keith has feelings for anyone in canon at the moment. I do like the idea of some Keith ships (for instance, I think that Keith/Hunk has potential to be pretty damn cute), but I think that, right now, Keith is just not in the right headspace for a romantic relationship, and it’s not even on his radar. He’s not pining for anyone, Lance or otherwise. He has way too much on his plate right now for that to be the case. I also feel that, similarly, he wasn’t pining for Lance (or anyone) prior to season two, either. Even when he was less stressed / had less going on . . . I mean, let’s be honest, here: Keith didn’t even remember who Lance was in the first episode. It took him a minute before he remembered, “Oh yeah, you were a cargo pilot, weren’t you?” Keith’s interactions with Lance never gave me the idea that he had some massive crush on him. Even his, “We had a bonding moment!!” only really counts toward friendship, because he spoke similarly to the Red Lion (“I’m BONDING WITH YOU” --- oh Keith, that’s not how bonding or friendships work). So as far as canon goes, I don’t think that Keith has a crush on or feelings for Lance. I just don’t.

Lance, on the other hand, I see as bisexual, but I think that he thinks he’s straight, and I think (though note that this is headcanon) that this is part of the reason why he’s so insistent on flirting with pretty much every woman (or female-like alien) that crosses his path. Lance is pretty much closeted even to himself, so he acts aggressively heterosexual in order to try and maintain that denial. Eventually, as he becomes more comfortable with who he is as a person, he’ll come to accept this part of himself as well and that will help him tone down the insistent womanizing, but until then, he’s pretty much bisexual in denial. He’s trying really, really hard to convince himself (and everyone else) that he’s straight.

So that said, I could see him having a crush on Keith, particularly since we know for a canonical fact that he was very attentive to Keith prior to the show even beginning, to the point where he easily picked him out through binoculars in the first episode and ran hell for leather in after him. Yeah, it was all under the guise of “NO I’M NOT LETTING HIM WIN THIS ONE!1!!” but god, how much time did he spend staring at Keith to be able to recognize him like that, despite the fact that Keith had the lower half of his face covered with a bandanna? That’s suspicious af, Lance. Suspicious af. I think that with Lance’s feelings toward Keith, it’s a bit complicated. I do think that some of his rivalry, and some of his desire to chase after / catch up to / surpass Keith is genuine. I think that Lance sees Keith as this amazing goal to chase after, and he gets himself fired up in chasing that goal because it motivates him to keep working and to try harder. Everything seems to come naturally to Keith (from Lance’s perspective), like Keith never struggles, and that simultaneously inspires and pisses Lance off, because Lance works hard for what he gets (even though he wants it to be effortless), and so for Keith to (seemingly) have everything come naturally to him, that makes Lance want to work three times as hard to surpass him.

But at the same time, I also think that there’s a measure there where . . . Lance WANTS Keith to be The Ace, he WANTS Keith to be amazing, he LOVES that about him. Like, again, it’s half inspiration, half anger; he doesn’t actually hate Keith, he doesn’t actually resent Keith, and posts that talk about Lance being an antagonist if Keith becomes the Black Paladin because Lance would never follow him are absolute bullshit because a.) Lance has already taken direction from Keith in the show (last episode of season two), and b.) Lance doesn’t actually hate / resent Keith ffs, he just uses his rivalry with Keith as motivation to push himself to be better. But for that to work, Keith has to be at the top of his game. I think that a lot of people see Lance’s hostile attitude toward Keith dropping out as some resentment / bitterness for Iverson only saying that he (Lance) was in the program because “the best pilot in your class washed out,” and I do think that it’s true that Lance is hurt by Iverson saying that. However, I also think that Lance might have taken Keith’s dropping out personally because . . . Keith was supposed to be the best. He was supposed to be at the top of his game and here he is, dropping out, what the fuck? So he’s super hostile and aggressive toward Keith at first because Keith sort of dropped the ball on being a goal to chase. Meanwhile, Keith is just like “I don’t even know who tf you are” at first, which makes matters worse, haha.

All of this is to say---I do think, certainly, that there’s potential for Lance to have a crush on Keith, that he saw Keith as a sort of goal to chase, as a rival, but also that he couldn’t help but be attracted to that, that he couldn’t help but find Keith extremely, extremely cool (and, though he ignores this part of his brain, damn pretty, too). Keith and Allura have a lot in common in terms of personality, and so it’s possible that the parts of Allura that attract Lance (personality-wise) are the exact same traits that Keith has, and therefore Lance projects his crush on Keith onto Allura, because again, he’s in denial about his sexuality, it’s easier for him to hit on Allura than it is for him to hit on Keith. And it’s extremely possible that his feelings could grow stronger as he gets to know Keith better, though at the moment I still see it as a crush that Lance hasn’t even allowed himself to really acknowledge, because he’s not quite in the right head-space for it at the moment, either.

I could see this relationship working over time, particularly if we got to a point where Keith is the leader of Voltron (I still want Shiro back in the immediate future, though), and Lance is his right-hand. They work really well together as a team and I think that, out of everyone else on the team, Lance is best suited to be Keith’s right-hand, to back him up in terms of leadership. I could truly see them growing closer in this context, could truly see them coming together and, perhaps when things have calmed down and Keith has more of his life in order, he could develop romantic feelings for Lance as well. It’s definitely possible, just not right now.

So yeah, I have nothing against this ship in terms of the characters themselves, but my feelings on it are certainly complicated thanks to the fandom and I don’t really ship it, haha. Maybe someday, but not right now.

(Though some of the art is really pretty, I will give the fandom that.)

#brutally honest ship meme #shinygoku