#but the way canon vld set them up????

[bloomeng]

I’m not really me if I’m not overthinking things but these are some random notes about the magical girl au.

As much as it would be fun to give the batfam powers I think it’s more important to retain the no power thing. It’s the core to Batman’s universe. However there is a magical element. I believe the suits were engineered but in an altean (from vld)/she-ra sense whee they were engineered and combined with magic/alchemy. (Bc magic is canon to gotham and canon to Bruce’s bloodline there are numerous ways he could’ve obtained them.) Their biggest quality is they basically have hammerspace. Each outfit shrinks down into a little wearable artifact and of course expands in traditional magical girl transformation fashion. There is only one Robin artifact that was handed down through the Robins, which Damian currently has. Bruce only had two originally (They were just the raw material and he designed his suit and then Robin’s for Dick). Everyone else acquired their own through the typical magical destiny thing.

I’m thinking that when Dick left Bruce to set out on his own, he stumbled across an artifact in Blüdhaven and the rest is history. The artifacts operate sort of like Kryptonite: they’re supposedly rare except everyone and their mother seems to find one. But they’re like a rare magical mineral that can be combined with an object and boom magical girl. Tim has in fact tried to create an artificial version but it blew up in his face. So far no one has been able to replicate an artificial version.

The user has some control over their appearance but not full control. They respond to how you feel internally and respond accordingly, which is how you get outfits that change overtime (aka Discowing and Batgirl). This is also why all the Robins will look different. The artifacts are still more of a “they choose you situation” though.

Anyway this is the lore I have planned for the batfam but I’m still working on the superfam, speedster and wonder…fam(?) logic. Green Lantern is literally already a magical girl and I think that’s funny.

[alohaasaloevera]

guys I’m honestly happy that klance didn’t become canon because I love how as a collective group of people we utilize our right to explore what could have been and create the most smoking hot scenarios ever and yes I obviously wanted more of their friendship growing into this bond stronger than anything else in the universe especially since Voltron has teamwork and family as one of their main lessons but that’s more of a development issue all around…ok besides that there’s something about klance where it provides this PERFECT environment for shippers to inhabit and FEAST upon. With klance, there’s a solid, engaging dynamic between the two set up, which is this weird one-sided rivalry that stems from Lance’s insecurity and his need to prove himself of his worth and Keith literally being one of the best pilots for his age but since they’re flung into space and chosen to become child soldiers in this 10,000 year old intergalactic war so they have to work as a team which surprise surprise forces them to put aside their differences and work as a team which is shown a bunch when Keith needs to become a leader and Lance steps up as his right hand and and they have some kinda tender moments that won’t definitely drive shippers into a shipping craze (or worse) SO YEAH you could see why people loved it with all the classic tropes and mutual growth all that schmooze (ALSO THEY KNEW EACHOTHER BEFORE THE MAIN PLOT??? Well maybe not like friends or even acquaintances probably BUT HELLO?????? EVEN MORE SHIT TO EXPAND ON????), and they share multiple scenes that could be interpreted as romantic but there’s no explicit romance. This environment is fucking dripping drenched flash flooded cornered by 1000ft tsunamis in all directions with potential for shipping, so when people saw this relationship between two bros with this sort of homoerotic (IM JOKING. Kinda.) unresolved tension towards each other and the POTENTIAL for a good slow burn rivals to friends to lovers, it was to no one’s surprise that they went APESHIT. Klancers made countless different ways where they get together whether it be pre-Kerberos, post-gettingthefuckoutofearth, the start of the show, the end of the show, after the end of the show, right smack in the middle, anywhere, anytime, for who the fuck knows why just ANY REASON DAMN IT it doesn’t really matter because people were pumping out fanfiction or fan art or any fan media of klance faster than I spit out a raw baby carrot after chewing it for one second and now we’re all wallowing about how it should have been KICK but the thing is that if VLD did KICK all the way to Altea, the production of these beautiful stories that so many people have and still are coming up with about klance kissing in midst of a battle, helping each other with their crippling nightmares, smiling for the stars or some other sad premise, and whatever is nestled in his pulse…just like uhhh the amount of fics like these that go into great detail about Keith and Lance in these random situations that end up with them getting together being produced would go down to some degree because of the fact that if the people’s beloved sharpshooter and samurai had ended up together like we had wanted, and the majority was satisfied with the ending the creators had given, people would have shifted from writing about “How could Lance and Keith get together?” to writing about “What could Lance and Keith do now that they’re together?” And like. There’s nothing wrong with that honestly I would be HYPED if klance was ever canon but there is profound beauty in the way the community is able to create more from less and turn a show that went to shit in the last few seasons shine even brighter than it did at its prime. Like I wouldn’t trade my favorite fics 4 anything.

—

Ok another little thing I’m going to put here: With Klance, all I wanted was for them to be great friends 😭😭😭. I tend to prefer klance becoming canon in later seasons or at the end or even an open ending with no confirmed romantic relationships because I am a sucker for character development and the idea of Keith and Lance both harboring these feelings that at first are just admiration and respect but then escalate to yearning for one another or becoming close friends at the end of the show and getting to imagine anything I want post canon is EVERYTHING if you give me S7 Garrison klance I’ll keel over and thank you like I was a second away from dying of thirst and your gift was a truck load of water

[erinwantstowrite]

Erin I have a question ⁉️

How did you start writing LoF? Like,.not writing it in general, I mean like how did you get—or learned—or studied—all the information regarding the Batfam and their backgrounds, and also about Peter and the Avengers, etc.

Currently, I'm honestly planning on writing a small fiction about Peter ending up in Gotham (You must know your words hold a very dangerous power to inspire) but unfortunately, I don't have the right information to actually START writing it TT_TT. Do you have any tips on how I can start?

(P.S Apologies if this sounds a little confusing, I am not entirely the best at explaining 😞🤞)

There's one person to blame for getting me into DC, and it's @alighterwood

I've always been a fan of Spider-Man. He was my first hero, I wanted to be him soooo bad. I had gotten around to sort of writing my own fic for it with my own version of Peter around last year? (Very much inspired by ITSV, LoF Peter came about because he's his own universe and is based on Spider-Man lore from multiple media versions). I had never thought about writing a Spider-Man fic until ATSV, but at the time I was pretty much dead set on rewriting VLD. I got inspired after rewatching ITSV and then watching ATSV.

But it wasn't until alighterwood got me reading their favorite Batfam fics (specifically Tim) that I started to enjoy Batfam or DC in general.

(My favorite Batfam fic is "The Lone Ranger Never Had to Deal with Bruce Wayne" )

From there I started branching out into learning more about Batfam, what is and isn't fanon, and forming my own opinions. It was a natural progression into "I want my favorite characters to meet each other" and alighterwood's evil genius plan ended up working.

I've read a few comics (mostly the Red Robin series, because Tim was my intro to Batfam so I figured I'd start there) but most of my information?

Wikis, reddits, forums from years (a few of them from decades) ago, my father (who was a Batman fan as a kid) and his friends (my uncles, who were all DC and Marvel nerds), my own friends- basically anything I can get my hands on. If I had a question, it was (probably) answered somewhere, or there was someone else with the same question that made me feel better for not getting it. The internet has a BOATLOAD of information about both Marvel and DC.

It's a LOT of research and note taking, to be honest. I have a physical notebook where I take notes on lore so I don't forget it. I comb through fanon AND canon and I decide from there what I want and what I don't want/what doesn't work and what does work for what I'm writing.

But here's something to keep in mind: at the end of the day, you're not writing FOR anyone else. You're not out to please people who are 100% canon, all the time, nor are you trying to accommodate people who only read fanon material. You're writing for YOU. This part is fun for me, but could be very tedious for other people. I'm a little weird like that (I started writing essays for fun since I learned about them in school).

I like doing research. Like a lot of writers, I go down multiple rabbit holes a day. I start by googling a simple question that should take five minutes and then I see something and go "oh! What's this!?" and pick it up, and the cycle continues when I see something else and eventually remember that I was writing.

I enjoy the research and figuring out the balance. Because DC and Marvel do the same shit with their own works! Shit gets retconned, or they bring characters back from the dead, blah blah blah. The fun part for me IS going insane trying to figure out the Flash Family and their STUPID family tree, or learning about characters that were basically forgotten by everyone- even the writers. The best part is that since it's my fic I'm writing, I can go: "What's the most entertaining way I can use this?" And no one can stop me.

But if YOU don't enjoy that part, and you try to do it, you might lose your spark!! Your inspiration!! You might not have fun, and that's what writing is all about!! My thing is, is that basically every fan interpretation, whether they try to stick to the original source as closely as they can or not, IS FANON. And fanon is fun!!

Basically it all stems down to: it's your sandbox and you can play in there however you want to. And sometimes, people see what you're doing and they're like "Can I play too?" and you're like "Yes that'd be awesome!!"

If you find that you do enjoy the research, I think it's well worth it. It's very satisfying to put together all that work and then get a comment from someone where they say "OMG!! I know that reference!" or "I love this interpretation of this very obscure thing!!"

My advice for writing a Peter in Gotham fic is to know where YOU are starting at, before you start writing your fic. If you're a Spider-Man fan and you don't know much about the Batfam, try reading a comic about them, or find some favorite fics and base your information on that. It works vice-versa, if you know more about Batfam and not a lot about Peter.

Imagine there are two people sitting in front of you. One is a Marvel fan, the other is a DC fan, and they know NOTHING about the other comics. But they both want to hear your story where you have combined them. It's important that you don't lean too much into either side: you keep both of their interest by appreciating the details from both DC and Marvel.

The Marvel fan will be happy to see Peter reacting to a new world and situations, even if they don't know everything you're referencing. But the DC fan will be excited because you care about the place that Peter is interacting with enough to make a joke that maybe only they would get.

So: have fun, explore everywhere you want to, and get a little crazy. Don't worry too much about not knowing everything there is to know. I don't know everything about DC or Marvel either!

[rweoutofthewoods]

𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Storyteller, that “Angst with a Happy Ending” girl.

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╰┈➤ 237k words | jegulus (side wolfstar). Canon divergence. Regulus lives.

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╰┈➤ 18k words | Jegulus... infidelity, the folklore love triangle AU.

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[mckinlily]

Um, okay this is a loaded question, and if you want to play it safe, you can answer me in DMs, but...I personally feel that there's something wrong about how VLD placed Keith in the lead. In a way, I can see him becoming Black Paladin, but Shiro...it feels more natural to me, it feels right that Shiro is Black Paladin. I'm not into VLD beyond Shiro, Keith's parents, and the Lions personally, but I know someone who loves it and makes good points about Keith as a leader, but something just isn't aligning for me. Maybe it's because Shiro and Keith are two radically different archetypes, and they got swapped when they shouldn't have, I don't know.

I came here because I saw one of your post S2 rewrites, and I appreciated it. So, again, feel free to answer me in DMs (if you have problems DM-ing me, let me know and I'll fix it for you) if you don't mind discussing this with me.

As a final note, I'm not trying to hate any particular character. They're all fine on their own, and I don't want to treat one as worse than the other. I just want to figure out this problem I'm having with Shiro and Keith.

Thank you for reading this, and take care.

You came to the right blog! Because I adore Keith and believe he certainly has qualities that could make him a good leader—and absolutely hate him as the Black Paladin.

The thing I never understood about Voltron fandom debates about who should be the Black Paladin is that they always seem based in the idea that because Shiro is a leader and the Black Paladin, that means the Black Paladin is the ONLY leader on the team.

It is worth noting that that premise was disproven in episode one. It was Allura who made the final call on whether the paladins should run or stay and fight Sendak, and Shiro explicitly bowed to her authority. From then on, Shiro and Allura both lead Team Voltron until the show decided to destroy their characters, accepting influence and trading responsibilities depending on which one of them fit the situation at hand. Typically, Allura functions more in a commander and diplomat role and Shiro is more of a field officer, but they both pick up the lead where needed.

I know you didn't bring up Allura, but I think it is vital she is included in any conversation about leadership in Voltron. She is introduced as THE princess of an entire planet, she has more knowledge and experience of the intergalactic landscape than any of the other characters, she's been set up to be a leader since birth, and she IS the leader of Team Voltron for two whole seasons. Shiro makes it VERY clear he considers her to outrank him.

So the question you have to ask any time you consider replacing Shiro as Black Paladin: why NOT Allura? If the Black Paladin is the "best leader", why are you skipping over the one character already established and thriving in a leadership role? (And then you have to ask yourself if that character being a Black woman has anything do with that.)

Now I do think there are ways narratively you could answer that question. For instance, if you keep the Lions as sentient beings, that means they can make choices—including wrong ones. For instance, for a time when I believed anything might be salvaged after season 3, my head canon for Black choosing Keith was that Keith was the one missing Shiro as intensely and desperately as Black in that moment. Therefore, the choice was not about Keith being "better" but rather them being at the same place emotionally and that allowing the bond. The major problem with the Lion swap in canon is that we're given NO reason for Keith to be Black Paladin besides "plot device said so". Especially when we have Allura right there. It's just bad writing.

(By the way, you don't have to be pro-Black Paladin Allura. There's nuance to be had, and I personally am actually more One True Black Paladin!Shiro. But you can't just dismiss her--a capable and proven leader--from the conversation. Erasing her character is not the answer.)

ANYWAY. Back to Keith. Or rather, leadership on Team Voltron. Thing is, there are many different WAYS to be a leader. We already touched on the differences between Allura and Shiro. Keith does a good job of making split second decisions in battle or calling shots if Shiro is incapacitated or somehow separated. If you're in the middle of a fight, the plan has gone to shit, and the team just got separated, Keith is great at telling people what to do and mobilizing because something needs to get done NOW.

But that's not the only way to lead. Keith, for instance, is terrible at pep talks. He misses a lot of the nuances going on between him and his teammates off the battlefield. He doesn't plan ahead, like, ever. Sure he's great at making up stuff on the fly, but sometimes you need a plan.

But it's not just Keith. For instance, when Shiro, Lance, and Pidge go on the mission to rescue Slav, it's Pidge who calls all the shots. Is that not leadership? Pidge is often the one telling people what they need to do to solve technical problems. She's a center for information, typically the one collecting it, organizing and interrupting it, and then instruction others based on her conclusions. We see her take point on a mission, give orders to her teammates, coordinate efforts, problem solve in real time and relay a new plan in order to navigate unexpected challenges. Why not argue PIDGE should be the leader?

And there's when they freed the Balmera and Hunk took the lead. That mission was more challenging, but I'd argue in that arc, Hunk's leadership mattered less in terms of orders and more in terms of determining what type of team they'd be. Hunk was ADAMANT they free the Balmerans and set a tone for the team where they didn't leave suffering people behind. Hunk set up a moral imperative for the team that they'd be lesser without.

And Lance! There's actually lots to say about Lance and his strengths and types of leadership. But it's easy to point out that Lance is the one initiating fun and team bonding outside of battle. And when you're operating a giant robot held together by emotion connection, that's pretty dang important!

Point is, they're ALL leaders. They all have the capability to take point when needed. We SEE them all take charge at different points of the show.

So what's the Black Paladin then? If Shiro's The Leader then what does that mean? And this is the cool part! Because you know what Shiro is really really good? Know who else to put in charge. He's the one who first acknowledges Allura as an authority because he sees she has knowledge and experience he and the others do not. He selects which paladins to go together on which missions based on their strengths and the situations. He steps back and lets Pidge or Lance or Hunk call the shots if they're in an area of their expertise. Shiro's job isn't to tell people what to do. It's to decide who to put in charge of what and place them in best position for success.

There's another aspect of Shiro's leadership that is supporting his teammates, offering comfort, teaching, and giving the kids something solid they can believe in so they don't have to care the full weight of the war. But like letting others take charge where they shine, Shiro's leadership is all about enabling those he leads. One of my favorite Shiro lines is "It's too dangerous—I'm coming with you." Shiro's goal is never control. He is support. He leads the paladins because he sees the best in them and helps them reach it.

Narratively, also, Shiro is just set up to be the Black Paladin. The parallels between himself and the Black Lion are too obvious. From both being controlled and abused by Zarkon to Shiro's missing arm and Black's mission bayard. It's a kid's show. The symbolism isn't all that subtle. And if that weren't enough, we literally get an entire episode A plot in Space Mall about it where Shiro literally fist fights Zarkon for the Black Lion and in the end, he wins because he makes it clear it's the Black Lion's choice and trust.

Remember when I said the problem with Keith in the Black Lion in canon is that we're never given an explanation beyond "because I said so"? We're shown repeatedly why the Black Lion chooses Shiro. Even before we meet most the Lions, the other paladins themselves choose Shiro as their leader when Lance asks him if they should go through the wormhole. We repeatedly see Shiro seek to understand the Black Lion better, and Black responding. We see the similarities between their situations and backstories. We see them bond.

And I think this is really important because when Shiro is in the Black Lion, it's not about him being "in charge." It's about his relationship with the Black Lion. Yeah, of course, the other paladins are leaders! And they should be! But none of them have Shiro's relationship with the Black Lion. In this narrative, the Black Lion isn't a prize to be won but a relationship to nurture, and Shiro has put in the work for that relationship.

Which is really important because it means the Lions aren't a hierarchy. The Black Paladin is one role, an important role in Voltron, but no more important than any of the others. "The Leader" is not the most important person in the room. Instead, Shiro is a facilitator who enables all the others to perform their roles better.

Also can I just remind everyone just how well the Red Lion fits Keith? The paladin who keeps throwing himself out airlocks get the Lion most likely to go AWOL and fly off to save him. Keith defends his friends and team by attacking first and asking questions later, and Red started destroying a planetary body to get to Keith. The kid with abandonment issues gets the Lion who doesn't hesitate a second to go after him. And even the way they're shown to bond—that it's so physical and based in action rather than words—it's so Keith. I freaking love Keith as the Red Paladin. He gets to be as chaotic and free as he was always meant to be and gets a Lion who meets him every step of the way.

But if you say, no, Keith should be the Black Paladin. Well. What about Red wasn't working? Why was that role not one Keith fit in? Because from my reading of canon, Keith was thriving in Red. He got a secure attachment to his favorite person in the world, he gets the freedom to fly while also being part of something bigger, and he's making friends. It's still in its beginning stages, but he's figuring out how to bond with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge and you get the sense these are a kind of friendships he's never experienced before. But you know what could kill that really fast? Making him The Leader, a position that inherently sets him apart from the rest.

This is actually a problem twice over for Keith because unlike Shiro, who is shown to be given his role voluntarily by everyone around him and repeatedly shows he's earned that trust and respect, Keith is basically thrown into the Plot Device Machine and gets a t-shirt that says YOU'RE THE LEADER NOW. And we never get a reason beyond that.

This is actually my biggest problem season 3 and the Lion Swap. Because as soon as they made that choice, the Lions became a hierarchy. But what other explanation do we have? Keith won Favorite Character status got "prompted" to Black Paladin. But as soon as Black Paladin is a promotion, that makes the other paladin roles inferior. Red becomes the "second in command". So Lance get prompted but can never be equal to Keith. Allura gets the "Training Wheels" Lion/Blue, and they didn't have to write that as a massive demotion, but they sure did anyway. Hunk and Pidge are no longer leaders because they aren't in the "Leader" Lions.

It makes me so mad. One of the things I loved first about Voltron was the message of equality and servant leadership. The idea that a leader (represented by Shiro) is someone who elevates and enables everyone else. A recognition for the more "feminine" types of leadership—nurturing, compassion, emotional support. Which support roles are seen as vital and just as if not more important than being the "boss."

But we only got two seasons of that before they pulled the rug out and said, "Nope. We're returning back to patriarchy." Suddenly the Lions were in a strict chain of command, one character was the boss and the rest were his subordinates. There was a top position and a bottom position, and the characters were all fighting over each other. Perhaps most damningly, the Lion lost all personality and agency and become trophies to symbolize a character's power. And I'm not saying they're an accidental representation of how women are treated in Western media but I MEAN. It's right there.

My response when anyone says "[X] character should be the Black Paladin!" is—Why? Is their connection with the Black Lion deeper than Shiro's? Do they have more in common with Black than Shiro does? What could they achieve or obtain as the Black Paladin that they couldn't where they currently are?

And, though I don't think most of us realize it, the answer to that last one is power. Because we're soaked in patriarchy and a certain portrayal of "leadership (derogatory)" that many fans automatically assumed the Black Paladin HAD to be in control of and have power over the other paladins. So of course you want your favorite character to be the Black Paladin! You don't want your self-insert to be inferior!

But that's all the patriarchy talking. The other paladins are NOT inferior. There is NOT a hierarchy of types of people. Keith doesn't have to have Shiro's role because he's already equal as Keith.

Keiths look different from Shiros, but they're all equal and valuable as they are. Same goes for Lances, Hunks, Pidges, and Alluras. The whole point is they're stronger together. Their differences make them BETTER.

So yeah. Of course, Keith has some good leadership qualities. There's plenty of situations where it only makes sense for him to take the lead. But why on earth does he need to be the Black Paladin to do that? He's already Keith!

[boyprinzessin]

VLD fic rec - cosmic dust by @discordiansamba

cosmic dust (188990 words) by discordiansamba Chapters: 35/35 Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt & Keith, Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro Characters: Keith (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Colleen Holt, Matt Holt, Te-osh (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Rolo (Voltron), Zarkon (Voltron), Haggar (Voltron), Sendak (Voltron), Coran (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Olia (Voltron), Ulaz (Voltron), Thace (Voltron), Haxus (Voltron) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Galra Keith (Voltron) Series: Part 1 of cosmic dust Summary:

When her brother and father disappear without a trace during the Kerberos mission, Pidge sets out to find them. What she finds instead is an escaped half-alien fugitive, running from the same empire her family's been taken by. Convincing him to take her to space with him is the first step, and from there, well... as they say, when you look for trouble, it tends to find you.

Bookmarker's Notes:

I love how this fic completely reimagines canon while still retaining very similar goals. I feel like AUs that cover large swaths of the original media are often at risk of feeling monotonous, but this AU really breathes a completely new life into the story and progresses in a completely different way that lets the reader really get to know the depth of the characters. The overall vibe is a lot different, emphasizing a lot of the secrets you're waiting to see unfold. It makes every chapter incredibly exciting as new little nuggets of information are unearthed that contribute to the larger picture. There's a lot more I could say about this fic but I don't want to spoil the experience so go read it!!!

[kismetconstellations]

Shiro & Quinn Fabray

You've got it!

Shiro

-Everyone but me is wrong about them. To an extent. Every person I've directly interacted with on Tumblr has an excellent read on his character. But, Lord Almighty, are there too many people who see "tall, ripped cartoon man with sizable bulge in the crotch of his pants", and throw everything else about him out the window to turn him into a sex-crazed, high-libido "seme" stereotype. Not to mention the disgusting ableism surrounding his Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it manifests, the fetishization of his second prosthetic arm, and the popular fanon characterizations that seem to have come out of absolutely nowhere. Where did the idea that he has a hang up on profanity come from? He doesn't strike me as someone who regularly curses up a storm, but he's not the Paladins' dad. Why would he care if they're throwing profane language around as long as they aren't offending potential allies or purposely antagonizing each other? And, don't get me started on the "Shiro and Adam adopted Keith" nonsense. I swear, people either overestimate how old Shiro was when he and Keith first met, or way underestimate how young Keith was, while forgetting about Keith's own father, and everything else going on in Shiro's life that guaranteed he had no time to parent a teenager. -I'm obsessed with their character arc. Everything that is and could have been. -They got done dirty by the fans. And, still is, every single day. -They got done dirty by the creators. Astronomically. Infamously.

Just give my VLD Meta tag a scroll, some time. If you want to see proof, and also have your blood-pressure reach record highs. -Wasted Potential. So much, it's physically painful. And, that's Bingo! -ADOPTION PAPERS, ADOPTION PAPERS! FILING THE ADOPTION PAPERS! Shiro is too old for me to legally adopt, being an adult in his mid twenties, but I will gladly take custody of him from DreamWorks and World Events Productions, so they can't hurt him any more than they already have. -I am constantly going insane, rotating them in my brain like a fork in a microwave. This blog, my sketchbook, and the two fanfictions I'm working on, which altogether have a cumulative word count nearing 60k, are testament to that. The Takashi Shirogane brain worms are real. -The popular ships for this character suck. When shipping him isn't the express purpose of a fanwork, people default to his canon romances. And, his ex is a jerk, and the man he's last-minute married off to after barely acknowledging for thirteen-plus episodes is a human-shaped piece of set dressing with less personality than a sheet of cardboard. So, yeah, two of the more "popular" fanon ships for Shiro are terrible. But, even when shipping him is the express purpose of a fanwork, there's a lot left to be desired. Mostly due to him being written wildly out of character for the aforementioned superficial reasons. -Not enough screentime. Nowhere near enough. We can thank the writers who hated him, wanted him dead, then, when they were forced to resurrect him, deliberately nerfed and sidelined him in order to keep the spotlight on their favorites, for that. -They've never done anything wrong in their life. ❤ I actually think Shiro should have gotten to kill more people, specifically Sendak, and Zarkon and Haggar- with Allura and Lotor's assistance- as a treat. -This is the best character in the work. By far. He epitomizes everything a true hero should be, while also being a disabled trauma survivor and proud gay man. I find myself questioning frequently how the brain trusts behind this show essentially created Shiro, themselves, then came to despise him, purely because they were informed by the Powers That Be that they were not allowed to permanently kill him. You would think any reasonable person would be thrilled to hear that their creation resonated so strongly with audiences that killing him would go over poorly. But, not "MonSantos" and crew. They had a ~vision~ for their 3Edgy5Me animated Sci-Fi/Action space opera aimed at seven year-olds.

Quinn Fabray

-They got done dirty by the creators. Jesus Christ, did she ever. I struggle to think of a character in this notorious mess of a series who was handled worse in every single regard than Lucy Quinn Fabray. And, it's all because Ryan Murphy hated Dianna Agron. -Wasted potential. Once again, so much of it, thinking about it causes me physical pain. -ADOPTION PAPERS, ADOPTION PAPERS! FILING THE ADOPTION PAPERS! Judy Fabray does get better after leaving Quinn's dad, but Quinn desperately needed an understanding adult figure in her life that she could feel safe confiding in, who would encourage her to gradually come to accept and love herself as she is, and seek out treatment for her objectively terrible mental health. I would be more than happy to be that adult figure. -What's wrong with them (affectionate)? Severe body dysmorphia, leading to her getting a nose job and forcing herself to lose a ton of weight going into her freshman year of high school. Deeply-rooted shame and self-loathing from being brought up in a suffocatingly repressive religious household headed by her abusive father. Lack of any real friendships. Being date-raped by a boy who plied her with drinks every time she had second thoughts about sleeping with him, resulting in her getting pregnant. Being kicked out of her home because of her pregnancy and shuffled about between her ex, her rapist, and a friend's homes like a cumbersome object. Giving up her newborn daughter after holding her only once. Spiraling further and further with every season... Like I said, Quinn's mental health is objectively terrible. But, rather than offering her any compassion, she's ostracized, vilified, and ultimately cast aside entirely. Because Ryan Murphy hated Dianna Agron for humanizing a character he intended to be a one-dimensional villain. -Not enough screentime. Remember when Dianna Agron said that she wasn't invited back for the tribute episode dedicated to Cory Monteith? Remember how Quinn bought Metro North Passes because she wanted to stay in touch with Rachel after high school, only for her to never get to use them? ...Yeah.

----

Thank you so much for the prompts! ( ´͈ ◡ `͈ ) ❤

[vxmpyrate]

intro post to vxmp-irate’s blog !!

my name is aster :3

18, bigender + queer, he/she pronouns

i like to post fanart and oc art, also i love to write so occasionally i’ll post something that has to do with my writing

i use procreate for my art, and i often use mellon_soup as a reference for poses, but all art is my own

socials -

instagram: vxmpyrate (art)

tiktok: vxmpyrate (edits and art)

twt: vxmpyrate (random - sometimes art)

pinterest: astirial (some art and boards)

ao3: vxmpirate (a few fics)

fandoms i’m in

VLD

gravity falls

hermitcraft/life series

OFMD

deltarune/undertale

the hunger games

a bunch of random animanga

also mxtx

if you’re in these fandoms pls interact !

about my characters…

i have a handful of ocs, and i love them all so dearly so here’s a bit about them:

z - he/him pronouns, bisexual, my persona, and a huge asshole but he’s the oc i draw the most so i love him heart, always bleeding out of his mouth cuz hes dumb and gets in fights, also self proclaimed midwestern emo

axel - z’s boyfriend, he/they pronouns, gay, huge space nerd and obsessed with the past (he strictly listens to pre-2010 music)

phoebe - she/they pronouns, bisexual, blonde, also kinda a persona (but in a “omg shes so me” way, not in a “i designed her to be me” way), she’s super into early 2000s culture, a bit of a y2k baddie

vix - they/she/he pronouns, lesbian, phoebe’s dumbass girlfriend, punk and goth, he is a musician!

jesse - they/he pronouns, unlabeled icon, designed them as a character for a school assignment and ran with it, they cover their fucked-upness with humor, originally designed as a phoenix shapeshifter, but the idea was scrapped

juniper - he/she pronouns, also unlabeled lol, jesse’s partner, my final of the persona ocs, i use juniper whenever i am making a self insert oc for something, and she started off as a kitsune shapeshifter (idea was scrapped)

and lastly, i have a story about characters who are given special powers through their birthstones. i’ve had the story for a while, but the characters are really really important to me and my art, so i draw them a lot. here’s just a small description of all of them:

noé, garnet, they/them

zoey, amethyst, she/they

jade, aquamarine, she/her

damien, diamond, he/him

emery, emerald, they/them

garret, pearl, he/they

lucy, ruby, she/he

liam, peridot, he/him

erik, sapphire, he/him

ophelia, opal, he/she/they

cecile, citrine, she/her

sophia, topaz, she/her

- i tend to refer to them as the names of their birthstones (ex. i call lucy ‘ruby��� way more than i call her lucy) but their birth names are all still used in the canon story i have set for them

closing thoughts

if you like my art, and are interested in any of the fandoms im in, or in any of my characters, feel free to follow me ^_^ i’ll be posting way more than i have in the past (which is.. never) and i’m so excited to be sharing my art with all of you

i do art as a hobby, but it really really helps me express my thoughts and joys and its a great way for me to share my interests, so i’m really looking forward to this blog

ok bye!

[lemeute]

fic stat game

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

tagged by @arafinwes!!

first-most hits: that would be And You Find Some Way to Survive. this fic is from april 2017, at which point I'd been fucked up about Takashi Shirogane from Voltron: Legendary Defender for about six months. unfortunately for him, I needed a character onto whom I could project my feelings about teaching, grad school, and being the only one emotionally responsible for various teenagers. he also had space trauma so this was like. perhaps not very fair to him. but in this fic he doesn't have space trauma yet!! only "my mentee is dealing with a Crisis that I don't have the resources to fix" trauma!!

second-most kudos: fdjksljf apparently Conditional Acceptance, which I think of as a companion fic to the above. more of the teaching projection, less of the Crisis vibes. I think these two are at the top in part because Voltron fandom was so big compared to my other fandoms, and also in part because the specific flavor of gen they are picked up readers on both sides of the Big Ship War

(sneaking in a shoutout to Severance, a Tatooine-centric Star Wars prequel fic which has the third-most kudos, because I'm still fond of it and the oneshot series it's part of, oh rise with me forever)

third-most comments: also a Voltron fic, because when I sort by comments the top sixteen are Voltron. If You Trust Me is abandoned after three chapters, and is also one of the few ship fics I've ever attempted (there may be a correlation). it's an Disney!Aladdin fusion, and I got sucked into writing it because of a stray "cut off your hand for stealing" reference in the movie; Shiro is canonically missing a hand, and I canonically cannot resist a fic idea that? involves amputation????* but despite this bewildering quirk of my personality please do not be alarmed; the fic is cute, what there is of it. my favorite thing about it is that a minor character who goes missing at the start of canon has been transformed by a curse into the flying carpet, and this is also a pun.

(*uh. there is also a prequel to this fic, Try To Try Hard. which is perhaps not so cute.)

fourth-most bookmarks: for a second I thought this was the same fic as above and I was like wow sorry everybody but NO, it just starts with the same word! If Only In My Dreams is. also Voltron. it is CHRISTMAS WHUMP IN SPACE.

fifth-most words: And You Find Some Way to Survive puts in a second appearance here (at 8,354 words if you're curious)

fewest words: ok look the one with the fewest words is a 72-word prompt fill that I didn't really like even at the time and I am simply going to link you the third-fewest words, because A of all it is still only 166 words and B of all I got only Voltron for all the other answers even though I've written for So Many Things and so I think I should be allowed little a Picking. as a treat. and C of all because and now my heart stumbles is Eomer and Eowyn, who are SIBLINGS and the bestest bravest darlings and all should love them. ok there you go.

with this set of results I think it is only appropriate that I should tag some of my VLD-era writing pals @curiosity-killed @demenior @lookforanewangle and then I will also add @kcrabb88 and @amarguerite :) if anyone else would enjoy doing this please grab it and feel free to say I tagged you!!!

[supermarine-silvally]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag @chameliyun!

How many works do you have on ao3?

Eight I think! Mostly longform which is why the number is so low lol

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

503,612

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently I'll write for Death Note, My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, One Piece, Soul Eater, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Doctor Who. I have VLD fic up on my ao3 but I don't write for that fandom anymore lol

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Starbound (VLD, 294), Ground Zero (MHA, 223), Far Longer Than Forever (VLD, 76), Tales From Wammy's House (DN, 62), and The Ghosts Within Us (HxH, 57)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I'm usually super late to respond lol but yeah I try to get to all of them! I love interacting with people and I treasure all the feedback I get!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

All my ao3 fics (excluding Tales From Wammy's House, which is a collection of short stories I wrote as part of a fandom event) are unfinished, but I know which one is gonna have the angstiest ending... no spoilers though!

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, they're all basically unfinished so no spoilers!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Haven't so far so hopefully I never will lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I am physically incapable of writing smut. I know some ace people write it no problem, but... I am not one of those people lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I'm open to crossovers but I can't recall any that I've actually written. Usually I prefer to do them in the same sort of genre (for instance, a MHA/Marvel crossover or Pirates of the Caribbean/One Piece kind of thing where there's a sort of plausibility in setting)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have, I don't know about it. Not sure why anyone would bother though lol

12. What's the longest you've spent working on one fic? And the shortest?

Longest: I've been working on A Shot in the Dark since 2020 though I don't update it much anymore. But I don't want to abandon it at this time so I'll count it as ongoing.

Shortest: Tales From Wammy's House since it was for a week-long challenge lol

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Second Chances is co-written with the amazing @til-the-static-comes :)

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I'm a big canon/OC shipper so I'm really attached to my canon/OC (and OC / OC) pairings moreso than most canon/canon, buuuut my favourite all-time canon/canon ship is still the Doctor/Rose Tyler; you can pry them from my cold dead hands. Killugon (Gon Freecss/Killua Zoldyck from HxH) is a close second.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A Shot in the Dark is already so bloody long and I'm still a ways away from finishing it, but I'm gonna try, I promise.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, I think. And I'm pretty good at character-centric stories.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm not great at poetic, descriptive writing since I'm usually more interested in what characters are thinking/feeling rather than their external traits/environment. That might be more of a style thing though. I do have a bad habit of making characters monologue for a little too long sometimes, and relying too much on internal monologues too.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Oooh okay so I actually have so many thoughts about this!! I think it's a really effective tool if done properly-- I frequently use languages other than English in my writing since a lot of my characters tend to be bilingual. For me, it's really important to use it in the right moments that make sense within the narrative, and keep a logical kind of consistency to that rule. In my own writing -- I'll use my MHA fic Ground Zero as an example since I do it a lot there -- I like utilizing other languages in moments that reveal something about the character (Kova's foreignness/identity as a biracial/cultural Japanese-Ukrainian teenager is a major theme of her character and of the story) or when it creates moments in which a character's dialogue is supposed to be impenetrable to other characters in that scene AND THEREFORE to the reader as well-- but I DON'T use it (even though the character would technically be speaking another language in that scene) when I WANT the reader to understand what's being said. In Ground Zero, when Kova is having a phone conversation with her Ukrainian father, she's obviously speaking Ukrainian to him, but I don't write the conversation in Ukrainian because I want the audience to understand the dialogue-- and because that would be really, really annoying for a reader to have to wade their way through, assuming most of my readers are not fluent in Ukrainian (and neither am I, for the record-- I know a bit, but not enough that I don't have to check with external resources created by native speakers). But in contrast, when Kova is with her Japanese friends, if I drop a Ukrainian word/phrase into the conversation, the reader is getting the experience of the friends, and both the characters and the reader are meant to share in that confusion until Kova translates it. (Example: Bakugou is not meant to know that Kova has been calling him a dickhead (khuylo), but the WAY she says it is meant to convey that she's being derogatory so he's somewhat aware he's being insulted without me having to put a translator's note right after). I do translate and put the Latin lettering (as opposed to the Cyrillic) in the notes section at the bottom of each chapter, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ever? Pokemon. On ao3, VLD.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I'm so close to finishing Ground Zero and it has such a special place in my heart so I'll pick that one :)

no pressure tagging: @shrinkthisviolet, @deathbecomesnerds, @chickensarentcheap, @antivanruffles, @til-the-static-comes, and anyone else who sees this and wants to!

[honeyspeeches]

Ok let me elaborate on this cause I have so many thoughts and I can’t sleep. I was brainstorming and planning a canon divergence fic where I basically explore the concept of Lance and Keith getting together very early in the series and how that would progress, and while I did that I naturally divided the POVs between them, so that Lance had the entire first half of the fic for his development and Keith had the entire last half for his development. At first, I couldn’t really explain why I did it this way, it just felt right to me until I thought a little bit more about it and I realized that thats literally how the show did it.

You see, in storytelling, there are a number of literary devices that authors and writers use to communicate to the audience who the main character is (usually the protagonist, but not always) and who they should root for. Traditionally this is done by either starting the story from their perspective and having them be the first one to appear or a little later on once the story has laid down the world building (where are we? What time is it? What are the rules? Etc.).

And in season one it was Lance. Lance is the main character of the first half of VLD. He is the first person to appear on screen after the flashback to the Kerberos mission (exposition that is relevant for the catalyst of the plot),

Every character after that is introduced THROUGH Lance: Pidge and Hunk are Lance’s teammates,

Iverson is Lance’s teacher at the academy he goes to,

Shiro is Lance’s mentor/idol

And Keith is Lance’s rival, respectively.

Especially Shiro’s introduction is damning, because he was in the prologue of the show but he wasn’t named as relevant until we got his relation to Lance (as someone whom Lance also wants to rescue). Prologues often depict side characters who are important for the main character to set up exposition before introducing the main character themself. This is also seen in Avatar the Last Airbender, where we see Katara and Sokka in the first five minutes of the show before Aang (the main titular character) is introduced. This is a basic storytelling method.

Furthermore, Lance is also the catalyst for the start of the plot. HE decides to look for pidge on the roof which sets off the following chain of events, HE decides to sabotage Keith’s rescue mission. But most importantly, HE finds the first lion (why not Keith, who has been looking?),

HE takes them all into space (why not Pidge, who is looking for her family?), and HE catches catches an ancient princess in his arms (why not Shiro, who is the leader?). And yet again we get another character who is introduced through their relation to Lance (as a potential love interest or object of affection).

And look at THIS frame!

he's literally in the foremost position out of them all! He's in the main character pose!

All of these things combined point to Lance being the Main Character in a show with multiple main characters (again, see ATLA, where Katara, Sokka Toph and Zuko all are main characters with their own character arcs, but whom all are introduced and maintained by their relation to the Actual Main Character, Aang).

What I find very interesting about VLD’s storytelling is that they set up a main character using basic literary devices TWICE in the whole series.

Not even in the third season, where Keith LITERALLY ASCEND TO THE BLACK LION AS LEADER OF VOLTRON, is the emotional focus on Keith as the main character. The very start of that whole arc is LANCE comforting and reassuring KEITH.

The focus is on LANCE overcoming his own ego to accept his rival as his leader! Literally after Keith is chosen they zoom in on lance kinda looking down and looking solemn.

And LANCE is the one who is trying to keep everyone together when Keith fails his leadership. LANCE being relied upon. LANCE yet again in the eye of the storm, the very center of the narrative.

UNTIL the fourth season. This is where shit gets interesting because they did the EXACT SAME THING with KEITH in the second half of the show. AND I MEAN EVERYTHING.

It all starts when Keith decides to join the Blade of Marmora, forcing another Voltron Shift of Roles. His decision has an impact and a consequence for the literal role of every other character in the series, just like Lance in the first half.

Side note: can i just say rewatching season 3 and 4 the way Keith keeps rejecting the leadership role and the way he literally verbally confirms that he's not meant to and was never meant to pilot the black lion.... idk why they (the showrunners) kept trying to force Leader on my guy he clearly did not want it.

The new characters introduced to the show are introduced through KEITH this time. Krolia is Keith’s mom, Kosmo is Keith’s wolf, Romelle is saved by Keith

and the most important of the MFE pilots (James) is introduced as having had conflicts with Keith when they were younger in the Garrison

(which sounds familiar…? This may have been the showrunners attempt to make a Lance character that they actually liked and who they originally intended Lance to be, before the writers took the wheel in the first half but idk that’s just a guess my point still stands), again, just like Lance in the first half.

btw this was the same episode they introduced adam and i had to close my laptop and take a walk before i could continue scavanging for screenshots

And again, just like how Lance was the catalyst for several important plot points in the story, so too is Keith for the second half. He is the catalyst for Lotor betraying Team Voltron and becoming the main Antagonist (before haggar….), Keith’s ascension to the black Lion becomes the focus and KEITH becomes the one to rely on (see: Hunk and his squeezed in arc that didn’t make sense).

Now this is actually a really interesting employment of basic storytelling if it wasn’t such a huge indicator for the division between the writers in the grander scheme of things. Since we all know that the showrunners intended for Keith to be the main character all along, the second half of the show actually just becomes a stark example of how they scrambled to redo the narrative all over again without having to start from scratch. But this resulted in a hot mess of a narrative, and plot holes the size of Jupiter, not to mention inconsistent characterization, character assassinations, rushed plot points, forgotten character dynamics etc etc.

In conclusion, Lance and Keith are the main characters of Voltron respectively, they always have been, because that's literally how voltron wrote them. thanks for coming to my ted talk

actually you know what i don't even blame fanfic authors and artists for focusing mostly on keith and lance in their character studies cause they're literally the main characters of the show. like that's how the show wrote them

[a-fools-errand]

I need to put this somewhere so that I don't forget it and you legally signed up for this by following me. This is my current "thinking about these at work but Im using up all my tiny little sticky notes to write them down" vld fic list:

1. Westworld AU but set in canon universe. I simply dont have enough robots in my current robot Lance fic, now EVERYONE'S a robot w a special twist and (if you havent seen the show) Voltron is a "historical reenactment park" (read: violent play place for rich assholes). With special guest, the Lions!

2. Spinoff "what if Pidge and Hunk found out Lance was a robot" where I use my complete alternate storyline so that its not just reading the same fic. Aka Lance's backstory has the same cast of characters in name but a COMPLTELY different style relationship >:) Partially spy v spy where Keith and Shiro keep secrets about Keith's Galraness and the Garrison Trio keep secrets about Lance being a robot. More emphasis on friendship (I know, you didn't think that was possible, right?) But still Klance as all my works are (but definitely background).

3. Being Human(US/Canada version)/Urban Fantasy AU where Lance is a ghost and Blue is the house he died in (and he can communicate with her), Hunk is a werewolf but DEFINITELY not the fun kind (and his and Lance's relationship is central to the story), Keith and Shiro are vampires (Shiro's a lot older, Keith's from the 80s lmao) who are tangled up in a corrupt vampire society, Pidge is a nymph (dryad?) Who doesnt like non-supernatural humans and basically has just their one little tree left from a forest thats been cut down (and if that dies, they die with it). Then there are other characters who are spoilers...

4. Eldritch Lions AU - long time people, YEAH BET YOU DIDN'T THINK YOUD SEE THIS ONE AGAIN. Really though, heavily rewritten so dont worry about it sucking (at least in the same way). Basically just the paladins being literally vessels for the Lions and having incomplete souls without them. Super cool powers (in theory) that are appropriately sized for how intergalactic Voltron is (aka planet shaping). Are the paladins still themselves after getting the powers though...? Who knows! Back to you in the studio, Fool!

So yeah!! Thats kind of it? Not really but these four are the most concrete for things I really want to write if I ever get more time!! I really hope I get more time coming soon...

[shirophantomvox]

Random date night with Illumi, Hisoka, and Chrollo

Hello, anon! Ask and you shall receive! This prompt is very interesting and I will try to keep it in character as much as possible. To sum this up, Hisoka would take you to an ice cream shop, a carnival, or apple orchard while Illumi would rather go to an art or historical museum. Chrollo would persuade you to attend a book reading/author signing or go hiking. Depending on who you are and what your ideal date is, I’m sure you’d find them all fun. Going to a carnival or apple orchard is my go-to since I’ve barely been because they’re all in the suburbs. These headcanons are explained much more than the others. That is why Chrollo and Illumi seem to be short, but they’re not. Also, I can’t wait for Halloween because these headcanons are going to be amazing. I am extremely sorry if there are grammar errors! Taking classes on Zoom is frustrating and now my brain has to relearn everything that I lost in 3 months! Before we get started, I have a few announcements.

This post is more laid back than my other headcanons because I tried to keep it as canon as possible.

I want to thank you all for 65 followers! It means a lot! I’m happy to see that a lot of you enjoy my writing and like it enough to follow me! I have a challenge for you! When I reach 100 followers, I will host some type of writing event here...but I need ideas. I’ve seen some pages do specials where you can send an ask and pretend like you're talking to a character and I respond with what they’d say. SEND ME IDEAS! I WILL CREDIT YOU!

I will be stepping back a little more than before. I’ll still be logged in and re-blogging but as far as writing posts like this...it may only be once or twice a week. You see, I’m in college and I’m struggling financially and I have to work on scholarships. If you all send me an ask, be patient.

Voltron posts will only be created based on asks. I will not be writing posts about VLD if no one requests them. I do not receive any feedback from it anymore and no one seems to like them.

Now, let’s get into the post.

Let's start with Illumi first.

Headcanon 1: Illumi has a secret admiration for different types of art but he specifically enjoys pop art and surrealism. He has commented on how surrealism makes his brain twist and his feelings swirl as he tries to figure out the piece and what inspires it.

He prefers not to participate in tours as he likes to digest the art at his own pace.

Headcanon 2: In his spare time, he paints on a canvas. His art style consists of both surrealism and abstract art. For a person with a dark personality, his compositions always contain bright colors and abstract techniques that leave you wondering about his TRUE personality. He is truly a good man with a bright personality but after being abused for so long, those behaviors/personalities have been shoved so far down his throat that they may not come back up.

He has a bad habit of asking you what you thought about every single piece of art you passed. The conversations were great but this is a date after all. The playful conversation slowly turns into a lecture about art. Although you loved your bf’s dictionary-like brain it also drained your energy.

One of his favorite artists is Vincent Van Gough. Although he favors surrealism, Van Gogh’s art style was mind-blowing to him. So amazed that he buys several Van Gogh t-shirts from the gift shop.

His favorite piece created by Van Gough is “Starry Night”.

He notices that you are becoming bored and decides that it is time for MORE excitement, one that you are certain to enjoy.

“Where are we going,” you ask, pretending to be interested.

“Down to the basement. We are going to have a bite to eat.”

Since Illumi rarely smiled, when he did smile it drove you wild. The anticipation of what his next move was going to be is what drove that wildness. Being a bounty hunter was thrilling already but dating a smart, badass assassin was totally out of your league but it worked out.

Headcanon 3: Illumi’s idea of being romantic is dramatically different from yours. He believes just spending time with you on the couch was enough. He is correct; but if you have the time and funds, your time together should be a little spontaneous. You insisted on dates outside of the house because his family will not stay out of your business.

“Illumi, I am too hungry for more trivia.”

He chuckles. “Don’t worry. So am I. That is why I’ve decided to take you to a wine and cheese party.”

Huh? Wine and Cheese at 3PM? That’s ok. When was there a time limit on when you can drink alcohol?

Illumi has indirectly attended parties as such when he was 15 years old. He never drank, but he watched as his mother’s friends (surprisingly) talked about business and their children. This time, you weren’t going to talk about business for once. Instead, you two were going to actually talk about what couples discuss.

Headcanon 4: When introduced to alcohol for the first time, Illumi immediately stated how he hated brown liquor. That includes Hennessy, Jack Daniels, etc. It makes him sick to his stomach. He prefers to drink Smirnoff mixed with fruity drinks like strawberry or pineapple.

He loves it when you make these drinks for him on a summer day.

Hence the title wine and cheese, you both go to a stand-up table, place your brochures down, and actually have a wonderful conversation not involving work or hunting.

Illumi smiled a few times, more than usual. Whenever he appears to be softer even around you, that is because he has mellowed out and doesn't have the overbearing weight of his family on his shoulders. You set him free.

Hisoka

According to a one-shot that another manga artist created, they expressed that Hisoka was found on the side of the road, was taken in by someone that worked at a local circus, and learned Nen in a matter of days. Hisoka’s clown look and having the skills of a magician proves that this has to be canon in some way.

Headcanon 1: Given this potential backstory, going to a carnival is his go-to every summer. He wants to take you to a circus but saves that for you as an engagement gift.

Everyone with a heart knows that whether or not you’re in a relationship or not the carnival is fun as hell! Expensive fried food, elephant ears, funnel cake, ICEE’s, rides, and stuffed animals are to die for!

Being at a carnival relaxes him so his bloodlust isn’t activated unless someone bumps into him and causes a scene.

Headcanon 2: PDA is something that Hisoka does well; he doesn’t overdo it but does it enough where people get the impression that you are a couple and aren’t “best friends”.

While completing a mission depending on how rough it may be, he insists that you tag along to see how he handles the situation. You’ve already seen his ruthlessness from Hunter’s exam but he insists.

His sense of pride gets the best of him sometimes. Sometimes his head is so big that it reminds you of a large birthday balloon.

Headcanon 3: ANYWAY, given his nature, he is very adventurous, dangerous, and courageous. If he wants to go on the Demon Drop, he’ll do it and you DO not have a choice in the matter. He’ll tease or guilt trip you into doing something that you would not like to do.

“Well, you wouldn’t want me to cling on to someone else, would you?”

“No. Of course not,” you reply.

“Let’s go then, scaredy-cat.”

As a hunter, you’ve seen worse. Why are you so afraid to go on a ride?

Headcanon 4: At apple orchards, cornfield mazes are one of his favorites. You cannot for the life of you figure out how to get out but he can. He grabs a scarecrow and scares you from behind. That annoys you but is nothing compared to later on that night.

Oh. My. God. It’s haunted house time!

“Hisoka, I’m not going in!”

“Why not? I’ll protect you.”

“Because they’re monsters and I already have to deal with one.”

It took him a second to catch on that you were talking about him.

“That’s going to bite you in the butt, kitten.”

Headcanon 5: Like Killua, Hisoka has a sweet tooth. Don’t allow his buff appearance to fool you!

He LOVES caramel apples, elephant ears, funnel cake, freshly squeezed lemonade, fudge, and cotton candy. How can this man manage to stay in shape? The world may never know.

Headcanon 6: He isn’t one to play by other people’s rules but he sets his own rules with your relationship that you both must obey. One of those rules says that neither of you can be on your phones while together.

Headcanon 7: Hisoka insists that you both wear either matching pants or matching shirts to avoid unnecessary flirtation.

He isn’t jealous but on “us time”, he doesn’t want to lose a single second.

Headcanon 8: Hisoka only jumps in when necessary. Given that you’ve passed the hunter’s exam and work as a bodyguard, he knows you can handle your business. If the person can’t take a hint, then he steps in. They almost back up immediately considering Hisoka is towering over them.

When the moon shines, you both go to the car and off to sleep in your comfy king-sized bed.

Chrollo

We all know that Chrollo loves to read! What does he specifically like to read? What Genre? Does he like to read alone or with other people?

Although Chrollo is a thief and must be hidden in the shadows, the authorities have called off the search for him for at least 3 years. Slowly but surely, he begins to find himself in the outside world again.

Chrollo once discussed a book with the Phantom Troupe when they were being transported to another place for a mission. He read “Tears of a Tiger” by Sharon M. Draper.

The reading sessions are opened with an affirmation and a reason to be thankful to be alive. He says he is thankful for the troupe, glances at you, and smiles. No one catches on to that sly face except for Phinks.

Headcanon 1: Chrollo is very silent and shy to an extent. He only associates with people he knows and trusts. You are the social butterfly at this moment.

Chrollo tags along behind you like a shy child, holding your hand while you stick out your free hand to greet everyone.

Today, the book club was going to read “Divergent”.

Headcanon 2: Although he loves to read, he hates it when others read out loud. Most people are drably read and it annoys him. After a while, he takes over. Chrollo was tense the first 30 minutes of the meeting because two cops were there but neither of them noticed it was him.

Headcanon 3: Chrollo often acts the part of the character that he is reading in the book. His tone, attitude, and emphasis on certain words keep the group engaged. He is complimented on his acting!

“Good Job, honey,” you whisper.

He responds by tightly squeezing your hand.

His tone was so impressive that the host insisted that he read for the entire night. He was ok with that because in between reads he was often distracted by a lovely pair of jeans and shoes you had on. You were into writing, so hearing others read and act out the characters helped.

Headcanon 4: In some settings, Chrollo is very braggadocious. He insisted that the group read one of your stories so you could be provided with feedback.

“We’d be delighted to view your story, y/n!”

“It will be fun!”

The book club wasn’t a stereotypical club that only consisted of soccer moms but instead consisted of men and women who were involved with a business, law enforcement, health, etc. This was an open space for everyone to relax and forget about their demanding jobs.

After the meeting, the group went to dinner at a nearby pizzeria. You all enjoyed large pizzas, beer, salads, and dessert. How could your stomach (or anyone’s stomach) hold that much?

Chrollo laughed so much that it made you question if he was your actual boyfriend or not. He even engaged in conversations with the two off-duty cops! For once, you helped Chrollo experience the greater things in life; true love, friendship, and happiness.

“Thank you,” he whispered and slyly placed a kiss on your hand. “For everything.”

[erithel]

I guess fanon is way better than canon 🤷‍♀️

In most cases, I'd say no to this – mainly because as someone who wants to create my own stories, I get annoyed when fans think they know better than the original creators, and they start demanding where the story should go.

VLD is a weird exception, however (along with several other things) – and it has to do with the lack of planning that seemed to go into the later seasons, and how the characters' growth and development was set aside to make room for a pure focus on plot and action.

I get really annoyed when shows or movies show that they didn't have a solid plan for where the story was supposed to go, because my belief is that if you are telling a story, you should want and need to tell that story. There should be a reason and a purpose why you are creating this thing. There should be a reason the world need to see it. So it's such a let down (to put it lightly) when shows or movies treat these things as just a way to make money.

I know VLD had a lot of outside meddling. I know the creative team got bad and threatening responses from fans. I'm not condoning either of these things – but it doesn't negate the fact that if the story had been solid from the beginning, this meddling shouldn't have made a difference. Because when you create a story, everything in there should be in there for a reason – and no matter what some rabid fanatic or clueless studio executive says, you should be able to stand up and fight for the story you are trying to tell, and not cave in to their demands. Because who knows your story better than you? (In an ideal world, right?)

So, in this case, yes. I would be bold enough to claim the fanon is better than the canon – and I'd base that claim on the fact that the fandom collectively agrees on certain things that should not have been overlooked or forgotten. There are literally millions of ways to write fanfiction. There are millions of ways for people to interpret each character. So in VLD fanfics, why are so many of these things the same? Why are there so many that address the same moments that were brushed aside in canon? You could throw a rock into a sea of VLD fanfics and hit a thousand stories that deal with Keith's attempted suicide at Naxzella.

The fans took the moments that mattered, and expanded on them. They fleshed out the characters and gave them the development and the arcs they were lacking. They didn't just write fanfiction because it was fun. They wrote the stories they felt needed to be told. And that's why the fanon is better.

[kodzuken]

Ooh you were a Klance fan. Question is Klance being treated the same way Buddie is? Like in interviews and such?

i don't think so personally, but also i have a lot more faith in buddie than i ever did in klance! i think klance was always set up to be a non-canon ship, and when the showrunners saw the way the fandom reacted to them, they kind of almost leaned into that to secure their popularity. with vld, the worse crime was the adashi stuff, which genuinely was problematic and bad representation.

with buddie -- i truly don't think people (and i don't mean you anon!!) understand how little a showrunner/writer can actually say about the show in an interview. like -- ok, i'm not in TV but i do work in publishing, and like, the things you can't say before things are announced greatly outnumber the things you can say. if it's not signing NDAs it's just general good practice to not spoil your product before it's released. it's the same publishing books as it is making a television show like 911.

KR and tim aren't going to sit down and say "yeah we romantically coded buddie to preface them becoming canon", because that would ruin everything they've been building up (and more importantly, it would be a waste of money, and i hate to break it to you (universally, once again not you specifically anon), the fiscal outcome is always going to matter more than the story, especially to like. fox). so when KR says they're good friends, and tim tells us to write fanfiction, i put on my little "i work in the publishing industry" hat and realize that they're literally. protecting the integrity of their work, and that isn't a crime, nor is it queerbaiting!

[mckinlily]

SQUEEEEE!!! YOUR MIRACULOUS VLD AU IS BRILLIANT!!! ITS MADE ME GUSH & GIGGLE SO MUCH XD YOUR ARTWORK IS AMAZING AS WELL \(^w^)/ THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!

Thank you, lovely anon!!! ☺️

Just for you… take a few more silly head canons for some of the side characters:

Keith:

You know how Keith is trying to keep Shiro’s secret but is a HORRIBLE liar? Well, Lance has developed a theory that Keith is Chat Noir. It goes about as well as you can except

Pidge blatantly encourages this for the sheer drama of it

Hunk thinks it’s unlikely…but his nosy brain wants to know and what if!!

Keith is stuck. He can’t deny it too strongly without outing Shiro, and every time he tries to prove them wrong he ends up making things worse

“Seriously, guys! Chat Noir is like a foot taller than me! I can’t possibly be him!”

“I donno, man. The suits obviously change their appearance.”

“Yeah, but like hair and eyes and stuff! Not height!”

“….You sure do know a lot about the transformations. Suspicious…”

“What? No! I—No I don’t! It’s not anything that isn’t obvious!”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Chat Noir.”

“I’M NOT CHAT NOIR, LANCE!”

Lance is certain that Keith’s vehement denials mean he’s onto something

Lotor:

He runs a competing blog that (tragically) is still not nearly as popular as the Ladyblog

He was set to it by his mom, and he takes a far more aggressive approach to digging into Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities

He keeps trying to get Allura to help him with the project, but she’s frustratingly unenthusiastic about it

Does she not care about the city? Shouldn’t people have a right to know who their heroes are? WHAT does the over sexualization of Chat’s fine ass have to do with ANY of this?

(Allura denies all accusations and recollection of conversations about Chat’s ass)

Pidge:

She was rescued once by Chat Noir and something about him…he just felt familiar, almost like an older brother but in a way she just can’t put her finger on…

It’s driving her NUTS

And finally...

Matt doesn't know how Chat Noir is, but he keeps hitting on him every time he gets rescued (which is unusually common. Are you TRYING to get into trouble, Matt??). Hey, it’s a superhero and the guy is HOT. Why shouldn’t he flirt?

Shiro is dying. His best friend keeps hitting on him but only when he’s in a skintight leather suit and he can’t say anything.

He can’t even tell Ladybug because then she'll find out his identity. It’s agony.

Only Keith understands. But Keith mostly just laughs at him so maybe Keith doesn’t understand at all.