big brain: shiro is a disabled, mentally ill japanese-american man who is positively depicted as a leader and a reliable source of comfort to both his teammates and voltron’s targeted audience of kids to mid-teens
galaxy brain: shiro is a japanese-american man who has struggled with mental illness his entire life but who tried to downplay it around his friends/family due to the stigma against mental illness that is prevalent in asian communities and also because he feared that the garrison wouldn’t give him as much responsibility/recognition if they were aware of his ‘situation.’ as a result, shiro has a history of self-reliance and insular coping, which he is aware is Bad For Him, but it’s also difficult to unlearn something that has been subtly enforced for most of your life. while he is trying, there have always been high and low days- and this was before he even went to kerberos, and everything that came after. the last year has completely thrown off shiro’s fragile sense of balance, and he would complain about the universe never giving him a break but that would require him to Actually Talk About It to someone, an idea which he steadfastly ignores (even as he focuses all his energy on keeping everyone else safe and together). ultimately, shiro’s story is not about some grand climax battle that ends with the heroes coming home and the universe safe and sound, because nothing about any of this is so clear cut. shiro’s story is waking up and staring at the ceiling and hoping that today you’ll take more steps forward than backwards. shiro’s story is the good days and the bad days and the days you can’t quite remember, that bog you down as they happen and then jolt you awake once you realize just how much time has passed. shiro’s story is about healing and hoping it sticks; is about building and rebuilding in the direction of the person you think you once were or could have been; is about finding yourself in a place that will help you find yourself again.
