I've seen aspects of "not-belonging" in analyses of Lance and Keith's characters and I'd like to shed light on how it's a sentiment that's very well nestled in every member of Voltron.
Starting off with the alienation (ha, get it) that is most flesh out in canon, we have Keith. From the very beginning the show, Voltron is divided into three factions: the Alteans, the Garrison trio, and Keith and Shiro. Keith has trouble mingling with the trio due to Lance's harsh front towards him, and has slight trouble mingling with the alteans due to cultural divisions and difference in views. Then he finds out he's half-Galran and Shiro is removed from the equation, which removes him further from the team. He gains a sense of disconnect from the team due to his heritage, his lack of bonds, and his belief that he's a failure of a leader.
Lance's disassociation from the team is more subtle. It comes from his views of inferiority and the idea that he doesn't contribute to Voltron. Unlike Keith, his sense of alienation comes more from what he does rather than who he is. He doesn't believe himself to be skilled enough, and when he throws himself into gaining skill, he finds that he's not achieving enough. He finds himself becoming more and more irrelevant as time passes, as if he is blending into the background.
The divide between Allura and the team is a storyline that we were robbed of. It's so plainly laid out for the writers to pursue- the cultural differences between Alteans and humans, the unity the humans feel towards each other that they extend to her in friendship to no avail, as she doesn't understand it. The other paladins will not know the part of the war that she knows. They will not know the loss she knows.
Perhaps she finds comfort in Coran. But even the split between her and Coran may grow as she becomes a paladin and he remains support for Voltron. They're still close and they still care for each other, but the way you fight in a war, the things you see, they can define and shape you. War looks different from different angles. Coran has never been in a pilots seat. Hes never been in the mind meld. And he doesn't need to do these things to have a bond with the people he cares about, but he still may feel the distance in his mind.
Hunk's sense of isolation from the team was also something we were robbed of, but were were also robbed of everything when it comes to Hunk. There is a huge difference in drive and fight when it comes to Hunk versus the rest of the paladins. He is unable to throw himself so deeply into the fight it just- it scares him! And I'm sure it scares everyone else too, but can Hunk see that? He sees the way everyone else stands tall and fights and goes into battle and training every single day, and he doesn't feel made for that. He doesn't want to do that. And it makes him feel guilty for not having the "passion" everyone else does even though his heart is in his actions, but at the same time he constantly feels sick.
Shiro is someone who has been both physically and emotionally distanced from Voltron. His kidnappings have shaped and transformed him- but it's not only that he's changed, Voltron has changed while he's gone too. Shiro has left and come back to an entirely different team filled with people who have changed so much because that's what war does, it changes you. There are months of Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Allura, and Coran that he's missed and years of Keith that he's missed. And they'll welcome him with open arms, but it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't feel like he knows them as well as they know each other.
Lastly, there's Pidge. Pidge is a fundamental anchor of Voltron as she produces so much technology to aid the war effort. She throws herself into her work so much that it consumes her, and this ends up eating away at her connections a little bit. There's also the fact that the technological battle she's fighting to combat Galran interfaces and invention rates is a fight that the rest of the team aren't exactly a part of. They can support her, but ultimately it is only she that can do the work she does. This puts a lot of pressure on her and compels her to do even more. She spends so much time working that she misses so much with the others.
The point I'm trying to make is not that Voltron isn't close or that they aren't a family, but that they themselves might not feel close to the team they love. And it's not a sense of isolation felt by one or two members, but instead by all of them equally. I think that dreamworks could've really worked with this dynamic to show the fact that war can make people grow apart (opposite to how a lot of media shows war bringing people together; both are themes that can be explored). Dreamworks could've also taken this opportunity to let the characters grow as individuals and then come together as an even stronger team.
I saw very cute art about Keith's love language being acts of service and now I'm thinking about everyone's love languages
I agree that Keith is probably acts of service for how he shows love and quality time for how he feels loved. I think words of affirmation is the most difficult for him to receive (I think that's part of why the early seasons dynamic with Lance works so well for him, I think the rivalry and bickering feel safer to Keith than outright affection would)
Loverboy Lance is probably a blend of words of affirmation, physical touch, and acts of service. Probably also quality time tbh he grew up with a lot of love being shown in lots of ways so I think he'd be fluent in all the love languages, but maybe has a hard time giving and receiving gifts
Pidge feels like a gift giver to me. Pidge absolutely tracks down that niche collectible you've been trying to find for years for your birthday and you'll never know if they got it through legal means or not, and receiving gifts that feel accurate and personal to them makes them feel the most loved
We know Hunk loves cooking for others and I'd say that's a blend of gift giving and acts of service. I can't see him struggling receiving any of the love languages in particular but that might be because the writers forgot to give him a character flaw to overcome
Allura is probably words of affirmation I can't explain it I just feel it's true for her. Somebody please tell her she's doing a good job please I beg you. I think acts of service don't register as a love language to her because growing up as a princess she was probably surrounded by people who did things for her all the time as their job rather than an act of love. Quality time is probably high up for her too because I imagine her parents were quite busy so making time for her felt special. We've also seen her appreciate getting gifts ("I'd love something sparkly!")
Shiro I'm stuck on tbh, he generally stays pretty separate from the other paladins and we don't get any of his family history and also he's not himself for the majority of the show. What we do know from the flashbacks in season 7 is that he feels the need to prove that he's capable, and we don't know where that drive comes from but I'd guess that makes him a words of affirmation guy. Similar to Allura, someone please just tell him he's doing a good job. We also see his clone appreciate the quality time with the team in the monsters and mana episode so that could be high for him too
Coran is absolutely acts of service and quality time, in that order. But I think he often thinks of these as going together, when he and Lance are cleaning the pods in season 1 we see him telling Lance about himself while they're working. That feels like a blend of acts of service and quality time to me
Anyway I got soooo carried away with this so I hope you enjoyed my 1am thoughts
As someone who has not ventured into the original franchises before vld, I truly struggle to see where any chemistry between Keith and Allura may lie.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t because I am set on any other ship. Though I have to admit I can at least understand the dynamic of basically every other ship. Somehow, I can picture Keith with literally everyone except Allura.
What is the Allura and Keith dynamic like for you? How do they fit together in a vld context? Can they fit in a vld context? I understand that both their characterisations are changed in vld. Would it be similar to the shiro and Allura dynamic in season 1/2? Is it just something I need to watch the previous shows to understand?
Cheers
That’s a fair question. VLD definitely changed both Keith and Allura from their past iterations, which makes their dynamic less immediately recognisable compared to earlier versions of Voltron. But for me, their potential in VLD comes from their parallels and the subtleties in their interactions.
Both of them struggle with loss, identity, and leadership in ways that mirror each other. Keith with his Galra heritage and role as Black Paladin, Allura with the weight of being the last of her kind and the pressures of being a leader. They clash, but they also push each other to grow. There’s an underlying understanding between them that builds over time, even if it’s not the most overtly romantic dynamic in the show. Honestly, I think it could have worked if the show had leaned into it more, but maybe I’m just bitter (or projecting).
I think a lot of Kallura’s potential in VLD comes down to the subtleties in their dynamic—things that aren’t outright stated but still present if you’re looking for them. And I’ll admit, I’m not always the best at picking up on those details myself (often if it's not explicitly stated I likely won't get it, sometimes I don't get it even if it is explicitly stated), but thankfully, people way better at media analysis have pointed out a lot of moments that hint at something deeper.
For example, I saw a post someone once noted that in the alternate reality episode, when an explosion goes off, everyone else is focused on the blast—but for a single frame, Keith is looking at Allura instead. Little things like that, while not definitive, suggest where his priorities lie. Another thing that stood out to me is how there are only two people Keith truly seems to care about impressing: Shiro and Allura. He’s always visibly upset when he thinks Allura hates him—especially after his Galra heritage is revealed—and that says a lot for someone who normally shuts people out.
There’s also the fact that Keith and Allura are the only two who make the decision to run away together to protect the team. It speaks to a similarity in their thinking, their sense of loyalty, and their willingness to take on burdens alone. If Keith had stayed at the Castle instead of joining the Blade, I think we could have seen that dynamic explored even more, and maybe their bond would have strengthened in a way that made their connection more obvious.
I also think a big part of why it never fully developed was Keith leaving to join the Blade. If he’d stayed at the Castle, we might have seen more of their dynamic evolve, especially with how they both dealt with grief and responsibility. They were on parallel arcs, but the distance meant they never really got the chance to explore that connection. If things had played out differently—if Keith had been there during Allura’s lowest points or if they’d had more time to rely on each other—it’s easy to imagine a stronger bond forming.
That said, I totally get why it’s not an obvious pairing in VLD. The Shiro/Allura dynamic in the early seasons does have some similar beats, but Keith and Allura’s potential would’ve been more about equals learning to trust and rely on each other rather than mentor/student or protector/leader. If you ever do check out the older series (and I highly recommend you do), you might see where some of the history comes from—but I’d argue their potential in VLD exists regardless.
If you ever want to get a sense of how other people interpret it (people smarter than me), taking a peek at the Kallura tag (admittedly biased as it is) might help! But I totally get why it’s not something that stands out if you’re not looking for it.
Again, I could just be really bitter, but I'll let you decide that.
I hope this is a good answer because, as I said, I'm terrible at analysing (just ask my English teacher).
here’s my interpretation of lotor where he’s not entirely a soulless monster that still recognizes what he did to the alteans!
lotor could have chosen good.
but he didn’t.
lotor was a liar, manipulator, and mass murderer; he was this way from the very beginning. but i honestly believe that allura made him reconsider his ways.
lotor’s first intention was to gain allura and the paladins’ trust so he could use them to his own advantage, and getting with allura was just another part of the plan. but that changed when he got to knew allura. as they grew closer, he genuinely fell for her.
and thus began his struggle with good and evil.
he had doubts, hesitations, and regrets for everything he had done and had planned to do: the colony, the quintessence, the betrayal.
because of allura, he gained a moral compass.
but he didn’t listen to it.
he knew in his heart that what he had done, what he was going to do, was wrong. before his true backstory was revealed to the team, he was in the process of choosing good.
each second with allura convinced him more and more to abandon his plan, his experiments with the colony, his evilness.
but the team found out, and he lost the chance to change his heart. maybe with more time he would have turned his back on evil, or maybe not.
he was doubting himself and the evils he had committed. but he wasn’t convinced. he wasn’t ready to make a decision, he wasn’t ready to choose between good or evil. but he ran out of time. the team’s confrontation about the colony was enough to push him over the edge.
in the end, evil won. it was easier. it was who he had been for the past 10,000 years. but the good was there, inside of him. because of allura. allura had changed him, was changing him, was going to change him.
allura sparked a goodness inside him, but the evil extinguished it before it had a chance to grow. maybe in another timeline, things would have been different.
It’s a liveblog! I only finished season two, please no spoilers in the comments/reblogs!
(more character analyses)
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These two need a flashback episode.
Because I really want to know why from all of people in the Garrison Shiro befriended Keith. Because I really want to know if they actually did meet in Garrison or before that. Because I really want to know if they spared with swords before Kerberos mission. Because I really want to know how Shiro got Keith to trust him. Because I really want to know what made them so close in the first place.
The first time we, as an audience, see Keith and Shiro together, is when the former barges into Garrison's tent after setting some explosions, punches few scientists and teachers, runs to the table in the middle, sees the man on it and… his face softens, eyes are glassy, making pretty much complete 180 from that badass angry biker we saw.
We learn later that Keith didn't have anyone else except Shiro. His mum left him, his dad either left or died, he didn't have any friends, and Shiro,that one person in his life, his dearest friend apparently died in space. Poor boy was in grief and full of anger, ended up punching Iverson, became a drop out, and didn't know what to do with himself until he received some strange energy from the middle of the desert. He was alone once again for a year, surviving in that little shack, very possibly on verge of depression (or maybe was actually depressed? Flashback episode give me your answers) searching for… Something. There were prophecies something was going to happen and so Keith awaited this moment, making himself busy. He wasn't going to forget Shiro, never that, but he had to do something to not focus on the pain thinking about him brought.
But the man in question was right there, only scarred, white-haired, in rugs, and with metal arm. That was a lot to take in, but he had to focus on getting out of there. Garrison Trio came, crazy escapes happened and ultimately everyone got to Keith's shack safely where he apparently had clothes for Shiro. Where did he even take them from? Did they belong to somebody else or did Keith took them from Garrison? Would FE let me know that?
“It's good to have you back.” “It's good to be back.” Awwwww. They share this nice, little moment where Shiro might be confused and hurt, but his friend is here, that's a good reason to smile.
Things happen, they end up in Blue Lion, then in space, are chosen to be Paladins in Voltron, and both along with Pidge land in Galra ship to search for Red Lion. And Shiro… apparently believes in Keith enough to know he's going to be alright on the alien vessel? To be fair kid does manage to get his cat but still. What is significant here is how Shiro's words, “Patience yields focus,” helped Keith find Lion's energy. After that they form Voltron, Red Paladin gets patted on the back and so their adventure begins.
The duo spends most of S1 in the background. They smile at each other after the goo fight, Shiro calms Keith down when he gets angry at Pidge, Red Paladin is the one to lead everyone when their leader (and Pidge) are in danger, as well is one to notice he's not with a group while dealing with possessed Castle. Also kind of judge Lance together when he's flirting with Nyma.
And the others did notice that they're close, for example Hunk just assumes Keith and Shiro would end up working together on Balmera while the rest would take one tunnel each. Keith never questions Black Paladin (even in aforementioned situation with Pidge, he's mad at her, but doesn't tell Shiro anything.)
One moment did stand out from the rest however and it was when Keith saved Shiro from the training gladiator in the second episode. It was kind of in a similar vein of saving him and Pidge, but it was much more personal. Red Paladin was laying down on the floor, beaten by Altean child settings but when Shiro needed his help he immediately materialized in front of him. And it's not the last time he saved him, oh no.
In the finale after being thrown out by his Lion Shiro has to take another route, but Black was out there, in the open, ready to be taken from Zarkon. So what happens? Keith decides to take matter into his hands and moves his friend's Lion away from the beam. He fights Zarkon, mostly because he just wants to get rid of him, but after it becomes obvious he has no chance of winning he keeps fighting because he wants to make sure the Galran Emperor doesn't touch Black. Their fight parallels the one that Shiro and Haggar engaged in, and both ultimately end with our heroes receiving help - Shiro from Hunk and Allura, Keith from Black Paladin himself.
S2 is the moment where their relationship really starts to shine and gets a lot of focus. For starters both end up stranded on the same planet, though still get separated. Red is a little banged up but Keith is alright so he makes his way to Shiro, happy and relieved that his friend is fine. Black Paladin does his best to reassure him he's doing alright, but mentions the wound and I really start to question my life choices why do I watch this I don't want to see that expression on Keith's face ever again. The creatures show up, Shiro still reassures Red Paladin “I'm fine but could you maybe hurry” and so it goes with Black Paladin's constant bad luck and fending off these aliens while Keith wants to get to him as quickly as possible. Both talk to each other a lot, there's a call back to “Patience yields focus” line, both reassure each other they're fine despite dangling above the chasm and hiding from the dangerous creatures, and Keith says: “If it wasn’t for you my life would have been a lot different.” We knew these two were close, we knew that Red Paladin had problems with making connections with other people and his only meaningful relationship before all this that we knew of was with Shiro. But what the heck actually happened there? What does Keith exactly mean by that? FE tell me all your dark secrets.
Finally Red Paladin reaches his destination, asks Black Lion for help and saves his friend once again. Shiro is obviously thankful, but the magic wound is still there. Both rest near the fireplace with their Lions not knowing what they should do to get back to the Castle and Shiro asks Keith that in case he didn't make it out alive he should pilot Black Lion.
Let's talk about it for a bit, shall we? Sure, Shiro's in a bad place; he's dying, not that he wants to (whatever jokes fandom makes up,) Zarkon took control of Black that threw him into outer space, and then Keith was able to pilot them, making Shiro feel unworthy of his role as a Paladin. But not only you can’t blame him for covering all his bases, he knows who is he asking for it. Red Paladin was able to pilot Black Lion, he's a passionate, talented person, who is definitely not as selfish as the others might think he is. And he has this aura that kind of makes others listen to him. Keith doesn't think that, he's not confident in himself, thinking his personality will put people off. And Shiro… kind of wants to get rid of these insecurities, to let Keith know he trusts him, that he sees him for what he truly is – a selfless brave person, significantly less childish than the others. However there are two important problems. One is that while all of the above is true it makes Keith a perfect Red Paladin, not Black one, which Shiro kind of knows, but, again, feels unworthy and wants to make sure right person will be chosen in his stead. Two is that while Black Paladin wants to let Keith know he believes in him, Keith is simply terrified at the prospect of losing his friend yet again and doesn't see it that way. Thankfully Pidge comes to save them and take them back to the Castle, but the idea of replacing Black Paladin in case of emergency doesn't leave Shiro's mind to Keith's irritation and worry.
Initially Keith didn't want to trust Ulaz despite Shiro's opinions on the matter, but at the end of the day he was the one who came to Black Paladin to apologize and talk to him. It was also the moment where his doubts about himself and his heritage truly began. And I do think he tried to tell Shiro about it, but. But he was afraid Shiro would tell him to give it up, that it didn't matter, that he was selfish. Keith is a person who tries to look at the bigger picture, who proposed to leave Allura so Galra wouldn't get Voltron, yelled at Pidge when she wanted to leave that there are people who need their help. And now he was hiding something, something that could have been potentially dangerous to the team and, by extension, the universe as whole, and he was being selfish, making it a closed circle. Black Paladin, of course, knew something was wrong, and Keith was on verge of telling him when asked about it, but, again, he didn't want to give up his dagger and potential answers, choosing to escape in a middle of the night being afraid of the danger he could cause the others instead of talking about it. And Shiro's opinion about the whole situation mattered to him the most. Rewatch the scene where they meet Lubos; Black Paladin is disgusted with a king (no wonder, what a piece of garbage person) and says: “You turned your back on your own people to save your own skin.” Look at Keith's expression there, he's afraid it's what he's doing right now, choosing the blade and his heritage instead of his team. So when he takes Lubos 'hostage' it didn't really came out of nowhere.
There's also a matter of being afraid what others might say about him being part-Galra of all of the races in the cosmos, and he was afraid of Shiro's reaction as well about that part, though he had a first-hand experience with a situation where Black Paladin was the only one willing to trust friendly Galra. Being related to the race responsible for conquering and enslaving numerous planets ties to his fear of being rejected and his way of thinking there's something fundamentally wrong with him, thus making others dislike him.
Everything has its conclusion in “The Blade of Marmora” episode. Keith and Shiro travel together to Marmora headquarters and the latter yet again mentions his decision of having Red Paladin as his substitute, and the former simply refuses to talk about it. At the base where they learn they're not exactly welcome here and find out about the blade Keith was hiding, which surprises Shiro, and he claims he does not know when Red Paladin acquired it. Black Paladin wants to leave, Keith wants answers and so the trials begin.
At this point both know they care about the other, but they don’t really know what the other half thinks of them. Shiro doesn’t know why Keith didn’t talk to him about the blade, was he not worthy of his trust? He’s confused and stammers that he doesn’t know anything about Red Paladin’s knife which. Is not a great choice of words considering Keith’s history of abandonment and his doubts about Shiro potentially leaving him.
Red Paladin fights off more and more Galra, but then, finally, Keith doesn't go through the door but through the hatch in the ground and finds himself in front of Fake!Shiro.
“His suit has the ability to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting its wearer’s greatest hopes and fears. And, at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see you.”
The desperate part is pretty obvious; Keith is… not in good place right now, confused about his heritage, afraid he's not the person Shiro wants him to be, afraid he will have to choose between his new family and answers about his dagger, and, on top of that, he was beaten to the pulp and barely can stand. And so Fake!Shiro comes in, pulls him up (using Keith's hurt arm) and tells him it's going to be fine, that he did good, that they can go back to the Castle. It ties a little with a hope part, where Shiro is proud of him, thinks he's a good person, because Keith still this kind of mindset where he thinks Black Paladin wouldn't truly accept him for who he is.
The fear comes when Red Paladin still has questions about his blade, refuses to give it up. Fake!Shiro tells Keith he's selfish, that he should just give up the knife and come back to the team before it's too late. Younger Paladin refuses, playing into the hope part again, thinking that maybe Shiro will accept that, accept him for who he is.
And then Fake!Shiro leaves and Keith breaks down.
Because that’s it, that’s his fear right there. Before that he took Shiro’s yelling calmly, he was sad, but not surprised (which is weird when you think how gentle Black Paladin is towards him but not that weird when you think about Keith’s issues) but when Shiro gives up on caring about him? He just lost the most important, only really close person in his life and with his history that’s beyond hurtful.
The later part of Keith’s trial still reflects on his desperation, hopes and fears using an image of his father, albeit in a different way. I’m not going to go into detail here, let’s just say that with Fake!Shiro Keith chose the ‘selfish’ way, a desire to know about his heritage, and with Dad Kogane hallucination he picked Voltron and responsibility of being a Paladin. Keith slowly wakes up when Red Lion attacks the base and Black Paladin comes in for the rescue.
Through the whole fight Shiro is clearly unhappy, claiming it's unfair, worried about his friend on the arena. And I think the whole situation reminds him of his time as the Champion, which only fueled his frustrations. At certain point he just has enough and tries to go to Keith, but is successful only after Red Lion is distressed.
The thing about Fake!Shiro is that how Keith sees Shiro and thinks Shiro might see him. For Red Paladin his older friend is an amazing, diplomatic person who keeps his temper in check and now solved the problems he caused by talking. He did help him up using a wrong arm, but I think it was mostly a part of Keith’s general outlook on his life and that his sufferance isn’t that important rather than projecting lack of care on Shiro’s part.
Meanwhile real Shiro comes in concerned, horrified and angry, picks his friend up carefully with both hands and lets him rest on him to keep him standing. He’s not in a mood for talking and is ready to fight the whole organization for them to leave and the right of keeping the blade with Keith.
And that’s… totally different to what Keith was expecting. He simply miscalculated how much he means to Shiro but there it was, the truth right in front of him. So he gives up the knife and both of them pass the trials.
After that things between them are good, both of them proved how much they mean to each other, they don’t have to worry about it and so they share a hug and I’m found crying in a pit. After that they are mostly busy with preparations for the fight with Zarkon, but they do make a point to show us Black Paladin thinks of Keith as his equal and I’m pretty sure forming a flaming sword requires a close bond. So they beat Zarkon and send him into coma and go back to Castle and oh wait Shiro’s gone for some reason no happy endings allowed I’m afraid.
Keith is going to be devastated and angry and will refuse to pilot Black for multiple reasons, the biggest being feeling like they forgot about Shiro. And you know he won’t rest until finding and rescuing him yet again.
He loves Shiro, he’s his anchor, his comfort and reassurance and after the trials he knows Black Paladin cares about him more than he initially thought. He does put Shiro on a pedestal, sometimes to the point of blind loyalty and that will have to change at some point in a future.
While we know Keith was alone and only had Shiro we don’t know much about Black Paladin’s past, his family, his friends. Aside from Matt Holt, I guess, if they even were close or just have been assigned for the mission and were on friend-ish terms. He doesn’t mention anyone when Paladins stand together on Olkarion which might mean he considers Keith as his ‘only true friend’ as well.
Shiro is protective of Keith no matter the situation they are in, but also trusts him to take care of himself as well as a team. He is devoted to Red Paladin just like Keith is devoted to him, but his read on the kid is better in general and he’s not nearly as dependent.
So there you have it they have a great bond and love each other. Their relationship will evolve, they might meet another few bumps, but they will not stop being friends.
Space Family Relationships Part One
Space Family Relationships Part Two
Shiro & Kolivan
Keith & Lance
Garrison Trio
Paladins & Lions
okay, i can’t ignore this scene any longer, so give me a few minutes to ramble and then i’ll be off. this broke my heart more than anything in the entire series, because it’s painfully obvious how scared keith is. he’s manic and unsure and terrified, but he’s driving himself forward in what he thinks is his normal behavior so that nobody else can see how shaken he is. he doesn’t want the rest of the team to see him as weak. and look at the way everyone is handling it, nobody (save for lance) is talking. they’re all scared either of or for him. and lance, always keen on picking up how everyone is feeling, lance sees how panicked keith is acting and he tries to get him out of it. he does everything he can to get keith to realize that he’s not doing the right thing here. i don’t know how relevant it is, but he isn’t just screaming abuse at keith. he isn’t degrading him. he’s trying to make him realize what he’s causing to happen. he says his name every single time, he’s trying to get his attention, he’s trying to ground him. keith is lost in his head and his grief and lance is trying to hard to save him from that, and he does, even for a moment. even if keith only comes down from that ledge for a minute, lance got through to him. look at the way keith’s eyes widened, he’s so scared. despite his rough exterior he’s still just a kid. he lost one of the people he holds closest to him, and he thinks he has to be alone in this. he immersed himself in the pursuit of getting him back and of trying to accomplish what he set out to do and he’s so caught up in his head that he can’t see the consequences of what he’s doing. lance knows their friendship is fragile. he knows that keith is guarded and still not completely comfortable in his new leadership role or in the thought that he has a family now. lance knows all this, and yet he still pushes boundaries, puts everything on the line, because he needs to get keith out of his head. he’s crawling back into himself, and lance wants to help. lance is his friend. he understands keith more than i think either of them realize. romantic or not, these are two boys who need each other, and i can’t wait to see how their characters play off of each other in future seasons, because the way their dynamic is evolving is endlessly exciting for me.
A big mischaracterization of Lance is that he's not a fiery guy, when in fact his personality resembles fire in so many ways. He's hot-headed, far more than Keith, and that's something that's easily missed because Keith is such a reactive guy. Majority of the fights between Keith and Lance are started by Lance. Lance is also quick to always call out bullshit. He's very passionate about what he does and he always has something to say.
Lance has a temper and I think its so crucial to his character and his dynamic with Keith because without it, their relationship becomes a lot more mellow. Most of the time Keith is just standing like an NPC and Lance will get irritated by that and have something to say, hence causing a fight. Lance has the fire, always has, and it simply reflects on Keith.
I'd like to second this point by saying Keith's personality resembles water. Not that he's completely chill and passive, although he can be. But he's extremely turbulent and malleable. If Lance will start a fight he'll match the energy-he'll shape himself into a fighter. Keith has always been moving around from place to place and he's always had to mold himself into what's most suitable for survival, the same way water clings to a glass. He's got a lot of emotional conflicts within him. The fact that Keith's characterization is very similar to water is also alluded to in the fact that Lance is very drawn to both the ocean (water!) and Keith alike. He can't stop pursuing either.
Now I'm not saying that Lance and Keith are opposites when I call them fire and water because I don't think they're opposites at all. Both can grow/spread to great lengths, both carry a storm, and both can also be kind and gentle and necessary to live (ex: a fire provides warmth and water provides sustenance). Water can fuel fire, the same way Keith grows Lance's fire. Fire can also make water steam and boil, the same way Lance makes Keith react. If the water is greater than the fire, the fire will fizzle out; but if the fire is greater than the water, the water will evaporate. They'd have to be on equal levels for this cause-effect relationship to work. And Lance and Keith have always been on equal level (despite any internal insecurities). They always been neck to neck.
Keith and Lance had great characters that could've been explored more. Regardless of if you ship them or not, they had the potential to be very well written foil characters. Unfortunately that didn't happen :(.
It’s a liveblog! I only finished season two, please no spoilers in the comments/reblogs!
The youngest Paladin travelled to space to save her father and brother. It’s clearly shown in her flashbacks she was close to her family; the show made a point of displaying them during peacful, nice times, only for everything to turn out tragically devastating.
Her background is the most detailed on so far - father, mother, brother, dog, we know she always expected to join Garrison, though circumstances changed thanks to Kerberos mission. We know her full name, and the official sources informed us about her Italian heritage.
In more than one occasion she talked using words and phrases that eluded others, but expected them to comprehend them, when nervous she starts rambling (“The Rise of Voltron”, on Green Lion’s planet,) and sometimes doesn’t have mouth filter, saying things that end up being hurtful (“Some Assembly Required” - she did mean to make a jab at Allura, but reminding Princess how she lost everything is not what she was going for; “Fall of the Castle of Lions”, again, with Allura.) She also tends to be awkward, clearly not good at small talk, blurting out embarrasing details about herself and half of the time she doesn’t even notice it.
Pidge likes to tinker in alien technology and loves to analyze those. This isn’t limited to inanimate objects, as she also examined her friends and made notes on their weaknesses, though she does recognize that this behaviour is not common. “It’s my nature.” is her only explanation. It’s also implied she’s better off with tech stuff that are no problem with her, but people? People tend to be much more complicated and unpredictable.
Which means she’s used to people that easily understand her, and/or know what she means despite poor (or too complicated) choice of words. And since she is a prodigy whose fater and older brother were one of the best at the Garrison, enough to be chosen for one of the most important space missions, it’s not far-fetched she didn’t socialize that much outside her family.
She does recognize other Paladins and Alteans as her new family, which is exactly what she needed; she clearly needs support from others, even if she can’t admit it to herself. Back in “Across the Universe” she initially talked how glad she was she ended up alone for a while, only to build an entire team out of trash and acting as them in the guise of making a stage for fluffy space aliens “I don’t miss them, but I actually do, just won’t say this out loud, bear with me.”
Pidge tends to be defensive and snappy, but mostly when either someone makes a jab at her or someone tries to turn her away from her decisions ( “Fall of the Castle of Lions” when she tried to leave the team.) There’s also a fact that losing half of her family soured her life view and she refused to be friends with Lance and Hunk at first. But once she’s comfortable in a company she mellows down, letting her guard down, becoming a rather sweet person, though still sassy at times. Also despite being guarded most of the time, she does show vulnerability to the close ones and is able to work with others, not afraid to ask for help. And she will fight to protect them (sometimes without thinking clearly,) of that you can be sure.
Being the youngest also means others are more protective of her, shielding her from danger, making sure she’s not on the edge of the group, throwing green goo at Allura, waking up from coma to shoot Sendak to save her, etc. I’m going to touch upon it more in relationship analyses, but she is a youngest sibling of a team. She used to have one older brother, now she has five, plus Allura and Space Father Coran.
As I mentioned earlier she always expected to be part of the Garrison like Commander Holt and Matt, and even mentioned in the “The Rise of Voltron” that she always wanted to be a pilot. After Kerberos she didn’t get any real answers which probably means she treated lack of information as a personal betrayal from the Garrison.
She’s a highly intelligent person, a tech pro, a hacker, and stealth expert, who’s able to build a communication antenna using alien satellites found in trash, create a ‘Galra finder’, make holograms of herself to fool adversary, hack into enemies’ databases, create a false identity, examine alien spores, brainwash Galra drones, and basically save everyone by herself when Sendak takes over the Castle. She’s resourceful, which is best shown in the form of her bayard. It not only serves as a both long- and short-range and weapon but also a grappling hook and a means of defense. And, as a ‘left’ side of Voltron and a person responsible for shield, she tends to focus more on defense rather than offense and doesn’t use head-on approach unless the situation calls for it. And it usually ends up badly for her.
Pidge is a gamer, just so you know.
Also her being a girl has no real impact on her role in a team and how she’s perceived by others. And I love it.
Tl;dr: Very intelligent and skilled Pidge needs a support from others. She’s great with technology, but has no such lack when it comes to social calls. The biggest character growth is shown through small moments, when she works and bonds with others.
