#hunk especially

[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!

[king-of-the-butterfly-gore]

steve and garrett are NOT bear4bear they are HUNK4bear. however they could be bear4bear if you believe in yourself

[raddestrose]

there are two reasons i haven’t looked for Voltron character playlists on Spotify

No. 1: I haven’t finished the show (i’ve got like four episodes left )

No.2: My sanity (I know they WILL destroy me)

[rexxmako]

writers block so bad i hit the boromir death pose irl

[unbindingkerberos]

Hellsing is my new hyperfixation now-- I AM IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

Good morning friendly reminder that I am an enjoyer of twinkified Kyle bc it’s very funny when he’s an angry lil guy and I am not sorry for that

[initforthevldrewrite]

I put acrylic nails on for some reason and now typing is super difficult. In honor of my misery here’s kl bickering:

Once Shiro was laid down Keith stood and awkwardly crossed and uncrossed his arms. His dark brows were troubled and it seemed like he was buffering. Lance didn’t blame him. They really had dug themselves into a royal shit hole, but anything was better than listening to Dr. Adam drone on about particles and quantum whatevers at unholy hours of the morning.

Lance glanced around the tiny shack, taking in fogged windows and a huge cork board leaned against the wall covered in a knitted blanket. “Have you been living here?” Lance asked with disgust and judgment dripping from his words. The mullet-head’s parents had probably disowned him after he got himself expelled from the Garrison. The thought was cruel, but gave Lance an odd sense of satisfaction.

“You got a problem with that?” Keith snapped. Lance’s retort had woken him up from whatever weird glitch he’d been in, just staring at Shiro with a dangerous storm of emotions swimming about in indigo eyes.

Lance scoffed, “Should have known. It stinks like mullet.” It actually smelled like lavender scented candles, but if he admitted that then Keith would earn another point in their long-standing rivalry.

Keith clenched his fists and glared in Lance’s direction. “Feel free to leave, the door’s that way.”

“And leave Shiro here?” Lance snorted. “Hell no! Getting kidnapped by you is, like, ten times worse than being abducted by aliens. And whose shed are you living in, anyways? Do I need to call the cops?”

Rage flashed in Keith’s eyes. Pissing him off was just as fun as Lance had remembered it being. “This place is mine, and you’re trespassing. Either shut the fuck up or get the fuck out.”

“Children, please, it’s the asscrack of dawn.”

Lance and Keith turned to watch Pidge climb down from Hunk’s shoulders. They glared at the two of them as they wiped drool off their chin and pushed skewed glasses up their nose.

“Yeah,” Hunk chimed in. “I feel like we have more important things to worry about right now. Like, we just kidnapped a man? From the Galaxy Garrison? They’re, like, a world government agency, so I think we might be in deep shit.”

Keith glared at his shoes.

Lance crossed his arms and tried not to think too hard about the potential consequences of their actions. This was probably a dream, so he’d wake up any minute now.

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

I think a lot of vld's canon problems could have been fixed if they had just let Hunk say, "Are you a fucking idiot?" every time someone was being and idiot or mean

[pixiesnooze]

i love me some langst probably the only thing i read for a while tbh but like guys pudge and hunk wouldn’t be purposefully cruel to lance hello 😭😭😭

[rubberduckyrye]

I figured out how to save models with their custom heads AND get two models on the same 3D layer! :D

Oumota canon tho--

[discordiansamba]

good evening, thinking about the oops! all Galra AU again and thinking about how everyone grew up- namely about how the only ones who ever really had families are Keith and Lance.

Keith, obviously, was born before the war and was raised on Altea by both of his parents. He would visit Daibazaal sometimes, but to Keith, his home planet was definitely Altea. He grew up in the Castle, along with a lot of other diplomat's kids, who had a special wing of the Castle dedicated to housing them. Once the war began in earnest, almost all of the diplomats and their families were sent back to their home planets, with only Krolia and Keith remaining. Keith's father died during the war, with Allura's mother dying shortly thereafter. They sought solace in one another.

(Later on, they would both wake to a future where their surviving parents had been dead for thousands of years.)

Lance grew up on the main base of the Blade of Marmora, alongside the rest of his family. A family of his size was considered unusual, even within the Blade, and managed to be tight knit despite many of his older siblings eventually leaving to go on undercover missions of their own, leaving just Lance and his parents behind. He eventually becomes a caretaker for his niece and nephew, after his older brother and wife return to the battlefield once they're a little older.

Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk were all raised within the Empire. They weren't raised by their families, and were instead taken to be raised in small groups with other Galra of their age. The idea was not for them to gain a sense of comradery with the fellow Galra, but to see them as competition- to do whatever it took to be considered the best among them.

This was something Shiro excelled at- his group consisted of those from high profile families, the children of high ranking Galra officials. They were given opportunities that those in the lower ranks never saw. Hunk and Pidge's families were considered the rank and file, much lower on the pecking order. Pidge by and large was mostly ignored due to her small size- the others in her group didn't even see her as worth the effort.

Hunk just kind of... missed the point entirely, and tried to take care of everyone else in his group. He was eventually removed altogether for, ironically 'disrupting the unit' and was raised alone in order to stamp out what the Empire saw as 'weakness'. It did not work!

[pariahfox]

I am getting ready to put together some pulled pork, so I just threw some garlic powder for the dry rub into my eye.

Could be worse; could have been the hot paprika or the pepper. Still, 0/10 would not recommend.

[vanillashusband]

their cute ponytails have bewitched me

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

C&ai au Lance and Shiro are like, after the Fight and Lance leaving/'dying', for years both of them carry this deep all consuming guilt about how the things went, how they should have been better and apologized/been more understanding, and how they were at fault and how they'll never get to apologize to the other.

And then they finally meet again years later, and immediately try to beat each other up.

[tarantula-hawk-wasp]

Cannot focus on grading bc I am thinking about the hello kitty vld au. Not coherently just rotating it in my mind

[suenitos]

sorry for talking about vld in 2023 do you still like me