im curious on your opinion on insecure lance :D
also while im here any klance fic recs?
aaaaalso i wanted to saw i absolutely adore your lovley art and hope you are having a wonderful day <3333
I love insecure lance like I love air. He is such a complicated character that I think its easy to misunderstand the way that he is insecure.
Lance has a ton of ego in the way, of like, everything. He desires to be "The Hero." Some people put themselves down before someone else can do it, but Lance tells you how great he is before you can tell him otherwise. Other peoples opinions are really important to him, as much as he likes to pretend its otherwise.
This is where someone like Hunk, is really good with Lance. He is willing to play along with Lance and not dismiss his capabilities. It's not that he agrees with everything Lance says but he doesn't feel the need to nitpick. Hunk and Lance are good at understanding what the other person means and aren't too hung up on what they said.
Now, Keith and Lance are the opposite. They have such different lived experiences it's impossible for them to understand what each other mean, and they focus on what the other said. When they can let go of this they are a great team, because they both rely on instincts more than thought.
Lance really respects Keith and uses their rivalry as a way of validating himself. Keith is great and I'm his rival ergo I'm great. Then to find out that Keith barely remembered him as a cargo pilot. It drives him crazy. (Just a sidebar, Keith canonically did remember Lance at the Garrison... he didn't completely forget him)
I don't think that Lance has this intense self hatred, but when the lights are off he does start to wonder if he's as good as he says he is. His boasting is a bid for attention, he's trying to ask others if they agree with him. Which, ironically, I think is the reason the team is hesitant to compliment him, it's also the reason Keith is so surprised to learn Lance is thinking about stepping back. This is a really important moment in Lance's relationship with the team. His ability to share his vulnerabilities, and more importantly his ability to put aside being "The Hero" and think about the greater good is essential for his growth.
As a sidebar, I know, "Leave the math to Pidge" Is a shitty comfort, but I genuinely think that its what Lance needed to hear. Look at his smile afterwards. As an audience we are all screaming at Keith to uplift Lance, but that's not what Keith is good at! That's not why Lance would go to Keith, he genuinely wants Keith's opinion because he trusts Keith, and Keith says he stays.
The thing that makes Shiro such a great leader is that he understands Lance! He hold him to a high standard but freely let him knows that he has his own place in the team. Lance really respects his opinion, I mean he's his hero! (Also isn't lance's smile so cute?)
This is so long so I'll just add 2 fics that I think do insecure Lance super well!
A Fish and A Bird - Methoxyethane
Electromagnetic - Seabear
stormborns
gracieabrams
ellievsbear
germansingergirl
