thanks for this visual. everything that follows was a delightful accident

Pidge only agreed to binge watch a cartoon from the early 2000s on a Friday night because Lance promised he would leave her alone for the rest of the weekend, and that was a promise she desperately needed. Which was how Pidge found herself dressed snugly in pajamas, a nondescript pair of white slippers warming her feet, while she knocked on the door to their dorm room.

lance went from assuming that allura was interested in him when she clearly wasn’t, to assuming that allura wasn’t interested in him when she clearly was. and boy, it’s interesting to see how that developed. 

Let’s start with this: Why is Keith a big focus in this episode?

Despite saying he already learned techniques to combat space madness, Keith is the first paladin we see who hallucinates alone. Also, his face is shown alone in several frames, even when he’s not talking. Keith may struggle with words, but his facial expressions tend to show us more insight into what he’s thinking.

This episode is where, I think, a lot of people might’ve first gotten upset with Keith this season. I’ve seen several posts hating on him because what he said was rude and uncalled for, and I’ve also seen posts claiming that the writers messed up Keith’s character in this scene because “Keith would never say things that harmful to the other paladins.” These negative posts are what inspired me to write this meta.

Yes, the comments Keith made were harsh (he knows this, and apologizes later on), but I assure you, this is very in character and consistently deals with Keith’s issues from previous seasons. The focus is on Keith for a reason.

SO

In season 6, we got a great episode dedicated to Keith and Krolia bonding and becoming a family. (I know many people are unhappy with the time skip, but I truly feel that it was necessary for Keith to continue his growth.) This bonding needed to happen, as it is very relevant to S6E5, “Black Paladins.” After Keith’s dad passed away, Shiro, as far as we know, was the only adult who Keith admired and looked up to. To hear “Shiro” tell Keith that he’s broken and worthless, that he should’ve abandoned him is heart wrenching. But Keith stands strong.

Keith is confident in his relationship with his mother, and that allows him to keep a level head and finish the fight with Kuron.

Now, moving on to season 7. Keith is back to being the Black Paladin. Episode 5, “The Ruins” is a huge setup for Episode 6, “The Journey Within.”

Think about the order of these episodes.  In order to focus this episode on only the paladins in episode 6, the other characters in the lions are frozen. It wouldn’t have been hard to keep Krolia around and freeze her as well– if these two episodes didn’t connect. But they very much do.

For the first time in two years, his mother isn’t with him.

Krolia leaves on good terms, of course, and Keith seems at peace with letting her go temporarily. But if there’s anything we all can agree on about Keith, it’s that he struggles with emotions. He may have said he’s okay with Krolia leaving, but he’s had abandonment issues his whole life. There’s going to be some part of him that hurts when Krolia leaves. Keith won’t understand it because he’s fine now, he’s over it, and he knows his mom loves him. Yep. Everything’s okay. No heartbreak whatsoever.

But suddenly, Keith is stranded in space with the only other people in his life he cares about. There’s too much time to think. He starts questioning everything about their relationships, if they’re even friends, and if the others are simply tolerating him because he ended up in the right place at the right time.

So he attacks Allura. She says, “There’s something my father always said in dire situations…” and Keith interrupts with–

Offended, Allura retaliates. Look at Keith’s expressions change.

He’s terrified. But this is how he’s learned to deal with the world.He lashes out in the face of conflict. He pushes people away before they reject him. (We know this from his vlog.) Yes, two years with his mother helped, but these issues never went away completely.

And then Lance says exactly what Keith was waiting to hear.

(It’s important to note that I am NOT blaming Lance for what he said! Keith hurt him and the team by leaving and his feelings are valid.)

This, for Keith, is a rejection. It’s a conformation of his worst fear: the paladins were rejecting and abandoning him, just like everyone in his past. And he tries running.

But Hunk stops him.

Keith tries again and again to run, but hunk won’t let him go. And this

THIS

is what helps Keith through it. Hunk refuses to let him go. He won’t abandon him. Hunk undoubtedly cares for Keith and their other teammates, and it especially shows when Hunk tries sacrificing himself for the team. (At this point, Hunk becomes the focus of the episode.) To Keith, actions speak louder than words. Hunk’s devotion reaches Keith, and our Black Paladin finally comes to terms with his confusing emotions. He’s able to apologize for the things he said, as he is now fully confident in his team.

In conclusion, with Hunk’s help, Keith finally understands that his teammates genuinely care about him. He apologizes for what he said. Part of Keith’s character development is accepting the love of others, even though it is so difficult for him to do so. This episode truly showed Keith’s “Journey Within.”

(There’s also a reason that this episode is the one right before the Earth Arc. Had these issues not been resolved, Keith may have felt like he was being abandoned when the other paladins reconnected with their lives back on Earth, and his confidence in his friendships with the other paladins would not have been as strong.)

TLDR: “The Journey Within” was about Keith continuing to overcome his abandonment issues. Krolia leaving in the prior episode contributed to revisiting said issues. He lashed out at the other paladins because he was scared and emotionally confused. Hunk helped him come to terms with the true friendship between the paladins, and Keith has grown more confident in their relationships because of the conflicts in this episode.

44. “I’m not afraid.”

Allurance + some lots of bonus Veronica & Lance interaction

“You know what, I think you’re just afraid,” Veronica said, poking Lance with her foot. They were sprawled out on a couch in some unused room in the Garrison, catching up. “Make a move! It’s obvious that you like the princess and I’m telling you that she likes you too.”

“I’m not afraid. It’s…” Lance paused, running a hand through his hair as he searched for the right explanation. He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Not from where I’m sitting, it’s not,” Veronica shot back. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and stared him down.

He slumped down. “She wouldn’t believe me if I told her how I feel,” he said finally. “Everyone thinks I just have this giant, stupid crush on her.”

“Don’t you?”

“I used to,” he said. “But it’s more. She makes me want to be better, you know? I want to be someone better for her.”

“Oh Lance,” Veronica said, something soft in her voice. “You fell in love with her.”

Lance looked away, not arguing with her statement. “It doesn’t matter. Allura is a princess and I’m just a boy from Cuba who couldn’t even cut it as a fighter pilot until Keith got kicked out and they needed another person. She deserves more.”

This time Veronica kicked him.

“Ouch!”

“Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. You’re a freaking paladin of Voltron and a great guy, Lance. You’re not just anything, alright?” She raised her eyebrows at him. “And Allura deserves whoever she decides she deserves. You don’t get to decide that.”

“You’re right,” he sighed.

“Can I get that in writing?”

“Not a chance.”

Veronica grinned. “So, are you going to stop being a coward and make a move? If you develop a love life, Mom and Dad might stop pestering me about mine.”

“They’re never going to stop pestering any of us until we’re married and have provided them with more grandbabies, you know that.”

“Avoiding the question.”

“I’ll think about it, alright?”

“Good enough for tonight,” she conceded.

Silence fell between the siblings for a moment before being broken by the door opening.

“Lance? Are you-” Allura cut off as she caught sight of Veronica. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You’re not,” Lance hurried to assure her, straightening on the couch. “She’s just interrogating me about my life. Sticking her nose into things that are none of her business.”

“It is my prerogative as an older sister and an occupational hazard as an analyst,” Veronica shot back.

Allura looked between the two of them, smile forming on her face. “I just wanted to see if you were alright. No one had seen you in a while,” she said, looking at Lance. “I was also bored, if I’m being honest.”

“Everyone abandon you to work on their own things?” he asked.

“Yes and Coran and Captain Holt won’t let me help on the new castle designs yet,” she complained.

“Well, I can offer you some entertainment,” Lance said with a grin. “Remember the game system Pidge hooked up on the Castle?”

“How could I forget? She worked for a month nonstop to get it working.”

“She’s set up the newer version of the console in one of the media rooms and has a crazy amount of games. Want to learn to play?”

“Yes! Is it difficult?”

“Depends on the game,” Lance said, getting to his feet. “We can try them all until you find one you like.”

“Let’s go!” She looked at Veronica. “Would you like to join us?”

Veronica shook her head. “I think I’m going to make the best of no one knowing where I am to get in a nap. Have fun, you two.”

She smiled as she listened to the pair of them chatter at each other as they headed down the corridor. Her little brother was in love, and with a princess no less. Veronica rather thought she’d eat her boots if Allura wasn’t already well on her way to being in love with her brother in turn.

Dark skinned women (especially dark skinned Black women) are not infantilized in the media. They are not seen as dainty, feminine, or worthy of love. How many movies or shows are there that a DARK-SKINNED black woman is portrayed as the romantic lead and ends up falling in love?

White women and Black women aren’t treated the same in the media.

So applying the whole “why can’t we have a female character who doesn’t need a romantic interest?” rhetoric isn’t really all that progressive when it’s applied to Black women and dark-skinned WOC as opposed to it being applied to white women. And this because white women are infantilized in the media and in society. They are seen as helpless and dainty and always needing a man to come and save them.

So when you guys are complaining that Allura doesn’t need a man or she shouldn’t end up in a romantic relationship, just be considerate of the fact that not all women are treated and seen the same in the media. And I know Allura isn’t technically Black or any other race because she’s an alien but she is a dark-skinned women and many other WOC see themselves in her.

Because I am boring and unimaginative, this is a continuationof this X other allurance ask.Kiss Prompt… in public

Lance watches as Allura takes her place at the dais and thecrowd below erupts into cheers and applause so deafening it takes hera good few moments to calm them. He can’thelp but grin at the adoration from the Alteans for their princess.

He knowsexactly how they feel.

“Friends, my people,” she starts, hands splayed outplacatingly in front of her. Her voice is almost drowned out by another cheerbut then they eventually settle and he’s lost in the melody of her voice as shemakes her first speech to the people she would rule.

And that he would rule along side her, as her consort, heradvisor, her… husband.

It takes him a moment to realise she’s looking back at him expectantly,holding out a hand towards him.

This was it, this was the moment they had been waiting for, ever since the lions crashed to Earth and Haggar was defeated and they stood in front of a wanning sunset and Allura had told him she loved him.

Oh god, don’t trip, hethinks madly at himself as he crosses the short distance across the stage toher side.

She smiles at him, gathering his hands in hers before sheleans up kisses him, right there in front of all their people and the crowd roarsbehind them.

“I think they like you,” Allura laughs softly against hislips then her laugh turns into a gasp when he kisses her again.

Shiro and Keith have a kiss tag game going on. The one to get the last kiss of the night is the winner.

Bonus: To be continued…