can i be really honest with you? i think shiro had nothing to do with it, and even if shiro finds out, shiro will having nothing to do with it. i’m really frustrated with the way the fandom portrays keith. he’s a minx or he’s emo or he’s being manipulated by the blade of marmora or he’s reckless or he’s suicidal. and more and more, it’s hard to find any paired portrayal of him that gives him his due. especially since season 4 and shiro’s treatment of him:
he’s a really complex character. he’s kind of a dork. he’s into jock things. he’s guided by an incredibly strict code of honor. he makes reasoned decisions based in that code. and most of the time, he’s the most serious person in the room. he’s also characterized by a level of determination that’s almost fatal. if honor requires it, he will find a way to do it–usually at personal pain. and he’s not unfeeling, about any of this. he was scared in that last scene in season 4. that’s marked:
and my tea: nothing he did in season 4 warranted shiro’s treatment of him, in any context. nothing he did warranted the team’s treatment of him. he was off on missions he felt were important, and he had permission every time. he didn’t and never would intentionally endanger anyone. and honestly shiro’s behavior is veering toward something really uncomfortable: shiro tells him to be the leader, and then in the next breath, he completely invalidates any decision keith makes. and he won’t even entertain a discussion on it. he tells keith he will be worthy of the black lion, some day. maybe. not yet:
i’m done debating about whether that’s shiro. the last i’ll say on that is that if haggar–who mind controlled narti this season to watch everything lotor did–has some control of this shiro’s decisions, probably the first big move would be to get him set up as the leader of voltron again. and the best way to do that would be to drive away the one person who is currently leader and close enough to shiro to notice the discrepancies. but regardless of that, keith does not deserve this. and frankly the way people excuse shiro’s treatment of him is bizarre to me. everyone wants keith to be a warm body for lance or for shiro, but he’s more than that.