#every ep he proves he's more than worthy of the mantle

[readablenoise]

The Pounding Drums and Lightning Rain: Readable Noise reviews Riptide Music Festival Day 2

Amidst weather chaos, the Fort Lauderdale music festival creates a rumble of their own with a Glastonbury worthy closer to the year

(photo: Stephanie Vento)

Fort Lauderdale- The cold weather is peeking through the smalls of the rolling waves.

On any other given Sunday, the sleepy seaside would rouse it’s head with a small herd of tourists, local at their already warmed stools along the smattering of bar staples, and lemonade in the hands of the beachgoers.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

Today however, there’s a woman in medical garb telling incoming patrons of Riptide that they will be there later to administer intravenous fluids for those wanting to rid themselves of a hangover before going in to work tomorrow.

It’s a peek behind the metaphorical curtain of the city itself, but all taken in stride as Riptide Music Festival winds down another year, with great succession.

While the next day of any festival always brings slightly drowsy eyes and ready ears, today rivals in the previous day’s excitement, and to a deserved gesture.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

Today brings the finale in the form of idkhow, Barns Courtney, Switchfoot, Reel Big Fish and headliners Jimmy Eat World; the legendary alternative legends that have never taken their foot off the pedal in terms of their songwriting craftsmanship.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

But before we get to there, the clouds roll with the waves, flashing back and forth between expected Florida warmth, and English rain, as Alex DiLeo played an impromptu acoustic set opening the Main Stage, filling in for New Politics who were unfortunately unable to attend the fest at the last minute. And it must be said that it’s a tremendous responsibility he handled well, singing to a modest crowd with an acoustic.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

And just a little ways down the sandbar, past the tempting smells of the food alley, Meg Myers is doing the same but with a dizzying power; readying to perform in intense sparklemotion with an already growing audience swaying as a DJ plays pre-show tunes in the form of reggae remixes of classic Alternative tracks such as Red Hot Chili Peppers. Myers deserves the attention; the unique mixture of ironically Kate Bush and Alanis Morrisette angst, as well as a pinch of Fiona Apple-esque honesty, her music is hypnotic as it is raw in the most beautiful of ways.

When the pounding rain finally slowed enough for the tarps draped over the instruments to be unsheathed (though it didn’t hinder the crowd, who were swaying in the drops proudly) the excitement did not abate, opening with “Jealous Sea” before cresting into the powerful “Motel”.

And as the waves crash just beyond, it’s no stretch to say the musician rivals the power of the sea itself.  While Myers came onto the scene with her booming cover of the aforementioned Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, a track that not only is a classic, but is a sort of unspoken rite of passage for all those who dare attempt to cover it, the discovery shouldn’t stop there. Dive into any track of her catalogue, and you’ll find sounds ranging anywhere from Pixies reminiscent rock with Placebo hues.  

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

Live, Myers is nothing short of stunning, displaying a quiet and ferocious power, with the only unfortunate portion being the in and out sound issues that would hinder some of the performances on the UndergroundLauderdale Stage this day. In this case, the bass drum being turned up to such a volume that it nearly overpowered all other elements of the otherwise tight act.Nevertheless, Myers special blend of songwriting and power makes her a definite act we not only want to see again live, but will remain on our radar; as should it yours. 

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

It’s that same vein of discovery that makes Riptide such a vital festival; not only opening ears to new sounds but even more importantly, new experiences. 

Some of the best examples being idkhow (I Don’t Know How But They Found Me), who are continuing to pave the path, taking up the torches that We Are Scientists, Hot Hot Heat and Prince lit, and making it into one of the strangest, and funkiest flames we have ever heard. Interjecting humor in between their tracks, they too, are a branch we are intrigued to see grow even further. 

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

And from here, we jump into an ambition that is scarcely seen, and even less so stateside: the international festival experience.Away from the normal musical local stylings, and bordering on the wonderfully dangerous, it’s a feeling most notably seen overseas and over the pond, where geography not only shapes but maps your musical stylings. Where the South’s southern most tips relishes in ska and punk, Riptide dared to bring this cultural experience in technicolor, perhaps one of the most incredible being Barns Courtney. 

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

The UK based singer is unlike anything we have seen outside of bootleg footage of Mick Jagger in his prime, proudly flaunting an almost primal energy that had everyone rising to their feet. The 9-song set felt easily like 2 EP’s worth, with a terrific electricity that felt worthy of an area, with tracks such as “Hands” quite literally driving the rainclouds away and bringing in a scorching sun that had long since been hiding; quite literally.

Courtney is the type of artist every person must see once; a human firecracker, lighting up the stage with not only the perfect catalogue of guitars and blues like soul to back a showmanship so large, but bearing a contagious smile that seems to arrive so easily. Proof of this being that there was not a single soul in attendance who didn’t raise off of their beach towels and just start dancing, swaying or flat out jumping to “99” or “Glitter and Gold”.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

It’s a brand of rock you cannot bottle, cannot brand and cannot beat. It’s safe to say that while Barns could make anywhere feel a venue bigger than it is, he deserved a headline set later in the day, when the heat of the day set into a cool.  

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

 And as the sun began to set, an odd situation began to occur in the midst of all the discovery: a sort of towel laying apocalypse. 

Again, with good intentions, the festival handed out free beach towels to all who entered the festival. However, with the entirety of the space being a beach, including that of the Main Stage, created a sort of miniaturized chaotic labyrinth arranged within the boundaries of where the pit might be; prompting cold looks when trying to walk inbetween the small cracks and quite literally try not to kick up sand.

It’s an idea we are by no means against, but hope to say an area strictly for towels and those who wish to lounge, to make the experience easier for those who simply want to absorb all the sounds around, including that of 90’s staples, Switchfoot.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

One of the acts whose tracks speak for themselves, in terms of their legacy. They have crafted a bridge across a generation that still remains sturdy, and quite full. with frontman Jon Foreman going straight  off the stage and into the the crowd, leaning on supported hands and all with a smile as they began “The Sound”, a track that lives up to it’s name, and perhaps even doubly live.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

Truly one of the more underrated live acts, their set was on grand on all levels. And while smooth sailers like iconic “Stars” may have you momentarily swaying, don’t hesitate as the San Diego act covered Beastie Boys legendary “Sabotage” with their own brand of power.

And with this night slowly, and steadily coming to an end on a fluorescent tempo left by all the bands before them; a sun conducting it’s usual Once Upon A Time In The West sunset, one of the best full doses of the aforementioned international festival experience occurs, perhaps most notably by Catfish & The Bottlemen.

(Photo: Stephanie Vento)

The English act are regular arena and festival darlings performing on the over the seas circuit but still have yet to fully crack the US fully. Due to not only the unfortunate decline of alternative stations to gain airplay from, but moreover the lack of aforementioned festival experiences to truly experience them in, and which the act thrive on.

Opening to a full house on the shore with “Longshot”, it is goosebump inciting. There is a type of inexplicable boom, where the pounding red lights sync in time alongside their Arctic Monkeys-esque riffs.  A quiet explosion occurring during “Conversation”, where the rain once again answers from the sky, that you are watching something you may not see again.

You can feel the Earth shake softly with this type of epic energy and leaving one happily breathless, as this happens so scarcely.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

While US arenas are plenty in number, with a regular line-up of stunners occupying them, the rounds often feel a test of business grit at times; with the question always being always the seats themselves, and not those occupying them.

Near everyelsewhere, the chance is one of mettle. To reach that mantle is a feeling that is chased but only if you have the love to deliver it. The arena gig is not so much numeral based, but a near religious experience of dancing with a thousand other people whose ears are in love with the sound just as much as your own.

(Photo: Jenelle DeGuzman)

It’s an experience, and risk, that Riptide nailed beautifully, with Catfish concluding “Cocoon” alongside the rain and the sound dutifully ringing out after they exited.

It’s acts like these that prove just how vast the power of great live performances can be, and we’re grateful that the festival included this.

And as the rain finally, seemingly subsides, Jimmy Eat World enter in, and the band are one of the few that do not need introductions.

(Photos: Stephanie Vento)

Narrating a great part of the 90’s and 00’s rock, they were able to do so in the best of fashions. Much like their compatriots in Deftones and Foo Fighters, they have remained as they took their origins and evolved to something more than one genre could pen in. So too have the Arizonian act grown into something amazing, with every track is just as big in ambition as the next, each bearing their key insignia of chiming guitar riffs and Jim Adkins’ signature vocals.

(Photo: Stephanie Vento)

Opening with a steady set of their hits, including “Bleed American”, which we can say without shame we were dancing with reckless abandon to, they demonstrate that while the climates may have changed, their power in what they do has most certainly not, weaving together a structured and incredible set in the shape of “Pain” and showing the extent of their creativity in “555”, narrated in a blue wash with relatable lyrics and a digital swirl.

They, like all the acts featured in this year’s line-up, are still alight with the passion they started with. Perhaps one of the best moments expressing this being “23”; a Cure reminiscent slow burn that while delivered with that signature Jimmy Eat World bedroom intimacy, is built-up with intensity. Like watching a skyscraper being built in fast motion before your eyes, this is the breadth of what the act can do. Still craft, write and most importantly, perform these songs with the same beautiful level of delivery; even as a curtain of rain comes falling down.

(Photos: Stephanie Vento)

It’s a set of the ages, and one that, even alongside the weather, was magical in every sense of the word.

In a world that seems keen on twisting around the wheel, set on trying just how hard gravity can work, it’s these experiences that are so important. Not in just the terms of disappearing inbetween the notes, as the act close their impressive near 20 song set with infamous “The Middle”, but the necessity to keep the sparkle in your eyes and heart alive.

Recharging in the form of these allowances to remind you: you are not alone in the sound, or your fight, but that the crowd is full of people; all dancing to the same tune, dancing through the chaos.

(Photo: Stephanie Vento)

Whether that is with music, art, or should you really prefer, the intravenous fluid providers who true to their word, were there following the festival with eerie needles in the dark, Riptide reminds you; get caught in the waves every now and again. Some of the best things are found in it’s lit depths. Or, enough to get you through the ride, anyhow.

-Jenelle DeGuzman

See our exclusive live capture of Barns Courtney here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdqR8eLp6-g

#Riptide Music Festival #riptide #Fort Lauderdale beach #fort lauderdale #music #live music #concert #music festival #music photography #review #concert review #meg myers #idkhow #I don't know how but they found me #switchfoot #barns courtney #Catfish and the Bottlemen #jimmy eat world #b&w #color #readable noise

[theashesofthefirststar]

Lance The Leader: Our Final Black Paladin

[I wrote most of this before season four, but god, am I glad I waited. I tacked on my season 4 thoughts in regards to this argument near the bottom]

If you’re anything like me, you felt a bit cheated with season three’s lion switch. It felt forced, for lack of a better word. Keith is - obviously - not a natural born leader while Lance has actually been shown to have many of the qualities of a great leader. (You’ll miss it if you don’t pay attention, but I think they do that on purpose. More on that later.)

Now, here’s the thing. I think all of the paladins are capable of being leaders in their own right. There are many ways to be a leader depending on who you are leading and for what reason. But it’s obvious that some people show more leadership qualities than others.

So I was angry. Because here they are, pushing this kid who lacks a lot of leadership qualities, and most importantly, doesn’t want to be a leader, into leadership. Totally bypassing Lance - a common theme in the show - who not only seems fit for leadership but also has the drive. It left a bad taste in my mouth, because it felt like they were pushing this narrative where ambition was bad and leadership was something to be stumbled upon, which it’s not. Most leaders want to lead and got there through hard work and tenacity. And look, I get it, Lance needed to learn that being a leader isn’t a way to prove himself, but for the betterment of the team, and I think he does learn this for the most part in season three, but is that it? Did Lance learn this grand lesson of putting his own need for glory aside all so he can be Keith’s supportive right hand/boyfriend ?

Or was this just one big step in the direction that’s going to inevitably lead Lance to the black lion’s cockpit?

At first, I thought it was the former, but after reading this Klance master-post (if you’re a Klance shipper, it’s for sure worth the read), it changed the way I thought of season three and the overall intentions of the Voltron creator’s.

(Before I really get into it, Id like to note that this is my attempt to expand on ideas that are already circulating, and while you’ll probably see some points that have already been brought up, I am in no way attempting to “steal” these ideas. But if you think I’ve crossed a line at some point, please message me)

So buckle up kids, because I’m here to take you back to the start and show you just why end game Black Paladin Lance makes so much sense.

If you google ‘what makes a good leader’, you’ll find all sorts of lists, but there are a few qualities that stay the same throughout. I’ll sum them up in three categories: Communication, strong team dynamics, and ambition. All of these of which Lance has, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s rewind it back to episode one: “The Rise of Voltron“

I find it interesting that the very first time we see Lance it’s in the position of a leader. Because as the pilot, he is the leader of his crew.

As we all know, they fail the simulator. So what’s the point? Lance is a bad leader? Well not exactly. Lance is an immature leader who let’s his need for glory get in the way of making the right choices. He was bragging and decided to land “against crew recommendations.” Other than that, however, Lance is actually rather decisive.

So, from the get go, we’re not seeing why Lance would be a bad leader, but what he needs to work on to be a good one.

I’ve seen it said several times that Lance and Shiro share a lot of qualities - especially when speaking about their particular brand of leadership. What I don’t really see, however, is people talking about how this is shown consistently through the use of juxtaposition - a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

It happens several times throughout the show. Lance’s leadership is almost always shown side by side with Shiros. Certainly too many times to be coincidental.

In this episode, we first get Shiro with his team. The abduction happens and then we see Shiro in the Galra ship. The very next scene after this is of our Garrison crew. Both Shiro and Lance “failed” their mission, both step up to protect their crew, as a good leader should do.

Now I know what some people might be thinking, that I’m attempting to make these scenes too much about Lance and that it’s crazy to think that this could imply that Lance is one day meant to be the Black Paladin.

Counterpoint: Here’s the thing about good writing. The plot, character development, and over arching themes are all intertwined. Meaning that these  scenes are attempting to show us many things, Lance is just one piece of the puzzle and happens to be the piece that I’m going to be talking about.

And on that note, before we can properly analyze Lance’s character, we need to talk a little bit on the importance of character arcs. A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. Every one of the paladins have one - some more than others. When thinking about each character’s individual moments of development and what they mean, you have to think about how it relates to their character arc.

Pidge and Hunk for instance both have huge moments of development in the “Tears of the Balmera” episode.

Hunk’s moment of transformation is him learning just how important Voltron is to the universe. This plays into Hunk’s character arc of overcoming his anxiety and allowing his compassion to really be his driving force.

While Pidge’s moment is her learning the importance of her teammates and the importance of prioritizing.

While I stand by my statement that all member’s of Voltron are capable of being their own type of leader, these moments - as bad ass as they were- weren’t meant to show us their leadership potential. They were meant to play into their character acrs which - in my personal opinion - have nothing to do with the mantle of leadership. Nor would the mantle of leadership benefit their arcs.

Likewise for Allura. I know a lot of people wanted her to be the next Black Paladin, because it seemed like the most logical choice. She was probably raised to be a leader, but like, exactly. Allura begins the show as someone who’s already a leader in their own right and always will be. Which doesn’t mean she couldn’t become the Black Paladin, because character growth isn’t always synonymous with character change, but it doesn’t really fit her character arc. Her arc has always been the most glaring to me. It’s about her coming to terms with her place in an universe where her entire culture is gone, but even more importantly, dealing with her own cognitive dissonance when faced with something that doesn’t fit her preconceived truths. i.e. All Galra are bad, all Alteans are good (See B.O.M, Keith’s heritage, and the Ep Hole in the Sky) This moral disconnect is a theme explored a lot in media (Think Hunger Games and BTVS) The good isn’t always good and the bad isn’t always bad. I’m certain they’ll keep expanding on this in future seasons, but that’s not the point of this post. The point is, Allura being the Black Paladin doesn’t really align with her character arc and would do little to catapult it.

I also feel like the narrative as it is now is not setting up Shiro or Keith to be the final Black Paladin, but I’ll get into that more at the bottom.

So the question is: What Is Lance’s Character Arc?

One of the creators themselves said that Lance has the most subtle development of any of the characters. 

What I find interesting and perhaps the most telling is that Lance is frequently shown as a leader, but these moments never linger, they’re quick and never paired with realizations or flashbacks or a mood shift that show us - yes, this right here is a moment of development. And that’s because Lance is a natural leader, these moments are meant to establish him not develop. I also think they’re almost meant to be overlooked. The audience nor his teammates are meant to take him seriously as a leader because Lance doesn’t take himself seriously as a leader. 

And there it is. His whole arc. Lance doesn’t truly see himself as someone worthy of being a leader. He wants to think he is, but he doesn’t. His need for glory stems from a sense of inferiority, a need to prove himself, and what always gets in the way of Lance’s leadership? That’s right, his need for glory as a means to prove himself.

It happened in episode one, but even more prominently:

(God, this scene was so hard to watch)

When Lance was rejected by Black, they made sure to let us know that Lance thought of this as “his moment”. This correlates with Lance’s development thus far. He tries to one up/show off to Keith, he embarrasses himself. He put’s glory over the mission, he fails. He ignores his bad feelings about going off with Nyma because of his jealousy in regards to Keith, he loses his lion. He makes piloting Black into something self-serving, he’s rejected. But they also show us that when Lance isn’t driven by his ego/sense of inferiority, he always succeeds. He becomes an amazing and capable leader, thus drawing an implied line of narrative that if Lance had of went into Black for the right reason, he may have been accepted. It also implies that Lance isn’t ready, but that he very well could be one day.

Lance being end game Black Paladin fits so, so, so well into his character arc. I mean, we have this kid who’s been low key, yet consistently shown as a leader, only to be over looked because of the self-doubt he harbors and projects onto others. Him inevitably getting over these insecurities and rising to leadership just makes sense from a narrative stand point.

This may be the point where you’re asking, so why did Black accept Keith? To me, this seems pretty simple. Black still see’s Shiro as her true Paladin, and Keith was the best bet on getting him back.

So does Lance have what it takes to be a leader? That would be a resounding yes. Let’s go back to the qualities of a good leader: communication,strong team dynamic and ambition.

Ambition

I’m going to go ahead and get this one out of the way because it’s so obvious. Lance has been coined as the paladin who has the most to prove. It’s so glaring from the start that Lance want’s to be a leader, even if his motives are sometimes skewed.

But even if they are, I’m inclined to believe that glory isn’t the only force behind Lance’s ambition. Let’s think about it this way. He’s not a tech wiz or a machine whisperer like Hunk or Pidge. Likewise, he’s not like Keith who’s been described by Dreamworks as a prodigy pilot. And I’m pretty sure that Lance didn’t come from a family of space explores like Pidge does - although that’s just an assumption. What am I getting at here?

When Keith dropped out of the Garrison, it was Lance who moved up. It seems like a one in one out system, meaning Lance wasn’t lying when he said him and Keith were neck and neck. He was at the top of his cargo pilot class. Considering the fact that Pidge, Hunk, and Keith are pretty much naturals in their chosen fields - maybe because they’ve been doing these things for a good portion of their lives - it makes sense that Lance has had to work twice as hard to only be half as good. And even when he failed, rather that be in becoming a fighter pilot or the simulators, Lance never waivers. He stayed at the top of his cargo pilot class. He never gave up.

In summary: This boy has some damn iron clad determination. He’s ambitious and he doesn’t know how to give up even when the cards are stacked against him, even when Keith is used as a constant reminder for how lacking other people see him to be at the Garrison.

And you know who else was probably a lot like this? Shiro. I can’t say for a fact how skilled Shiro was when he first started at the Garrison, but I can say that you don’t become a legendary fighter pilot/ military leader without having the ambition to be one. That’s one of the many reasons I hate that Keith is feeling so forced into leadership. That’s not to say that he lacks all ambition, but it’s obviously not as important to him when compared to something like honor or loyalty. Meaning, you have to want it.

Communication

 They’re a couple of components to being a good communicator, but let’s start with decisiveness: or the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.

Lance has done this a lot through out the show. Here are some good examples:

These scenes have a lot in common. Mostly, Lance being the leader and giving out orders/coming up with plans under pressure.

In the first screenshot - season one episode one “The Rise of Voltron” When their “forfeiting” their lions, it’s Lance who speaks for them like a leader would do.

Then he goes on to give out orders:

“Pidge, what’s your ETA?”

“I think that’s our signal to get out of here.”

“Hunk, you dismantle the ion cannon while I take these jerks on a space ride!”

In the second shot - season one episode seven “Tears of Balmera” Lance is able to come up with a plan on the spot and he’s later able to convey a plan to Keith through body language.

Same with the third shot - season three episode one “Changing of the Guards.”  He’s so obviously suppose to be the leader in this episode, but what I like about this more is how effortless it seems. Like I doubt anyone pointed to Lance and was like, “Hey you, you need to lead.” He just slots himself in there.

There’s a few important things I want to point out about these scenes.

One is that no other character has ever been given leadership moments like this outside of Shiro and I don’t think that’s coincidental. (Besides Keith, but we all know how that played out. Here’s a hint: Not good.)

…

Secondly, I want to point out that in every one of these situations, Lance easily slots himself into the position of leadership and his team follows him without question.

I think if you were to ask them - the other paladins - outright if they thought Lance would be a good leader, it be their first instinct to say no. Because Lance is played up as this goofy character, so it’s easy to overlook his moments of leadership, but even so, when it comes down to it, people listen to him.

“Keep an eye out for those guards. I’ll see if I can find a way to shut the hangar doors.”

“About 30 ticks to the drop zone. You ready, Kolivan?

“Hold on, evasive action underway!”

...I could go on and on. There are a lot of examples, but you get my point.

…

But most importantly is the way Lance is able to delegate in these situations.

For all of his “ego” Lance is able to easily admit when he doesn’t know what to do and quickly delegates. Delegation is also an important part of leadership.

With Keith, he admits to not knowing what he’s doing with the Galra control panels, and with Kolivan, he quickly asked for any ideas when their under heavy fire. This is important, because unlike when Lance does things out of the need to boost his ego, he always ends up on top in these situations, and that fits right into his character arc.

Oh, and did I mention the Juxtaposition

Shiro making hard, on the spot decisions in “The Rise of Voltron” just as Lance does in the scene before.

…

I won’t really go over the mermaid episode, because it speaks for itself, but I will say this: I find it really interesting that in both the episodes -  “Across the Universe & “The Depths” - we have Keith and Lance left to pretty much figure things out themselves (Pidge, as always, uses her intelligence to get the team out of a sticky situation) We see them both being leaders, saving their teammates, ect, ect. Both of them have doubts. Keith when Shiro asked him to lead and Lance when the mermaids call him their savior. Both of them are also successful in their missions, but I can’t help but to find it interesting that Lance does so while quite literally leading a mermaid rebellion while Keith does so on his own, only getting help from Black when Shiro is in danger. I think this both foreshadows Blacks real intentions in season three while also keeping up with the whole Lance the leader, Keith the loner thing. I also find it interesting that Keith is the one asked to be the leader despite the fact that Lance is the only character out of the seven that does any true leading in those first two episodes. Unless this is the creators way of shitting on Lance, I can’t see any reason why they’d build him up only to make him second to Keith again other than them setting him up to be a leader in the future.

And the episode is literally second to Keith’s. Hunk and Lances mermaid antics are an episode all of their own, but it’s also filled with a lot of care free and funny moments meant to once again down play/draw away from Lance’s amazing leadership opposed to Keith’s parts in  “Across the Universe” which are somber by contrast and very obviously meant to be important. I have to believe that this downplay of Lance’s leadership is intentional.

…

The next part of communication is knowing your teammates. On two separate occasions - season two’s prison break episode and during the comics - Lance is shown giving accurate - if not a tad over the top - descriptions of his teammates, but that’s just “telling”. Voltron shows you that Lance knows his teammates several times.

What I love about this is that Lance doesn’t deal with his teammates in any one way. He knows them and knows what they need to hear in the moment.

In this scene, he calls out Pidge for her obsession with the Kerberos mission and gets her to, at least to some extent, explain herself.

In this scene from “The Rise of Voltron,” you might think that Lance handles Hunk harshly, but he’s right in doing so. Lance has been shown to always push Hunk. He doesn’t sympathize with his panic, because he knows to do so will slow them down. He’s never afraid to tell Hunk when his behavior is hurting them. This happens in season three too.

…

I love this juxtaposition, because you also have Shiro dealing with Pidge in a very specific, yet very successful manner. Both having their respected charges go off on their own. Also, this episode sets up something important to me. The two leaders: Shiro and Lance and the Lone wolf: Keith. I don’t think it was an accident that they played it this way. Also it’s important to note that juxtaposition is used to compare and contrast, so it’s also possible that this was meant to show the differences in their leadership abilities just as much as it was to show the similarities.

All throughout season three, Lance is the only one who seems able to deal with Keith and to say exactly what he needs to hear at the time. He’s both straight forward and supportive. Also note that they way he deals with Keith isn’t the same as how he deals with Hunk (He pushes Hunk forward while normally pulling Keith back) That’s important because it show’s that Lance really knows his teammates.

I also don’t think it’s accidental that, with Shiro gone, mister patience yields focus himself, it’s Lance who takes over as his impulse control. When just earlier in season two, Keith did not typically listen to Lance.

…

And then there’s this scene. It will forever make my skin crawl. You don’t see it in this shot, but Lance quite literally gets in Shiro’s face. No one has ever came at Shiro like that, not over a leadership disagreement. Nothing cements my theory more to me than this scene. The parallel, the subtext- Gah! Lance is having a hardcore argument with a more mature version of himself over leadership choices. The leader in training coming at the established leader.

And the thing that kills me is that Lance is right. Keith is hotheaded and that, at least in part, is why the mission goes south. Don’t get me wrong, I know Lance’s hostility comes in part with being bitter about Keith once again being chosen over him, but this time it really gets to him. Because he knows he’s right and valid in his assessment of Keith’s behavior. Shiro is right too. Red was the only lion who could withstand the heat, but In Lance’s eyes, and perhaps rightly so, Shiro has a Keith bias.

This maybe reach, but hell, call me Mister Fantastic, bitches, cause I’m going there. In this scene, Keith is situated in between the two of them, but despite being at odds with Lance, he always stands much closer to him, and I truly believe this could be foreshadowing. I will preach till the end of my days that Keith not only doesn’t want to be the Black Paladin, but shouldn’t be. I think a lot of people have this thought that because Shiro said it was for the best, it must be true, but I disagree. I think it’s what Shiro wants for Keith, but not what Keith wants for himself, and that’s more important.

Strong team dynamic

In this section, I’m going to talk about three things: Validation, emotional maturity, and the prioritizing of the team.

Validation: A good leader knows the importance of positive regard. I’m not going to go into massive detail here or post a screen shot of every time Lance validated his team members - because that’s a level of Extra I do not aspire to be - but I will say this: I think more than anyone else, Lance validates his team. He’s always the one giving out compliments, and this is just my theory, but I think it’s because he knows how it feels to not be appreciated (you might notice that Lance is almost never on the receiving end of praise) and doesn’t want anyone else to feel this way.  He validates his team while also doubting himself, meaning he’s not bitter about it. Yeah, at the start, he was bitter towards Keith, but that’s because Lance truly thought Keith saw himself as better than him. I won’t go into that here, but here’s a meta I wrote about Keith and Lance’s complex feeling about each other.

But even with the way Lance once treated Keith in the past, that’s over. Rather you’re a Klance shipper or not, their dynamic has changed and Lance is supporting Keith more than anyone else. You can’t deny that.

Which brings me to my next section: Emotional maturity. And boy does Lance have it.

It’s always been obvious to me that Lance likes to posture. He uses confidence to mask his self-doubt and has been know to leave a situation if his typical composure fails him - as he did in “The Fall of the Castle of Lions.” It’s also been said by the show runner that Lance cares a lot about how people see him, but because of that, he’s very aware of others. The only time that awareness is skewed is when his self-doubt clouds it. Even his emotive goofiness seems intentional at times, something he does to lighten the mood when he notices others need it.  And that’s important. Not that he just lightens to mood, but that he notices when it’s needed.

*Lance starting off a sequences of bad sound effects*

*Lance instigating a space-ball fight*

Lance just notices things, and it doesn’t stop at his goofy ways. He notices when Keith doesn’t pick up on social cues and clues him in. He noticed rover wasn’t with Pidge, making him able to predict the explosion, and perhaps the most imperative example of Lance noticing something:

In this scene from “Changing of the Guards” the people of this planet make hostile expressions at the blade. In the very next scene, you have Lance - in the nicest way possible - making sure they know that Voltron could not have done it without the blade. Meaning, Lance is emotionally attuned to the people around him, more than anyone else has ever been shown to be on the team.

In the same episode, the team looks to Lance to comfort Keith, because they notice this emotional maturity in him. And even without their prompting, he does it.

I see a lot of people call out Lance or say he lacks maturity because of the way he acts towards Keith in “The Red Paladin,” but that’s not completely fair. I can not stress enough that Lance only acts this way towards Keith and nobody else. There’s a lot of complicated feelings there, a lot of envy and admiration and inferiority and possibly even repressed feelings. He projects his self-doubt onto Keith, and because of that, genuinely thinks that Keith is lying about not wanting to be a leader.

But once he realizes that, no, Keith really doesn’t want to lead, he does not hesitate. And like, do you realize how much emotional maturity it takes to do that? To step out of your own hurt feelings and cater to someone else? Most people I know can’t do that on their best days, let alone their worst - and I’m sure this is one of Lance’s worst.

(Gah, just look at that devastated face D:)

This leads right into prioritizing team dynamic. Lance does this in a few ways, but no more than in season three. He’s constantly the one talking about keeping the team together. Especially in “The Hunted.”

“Keith, you’re breaking up the team.”

“It’s okay Allura, were a team. Right Keith?”

“Come on guys, we need to stick together.”

But it’s more than that. Like Shiro, Lance has been shown to willing sacrifice  himself. (Think about saving Coran and in “Crystal Venom”) And like in the image above, Lance is willing to step aside and put his ego on the back burner for the good of the team. This is shown most profoundly in this scene: Lance so badly wants to be a part of the team, but only if it’s whats right for them. We known how badly this hurts him. We know how badly Lance wants a place. But what he wants doesn’t matter, the team matters.

Season four

In all honesty, even if the pacing was all over the place and it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, I really think it was what the characters needed. It was realistic of them. Development is not linear and I think we owe it to the creators to look at the bigger picture. If you don’t think Lance got any development in this season, well, I’m just going to say it, you’re wrong. Lance’s development is subtle but it’s there and leading to something bit. That’s what people don’t seem to understand. 

Lance, once again, plays the part of the natural leader. He was right too, but of course, Shiro overrides him.

Then we have this beautifully inspiring speech. Like Iconic #tedtalk type speech. Seriously, put this shit in the history books.

This is so obviously meant to show us Lance’s amazing leadership abilities. Where Keith failed, Lance stepped up. Where Shiro failed, Lance stepped up. I don’t know know in how many way they have to show us that Lance is working his way up to leadership before people start to get it.

This aerial silk preforming, cow milking, video game loving, pretty boy is going to be the final Black Paladin, and if he’s not, he damn right deserves to be.

Let’s tie up some loose ends.

What is Keith’s character arc?

I feel as if it would be disingenuous of me to say that I understand Keith and his arc completely. For someone who gets as much development as he does, where it’s all leading is somewhat unclear to me, but I’ll do the best I can.

Keith is a character who paves his own way, but at the same time, want’s to be held down. To me, his Galra arc was more of a quest to find out why he is the way that he is more than it was to find out who he is. Keith knows who he is. He said so himself in season two. But it’s not that simple. There’s a conflict inside of him that can be no better seen than in the way he deals with missions and his teammates.

This season, in the aptly named, “Code of Honor”, you see Keith go back to rescue a member of the blade. Kolivan scolds him, saying this isn’t Voltron. Keith’s response is that in Voltron they would’ve gone back for the person, but he went back for the intel. This… isn’t completely true because he was pulled back a second time in attempts to save the same person- no intel included. Also, just last season, Keith was more than inclined to put Shiro over the mission.

But it’s not not true either. Because in season two, Keith was the only member of the team who considered leaving Allura behind for the sake of the bigger picture.

Meaning Keith will do whatever he thinks is right, following his code of honor, no matter if that’s putting the mission first or a person.

This is where I have to say that, while I don’t think Keith is selfish, I think that his team had every right to be mad at him in the first episode. At the time, he was the only person who they thought could pilot the Black lion, and by putting the blades mission above Voltron, if not for Shiro, they could’ve died. Which would have set off a series of cascading failures. That one choice could have lost them the whole war. Keith doesn’t have the best foresight and does what feels right in the moment.

What I’m getting at here is, I’m not sure why Keith picked the blade over Voltron, and I’m not even sure he does. It’s just what felt right in the moment. Sure, he gave us reasons, but it’s like Allura said, the blade lasted 10,000 years without him. I’m sure his abandonment issues come into play here too, but that’s a whole other level of convoluted I won’t get into.

Point being, to the best of my assessment, Keith’s arc is about reconciling these two parts of himself and learning that he can follow his code while still being a part of a team.

Flying Black is so obviously not whats going to get him there. Maybe it could’ve been if he had of stuck it out, but he pushed so hard against that bond and the team that Black was forced to accept clone Shiro. He’s not going to be the leader, but honestly, he doesn’t have to. Alfor - who’s similar to Keith in a lot of ways - wasn’t the leader of Voltron either, but he was still a father, and a king, and a friend, and the Red Paladin. I hope this is what Keith’s arc is leading to, and that by being with the blade he’ll figure out that he doesn’t have to be alone. 

But if this isn’t enough to prove that Keith isn’t meant to be the Black Paladin, than think about how the lion switch was handled. In creative writing 101, you’ll learn that what the writer takes the time to show is very important. For example, if you’re reading a story about a man who’s having an argument with his wife, what he’s paying attention to shows you what’s important to him. If he’s getting lost in the sound of a clock on the wall, that tells you his wife and her issues don’t matter, but if he’s paying attention to her, that means she does. And the fact that he’s paying attention to her doesn’t mean that there isn’t a clock ticking on the wall, just that the clock isn’t whats important to the scene. That same logic can be used with the lion switch. The reason they focus so much on Allura and Blue is because Allura is the true Blue Paladin. Likewise, the reason they don’t focus on Lance and Red or Keith and Black or offer in closure for these relationships is because their bonds arn’t important. Those are not their true lions.

Where does Shiro fit into all this?

Honestly, that’s hard to say, seeing as this Shiro is not our real Shiro - and if you don’t see that by this point, are we even watching the same show? So I can’t say exactly what’s going to happen with him, but let’s say he did come back and reclaim his spot. Then what? Lance stays in Red and Keith never returns to the team? Nah, miss me with that. That would be leaving both of their arcs incomplete while also feeling really off. Other than everything I wrote in this meta, the only other reason I can give you for why I don’t think Shiro will be the endgame Black Paladin is because good writers don’t do that. It would be so anti climatic to make this perfect leader - the original leader - be the final Black Paladin.

How it’ll be handled, I can’t say. They’re so many possibilities. So I’ll finish with this. Lance’s character has been built up for greatness since the start. He’s been shown as a leader over and over again while constantly growing and changing. Every season, he matures more, and if you don’t see his development, you’re not looking close enough.

Or in the words of our Voltron crew: “Lance is becoming the hero we all know he’s meant to be.”

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