dent-de-leon:

That…honestly really rubs me the wrong way too. Especially considering that Lance is by no means someone who’s had a hard life before all this. I always see fans trying to give him a tragic backstory or some big heavy drama for the sake of some imagined depth and development, but to me that really detracts from his character??

Also, no offense, but…there is a huge, huge difference between getting turned down by every girl you flirt with. Girls you really have no feelings for, but you just find them physically attractive so you put yourself out there. Throw in a one liner and a wink. Getting turned down for that isn’t going to spur some monumental character growth based around rejection. Girls not wanting to go out with you is in no way the same thing as your mother abandoning you as a child. And people who think the two are in any way comparable at all and anyone who thinks they are sounds very egotistical and entitled. 

Newsflash: all girls do not have to cater to you specifically, and they are not the bad guy if they don’t. Girls aren’t obligated to go out with you, but your mother should find some way to care for you. That could mean leaving you with another parent or guardian because that’s the best option, but there should be something. You shouldn’t have to feel all alone. Because we know from Keith directly that this event has set off a chain reaction of emotional distress throughout his entire life. It’s definitely some form of deeply rooted trauma. 

In his vlog, he even pinpoints it as such, “I don’t know why I’m that way…maybe, I’m naturally untrusting because my mom left me? And so, instead of accepting people into my life, I push them away before they reject me. I guess I have some walls up…“ You can’t say that’s in any way the sort of “rejection” Lance has been through. This is something that has been eating away at Keith for years, it’s affected so many facets of his life. The way he interacts with people was entirely shaped by it. He didn’t have a family. He felt unwanted. He later says that quite literally everyone had quit on him but Shiro–“Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I won’t give up on him.” Again, this is someone who has a lot of trauma–and has suffered some serious psychological ramifications because of it. He had no family, no friends. No one but Shiro. And after Keith lost him? He left on this self imposed exile in the desert, with no human contact for a whole year. That’s unheard of. 

So, if you compare that to Lance’s situation–Lance, who had a loving family. Lance, who was the spoiled youngest sibling (as opposed to someone with middle child syndrome like everyone loved to believe)–Lance, who was able to make friends and was genuinely having a great time at the garrison. Lance, who was happy to see Keith go because it meant he got to steal Keith’s spot in class. Lance, who said, “Hasta la later, Keith,” after an orphan was sent packing for being upset by the loss and coverup of their only fucking friend. Lance, who will later accuse Keith of just using Shiro to get a fucking promotion because he still has no idea what bare love and devotion looks like. 

Lance just…has no clue what Keith is going through. He never does. He fails to understand why Keith is so hellbent on saving Shiro at first, because he just wants in on it for the glory. And he ultimately fails to realize just how much Shiro means to him–why his love for Shiro is what called to the Black Lion as opposed to his own ambition. He even tries to comfort Keith at first by saying what a “thrill” it was to rescue him from the garrison. Shiro wasn’t ever a cheap thrill to Keith, he wasn’t a hero or ace pilot. He was so much more. Lance fundamentally misunderstands Keith on a number of levels. And although the two are trying now, there’s a clear distance they still need to bridge. 

Also, Lance is a pretty open book. He readily tells both Allura and Keith about his misgivings on being a pilot, how he feels like he’s unworthy of being a paladin. Never has he said anything even remotely along the lines of, “Wow, I sure do feel completely unloved and abandoned because hot alien girls just aren’t that into me.” And do people really think that’s what Lance is basing his self worth off of? Because he’s not that shallow. He’s really not. And it is incredibly shallow to think Lance is entitled to girls getting with him in the same way that Keith is entitled to a mother’s life. Sorry, but there’s just no way to sell that. 

It probably sounds like I have something against Lance from all this, but I don’t. I do hate how his character is often misconstrued for the sake of lan/gst or k/l though. I hate how Keith is supposed to be passive in the face of some of Lance’s treatment and just sit around and look pretty, but damn if some people don’t hate when he gets his own character development or opens his fucking mouth. If he’s anything but a trophy meant to be seen and not heard. 

Again, I love canon Lance. Even though he’s flawed–and he is, all the characters are. I think he’s working through a lot of those character flaws, and he’s growing into a much better person because of it. I think one day he and Keith will have truly reached a better understanding of one another. Again, I like Lance. But I can also acknowledge he had an honestly good and happy childhood, that he was surrounded by people who loved him. Keith didn’t have that. And I think it’s an incredibly important distinction to make…