Art By  Nalonzooo

The whole Shiro Adam Keith thing

(This is kinda like why I see Shiro’s and Adam’s relationship as something that was only there to shine a light on Shiro’s relationship with Keith.)

So cuz of his illness Shiro probably thought he couldn’t do alot of things so he tried to break every record and do as much as he possibly can to prove it wrong, that was his way to deal with his disease. 

So when he snaps at Adam “you dont need to protect me” it’s because he was probably treated as a sick and weak person all his life while trying to prove how strong he is. 

So what Adam says with all it’s good intentions hits a very sensitive spot. 

Shiro doesnt want anyone to think he’s weak, he wants ppl to see how strong and capable he is.  

Keith did that every single step of the way. (like remember how I was going crazy trying to figure why their mentor/mentee relationship is upside down with Keith always being the one encouraging Shiro??)

This is also why Shiro was always hiding his troubles from the team, he’s probably been doing that since he was a child cuz he wanted ppl to think he’s strong.  

So Adam wasn’t a bad person, he apparently just never understood Shiro and how much he needed the support and the faith in him and his abilities. 

And Shiro needs to learn how to let himself be weak and accept help sometimes, that’s what his journey is about. He’s was probably partially only doing all that because he never really felt strong deep inside, and that’s what I hope Keith helped him with

I mean Keith is the ONLY person Shiro has shown weakness with, he allows himself to be weak with Keith and receive help and get saved by him. That MEANS SO SO MUCH considering all we know know.

So like the difference between Adam and Keith is that Keith always believed Shiro can do anything. Keith worried about Shiro but he never tried to hold him back. It was always “You can do this” instead of “you probably can’t do this so stand back” like Adam did (even thought it came from a good place)

Adam loves Shiro, and it hurts him to see Shiro put himself in danger. Like I completely understand him. After I actually watched the scene it’s very clear to me it’s not about “ur dream vs me”, it’s because it’s hard for him to see Shiro do this to himself over and over again, this endless chasing after “being strong and capable”. like that wasn’t easy for Adam, it’s like watching the person you love destroy their life without being able to do anything about that.

So I’m not surprised he had enough. But like that’s the thing… 

Shiro WAS capable going on that mission. It’s like… I dunno on one hand Shiro always trying to prove how strong and capable he is hurting Shiro, but like Shiro’s faith in that he can do more and be more is also what brought him to where he is now despite of everything. Like…he survived. And cuz he fought for it.

And Keith was A HUGE PART OF THAT. Because when Shiro was weak he always picked him up and told him “That’s not you, you are strong and you’re gonna make it, And I will always be there waiting for you to get back (no matter how hard it might be for me)”

That’s what that episode was supposed to tell us I think.

And yeah, comparing Shiro’s significant other to Keith has no “platonic brotherly explanation”.

That is A THING

And what I think this was all about:

Tv tropes + sheith (9)

Star-Crossed Lovers

“Two lovers -often teenagers- doomed to be kept apart no matter how hard they struggle to be together. It may be Fate….or something as mundane as a few hundred miles separation, but something will always be in their way.”

First they were separated by the Kerberos Mission going wrong. For a whole year it was like this. (While Keith was alone he found those lion carvings that described some kind of arrival fated to happen that night…)

(With Keith not even expecting to find Shiro at the crash site.)

Then again in Across The Universe. Shiro and Keith fell onto that planet together, and at the last second their lions seemed to fling in opposite directions. (For some reason this one stands out to me for this trope. I mean, Hunk and Lance landed together, but why do these two always seem to be pulled apart?)

Shiro and Keith landed miles from each other. Then Keith ran to him and saved Shiro just in time, reuniting them once again.

Then in Blackout. After the fight against Zarkon Shiro doesn’t respond on the coms, his lion seems like it’s out of power. Keith is the first one there, running to Shiro…

But this time Shiro wasn’t there. Somehow disappearing. (In someway that hasn’t even been fully explained yet.) But then, because of the Black Lion sensing him (and Shiro being lucky enough to steal a ship), they finally find each other again.

Most of the things that keep them separated seems like really bad luck. It’s something that’s usually out of their control that keeps them apart. It happens again and again, and seems like it could keep happening.

(Note: Romeo and Juliet is a well known story with this trope. Very often Star-Crossed Lovers ends tragically with the Together in Death trope. I feel like it doesn’t always have to end that way though. (I’m just hoping for the best here.)  “Star-Crossed” meaning that the stars (destiny/fate) are against them. It certainly feels like something is always pulling these two apart.)

Keith's husband is just the prettiest dude ever damn!

In which Keith still thinks Shiro is unavailable and would rather keep his feelings to himself, while Shiro has finally realized everything plus his own feeling a little too late.

Like a star

ohhhh my god

With the knowledge that Adam gave Shiro an ultimatum—him or the mission, this scene gets a whole new meaning to me. A way more painful one. Because as you may remember, the real Shiro was watching this

Shiro, who was forced to pick between his partner or the mission, would never make someone else pick between him or their family. Shiro knew how painful that was.

Adam’s death doesn’t do what they say it was supposed to do. 

His scene with Shiro is too negative and too short for the viewer to care about him, it’s hard to recognize it is he who dies since he’s got a helmet on and it’s probably hard to remember what he looked like…

We only recognized him and got attached to him cuz we had a MONTH to discuss that one scene haha, but your regular viewer would be like “oh it was that.. guy, oh well *shrug*” so that goes for showing how harsh and sad the reality of war is.. by killing someone no one would really care about?

So ye.. their explanation for Adam’s death doesn’t makes sense. If you want ppl to care and hurt about a death, you gotta first make em get attached to that character in some way, (in show, not like telling ppl they were gonna get married at panels haha) which they didn’t do. 

Meaning Adam’s death probably played a different role. It was there for Shiro’s character growth to make him realize things about relationships. About how sometimes it can be too late, and about appreciating ppl who want to protect you and allowing them to do so.

This also connects for me to the talk Shiro has with Keith in the desert. 

I feel like “successfully jumping off the cliff” is kinda a metaphor for a good relationship.. 

Like look

“It’s all about timing, you pull up to soon and you won’t have the momentum in it to create lift" 

Adam and Shiro’s relationship didn’t work because they jumped into it before Shiro was ready for that kind of commitment.

“too late, and there won’t be enough lift to avoid the crash”

Adam’s death was Shiro’s “too late”, kinda like sometimes if you wait too long you might miss your chance at it.

AND THEN we have Keith asking 

“You think I’m ready to try that?" 

and Shiro asks him "what do you think?” 

and Keith replies 

“That I should be patient and keep focusing on the basics first” 

‘basics’ being friendship and building a strong solid bond before jumping into romance.

And like it all fits so well in the end when you think about it like that.

Not to mention Keith literally has to cross a cliff to get to Shiro in the episode that talk was originally was supposed to be in.

gladiolus: strength of character, honor, conviction

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