Keith

Age: 24
Canon: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Canon Point: Season 6 - Episode 7 Defender of all universes
Birthday: October 23
Details: Application
Time in game: 2 years
Permissions: Over here
Race: Half human, half alien (Galra) hybrid

Power:
Paladin of Voltron:
All Paladins of the robotic Voltron Lions share a psychic link with their lion. A lion communicates and feeds ideas to the pilot, improving their ability to operate them. As the pilot grows more proficient and has a deeper bond, there are a number of benefits. It is possible for a Voltron Paladin to see through the eyes of their lion with enough practice. But they have to shut their own eyes to do it.
Lions will guide a pilot to use a U shaped weapon called the Bayard that serves as a key within the lion to open greater powers. As of his canon point, Shiro lacks the bayard to do such a thing. But his bond with the Black Lion is strong enough they can connect over vast distances and come to each other’s aid.
Alien Tech: Keith's knife is made of Luxite and capable of cutting through most substances. It transforms at his will into a long slightly curved blade sword edged in purple. His own dna is a key to accessing Galra technology so anything Galra tech on his person can only be used by him.
Galra Blood: As a hybrid of human and Galra, Keith has some benefits of his heritage. When stressed out his eyes gain a yellow tint, his pupils slit, his ears gain a dulled point, and he has sharp teeth and somewhat claws on his fingers. There is an increase in speed and strength but not enough to push him into the weight class of other Galra fighters. Due to events in game, Keith is stuck in Galra mode unless he wills himself to change back.

Personality Warnings: self-destructive behavior and spoilers for all 4 seasons.
We all at one point or another struggle to know who we are. For Keith, that’s a fight he’s been in since the beginning. He’s the quiet guy in social situations that stays in the back and observes. He doesn’t connect well with others and what words he says are important. Keith has always been one to set his sights on what needs to be done and does it. His temper gets in his way and causes him to lose sight of anything but his goal. But when it counts he’s there for the people he trusts and he can set aside all of his problems to rise up and guide the way.

His self-imposed walls are one of the many obstacles in his path to having bonds with other people. Keith’s temper makes it difficult to deal with him. He explodes when he’s frustrated and has a habit of fixating on a goal. In these moments he loses his focus and puts himself and the entire team at risk. To make matters worse he doesn’t share what is on his mind unless it becomes a dire problem. Even Shiro isn’t aware of internal war going on inside Keith’s head. Caught between the two sides of his heritage, Keith’s struggle to know who he is is threatening to destroy him. Only a timely shot by Lotor kept him from a successful suicide charge.

‘Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I won’t give up on him.’ Keith, Season 3, episode 1 - Changing of the Guard

The first person to look past all of the troubling aspects of Keith was Shiro. He gave him chances that no one else would and supported him, allowing him to reach new heights of potential. Through Shiro, he started to learn how to reign himself in and reach out to others. In turn he supports him and shoulders some of his burdens. He would charge straight into hell for Shiro and never stop looking until he found him. It’s Shiro that poses the idea of Keith being his successor.

“’Why would you make me the leader?’

‘Because I know what you’re capable of if you can learn some self-discipline.’

‘Why are we even talking about this. Nothing is gonna happen to you.’” - Keith and Shiro. Season 2, episode 8 - The Blade of Marmora.

Keith didn’t want to be the leader. He’s content to be the middle man. Yet, when it counts he is capable of taking command. From the first time we see him, Keith enters the midst of his future team and helps them escape with their prize, their future leader, Shiro. Whenever Shiro has been out of commission Keith takes charge. From the very first episode to the end of season two, where he calls for everyone to shield the black lion from Zarkon. In the time he served as the Black Paladin, Keith began to want to do right by the team. But he needed self-discipline. Knowing no other source and desperate to know who he is, Keith turned to his mother’s people, The Blade of Marmora.

The Blades training has smoothed some of Keith’s rougher edges. He has learned to partly reign in his temper and obey authority figures within reason. But fully embracing the alien side of his heritage has also aggravated the conflict inside him. As a Blade operative, he is willing and has tried to sacrifice himself for the sake of the greater good. Until someone confronts him about it, he will continue to have reckless regard for his own life. He isn’t vital personnel and that makes him expendable.

Keith isn’t all seriousness and fighting. He does have a lighter side to him more often seen around Shiro and the rest of Team Voltron. Times, when Lance lands himself in hot water Keith, is there to tease him about it. He cracks jokes and laughs at visual jokes like anyone else. And when the rest of the team need reassurance Keith has been there to quietly boost morale. From telling Lance to focus on his missions to thanking Hunk for his quick thinking, he is capable of trusting and supporting those around him. But only if he lets them in.

In closing, he has made great strides towards his future role as the next Black Paladin. Keith still has a temper that flares up, but he has learned to cool it down into a powerful wind that will back those around him. Sometimes. Yet he still has so far to go as his struggle to know just who he is reaches a new level. Whether he has people to back him he will always leap into action when he’s needed. At the end of the day, even if he’s left the center stage he still is a capable man that gets things done.
Canon Update:
“Shiro’s gone. Who’s going to pilot the Black Lion?”

“I will.” - Keith to Pidge Season 6 - Episode 4

There is a world of difference between Keith at the end of season 4 and the end of season 6. In Life aftr, he learned the responsibility for another life that gave him unconditional love in return. This is a lesson he learns in canon at the same time he lives with his mother. For so long he didn’t even have a scent to remember. He constantly questioned why she left. Now, Keith knows she loves him and left to protect him and his father. He struggled as a Blade with the concept that the mission had to be first. Now like his mother follows his heart, choosing to put the people he cares about first.

He lived with Krolia in the Quantum Abyss for two years. Getting to know her and process everything he’s ever dealt with laid to rest the void inside him. Through his mother, he was able to train himself for the events he glimpsed ahead of him. Without a war between what is Galra and what is human, he could finally be a leader the team needs. And he fully embraces it. From the moment, he returns he’s calm and in control and immediately taking over directing the team when the clone attacks.

It doesn’t cure his lone wolf attitude. He will always be a little distant from others. He has patience and tolerance that extends beyond his former levels. He only snaps at Lance when Lance tries to start a fight he doesn’t feel they have time for. He can prioritize. When the team needs him he doubles back for them instead of focusing directly on Shiro. But he’s still young and has a lot of growing to do. He will have outbursts and still has trouble talking to people. But he has the ability to accept his mistakes, apologize, and still try to help others.

What used to damage him, talk of his parents or his own worth…the clone can’t reach him because Keith no longer has doubts he is loved. That steadiness lets him remain calm enough to guide and direct the team in times of adversity. His critical thinking got an upgrade and now he can think of the whole picture without fixating on any one thing.

Keith has come a long way from the boy that everyone had to tell to pull back. He can stand strong on his own and be the wind surrounding a team. With him, at the helm of the team, they will make it through their war.

Marmora Knife, Black Bayard, tide sickle, glass-like knife, sunblade, lamp staff, pack with his name on it, Paladin Armor, Marmora Armor, first aid kit, speaking stone, battered journal