Reflection and Analysis

VLD Lance is a Narcisst (3/19/2020)

I am honestly fed up with fandom thinking Lance suffers from low-self esteem when in reality he's a narcissist. Yes, it is true that Lance hit a low point in "Escape from Beta Traz", but that people is the only time we ever see Lance have a low point outside of when he's complaining about how he's not good enough for Allura because she's taken an interest in Lotor. To quote the article "Narcissism vs. Self-Esteem: How Are They Different?"....

"Narcissists crave admiration from others. When they don't get the admiration they crave, their self-esteem falls momentarily. In that moment, they may feel ashamed, and direct these feelings outward by lashing out against others."

So, please, stop saying Lance has "insecurity issues" simply because we see his self-esteem fall momentarily. Actually, DotU lance also has narcistic tendencies, so lets look at the four criteria given by TV Tropes.

Criteria One – "The character's personality is overtly permeated by their own grandiosity." How does that not describe Lance from VLD? There are times DotU lance shows little to no humility with his own abilities, yet unlike Lance he's willing to at times admit Keith's abilities. Lance from VLD resents people drawing attention away from him, Lance from DotU – it depends majorly on the who. Lance from VLD never goes through an "extinction burst", Lance from DotU doesn't need to for reasons I'll get into in a bit.

However, does this not describe VLD Lance?

"The more arrogant and prideful examples are likely to unleash a gigantic torrent of verbal abuse, while the more depressive ones will instead launch into a massive pity party about how much worse the target has made their life, and escalations into physical attacks, scorched-earth revenge campaigns, or attention-seeking suicide attempts are not at all uncommon."

Criteria Two – Does the character "consistently prioritize their own desires at other's expense?" With VLD Lance, yes, not so with DotU Lance. Of course, people will point to how Lance saved Allura forgetting the fact he wants to get with her, or the fact he plays the hero because of the attention it gets him. He does have a few selfless moments which indicate he can possibly grow out of his narcissistic tendencies but this does not negate the fact he has narcissistic tendencies.

Lance from DotU is interesting in that his narcistic tendencies are not just about himself, but the group he's a part of. In other words he's the only one allowed to talk smack about Keith, but this is also definitely friendly teasing, a very stark contrast between Keith and Lance from VLD, not to mention the fact the issues between Keith and Lance never got resolved.

Criteria Three – Okay, I'm going to quote certain parts of this one.

"The character is extremely self-conscious of how they're perceived by others. Despite having little regard for those around them, their peace of mind hinges on receiving recognition of their self-importance from others." That my friends, is what that scene in Beta Traz is – it's about Lance's piece of mind hinging on "receiving recognition of their self-importance from others." Seriously, "the fact these characters' egos are so inherently bloated that they perceive anything less than near-constant praise and adulation as a grievous injustice."

One of the major differences between the two versions of the characters is that – as this criteria points out, Lance from VLD rarely if ever takes ownership for his mistakes, yet Lance from DotU has moral guidelines that certain actions go against the image he wants to project of himself.

Criteria Four – "The character has an insatiable appetite for acclaim and power." A few people may be thinking, but Lance isn't successful at that. That would be because, "their success and overall functionality is contingent of how good they are at selling themselves to people and keeping them hooked." Lance from VLD fails at this, but Lance from DotU – he's turned this into a major asset for the team.

Oh, and here's the last line. "low-functioning examples are generally friendless, unsuccessful losers whose lives are marked by ceaseless drama, a revolving door of people, and a persistent "weight of the world"/"eternal sufferer" attitude born from continual perceived victimhood." How does that not describe VLD Lance? Yeah, DotU Lance can be snarky and vain, but nowhere near the degree of VLD Lance who was supposed to grow into a character like DotU Lance, yet never got there.