#galra history & culture

[lilflowerpot]

Considering how hard it is for the galra to have children, what would they consider a legitimate heir? Would the child have to have some of the ruling monarch’s blood, would they have to come from wedlock or could they be from a concubine. Also, would an adopted child be considered a legitimate heir???

I actually covered the bulk of this question when addressing eligibility for the Imperial throne so do give that a gander if you want the detailed answer, but I'll rehash the broad strokes for you as concisely as I can.

To begin with, yes, galra fertility is limited—due to a combination of their species being monestrous, meaning conception is only possible during a limited fertile season, and several complex genetic factors that leave foetal mortality rates at an approximate ratio of 1:3—but when it comes to inheriting the Imperial throne, it's actually not a strict matter of blood.

“In preparation for a change in imperial leadership, we require a viable candidate for the Kral Zera: someone with the right claim—it doesn’t have to be of blood, though that would help—without being too polarising. - Kolivan, Little Blade, chapter 19

Importantly, the Empire isn't a linear monarchy—its Emperors / Empresses are instead decided (as in canon) through rite of combat at the Kral Zera, and eligibility for this, in turn, is dictated by either blood or reputation—so the concept of a "legitimate heir" is a little more fluid than one might think, because the Imperial throne itself is not an inherited right.

Let us first address the topic of blood.

Firstly, there is no being born in or out of wedlock for the galra, because there is no wedlock to begin with—the galra don't really have any concept of marriage at all! The idea of an "illegitimate" child is, therefore, an utterly foreign thing... as is, for that matter, the idea of a concubine, as this comes hand in hand with there being the position of a "legal spouse" on the table. In the Empire, any and all committed romantic partners of the Monarch would be bequeathed the title of Imperial Consort, and none of their children would be considered any more/less legitimate than the others (not for order of birth, or gender, or race, or anything).

Now, to use Lotor as an example, he is obviously Zarkon's biological son, and as such is considered the Empire's "heir presumptive". By humans, this term is used in reference to an heir whose claim may be set aside by the birth of another (more suitable) heir—as in the case of Queen Victoria, who was set only to inherit the English throne from her uncle providing he produced no children of his own—but for the galra it's more an indication that Lotor, as a direct descendant of an Imperial Emperor, automatically qualifies to stand at the Kral Zera, and had he any biological siblings they too would be considered as such (neither above nor below him in status); this is due to the prevalent galra belief that the heart is the cradle of the soul, thus conflating one’s blood with the very essence of their spiritual being, and meaning that to be a blood-descendant of a former monarch would be to possess a little of their quintessence within you.

Regarding the legitimacy of adopted children, neither legally nor socially would they be considered "lesser" members of the Imperial family, however for the galra the concepts of family and blood are two entirely separate issues. A child adopted into the Imperial family would share in all the perks that their blood-born siblings might enjoy, including being invited to serve on the monarch's inner council once of age as representatives of the State, and (thanks to a healthy dose of ✨nepotism✨) would be placed on an accelerated path to success in whatever field their strengths most lay; if the monarch were to be temporarily incapacitated, the adopted children along with their siblings and any/all Imperial consorts would divide the burden of the Empire between them until the monarch was able to take up the mantle once more. Upon the monarch's death, however, an adopted child would not—unlike their blood-born siblings—be automatically eligible to stand at the Kral Zera, as in not sharing the monarch's blood they cannot be considered to share in their quintessence either, therefore their eligibility would instead hinge upon their involvement in higher government and garnered political backing from other prevalent figures (see below).

This brings us neatly to the latter method of eligibility, reputation, for which the candidate in question would be required to:

Earn themself a high enough military rank that their achievements speak to their worth, along with acquiring formal pledges of support from other notable galra who are themselves eligible to stand at the Kral Zera, thus assuring that rather than challenge the individual's claim they will instead will advocate on their behalf to the Archivist.

Be a recognised High Priest(ess) of the Druidic Church, as the druids are known as Sa Naacht—Voidsworn descendants of those who provided themselves to the denizens of Sa as vessels on the mortal plane, long ago—and therefore Sa's approval is innate to their very existence as beings capable of manipulating quintessence.

Be born a member of the aristocracy—though it is practically unheard of that anyone stands at the Kral Zera on this alone, as they can rarely obtain substantial backing from others for merely their familial name and wealth.

But once again, all of this is only to stand at the Kral Zera. Winning can only be done through one's own blood, sweat, and tears, and as with many of the Empire's most sacred traditions, it is built upon the creed of victory, or death.

#a //whole// lotta ground covered in this one #short answer: the 'legitimate heir' is whoever triumphs at the next kral zera #bc while the Empire //is// a monarchy it's not founded on the principle of a singular bloodline's GoD gIvEn RiGhT #Ao3 Little Blade #sa screams back #galra history & culture

[voltronisanobsession]

Heyyy can you please do Keith Kogane x a reader who is a space princess?? I love your work btw!!

Keith Falls for a Space Princess Headcanons

Thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoy my writing!!! I hope you don’t mind that I did headcanons💔 I found this so cute bro I CANT 😭

Also I got another request similar to this one so I’ll debate if I’ll write a different scenario or not!!

Keith’s first impression of you wasn’t anything too extraordinary

Lowkey believed that you would just be another person they rescued from the Galra💀

But once finding out that you were a space princess like Allura, coming from a long line of ancient alchemists and sorcerers, it really peaks his interests

Depending on if you meet before he finds out he’s part Galra or after, that’ll start off the relationship

If we’re talking before, it would be a relatively chill introduction

Being a space princess often gathers you a lot of recognition but Keith captures your attention because of his lack of interest

While you’re used to many treating you with high respect, Keith just treats you normally, with the same tough attitude he has with everyone!

He basically treats you like a normal person, something you haven't felt in a loonnngg time💔

But if it's after he finds out he's part Galra and reveals it, then things would be REALLY tense, on your end at least...

The Galra have made you and countless others suffer for centuries, so knowing one of the paladins of Voltron, who are working to rid of the Galra Empire, is galran himself 😶

Yeah you're especially tense around Keith, untrusting toward him which bothers him for some reason

BUT MOVING ON

Of course, your own curiosity toward the boy ultimately leads you to spending more time with him

At first, he might find your lingering presence somewhat annoying since he isn't used to someone giving him all this extra attention

Always asking him questions during his training, sticking with him when out on missions

At one point, Keith gets used to your presence, a sense of normalcy falling between the two of you quickly as the weeks pass quickly

He opens himself up to you slowly, giving pieces of himself and his life to you while you do the same :D

He'll give you slivers of what his life was like on Earth while you share your own stories of life on your planet

He learns more about your culture, your duties as a princess, and even the history of your ancestors (something which you take pride in)

Because of the amount of time spent together, you guys grow close with every new mission and planet Voltron visits

And with this, this means that Keith begins to grow kinda protective of you?

LIKE LISTEN

He starts caring for you as time passes and he doesn't know exactly when things have been changing between the two of you??

He doesn't know when he began staring at you more often, he doesn't know when he began anticipating your arrival every morning, and he ESPECIALLY doesn't know when his heart began fluttering at the mere sight of you

Maybe it was the elegance that seemed to permanently stick to you after years of being in a royal court

Or maybe it was your constant nagging whenever he was around, sneaking past the walls he built around his heart

Or perhaps it was the caring hand you placed on his shoulder whenever his emotions got the best of him

He would totally go to Coran about possibly courting you because why not LMAO

Coran knows how princesses are supposed to be courted (hopefully), Keith just wants to impress you the best he can and fully believes only Coran holds the secret

So you’re just witnessing him falling over his own feet trying to approach you with uptight mannerisms while Coran watches his every move from afar

“For you my, uh, lady?” *holds out flower*

Cue Coran whispering loudly, “Good, good!”

Despite how endearing it is to see Keith try and keep up with the traditional courting, you have to reassure him that you don’t mind that he isn’t apart some royal family (he’s lowkey insecure that you might prefer someone with a similar background as you)💔💔

You like him for him, not caring for his status at all

With that, you both have a good flowing relationship, his intense personality softening with your own pleasant personality

He learns to control his emotions because of you while you learn to show more of your own because of him!!

You also show him the sort of sorcery you’re able to do, having learned from a young age to harness the power that resided into, which he finds SUPER cool and kinda confusing

He’s trying his best to understand😔

He still sometimes feels like he isn’t enough for you though so please PLEASE make sure to tell him other wise😭🙏🙏🙏

He holds you in a high regard because of your status as a princess, he makes sure to tell anyone he comes across that so they treat with respect😭😭

You’re lowkey embarrassed when he begins bragging about your heritage like bro stop😭

Yeah despite this, he still manages to not associate you with only being a space princess, but an honorary member of Voltron

He’s super soft for you I can’t😭😭

#voltron x reader #voltron legendary defender #vld x reader #keith x reader #keith kogane x reader #voltron #x reader #vld #vld keith #keith vld #voltron headcanons #keith kogane #voltron keith #headcanons #vld headcanons #voltron legendary defender x reader

[fire-of-the-sun]

Speculation on Lotor's Armor

It's time for more unnecessary speculation about Lotor because I miss him. Last time we addressed Lotor's appearance, we talked about what was up with his incredible hair (here), now I'd like to discuss his iconic armor, the potential history behind it and how it services his character.

Even just at first glance in his introductory scene, Lotor clearly stands apart from his fellow Galra and not just due to his features. Even before we see his face, his unique stature and attire speaks volumes about the character we're about to meet as the colors and overall style bears no resemblance to anything we see a typical Galra wear - nor anyone else for that matter - singling Lotor out as a unique and unpredictable individual. So, why does he choose to dress so differently?

One interesting and inescapable truth about Lotor's armor is that it perfectly matches the color scheme of his cat, Kova, to such a specific degree that it can be no accident, so it only makes sense that Lotor himself decided to create or commission a suit to match. But why? Well, given the childhood that Lotor had to endure, it's not hard to imagine the inspiration was simply due to his allegiance to the fellow quintessence-touched creature. A way to honor it as the only true friend and companion he's ever had and the only thing that's ever truly been his or, at least, the one thing he chose for himself. Kova no doubt played a huge role in his lonely life and was probably the only decent thing in it as, for someone who had no real or meaningful connections, this relationship would naturally become incredibly important to him - important enough to showcase visually. In this way, perhaps the decision isn't just a matter of honoring a friend, but also perpetuating his own individuality as defined by his relationship with his cat as something that belongs solely to him.

However, if we dig deeper into this, things get more interesting.

When I was originally writing this meta, I was looking for clues in Lotor's main design that could legitimize the idea that he would have tailored it to honor his Altean side (as he clearly isn't dressed like a Galra), as I think that would make a lot of sense for his character. Unfortunately, there's nothing incredibly obvious in his clothing that matches the aesthetic of the Alteans we see in the show as the style and color palette just don't align. This makes sense, I suppose, given that Lotor would never know exactly how they dressed even if he wanted to emulate them. And then I thought harder about Kova...

Given that he was originally Honerva's pet and she's Altean and therefore is from there as well, one could argue that designing his appearance after Kova was, intentionally or not, reflective of Altean culture to some degree. And if Lotor devised that Kova was originally Honerva's, his signature look could also be a way to remember his mother as well as her culture, both of which he deeply admires and are intrinsically part of himself. At this time, he believes all Alteans to be extinct, making him (and Kova) the sole keepers of their legacy and he chooses to wear that proudly. Ultimately, Kova isn't just his best friend, he's also a connection to his mother and Altea and all the things he holds dear and thus becomes his own personal mascot of sorts.

This decision is also deliciously ironic given that his chosen appearance is simultaneously an unintentional extension of Haggar as well, whom he despises but cannot fully escape. Just as Honerva and Haggar are two halves of the same person and Kova, therefore, belonged to both, the style Lotor chooses is also inextricably a reflection of Haggar just as much as it is Honerva and what they represent to him: corruption as well as purity - which is an interesting contrast in regard to Lotor's character.

Speaking of contrast, it's worth noting that there is, of course, a distinct and purposefully clashing styles between the Galra and Alteans. The former made up of sharp edges and intimidating reds and blacks while the latter is defined by soft shades of blue, gold and pure white. Both designs are successful in respectively encapsulating a race who's known only war and another that promotes peace. With a parent from each, Lotor naturally stands somewhere in between these opposing views both in his internal struggles as well as an outward appearance that doesn't conform perfectly to either. Lotor's style, therefore, is an interesting amalgamation of his roots, an echo of their inherent conflict, and a bold statement to all who see him who he is and where he stands.

So, we have an idea of the inspiration behind the armor, but when did he implement it?

We see in some flashbacks that young Lotor did wear Galran styled clothing. Though he cannot change the reality of his mixed blood, he can try to speak, act and dress as a Galra - all actions that a young prince would be expected to uphold but also probably pushed himself to practice and perfect in order to assimilate himself better into their society and appeal to his father. However, there's a huge unexplored time gap between what we see of Lotor's childhood and him as an adult who has already adopted his very divergent final look with no real explanation. That's why I mainly want to address the flashback in 8x02, as it's the youngest adult version we see of Lotor and marks an influential event that I feel could have had a grander effect with a few tweaks to his design.

At the beginning of the flashback, we see Lotor and Kova together - the proximity affording the audience a strategic reminder of their unmistakably similar color schemes and of their bond. Now, perhaps his appearance remains unchanged here simply to make it easier for the artists and animators so they could avoid designing a new look for him for only one scene, but I personally find it a wasted opportunity to benefit the story further by showing Lotor at a very different point in his life and a different appearance would certainly help reflect that.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen him in more traditional Galran clothing here and maybe even sporting slightly shorter hair - even if only for the selfish desire to see Lotor look somewhat different at some point during the course of the entire show. The hair would help to indicate that he's a little younger here (though we don't actually know how long ago it was) and the traditional armor would supplement the story visually by showing him still bearing some ties to his Galran heritage at this point as he continues to try to prove himself to his father that he is an effective and worthy son. He does want to change things though and help his father see there are other, more merciful ways of reaching their goals and by appearing as a Galra in the best way he can, he could perhaps make his sentiments more palatable.

Of course, things go horribly wrong and this flashback details one of the biggest shifts in Lotor's life. In the span of one scene, he transforms from dutiful Galran prince trying to please his father to exile who has severed all ties to the Galra, all hopes of appealing to Zarkon and is now determined to bring him down. Until this point, Lotor has struggled and failed to be the prince his father and the rest of his people would approve of and changing his entire appearance after his exile would really punctuate his literal and symbolic divergence from the Galra by creating a look and identity all his own with no aesthetic connection to them. Lotor, at last, is taking control over his own life and no longer living in his abuser's shadow. Naturally, the change is openly rebellious - an unmistakable rejection of a culture that rejected him and a slap in the face to all who see him. He's charted his own course and pledged allegiance fully to himself and what he believes in. Lotor's generals are also tasked to wear the same style clothing as him - a clear sign to all who see them to whom they serve.

Of course, there could be other explanations that accommodate the writers need for him to maintain this look:

Perhaps Lotor just changed his look as an angsty teen who wanted to rebel perhaps. My issue with this idea though is that I don't think Zarkon would have approved of him dressing as anything less than a Galran prince is expected to and, as we see of Lotor even as an adult in the flashback, he's still trying to present himself the best he can to his father, and I don't think he'd take the risk of angering him just to feel more independent as Zarkon will use any excuse to punish him. I like to think that Lotor's outburst against his tactics in this flashback is the first real time he's ever rebelled against his father, hence the surprise and severe punishment. Lotor would never want to willingly incur his wrath unless over such an important thing as the lives of others - another reason why I think changing into his final look after his exile is the best narrative choice. Only after being formally expelled from the empire, I imagine, Zarkon would no longer care about seeing Lotor maintain a Galran appearance and would no longer protest to seeing him dressed differently.

Or, maybe he only recently adopted the new look while staying on Ven'tar's planet with Kova for a year. Perhaps, in his first real venture outside of Zarkon's shadow and Galran culture, he became more independent, more self-assured and wanted to adjust his attire to reflect that growth. To make something of himself on his own and define himself as an individual who is open to clothing untethered to just one culture. Maybe this decision was also partially bolstered by his inclination to make the people he's leading feel more comfortable around him as well by presenting himself as different than the other Galra they know and fear. Of course, during his conversation with Zarkon, we also learn that Lotor now knows about his Altean roots and that potentially recent discovery could also have played a role in his desire to alter his appearance (using Kova as his muse) as his time away gave room for him to begin to distance himself from the Galra and begin his exploration into his Altean heritage. Again, though, I don't think Zarkon would naturally approve of seeing him in foreign attire (especially inspired by Altea). He doesn't care about Lotor but he does care about maintaining his image as a Galra prince and projecting the strength and authority that title brings over others as demonstrated in this scene.

Ultimately, regardless of the exact origins, this visual separation from the Galra serves to aid Lotor in his quest to transform the universe by presenting himself as someone who stands apart from the rest of his race and their ruthless ways. He's independent with a unique appearance to match his unique manner of leadership and ideas for the future. Presenting a wholly personal choice of style that acts as a natural extension of himself and a love for his Altean heritage as inspired from the only friend he ever really had.

So, there you have it! That's my unnecessarily long take on why Lotor dresses to match his cat.

#vld #voltron #lotor #prince lotor #kova #zarkon #honerva #haggar #v:ld #voltron: legendary defender #lotor meta #vld meta #voltron meta #vld lotor #lotor vld

[discordiansamba]

good afternoon, thinking about Haggar slowly breaking down Keith and Shiro.

She keeps them both separate on purpose. She lets them see each other- she can't completely keep them away from each other, or they'll become suspicious that she's not following through on her promises. They need to be able to confirm that the other is alive and well, or her plans won't work.

She starts simple with them both. They must show the proper respect to those around them. Learn to salute, learn the importance of phrases such as vrepit sa. They don't have to wear prison rags anymore- Keith is given the attire of a druid acolyte, and Shiro is given clothing that a Galra civilian would wear. They are both taught Galran, and are instructed to use it over their native language- or there will be consequences to face for the the other. They are both given instruction on Galra culture and history. They cannot say no.

Haggar also lies. She's still sending Shiro to the arena.

Not often. Just enough. She always makes sure he's healed before she allows him to meet Keith. And Shiro doesn't say anything, because he doesn't want his brother to worry. He has to keep winning for Keith. Haggar promised that she would ensure he's treated well as long as he keeps winning.

She actually uses very little magic. Magic can be undone. She desires something more... permanent. All she needs to do is goad on their progress here and there.

They stop being prisoners at some point. There are no longer any guards watching them. They can move about freely on Central Command. They slowly forget they were ever prisoners. Shiro fights in the arena by choice. Keith is studying druid magic by choice. When they are allowed to see each other, it doesn't cross their minds to switch from Galran to English.

Shiro talks openly about the training he is undergoing at the arena, regaling Keith with stories of his recent victories. How if he keeps winning, he'll be rewarded with a spot in Zarkon's army. Keith talks to Shiro about his studies and the progress he's making- about how Haggar thinks he'll be able to become a full druid soon. Shiro tells him how proud he is of him. How he knew he always had potential.

They are no longer kept apart. They share quarters together now on Central Command. Keith watches his brother fight in the arena, cheers him on alongside the rest of the Galra. Shiro drags Keith to bed when he's otherwise too engrossed with his studies to sleep. This is their normal daily life now.

They hold a joint celebration when Karrion becomes a full druid and Shiron is promoted to Commander, given a stronger Galra body to go with his new rank. Shiron tries to cook. Karrion does not let him. His memories of his past might be hazier now that he has taken the druid mantle, but he knows his brother well enough to know he can't cook for shit.

A week from now, they will move onto Shiron's new command ship. It will be sad to say goodbye to their home on Central Command- but serving the Galra Empire is a great honor. They won't fail the trust that Emperor Zarkon has placed in them.

#commander and druid au #just the thought of them having totally domestic sibling moments in the middle of their brainwashing is *chef's kiss* #they're getting so fucked up and they stopped realizing it at some point

[aro-paladin-pidge]

Some vague guidelines for the lore changes I’ve made to my No/Yes Blue AUs (yeah I’m calling them that, I can’t find better names ok)

Voltron is definitely older than it is in canon. I really hated that there were only two generations of paladins and Voltron still had this giant legend as the ‘defenders of the universe’. So Alfor didn’t create the Lions, some super-ancient alien species did or smth

Speaking of the Lions, I really want to redesign them-they’re supposed to be the guardian spirits of the elements and beings of pure quintessence, right? (I’m only like 70% sure about that last one, but I think it’s canon) But they just look like robot lions?? No cool glowy quintessence or elements or anything. I think the red Lion should have like a mane of fire or something.

Also I feel like the Black Paladin shouldn’t always be the leader. Each of the paladins could have been (and we actually saw this for Allura, Keith, and Hunk) good leaders, depending on the circumstances. This also allows for Keith to become a leader and Shiro to take a different position as a commander, without the stupid Lion-swap plotline. I’m sorry, but I hated it. So, depending on who was acting as Voltron’s leader/battlefield commander, any of the Lions/paladins could’ve been the head.

Lot less aliens. I hate hate HATE how there’s a few billion different species and they all look the exact same and there’s no exploration of any of their cultures in the slightest. They go to a new planet every episode, meet a new species that looks like humans but slightly to the left, they join the coalition, and then they’re never mentioned again. I want there to be a couple of species, like the Galra, Olkari, and the Balmerans spread out on various planets across the universe, so we actually have room to explore their cultures and histories.

This one’s not really a problem with VLD but I like it so I’m putting it here: The Altean Colony arc we get in canon is scrapped. Instead, there’s a small colony of surviving Alteans on Arus who’ve protected the Castle for millennia, since it doesn’t seem like the Castle can be opened without a Lion. We get Romelle earlier, and Allura and Coran don’t think they’re the last Alteans.

#Voltron #au #No Blue AU #Yes Blue AU #worldbuilding #paladins #Allura #Romelle #Hunk #Keith #Shiro #Coran #voltron rewrite #that last one is pure self-indulgence but I don’t want Allura and Coran to be sad ok #they deserve better #Galra #Olkari #Balmerans #don’t worry Slav’s species is still there #I just don’t think the Slav/Shiro rivalry would be anywhere near as funny without Slav being a weird little multi-limbed platypus

[cartoon-watch]

VLD remake but the lions each need a 5 person team to operate

- Lance is still Blue’s Pilot, the sharpshooter during ground missions, and he’s the heart of voltron that bridges the gap between everyone

- Pidge and Hunk are the engineers that keep her operational and make upgrades

- Keith is the cool ninja spy that sneaks onto ships to steal information and plant Pidge’s hacking point (the rivalry is still a thing and lance is smug that he’s the pilot and not the Garrison prodigy; eventually Lance thinks Blue made a mistake and confines in Keith; Keith pep talk and they eventually bond to the point Blue let’s Keith pilot her once during an emergency when Lance gets critically injured during a mission )

- Shiro is the mentor that helps guide their teamwork and works with Allura as Blue’s rep at the Castle control room during missions

- they all still get their bayards and weapons but in terms of forming voltron they give blue variations on the weapons Lance unlocks; they’re just the blue team so they get armor in different shades of blue while lance’s is the strongest color as the pilot

- the other lions get pilots from other civilizations (Like Olkari get Green, Balmaerans get Yellow and Shay gets more time with Hunk )

- the drama of black choosing either the Blades of Mamora or Lotor and his squad (everyone’s forced to face their own prejudices and actually work to through the idea that there are Galras who want to stop Zarkon)

- voltron only forms at critical moments bc it’s a huge drain on the Lions battery and ability to move afterwards

-Lotor has been studying Altea’s history and culture to stop history from repeating and has been keeping the secret colony safe so no one is being sacrificed for quintessence (Alluras family line has continued via some cousin that was off planet when it got destroyed; Corans has continued as well but each generation has named at least one son Coran so it becomes a running joke after they meet)

- the drama and hijinks that ensue from having a castle full of ppl try to save the universe

#we deserve better #anyone can use this #thank you to all the artists and writer keeping us afloat #voltron #vld #klance #vld fix it

[blood-starved-beast]

what are your headcanons on Acxa's sexuality/gender? In my opinion Acxa is a bisexual QUEEN

Ok so...

If you read "First Sunrise" I have this obscure headcanon that Acxa's non-galran species has this tendency to shed their skin - horns included - every year* as part of a regrowth process. Basically a headcanon to justify her different horns in act 1-2 vs Act 3, where before she had two sets of smaller horns and the latter she has one set more grown out. An additional headcanon within that larger one is that the circular nature also applies to her gender/sex.

So basically, her non-galran species has the ability to switch between biological sexes (and a sterile non-breeding form)** depending on many factors. Environment, climate, sexual partners, etc. When she goes through the aforementioned shedding process this switch might also occur in tandem. This is a normal thing in her non-galra species but of course seen as an affront to Galra cultural standards, so General Acxa identified as female exclusively, even if by galra standards she'd be considered trans, and by human standards bigender/genderfluid if going by biological presentation.

Going in with how much her act 1-2 denies herself the ability to change, that people are what they are and unchanging, I can see her being very closeted about the whole thing, and getting defensive if someone (say Coran) points out that aspect of her heritage. She cools somewhat about it after the Grudge but it's still a mindset she internalized and struggles to shake years later.

Sexuality wise I feel like Acxa, like most aliens wouldn't subscribe to human categorizations of sexuality*** and because of her biology it wouldn't scale right anyways. Veronica and other humans would say she's bisexual when in one individual morph, and pansexual overall though.

*doesn't scale to human years.

** I read the Left Hand of Darkness this year and was shocked how similar this headcanon of mine was to Gethenian biology conceptualized by Ursula K. LeGuin. I hadn't even read the book when I came up with it yet.

***For anyone reading this I suggest reading the history about LGBT sexuality and identity over time. The labels people use today have evolved and are actually very new. Societies not existing within this historical context would not use the same standards to judge sexuality, if at all.

#d asks #Anonymous #Acxa #vld #my headcanons #basically Acxa is cis and trans and genderqueer all wrapped into one

[vrepit-sa]

14, 16, 26, 41

42 development questions

14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed?

I'll start with his motivations at the start of his career in the Empire. He cared for his people, their culture and upholding tradition. He felt serving the King of Daibazaal was his calling. While Sendak has always been ambitious and power hungry as I've said before, he never really had the urge to move beyond the right-hand status. Serving Zarkon was a great honor long before it was an obligation.

The galra of Daibazaal are a far cry from what the Galra Empire is today. They were always a warrior race, but a far more honorable one in the past. Glory and honor (like, the moral kind) and even things such as equity were important values to them. They also valued diversity; Daibazaal was a gigantic planet, and had a huge variety of galra life on it. So used to their neighbors looking dissimilar to themselves (color aside), they embraced differences. Zarkon's reign also predicated an era of diversity in the beginning, ironically.

So. Obviously now, Sendak does not hold the same values he did once as a galra belonging to arguably the most diverse leader in galran history. This love and devotion to his people is more accurate now to be called a devotion to the Empire. And that doesn't necessarily mean the people in it anymore; rather what the Empire itself represents now. Power, control, stability.

He's driven by a much simpler might makes right philosophy. He's determined to keep the Galra Empire in their position of authority over the universe; it's what he devotes his life to more than anything else. He's endlessly committed to it. The Empire is his loyalty, his passion, commitment, code, calling — all of that. He would sooner die than give that up.

As for how it's expressed? I mean, you've seen him in the show. He conquers things brutally, that's how his passion is shown. Through war.

16. Do they dream? What are those dreams like?

Sometimes, but very rarely. His dreams tend to be memories, fragmented and out of order. They're confusing and he doesn't often remember them at all. When he dreams, he sleeps much less restfully.

When he actually remembers his dreams, it ends up putting him in a sour mood, since he can never fully discern why and what the dream was about in the first place. He over-analyzes why he might dream about a particular thing; while Sendak is impeccable at reading others, ironically, in this area, he isn't very good at reading himself.

26. How do they view and feel about relationships, and how might this manifest in how they handle them, if it does?

Strangely. Like I've said in a previous response, Sendak doesn't want a relationship if he can't get something out of it. He feels very strange if he ends up entertaining a relationship with somebody and he isn't immediately gaining — even if he just enjoys their presence, there is definitely a part of him that simply feels unsettled with that connection. He would rather things stay cold and contractual; it's much easier for him to stay in control that way.

He's good enough at handling relationships. Especially professional ones. But everyone is held at a distance and not allowed too close. If someone attempts to counteract this purposeful wall he puts up, Sendak will actively ice them out for trying. In fact, the more someone tries to have any sort of relationship with Sendak at all, the more he'll push them away.

Because he always (99.98% of the time) has an ulterior motive, he assumes others are the same, and he refuses to let anyone take advantage of him. If he's wary about that, snipping the contact is easier for him than taking that risk.

41. What associations do they bring to mind? Words or phrases, images, metaphors or motifs? Why?

Vrepit sa (victory or death) for one, obviously.

Lightning. Blood. The hum of electricity. The warping of plasma. Purple lights, glitching overlays. His Pinterest board is a useful place to go to if you want to see what I associate with him just thematically.

Sendak is the epitome of a warrior; military is his life, and a lot falls under that umbrella aesthetically. I associate him with prolific figures like Genghis Khan with him, master strategists like Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War (which, every excerpt I've ever read from it, very on brand for this character).

Synth music is what I associate him with most for sounds. Like Scattle, for example.

I like keeping the vaguely retro-futuristic vibe overall.

#palidinus #𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦. / TRANSMISSION RECEIVED. #𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗡. / SOMETHING THAT NEVER STOPS BARING ITS TEETH.

[ao3feedsheith]

Does Your Smile's Covert Complicity Debase As It Admires?

Does Your Smile's Covert Complicity Debase As It Admires? https://archiveofourown.org/works/52207966 by Not_You Keith has a bad history with sexuality, mostly because his Galra instincts have gotten him into trouble, leading him to develop his current (touch-starved and miserable) aloofness. He knows intellectually that it's different when Regris propositions him, but it still takes him a moment to stop being defensive. Words: 1346, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English Series: Part 14 of All We Ever Wanted Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Keith (Voltron), Regris (Voltron) Relationships: Keith/Regris (Voltron), background Shiro/Blade of Marmora, Keith/Shiro vibes Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Polyamory, Alien Culture, Alien Sex, Pining Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Touch-Starved, Half-Galra Keith (Voltron), Xenophilia, Showers, Sparring, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, keith's slutty slutty galra instincts were misunderstood and people were gross about it, also he had a creepy foster dad, brief discussion of these things, regris is just here because he likes keith and Hybrid Solidarity, Hemipenes, Tentacle Dick, Size Kink via AO3 works tagged 'Keith/Shiro (Voltron)' https://archiveofourown.org December 12, 2023 at 03:57AM

#IFTTT #sheith

[swordandsheith]

so keiths growth spurt def had to be a galra thing right? cuz he was 19 when him and krolia got on the space whale and typically humans wont have that significant of a growth spurt at that age, like they might grow a bit but keith grows quite a decent amount.

#jays voltron liveblog #voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld let me learn about galra anatomy and culture and history PLEASE #I WANNA KNOW

[lilflowerpot]

Do you think it's possible that hybrid children survive because they have galra instincts?

Cuz like, all of the hybrids we have met so far have the galra instincts, some have stronger while others not so much.

I'm not sure WHY that would work but I don't know everything about the alien race of giant purple cat/Lizard people

I wouldn't say so, no?

Instincts are commonly defined as inborn complex patterns of behaviour that exist as a general rule across a species, distinguished from reflexes which are simple responses of an organism to a specific stimulus; a behaviour is considered instinctive if it is performed without being based upon prior experience (that is, in the absence of learning), and is therefore an expression of innate biological factors. A simple example of instinctual behaviour on Earth is the way in which baby sea turtles will immediately dig their way out of the sand and move directly towards the ocean upon hatching.

So far as this presents in the behaviour of young galra, kitlings will (1) instinctively cling to adult figures as protection from both predators and Daibazaal's harsh environment, (2) latch on to / feed from proffered nipples as the sole food source their bodies are capable of processing during early life, and (3) ingratiate themselves by way of particular trilling/chirruping vocalisations that trigger the parental instincts of any adult galra in range. In this regard, galra instincts do somewhat establish themselves as a determining factor of survival, as without being provided for, galra kitlings (hybrid or no) are not remotely equipped to weather their earliest decaphoebs. Culturally, however, if a galra adult were to be presented with a child of any species, their instincts would almost certainly drive them to protect and care for their young charge irrespective of whether said charge exhibits galra behaviour in return.

All that being said, a determining factor is not the determining factor.

Truthfully, the low survival rates of hybrid children predate the stage of life at which instincts come into play, as it's primarily a matter of unstable genetics rather than behaviour:

“Galra DNA is notorious for a unique genetic hostility when it comes to cross-species relations: even if a compatible parent species is found and successful conception occurs, the foetus often commits autosarcophagy as a sort of innate defence mechanism to eliminate that which it deems to be foreign genetic material. […] If it survives the gestation period, the child born is often of ill health and more than likely to experience a significantly reduced lifespan due to what - in short - manifests as an accelerated aging process.”

The hybrids that survive do so simply because the DNA of their non-galra parent species is deemed compatible by its galra counterpart—not so different that it's deemed a threat and so triggers that extreme "seek and destroy" aggression that is innate to galra DNA, but not so malleable that it folds completely and proves too weak to endure in the womb (let alone outside of it)—though even these rare few suffer from an acute necrosis that functionally halves their lifespan. Essentially, the fact that the hybrids we've seen all exhibit galra behaviour could be indicative of nature (as a consequence of their biology), nurture (all but Keith having been raised in within the Empire), or a combination of the two, but our pool of subjects is far too limited to draw a concrete conclusion.

#Ao3 Little Blade #sa screams back #galra history & culture

[starfaring-princelotor]

When dayak says she “always knew you had it in you to crush your enemies”, what did she mean? Did she consider zarkon your enemy?? Did she know how he was treating you?? How can she be loyal to her great emperor if she knows how he's a child abuser/kid beater? How did she feel about your father?

Dayak is fiercely loyal to the Empire, regardless of who sits on the throne. This is evident by her credible knowledge of Galra history. In the context of your ask, “my enemies” meant those who were also fighting to light the flame at the Kral Zera ceremony. However, if my father had been there? Her statement would still stand strong. The Kral Zera is a free-for-all battle, regardless of hierarchy status.

Although, I…can not say if she knew how my father treated me. I believe she did. Her role as a Governess is strictly tied to only teaching me. Any family issues behind closed doors is none of her concern. Part of me wants to say she did not purposely turn a blind eye for the sake of her role as an esteemed Governess. Rather, she knew the difference between a strict parent and an abusive parent. Perhaps that is why she taught me the way she did?

Or maybe she honestly only saw bruises and scrapes as “sparring” with my father. Dayak’s way of instructing, although accepted in the Galra Empire, is not the correct way to go about it. She is determined, yes, though that determination should never involve force when teaching a lesson. It is too bad I learned that much later in life. Back then, I had also accepted getting whipped with a crop as a norm. 

Maybe she knew and thought the best way to give me the tools to fight back were for her to teach me to fight honorably? Maybe she did not even see anything wrong with the way my father raised me and interfering would only endanger her job? Either way, I never asked her nor do I intend to. I respect her enough as a teacher. As for her method of teaching? Not so much. 

#asks #does that make me a pos for giving her a pass at abusing me? #sure #but im emperor now #and she is well aware she can not hit me #her method of teaching #after generations and years of it being ingrained in galra society #is actually cultural abuse #the only reason why i tolerate her with respect #is because her lessons of galra history #galra fighting #actually helped me in the long run #though this does not mean im going to let her hurt my little stars #during their lessons #crops are illegal when teaching now #im emperor and i do make the rules #la

[shadow-djinni]

Oh, please elaborate!

Alrighty! So, I think we’re all aware that I’m not saying anything remotely new by saying that Voltron has some serious issues with its plot and pacing, particularly after Season 2. That’s, like, extremely well-trodden ground, everyone’s been yelling about it for a bit over three years at this point, everyone has opinions but the consensus is that it’s bad, et cetera, ad nauseum. I don’t need to retread it. However: this is a point I’ve been mulling on for the aforementioned three years, which I’ve never put out on this blog before— mostly because back in ‘19 it would have gotten me murdered, and because in ‘20 and ‘21 I was otherwise occupied.

The thesis, essentially, is this: Seasons 1 and 2 set up Shiro and Allura as the clear lead (or “keystone”) protagonists, and the failure to follow through on that is why Seasons 3-8 felt, oftentimes, like a janky, shambling mess punctuated with moments of “hey, what’s this interesting plot point doing in here?”

(under the cut, because this got long)

What is a “Keystone Protagonist”?

First, a clarification on terminology. Every narrative has characters in it whose functions are irreplaceable, and without whom the narrative just…doesn’t go. These are the movers and shakers, the team leaders, the people who are so intimately intertwined, from the very foundation of their character, with the plotline that removing them causes the plotline to disintegrate entirely. Keystone villains are easily identified— they’re the Big Bad and their second-in-command, and their challengers or successors as applicable.

A keystone protagonist, on the other hand, is most readily identified in a small, focused cast— they’re the Chosen One, frequently the POV character, always the one with the coolest powers or the visceral hook. They’re a little harder to identify in ensembles, but even the most far-flung ensemble has one or two characters who make the plot function, and they’re always the ones most tied to and shaped by the plot.

Looking at Team Voltron, the protagonists with the clearest ties to the main plotline are obvious. An Empire, led by a ruler twisted into cruelty, stretches its grasp across the stars to claim a superweapon hidden from them. A ramshackle group, led by the last surviving daughter of the first nation to fall to them, and an escaped prisoner who has seen the worst cruelties the Empire has to offer, rises to face them. Of the main protagonists, Allura and Shiro have faced the most visceral wounds from the Empire; Allura’s entire culture was destroyed while she slept in stasis, Shiro and his crew were abducted, kept as prisoners, and subjected to violence and torture. None of the other Paladins come anywhere near that kind of connection.

The rest of Season 1, and a majority of Season 2, plays this out exactly as it’s set up. Allura spends most of Season 1 rebounding from her loss and beginning to grow into both her powers as a sacred Altean and her role as a leader of Voltron. Season 2 centers Shiro more strongly, as he battles Zarkon for control of the Black Lion and the fate and future of Voltron. The two of them, together, take up the mantle of leadership— and bear it well, given their lack of experience.

And then the Season 2 finale turned it all on its head, and the rest is history.

The Deal with Keith

Structurally, Keith is interesting. He initially comes across as sort of a stock protagonist— the hotheaded, rebellious one, who needs to learn to actually work with the team— and the most interesting first impression of him is of his bond with Shiro. However, aside from that bond, he has no strong connections to the main plot; he’s solidly middle of the pack, below Allura, Shiro, and Pidge, but above Lance and Hunk— until the Season 2 reveal that he’s part-Galra and connected to a group of rebels who oppose the Empire, which introduces complications to the team dynamic right when they most need to trust each other.

The Blade of Marmora plotline, during which this occurred, is pretty widely acclaimed in fandom. I have no idea what the Paladin fans were doing during this time, but I know Galra fans were excited to have a little complexity to an otherwise monolithically cruel, unscrupulous, and violent antagonistic force. If they’d handled that reveal, and Keith’s new connection to the plot, a little differently, it had the potential to both up the stakes and complicate both the portrayal of the Galra and the protagonists’ morality.

You’ll have to forgive me a lack of links— I can’t remember what interview or interviews this next paragraph’s points came from originally, and frankly I don’t care enough to look it up or I’ll have to start yelling and hitting things instead of writing an analysis. Anyway. The showrunners said, at some point, that their reboot was intended to capture some of their nostalgia for Voltron: Defender of the Universe, and that this was meant to include a first-episode plot point— that Shiro would die (or otherwise be removed from command) and Keith would replace him as the Black Paladin. They pretty clearly accomplished this, to what is widely considered the show’s detriment.

The Breakdown

Three main factors contributed to the plot’s disintegration after Keith was moved into the spotlight. As a protagonist, Keith’s backstory and approach to the plot were unsuited to holding the keystone role; the divisions within the team that appeared during Season 3 and worsened after weakened the narrative focus; and removing Shiro and sidelining Allura unravelled the underlying themes and cut off plot threads set up in the first two seasons.

Keith and Shiro are first introduced to the viewer as close friends, from before the Kerberos mission. It’s heavily implied that Keith’s discipline issue, and subsequent dropping-out, from the Garrison were caused by Shiro’s reported death on Kerberos, his desperation to rescue Shiro in S1E1 The Rise of Voltron, and their subsequent rapport and mutual support and encouragement speak volumes. However, while Shiro spends most of the first two seasons stepping into his role as a leader and striving against Zarkon, Keith spends most of it in the background, until the Galra reveal comes to light.

And herein lies the trouble. Holding the reveal of Keith’s Galra heritage until the second season delays his closest tie to the plot— that he’s related, by blood, to the scourge grinding the universe under its heel— until well after the overall narrative and major players have been established. They could have easily fixed this by showing that hand earlier; having Keith know he’s part Galra from the very start, revealing that sometime after the midpoint of the season, and using Season 2 as part of the blowback from the reveal would have much more effectively established him as one of the leads, and made his background better able to support the plot by bringing it in immediately. Deferring it made it seem less important, especially as the fallout was curtailed by the strike on Central Command in the Season 2 finale rather than being given more time to play out.

Season 2 ends, rather abruptly, with Shiro’s disappearance. We open Season 3 with him gone and Voltron struggling without him, and spend half of the (albeit much shortened) season without him around at all. Keith founders in the new leadership role, and, as we’re shown in Season 4, ditches it as quickly as he can to go work with the Blade of Marmora. Aside from the obvious question— why remove Shiro at all, if only to bring him back and then oust Keith?— this causes other difficulties in balancing the narrative. Between the two of them, at least one is missing for six episodes in Seasons 3 and 4 alone.

As one might expect, this is a major faux pas for an ensemble cast. Removing one or more cast members from the screen, and having them develop elsewhere during that time, undermines the viewer’s attachment to and understanding of the character, in addition to destabilizing the ensemble’s dynamic. Additionally, the tug-of-war on command of Voltron calls things into question for the viewer: who is supposed to be in charge here, and why is it taking them so long to establish that chain of command? And if the group can suffer such a huge loss, and Lion positions be swapped so easily, why the big deal around having the appropriate Paladins? Canon seems disinclined to provide an answer.

This radiates out to the rest of the group as well. The Paladins of Voltron, established within the first two episodes as a group of psychically bonded warriors— a ready set up for a found family or battle-forged companions dynamic— collapses repeatedly as members leave and return. The group keeps fighting within itself for far, far more of its runtime than it should have— a not-insignificant portion of Season 7 is dedicated to how divided the Paladins are, over fifty episodes into the show.

Cut Threads, Loose Themes

The Paladins’ relationship isn’t the only thing to suffer from the power struggle. The first two seasons organize a delicate balance of narrative foils and a solid underlying theme, centered around healing from trauma, which is tossed repeatedly out the window in favor of giant robot fights over the course of the rest of the series.

Looking at the motivations of Seasons 1 and 2’s keystone characters— Allura and Shiro on the side of the protagonists, Zarkon and Haggar on the side of the antagonists— a dichotomy reveals itself. All four are incredibly traumatized characters; Zarkon, Haggar, and Allura by the chain of events that led to the destruction of Daibazaal and Altea, Shiro by the backlash of that event ten millennia later. The difference is this: Allura and Shiro both make strides towards coping with and recovering from that trauma, where Zarkon and Haggar have spent ten thousand years wallowing in grief and anger. The Galra Empire as a whole remains trapped in that moment of cultural trauma as Zarkon lashes out, his efforts fueled by Haggar’s unrelenting support and cruel inventions, unable to move forward from it. Even the Blade of Marmora are trapped by it— despite their best efforts, they still work within the framework of the Empire and are unable to stop the cascade of violence. Allura and Shiro, on the other hand, are both shown coming to terms with the harm they were dealt— Allura by coping with her grief and learning to let go of what was lost and move forward, Shiro by facing what was done to him and what he did and refusing to let it define him.

Laid out, this looks like the set-up for a narrative centered around cultural and personal trauma, one with Shiro and Allura at its core. The parts of later seasons which are most compelling— Lotor and Allura’s dynamic, particularly in Season 5, the parts of Season 7 where the protagonists as a whole must deal with the devastation wrought on Earth— also draw from this narrative around trauma and learning to heal from it.

Unlike Shiro and Allura, Keith’s trauma— around the loss of his parents, and, one would assume, the loss of other members of the Blade— is never explored or played out on-screen. The narrative dances around it at best, or outright removes it at worst, such as by the introduction of his mother, Krolia, in Season 5. This, I suppose, foreshadows in the worst way the ultimate thematic undermining: the restoration of Altea and Daibazaal during the Season 8 finale.

…Anyway. Let’s not get into that.

Let’s talk foils.

I’ve mentioned them twice now, actually— and, for all its flaws, VLD is actually pretty good at drawing parallels between its protagonists and antagonists. As mentioned above, Allura and Shiro serve as direct thematic foils to Zarkon and Haggar, both as pairs and one-on-one. The most obvious comparisons, of course, are Shiro and Zarkon and Allura and Haggar— two Black Paladins, one seeking to use the role to grasp for power and control others, the other using it as a tool to bring peace; two powerful Altean alchemists, one using her abilities to twist and destroy, the other using it to soothe and heal. The parallels work the other way, too: Zarkon and Allura are both leaders devastated by the loss of their people and home, Shiro and Haggar both suffer amnesia and physical alterations from their trauma and have grown around those wounds.

Additionally, Shiro and Allura both have another antagonist foil in Sendak and Lotor, respectively. I’m certain I’ve already delved into Shiro and Sendak’s relationship somewhere on this blog, but I’ll touch on it again briefly. Both seem to be (as portrayed in Season 1) relatively new leaders, both stubborn and tenacious, gifted fighters, and both having suffered massive physical trauma and been augmented afterwards in specifically weaponized ways. Season 1, particularly S1E9 Crystal Venom, frames them as a pair of darkened mirrors— a change of circumstances, and one could readily be the other.

Allura and Lotor are a bit more complicated. Both are the only children of a leader of a member nation of the original Voltron Alliance. Both are driven, charismatic leaders with specific goals, and both are also driven by personal curiosity and a desire for knowledge and power. The divergence is in the details— Allura was beloved by her father and encouraged towards her strengths, while also being sheltered by the peaceful circumstances of her youth; Lotor faced parental disapproval and routine rejection, and his natal environment encouraged stubbornness and often cruelty. This plays out obviously in their approaches to leadership; while Allura is open, honest, and direct, Lotor uses subterfuge and misdirection to hide his intentions.

You notice, of course, that Keith is absent from this discussion. Keith has no narrative parallels to any of the aforementioned villains— he’s not in contact enough with any of them to really compare, not even to Lotor, who was a temporary ally of team Voltron— and quite literally undercuts Shiro’s connection to Sendak in Season 7. He doesn’t contribute anything to any of these dynamics, and the only time he’s present for one, he destroys it.

#asks #vld meta #not quite sure id call this #vld salt #but ill tag it anyway for safety #apologies for the delay; i had a dnd session to run before i could get my meta written up #and in a way that was more...analytical and charitable rather than just bitching #anyway! #really if theyd wanted Keith as a lead they should have established him as BP in the first season rather than establishing Shiro first #and since they established shiro and allura first they should have kept the spotlight there instead of trying to move it #no one is well served by this narrative switchup and im actually still sad about it bc it had the potential to be REALLY GOOD #and it just wasnt

[icypantherwrites]

New Fic: Toast to Freedom

Your support on Patreon is what makes these works possible. Please consider joining my Patreon to help support the creation of stories like this and the author behind them. Thank you ♥

Summary: Keith is used to more than his fair share of dark looks. What he’s not used to is seeing those looks directed at Lance for no reason that he can determine and it’s making something uneasy settle in his stomach and the heavy press of the mantle of leader weigh even heavier as he should be doing something about it but he doesn’t know what. But causing a scene will upset the alliance they need and so Keith chooses to wait it out, to address it after the feast.

He should never have waited.

Story snippet:

“Greetings, my loyal subjects and greetings to our beloved allies, the Paladins of Voltron.”

Cheering and applause broke out and Keith rolled his eyes.

He hated speeches like this, full of pomp and empty words and designed to bring in cheers and admiration.

And for once, where he was secluded by the pillar and in darkness with the only light cast on the king he didn’t have to fake his interest other than a blank mask of indifference he’d more than perfected over the years.

The king continued to speak, long, rambling sentences about the Thovilins and their culture and history, of their desire to see an end to the war with the Galra and peace restored.

Blah blah blah.

It was always the same.

This time though it was even longer and Keith had no doubts it was so the servants could make sure everyone had one of the glasses in hand for the toast, which Allura and Coran had informed them was the Thovilins’ way of essentially agreeing to the alliance and as such was the single most important part of the evening.

Keith toned the king out, instead subtly gazing around the room and watching the servants pick their way expertly through, balancing trays of drinks without a single spill.

Far more impressive than the king’s flowery speech.

Read it here. Please leave a comment on the fanfiction.

#Voltron #VLD #Lance #Keith #Hurt Lance #protective Keith #poison #poisoning #mistaken identity #IcyPanther #Toast to Freedom #icypantherwrites #fanfiction #fanfic #Langst #Kangst #VLD fanfic #VLD fanfiction

[aro-paladin-pidge]

this is purely speculation, but my guess is that galra live on a combination of on their ships, and on planets they colonized

I always figured something like that, but the thing is that Voltron never said anything like that. You’d think the citizens of the Empire would be pretty important, at least to the Coalition, because they’re all focused on liberating the people from the Empire, and the regular Galrans have suffered just as much as other species-from indoctrination, millennia under an extremely authoritarian government, and the loss of their home world-but the show never lets us see them as anything but soldiers, whether for the Empire or the Blade. The only sliver of actual Galran culture we see in the show, the Kral Zera, is just as militarized as the rest of the Empire. There are hints there, tiny slivers, the idea of some sort of state religion and history beyond Zarkon, but nothing is ever expanded on. The show never acknowledges that the Galra can exist without war, and the most obvious way they do this is by not even giving the civilian Galra that we KNOW exist any kind of home.

#voltron #ask #leosmain #original post #Galra #galra empire #galra civilians #BOM #Galra culture #Galra meta #Voltron meta #Kral zera #sorry if this doesn’t make sense I’m ranting #Voltron’s worldbuilding has always sucked and no one’s ever let me talk about it #this turned into meta by accident

[the-coranic]

Voltron Tag

Because I just want to do it.

How did you discover the show? I discovered it through my dad. He was a fan of the 80s series when he was a child. He even has an old toy yellow lion and Hunk out on display. Around when season 2 was still new, he was basically like “Hey, you should check this series out! I think you’d like it. There’s also a character voiced by the same guy as Finn.” so we watched it together and bonded over it.

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the show? I fell in love immediately and I hyperfixated on it for at least a year. It's still special to me despite all of its issues, and that hyperfixation still comes and goes.

Do you have a favorite episode(s)? There were so many good ones. I honestly don’t know what my favourite is, but to name a few:

The Rise of Voltron

The whole Balmera arc, because Hunk is my son, my star, and I love to see him shine

The Black Paladin

The Depths

The Blade of Marmora

Blackout

The Legend Begins... just any glimpse I get at Blaytz and Gyrgan

Reunion

Monsters & Mana

The Black Paladins. THE KURON VS KEITH FIGHT SCENE YOOO

Do you have a favorite Paladin? Lance was always my favourite, and Hunk is a very close second. I think I relate to them the most.

Do you have a favorite Lion? Blue. I always wanted to pilot Blue. Maybe because it’s one of my favourite colours, and I’ve also got a connection to water - being a Scorpio, living on the coastline, being interested in marine biology, and being a swimmer? Idk  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Do you have a favorite Alien Race? Whatever Plaxum, Blaytz and Gyrgan are. I wish we got to know more about the last two, especially.

Favorite side/other character(s)? I absolutely adore Coran. Outside of Team Voltron - Matt, Kolivan, Acxa, Rizavi and Veronica, and I was also really intrigued by Lotor before they messed him up and turned him into sOUP???

How/Why did you join the fandom? I got really involved in the fandom because I just loved the show, but the only people I could talk about it with irl was my dad and kind of my sister. My old main tumblr was just all VLD for that period of time, and I mostly posted fanart and some memes, gushed about Klance, and convinced thousands of people that Mothman-fan!Keith was 100% canon. It was great.

What are some of your headcanons?

Shiro has a younger brother that Keith reminds him of

And before their history was revealed, I thought Shiro was like Keith’s adoptive father, or at least a supportive family friend who took him in after his dad passed

Pidge is autistic and non-binary, because me too

Lance has ADHD, because me too

Lance and Hunk were childhood friends

Autistic, lactose intolerant, hippo-loving, Mothman-simping, gay, half-Galra, Korean-Texan cowboy Keith was wild and pretty funny to me, and I still subscribe to most of that lmao

What do you think is the best part of the show? The characters and their potential was always the main draw for me. They’re still so important to me. I also loved the art style, the alien designs, and big robot vs. monster fights are always fun to me.

What were your hopes and wishes for future episodes/seasons?

I knew Keith was gonna inherit the black lion but I choose not to shut up about black paladin Allura

More fleshed out backstories (which I’m working hard on for my rewrite rn)

Getting to know everyone’s families better

Shiro speaking some Japanese, Lance speaking some Spanish, or just the Paladins sharing more human culture with the Alteans rather than just the other way around.

*cough* Canon Klance, although I also like the idea of Allurance. I just didn’t like the way they ended up portraying it. They also didn’t do a very good job of shutting down Klance and convincing they weren’t also in love lmao

Just Lance being happy again tbh like wtf?

Did you stick it out until the end of the show? I ended up dropping the series around season 4. I don’t remember if it was because I was already bored or too disappointed to go on, or that part of the fandom got too much, or just because I changed hyperfixations and didn’t get around to finishing it. I learned what happened next through other people’s reactions and it was so disheartening, but I finally rewatched and finished it myself recently. It was a rushed blur, but it was nice to relive the good moments.

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