#altean colony

[mushed-kid]

voltrons as textposts etc. 49

[blueblurbbaskets]

admittedly I don't think about VLD much anymore but every so often I remember how stupid the whole "oh Lotor is draining Alteans of their energies therefore he's evil" set up was given that it was established in the first episode of the show that Haggar could sense Altean energy across the universe. Like if she could sense one single ship being activated and use that plus Zarkon's connection to the Black Lion to track the protagonists down in a matter of days, it's completely reasonable to assume that she could track down an entire colony of hidden Alteans if their quintessence ever got too strong or whatever. There was absolutely a way in-universe to establish that Lotor's actions were horrible but stemming from a reasonable motivation of "don't get fucking caught because the entire colony is gonna get nuked if it's discovered".

[motokeith]

my hot take is that they should’ve made lotor bitchier but not evil.

[galracreature]

I wonder how many alteans from the colony died of diseases that they had no antibodies against when honerva came strolling in

[sockdooe]

Me: ok ive just about fleshed everyone’s character, all the paladins, alteans (including romelle and her brother), zarkon, Alfor, melanor, honerva/haggar, Voltron, the lions, quintessence, the universe, altea, galra, diabazall, and overall world building in my universe

Brain: alright awesome, how about Lotor

Me: who?

[voltrons-legendary-defender]

It would be an interesting idea if one of the Galras goals is to wipe out species by mix breeding. Then they can have lesser classes of Galran without oppressing their full blooded class.

[timetravellingkitty]

ok so obviously season 6 was eh BUT I will always defend the brogane fight scene and keith speedrunning in the black lion bro's hair looked majestic

[ladyzerodark]

Probably unpopular opinion: if any of the new Volt/ron characters were to be in Super Robot Wars, I'd want only Pidge, Allura, and Krolia. Would it make zero sense not to have the boys? Probably. But these three deserve more love than they got.

Though if Krolia showed up, Keith can also show up to have some mother-son bonding. As a treat.

[secretly-a-pair-of-pliers]

Okay, so: Voltron in the atla universe

Lance is so Sokka coded, he's such a southern water tribe guy and probably a non-bender, which would exacerbate his inferiority complex. I'm thinking he travels to the earth kingdom to go to a special school in ba sing se, where he meets pidge and Hunk.

Pidge and Hunk are both from the earth kingdom. Pidge is a metal bender and, like her brother, is really good at mechanical engineering and inventing stuff. Hunk is an earthbender, although he is from a colony where he was not allowed to bend, so he's not a very strong bender.

Keith is so obviously Zuko coded, especially if we say that the Galra are the fire nation. Keith was raised as a noble, in the vicinty of the royal family. However, he joins the white lotus, and leaves for ba sing se on a mission for them. He's a pretty really good firebender, but he uses his anger which limits him.

Zarkon and Lotor - Ozai and Azula, need I say more.

If the fire nation are Galra, then the Alteans have to be the air nomads. Allura and Coran escaped their temple before it was destroyed. Allura is the avatar, although coran doesn't tell her for a while. He just tries to raise her with air nomad principles (hes a non-bender), which I imagine don't stick super well.

I'm not quite sure what to do for Shiro. My best idea is that he's also fire nation, and gets drafted in the front lines. His battalion is wiped out but he survives, and after going through war like that, joins the white lotus where he sort of mentors Keith.

Also the war has only been going on for like.. 20ish years

[mushed-kid]

voltron as textposts etc. 44

(only six cause i cant count and thought there was eight)

[discordiansamba]

the idea of some of them just. having new family members. Most of them do!

Allura has a pair of human parents in this reality. One works as a librarian and the other works as a waitress. Despite how... strange their daughter can be at times, they love her unabashedly. And Allura has come to love them both as well, finding a place in her heart for the both of them alongside Alfor and Melenor. They don't have much, so she works hard to get a full scholarship to the Galaxy Garrison, working part time jobs to pay for her own airfare.

Coran has lived quite the full life on Earth! Ah yes, he's had his number of romances, though no one ever quite filled the void in his heart that Alfor left- even when he couldn't remember Alfor. He's also grown quite fond his colleagues at the Galaxy Garrison! Although he never quite liked the Admiral... though getting his memories back does somewhat explain that dislike.

Hunk grew up on the Balmera, alongside Shay and Rax. His Balmeran family is just as tight knit as his human family, though he always feels... something missing. But his parents are kind, and pass on to him stories about the Balmera before the Galra, passed down to them by their parents. Then one day he gets taken away by the patrols, and they never see him again.

Lance and Veronica grow up on Puig with the odd sense that their family should be... larger. Lance has big dreams of one day taking to the skies, but theirs isn't a space-faring race, as much as they trade with those that are. But his parents always encourage him. Big dreams are good for the young! Then the Galra conquer their planet, and they never see Lance again.

Pidge grows up on Olkarion, feeling like there's a cog missing in their family. Her parents feel it too, sometimes. She's thriving and in her element- until the Galra invade, and she's taken away. Matt grows up in the deserts of Kythra, constantly annoying his parents with his requests for a little sister. He just feels like he should have one, you know? He decides to join the rebels when Te-Osh recruits him. It feels right.

Keith grew up on the Altean colony. His parents were taken to the second colony when he was quite young. He... doesn't really remember them, if he's being honest. He was mostly passed around from family to family, but he was always weird and never quite fit in, so he made people uneasy. But Romelle and Bandor were always around, until one day it was suddenly just him and Romelle.

Shiro's parents were not part of the Empire- they were nomadic wanderers instead. They did not have it in them to fight, so they hid themselves and their son. They dreamed of a peaceful universe, but it would be one that they would never get to see. Unlike the others, they were killed when Shiro was taken.

actually it would be interesting if for the paladin's families in the reality scramble AU, whether or not they were brought along with them in the new reality was determined based entirely on their proximity to the paladins. which would mean that Veronica would be born on Puig with Lance as his older sister, but the rest of their family would still be back on Earth- the McClain family just had two less children.

it would also mean that because Matt was working to evacuate planets where the energy for the ritual was being drained from, he's actually separated from the rest of his family. I like to think that maybe in this reality, he was born on Te-Osh's planet? He's with the rebels from early on (and was definitely the annoying kid who always bothered his parents about getting him a younger sibling).

Which would mean that Hunk is the only paladin entirely separated from his family... but hey, at least he grew up with Shay? You know. until Honerva kidnapped and brainwashed him. Big downside there.

(also I haven't brought it up before now, but I like to think that Adam is both alive and a member of the Blade of Marmora)

[minamorsart]

Heyy , I love your fanfictions , so beautifully written especially the ones about Lotor and Allura , which brings me to my question , do you think that if Lotor survived , he would make his way to Allura to win back her heart 💖 (AWESOME ART BTW💯🤗🙌)

Firstly, hello!!! Thank you for taking the time to write me an ask, these always make my day! Secondly, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Not only for your kind words, but also taking the time to read my fanfictions and look at my art??! 😭😭 I'm so honored!!! 😖🙏💖

In regards to your question, short answer: YES ABSOLUTELY! I can't help it, it's the romantic in me 😆 And below the cut I'd like to get into the why!

Also lookit that height difference, so cute~~

One of the most compelling things about Lotor's character is how ambitious he is. Not only is it a desirable trait in a potential partner, especially from Allura's perspective ;) but it makes his behavior and choices that much more interesting to watch. Although it's hard to say exactly what his endgame was in the show, particularly when it comes to the Altean colonies (we're supposed to believe he was using them as batteries, but to what end??! something still don't add up), there are some things that can be explained, both from actual given information from the show and personal conjectures I've made for myself ^^

Let's start with him becoming emperor. I personally like to believe that he actively wanted the throne. His relationship with other Galra overall is unfortunately not good at all, which you can see in his interactions with other Galra such as Throk and Sendak. But once he is given the opportunity, Lotor puts everything into becoming emperor and making the Galra Empire his. His appearance at the Kral Zera comes as a shock to everyone, and his demanding and domineering regard towards them all is awesome to watch. Plus it's his right! He is the prince after all, so I just love the idea of him coming into his own, demonstrating his birthright and his capabilities, and taking what's rightfully his.

Also what a power move it was to finally make Lotor the emperor in this version of Voltron??! The only other iteration I've seen is DotU, so it is possible that in the other shows and comics he also became emperor, but it's just SO satisfying to watch in VLD this banished, pariah prince quickly become ruler of the most powerful empire in the universe! You love to see it.

After he becomes emperor he takes his title seriously and uses it to acquire one of the things he wants, which is gaining access to the Rift with Allura's help and providing unlimited quintessence for all of the Galra. I'm sure there is more that he wanted to do with it, but again, some things don't add up and we sadly don't have all of the information, so I'm afraid we can only guess from here! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But in the meantime he doesn't take his role as emperor lightly. In his big speech in season 6 he is harsh, demanding, and even threatening. And I am all about it!!!

Don't get me wrong, while I absolutely love kind, soft, and romantic Lotor, I also dearly love cold, devious, and even malicious Lotor as well. You see this a lot with complicated male characters in epic stories: Kylo Ren and Qimir from Star Wars, Paul Atreides from Dune, Michael Corleone from The Godfather, and Sauron from The Rings of Power! What exactly I find so compelling about these kinds of characters can be summed up perfectly in this quote from Dune:

"...the Duke is really two men. One of them I love very much. He's charming, witty, considerate... tender—everything a woman could desire. But the other man is... cold, callous, demanding, selfish—as harsh and cruel as a winter wind."

- Dune by Frank Herbert, page 104

Lotor's unwielding ambition I think at times can give him tunnel vision, as we can see at the start of season 6 when Lotor wanted Allura to stay and help him with getting quintessence (again, using his resources and title as emperor to pursue what he wants) before Allura reminded him of his duties to his people in the moment. So he can be reasoned with lol!

And so! The reason why I bring all of this up, why I love thinking about the many sides of Lotor and how differently he acts with certain people, the many masks he will wear depending on what he wants, is to invite you to consider how he views his relationship with Allura. His growing feelings for her I'd say are more internalized until the last two episodes of season 5, but until then I like to think that it was never in his plans to get close to her. He wanted to team up with Voltron, yes, but he never could have anticipated falling for the Altean princess ;) What started out as a reluctant alliance and a simple means to accomplish his own end soon blossomed into genuine respect and love.

I have my own ideas as to how I would want Lotor to survive and redeem himself, just as I am certain you and all of us Lotura fans have our own ideas! And they are 1000% valid!!! At its foundation, if Lotor was to live and prove that he can be trusted again, I absolutely believe that he would do everything he could to make things right with Allura. Again, he is ambitious! Once he's decided on something, he will not stop until he's succeeded. If one plan doesn't work he forms a new one. He never gives up. He definitely respects Allura's agency, so of course he would never push her into a relationship with him (looking at you Lance ¬_¬) but I do sincerely believe Lotor would persist in terms of proving to her and the others that he can be trusted as an ally again.

And now we get into Allura's opinion in all of this!! What would she think were Lotor to survive and come back into her life again? And well, I have a really long answer for that too lol! We already see in the series finale how she came to understand Lotor's perspective. We also could see in seasons 5 and 6 how much she really liked him and how head over heels she was for him. Like how adorable was that?? Our girl deserves to be that much in love ;_; After Sincline's return and Lotor appearing in Allura's room in season 8, it is clear that she was still torn up about him, and that she still had feelings for him.

This tweet sums up basically all of my favorite ships:

Of course in this context I mean this as a joke lol, but there's truth to it! Because at the end of the day, no one is going to understand Allura like Lotor understands her. Even Coran, who comes from the same planet and circumstances as she, would frequently express his doubts about her decisions. His heart is in the right place, and they have a very sweet father-daughter-type relationship and he just wants to protect her. But he just doesn't get her the way Lotor gets her. Nowadays when I think about the difference between how Coran treats Allura and how Lotor treats Allura, I think of this quote from The Acolyte showrunner:

“'Do you want to be a part of this thing that I'm a part of?' Most fathers do this with their sons and their daughters, but when fathers do it to daughters, it's tricky, in my opinion. When an equal, like The Stranger, like a partner, says, 'I've experienced something, and I think you would benefit from it. I have a similar history to you, and in adulthood, I would lay it at your feet as a possible tool kit for you to pick up and forge your life with, unlike something that's instilled in you the way that your father instilled a lot of your hopes and dreams in you.'”

- Lesyle Headland, interview with Collider

Though this quote is very specific to Osha's different relationships with Sol and Qimir, I think it applies to Allura, Coran, and Lotor too! Like all parents with their children, Coran has this idea in his head as to what is best for Allura. And I love the man with my whole heart, but it's clear that he would rather keep her safe than let her grow.

Lotor, on the other hand, wants to see Allura grow and thrive. He not only wants to see her reach her full potential, but he also sincerely views her as an equal. They also have so much more in common than they do with literally any other character in the show. He alone can see her power, her potential, her greatness. In turn, he wants to share with her his experiences, his ambitions, as well as his desires. And she is drawn to him in part because of them!

So I genuinely believe that, given enough time, they would both be able to reconcile, to heal the wounds left behind by their hurtful words and their parting, and resume their relationship which had only just begun. Because despite all of the pain they went through and all of the things they said to each other, some of which I'm sure they didn't mean in the moment, they still cared for each other. After all, Allura was the only one who didn't want to leave Lotor behind in the Rift! Between the two of them, the feelings were still there. They never left <3

As more time passes after the show's finale I find more and more things to appreciate about both of Lotor and Allura's characters. Your question has enabled me to dive deep into these new appreciations, so I sincerely thank you for that! They are my number #1 ship of all time, and I am always happy to go on suuuuper long tangents about them 😆 And if you disagree with anything I said, that's okay too! In the end I do hope you were able to get something out of it, and thank you once again for asking! Have a wonderful rest of your day!!! 💖💜

[urzannia]

I've always wished that voltron would've explored the idea of different species of Galra/Alteans. like, humans are really rare in the fact that we only have one species in the Homo genus and I think it'd be cool if allura or Coran heard that and just *shocked Pikachu*. on one side, the idea of humans having something rare, bcuz we view aliens as different but nvr consider what weirdness humans have, is the BEST thing ever and it would've been so cool to see more of the og vld team looked at as insane instead of the aliens. but on the other side of the coin, we should've got different "species"(quotes cuz I'm mainly saying that their culture would be so different that their societies can barely be compared) of galra/evrything. planets with super "evolved" galrans bcuz instead of joining the war, small factions fucked off to a far away galaxy, settled down for 10,000 yrs, and mixed with wtv intelligent life forms there were.

the alteans should've showed speciation too bcuz of Lotors colony being kept away for however long. they should've also been wayyyyyy different than allura & Coran. and yea, they sorta showed the difference thru romelle "not saying quiznak right"(I put it into quotes bcuz they had their own developed slang & language which shouldn't be considered as right or wrong) but they could've shown "speciation" in a more intriguing way. or, and ik this is a kids show, the inbreeding of the altean colony cuz.....there HAD to be that with such a small amount surviving, right????

also, the portrayal of galrans being bad could've been told thru the discrimination between the "war galrans" and the "settled down galrans". kinda like those spanish hierarchies they had in Latin America when the Spaniards colonized. like, just imagine voltron arriving on one of those planets and having to see the galrans either hate & segregate their own or contradict the whole "evry galran bad" bcuz they also get treated shitty and get systemically oppressed.

omg someone make a fic with these concepts PLSSSSS

[fangedxnight1836]

Character of the day:

ROMELLE!!!!!

Some information about her:

One of the few remaining Altean survivors.

Her people were saved from Lotor after the destruction of Altea, but were sent to live on a colony. In it, Lotor harvested certain Alteans for their Quintessence.

Keith and Krolia both saved her when they discovered her whereabouts.

Her younger brother, named Bandor, was selected by Lotor to be harvested. He managed to slightly escape and came back to Romelle in an escape pod. With his last breath he told Romelle the truth about the colony and Lotors intentions.

Romelle told the truth about Lotor to the rest of the paladins, causing his plans to be revealed to them, and why he suddenly wanted Allura to develop her powers further.

At the end of the series she is seen joining Hunks “culinary empire”.

She has a bubbly personality and fits very well with the Paladins. She and Hunk share a good friendship dynamic.

She is seen helping and attending conferences on the Atlas and in the garrison.

She was able to knock out a galran pirate showing her possession of Altean strength.

In the original 80s series, she is polluxian and is the cousin of Allura. She was married to the 80s version of Shiro. She had 2 brothers, one being Avok and the other is Bandor.

She has a son with Sven.

She also gets captured by Lotor and is used as bait for the paladins.

Headcanons

She watches the live action barbie movie at least every end of the week.

She would love Claire’s. (It’s a cute jewellery shop iykyk)

She is probably bad at spelling idk she would probably not know the difference between their and there.

Her and Hunk play Roblox horror games together and fail to complete them, ‘cause they chicken out.

Y’know that one trend where a friend pretends to be a guy and takes a pic to make their friends ex jealous, that’s exactly what Romelle and Allura do or would have done in another life if Lotor was still alive.

[vldunchartedregions]

Are there any particular characters we can expect to see a focus on in this meta? A lot of the old meta I’ve read have only seemed to focus on 2 to 3 characters at a time so I’m interested to know what you’ll be doing if you’d like to share !!

Ooo, wonderful question!

It'll vary - we'll be tapping into the missing plot + a multitude of characters, but more specifically the Main Paladins and their respective plots / subplots, Honerva's resolve, and Lotor's purpose.

We'll also lightly touch on Romelle and her position on the Altean Colony.

I will say that...

*Drumroll please*

Lance will have a greater exploration and focus intrinsically throughout, because the remnants of Season 8 have his DNA planted in the roots: Acceptance, Love, and trusting his own instincts.

This is the finality of his overall arc that's been culminating from season-to-season.

There's several events that occurred that was cut in relation to his own developing arc.

Zenith.

[voltrons-legendary-defender]

Unpopular opinion but I don't hate the Altean Colony plot. It's just another wasted plot line that could've been very interesting.

A lot of people think it ruined Lotors character but I'd argue it didn't. Him not getting a redemption did. The white lion is episode is a perfect depiction of Lotors character.

This is just an opinion, and a poorly done analysis.

Essentially, even if Lotor despises Galran culture/heritage it's clearly had an impact on him. Allura was wrong when she said he's just like his father, Lotor is exactly like his mother.

Lotor shouts at the lion "victory or death" That's all he's been taught. That's how he had to survive too, considering he's an outcast hated by his own father.

(And then Honerva takes her chances with the white lion by killing it too....she was just successful..)

Another thing is, Lotor never had the time to explain the colony to Allura. We never got to see Lotors perspective of this colony. I'm not saying Lotor is a liar, he's meticulous, manipulative but honest when it came to team Voltron and I do think his allegiance go them was true.

So...why the colony? So here's two things.

Some things are earned the hard way. If anyone knows about loss, it should be Allura. In his furious state Lotor threatened to wipe out any enemies in the way of him and his new Altean followers.

His word is true. That may be hard to accept but victory or death. I always found that so interesting about Lotor, how complex things are for him. Had he gained the secrets of Oriande or whatever would he have found another way?

Secondly, all those bodies being used. This is just a theory here because I don't know. But, none of those bodies were disposed of.

And you know what quintessence does? Well I don't know if it has the ability to ressurect but it gives you immortality. Considering the fact that the Altean bodies were still kept, Lotors promise may have been good. He could easily restore their lives, now given with immortality.

On top of that, if the Alteans are immortal, Lotors reign can last forever. That's probably what Lotor wants.

His 'death' or so doesn't make sense because last I heard Lotor had some sort of immunity to the quintessence field...(allegedly) The Altean colony plot gets left behind, Romelle is a useless character, the way his character is set up. It just makes sense honestly for him to be this anti villian. People mistake him for an anti hero. He's not.

Because Lotors reasons are understandable. His redemption arc starts with him realizing it's not always about victory or death. Too bad he died fighting that way.