#noncog

[child-raped-killed-in-sandiego]

Would it be accurate to say something about this Tumblr sounds valid, sound, unsound, cogent, or uncogent?

[bladedalchemistreplica]

*"I--I didn't want those alteans--we didn't want then to take you- they took so many..." He muttered an answer. *"Then----I thought it was better..." He looked more and more wild in the eyes as he spoke. Darting from the Flow* than to Ozar. *"We can start over. It's different--but those Alteans were coming. You'd noncog her--they did that. You did that."

Ozar glanced between the two. "What do you mean...you?" He carefully asked.

*"You?? The last time they came around- Everyone left and they came... They found our bunker, and one of them was you... They looked like you. They were you. You betrayed us at the last moment." His words were quick and to the point of his conclusions. *"Olia was there for me--not them or you!" He recalled that. He was becoming more off-track as he stopped moving.

Ozar glanced at the entrance again. "Uh-right. I see...but that was back then, I'd imagine most were scared...they have families, Olia has two pups...doesn't she?" He carefully asked.

*"Maybe...I don't remember...but you--you told her you'd take someone..." of course she had. It made sense. Not another altean trick and he knew that.

"The altean must have looked like you?" Ozar questioned, though not looking for any real answer.

(@cyberghost-scout)

(For our crazy crack angst au thread)

While the group was heading back towards the Freedom Fighter post. Another portal opened up--- Long story short, they got lost again.

Flow sighed as she sat by the ship, working on getting Ozar's comm.

And there was nothing, whatever had occured had gotten the group separated from the rest, taking the group and cutting communications off with no notice.

But they didn't arrive unnoticed themselves. Actually, unbenoiced to them, a ship was slowly arriving. And another single party closing in upon Flow.

[autumn-sacura]

Evil Empress Allura - alternative outfut

[huntypastellance]

[void-tiger]

My favorite thing about Sven’s Reality is, other than him arguably having THe BEST Slav Ever, he’d absolutely punch a hole through spacetime to slap a spacewitch for making Jiro essentially a noncog.

(Plot Twist: Sven’s the one to find Shiro after he saves Jiro. And prolly chews out the Team before finally calming down and acknowledge that it was all one massive, ugly misunderstanding while he’s at it.)

[void-tiger]

Zarkon already expressed interest in expanding his empire, and the Galra at least have a history of conquering entire sectors of space. It isn’t too much of a stretch for me for Zarkon to call in favors to “defend his Reformed Empires Assets” with the other Paladins in the name of their treaties but in actuality be maintaining his old status quo. Alfor’s correction to Zarkon’s slip up of “Purer Energy” to “Expand the Empire” kinda hints at this being a point of contention for them in the past, but also just as likely that Alfor and the others turned a blind eye to it to “keep the peace”.

We also don’t know how or why these intergalactic leaders formed their alliances, but the subtext (shaky as it is) always suggested to me that at some point they were all rivals or enemies to eachother in the past, or their cultures’ were.

When the Team worried about Allura and Lotor entering the Rift Jiro reassured them that it wasn’t the Rift’s Quintessence that made Zarkon and Haggar “go evil”—those two already had those intentions, and if the Rift had any affect at all it only revealed them. While Zarkon and Alfor&Co fell out over the Rift, I think it’s pretty clear that Zarkon already had ambitions to expand long before the Lion’s Meteor inexplainable punctured a Rift on Dibazaal (which led to Alfor creating the Lions and Honerva’s research-turned-obsession with quintessence.)

So, as far as who the Paladins of Olde fought before becoming Paladins? More than likely enemies to their governments and assets—and at least in Zarkon’s case, no way all of those battles were noble, and Zarkon’s the one that led all five of them in battle. Even if Zarkon’s ambitions to expand only became inspired after seeing the potential of the Rift’s quintessence (as a gaping hole in reality belching out entities that react like white blood cells—and, y’know, continuously destabilized the planet), the entirety of the Galra Empire’s history was written in blood and subjugation; and considering Zarkon’s attitude towards his servant, the Empire’s caste system or social stratification were all still very much active under his leadership—well before his planet collided with a magical meteor.

Ok serious question along the lines of “hidden in plain sight” plot points but if the Alfor & Zarkon era Paladins fought in literally “thousands of battles” together to become such an effective team… who were they fighting??

[kcwcommentary]

VLD3x04 – “Hole in the Sky”

3x04 – “Hole in the Sky”

I really want to like this episode, and there are a couple of small things that I do, but it hurts me how badly Allura is written.

The episode starts with the Castle Ship picking up some signal that’s spooking Allura and Coran. Coran says it’s a signal like Alfor’s ships used back in the day. Allura reacts, saying, “Could it be: Are we not the last Alteans alive?” Has she already forgotten that at the end of last season she found out that Haggar was Altean? So even if this signal ended up having nothing to do with any Alteans, she already knows she and Coran are not the only living Alteans. There hasn’t been anything shown so far to suggest that Allura has even told anyone, including Coran, that Haggar is Altean. One would think information that significant would be shared with the team.

They wormhole to find a ship that Allura says looks like one of Alfor’s deep space exploration vessels. (Given that the Galra Empire spans the entire universe, and given how easily the Castle Ship can wormhole easily across the universe, is there any such thing as “deep space” remaining unexplored?) Coran specifically identifies the commander of the ship, confirming the ship is Altean. The ship is stuck in some kind of special distortion, which is “radiating quintessence.” Quintessence is supposed to be some kind of life energy, so what’s generating that quintessence in significant enough quantities that this distortion can radiate it? The episode brings up the presence of this quintessence, but then does nothing with it. I know that the quintessence in the, for lack of a better word, space between realities is a thing in later episodes, but the presence of quintessence here in this episode is meaningless. They could have just held off on that detail until it became narratively relevant.

Voltron forms and heads to the ship. Voltron is “completely unaffected by the stress of the distortion” as it moves through the light to the other side, where they find the front of the ship. The Paladins board the ship. I’m surprised they just went fully into the rift as their first action. I would have thought they would have first boarded the ship from the main-reality side of the rift and explored there first. It’s like the plot skipped a step.

They float around on the ship, so there’s no gravity. Lights and artificial gravity turn on when Allura touches a control panel. They find a decayed corpse, which then prompts Allura to pull up some recording of the Altean who’s now a corpse. (Why is his corpse the only one on the ship?) He says they located “the second comet based on King Alfor’s information.” We eventually find out that it’s the same kind of “comet” that Voltron was made from. As I said back for 2x07 “Space Mall,” this is not a comet, despite the show calling it one. We know enough about comets to know they’re made of ice, not metal. It annoys me that the show ignores such basic, known science.

Two people jump out of an air duct, surprising the Paladins. One looks a lot like Shiro but with a different hairstyle. The other, looking and sounding a lot like Slav, says he will not let the “comet” fall into Altean hands. Keith pleads to the Shiro-looking guy, but he says, with quite an accent, that his name isn’t Shiro. Slav denies Lance’s claim that they rescued him from prison. Slav and Pidge simultaneously realize that each group is from a different reality.

Slav freaks out when his sensors detect more incoming Alteans. Slav and Sven flee. Slav’s use of Sven’s name is so quick, you could miss it. The Alteans enter the room, one of whom identifies Allura as “Empress.” In this reality, Allura defeated the Galra and established an Altean Empire 10,000 years ago.

Meanwhile, Lotor has been apparently observing Voltron’s actions regarding the rift. He’s hoping they’ll bring back the “comet” so that he can take it from them.

The alternate-Alteans keep mentioning the Altean Empire “spreading peace and stability throughout the universe.” It’s interesting that Allura buys into that propaganda so easily. Clearly, Allura does not have a problem with the governmental structure that is an Empire, since she knows these alternate-Alteans describe their government proudly as being an Empire. That Allura does not reject the idea of imperial domination here makes the idea that there could easily be an Allura who embraces the same form of dictatorial rule that Zarkon has employed seem possible. It even suggests that main-Allura could easily find herself in a situation where she’d willingly become such a ruler. She hasn’t once balked at hearing Altea and Empire put together.

Slav and Sven are outside the ship working on some plan.

Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and the male Altean discuss the state of their universe. The Altean points to the technology implanted in the brain of some large, muscular alien standing beside him. He says that the technology “saps the fighting force from our enemies, their will, you might say.” Finally, the Paladins start to realize that a universe-dominating Altean Empire might not be a good thing. Hunk identifies those who are subject to this technology as slaves. The Altean objects, saying, “They’re not slaves because they don’t have will. Slaves are always trying to escape or revolt. The Noncogs are content doing what they’re told.”

Keith, Allura, and the other alternate-Altean are also talking. Keith says, “But you’re taking away their free will.” Until he said this, I thought that the two groups of people were having different conversations. But with Keith saying this, I guess we’re supposed to assume that the female Altean has been telling Allura and Keith the same thing that the male Altean has been telling Hunk, Pidge, and Lance? If the female Altean has been telling Allura and Keith about their will-suppressing technology, why has Allura been standing there looking all happy until Keith makes his comment.

Even after, she continues to listen to the alternate-Altean as if the Altean Empire’s slavery doesn’t violate her character’s established morality. I guess we’re supposed to think that Allura is so overwhelmed by there being other Alteans in an alternate reality out of her grief of having lost her reality’s Alteans that her morality is temporarily up to debate? Allura has demonstrated a rigidity to how her morality manifests itself in her behavior before, so it’s hard for me to see her even slightly thinking there’s validity to the Altean Empire’s slavery.

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge are alone in a corridor. “Is anyone getting a strange vibe from these guys?” Lance says. “There’s definitely something off about these Alteans. Is it me, or did they pretty much scramble the big dude’s brain?” Hunk replies. Are you kidding me? I can’t believe they wrote this exchange. Lance and Hunk, though they are discussing the situation, are so casual about it. They’re acting like something is only slightly off about the Alteans, like these Alteans are mostly like regular Alteans but just slightly different. These Alteans have literally just told them that they have a universe-wide empire and that they use technology to take away people’s willpower. If that is slightly different than the main-Alteans, then main-Alteans are as frightening as the Galra Empire. I can’t believe this show wrote Lance and Hunk to be reacting this calmly and casually to having literally just had someone tell them they take away the willpower of anyone who stands in their way.

Sven and Slav pop in. Pidge says they need to keep the Alteans from getting the “comet,” so at least it seems Pidge doesn’t need to debate like Hunk and Lance had been doing about whether these Alteans are good people. Unfortunately, the Alteans come through the door, guns drawn. The Altean guy identifies Sven and Slav as members of Guns of Gamara, clearly an analog to the Blades of Marmora.

“Allura, this might not be the Altea you remember,” Keith says. You think? The show has already established that these Alteans are a universe-wide, slavery-using empire. That the tone of how the Paladins still are talking about these Alteans does not match what they’ve been told about them. The Paladins’ reactions feel subdued at best, almost unreal. The female Altean says that they are different because they defeated the Galra and that they’ll help Allura defeat the Galra in her reality too. Allura smiles at the idea. Even knowing the Alteans enslave people, she’s still entertaining the idea that they’re good?

Keith tries to convince Allura that, since they’ve learned that not all Galra are bad, things might not be so “black and white as [the alternate-Altean] is making them out to be.”

Allura responds, “Keith, these are my people.” Uh, no they’re not. They are from another reality and have proudly described their Empire as dominating their universe and that they take away the willpower of anyone who opposes them. Allura identifies them as strong allies for her war against the Galra in her reality. I am not okay with how this episode has written Allura. It doesn’t seem like she’s even wrestling with her morality over this. It’s like her morality is nonexistent. She is undergoing literally no struggle in siding with the Altean Empire.

So, Allura powers the ship and pulls it through the rift so that the Alteans can get the “comet.” Coran watches as the ship moves through the rift and the rift closes. He reacts with a unexpectedly calm, “Not good.” I would think he would have freaked out a lot more strongly than that!

The male Altean brings Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Sven, and Slav, hands bound, to present their capture. Allura finally reacts when she hears Slav use the word “slaves.” “Slaves? Is this true?” she says. Did she miss Keith earlier saying to the female Altean, “But you’re taking away their free will?” Again, in order for Keith to have made that comment, the Altean had to have been describing the technology that they use to take away people’s willpower, which even Hunk identified initially as a form of slavery.

Keith pleads with Allura that they “can’t let this happen,” and Allura turns to the female Altean, saying that they “both want the same thing.” I don’t know how Allura has not been paying attention, but it’s clear that they have very different goals. Possibly the most generous assessment of Allura in this episode is that she, despite what character growth she had in season two with Keith being half-Galra and working with the Galra in the Blades of Marmora, that she is still so prejudiced against the Galra that she is willingly blind here. Again, these Alteans have proudly described their universe-wide empire and how they take away the free will of anyone who opposes them. This isn’t some secret side of these Alteans that they’ve kept hidden. They’ve been very open about it.

The female Altean makes clear their plans to use the “comet” to “bring our peace to every reality.” Of course they want to spread their domination: They’re an empire, that’s what empires do. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The Altean rejects Allura: “You’re no empress of mine.” Duh. Did she miss the fact that Allura is from another reality? Of course she’s not the Empress.

Allura finally reacts the way she should have been reacting for most of the episode, finally realizing that these Alteans are not the same kind of people that her Alteans were.

I do love Slav confidently laughing, telling Lance, “This is the reality where everything works out fine.” The bomb he planted earlier detonates. Everyone fights. The Paladins and the Guns try to flee.

An Altean sentry shoots at Lance, but Sven jumps in the way, taking the hit. Slav jumps to action and blows the sentries out into space. He says he’ll take care of Sven and for the Paladins to get to the Lions.

Allura realizes this is all her fault. Slav says they can still get the “comet” from the Alteans. They form Voltron, grab the “comet” and fly away. Slav has messed with the Altean’s ship’s thrusters so that they can’t pursue Voltron, but they still shoot at them. Pidge finds the supposedly exact spot in space where the “comet” had been before Allura pulled it through, so they can punch through reality and return to their own.

As soon as they make it through, Lotor’s forces grab the “comet.” He reveals that the initial distress signal to which they had responded was sent by him. The Paladins are unconscious, except for Allura, and Voltron is in no condition to fight/pursue Lotor.

Later, Keith tries to reassure Allura that they couldn’t have known about Lotor’s part in all this. That’s not because they couldn’t have potentially found out. Allura was so eager at the idea of more Alteans that she just charged in blindly, then acted severely out of character by not recognizing an empire telling here that they’re an empire means that they’re an empire. The show ends with the ominous portent that Lotor could use the “comet” to make “a weapon as powerful as Voltron.”

As I said at the beginning, I really want to like this episode. I think alternate reality stories can be so much fun. I really love Sven and Slav. I just can’t buy that the Paladins are so ridiculously gullible in this episode. The Alteans never once even slightly try to hide anything about who they are, and yet the Paladins, especially Allura, seem to ignore what they’re told.

The writing of the episode seems to think its being subtle and/or nuanced, but it’s not even close to subtle. That’s what makes Allura’s obliviousness so unbelievable.

Even though they’re alternate versions, Sven and Slav’s openness about how they’re trying to protect the “comet” from the Alteans makes me instantly wary of the Alteans. It puts me on alert regarding the Alteans from the moment they first show up. This script does not lull me as a viewer into a false security alongside Allura and the other Paladins to make it a surprise that the Alteans are bad. It makes Allura’s reactions to the alternate Alteans absurd.

[inquisitiveempath-blog]

VERSES UPDATED/SHUFFLED

Krie’s current active verses are as follows:

MAIN

With her siblings having been killed in a botched escape from their home planet, Krie has made it off of Paracel alone. Their career is devoted exclusively to the field of xenobiology, and they spend their time travelling from planet to planet documenting the native flora and fauna...and trying to find a new place that they can feel as though they belong. Fandoms: Star Wars, Mass Effect, etc.

STRANDED

Krie has the misfortune(?) of crashlanding on planet Earth. Interstellar travel has not yet been developed, and so they find themself marooned. However, adjusting to a more 'primitive' lifestyle feels more like a vacation to an adventurous Undine, so they are in no rush to leave any time soon. Fandoms: Overwatch, etc.

HALOSYDNE

Catch-all verse in which Krie is a Sea-Nymph rather than an alien. Krie’s backstory in this verse varies from thread to thread. Fandoms: Trollhunters, Fantastic Beasts/Harry Potter.

DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Krie meets Lance and Hunk when their Lions accidentally crash on Paracel and are seized by the Nereids. When the Paladins tell her about Voltron, Krie realizes they possess the capability to overthrow the Nereids and restore Paracel to the Undines (her plan gets a little more convoluted later), so since her broodmates are now grown and independent, she decides to help them get their Lions back. Upon succeeding with her assistance, Lance and Hunk learn that Krie faces execution for her treachery, and they take her back to the Castle of Lions with them, where she is recruited onto their team. Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

As of S3, Krie has left the Castle to work alongside Keith and the Blade of Marmora

HOLE IN THE SKY

In an alternate reality, the warlike and solitary undines, recently having conquered their neighbors the Nereids, lack the resources to take on the tyrannical Altean Empire. Unwilling to stand by while innocents are enslaved and slaughtered, one of the undine’s greatest warriors, Captain Krie'battalaa'aa, offers her services to the Guns of Gamara. With her adopted human son Hunk in tow, she works to free noncogs all over the Universe.  Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

--

verses no longer listed are considered defunct, but i would be happy to RP them privately on Discord with select partners!

[ursae-minoris-world]

What is your favorite Voltron episode?

Here is, as planned, a follow up of @ashrayus‘s ask for the Voltron ask meme ! :)

And here you start to see why I had to split the answers in separate posts...

So : Weblum: What is your favorite Voltron episode?

Haha, this is really a tough question. I really can’t chose just one.

Crystal Venom

I think, one of the episodes I always go back to is “Crystal Venom”. I just love how spooky it is. Allura’s situation in particular is both chilling and awfully tragic. Shiro’s panic attack is really upsetting. Lance has every right to freak out at the really scary stuff happening to him. Keith’s fight with the corrupted Gladiator is pretty epic, and how he wraps up the fight and saves Lance in one move is a really cool moment. And I really enjoy those moments where Keith and Lance put their differences aside and work together ! I love seeing Pidge and Hunk help each other too, and Hunk’s initial response to Pidge asking him to kick her :  “what ? No, we’re friends !”. Keith immediately worrying about Shiro when they realize what’s going on. And no one blaming Shiro for ejecting Sendak, but rather being worried about him. The scene where Allura has to destroy her father’s AI is really emotional to the point of being hard to watch.

Across the Universe

“Across the universe” is another favorite of mine. It has such a great balance between heartwarming and suspense / angst :

- I just adore Keith’s and Shiro’s interactions here. How much they care and worry for each other, how they try to reassure each other (the gap between what actually happens to them and how they downplay it when talking to each other is so funny and yet endearing). Keith admitting to Shiro how important he is to him. Keith being able to pilot Black so as to save Shiro. Seeing Shiro being himself, letting down all pretense when only Keith is around. His dark sense of humor (his joke about his wound got me laughing so hard the first time), how he admits he’s afraid not to make it out alive, and asks Keith to lead Voltron in that case. And Keith being so upset at the idea and reassuring him again. Haaaa.

- Allura and Coran’s loop, both really funny, but really scary because Coran comes pretty close to disappear. Allura admitting that Coran is like a second father to her. Awww.

- Poor Pidge, stranded all alone, missing her friends so much that she does mock ups of them out of trash. But at the same time, the little space fluffy creatures are there to keep her company and the scene with the “trash buddies” is so funny and cute. And it’s nice to see her regain hope and actually save the day.

Hole in the Sky

“Hole in the sky” : here I find that spooky atmosphere that I enjoy in “Crystal Venom” too.

I find the concept of alternate realities really exciting but also really scary when you see that in the context of a war. It would have been really bad if the alteans of this reality had been able to spread “peace and stability” to other universes as well. And just imagine if the Galra empire had access to other realities and could find allies, slaves, even more resources (quintessence)… What it would mean for the war. And how it would destroy the peace in other realities. It means the war spreading to every reality and makes it hard to have any hope of peace.

The concept of “noncogs” is deeply unsettling.

Also, seeing “evil alteans” is really interesting as it is another step further away from the manichean view of the universe the series conveys at first, and one step more in the direction of more nuanced shades of grey (just like the BOM and Keith’s origins show that Galra are not inherently evil). It’s really about the choices the characters make and not about being altean or galra.

This is also one occasion where we see the team has finally found a good way of working together with Keith in the lead.  

And even if I haven’t seen the 80’s version of Voltron, I knew of Sven and really enjoyed the reference. Seeing him team up with a bad-ass Slav, when Slav was the one person Shiro couldn’t get along with, is cute and hilarious. The team’s reactions to Sven when they think he is Shiro are also quite heartbreaking.

Coran being worried sick about them is really nerve-racking, too. And when they come back and are unconscious and Coran calls for them.

And Lotor’s plan is so clever. Using an altean distress signal was sure to lure them, of course they’d check it. And as he said, he wins either way : he either gets the comet, or gets rid of Voltron. And his plan works.

Also, Keith’s and Allura’s little dialogue at the end is sweet.

I just.. can’t make up my mind !

I also get why the ask is named Weblum because damn, I also love that one. The teary goodbyes at the beginning, the famous sheith hug is just so so good… and then, it’s Hunk and Keith interacting and it’s so. nice. To see them getting to know each other better. I love it.

I also really like “the Blade of Marmora”, “the Hunted”, “the Rise of Voltron”, “Tears of the Balmera”, “the Red Paladin”, “Shiro’s escape”, “Space mall”, “Tailing a comet”, “Code of Honor”, “Reunion”, “A new defender”, “Kral Zera”, “Bloodlines”… Honestly it’s really hard to chose a favorite, or even a top 3. I enjoy them all in different manners.

[uragirinoteme]

Keithober Day 12: Alternate Reality

Empress Allura!AU where Keith is an Altean half-breed instead of Galra, who's with the Guns of Gamora bc I can't picture him being a NonCog(?) he's too fiery for by that 😆

[ace-pidge]

BRUH WHO HERE LIKES FIREFLY/SERENITY WHAT IF THE ALTERNATE REALITY NONCOGS ARE REAVERS

Here’s the original concept from Serenity:

The Alliance had been testing behavioral modification on this planet through the chemical G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate (a.k.a. "The Pax" (Latin for "Peace")), administered through the air recycling systems. The chemical was designed to weed out aggression and anger. The ultimate result was that 99.9% of the population stopped going to work, talking to each other, and eventually stopped moving, eating or breeding, and therefore died. However, the remaining 0.1% ("a tenth of one percent") of the population had the opposite reaction, with their aggression and primal instincts boosted beyond simple madness into murderous rage, sadism and savagery.

Replace Alliance with Alteans and G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate with Hoktril and you have the same basic premise 

It stands to reason that not all species would have the expected reaction to the hoktril, I mean after all there’s no such thing as technology which is 100% completely infallible all the time every time. What if there’s a certain percentage (say 0.1%) of people who have the opposite reaction to the hoktril, and instead of becoming peaceful and docile slaves to the Altean empire they become violent and out of control “reavers” 

[pumpkins-s]

i want rift au even tho i just made like, 5. actually,, give me garrison trio rift au 1.0 content,,,,, #TeamRift

send me an AU and i’ll tell you 5 of my headcanons for it

#Team Rift

I can’t remember if we ever decided Lance is part of Allura’s court or just serves in her court but I’m a Hoe for both so minor noble Lance who serves as a personal attendant to Allura

I’ve gotten attached to Silver!Romelle so now I’m saying “part of Lance’s spy network  in Allura’s court & Lance’s cousin”!Romelle please and thank you 

Lance: did you really intend to break into the Altean court and take everyone out on your own? How???Pidge: I’m an angry teenage girl and that power alone would have sustained me

Altean dissidents are noncogged or executed and Lance has a long list of former friends who’ve met both fates

Hunk, softly but with feeling: I never signed up for this shit

[starriewolf]

Phonefic (7/∞)

Day 5 of 31 AU: Alpha/Beta/Omega Trope: Secret Identity Kink: Gun-Play Full list available HERE (18+ only), courtesy of random generator I’m sorry did you say gun-play all I heard was word-play.

"We need to stop meeting like this."

His target's back tensed, so subtle that Sven was sure no bystander would notice, but he knew the body in front of him, could find it on a moonless night, its contours etched into his mind like a portrait. "I don't know what you're talking about," Akira said, stiffly. "I was just passing by."

"Yeah, sure," Sven scoffed, marching forwards. "Milord," he added, a little louder, in case anyone was reading their lips. "May I have this dance?"

Akira spun around at the slightest touch on his waist, as though they'd practised it (oh, how Sven wished they did), somehow managing to make the twirl look graceful instead of what he was actually doing, which was checking for potential eavesdroppers.

No one should be around, even Slav agreed on the improbability of that, but they didn't survive so long in this business on maybes.

Least of all Akira, his cheek markings glowing like miniature stars, painting his face the colours of nebulae.

☆☆☆

Sven had a sinking feeling the moment he opened their next mission brief and saw a flyer advertising the annual Galactic Freedom Day ball.

Slav made an eerily accurate impression of a noncog when the mood struck him, but this was the Vol System. Even as rash as Slav was, he was content to wait in their getaway vehicle this time. Sven only hoped he wouldn't come back to find yet another improvement modification to their ship.

("There's a 26.89% that this third backup turbo octacore could save our lives one day, Sven!!")

Being Alteanoid in both shape and size, Sven could easily pass off as a mixed-blood from a few generations back, his Altean blood just dilute enough to lose the ears and cheek markings, while giving him the build expected of a typical Altean alpha. It was a sure ticket through the door at any Empire function, but it also wouldn't get him near any of the notables.

Sure enough, when he swiped to the next page of the briefing, he wasn't at all surprised to find he wasn't the main agent on the ground.

The photo was blurry, clearly ripped from a surveillance camera, but Sven would recognise Akira in any universe, even scent-blind and deafened.

☆☆☆

Akira's palm was warm in his hand, and Sven couldn't help but hold on just that little bit tighter, feeling Akira's fingers curl gently in answer where it was resting on Sven's shoulder.

It made the cold of the disk sliding surreptitiously into his palm all the more shocking, even though Sven was expecting it, was waiting for it.

This was it: the work of decapheebs and countless Guns, permanent backdoor access straight into the Altean Imperial Fleet's mainframe. No more thieving supply schedules quintents out of date, or guessing at troop movements based on Slav's algorithms - Gamora would now have all that data and more, live.

Akira could come home.

☆☆☆

The song came to an end far too soon, though Sven would confess, he would consider anything short of an eternity too soon.

He dipped his head politely, the picture-perfect "mixed-blood" thanking an Altean for their honour, and dropped a butterfly-light kiss onto Akira's wrist, right over the scent gland.

Aishiteru yo, he thought as hard he could, the only word of Akira's mother tongue he'd ever managed to learn, the closest equivalent they had to the emotion he needed to convey. Their matebond flared as he brushed his lips over skin, and he knew without looking up that Akira definitely heard him.

I love you.

[juskla]

me: agrees to an OC art trade when having no OCs on this blog... nice one. i panicked, and i made one up at the last minute, hope everyone likes her!

MEET UTARA!

Utara exists in the same alternate reality as Sven, and is an Altean rebel. She is a lower rank member of the Guns of Gamara, but also the president of an activism group called “Alteans Against Noncogs”, or AAN: strongly believing that peace achieved through the stripping of freewill is not peace at all, and that every being has a right to their own mind.

STRENGTH /////

AGILITY //////////

INTELLIGENCE ////////

[OC tag] [art tag] [twitter]

[puppetmaster55]

on the one hand, Operation Kuron is literally clones and it’s how the writers brought in Ryou Shirogane

on the other hand, Operation Kuron is the Galra eqivalent of the Altean Empire’s noncogs and that’s real Shiro

[dent-de-leon]

even though the idea of au keith being hoktril'd is plausible and angsty in the way that i think would usually be popular, i don't see it that much for some reason. maybe i haven't read enough fics but it doesn't seem like the noncog concept really caught on for some reason? and i can't think of why. just doesn't get brought up much even in passing.

I mean, it was only a one episode au, so I can see why people wouldn’t be interested in it the way they are in this universe’s world building. And I think in general a lot of people didn’t like this idea of a corrupt Altean empire after they had their home world destroyed in this universe and everything. I feel like making any main character entirely non-cog isn’t something people want to write because it completely robs the characters of their agency. 

I kinda worked around that by having Keith’s mental link with Black still help him have some control–so in essence, he’s still Keith, instead of just an empty shell. He’d still struggle with his emotions (just to the opposite extreme) and still has his ideals and sense of purpose. So I kinda cheated a bit, but I like the idea of someone becoming non-cog as long as they’re able to kind of overcome it. 

This idea of like, writing angst for angst’s sake is very unappealing to me and I think that’s another reason why most people wouldn’t want to go into it. So even though I’m interested in writing about it, it would be so that I could have the system overthrown rather than just making characters suffer–I like happy or bittersweet endings lmao