dude, hear me out on this! But I was watching a video essay about Peter Quill’s character (which is very interesting btw) and I started to think about our dear Valeska as a character.
-She’s lost her mother (At fucking 5 years old)
-Her father is banished by her people for a (debatably appropriate) reaction to your mate being murdered, leading to her and her sister being taken away from their ancestral home because of said banishment.
-She then has to grow up on a planet she doesn’t know nor that understands her or her family. Scraping by while trying to teach little Ata the best they can.
-then her father passes away (and they are unable to give him a proper Kakorean funeral), then her sister leaves her in a rage.
And she comes out of this with what? Slightly inhibited social skills and trust issues? She starts to live a static existence until the Guardians encounter her by chance.
Instead of just accepting a static life, she does a 180. Becomes Gladiator to a local arena. This;
-Allows her to make a more reliable living, rather than relying on her own biology.
-Gives her combat skills that I have never addressed (nor truly gave her) in her original backstory. Could even garner her more respect from the Guardians on first meeting (at least the ones that already know Kakorean nature)
-Creates a larger separation from her people. She’s been able to thrive through something they truly. But at the same time, she only took that road as her last resort. Which is something her people can learn to respect.
Instead of Ata being an angry woman who have not appeared to have matured in her world, I suggest that the sisters' bond was actually strengthens after their father's death.
-They would realise that they are the only ones who understand one another. But this could be because they also come to the assumption of how small they were in the grand scheme of things.
-They would end working for the better goal of at least enjoying their lives.
-Valeska's value of Family would be stronger and make more sense in the long run. She would understand the need to stand together.
Her initial stand off-ish nature would still be there because she does not know these people, but does respect the need to protect so she would choose to fight with them. Her eventual bond with the guardians does become familial and strong through these experiences.