The home of the Voltron / Transformers Prime AU and related materials - the Paladins and their giant robots that turn into vehicles fight for freedom on the red planet of Mars. Strap yourselve's in, it's going ot be a fun ride.
Welcome to the Voltron in Disguise, this blog will contain all things related to the Children of Mars, a tfp/Voltron AU that Mod Mo and I created. This is very much an experimental blog, I havenât seen any dedicated to an AU that werenât art based, so questions and feedback are much appreciated.Â
So what exactly do Transformers Prime and Voltron have in common? Giant robots, the power of friendship, technology that might as well be magic and wizards, the price of war, 2 major female characters each, and both of them can be watched on Netflix.Â
Weâd like there to be two tracks on this blog, one will be a whole toolbox thatâs designed to be used by other people to create there own story in the au (with fiction, rp, etc), the other will be specifics of our story in the au. Itâll be a journey of discovery.
Do you like giant robots and plucky, color coded teens? Then youâve come to the right AU.
The Alteans are in charge of half the galaxy, thanks to a race of cybernetic lifeforms they enslaved and brainwashed long ago. The fun doesnât start until a band of robot rebels led by Megatron crash on the partially terraformed Mars while fleeing their oppressors, only to find themselves tangled up in a war for martian independence thanks to a talented gang of child soldiers who have an affinity for giant immortal robots and their problems. They must learn to work together as a team in order to beat the odds.
This is the basic AU scenario, feel free to use it as you wish for your own rp, games, and timelines. Basic outline below the cut
Factions:
Paladins: Kids caught up in the fight for Martian independence against the invading Terrans. Things werenât going so for their whole side when the Runaway robots showed up.
Decepticons: Fugitive slaves fleeing their masters. Their leader is determined to free their entire race from the bonds of the Altean Empire. Leader: Megatron
Autobots: Agents of the Altean Empire sent to capture the fugitives and return them to their masters. They see themselves as the good guy, while the Decepticons are destructive troublemakers who fell under the corrupting influence of Megatron. Leader: Optimus Prime
Alteans: âcaretakersâ of a vast galactic empire. They consider themselves to be fair, benevolent and peaceful. The transformers are a vital part of keeping their empire stable and happy.
Galra: They were beaten back by the Alteans a very long time ago. Now they exist in fragmented clans on the fringes of the empire. They like to influence events from the shadows and are secretly helping the Terrans by providing technology for their war with Mars. Â
SETUP:
History: Tens of thousands of years ago, the Alteans put a stop to the Autobot/Decepticon war. They used a combination of alliances and superior magitech to pacify the Cybertronians to keep them from destroying more of the galaxy with their conflict. The Alteans then used their special brand of magic and extremely advanced technology reprogram every single Cybertronian to serve as agents of peace under their control, and thus, the vast Altean Empire was born.
Fast-forward to eons later, the Fugitive Robots crash on Mars. They are trapped without the resources to leave and the Autobots in hot pursuit. They discover quickly that the autobots are transmitting some kind of signal to compel them to return their former life, and itâs strongest when they are in their alt mode. Damn that Optimus and his state issued Altean tech!
The solution? They needed Riders, they needed organic butts in their seats in order to satisfy the codings parameters, but not someone who could take control of them. They needed operators who were easy to get, relatively powerless, simple to intimidate and manipulate, roughly Altean sized and able to sync with them enough to fool the coding but not enough to take away their control. In other words, they were going to need some human children who had an uncanny affinity for technology. Unfortunately they snatch up some exceptional kids who have already seen hell and know how to fight back. They wanted a gaggle of patsies, but ended up with Paladins instead. Â
Lance, Keith, Pidge, Hunk and Shiro were all born as Free Martians and they all fought in or at least were affected by the war to keep Mars independent when the Terrans sent a force to take the colony back. At first, the robots just have Pidge, Hunk, Lance and Keith in their clutches. Poor Shiro is locked up back on Terra, to be tried for âWar Crimesâ and theyâll have to get him out eventually (long term goal!). The robots need the kids in order to fully function on this planet and the kids could use the robots help to win the war that the Martians have almost lost. They can work something out.
SETTING:
Decepticon Base: An ancient crashed space station retrofitted to be a base during Marâs original war for independence. It consists of huge rooms and doors fit for Giant robots along with catwalks and smaller rooms for humans. The original space station was a  huge, altean spiral that drilled its way into the ground when it crashed, so their are secrets buried beyond the surface factory floors. The kids have a series of rooms accessible by catwalk, they start with bare mattresses and an entire pallet of corn flakes because certain giant robots donât really understand food and the need for variety.
Mars: The partially terraformed red planet at the heart of this conflict. Thereâs one enormous valley that has earthlike conditions where most of the Martians live, beyond that is desert and scrubland, the atmosphere thins out the further you get from the valley.
Politics: The war has gone very badly for the rebels when the Decepticons show up. All the major cities, space stations and outposts have been taken by the Terrans and the remenents of the army have fled into the backcountry scrubland. They are very close to total victory.
PERSONAL:
Programming: The cybertronians have no memory of their past, most of them believe that they were built by Legendary Alteans long ago and that they were made to serve the empire. All of the transformers who have rebelled have had to subvert the coding that keeps them obedient and in their place. This leaves each of the Fugitives with odd quirks, fixations, hang-ups and moments of irrationality that all have to do with how they are able to remain independent of their masters or how they broke away from them in the first place.
Teamwork!: Each kid has several Decepticons that they are more compatible with / who will tolerate their presence inside their cockpit/cab. Most of the Transformers have âfavoritesâ and the kids gradually learn how to assist their partners in those pesky skirmishes with the autobots. Over time these working relationships could deepen into friendships. Â
Mix it up: Feel free to have characters change sides and import characters from other continuities. The Decepticons are only the robots that were able to break free under Megatronâs leadership. For example, Mod Mo and I moved Arcee over to the decepticons so that she and Keith could be a team (the boy needs a motorcycle badly), Also Skids is there because his memory problems and super learner abilities work well with all the mind control / brain coding shenanigans.
Some questions to help you get started:
Did all the paladins know each other prior to being kidnapped by giant robots? If so, how well?
How were the kids affected by the war? What role did they play in it?
What sort of team are the "Rebel Transformers" when they arrive? Are they individuals who came together recently or old friends? Old enemies working together because they hate being enslaved more? Or do some mix?
How does each Decepticon feel about the paladins when they first arrive.
