I come back with more roommates swap AU, this time the canon starting vampires, and what they're like as humans in the AU
His backstory is mostly the fake one he gave in canon; he's a manor lord from a few towns over. Instead of wanting to see what life was like for commoners, though, the reason he came to Oakhurst is because he’s heard rumors of vampires living in the area, and he’s hoping he can find one and convince them to turn him.
That's because, like in canon, he's still an aristrocat who wants to further his power and influence over others. His behaviour also remains the same; posh, arrogant, charming, manipulative, acts mostly in self-interest.
His goal to become a vampire is also why he befriended Shelby; she was pretty open about believing in vampires, and so he hoped that if he got close to her she could help him find one. He just didn't expect that *she* was a vampire. He did openly tell her that he was interested in becoming a vampire, though, which was why she became so quickly attached to him; that was a person who wanted to befriend her, and on top of that who wanted to become *like* her (she doesn't realise both those things are purely out of self-serving reasons). It's also why he was one of the first people she intended to turn, which happened in the second episode.
His backstory actually changes quite a bit. He's still sick (specifically leprosy in this au, since afaik it's not confirmed in canon), and did still grow up mostly shunned by his village. Unlike in canon, though, he never met Louis, and eventually decided to leave the village behind due to the stigmatisation he experienced. That's how he came upon Oakhurst.
Due to the change in backstory, he's a lot less angry and hateful than his canon counterpart. That doesn't mean he's suddenly all sunshines and rainbows. He's experienced a lifetime of ostracisation, so he's wary and hesitant around people. He does also yearn for human connection, though, and is extremely surprised when that wish gets answered in Oakhurst. While the other townsfolk don't all have perfect reactions to his condition, none of them outwardly shun him, and many are genuinely friendly and open towards him. He's especially close to Legs in this AU (in a far less toxic way than in canon lol), since the doctor is the most understanding of his condition.
Like M in canon, he's interested in being turned into a vampire, in his case because he's hoping it'll cure him. He still hesitates, though, mostly because of the whole "blood thirst" thing; it would be like swapping out one ailment for another. Another reason is that in canon, he had no qualms accepting that he'd be excluded from society once he turned into a vampire since that was already his reality. But in this AU, he found community for the first time within Oakhurst, and he's worried that becoming a vampire would lead to him losing that again.
(Also, an explanation for why i decided to change his backstory and write Louis out (sorry Louis, i love you); the AU's starting vampires are, let's say, more morally questionable than their canon counterparts. I wanted to balance it out by making AU!Owen less villanous, which i did by taking away his reason for being that villanous in the first place; watching his lover be brutally murdered. The reason why Scott didn't become more sympathetic in this AU as well is that I don't think it works as well with his character as it does Owen's)
