one of my favourite things when I get into a new media is going hunting for small background details. anyway gonna blab about some dispatch bits I took note of.
Notebook on Robert's desk, end of Episode 3
Text transcription:
1. Fill out W-9 form by wednesday
2. Finish after action report, Blazer needs this ASAP
3. Complete harassment training
4. make sure to
Talk to team about Title IX
Robert. Make sure to what. Make sure to what, Robert?
Quick google search tells me that in the US, Title IX is the prohibition of sex-based discrimination in education. Makes me wonder what the context of Robert needing to talk to the team about that is. I don't think the Phoenix Program counts as education? Also the canon fact that SDN has harassment training as part of their onboarding. Every Z-Team member sat through that training module and immediately went back to acting like they do. Incredible.
Also Robert's little doodles are a mood. The S especially.
Robert's Phone, Beginning of Episode 3
Text transcription:
Calendar, Now
Staffing Sync 10:00AM
Mail, 09:15AM
14 Unread Messages
Reminder, [???]
Complete On-boarding Paperwork W-9 Form
Chat, 08:55AM
Hey this is Galen, heard you're our latest bullpen addition! Lemme know if you need anything. Also, we have make your own margs on Thursdays...
The idea of the dispatchers getting together and making margaritas every thursday is very entertaining to me. Also Galen being the first one to reach out and invite Robert is just one more reason he's the real MVP of the Torrance branch. Looking out for the newbies on and off the clock.
Whiteboards in Royd's workshop, beginning of Episode 3
Royd includes his workout schedule on the whiteboard. Quads Monday morning, glutes Monday at noon, abs Tuesday at noon. He also keeps an integral table like a real one, a joke about the "proof" of 2=1 (the secret is that it contains a division by zero!), and for some reason a list of the multiples of 12 and 13 up to 10. I'm not sure what the other table is, but at a guess I'd say it's a truth table for something.
I also don't recognize the calculations on this board outright, though part of that may be that the handwriting is atrocious. Multivariable calculus with a partial differential in there, though. fun times. Better Royd than me.
Mecha Man Suit hologram, beginning of Episode 4
Text Transcription:
Chemical Weapons
Factors Affecting the reaction rate: the rate of nitroglycerin's decomposition can be influenced by several factors:
Temperature: higher temperature increases the rate of decomposition by providing more energy to overcome the activation energy barrier.
Shock and Friction: mechanical shock of friction can initiate the decomposition reaction by providing the necessary energy to break the chemical bonds in nitroglycerin.
Stabilizers: historically, nitroglycerin was stabilized in dynamite by mixing it with materials like diatomaceous earth to control its reaction rate and make it safer to handle
Chest Armour- Explosions due to its highly explosive nature. it's a volatile liquid used in explosives, particularly dynamite. Its sensitivity to shock, temperature, and friction makes it prone to accidental detonation"
It seems like they just sort of sampled a stock text that was a bit more sciencey than lorem ipsum (they do that in a bunch of other places in the mecha man suit), but the idea that the mecha man suit uses nitroglycerin as part of its weapon system is interesting. If that's what made the suit explode in episode 6, then it's even more insane that Robert survived, honestly. Nitro is nasty stuff.
Coupé and Sonar's files, end of Episode 3
Not going to transcribe everything in these files, because they're long as fuck, but: Sonar's noting "several auxiliary rounds of financial negotiation" is very funny to me. Program offers you a chance to get away from the carceral system and you still run them through multiple rounds of salary negotiation. Reluctantly I admit that's baller. Coupé being banned from multiple countries and Ohio, "for reasons that are classified", is also wild.
It's interesting that these files are contradicted by information elsewhere, though. Coupé's height being listed as 5'5 and Sonar's as 5'9 when they're listed as 5'10 and 6'0 respectively in the hero database, and their birthdates (or parts of them, in Coupé's case) are actually listed on their flight licences, and Sonar's differs from the one here (11/08/1991):
Sonar DOB: 05/27/1991
Coupé DOB: 02/09/19XX
I also think it's neat to note that the two report files are dated at the top, presumably around the time that they were hired- which would mean that Coupé was hired around a month before Sonar was (01/12/2023 vs 02/15/2023). The tidbit that Sonar's report was written on the 15th of February is also interesting in conjuction with this next one- because the timelines are just not timelining up.
Robert's Recovery Room, Beginning of Episode 6
It looks like the board in his recovery room says "Feb 29 Wednesday". Based on Chase claiming to be 39 in present day and 20 in 2003, the latest we could assume the game takes place in is 2023, but it wasn't a leap year that year. Likewise, in February 2023 Sonar would not yet be 32 by either of his dates of birth, despite being listed as 32 in the hero profiles. So that would suggest February 2024, though the 29th was not a Wednesday that year (and would have been in 2023, if it were a leap year). Basically, the timeline doesn't make lots of sense with this board.
Anyway, fun details from this: Robert's pain scale was checked off on the chart as a 7-8, despite him having been unconscious. At least three different practitioners were involved in his care post-explosion. And porridge is listed as part of his diet for the day, though I can't make out the rest of the text there.
Frankly it's wild to me that SDN is using boards like this in their rooms, because these are mostly used for patients who are having long-term stays, in my experience. How many long-term patients are they getting that these are necessary?
Mecha Man Suit Blueprints, Beginning of Episode 4
Text Transcript:
Astral Pulse Core
The application of fundamental electromagnetic circuits in conjuction with the principles of centripetal force results in the generation of significant energy discharge.
Principles of Energy Generation in Magnetic Plasma Models
-force energy
-magnetic energy
- Astral Core: The generation of intermittent and rapid energy discharges, induced by centrifugal forces acting upon the poles of an electromagnetic field
-Astral Pulse Plasma Generation
-The Astral Pulse energy core system receives incoming waves and directs them through a circulating process to generate energy. This process is governed [??] principles of [??] ic field laws [??] al forces, [??] applied [??] ntil a [??] gy [??]
Initials Version 004
Code Name Astral Pulse Core
Module ------
Designed by Robert "Robbie" Robertson II with help of Elliot Brightman
Note Rev 11/15/2006
A fun attempt at the making the science behind the astral pulse seem a little more grounded, I suppose. Really not saying anything substantial, because you kind of can't. But peppering in the ideas of electromagnetism and plasma are helpful for the scifi feel. Also, different surname used for Shroud, here. A villain like him having a name like Elliot Brightman has a touch of irony I kind of enjoy, so I kind of prefer it honestly.
Text Transcript:
- Astral Pulse Core Nexus
- Primary Control Interface
- Operator's Seating Position
- Safety Belt
- Joint Control Drive
- Power Drive
- Avionics Control Panel
Initials Version 001
Code Name Mecha Man Interior Cockpit
Module ------
Designed by Roy Alona
Note Rev. 07/16/2023
Canon surname for Royd? Otherwise not much to say beyond the fact that there's more timeline shenaniganry. Suggests a date in July of 2023, at least for the start of the game.
Text Transcript:
Mech-Suit Arm Mk II
- Signal Receiver
- Chest Armour
- Thermal st[??] discharge[??]
- [??]el
- Center protec[??]
- Blade Sliding Plate
- Blade Storage Compartment
- Cover Plate
- The joints within the blade mechanism facilitate its extension and retraction, allowing the blade to be lengthened for use and folded to a compact size for storage within the Mecha-suit's arm.
- The internal joints extending from the Mecha-suit's arms function as actuators for deploying concealed blades, which are utilized during combat operations.
- The internal joints of the mecha suit's leg mechanism are engineered to provide full 360 degree rotational movement around the axis
Initials Version 001
Code Name Mechsuit
Module ------
Designed by Robert Robertson
Note Rev. 05/06/1965
Man the OG mecha man prime suit is old as fuck. not much to say on this except to complain that these are dogshit mechanical blueprints. In the age of CAD it's a bit of a dying art but in 1965? Robert Robertson the first you need to git gud. I do think it's neat that they're drawing from the MM Prime designs as well as the Astral, though.
Robert's Recovery Room, Beginning of Episode 6
this isn't actually much of a background detail but. babe that ECG is showing some sus as fuck PR segments. Very concerning fibrillatory waves. Robert please see a cardiologist.
There's apparently a dedicated costume department on the second floor. Are they clothing the Z-Team? Is there a professional banging their head on the wall knowing Flambae is running around two millimeters away from a nip-slip and resulting PR incident in a suit of his own design instead of coming to them? How much of the budget goes towards replacing Sonar's suits after he shreds them transforming?
Mr. Whiskey's bottle of whiskey:
"JAKE RODKIN'S New Very Good WHISKEY- BETTER THAN YOUR NEIGHBOR JAKE DONALD SPECIAL VERY SEXY TASTY"
I feel like "Jake Donald" is their proxy name for Jack Daniels despite stealing their label design with another name. Idk it's just very entertaining to me somehow. "Very sexy tasty" is also a new vocal stim waiting to happen.
Certificate in the bullpen:
"CERTIFICATE Clean Building Excellence SDN BUILDING"
... Okay so what you're telling me is that Waterboy working overtime on janitorial duty was actually him working to uphold a significant standard that was recognized officially at least three times over... somebody show the janitorial staff more love. If they're cleaning Sonar's guano out of the parking lot on the regular and still getting these awards, they're clearly doing an incredible job.
Chase's notes to himself:
"Don't forget! -check the station -buy a new bed for the dog..."
"don't forget to clean out the thing in fridge the next [...]"
Okay firstly: Chase, what is "the thing"??? what kind of food crime has been committed in that fridge? And he was locked the fuck in on getting Beef a bed he put it on the same priority level as work stuff. He loves that dog so fucking much it's crazy.
Food on Chase's desk:
"GALAXY TREATS: small/petit, made with real beef, ADULT DOG"
"The Bur-Ger of Burger: BURGER!"
Can't believe Beef is being forced into cannibalism... Even moreso I'm just confused by the slogan for Burger!... which actually means it would probably work as a marketing strategy.
not going to copy out all the text because this is a doozy, but. Robert's Operations Summary/After-Action Report, printed out the side of his computer (flipped upside down for readability):
A record of all the mission locations and whether they were a success. It seems that, canonically at least, the Z-Team don't have a great record- literally 10/20 calls were successful. Also, Robert wrote his team as "Phonix" which is wrong in multiple ways... Bro please lock in...
Robert also keeps his passwords on post-its at his desk, despite being into cybersecurity and hacking himself. Devastating but 100% real. weird choice for a password, too.
Robert's computer after being pranked. Also not transcribing this one.
This is why you don't leave your password on a post-it. btw. Anyway the fact that one of these is "Phenomaman Blonde Blazer Sex Tape Leaked" is especially fucking out of pocket as a choice to put on your boss' computer when Blazer is HIS boss (Z-Team doesn't fuck around. Or rather they do, I guess). But these ads raise some intriguing points about what kind of kinks would probably be realized in a world of superheroes... "guy replicating himself to conga-line fuck his replicants" wasn't something that would have occurred to me, but upon further consideration it sounds about right.
Break room bulletin board:
DO YOU HAVE BACK PAIN? JOIN US NOW!!
happy STAY HYDRATED
Vacation House Rental
MEET THE PARTY
Management Course- Analytical Thinking, Communication, Problem-Solving, Team Management
LEARN TO PLAN TO KNOW TO GROW (stonks) HOW TO BE A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF
BANG! BANG! FESTIVAL
FOR RENT
GAME NIGHT
Enjoy Your Weekend- PIANO SHOW PIANO SHOW
Yoga Together- "Find Your Zen, One Pose at a Time." Let's Do Yoga! [...] SDN
It's... actually kind of sweet to know that people are doing games nights and group yoga... and of course make your own margs as established in the last post. Also the plague of a stupid fucking tiny house setup being marketed as a vacation house rental (with price probably cranked accordingly) but being shoved in the faces of locals who might be struggling with finding affordable housing... I've never been to L.A., but living in a coastal city with a big tourist industry I still saw a lot of that. Exhausting. Surprised no one's taken that one to the shredder yet lmao.
...Also can I just say the stonks thing and the management course gave me a very visceral image of Sonar showing up to those events so he can be a nuisance and flex his Harvard degree... just because he's bored.
Break room bulletin board part two (or at least the parts I can make out):
Employee rights- the impact of minimum wage laws on businesses and workers in a specific state
Work Privacy- "Privacy Rights in the Workplace"
Employee Rights- EMPLOYEE POLYGRAPH PROTECTION ACT
The idea of ANYONE at SDN making minimum wage is actually criminal. Robert. Galen. Lana. I am taking your hands. Please unionize. Also the EPPA is apparently a real thing in US law- good that employees are for the most part protected from polygraph "tests" by their employers- but apparently there are allowances for if certain employees of private firms are "reasonably suspected in a workplace incident". Such an insane sham of a practice.
Plaques in Blazer's Office:
National Defender Certification- In the name of the United State Republic May [...] Blond Blazer a [...] Officer [...] United State Republic
[...] the honor to [...] Blond Blazer [...] and [...] Officer [...]
[...] Superhero Dispatch [...]
[...] Superhero Dispatch [...]
[...] Medal of Valor [...]
The Tl;DR from what I can get here: Blazer has certifications and licences to act as a National Defender, and as some form of officer (I would guess this is related to her technically being the parole officer for the Phoenix Program?). There's an oopsie that the title of one of the plaques changes from "superhero dispatcher" to "medal of valor" on one of these- but apparently there *is* a medal of valor given to Public Safety Officers in the U.S., so. Sure, she has a medal of valor. But also, there are multiple references to the United State Republic, so... guess things are a little different in Dispatch world?
Plaques in the conference room:
Torrance City Council Community Service Award Presented to SDN [...]
SDN Interbranch Intramural Indoor Volleyball RUNNER UP
My real question here is, who's playing in these volleyball games? Because the mental image of Flambae pulling a move like that one scene in A:TLA was immediate and powerful. I don't know that Z-Team would have been invited up until now, but... think of the potential.
Post-its in the conference room:
Who took the TV?!
Moved to Room 1A
I actually wondered where the TV was until I read this, because we see it in the background during the scene where we're cutting Coupé or Sonar. Continuity.
Shelves in the records room (not transcribing).
Looks like all these books are on racing and other athletics. Running shoes up on top, a trophy... a figurine of what I'm guessing is meant to be usain bolt based on the yellow uniform? Anyway knowing that Chase can't run anymore but keeps all this around... devastating. Implications behind him keeping it in the records room remain unclear.
Post-it in Robert's cubicle:
TPS Reports are due EOD. Everyday. Please email Frank Dirpit. [...]
I know that in popular media, TPS Reports are just used as a joke or buzzword about paperwork because of Office Space. But my first thought was "is Robert passing off all his hacking as software security QA testing? is this man filling out Test Procedure Specification reports every time he hacks something?". Frankly, I think that's funnier.
Anyway, this has been another episode of 'Ali looks too hard at background details we probably weren't supposed to think about". Dispatch is a setting that feels so alive and remarkably grounded for a superhero game, which really fuels my enjoyment of tiny set dressing things even more. I'm also lowkey obsessed with the knockoff business names featured in the background of stuff so I may at some point make a post dedicated just to that. We'll see how insane I get.
also, can I just say, this is the funniest thing that's happened to me in Dispatch. I was just trying to proc Blazer's intervention so I could look at her profile page, and instead Waterboy fucking solo'd Coupé's forces. Legend behaviour.
Man the more I think about SDN's medical department the more insane I get. They've got employees from other galaxies, employees who are human-animal hybrids, employees who are sentient constructs. Standardized medical records would probably need to have insane amounts of detail. Include sections to describe the physiology of the employee down to things like. "Type of Skeleton: [ ] Vertebrate [ ] Invertebrate, Endoskeleton [ ] Invertebrate, Exoskeleton [ ] Invertebrate, Hydroskeleton [ ] Askeletal [ ] Other (Please Specify):________ [ ] Unknown". Just an attempt to record all the details you can in order to gather insight into just how you could treat them in the inevitable event that they get injured on the job.
How do you know what the healthy vital signs are when you've never had another patient with that biology? How do you detect and assess issues in someone with alien physiology? How do you put someone like Golem on life support?
Exploring the medical implications of a world like this is very fun. Also, exploring the biology of these characters. Idk how insane it is to write a fanfiction that's just a thorough medical assessment and accompanying record paperwork for each of the characters, but we're rapidly reaching that point.
