Dispatch REVERSE(Kinda?) AU
In which roles are still the same, except powers are swapped- It makes more sense when I explain.
Ok so, originally it was gonna be a thing where the characters powers are swapped with other characters powers- Ex: Waterboy swaps with Flambae- But I thought against it and figured I would just do the opposite of their original power. Mostly cuz I don’t want to swap Robert with anyone because then that defeats the purpose of his inherited trauma or whatever. SO. Here are the changes I have so far because somehow this changes the plot of the game…
Robert: Now, canon Robert doesn’t have any powers- But I was thinking, what would be the reverse of a man with a metal mech suit? Simple- A mech with a human flesh suit. LET ME EXPLAIN. In this au, Robert is going to sorta be a cross between Astro-Boy origin story and Tony Stark type stuff. If you’ve read the comic where it shows how Robert got that chip in his ear, you’d know that he had been acting pretty stupid and was messing with the suit which almost killed him. It had only been with Chases intervention that he survived with a chip in his ear and a dislocated shoulder. HOWEVER, in this universe, Robert is not so lucky. Long story short, Robert is killed by the suit, so his Dad and Shroud work together to rebuild him or whatever and use the Astral pulse to do it. (This ties into later stuff which I haven’t fully decided yet but Shroud has this weird dynamic with Robert about being in some way his dad too-) So, Robert is still TECHNICALLY human, he grows up and stuff like that- But he’s also not REALLY human- Like, a cyborg almost. Mecha Man. Literally. Anyways, so he still goes on to be Mecha Man blue after his dad dies, he still pilots a mech suit but he’s a little more TIED to it if that makes sense. In this universe, the fight with Shroud leads to the pulse getting DAMAGED and so Robert needs to find either a replacement or a way to mend the pulse before he either shuts down or loses access to his bionic bits forever. The absence of the pulse leaves him weakened and kinda odd, but that’s what’s up with this bro. At least he has his pet cat named Pork. Still unsure what exactly Shroud plans to do in this timeline.
Chase: I struggled a little when it came to swapping out his powers for something different- What’s the opposite of a speedster? A slowster? That doesn’t make sense. But, then I had an idea that maybe instead of speeding himself up, he can slow down everything else around him? Or something else to do with time? Maybe he takes a few years off himself every time he goes back in order to change something. His hero name would be Backtrack. What I DO know about the reverse character is that instead of being an old man due to the backlash of his powers, Chase has been DE-AGING, getting younger the more he uses them. (Saving Invisigal nearly runs him straight out of existence- I’m talking fetus type stuff-) So, it’s kinda funny seeing what LOOKS like a 6 year old or something working a desk job, complaining about how he can’t have sex or drink anymore, and cursing with every third word out his mouth. Robert often teases him about how it’s “past his bedtime” or “you want a kids toy with that?” Or some other dumb stuff like that. Same old dynamic really.
Waterboy: Lowkey messing around with Waterboys character was the start of this whole idea. Started out as a simple- What if instead of water, he had FIRE but was still an awkward stuttering guy and nothing changed that much? So, Fireboy was born. Because fire is the opposite of water obviously. His powers are a little funny tho, he is ALWAYS hot and is constantly wearing fire protective gear so that he doesn’t burn people by accident just by getting too close. One of his funnier facets is that he can be seen wearing a pair of goofy oven mits over his hands that he got from his grandma or something. His insecurity stems from the whole “everything I touch burns- How can I be a hero if I hurt everything that come an into contact with me?” Another funny thing is his issues with managing his emotions. Going off of the whole… Chair through the vending machine scene- I think ol’ Herm has some issues “bottling things up to accommodate everyone else’s feelings.” Except in this case, it’s a bit more… Explosive. He has breathing techniques and corny little mantras if that helps. On the plus side- The cats at home like him a lot more now- Or would they be dogs in this case?
Flambae: Going by the logic of this new universe, Fire gets swapped with Water. Because roles are still relatively the same- Flambae- Or maybe Hurricane? Name pending for him- Has a bit more control over his powers as an ex criminal. Maybe he caused a tsunami during his whole past fight with Mecha Man? Overall, his story is still essentially the same though I may have him lose something different other than two of his fingers. Perhaps an eye or a leg? He may be a little more chill though post z team program, having less of a “first temperament” and more of an “impending storm” sort of thing. As for fun little changes- He now has a good reason to have a sopping wet head of hair but he wears it better- Lowk beautiful rolling waves of hair. Can’t think of much to say about him- Maybe he can turn his actual body to water and travels fast via pipe system? Or he skates around like some sort of human water-skier. Powerhoze could be a possible name for him. Still buts heads with Robert because as we all know- Metal and Water don’t mix all that well either unless under certain circumstances. Or something. I can’t help but envision a stupid little storm cloud appearing over his head when he gets pissed about something.
Prism: Opposite of light manipulation would probably be DARK manipulation right? Shadow magic user- Her name would be Umbra- And I think would still wanna be a pop star. Or perhaps now she specializes in more slow song Ballads. Something about manipulating shadows to make herself seem brighter or something. Reverse spotlight? I had an idea power wise that she could still utilize darkness to create shadow copies of people and stuff- But also, I think she can create an absence of light so she can beat everyone up in the dark while she herself stays in the limelight. Instead of the pink and blue- I’m having her go with a more black and white theme because that’s the aesthetic I suppose. She still has the same personality as canon though, and is still our favorite ex villain diva. Even if she does get a lot of zebra and cruella devill comments from Robert.
TBD:
Malevola: Obviously opposite of being half demon would be half angel- Right? Logically at least. I mostly just kinda like the idea I had for her design because I replace her pointed ears and horns with little wings, kinda like how a biblically accurate Angel has many wings? Wouldn’t it be funny if angels are still just as in fathomable and terrifying but her mom or dad still managed to have a kid with one. But this Malevola might have a different name- Angela would be a cop out but it’s kinda funny to me. Wears her halo around her neck as a choker or something. Other than the design stuff- I think she still remains sorta the same role wise. It would be cruel of me to deprive this woman of her big ass sword- But I’m still unsure what kind of power-set I can give her. Should I stick with teleportation or what would be the opposite of portals? She has more holy themed powers I think but I don’t think she can fly. Or maybe she can? Still to be decided. Though- Perhaps instead of a sword she has this like- Holy crossbow which shoots exploding things. Idk.
Sonar: I had a passing thought for Sonar. At first I figured- What would be the opposite of a bat? And owl? Then I figured no, the bat is the important bit I can’t get rid of that- Then it occurred to me. Maybe instead of a human with bat-like features- He’s a bat that has human-like abilities. Like, he starts out as a normal bat, then gets mutated by some kind of outside factor that gives him the ability to swap between forms… Maybe he still ends up going to Harvard and that’s just how he learns to be human from. Still a little unsure how his swap would go down- But I thought it would be funny if it was a reverse vampire situation- We’re he starts out as a simple bat but can shift into a more human like form while still retaining those usual bat instincts. He still might have a similar personality though PURELY because the friends he made at Harvard were all grade A assholes. If that makes sense. Is he still a drug addict? Or maybe he just… Ate too many people.
Invisigal: Struggling a bit with her character power for certain- After all, how do I swap Invisibility with anything without making it seem like a heroic power? Her whole characters shtick is that she has a “villainous” power and believes that her fate is to be a villain because of it. (Disagreeing with that but whatever-) So what’s the opposites of being undetectable? Being detectable. So- My idea was that she has a tracking ability that can go both ways. Could be considered a weak, stalker ability- In which she can know the location of something or broadcast her own location whenever she needs? Touch based perhaps? I’m still workshopping it- But it’s either that or she has X ray vision which could be seen as a villain ability too. Like- Instead of being see through, SHE is the one doing the seeing through… Makes more sense. Juggling between the two ideas but otherwise her story arc is the same. Unsure how her flipped power ties in with her usefulness to shroud and planting the bomb- If there ever WAS a bomb but whatever. Still figuring that out. Come to think of it, X ray vision might be the winner it seems like something she would have for a power… And possibly abuse. Maybe it comes into play because Robert is a robot on the inside?
Golem: What’s the opposite of an earth construct? We already have fire, and water- The only thing left is AIR right? Sky and earth are opposites so I’m grasping at straws here. I think what I’m envisioning is like- The wind spirit from Frozen 2? Except you can see it? Still trying to figure out how it works for him but I can see things still being relatively destructive for him as he is quite literally the concept of wind- So he’s burst through doors and knocks over shit without really realizing or caring. The issue isn’t that he’s big- Or maybe he is? Kinda like the Old North Wind from Over The Garden Wall? A big Cloud guy? Still figuring it out. lol I just had a thought that during the chair scene- Robert gets blown across the room via wind spirit Golem and tries to throw a chair but it goes right through the guy. Negative aura lol.
Those are the ones I have so far-
Still struggling to figure out how Blonde Blazer, Phenomaman, Coupé, and Punch Ups powers are swapped for- As well as Shroud of course and maybe some of the villains- Mainly because I still want to keep their roles and characters true to themselves you know? What would Punch Up be if not short? But he traded his hight for strength so… And Blonde Blazers whole thing is her sense of identity as both a civilian and a super hero but I don’t want to debase her character over something like that- (Maybe I can just have it that she’s a brunette as a hero and blonde irl- A model who finds a sense of self helping people as a hero?) Phenomaman is a tough cookie to swap too… Coupe would be easier though I just haven’t gotten to her yet. The plight of an AU I suppose-
Input and ideas are very welcome! Feel free to comment any ideas you might have or something. Idk if I’ll ever write about this au but it’s sure fun to think about and doodle soooo…