#he /hates/ vau Raz. but it's more as this faceless proxy for everything he hates about the Psychonauts

[2hoothoots]

because i'm predictable, what're bobby and chloe up to in the villain au? or how's the dynamic between sam and dogen since he's taken psychoisolation to the extreme?

Bobby's in a pretty similar position to the regular timeline - at least, at first glance. he's overworked and underpaid, constantly crunching to try and keep on top of the ever-growing mountain of paperwork his superiors keep handing down to him.

but i think the trajectory of his character looks pretty different? he never really met Raz at Whispering Rock. he never got humbled by him, never had to suffer the embarrassment of his spot as top dog being yanked away by some new kid... but he also never really got to go through a lot of the character growth from their ensuing rivalry? he's definitely mellower than he was as a kid, but he's got a lot of unresolved issues bubbling under the surface - anger problems, poor self-esteem, a tendency to lash out at authority figures...

he still really believes in the work he's doing, and wants the Psychonauts to be the force for good he knows they can be. but he's carrying a growing burden of stress and exhaustion, stuck in a toxic work environment that's more likely to change him (or just make him snap) than he is to change it.

his only real friend at the Motherlobe is Chloe. Chloe is... well! again, first-glance, not that much has changed. she works the same job in the Motherlobe's engineering and aerospace department, and she still gets to pursue her childhood fascination with space.

but the harsher work culture and the more pragmatic, efficient environment have exacerbated some of her less personable traits. she's blunt, rude, and almost fanatically devoted to her work, to the exception of basically everything else. her workplace safety standards are lax, and her ethics laxer. she'd sell the Psychonauts out for one corn chip if she thought it'd get her better funding for her pet projects

#my thesis is that Raz and Bobby made each other worse and then better #in this timeline Bobby never hit those lows. but he also never got to grow past them and develop as a person #he /hates/ vau Raz. but it's more as this faceless proxy for everything he hates about the Psychonauts #Raz barely even knows he exists. #Chloe and Bobby are still good buds! and maybe on-again off-again something more #but they're both too... (gestures vaguely) to really hold down a stable relationship as they are now #Chloe also never gets to meet Mirtala in this version of events #and she never gets to have that kind of uncomplicated deeply loving friendship with another kid her age #and among other things she's fundamentally much less well-adjusted because of it #but then isn't everyone in this au lol #villains au #SAM AND DOGEN is good also... i need to chew over that one more #much to think about #but i wanted to draw bobby today so here he is