mldz :)

now before we get started, lemme just say this:

this is NOT a true swap AU.

yes, the characters' roles were swapped, but the story is different (and I mean WAY different) to better match each character. trust me, things would have gone VERY wrong otherwise.

(also, I'm still trying to figure a few things out, so bear in mind that things may change.)

so who's swapped with who?

for these swaps, I mostly went with hero-villain relations. Mario is swapped with Bowser. Luigi is swapped with King Boo. this also extends to the expanded universe, as Wario is swapped with Captain Syrup and Donkey Kong is swapped with K. Rool.

then I got to characters like Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser Jr. and was like, "what the hell am I gonna do with you guys?" then I remembered that Kamek exists and thought that swapping him with Peach would be interesting. (this one swap would later become the backbone of the changed story.) but what about Yoshi and Bowser Jr.? the one thing my brain said was "swap them with each other". but... HOW?! I eventually figured out a way that also brought in the other Yoshis and the Koopalings, thus more story changes.

continuing on, I got to Daisy and Rosalina. figuring out who to swap them with and how was a little less difficult. since Luigi and King Boo were swapped, I thought that swapping Daisy and Petey Piranha was a given. the hard part was how I was going to put Daisy in Petey's role, but I'll touch on that later. then, since Daisy was swapped with a boss, I thought it would be fitting that Rosalina was also swapped with a boss. so I chose King Bob-omb.

moving on again, my mind then shifted to the different species. Toads being swapped with Koopas were a given, and because Rosalina and King Bob-omb were swapped, so were Lumas and Bob-ombs. but what about everything else? ...to be honest, I'm still not completely sure. I'm leaning towards having all enemies besides the Koopas be on neutral terms.

like I said, this is not a true swap AU, since not everyone is swapped. I said that Kamek was swapped with Peach, but he's also swapped with Toadsworth. his role is split between the two of them. Toadette didn't swap with anyone, but she swapped species. she's now a Paratroopa.

and then there's everyone I don't know what to do with. Birdo, Pauline, the DKC cast, the WarioWare cast (besides Ashley, who's swapped with Waluigi. why? because fuck it.), and others who I'm forgetting. I'm still lost on what to do with Birdo and Pauline, and trying to swap the DKC cast and the WarioWare cast would break my brain, so I'm leaving off on them for now.

anyone I'm forgetting? oh yeah, E. Gadd and Hellen Gravely are swapped. and I think that's it. moving on!

how different is the story?

VERY different. swapping Peach and Kamek was just the beginning. I'll give you a rundown of the story and other pieces of lore. let me know if it's too much:

we begin with a kingdom split in two: the Shell Kingdom and the Toadstool Kingdom. the two sides, ruled by their kings; Kamek, a former mage, and Toadsworth; had previously gone to war over which side is superior: the Koopas or the Toads. however, they reached a stalemate, hence the split.

as time went on, Kamek began to grow older, and he hadn't selected anyone to take his place as king. so he decided to visit the orphanage. two little boys caught his eye. one was a troublemaker, but was different from the other young Koopas. this was Bowser, who, based on the fact that he was bigger than the others and learning how to control his flames, Kamek believed that not only he would potentially be a great king, he would also be a great protector of the kingdom.

so Bowser was adopted, but not before he told him about his friend. this was Kingsley, another young Koopa who was suffering from an unknown illness. he had been sick for years, after ingesting something that poisoned him as a toddler. not wanting to let this frail boy suffer alone, Kamek also adopted him.

and with that, there were two princes in the castle. Bowser brought along his troublemaking tendencies, much to the chagrin of the castle staff, while Kingsley mostly kept to himself, spending most of his time in the library. eventually, his illness reached its peak. Kingsley was decaying before his adoptive father and brother's very eyes.

Bowser couldn't bear to see him go. so Kamek decided that Kingsley had suffered enough. he attempted to revitalize him. however, with whatever Kingsley had ingested before causing the spell to not work as intended, he couldn't return him to his old self. Kingsley was now a Dry Bones, but not just any ordinary Dry Bones. he had strangely-shaped fangs, a purple tongue, and could use dark magic. everyone was shocked and surprised, but Kingsley was ecstatic. now that he was undead, he could do everything he wasn't able to before.

Kamek was happy to see that Kingsley, now called Kingsley Bones (KB for short), was much happier. but then he also saw potential in him. the fact that he was undead and learning to control his powers made him believe that he, too, could be a great king and protector of the kingdom. but then came another problem. both Bowser and KB had potential, but only one could be king. how was he going to select his successor?

while all of this was happening, on the other side, two twin human brothers had arrived in the Toadstool Kingdom. they were Mario and Luigi, only children at the time. the Toads were baffled by their appearances, leading them to bring them to their king. Toadsworth decided to take them in.

and thus, there were two princes in the castle, plus a little girl who had arrived not long after, whom another Toad had taken in. this was Peach, who was also staying in the castle and training to become a mage. all three were taught about the history of the two kingdoms, albeit twisted to make it seem as if the Koopas were to blame for everything. they took this belief that all Koopas were inherently evil to heart, especially Peach.

as the years went by and Toadsworth grew older, he ran into the same problem. both Mario and Luigi were of nearly equal capabilities. he couldn't decide who should take the throne. this led to a fight between the two brothers. at the same time, Peach had nearly perfected her magic, and was presented with a new wand, one that could utilize powers similar to that of the Vibe Scepter. she saw Mario and Luigi fight and attempted to break it up, but the wrong vibe was cast. Mario was hit by a sudden outburst of rage, repeatedly attacking his brother before throwing him out the window, where Luigi plummeted to the ground. he was dead on impact.

it was only when the vibe wore off that Mario realized what he did. he was devastated. Peach tried to console him, but then Toadsworth showed up, wondering why the window was broken and Mario was so distraught. out of fear that Mario would be punished horribly, Peach lied that Luigi had jumped out on his own.

after a period of mourning was Mario's coronation ceremony. but with the memory of becoming his brother's murderer still fresh in his mind, Mario did NOT want to be king. Peach tried to push him to go through with it, but he wouldn't budge. she then became frustrated. Mario WAS going to become king. no more avoiding it. Peach cast the joy vibe on Mario. his mood swiftly improved, and his coronation went on without a hitch.

but once the ceremony was over, the vibe wore off, and Mario was back to his depressive state. he couldn't handle all the duties that were weighing on him, so Peach, as his newly-appointed advisor, did the work for him. for his public appearances, Peach casted whatever vibe was necessary to make him seem okay. but Mario never truly recovered.

but what of Luigi? once he had woken up after his fall, he felt strange. like he couldn't feel the ground, or even breathe. he then saw his hands, which had become small and white, setting off alarms in his head. then, panic truly settled in when he turned around and saw his own corpse. Luigi screamed. he was dead, and he had become a Boo.

he then heard footsteps approaching rapidly. the castle guards had heard him. still in a panicked state, Luigi didn't know what to do. he cowered, covering his face, causing him to vanish from the naked eye. the Toads were shocked when they saw his corpse. one stood guard over it while the other went to alert the king. Luigi tried to take a peek at what was happening, but uncovering his eye caused him to appear again. the Toad screamed. Luigi screamed, taking off into the nearby woods.

once Luigi was deep in the woods, he broke down sobbing. he couldn't believe he had died to his own brother's hands. then he heard someone ask if he was okay. Luigi screamed yet again at the sight of two Boos. they did their best to calm him down, reassuring him that they weren't going to harm him, before asking what had happened. Luigi told them everything. out of pity, the Boos invited him to stay in their mansion.

Luigi was reluctant to stay in the mansion at first, but he slowly got used to his surroundings, just as he got used to being a Boo. as a matter of fact, he found the seclusion rather comforting and grew to like the other Boos as company. and the Boos grew to like him, too. they would sometimes go to him for advice and other times try to get his attention and approval. one day, they presented him with a crown, dubbing him their new king. Luigi was hesitant, but seeing how much the Boos cared about him, accepted the gift and title.

but he could never move on from what Mario did to him. and while watching the broadcast of his coronation ceremony, seeing that smile on his face, completely void of remorse, all Luigi felt was anger. Mario was not sorry. there was not even a single mention of his name in the ceremony. resentment towards his brother brewed inside him. Luigi shut the TV off. someway, somehow, Mario was going to pay.

fast forward to now, and back in the Shell Kingdom, Kamek still hadn't decided on who should take the throne. so Kamek set up a task to decide for him. seeing how Bowser and KB had grown to be somewhat spoiled and disrespectful of the castle staff, even as adults, he decided to send them away. he had a small house in the town set up for them to stay in. and while they stayed in that house, they had to work different jobs around town in order to get the Koopas' approval. then once their stay was over, the townsfolk would tell him who they liked better.

of course, he never told them this, just that he was kicking them out. and of course, Bowser and KB were angered by this. all Kamek responded with was that it was for their own good. then, with his wand, he sent them to the house. Bowser reacted badly, just about to burn the place down before KB stopped him, saying he knew Kamek had to have something set up for them and they wouldn't be out of the castle forever. probably. grumbling, Bowser agreed, as he and KB entered the house to settle in.

they struggled over the next few days. having to do their own chores and find food was difficult, working with the townsfolk was either difficult or boring, and worst of all, Bowser hated the work outfit he was given (especially the hat). one day, they received a task to deliver a package to some business within the neutral territory. this excited them quite a bit, as Bowser and KB had never left the kingdom before.

several hours and a few antics later, they finally arrived at the place. but once the delivery is done and they're ready to head back, they wind up running into Mario (known to them as the Red King) and Peach. Mario is WAY too giddy while greeting them, despite Peach pointing out that they're the two Koopa princes and therefore, their enemies. KB retorts, then tries to get Bowser to say something, but he just stares. he never knew that the Red King's advisor looked so beautiful.

Bowser tries to flirt. Peach is NOT amused by this. Mario's mood then suddenly changes to a fit of rage directed at Bowser. Bowser rages back, threatening him with immolation. they're about to brawl, but before anything happens, Peach intervenes. with her wand, she casts the calm vibe onto Bowser, who falls asleep. KB starts charging up dark magic in retaliation, but before he can do anything, he's hit by the gloom vibe, causing him to break down crying. Peach then grabs Mario and uses magic to teleport away.

back in the Red King's castle, Peach leads a discussion with Mario (who doesn't contribute at all), Toadsworth, and a few other Toads. she tells them all about how disgusted and violated she felt when one of the Koopa princes flirted with her and tried to grab her hand, and she wishes that the Koopas would know their place. Toadsworth then explains that since the Koopas have their own kingdom and their own king, they believe that they're on equal grounds with the Toadstool Kingdom.

before we get to the trailer itself, let's start with two pictures. here's the teaser image from when the game was first announced.

so here we have Dog Man, of course. but I can't tell what the setting is behind him. maybe it's Robo-Time Industries? also in the picture is a jail cat being defeated(?).

here's a shadowy area. this looks to be outside; there are buildings in the background and a sign for Robo-Time Industries. these made me think that Dr. Scum would be the main villain for the game before the trailer confirmed it. also here is a bone, some sorta battery (possibly to charge a transformation or a special move), and someone else. they have a hat on, so they might be a cop.

here's Li'l Petey as Firecracker Kid and 80-HD as Ninja Shark, so the Supa Buddies' more recent hero personas will be used in this game.

also, Commander Cupcake is here, playable as confirmed by the trailer.

and finally, we have this device. judging by the markings on the side, this could be a redesigned/improved version of Petey's shrink ray from Lord of the Fleas. no idea what this could be used for.

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cover image

now moving on to what was revealed this morning. the title has been revealed as Dog Man: Bark in Action. characters featured in this image: Dog Man, Li'l Petey, 80-HD, Chief, Molly (she's kinda hard to see), Commander Cupcake, Sarah, Zuzu, Roscoe (in the background), and Dr. Scum.

to start off, there are spirals, screens, and smoke EVERYWHERE. and if you look closely in the back, there's a horde of people, who seem to have been hypnotized/brainwashed. seems like Dr. Scum is planning to brainwash the entire city. also...

what are the Space Cuties doing here?

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finally, the trailer itself

so it seems like the game has a similar UI to Mission Impawsible. also, the Beasty Buildings are part of a level.

there's a tadpole here, so I guess they're gonna be collectibles again?

okay, so Cat Jail is a confirmed level. so there's desks and barbells(?) and yarn balls everywhere. there's a key ring on one of the desks. plus a poster of Grampa glasses-less for some reason.

apparently, characters can attack in this game.

another jail cat, plus a huge block and another battery. (did those blocks appear in Mission Impawsible? can't remember)

now here's something interesting. looks like there's an ability to call friends for help in this game. and judging by the flavor text in the game's description, some of them are also playable. here we have Commander Cupcake, Chief, Nurse Lady, Daryl, and Petey, with four other characters needing to be unlocked possibly.

here's Commander Cupcake running through SOLID WALLS (how does this not hurt him?). there is a security camera in the background, so this area could be another area of Cat Jail.

seems like yarn balls are a collectible. we can also see Zuzu at the top. not sure what sort of role she has in all this yet.

here are different enemy characters and obstacles in the game. on the right is the foot from Big Jim Begins. in the middle is a hypnotized citizen. but I have no idea what the thing on the left is. it looks like a robotic tadpole in a water tank inside a robot? with the same psychokinetic powers? did Dr. Scum either make a replica of Molly or one of her siblings or possibly kidnap one of them?

here's a robotic squirrel as a boss. no idea what this location is, possibly Robo-Time Industries or someplace similar.

here is Dog Man's attack. looks like the bone nun chucks used by Bark Knight.

the Fair Fairy is also a boss. no idea what this location is either, possibly the courthouse or city hall?

here is Barky McTreeface as a boss. in the background, we can see that this is the Mayor's rose garden. there are tadpoles all around the fountain in the middle. there's a sign with an X next to a paw print on the lower right, and a blimp with labelled "Scum" on the upper right.

here is the Ratterfly as a boss, piloted by Petey, both hypnotized. looks like this could be Petey's lab (but I don't think he'd be the one to have a machine labelled "HYPNO 2000", so this could be Robo-Time Industries again.)

looks like a hypnotized Sprinkles is a boss in Cat Jail. there's also a huge litter box and a watchtower in the background.

another location. there's cupcakes in the background, so this could be Commander Cupcake's hideout. there's also a new addition to the UI in the top right, a phone with three bars next to it. perhaps this is what the batteries are for? maybe you need batteries in order to call other characters for help.

are these weenies?

there's a sign labelled "Cupcake Cave", which confirms this is Commander Cupcake's. there's also a collectible badge.

here are the aforementioned feet as obstacles.

here is Firecracker Kid in the city. seems like he kept his retractable claws from his Cat Kid persona...

here is Sarah. seems like she'll appear at the end of the level just like in Mission Impawsible.

and finally, here's Yolay, stunning a buncha weenies. looks like she's one of the friends you can call.

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other stuff

so that's it for the trailer, which leaves us with just the description. I would screenshot it, but I'm... kinda out of image space for this post. so I'll just give you some quotes.

"Play as 10 different characters from the comics, each with unique powers."

so there'll be ten characters available to play as. so far we've seen Dog Man, Li'l Petey, 80-HD, and Commander Cupcake. Yolay appeared as a callable friend in the trailer, but she doesn't seem to be playable. so it's just a matter of time to see who the other playable characters are. (I'm expecting Molly, but she oddly doesn't appear in the trailer...)

"Dr. Scum has set up Hypno Screens around the city, mind-controlling the innocent townsfolk."

so it's confirmed that Dr. Scum is hypnotizing the city.

"Switch between Dog Man and his Supa Buddies: Dog Man, Li’l Petey, 80HD. ... Phone in Friends to help you, like Commander Cupcake or Chief, for a total of 10 playable characters!"

it seems like Dog Man, Li'l Petey, and 80-HD play like how they do in Mission Impawsible. the seven other characters will need to be called.

"Double the action by having a second player join with unique special abilities. Couch cooperative play the whole family can enjoy!"

seems like there'll be local co-op in this game. I'm guessing player one plays as the Supa Buddies, while player two plays as one of the callable characters.

"Collect yarn to craft cool new outfits like the Scarlet Shredder, Cat Kid and much more!"

so this is what the collectible yarn is used for. Scarlet Shedder (misspelled) is confirmed for this game.

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