So we've done mechabat with hybrid!Robert, but what about Mechabat with Robert who is a hybrid because of a curse and is only able to present as entirely human or entirely āunhumanā depending on time of day and as per usual has extremely low self-esteem, trauma and coping mechanisms.
Which is Robbie AND a Witchsā fault. I'm thinking this witch is the godmother!witches' ass of a relative who they have fighting with Hatfields & McCoys style. For this reason I'm calling the second witch McWitch.
The main reason they don't get along is that McWicth is one of those āold schoolā magic users who think being a hybrid is inherently a Bad Thing.
The whole āI curse you to be a monster till xyz is doneā trope. In actuality they are using magic to change the person into a hybrid, and then using magic to lock them into specific forms depending on what conditions are met.
She also doesn't care that she isn't actually ending the curse when the conditions are met. She's just locking the cursed hybrid into human form thus ābreakingā the curse.
And if they get sick/depressed/dysphoric because only having access to half yourself is incredibly bad for one's health, it's not her problem.
So to mess with her cousin McWitch decides to use this type of curse on Robbie who just got blessed who just got preg with Robert.
So of course Mcwitch appears dramatically and does the whole āyou insulted me by going to my relative for help so I curse your unborn child to turn into a horrible monster every night. Only lasting love found after age 15 can break this curse.ā And then poofs away. Purposely not explaining that ālasting loveā she's talking about is self-love, cause how is a child cursed to be a āmonsterā ever love themselves.
God-mother!Witch of course feels someone interfering with magic she's cast and goes to see what's going on. Discovers the curse but since this is very much not her expertise she's only able to disable the āpermanently locked into human when end conditions are metā part of the curse.
So once ālasting love' is found, Robert can have full control of what hybrid form he is in.
Until then Full-human looking/smelling during the day, slightly more beastal than normal hybrid form at night.
Cue 26 years later, Robert Robertson starts working as a dispatcher and everyone agrees that it is weird that they have never seen him after dark. Sonar meanwhile has been smelling a new hybrid and he's going slightly nuts trying to find out where the smell is coming from.
Since this is a MechaBat idea, plus the whole changing based on daylight cycle nature of the curseā¦
Witch Hatfields and McCoys lol.
Robert being cursed from before his birth, not understanding why there's something "wrong" about him.
I can see Robert's "condition" having differences based on the lunar cycle. Like say, every full moon he transforms into a Megabat, and on New Moons he's a tiny regular bat. Every night in-between he's a mixed hybrid, with once-in-a-blue-moon night of being fully human.
It'd be interesting if Robert could sometimes mask as human, even just as Mecha Man - he'd alter his costume to hide his features. I could see his hybrid form, at a glance, looking like a fuzzy version of regular Robert with pointed ears and sharper teeth.
Robert is always nervous about getting home before dark. The Z-Team tease him about it, but they ultimately assume it's a trauma or nyctophobia thing.
Probably takes Robert a while to trust the Z-Team with the details of his curse.
Robert's bat form resembles something like a mixture of;
Painted Bat (Kerivoula picta) Monogamous insectivore species from East Asia. Looks like a Halloween prop as camouflage for dry trees.
Eastern Red Bat (Vespertilio borealis) American species known for eating invasive pests. Typically has multiple babies per litter XD. Looks like a cinnamon donut.
Btw this is a photo of a very tired-looking Eastern Red Bat mama with three babies (the average litter size):
+Theres this really nice art by @robertfreckles of Eastern Red Bat hybrid Robert that I just adore. <3
As for Mechabat; my immediate thought was Shrek's reaction to Fiona's transformation at the end of the first film.
Robert: "Hey, before we go any further, I need to show you something important."
Victor: "Okay?"
Robert: (waits for the sun to go down and transforms into a red-furred Megabat)
Victor: "Holy shit!" :D
Victor: (transforms into his Megabat form!)
Robert, relieved & delighted: "Oh shit!"
The experience of growing up and feeling something is fundamentally "wrong" about you, only to meet someone you wears the same "wrongness" proudly.
Sonar adores his cinnamon-bun-shaped bf. The Z-Team are nearly sick to death of hearing about him (except Mal, she thinks it's adorable). Will leave out the identity of his mate if Robert hasn't "come out" yet to the team.
To quote a homie on Discord:
Victor: "He's my twink! Because he's a snack and he's cream-filled!"
It does ultimately take Robert learning to love himself in order to have full control of his different forms. He actually was nervous when him and Victor started dating because he feared the love wasn't "lasting" enough, but it turns out having people love you and vice versa helps in building your self-worth. <3