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baldursgate3tempobsessed · 6 months

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I have an idea I would love to request but I wanted to check with you first! I couldn't help but think Astarion would be so infuriated & confused by me. Like when he held a knife at their throat, they're willing to give him a chance. Their reason is he has no real reason to trust them since he doesn't know them at all so they would show to him that they can be trusted. Then he's more confused when the first time he tries to drink blood from them, reader is shocked then immediately asks questions if it hurts, do they need to be healed, how should their position be so it's easier for him to drink, what would happen after that, etc. Even after he drank & they were feeling the effects, they asked if he still needed more. He answered them no confusedly before they were satisfied with his answer then passed out. He is both relieved and baffled at what just happened. What do you think of this? Please tell me if you're not interested! Thanks!

Local Vampire Spawn confused by care and offers of friendship, more at eleven.

Astarion, surprisingly, had gotten pretty lucky when it came to his newfound traveling companions. Two master swordsmen, a barbarian tiefling menace, and a Shar priestess were about the best one could ask for when it came to having protection. He could probably do without the do-gooder druid and walking time bomb of a wizard, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

And then there was you. The unofficial leader of the merry band of weirdos. Hyper competent, kind, and a powerful, and admittingly gorgeous, warrior. You would be perfection if you weren't so... frustrating.

Simply put, Astarion thought you were an idiot. A well-meaning, naive idiot, but a moron nonetheless.

What other explanation was there for your delusional trust in him? Your introduction had involved him pressing a damned blade to your throat, with every intent to kill you if you decided to struggle. Maybe even if you hadnt, if you had been alone. The correct response to a first meeting of that caliber would be to completely disregard him. Or kill him, for someone who had any conception of self-preservation.

But no, instead you gave him the offer to come with you, like that wasn't an absolutely insane thing to do. You had been so understanding, insisting that his penance for trickery and threats was justified. That you would be sure to earn his trust, like that was something worth obtaining.

At first, Astarion tried not to look too deeply into it. You were all going through hell, it made sense to travel in a pack, to find solidarity in others while trapped in a land full of endless horrors. It would explain why you kept the violate gith and the walking bomb around, despite their faults. There was also that foolish air of empathetic care about you at all times that helped explain things, one that extended far past Astarion himself. Though it did have limits. Astarion had borne witness to how unforgiving you could be when someone manipulated your trust. Though he completely agreed that the Hag known as Auntie Ethel fully deserved a slow, painful death, he hadn't been prepared for just how... literal you would take it.

So while you weren't completely without common sense, you still lacked a good deal of it. Like the fact that letting a vampire spawn drink your blood at night wasn't included in those same limits.

He hadn't even meant to open that particular door of feeding on you. It was just... so terribly hard to resist. You smelled divine, the scent of your blood always lingering beneath the surface of your skin. Cloying and decadent, the slightest whiff nearly enough to make his mouth water. He had been trying so damn hard to hide his true nature, feeding on whatever he could find in the dead of night. But none of it felt like enough. It should have been, he had more access to sustenance in the forest than he ever had under Cazedor's thumb. And wild boar were certainly better than sewer rats at the least.

But it wasn't enough to tame his growing desire for your taste. It had just happened. One moment he was simply on his own bedroll, staring up at the stars. And in the next the hunger was overtaking him. He was crawling over you before his mind could even catch up to his actions, his mouth already widening.

And then you woke-up, startled enough to knock Astarion out of his all-consuming thirst. You scrambled to your feet, staring at him with wide eyes as he struggled through an explanation. He had every expecation that this was it. This as the moment you would toss him to the side, realizing once and for all that he wasn't worth the danger.

But instead you just nodded along, the first question out of your mouth when he finished a simple, "Will it hurt?"

Astarion blinked at you, confused at you lack of reaction. He had admitted to being a literal monster for gods' sake. And that's what you were most curious about?

"Yes," Astarion said slowly, watching your face for every microexpression, "It will hurt, briefly. Then the pain fades into something a bit more... tolerable."

You nodded, asking another question, "Would I need healing after? Or would a bandage be enough? I would hate to wake Shawdowheart so late."

That was-he-were you actually considering this?

Astarion shook his head, hope and excitement starting to bubble to the surface, "No, a bandage should be fine. You might want her to top you off with something in the morning, but it won't be anything that can't wait."

"Okay," You said, nodding to yourself once before meeting his eyes with a determined gaze, "In that case, should I lay down? Or would standing be better?"

Astarion could scarcely believe your willingness. Part of him wanted to ask if you were sure that you wanted to do this, but his sheer lust for the taste of your blood shut that part down. Instead Astarion was reaching for your hand, gently tugging you down to lay back on your bedroll.

"This will be perfect," He murmured as he crawled back over you, his fangs protruding on their own accord, "Now stay still darling, we don't want to tear anything, do we?"

Astarion could just make out a lovely flush grace your cheeks at the pet name, barely visible by the campfire. It was a good look on you, that mixture of embarrassment and nerves, one that he wouldn't mind seeing again. But for now he had other appetites to attend to.

Astarion bit down, nearly moaning when the divine taste hit his tongue. Somehow it managed to taste even better than it smelled, warm ambrosia sliding down his throat, filling him with pure energy. It was an exhilarating experience, so much better than anything he'd ever tasted before. It was nearly too good, decadent enough for him to feel greedy.

He could feel you shaking under him, letting out the occasional whimper and whine. He was vaguely aware that this had been going on for too long, that he was taking too much. But it was so damn hard to resist.

It wasn't until you were gently pushing at him, whimpering, "I-I think that's enough."

There was the slightest touch of fear in your voice, the only thing that worked to pierce through his bloodthirsty haze. Astarion rolled off of you, licking his lips with a happy sigh. That was... better than he could ever have imagined.

He hopped up to his feet, sticking a hand out to help you do the same. You seemed woozy and unsteady as you stood, proving his suspicion that he had taken too much. It made the smallest lick of guilt creep up his spine. But it's not like you were ever going to let him do it again, he might as well indulge-

"Are you sure that was enough?" You asked, completely derailing his train of thought, "Will you be okay with just that? Or should we try again in a few hours?"

Were you actually insane?

"No my friend. I think I'll be fine," Astarion said carefully, "Another night perhaps. But, uh, are you okay?"

You shrugged, already sinking back down to your knees, snuggling back into your bedroll like nothing was out of the ordinary, "I'm sure I will be. Just a little tired now is all. Good night."

And then you were closing your eyes, out like a light while Astarion stood above you. Confused beyond belief. That was... how were you still alive? If this was the kind of thing you were willing to do for a near stranger, with nearly 0 reservations?

It was insane, idiotic, stupid. And now you just fell asleep right in front of the same man who cannibalized your blood? What the fuck was that? How was one supposed to respond to that? Astarion was grateful yes, beyond so. He went on to have a very successful hunt, even if his catches tasted worse than ever, they still left him feeling satisfied and capable. But he was plagued with thoughts of you the entire time. Thoughts that followed him through to the morning and the days to come.

You were so damn lucky that he was the spawn that was kidnapped. Half of his brethren would have already used your trust to bleed you dry before fleeing into the night. Gods knows what would have happened to you if it was Cazador who was taken in his place. That thought alone was enough to make shiver, clouding his brain with a massive discomfort at what someone like that would do with someone as... kind as you.

Astarion would never allow it. As stupid as you were, it didn't mean you deserved to be used. Well... by anyone besides himself of course. He was starting to think that he could use all of this blind trust to his advantage. Get you attached to him, force himself as a priority in your life that was worth protecting. But for that to happen you would have to stay alive. And that would mean someone would have to protect you from your infuriating self.

Astarion supposed that would just have to be his job. What it meant that the idea of doing such didn't fill him with resentment? He wasn't sure, and he sure as hells wasn't going to try and find out.

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #asks #you'll pry my long posts out of my cold dead hands #basically pre-relatioship #but the feelings are there

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segadores-y-soldados · 6 years

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The Immortal Soldier?

Or “Is Jack Morrison semi-‘Reaperized’?”

Disclaimer: I don’t fully believe this idea myself. However, I’m writing it down because it’s haunting me (ba-dum-tssh), and because I think it’s worth putting out in the open. A lot of it relies on other hypothesis - which may or may not be true - and thinly-connected context clues, so again, I don’t know if this idea even really has solid ground to stand on? But anyways. TL, DR: post-fall Jack Morrison is basically “Retribution era” Gabriel Reyes, possibly with wraithy powers and all. However, he may not realize he has those powers, or he may be missing a “step” in that “unlocks” them (e.g. Moira’s involvement). Different types of circumstantial evidence can be interpreted as pointing towards Jack being very “hard to kill.”

This idea relies on the concepts I put forth in the first half of “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution.” A quick recap:

1. Hypothesis/semi-confirmed?: Gabriel Reyes gained some sort of “Reaper” powers and his “Reaper” medical condition from SEP.

The basis for this is drawn from a few things. The first - his “Soldier ID: 24″ folder is found in Moira’s present-day Genetics lab in Oasis. The second - no one in “Retribution” (aka McCree, Genji, and Moira) are surprised by Gabriel’s “in game” powers (Wraith, Shadow Step, Death Blossom), and the trailer for the event shows Gabriel using Death Blossom freely.

The third - Reaper’s “Soldier: 24″ skin has no change in abilities (i.e. none of the effects or voicelines are altered (see things like Witch Mercy, Cultist Zen, Dragon Sym, etc)) and appears to represent Gabriel during his “experimental state” in SEP.

The fourth - the wording on Reaper’s hero profile is “intentional,” specifically the parts about Reaper being around for “decades.”

(More under the cut)

However, as I argued in “Long Reasons,” this did not necessarily mean that Gabriel was “healthy” or even immortal.

2. Hypothesis: though Gabriel Reyes had some level of “Reaper” powers/condition from SEP, he was not completely immune to being hurt or getting scars. However, Gabriel might not have been aging correctly either.

This is taken from the idea that Gabriel’s appearance has small changes over the course of thirty years but that it does not change nearly as intensely as his similiarly-aged friends.

Gabriel does accumulate scars, and possibly some wrinkles. However, unlike Ana, who is only two years older than him and gains wrinkles and grey-to-white hair, Gabriel appears to age relatively less significantly.

This is semi-confirmed by an interaction in “Retribution” between Gabriel and McCree:

McCree: Did you even consider what was gonna happen before you pulled the trigger?

Reyes: I made a decision - I’ll deal with the consequences.

McCree: What, like gettin’ the four of us killed?

Reyes: That’s not going to happen.

McCree believes that Gabriel can die during the events of “Retribution.” And Gabriel probably can die.

“Hard to kill” =/= “immortal”

Gabriel’s pre-fall “Reaper powers/condition” make him “hard to kill”, but he can still be wounded, still accumulate scars, and still probably die.

This appears to be in direct contrast with:

3. Hypothesis: Post-Fall “Reaper” has become effectively immortal.

Reaper can still feel pain. We know this. He appears to even struggle with healing injuries sometimes.

(Personally, I think he’s faking this scene in “Infiltration,” because he wants to create a opportunity for Sombra to blackmail Katya. But for the sake of discussion, let’s say he’s possibly genuinely in pain here.)

However, Reaper is able to take the full force of the Tesla Cannon without dying. He 1v1s a new Volskaya mech in “Infiltration” without serious side effects.

In “Old Soldiers,” the sleep dart doesn’t affect Reaper at all, and while the sleep dart isn’t lethal, it does indicate - along with the events of “Recall” and “Infiltration” - that “Reaper” might now be much more immune to damage than he was pre-Fall.

One of Reaper’s respawn lines in the game says:

This is my curse...

Which seems to imply that his curse is being unable to die.

This goes along with the idea that Reaper in the present-day is working with Moira for a “cure” for his condition.

And that this may be the basis for their current working relatioship - Moira gets to continue her research on Gabriel, and Gabriel “eventually” gets a cure from it.

This is related to:

4. Hypothesis/semi-confirmed: before the fall, Gabriel recruited Moira specifically to help him try to solve his “pre-fall Reaper condition” before it got “worse” (and uh, we know that didn’t happen).

“She was recruited by Gabriel Reyes to be a member of Blackwatch. And uh, during that time she had relationships with the Blackwatch crew - McCree, Genji - they all have their own sort of likes and dislikes for each other. Reyes wanted someone could help advise him on, uh, some matters of genetics that he was, uh, interested in, shall we say.” - Michael Chu, 3:47 (https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=227)

Moira is already conducting research on Gabriel at the time of “Retribution.” This is indicated by her Biotic Grasp and Fade - which were “created” by Moira when she repurposed parts of Gabriel’s biodata for her own artificial means. Moira has a couple of interactions in “Retribution” which imply that she thinks certain “changes” may be occurring in Gabriel (though he himself does not reveal if these “changes” are actually happening, or if he is aware of them happening at the time).

However, what appears to be implied by the timeline of Overwatch is that Gabriel’s medical transformation into “post-fall Reaper” (not his actual persona or motivations, but his physical state of being) needed more than just Moira’s experiments to “unlock”:

It needed something much bigger to induce the full “Reaper” potential in him.

Reaper, upon respawning: That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

Different types of stressors and trauma may activate or deactivate the phenotypical expression of genes - this occurs in real life, and, since Blizzard is using stuff like “enhancements”, “nanobiology”, and “hard light technology” as “firm science fiction” elements to explain more “magical” plot devices (e.g. immortality, resurrection, teleporters, talking gorillas, etc), it’s possible that they’re using this concept (albeit very loosely) to explain Gabriel’s final medical transformation into “Reaper”.

This aligns with Reaper’s own explanation for what happened to him (although I’m leaning more and more towards this moment as being a “mixed truth” than a genuine explanation from him):

Setting aside the debate on if Reaper actually blames Soldier: 76 or not, he tells Ana that his “suffering” transformed him into “this thing”. We know that Gabriel is “the same” from “Retribution” to “Uprising,” leaving only one (known) major event that he could be referencing here: the explosion of the Swiss Base, which he and Jack were caught in.

We don’t know the “exact ratio” of “SEP experimenting” to “Moira experimenting” to “explosion” that creates the “perfect mixture” to result in post-fall Reaper, so yes, one of these things could be more “impactful” on his condition than the others. But the explosion having a significant impact on transforming him from “hard to kill” to “effectively immortal” aligns with a lot of the pieces that we already know or have clues about.

Now -

The reason I bring this all up -

Is because Jack Morrison has become very similar to pre-fall Gabriel Reyes in personality.

Soldier: 76: I don’t play by the rules anymore.

Soldier: 76: You ain't seen me angry.

Soldier: 76: I didn't start this war... But I'm damn well gonna finish it.

Also stuff like:

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel. Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now. Someone has to be the one to get things done.

Soldier: 76: I'm just doing my job. Soldier: 76: Save the medals, I've had my fill. Soldier: 76, killing an enemy Reaper: Someone had to do it.

---

McCree: Is this what we’ve become, Gabriel? Gabriel: Blackwatch has always had one purpose: to do the real work of keeping the world safe. I thought you had the stomach for it. Looks like I was wrong.

Soldier: 76: Think you can do my job, do you... Winston: Someone has to.

Winston: Someone's going to put a stop to your illegal activities. Soldier: 76: You're one to talk! You and your friends are breaking the law, same as me.

Soldier: 76, killing an enemy Winston: Your hesitation is your weakness.

But Soldier: 76 also has a number of...interesting lines.

Lines that I initially thought were just “flavor text” - you know, stuff that gives us an indication of his personality, his motivations, his ideas, etc.

But can also be interpreted...differently.

Ana: Seems like neither of us like being dead very much. Soldier: 76: Old soldiers are hard to kill.

Soldier: 76: Old soldiers never die... And they don't fade away...

Soldier: 76: Aren't you supposed to be dead? Reaper: Didn't take.

Soldier: 76: One of these days someone is gonna to put an end to you. Reaper: I invite them to try.

(The last one is interesting because Reaper appears to imply that “trying to end him” is effectively impossible.)

Because, I mean...read another way -

It sounds a lot like Soldier: 76 is talking about himself, either directly, as in the interaction with Ana, or more indirectly, as in the interactions with Reaper.

Again. I get it. Like I said, I don’t fully believe this myself.

But let me try and walk through some of the steps here:

1. Pre-explosion Jack Morrison ages “normally.”

Or at least, he ages about the same as Reinhardt, Ana, and Torbjörn.

“Golden Era” Jack Morrison

“Retribution” Jack

“Uprising” Jack

His hair is fading from blonde to white, he’s accumulating wrinkles, etc. He is, however, missing two major “features” on his face that define him as “post-Fall Soldier: 76″:

His scars.

However -

Gabriel’s “pre-fall Reaper” condition never prevented him from gaining scars.

And though it is “flavor text”, Soldier: 76 has a voiceline for his Daredevil and Stunt Rider skins that says:

Bones heal, pain is temporary; scars look good.

Which is a modified version of a quote from Evel Knievel.

2. Post-explosion Jack might not be aging correctly.

Ana: For a man of your years, you're looking pretty good, Jack. Soldier: 76: Well, all that stuff they pumped into me has to be good for something.

Prior to “Retribution,” I took this interaction to be - well - just a cute little discussion between Ana and Soldier: 76, but when it was revealed that Jack was the youngest member of the original Strike Team, this interaction...made me pause.

Why would Ana say that to someone who is likely 5-10 years younger than her?

At the time of Recall, Jack Morrison could be between the ages of 48 to 55-56-ish. We know he is younger than Gabriel when he enlists in the U.S. military and joins SEP, which automatically makes him younger than Ana and Reinhardt. He is likely younger than Torbjörn (as Torb is only one year younger than Gabriel), which makes him the youngest member of the original team.

And look, I love Jack and think he’s a great character and attractive for having gone through a lifetime of war and fighting.

But let’s not kid ourselves.

If this man is 48, that’s a hard 48.

If he’s in his early-to-mid-50′s, sure, that might be more...understandable. But even then, you have characters like Reinhardt (who Ana also compliments), Mercy, Moira, Doomfist, Hanzo - all of whom are aging “gracefully” (if you want to call it that) for being in their late 30′s to late 40′s (or Reinhardt in his 60′s).

I mean, if Jack is 48, that means he’s the same age as her:

And Moira has very few of the changes Jack has.

(Please, I’m not looking for a discussion on character designs here. If you want that conversation, there’s plenty of other posts or people to discuss with.) “But Jack lived a stressful life! And he survived an explosion! Of course he’s aged more heavily - that takes a toll.”

Which is -

Different types of stressors and trauma may activate or deactivate the phenotypical expression of genes

Precisely my point.

I’ve seen a lot of people make the hypothesis that Jack Morrison may have had a different type of supersoldier “enhancement” injection serum than Gabriel Reyes. And that’s logically a very good argument - after all, Jack never shows signs of being “wraithy”. He doesn’t teleport, he gets hurt, he doesn’t have any sort of “lifedrain” ability, etc.

But we also don’t know if any of that - the serum, the “non-wraithy” stuff - is true or not.

Because when Ana remarks about his age and appearance, Jack credits the injections for “being good” for that.

And when Ana herself comments that Jack is “so hardheaded that [he] wouldn’t know how to die” and that Jack is “lucky to be alive”, Jack himself comments with:

(Ostensibly, he’s quoting Gabriel here, who was once Jack’s “old boss”)

Again, it appears that Jack is merely copying Gabriel’s pre-fall personality, or “evolving” into being a renegade and rogue-like character, just like Gabriel was during “Retribution.”

But it is intriguing that Jack credits the SEP injections with his...current “hard-to-kill-ness” and his seemingly “good” appearance.

3. Jack survives a lot of stuff.

Canonically, Jack survives: 1) the Swiss Base explosion, 2) fighting the Helix guards at Watchpoint: Grand Mesa, 3) fighting Los Muertos members in “Hero,” 4) a grenade thrown by a Los Muertos member in “Hero”, 5) a literal shotgun blast to his lower back (?), and then 6) a fistfight with Reaper.

Yes, he gets hurt.

But “hard to kill” =/= “immortal”.

Soldier: 76: Old soldiers are hard to kill.

“Ana heals him in ‘Old Soldiers,’ though!”

You’re right, she absolutely does. And based on gameplay, Soldier heals himself by his Biotic Fields.

But we also see him literally “walk off” a grenade blast in “Hero.” And he appears to survive the Swiss Base explosion with only scars.

And while he never appears to use “wraithy” powers like pre-fall Gabriel, it might be that Jack isn’t fully aware of what’s happening to him.

Gabriel has had “decades” to explore his “Reaper condition.” He may have even had help “training” his abilities in SEP. Jack, on the other hand, probably went through the program thinking he was just “another supersoldier” and not a...ghost soldier...fighter...warrior person like Gabriel (or whatever SEP wanted to describe them as - “ravagers”, maybe?).

After all, Jack’s own description of SEP is very brief in “Uprising.” Initially, he seems to indicate that the program “tried everything” in a desperate bid to end the war - including likely conducting experiments like the kind that produced pre-fall “Reaper” - but that other things (“politics, mismanagement, egos”) seemed to be the downfall of SEP and other U.S. military endeavours, thus pushing Gabriel and Jack to agree to join Overwatch together.

And in “Retribution”, we know that Gabriel appears to think that Jack can die.

Hence Gabriel’s whole motivation for trying to “get a jump start” on Talon by getting intel from Antonio.

Gabriel believed that an explosion could severely hurt Jack -

Or do worse to him.

And yet -

Not only does that not actually happen, Jack appears...almost... stronger than before, emerging “from the ashes” six years later as “Soldier: 76″, equipped with the Tactical Visor and a new, updated version of the Heavy Pulse Rifle.

4. In “another life,” Jack is “immortal.”

“Junkenstein’s Revenge” occupies a very...odd space in the Overwatch universe. It is, arguably, the only “canon AU” made by the developers themselves. By that I mean - not only is the “story itself” canon to the world of Overwatch, as a story that Reinhardt is literally telling his friends during one Halloween:

But the events that occur within the story have obvious and clear parallels to the “canon world of Overwatch.”

Each of the main characters - both the “heroes” and the “villains” in both years - correspond to “real characters” in Overwatch. Moreover, all the “roles” that they play in the story have “canon costumes”/skins (with only Reinhardt and Genji currently missing theirs).

For example:

Mercy, who is dressed as a witch at the Halloween party, is the witch in the story:

Torbjörn is a Viking, Ana is a “pirate alchemist,” McCree is a vampire/demon hunter (Van Helsing, to be exact), Junkrat is the scientist, Roadhog is the monster, etc etc.

The story gets expanded in Year 2, where Widowmaker, Zenyatta, Genji, and Torbjörn all become playable, and it “canonizes” the Huntress and Cultist skins for Widowmaker and Zenyatta as being their “in-story roles”. Genji, who we don’t see up-close, will likely get a “demon wanderer” skin to match Hanzo’s in a future event.

But there is a character who doesn’t match his “canon costume” with his “Junkenstein role”:

And before people are like, “That’s just his Daredevil skin!” - I know. I’m aware of that.

However, I also know that they seriously considered making “Old Jack in his Daredevil outfit” a real thing for him:

Of those seven pieces of concept art (I’m counting both Reins as one), five of those eventually became fully-fledged skins. Reinhardt’s will likely show up in a future event.

However, they got to the point where they actually made a mock-up of “Old Jack in his Daredevil costume.”

And yet.

They chose this.

Yes, I do believe the Immortal skin is an homage to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. After all, “Junkenstein’s Revenge” as a whole references a number of horror stories or Halloween ideas - everything from the Headless Horseman to Van Helsing to “Frankenstein” itself.

But if the Soldier skin is a reference to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, why call it “Immortal?” Why not call it “Zombie” or “Ghoul” or something?

As I said earlier, “Junkenstein’s Revenge” has a lot of parallels to the canon world of Overwatch, and the story around each of the “roles” has connections to their “canon versions”.

For example:

Ana: What reason brings you to travel so far from home? Hanzo: I was banished from my home for taking my brother's life. I can never return.

Ana: I once met a man who could summon a dragon as you do. Hanzo: Impossible. Only my clan possesses the skill. My brother could, but he is dead.

McCree: What's home like for you, Archer? Hanzo: A village, high atop a hill. There are cherry blossoms in the spring. I miss it dearly.

Soldier: 76: A soldier, an alchemist, an archer and an oddity. A motley group we have assembled here. Ana: Just as it has always been. You attract strange companions.

Hanzo: I sense that you and the Soldier have history together. Ana: Indeed. And much of it unhappy. Or Ana: This is not our first battle together. And not the last. Unless he does something foolish.

Interestingly, many characters often break the fourth wall (or at least attempt to hit it):

Reinhardt, if some of the heroes start dying: The heroes' defense was not enough, as one of their numbers fell. If only they had a shield to stand behind. Reinhardt: Oh, how the heroes lamented their need for a shield, realizing too late they had taken for granted its protection.

McCree: You're not bad with a bow, but don't you think it's a little old fashioned? Hanzo: Perhaps there is still a future for anachronisms.

McCree: You seem awful familiar. You sure we haven't met before? Soldier: Maybe in another life.

While all the characters have lines and interactions pointing to their “canon versions”, Soldier in particular has many - almost all of his interactions refer to his “canon story” or refer to his “canon relationships.”

Soldier: It's time to finish this fight, old friend. Ana: Let us hope we have the strength to see it through

Ana: If we survive the night, this should be our last battle. Soldier: No, I cannot rest until we have justice! (for what...or for whom?)

Hanzo: What sort of monster do you think the Reaper is? Soldier: The worst kind there is - a wicked man. McCree: So, where are you from? Soldier: I don't stay in one place for too long, came from a town called Bloomington, Indiana

Soldier: In my younger days I'd have hardly broken a sweat, but those days are over.

Related to that is the subplot that the “Junkenstein version” of the “Reaper” knew Soldier and the Alchemist at one point in time:

Once a man, the Reaper retained no trace of his former self.

Rumor said that the Reaper had betrayed his former comrades, and was thusly cursed. (eliminated by Ana) The Alchemist slew the Reaper, feeling a moment of sadness for the man she had once known. (eliminated by Soldier: 76) The Soldier struck down the Reaper, and hoped that it would be for the last time.

However, Soldier expresses an...interesting sentiment when he kills Reaper in “Junkenstein’s Revenge”:

Soldier, eliminates Reaper: At last, the Reaper's curse is lifted.

From both “the canon story of Overwatch” and “Junkenstein’s Revenge,” we see that Soldier: 76 in “both modes” considers it his duty to both fight the Reaper and free him from his “curse.” In “both modes,” this means killing him.

I’ve seen a lot of the fan idea that “the Immortal Soldier” is a human thrall or some sort of vampire (based predominantly on Reaper’s second Halloween skin, “Dracula”). While it isn’t a bad idea (and I enjoy it, personally), that’s not actually “canon” to the story of Junkenstein’s Revenge.

In fact, Soldier’s “story” in Junkenstein’s Revenge is almost identical to his “canon story”:

McCree: You don't seem like someone who'd put his faith in alchemy. Soldier: You have to believe in something. May as well be the thing that keeps you alive. McCree: You ask me, you pump something full of these chemicals, electricity and whatnot, that's not a man - that's a monster. Soldier: Maybe so, or maybe they're not as different as you'd think.

In the “Junkenstein’s Revenge universe”, the Immortal Soldier is alive because he himself has been through some sort of alchemical experiment. McCree’s lines about “[pumping] something full of these chemicals, electricity, and whatnot” is very similiar to not only this:

Ana: For a man of your years, you're looking pretty good, Jack. Soldier: 76: Well, all that stuff they pumped into me has to be good for something.

But also incredibly similiar to this:

“That’s not a man - that’s a monster.”

And Soldier’s remark?

“Maybe so, or maybe they’re not as different as you’d think.”

In fact, now that Moira is part of the game, I’m super interested in seeing how they evolve the Halloween event for the third year, or if we’ll get some sort of new “canon AU-style” story that incorporates her and Brigitte into the event. Moira very much fulfills the “canon role” of the “Witch” in the world of Overwatch, moreso than Mercy does, and the fact that Moira canonically hold the power of “Reaper’s cure” over Reaper does imply that certain aspects of the Reaper subplot in “Junkenstein’s Revenge” have parallels to the canon story. It will be exciting to see how Moira is integrated into future Halloween events.

I’m also very interested to see how characters like the Soldier and Alchemist “evolve” in their roles in relation to Moira.

But that’s for the future.

For now, Soldier in “Junkenstein’s Revenge” is...semi-immortal. Much like the other heroes - demons, vampires, cultist...monk...robots... - the Immortal Soldier can still die, and he can still get hurt. But the implication that he doesn’t age correctly, or won’t “die of natural causes” is...telling.

Like I said, I’m not sure how much I actually believe the idea as a whole. But I do think there are odd bits and pieces that point to it being plausible, or something that could become a plot-point later in Overwatch’s story. Jack being “hard to kill” has worked out as “convenient plot armor” when the story calls for him to get injured or fight someone, but it could evolve into something more...complex. Again, the fact that Moira is seemingly in the process of making a “cure” for Gabriel’s “post-fall Reaper condition” could have a lot of impacts on Gabriel’s decision-making, his motivations, and those who are affected by them -

Jack, in particular.

Jack is the only other known character who has gone through the same “Soldier Enhancement Program” as Gabriel. He’s one of the main characters guiding Gabriel’s motivations at the time of “Retribution.” He’s the only other known character to have survived the same “Swiss Base explosion” as Gabriel, who became the fully-fledged “Reaper” (e.g. effectively immortal) after that. The same event left Jack with what appears to be only scars, but otherwise, he continues to fight very well. Post-fall Jack has a number of personality and motivational comparisons to “Retribution-era” Gabriel, including a desire for enacting “retribution” on those who wronged Overwatch and a seemingly “hard-to-kill” physiology. And in a “canon AU” story, Jack’s role is that of an “immortal soldier,” who may have some...similarities with the “monsters” in the story that he isn’t totally sharing with his comrades.

We know Jack’s canon goal is to find the conspiracy that brought down Overwatch, and implement retributive justice against them.

But is that his only goal?

We will have to see.

#soldier: 76 #jack morrison #reaper #gabriel reyes #overwatch lore #overwatch theories #my essays #my writing #junkenstein's revenge #immortal 76 #just an idea I'm toying with #I think everything in here can go either way

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