an exploration of hope at the end of the world, the humanness of medicine vs its percieved miraculousness, the damnation of being angel iconography, the harsh criticisms of war, and the long-lasting medical trauma left in its wake.
themes: anti-war ideologies, medical trauma, combat horror, government whistle-blowing, ptsd, peace advocacy, healthcare compassion, glimpses of domesticity.
highly selective overwatch rp blog for dr. angela "mercy" ziegler
modern & multi-verse verses available
est. dec 2022, remade march 2024.
saturn 25+ ( he / they )
DNI: minors, non-mutuals, duplicates, ai-users
don't steal fanart for your icons unless you have the artist's permission pls
slow activity - multiverse but prioritizing ovw blogs and ovw-verse muses
i have adhd if u follow me and unfollow like 2 days later i prob wont notice; i need at least a whole week to sort it out
this blog uses beta editor only
i dont send in rule passwords
inbox and dms are always open to mutuals!
my discord is personal, its not for plotting unless we're already established friends, thank you
on a scale of 1 - 10, how is your pain?
Stats
Name: Dr. Angela “Mercy” Zeigler
Species: Human ( Enhanced )
Nationality: Swiss
Gender: Cis Female
Age: 37+ ( Verse Dependent )
Sexual Orientation: Hetero-leaning (?)
Occupation: Head Surgeon, Field Medic, First Responder, Research Scientist, Engineer, Nanobiology Specialist
Residence ( Verse Dependent ): Zürich, Switzerland / Cairo, Egypt / Watchpoint: Gibraltar
Affiliation: Overwatch ( International Task Force )
Enhancements: Valkyrie Suit ( Armor ), Caduceus Staff ( Healing / Resurrection ), Caduceus Blaster ( Pistol Weapon )
Biography
As a child, Ziegler grew up during the Omnic Crisis. The Omnic Crisis (a.k.a. the Omnic War) was a rebellion by the omnics against their human creators, led by Anubis ( a god program and instigator of the Omnic Crisis ) in a campaign against humanity. Lasting for two years, the Omnic Crisis World War has since been referred to as "one of the greatest threats to the survival of our species since the Cold War of the 20th century."
The last day she saw her parents alive were when they left the house to volunteer at the local hospital as they usually did, as Switzerland dealt with the consequences of the war. Both of them were killed in an airstrike. Waiting for them to come home, she learnt the truth when a police officer came to her house, delivering the news. People assured her that the pain would lessen over time. In truth, the emotional pain would return at the slightest reminder. Despite this tragedy, Ziegler was consumed not by a thirst for revenge, but by a desire to aid the imperiled and advocate for peace.
A guardian angel to those who come under her care, Dr. Angela Ziegler is a peerless healer, a brilliant scientist, and a staunch advocate for peace. She is one of the most gifted doctors in the world when it comes to medical technology, and has applied such technology to her own body; effects have possibly included slowing / halting her ageing process.
After obtaining her MD and PHD in Switzerland, Ziegler rose to become the head of surgery at a prominent Swiss hospital before pioneering a breakthrough in the field of applied nanobiology that radically improved the treatment of life-threatening illnesses and injuries. It was this expertise that attracted the attention of Overwatch. She personally met with Commander Jack Morrison at Overwatch HQ. He was impressed with a paper she’d written on nanobiotic healing. She believed that it had the potential to completely revolutionize the way that medical care was given, not just in the examination room, but also throughout the entire structure of the medical profession.
She believed that Overwatch would give her the opportunity to quickly get her ideas out into the field… but stated her reservations—she wanted to focus on the civilian and peacetime applications of her work. She didn’t want to create new ways for Overwatch commanders to send soldiers into danger. It was pointed out that if she joined Overwatch, she wouldn’t have to worry about grants or haggle for new equipment; whatever she needed, she’d get. Although she disagreed with the militaristic methods implemented by Overwatch, eventually, Ziegler agreed to join Overwatch developing her winged Valkyrie swift–response suit, used to heal injuries on the front line of combat.
Despite her contributions to Overwatch, she was often at odds with her superiors and the organization's overarching aims. Despite Morrison’s word that her research would not be misused, Angela sometimes found herself at odds with the commander, and felt the technology she developed was being exploited and weaponized for war.
In Overwatch's final days, the group was faced with a series of allegations, and Ziegler was interrogated in the hearings conducted by the United Nations. In light of the fight between Overwatch members Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, Ziegler admitted that the outcome had been inevitable.
When Overwatch dissolved, Ziegler sought distance from the agency and re-dedicated herself to helping those affected by war, caring for the broken and dispossessed in crisis areas around the world. Though she spent most of her time caring for the broken and dispossessed in crisis areas around the world, Dr. Ziegler could be counted on to don her Valkyrie suit whenever innocents were imperiled, hoping to make a more peaceful world. The fallout of Overwatch's disbandment and disgrace damaged her professional reputation, and she went by her real name rather than "Mercy" during this period.
Ziegler continued to work in medical facilities, but with less advanced technology than what she had access to within Overwatch. These locations included Poland, South Korea, and Venezuela. Wherever she went however, she felt the echoes of Overwatch, and the guilt over the problems it had left behind when it had fallen apart.
However, escalating crisis in the world reawakened a sense of heroism within her that Ziegler had long thought buried. When Null Sector ( Null Sector is a militant omnic liberation group that utilizes violent methods to achieve omnic rights ) attacked Paris, Ziegler was among a number of former Overwatch agents who converged on the city to battle the attacking omnics. Together, they were able to defeat the enemy. In the aftermath, Winston declared that Overwatch was indeed back.
Knowing the fight against Null Sector wasn't over, Ziegler rejoined Overwatch.
Verses
| 00. pre-overwatch.
this timeline take place before angela joins overwatch. it can be anything from her time in medical school, up until she's the head of the hospital in switzerland.
| 01. overwatch.
timeline that takes place from the time angela accepts jack morrison's offer to join overwatch, until they get disbanded by the UN
| 02. ex-overwatch. ( pre-recall. )
- timeline after overwatch is disbanded. angela becomes a volunteer medic overseas, in places still recovering from damage brought by overwatch. her location varies, but she is no longer 'mercy' and only uses her valkyrie suit in rare cases.
| 03. recall. ( overwatch 2 ) - timeline that takes place when angela answers the recall, and joins what's left of overwatch to help the world face the new uprising war
| 04. epilogue. ( retirement. )
- timeline that takes place once angela leaves overwatch for good, in one way or another. this extends beyond current canon, so is pretty flexible.
| XX. undefined. ( au's / multiverse / non-overwatch /non-canon meme threads, etc. )
*all non-overwatch universe threads will take place here, but will probably still fit any of the above timeline slots. in any verse she is still a child prodigy-renowned scientist and surgeon that has invented life-changing medical technology, along with working as a combat medic as well. other details will be adjusted accordingly!
no one cares but ovw twt is so biased and ostracizing im jsut gonna put it here anyway my hot take is that calling ramattra "black-coded" because he wants to free his kind from oppression is incredibly lazy and superficial, while also flattening both history of african enslaved uprising/civil rights movements. do you think that he is automatically 'omnic malcolm x' simply by the way he expresses himself and is...angry? while also ignoring that he has been incredibly violent, and completely polarized in his thinking to the point of taking away his own ppls autonomy to what he thinks is best, along with starting or attempting a whole genocide???? the thing is, not everything in art will be 1:1 to real life (and thats okay, thats the freedom and malleability of art), and ppl need to be careful about 'analyzing' media in this way (esp when their views of civil rights is from an excessively watered down grade school lesson). there have been many opressed groups since the dawn of time btw. check your biases.
what makes the omnic crisis unique in its political atmosphere is that omnics were not sentient beings initially, so they were not "enslaved" prior to the awakening. and a lot of conflict comes from them being controlled to be weapons of mass destruction. this makes addressing the issue different in a way that will never exist irl. consider how you talk and think about black people and our history and compare them to fictional villains maybe,, thanks for coming to my talk.
"I have a box of swiss chocolates and some fancy coffee in it for you if you sign off on the report." Bribery at it's finest to escape the medbay. ( @godmarkd )
@godmarkd
angela looks incredulous; it's hard to tell how much of it is genuine and how much of it is her playing into the bit. emre can't even stand, much less leave - besides, he most definitely does not have a box of swiss chocolates conveniently in his inventory.
"mr. sarıoğlu," she puts a hand to her chest, fingers delicately ghosting along the labels of her lab coat, "you wouldn't be suggesting i commit... medical negligence, would you?"
it takes everything in her not to crack a smile, though she's sure that the pain meds are keeping emre's mind more than occupied. still, she busies herself with adjusting the iv at the side of his bed, and she considers that maybe he needs a higher dose.
"Y'know, I was top of my class at field medicine." He leaned against the wall, clearly ignoring the bed he should be in. "The field stitches are holding, remind me why I need more stitches?"
@godmarkd
angela makes some sound of acknowledgement but doesn't actually give emre her full attention. her eyes are half-lid and unamused at his chart, eyeing all the nurses' notes (there are a lot of notes - ), and wondering how insufferable he must have been to earn so many. commander morrison is sure to turn this repeated offense of 'medical disobedience' into a briefing one of these days, and while angela thinks this team needs to hear it, she would much rather be doing other things than losing an hour in the conference room. like her job.
"clearly not high enough on top if you're asking why," she says matter-of-factly, turning to face him, clipboard falling into the holder on the side of his bed. annoyance pinches the corner of her eyes as she smiles.
"now, mr. sarıoğlu," her gesture at him to return to the bed might as well be a quiet threat, "i really insist you lay back down. having to re-do stitches can be quite painful."
the concept of angela listening to you ramble about your irresponsible behaviors and after a long moment she just stares at you and bops you on the head with her staff
nickname(s): n/a
zodiac: the GOAT 🗣️
last movie i saw: michael : )
last thing i googled: something about eucalyptus i think
favorite musician: i like too wide of a variety to pick
song stuck in my head: love - musiq
other blogs: hanzo ... and the rest are from other fandoms
do i get asks: not usually
following: i follow a small amount of people, this is my least popular blog probably
amount of sleep: never enough
lucky number: 7, maybe 9
what i’m wearing: sweat pants and hoodie,, bcz we're not getting a spring this year i guess
dream job: working with herbs/helping people heal, maybe somethin w kids, wife guy
dream trip: national parks, nigeria & other parts of africa, switzerland, literally everywhere else ive never been. i love traveling!
favorite food: soul food, seafood, ice cream
play any instruments: piano (?)
languages: english, aave (actual aave and not what everyone appropriates and bastardizes on the fuckin internet), decayed intermediate japanese lol but im refreshing
favorite songs: luvsic03 - nujabes
random fact: humans share more cellular structure and dna with plants than with animals, and the signature of plants often mimics how the human body works. this is why the way a plant exists and survives in its environment can almost always tell us how it will work in our bodies, and these observations are how our ancestors built their knowledge of plants and how to treat ailments and disease. even color theory is relevant to plants and how they can help, down to which organs they will benefit, and other things like the chimcal constituents they contain.
describe yourself as aesthetic things: an orange sunset spilling through an open window from which you think you can hear familiar voices of people that only exist now in your memory; inside, a room nostalgic of a childhood you had and also did not have, messy and cluttered, with plants and books and tea mugs, while the ghost of grief hugs the shadows outlining them, a closet unlocked and ajar, but the feeling that it should be left alone
his gaze is toppling over into an outright stare, latching onto her, latching after everything, (the swell of milky flesh defiant under an elastic thread, undulating to every subtle shift in supple waves-) and his attention is locked and being pulled and pulled and pulled and there is no salvaging himself from this situation save for the tempered shade of aviators he'd plucked on some last minute whim just before departure. He manages, somehow, to hazard a smile back behind a dry-throated swallow and he thinks he remembers those days stuck in the middle of nowhere bleached of water and crippled with skin-peeling dehydration.
this isn't the same, but, somehow, it's feeling like something very adjacent to it.
there's a pause where he's still caught in the grip of a still-frame, towels thrown over the left shoulder and a calloused hand gripping the pebbled handle texture of their cooler.
"I, uh," He startles back into himself, snapping into place, and he huffs at a wry self-amusement that has him crawling his fingers through the scalp of his bangs, "Sure, Angie." He tugs the cooler forward, plastic wheels bouncing a clatter on pebble rock, "Reckon the tide's still low. Gonna have to watch out for our things as the day goes on."
cole's voice is carried off by the ocean breeze, disappearing into the sound of the waves lapping onto the shore while angela leads them closer to it, scoping out the perfect spot for them to settle. the sun overhead is still early and the sand has yet to scorch, but each step has her sandals working against the resistance of the sand. it emphasizes the switch of her hips, bringing attention to every shape that usually remains hidden beneath the sublety of a lab coat.
she guides them to a spot partially more secluded from the rest of the beach, twenty feet from the shore to account for the afternoons rising tide.
"oh, here's a good spot, ja," she says, glancing over her shoulder at him. she points a finger where he can set the cooler down, then starts pulling their blanket out of her giant tote bag so that it can be unrolled and set.
"we can always move our things if the tide rises too much. or perhaps i can have you dig a moat for us," angela teases.
"You know what they're doing is wrong, Angela. We can't keep charging in like this, care to the wind - we're so far off the damn book that the book is in the other room! Jack has gone AWOL and you know it."
His tone dipped in frustration, dripped depths of accent that only surfaced when the anger overtook him. Around them, the walls pressed against his psyche, closing in - Overwatch was falling apart and there was nothing to be done to stop this inevitable trainwreck.
"You have a world renowned name, research, Angela, you can go anywhere. Get out now, find something that does some real good. If you stay here, it's all going to blow up in your face. And you're better than that."
"emre..." even here, in the thick of it, angela manages a calm voice. she can see that emre is getting frustrated, that his voice is climbing - and the last thing she wants or needs is the inconvenience of someone overhearing and entering the room. she takes a slow, steady breath to keep herself grounded, lets a moment pass before she responds.
despite what her intuition has been telling her, angela doesn't actually know what wrongs are being committed. she was fired from blackwatch years ago (something she still cannot fully sit with). anything she can speculate about comes down to the increasingly frequent arguments between jack and reyes. arguments that only she's been privy to, yet can gather nothing from, can do nothing about.
angela sighs, lowers her eyes to the floor.
jack morrison will come back - he always does. and though the time between each return has only stretched, she knows that he would never simply walk away from overwatch. not when it's as much as a promise to himself as it is to the world.
its about making a costume that no one will be afraid of. about showing everyone that help is here the second they see you in the sky. promising you that everything is going to be okay.
about never forgetting that there are children here.
The flowers were sent to the wrong address instead of her clinic and the chocolates had been pilfered. Cole has spent the whole afternoon barrelling through town on a dented red pick-up with Mary in tow fighting locales over sparse resources in salvaging Mother's Day. He looks every bit dishevelled of the day's events as he fixes up the bouquet in the vase with one hand with Mary cradled in the hug of his other. In her child-pudgey hands is a crayon colored card glued with construction paper hearts, Happy Mommy Day scrawled across its front. From the kitchen, the oven spews the scent of aromatic herbs baking into Dinner when Angela clicks open the front door.
Cole Cassidy whispers a hurried just like we practiced into the wisps of his daughter's hair as he dents his knees to reach for the heart shaped box of chocolates at the base of the flower vase and rounds to meet his wife. Mary lifts up her card, elbow butting into Cole's cheek, and in unison they greet her, "Happy Mother's Day!" (i imagine mary doesnt say mother's day fully the way she trips over trick or treat but ahgkbtk)
mother's day! @vastiitas
if anyone would have told angela that there existed a future where she would get to come home, welcomed by a loving husband and a happy, healthy child, she would have laughed it off as fictious thing; something from ear-dogged romance novels left unfinished and forgotten with the rest of who she used to be, lost in time to the long stretch of war. but when she opens the door to the other side of her very first mother's day, she remembers Mercy in a way she hadn't allowed herself to for a long time; the promise of tomorrow is no longer a burden for her to carry. it is here for her to live.
it is here, and bright, and hers.
( after everything, hope has led her here. )
angela brings mary into her arms the moment she's close enough to reach her. she brushes away soft brown bangs to plant a kiss to the top of her head, reveling at how her daughter fits into place against her bosom as if she were always meant to be there.
"oh, mary! you made this just for me?" they open her card together, admiring crayon scribbles and construction paper hearts until mary's child-pudgy hands start reaching for the box of chocolates tempting her from her father's hand. angela laughs, leaning up to kiss the tension out of cole's shoulders, the nervous held breath. there's nothing in this world that could make his toddler-gripped shirt and tired eyes look any less idyllic to her. the kitchen could be on fire, and she would still be the happiest women in the world pressed up against him.
"thank you, liebling," she says, kissing him again.
"oh - " angela turns from the open fridge to look at him, almost caught off-guard by the offer. she'd meant it when she noted how lovely it smelled in the kitchen, but she hadn't meant to imply she'd wanted any of the food niran was cooking.
"no - i couldn't," she declines politely, pulling her homemade overnight oats from the fridge; a glass container, properly sealed and labeled, with little flowers printed on the sides. it was actually supposed to be her breakfast, but she'd forgotten to eat until now.
"i'm quite busy... i have to get back to work, ja - " her smile is encouraging as she closes the fridge behind her, shuffling with a restlessness to get back to her lab.
