#overwatch analysis

[tech-obsessed-shark]

NPD Domina - An Analysis

Despite how she appears, Vaira Singhania aka Domina, is actually a deep character. She's a woman who believes she deserves everything AND has everything, but it still doesn't make her happy.

This is my little analysis of Domina's character and how she fits the criteria of an NPD diagnosis. I honestly really enjoy her character and wanted to just yap about her and her writing.

PART 1: NPD SYMPTOMS

"Exaggerated, unfound sense of their own importance and talents"

Domina "speaks with a sense of entitlement and stature," while she belittles others and highlights her own skills. She projects an image of perfection, letting everyone know just how important she is.

When given a draft of a speech she was to give at the Vishkar Awards, Domina was disgusted to see that she would be praising her family's legacy. She believes that her efforts were the reason for the company's success.

"Bringing up my family before mentioning my own achievements? Introducing myself as if everyone doesn't already know who I am?"

"Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited achievements, influence, power, intelligence, beauty, or perfect love"

All she wants is the best for herself and her image. She will do anything go get power, influence, achievements, and to be seen as perfect. This includes associating with Talon and anyone else who get her close to her dreams.

"Belief that they are special and unique and should associate only with people of the highest caliber"

Domina definitely believes she is special and unique, at least she tries very hard to believe it

She associates with those she deems worthy, which unfortunately is nobody unless she has something to gain from them

"A need to be unconditionally admired"

To be honest, it is her goal in life. She wants people to see her as a perfect person; she wants to be seen as above everyone else. She refines herself for the joy of idolized.

"A sense of entitlement"

As seen before, she believes that she is the reason for Vishkar's success.

Fully believes that she has a right to do everything she does, for both herself and her company

"Exploitation of other to achieve their own goals"

She's rich heiress to a corporation that exploits people for the sake of cheap labor.

"A lack of empathy"

She's a rich heiress to a corporation that exploits people for the sake of cheap labor.

But seriously, I'm not sure due to the technical terms of empathy vs. sympathy and my own struggles with empathy as a mentally ill person. Would I say Domina doesn't care about other people's emotions? Yes. Would I say she doesn't understand their emotions? I'm not sure. Based on what I have read, I don't know if she can feel the same emotions as others or understand them as she IS a new character and hasn't had too many interactions in the canon. Honestly, as someone with Alexithymia I have trouble understanding, identifying, and expression emotions so idk. (I would love to hear other opinions on this)

"Envy of others and a belief that others envy them."

Yep yep yep. She envies those with "natural-born talent" due to how her family pressured her iinto be perfect. She had to study and trains for years to prove herself, especially against those who have talent. She believes that "the true test of talent" is the hard work she put into becoming the person of today.

She definitely wants people to envy her and I'm sure she believes people do, but that comes with a price to her as well

"Arrogance and haughtiness"

Yep and yep again. She's prideful, selfish, and sees herself as superior to everyone else

Honestly just listen to her voice lines

PART 2: Who is Varia Singhania?

Varia Singhania is a person who was born into a family business with everything planned out for her. It led her to become a obsessed with her achievements and image. All she knows is that to be someone is to be perfect. Rejection as a child is what fueled her to succeed. When she sees herself in the mirror, Varia goes back into the mask she puts on for other people. She believes that sharing her struggles, her vulnerability, will just make people think less of her.

Varia Singhania is a tragic look at what happens when a kid given too much pressure can't escape it. She worked to adapt to the environment she was born in. She was not born evil, nor is she a person who only acts to do evil.

Looking past the nepo baby evil corporation terrorism, she's even... somewhat relatable? Being born in a household where you're expected to be perfect and constantly compared to those around you is not fun. It destroys your self-esteem and what you value in your life. It takes away enjoyment from everything that does not contribute to the goal of being perfect.

However. This does not mean she is right for what she does. Her and her corporation have harmed and likely killed a great amount of people. She does not care who she hurts to achieve her dreams. But she's not an inhumane monster who takes joy in killing people either.

cough uh anyways thanks for reading this. this took me a while to write and is pretty long and if you got this far that makes me happy :))) Domina is a character that interests me so much, as she is both relatable and fun to watch- anyways have a nice day!!! and if you have any thoughts plz I would love to hear them omg

[sleepykamukura]

seeing the deep panic & emotional turmoil ashe goes through when cassidy is kidnapped by the diamondbacks makes me believe even more in my assumption that she has no idea he was pretty much forced to join black/overwatch

they DO love each other, whether you interpret it as platonic or romantic it’s true either way. cassidy definitely would not want her ending up killing herself trying to break into an overwatch base, which she would most likely try by the way we see her react in the book.

one of her first thoughts after the fire is trying to figure out where he is, getting b.o.b to search for him in the burning house

she actively spends every dime she has to get out of jail as quickly as possible so she can save him

THAT’S why she has this grudge after so many years. she most likely thinks he left her behind, that he had a choice, when she almost died for him in whats implied to be only a year or so prior

[wildissylunas]

@kushion55

I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THE MEI THING OMG-

She isn't a soldier either and she didn't even expect she'd be fighting, but unlike Angela she willing to. She's a lot more positive about it too!!

Not only that but I talked with one of my friends about this, and I've talked about my head cannon that Amelie and Cassidy were friends pre-Talon. But in the serious theory direction I honestly think that if Widow gets a redemption and joins Overwatch to help take down Talon. I think they'd be able to relate to each other to a certain extent. Neither of them would be who they are without the specific circumstances that lead up to it. Without the Crisis, without Talon, they would just be regular people. Neither of them wanted to be soldiers but here they are fighting a war anyway. The same goes for if Sombra and Sigma join too. Honestly Cassidy relating to ex-Talon agents and being the first to empathise with them is an interesting storyline on it's own, but adding Cassidy feeling like he finally fits in because he's no longer the only ex-criminal on the team? That he isn't the only one who didn't imminently do good in the world and that he's not the only one that doesn't feel like he's a solider?

That would be a great character arc.

This also relates to what you said about Ana not mentioning Cassidy in this line;

Though Cassidy does have an a similar outlook on situations to what Angela, Sojourn and Lena have, there are couple of differences. Cassidy, for one, has a larger understanding on why someone would join Talon, why they would cause harm. Something we see all three of these characters struggle with. Being someone who was a criminal gives him a lot more empathy and patience towards those who are still on that path.

We see Cassidy, though non-canon, interact with Talon agents and he seems rather chill with them, complementing Widows aim, being patient and joking around with Sigma, being fairly casual with Sombra. Meanwhile in canon we see that though the introduction was rough, Cassidy genuinely likes and trusts Baptiste but he also aware enough of the people around him to know to encrypt Baptistes file. It also seems that he and Athena knows that he's in contact with Sombra;

Again I think the reason Cassidy wasn't mentioned is because he doesn't think the same way Angela, Lena and Sojourn do, and Ana knows this. If we look at what Ana says to Cass in "New Blood";

yes it has similar tones to what was said in Valkyrie but it is still different;

With Cassidy she goes into more detail, talks about him specifically, no mention of anyone else. To me Ana seems a lot more vulnerable here. With Angela, compared to what she says to Cassidy, it's rather simple, though they still have a core message;

This message is key both in similarity and in the differences of these conversations. In Valkery it seems that Ana just thinks Angela should go help in some way or another. With Cassidy she is actively setting him up to be a leader. Nothing says this more than the final moments of the conversations;

She leaves Angela for her to decide what she should do.

But with Cassidy?

She tells him to learn from the past, encourages him to not make the same mistakes in it, to make a new Overwatch. Which is what we see him doing in the last cut scene of Liberation;

"Jack Morrison is off chasing ghosts, he's not coming back."

The only member of the old guard he actively suggests they bring back is Sojourn, because he knows that she's got the battle strategy they need in order to better their chances against Null Sector. The fact that he's the one to suggest it as well and not Winston is telling as well.

Cassidy think differently both from the old guard and the second generation, Cassidy isn't the type to quietly retire, he also isn't the type of person to fight meaningless battles. He's not made for peace but he's also not made for war. He's made for change.

And Ana knows this, and I think Jack knows this too. Afterall Ana wasn't the one gathering info on Talon, Jack was.

Sorry this ended up longer than I expected, went on a bit of a tangent-

[lovingoverwatchguys]

Soldier 76 tangent: Socialization

I’m not sure if others notice this, but it seems to me like Jack might have some kind of social anxiety, or at the very least is socially awkward.

My thought process is that, with the Strike Commander position, he never got to show his true self with most people. He was always behind a mask. Meanwhile, there was also intense pressure for him to make others like him - especially in terms of general public image. Living with the fear that a single mistake could make people dislike him, destroy the mask, and ruin everything, because public opinion is fickle.

(Further explanation/examples/evidence under read more, to not take up too much space in tags/dashboard)

I’ve seen people before say he’s ‘fake’ or ‘shallow’ for those things, but I don’t think him fixating on how others feel about him is out of any kind of vanity. It’s out of anxiety, fear, and necessity. Not that it excuses him for things he’s done wrong, but as someone who’s been ‘the target’ before (school trauma), I know just how paralyzing the fear of negative public opinion can be.

For example, even before the fall, he seems to fret over public opinion a lot:

(from Uprising)

(from Retribution)

Afterwards, Soldier 76 is a ‘lone wolf’ for a reason. But, as you can see from his constant insistence that he’s ‘not a hero’ and etc, he seems very convinced that the public hates him or is scared of him. Even after shaking off the bureaucracy, he’s still fixated on public opinion. Despite paying 0 heed to the fact that he pisses off authorities or major businesses, it’s the public that he’s so focused on.

Meanwhile, afterwards, it sometimes seems like he struggles to articulate himself in an honest way. Like he’s always just impersonating himself. It leads to him coming off wrong.

I mentioned before how Jack shows concern for Mei - see this post - and notice how he expresses it.

Then, look at another line he has at Ecopoint Antarctica:

He says he feels terrible for the scientists (presumably, Mei’s friends), while also discouraging her from fighting on the front lines. This gives me the vibe that he’s worried about her safety out on the battlefield (and probably that he’d blame himself even further if she got hurt).

So why did he express it in such an...interesting...way?

It could be a failure to articulate himself properly.

Also, I don’t have quotes for this specifically, but if you listen to the way Jack speaks in-game, he often sounds somewhat stilted and wound up. (Fred Tatasciore, Jack’s voice actor, deserves a shoutout for his ability to deliver so many emotions at once, all while doing a character voice. Love that guy.) 

Meanwhile, if you look at how he talks to Ana, both in-game and in Bastet, he’s much more casual and relaxed. There’s a marked difference in how he talks to someone that he feels comfortable with and used to. Even beyond just a matter of trust - the thought that he can at least somewhat expect what she’s going to do.

All of this is just my own speculation, in the end. But I think it’s an interesting concept - and of course, a way to push my ‘Jack is a way more interesting character than people give him credit for’ agenda, which I do at any opportunity.

[evilkakyoin]

i wanna talk to my friends but i dont know what to talk abt :(

[savelucio]

About Roadhog’s Nerf

I felt like enough time has passed that I can finally offer up my opinion on the legendary Roadhog and Blizzard’s changes to him.

Where He Was Before

Roadhog was this insane solo queue carry hero. He could go on massive flanks with almost NO punishment from lower skill ranks (diamond and below). He wasn’t a character that punished bad positioning, but a character that played like Genji and Tracer with a much lower skill floor. People soared through the ranks playing him ONLY for this flanking ability. 

tl;dr: He was a 600 health DPS hero with the easiest one-shot ability to land.

Where He Is Now

Roadhog now requires much more team coordination. He can no longer go on these insane flanks because he WILL be punished for it. He does still have a one-shot combo with his hook, but it requires better aiming and a shot before/after the hook + shot. Roadhog’s hooking ability is still insanely powerful; the ability to pull an enemy that’s out of position into your team to be annihilated for a pick is extremely useful. They then upped his rate of fire and clip size, as well as lowering his head hit box, to make him more useful in-between hooks.

tl;dr: I don’t think he’s in a bad place at all. I think it will take time for the community to learn how to play Roadhog again as they did with D.Va.

Food For Thought

There IS the argument that the hook was Roadhog’s only value ability, and I would agree. However, if they wanted to keep his one-shot ability as it was pre-nerf, then Blizzard would have to take him out of the tank category. Which means they have two choices:

Possibility A: They keep Roadhog as he is now and promote him as a TANK hero. Possibly give him more sustainability or mobility.

Possibility B: They make Roadhog a DPS hero. Okay, so we all know Roadhog essentially WAS a 600HP DPS hero. IF Blizzard decided to reverse the nerf to bring back Roadhog’s value, then they would have to rework his kit. They’d either have to drop Roadhog’s HP down to 500 (possibly even 450 or 400), either reduce his hitbox or give him more mobility, and either raise the cool down on his self-heal or drop how much it heals him for.

[loneliii-aura]

you know, one of my favorite things about Overwatch is that it subverts many tropes about locations. Like in universe, England is pretty fucked up. and war torn. Oasis, in Iraq, is an amazing place full of knowledge and research. Numbani, in Africa, is a social utopia where people and omnics live in peace, unlike the way Africa is usually depicted in our media, war torn as well. And while it's not a good thing, India (or an Indian based company) is the one gaining power and even colonizing (looking at Brazil) instead of a western, typically white country. There are some things that haven't changed much, and some that annoy me. The US looks pretty similar, just with fancier tech. While I adore the Los Muertos gang, the depiction of Mexico and the corruption saddens me (especially when a lot of Latin America has been getting *better* in the last 10 years). Russia continues to be shady and mainly acting in self interest. It's not clear where Brazil is going after the revolution Lucio led, or where it was to start with, other than the poor favelas. Still, I appreciate the subversion of some of the typical themes we find. disclaimer: I haven't done in depth study of history. I'm speaking from a US standpoint where many other countries are depicted poorly, as "third world" countries, rather than offering much truth. This is a post talking about those depictions and what Blizzard is doing to subvert them.

[sleepykamukura]

Absolutely agreed with every point you made in your reblog, especially the Cashe stuff.

As much you are Ashe centric I am Cassidy centric, and I would have personally been pissed if Cassidy was mentioned more then he actually was in this story. I got my content of him from Ana and Jack's story which meant a lot more to me then anything that could have been said in Ashe's story.

They both need to be seen as their own characters instead extensions of one or the other. Especially Ashe, as the community just has seen her as "Cassidy's love interest", I think it's gotten a lot better since Ashe was introduced but that doesn't erase the fact that it still happens.

100% AGREE‼️ sometimes i worry that’s how my account comes off because i’ve mainly posted cashe content here but i am a huge fan of ashe as an individual and cassidy… i love him but not in the same way as i love ashe

she’s either seen as a love interest, an extension of his backstory, or someone to hate him/for him to hate, which really sucks!! she’s an awesome individual but it’s also a fault of the writers as she has 0 canonical connections to any in game characters except cassidy and few pre-game interactions.

deadlock rebels is hardly known even by ashe .. fans .. (yes i’m calling you posers) so the new short story is a good opportunity for people to read about her, see how she interacts with other members of the gang, and get deeper into her mind and appreciate her more rather than treating her like she’s only part of cassidy.

with all this stuff coming out for her, i really am hoping they have plans for her lore wise to integrate her into the lives of other characters