History Fanfic / VigilPeptuck

* DropTheHammer: The new and improved Muton Berserkers wield enormous, electrically-charged warhammers.

** A Replica with an upload personality, armed with a sword, cloaking, named [[VideoGame/DirtyBomb Phantom]]. He even uses Phantom's CatchPhrase "Trick or treat, motherfucker!" when he backstabs someone.

Notable for ''aggressively'' breaking from the canon storylines it draws from and creating a very unique setting blending concepts of {{Transhuman}}ism, exploration, politics, conspiracy, and war. The author deliberately creates a relatively positive setting, despite the fact that several of its source materials are based in horror genres. The author also has said that he wishes to reintegrate elements of his aborted ''Mass Effect[=/=]FEAR'' crossover ''Fanfic/{{Harbinger}}'' into the story. And he did -- Shepard's rampage from the first chapter of the latter fanfic has been integrated into the story. [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/vigil-xcom-me-eclipse-phase-other-stuff.308549/ Spacebattles discussion and story thread]] here, and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10665659/1/Vigil Fanfiction.net here]].

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10665659/1/Vigil Vigil]]'' is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover[=/=]FusionFic built around the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' franchise coupled with the continuity of ''Videogame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', as well as significant elements of other settings such as ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'', ''[[Videogame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon FEAR]]'', ''Videogame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', and ''Videogame/{{Destiny}}''.

Later on, the story shifts its perspective to a turian [[Videogame/{{Destiny}} Exo by the name of Cayde-6]], captain of a run-down old warship known as the ''Paxterae'', and its distinctly ''odd'' crew of psychic humans, neo-quarian gunslingers, krogan medics, and disturbingly-cheerful geth, who are running down rumors of a fabled alien sanctuary. There's also a news report serial known as "Corpus Daily News" that the author ([[ScheduleSlip tries]]) to publish weekly on the Spacebattles story thread, detailing notable happenings across the galaxy.

** ''Videogame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'': The history of humanity from the Ethereal War is used, and the Ethereals appear to be the setting's BigBad, akin to the Reapers.
** ''Videogame/{{XCOM2}}'': Some of the technology and aliens from ''XCOM 2'' are showing up as well, such as [[spoiler: Replica, who look like ADVENT soldiers under their armor]], and [[spoiler: the Codex aliens]]. In addition, in the rewritten version of the story, [[spoiler: Julian showed up in the initial timeline, albeit insane as he was in canon, and was destroyed by Raymond Shen]].

** ''Videogame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'': Armacham Technology Corporation features extensively. Harlan and Alma Wade are featured characters, and the Replica show up as well. [[spoiler: Paxton Fettel is another ATC test subject]].
** ''Videogame/{{Destiny}}'': The Cabal and Fallen are mentioned as Terminus races, with the former being incredibly paranoid and militaristic, the latter having been pirates apparently since before the Asari discovered the Citadel. Neither of which are known very well InUniverse, on account of their tendency to shoot first and not bother asking questions. In addition, the Dead Orbit and Future War Cult factions are prevalent. Exos are used by the turians, and XCOM Sentinels like Shepard dress like Warlocks. Fusion rifles also show up, apparently a turian attempt to mass produce human plasma weapons without elerium. In the same chapter, Alma uses what is essentially a Titan's Ward of Dawn to defend herself from a group of attackers. Cayde-6 actually becomes a major character in the story as well, and he actually uses a version of [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141114094318/destinypedia/images/c/c6/The_Last_Word.jpg The Last Word]] exotic hand cannon, as well as [[spoiler: the Gunslinger's Golden Gun, meaning he's got access to Light]]. In addition, cut plot elements indicated that [[spoiler: Oryx and the Hive were going to be a major villain]], and that [[spoiler: the Ethereals are the same species as the Fallen.]]
** ''Videogame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'': Prokhor Zakharov is a major character, and Miriam Godwinson is mentioned. Corazon Santiago is also the leader of the Future War Cult. Pravin Lal is a major political scientist.
** ''Videogame/{{Warframe}}'': The Corpus show up as volus-originated "profit-cults" who are powerful enough that they're considered a possible danger to the Citadel's economy if said economy becomes unstable. A gunslinger named Mesa also shows up. There's also hints that something like [[EldritchLocation the Orokin Void]] may exist, but it's very vague so far.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The author posted several of these in the [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/vigil-xcom-me-ep-fear-other-stuff.308549/page-198#post-16933921 Spacebattles discussion thread]], though he specified that these are his personal themes that he uses while writing the characters. They also include both "current" themes for the characters as they are and "development" themes for the directions he intended to take them. Themes ranged from the aggressive (Shepard's, for example, are "Dark Skies" and "The Only Thing I Know For Real" from ''Videogame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'') to the forboding ([[spoiler: Liara]]'s later theme is apparently [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNoedF8lRZY this song]] from ''Videogame/{{Warframe}}'') to some spoiler-heavy themes. [[spoiler: Alison]]'s theme is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RlSgnpLbro this song]], which has some [[AIIsACrapshoot implications]], and [[spoiler: Shepard and Alma]] have a shared theme: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tA2d4DWdGw "War"]] from the ''Videogame/AlanWake'' soundtrack. Finally, there's Saren's theme... which, uh... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eDGD7kwsxM diverges]] [[Videogame/TeamFortress2 from the pattern]].

* NoNonsenseNemesis: The current Ethereals are not playing games. WordOfGod is that unlike the Ethereals in ''Videogame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', they don't care if humanity survives. They've armored up even the basic Sectoid troops with carapace-equivalent and artificial muscles, they abuse the hell out of cloaking technology with their snipers, and their Mutons are even more heavily armed and armored than before ''and'' they use kinetic barriers, rendering them nearly immune to plasma fire. On top of that, they've loaded their minions with cranial bombs in case they get captured. And to top it all off, their deadliest soldiers? [[spoiler: [[HumansAreWarriors Humans]].]]

** The commander of the allied fleet sent to retake Lincoln is named [[Videogame/JaggedAlliance Dolvich]].
** [[Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel Aspis City, on the colony world of Athena.]]

** China forms a [[Videogame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII Strategic Defense Coalition]].
** One of Shepard's squadmates is a [[Videogame/ModernWarfare Sergeant McTavish]].

** Two of the names Garrus and Alison considered for their company were [[Videogame/{{Borderlands 2}} Hyperion]] and [[Videogame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Desperado]].

** One of the leaders of Armacham's cleanup teams is named [[Videogame/AlphaProtocol Marburg]].

** The [[Videogame/{{Planetside}} New Conglomerate]] is apparently a big power in human economics, and Hacksaw shotguns are mentioned as a MEC weapon.

** Most of the ''Paxterae's'' crew who aren't straight canon characters: Cayde-6 is pretty much [[Series/{{Firefly}} Malcom Reynolds]] as a turian. A long-haired human who specializes in nonlethal hand-to-hand fighting named [[Series/{{Leverage}} Spencer]]. A quarian pistol-toting gunslinger whose first name is [[Videogame/{{Warframe}} Mesa]]. And a driver/engineer named [[Videogame/{{Borderlands 2}} Ellie]].
** A Replica with an upload personality, armed with a sword, cloaking, named [[Videogame/DirtyBomb Phantom]]. He even uses Phantom's CatchPhrase "Trick or treat, motherfucker!" when he backstabs someone.

* WrestlerInAllOfUs: In Chapter Eleven, [[spoiler: James Vega suplexes a Muton Berserker]].

** In most works, plasma is presented as a generic EnergyWeapon. The author instead presented plasma as what it really is, a fourth state of matter that has mass and therefore gets affected by kinetic barriers. In addition, plasma is a terrible weapon against kinetic barriers, because [[ConvectionSchmonvection vacuum is terrible at conducting heat and plasma lacks the kinetic energy to effectively harm kinetic barriers.]] But when kinetic barriers go down, or the plasma is used in-atmosphere, they are far more effective due to convection/conduction. The author himself has gone on rants and even wrote a lengthy author's note explaining how plasma worked in relation to kinetic barriers in response to a number of reviews that complained that [[CriticalResearchFailure plasma is energy and should be going straight through the barriers.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Multiple times.
** The geth, being artificial intelligences, just don't "do" diplomacy like organics. They are "refreshingly blunt" at negotiations, which results in them being extremely up front and easy to deal with.
** When XCOM shows up to take Alma from her father, it looks like a violent confrontation is about to happen... only for the guard at the gate to relent and Harlan Wade to allow them to take Alma after only a brief spat of anger.
** The Citadel engaged in a massive buildup when they learned [[spoiler: about the annihilation of the quarians]]. And it turned out that when the economy couldn't support anymore ships and military expenditure, said economy collapsed.
** When the Geth rebuild their forces after the [[spoiler: Quarian Extinction]], they make sure that their tactics and abilities are specifically designed to be the counter to Etherial tactics and tech, seeing as how they were nearly exterminated by them. So despite XCOM having tech that isn't specifically based off of Prothean Tech and having energy weapons, the fight is ''extremely'' close when the two sides go to war.
** In a setting with element zero and kinetic barriers that severely cut down on the effectiveness of plasma, and when backed by {{Heavily Armored Mook}}s, of course [[spoiler: the Ethereals will start using kinetic barriers to neuter the effectiveness of plasma.]]
** The Council ''wants'' to mobilize reserves in response to [[spoiler: the Ethereals' reappearance on Proteus]], but aside from the Turian Hegemony, they're hamstrung by political problems. Tevos cannot get the rest of the asari to back full mobilization because of the previously mentioned economic collapse when [[spoiler: the quarians were exterminated]], and a number of the Salarian Union's Dalatrasses are unwilling to back full mobilization because [[spoiler: the Council has authorized a gradual genophage cure]].

** Alma Wade, who in ''FEAR'' canon ended up going through horrific, traumatizing ordeals after losing control of her powers, is [[spoiler: picked up by XCOM without much trouble and willingly goes along with them for proper training.]]