#ACT I. THE ROCKERBOY

[rockerb0y]

[  𝚜𝚖𝚜 ; 𝙺𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢  ] 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜． 𝚠𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔 [  𝚜𝚖𝚜 ; 𝙺𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢  ] 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐．𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢  𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

     AGILELY  had a genial bid to reunite been crafted not long after his inevitable return to night city, delivered to @boatdriinks' inbox without superfluous ceremony as if the last few years in  absentia  could be likened to a mere week or two. in the aftermath of his  fruitless  rescue attempt and  poignancy  for alt's demise, a sabbatical was self-prescribed and transitory membership amongst the nomads was embraced alongside santiago's heartfelt condolements. reclaimed anonymity had cultivated a richer sense of reviviscence during his leave from the neon-laden cityscape, the technologically  dirty  lifestyle harkening back to similarly  rustic  circumstances prior to samurai's meteoric rise to fame; in comparison, kerry's current living situation would have been preeminently deemed the height of  luxury  with its comfortable square footage and lack of communal amenities.

     red dirt had been their meetup's proposed location out of some semblance of  sentimentalism  but kerry's counterargument was too cogent for a respective rebuttal, especially given the particular terms of his co-parenting arrangement and disinclination to abrogate its responsibility; the  sober  reminder of parenthood and its lifelong commitment invited inward  gratefulness  of his own decision to drastically foreshorten its probability without compromise to his  hedonistic  trysts years ago — no paternity tests, no child support, and no bullshit. although kerry hadn't been endowed with the same type of  prosperity, to his due credit, any resentment was avowedly eclipsed by unconditional love for his daughter.

           truly heartwarming.

     ❝  kid's only three 'n she's got you wrapped snugly around her little finger, huh. not the least bit surprised. gonna have a hell of a time with her when she's knees-deep in  teen angst,  callin' it now.  ❞  index finger jabbed towards counterpart with prescient warning upon arrival, an  idiosyncratic  greeting which didn't deviate greatly from its norm circa several years back as gait liberally explored the apartment unit; aside from his cursory estimation of derry's age, the extent of his absence was too trivial to reference.   ❝  can she string a sentence together yet or are we still dealin' with the oh-so-eloquent stylings of ' dada ' and ' bye bye ' ? ❞

[quaddmgd]

[kimarisgundam]

DM literally asked my party if they're going to spend the one of the very few session we have (due to scheduling issues 🤣) arguing and blaming each other 🤣

^ she's specifically talking to my friends who play Rockerboy and Exec. And both of them were like "YES >:U " 🤣

The rest of us didn't stop them from arguing cos it's honestly funny how they try to stay in character, but they will always end up becoming petty and make irl jabs at each other 🤣

Exec says this is Rockerboy's fault for escalating the situation and telling everyone in the club that Exec is hosting a street race

But Rockerboy says it's Exec's fault for challenging the Wraiths leader NPC in the first place and he was just trying to prevent a shootout and make it hard to the leader to "play dirty" cos his pride is on the line now

As my Netrunner, I'm on no one's side. I know they are my chooms, but this is literally none of my business. I'm just here to collect my pay cheque from Exec (since he's my fixer)

^ I know he's annoyed that I'm not backing him up and the only thing I added to the conversation was reminding him what my rates are for helping him with anything

Rockerboy is also annoyed that I'm not on his side. But I told him he's my best friend, but he's an idiot. I don't publicly associate or side with idiots (unless he is offering to pay me to side with him)

[pois0ntree]

So, I feel like regardless of how you view astrology, it's still just an incredibly intriguing psuedoscience in general when it comes to interpreting human nature. And I got curious about Johnny and V's signs and their compatability, and too much of it is just TOO ON THE FUCKIN' NOSE. So, here's some of my favorite quotes from the articles I found about it:

For reference- V's canon B-day is October 12th making them a Libra. And Johnnycakes' canon B-day is November 16th making him a Scorpio. (pfffttt so perfect, really)

"With a Libra-Scorpio relationship, watch out for an increased sense of codependency."

"Both Scorpio and Libra act as mirrors for each other."

"Libras are free-spirits who do not like to be chained to anything or anybody, including their partners, so when Scorpios try to control them, things can quickly go awry."

"For Libra, a Scorpio can be quite useful as they provide useful insights into the process of tackling a problem through their systematic approach. However, they can be equally annoying due to their outbursts of emotions which are challenging for a Libra to deal with."

"Libras would need to be careful not to overgive for the sake of keeping the peace, while Scorpios would need to identify when they need to pull back and spend time alone."

It's all so perfect because it reiterates how these two are the epitome of an "opposites attract" or "yin/yang" type of relationship that can be very challenging but also work so extremely well for both partners because their conflicting traits balance each other out; they keep the other's overbearing personality traits in check while also just bringing out the best in one another. V's Libra nature of being very loyal, giving, peace-keeping, and free-spirited conflicts heavily with Johnny's tendency to be very rebellious, selfish, provocative, and opinionated/set in his ways. And their situation w/ the Relic just CATAPULTS the effects of their conflicting yet complimentary dynamic. V's inherent selflessness eventually rubs off on Johnny and teaches him to care more about the people closest to him rather than only caring about his revolutionist ideals in a rather obsessive way. In other words, V grounds Johnny and brings out his humanity, which even HE thought was long gone by the time he died. And on the other hand, Johnny's brash confidence teaches V to be a little more selfish when necessary and fight for themself for a change rather than typically putting other's needs above their own; he shows V the importance of taking action, of always fighting for what you believe in, and never losing sight of who you are.

Their relationship starts off with their personalities and values in complete war with each other's, but in time, they being to embrace their differences and evolve into better versions of themselves by the end because of their profound influence on each other.

Throughout their journey together, Johnny can't help but reflect on his poor choices and empathize more with the people that matter most to him, all because this little merc that now knows him better than anybody still willingly chooses to help him try and make amends with his past despite all of his flaws and mistakes.

Even at the expense of losing themself faster in the process, V still chooses to embrace Johnny and give him a second chance because that's the kind of person they are. And because Johnny also comes to know V better than anybody, he decides to follow in their suit and do whatever he can to prevent V from destroying themself just for him. He gives the merc his dog tags as a promise that it'll be his life for theirs, and by the end, V is faced with an impossible decision to have to make:

give in to their own inherent nature and sacrifice themself for the rockerboy parasite that they've grown to love and now can't imagine having to say goodbye to, or embrace the side of Johnny that urges V to LIVE and never stop fighting- to not let anyone else change who they are, ever again.

[vole-mon-amour]

"Ahem, is it too late to ask for a second chance?"

"Okay, but as far as the second chances go, this is your last one. I refuse to be that naive."

"Johnny Silverhand, relentless rockerboy who refuses to give up."

"V, first among suckers."

What I learned is that, if throughout your journey you try to be only nice with Johnny and act like you forgive him anything and don't try to hold him accountable, you miss A LOT of his answers and banter.

And while I understand people that try to be nice with him (hell, that's usually me and I completely missed on the secret ending on my first blind playthrough), I've been exploring the answers and it's so curious to see that pattern. You get to learn a lot about Johnny and his personality if you push him just a little bit. I find the answers that he gives V before their first talk with Alt VERY interesting. "You're just as bad as her, why can't you drop it?"

He's annoyed, he seems to be truly believe that he was right for acting that way with Alt (something along the line of "she could've just left, but she just had to bust my balls"). Or maybe he still tried to build up a wall because he feels so uncomfortable about that, but deep down he knows it was wrong of him. He even wants to talk to Rogue alone and asks her if "me and you, we're okay?"

So he KNOWS he's guilty in a way.

I absolutely agree that by pushing him and holding him accountable, you push him to be more self-aware and make that character development. Of course, if you're being a dick to him, he won't listen to you, so what V and Johnny have is truly a relationship (even though I ship them, I mean it in a platonic way in this example). Something like, "You're my friend & your behavior hurts me. If you want to keep me as your friend, you have to be better and you have to DO better."

Then you let Johnny have V's body, you push him out into the real world to make his own choices while he's still scared he'll fuck it up, and his first steps are truly to stop drinking, smoking, and start acknowledging his own feelings and be more truthful with the world (the way Johnny talks to Steve and what he says to him about Kerry is a good example).

And, listen, he HIMSELF says he refuses to give up. As scared and crushed by grief as he is, I'm sure he finds a way to make it work and to feel better in the long run. Grief doesn't just go away, especially not so fast like Johnny wants it to (I've been there and I know how trying to apply logic to a situation where grief is involved just completely fails).

Johnny will, as people like to call it, do it scared and do it alone. But he WILL do it, which I'm sure, eventually, rewards him with the life he wants or at least he thinks he and V's body deserve. He will live with that reminder of he has to try—if not for himself, then for V. Then maybe he learns to love himself in that non toxic way and life gets better for him from there.

[svetloiar]

On my first playthough i missed half of Kerry's quests. Didn't know, that i had to wait for his call for 24 hours. I blew up equipment van, talked to him in the cafe, saw no other sidequests and went to Hanako...

(Thanks, achievement, it's 'bout me.)

4 bloody years i didn't know that he's one of the love interests! XD Feel really stupid! So i have never seen Boat Drinks till this summer.

What the fuck? HOW COULD I?!! He's the best rockerboy and best of love interests! I'd like to see him earlier than in the 3 act...

[jaymber]

Off the Leash

Timeline 20151 - Protagonist : V Temarii

[ First | Previous | Next ]

V knew the Dark Matter, from a not-so-long memory of a man he wished he had known better. He put on his best outfit to meet Kerry, unsure why the rockerboy wanted him there. A celebration, he had said, but V didn't expect that many people there, looking at Kerry and the Us Crack girls, then at him. Too many eyes looking at him, too many lights and too many questions. He gladly followed Kerry away from the crowd and noise to look at the city below. Kerry opened his heart to him up there, on that rooftop. He shared his insecurity, his doubts. He showed a face both foreign and familiar to the merc, who couldn't help but feel sympathy. He didn't know why. He barely even knew him. But he wanted his happiness. He didn't know why. The words didn't sound like his. But he tried to reassure him. He didn't know why. It wasn't his style to act this way. But he tried to kiss his troubles away.

He didn't know why... until looking down at his Hand.

His Hand, if he could even called it that. Silver had replaced dark steel weeks before. He had grown used to it, until now. Hellman's words suddenly crept back into his mind. He quietly broke the kiss, feeling his chest tighten as the air grew thin in his lungs. V didn't fall in love. It had been stupid of him to think he could. It had been selfish of him to think he could try, he could let Kerry hope.

"I- I gotta go," he muttered, pushing a puzzled Kerry away before rushing to the elevator.

V's wobbly legs gave out under him right after the doors closed. He broke down, head spinning and hands shaking. If Johnny mocked him, V didn't hear. It might've been his lack of a reaction that alerted the engram, who tried his best to calm his host down. Or maybe it was just guilt. V didn't know what made him sicker : letting himself be used again by Johnny, or stupidly thinking he was able to fall in love.

[rockerb0y]

     NOT EVEN  the potent cocktail of chemicals in johnny's bloodstream was immune to terminal dilution, beginning to abate about halfway through the setlist of stentorian songs and eventually deadened to a  numbness  which yearned to be renewed to its former glory. the venue and its effervescent crowd had warmly received the tendentious performance, ardently lauded and extolled the visual backdrop of articles from various smear campaigns against him over the past few years — an  eye-catching  and  provocative  accompaniment to his  idiosyncratic  brand of sound. nevertheless, the fervid feedback didn't automatically merit an encore and his expeditious exit outside wasn't susceptible to further vacillation. the show was over because he said it was over and nobody could overturn the  dictatorial  decision.

     ' the night owl '  had procured his patronage over its surrounding competition with its proximity and diminutive clientele. the business hours were arbitrary and open-ended which catered to his particular ambitions for the evening, opting to occupy a seat at the far end of the bar counter away in self-imposed isolation. the view beyond the sheets of glass surrounding the bar would've enticed any wandering eye, as was expected from its location on the top floor of the bay bridge residential hotel; to him, however, the neon graveyard was a tired sight that failed to inveigle  him into any state of admiration. the inherent exigency of the empty whiskey glass in front of him was far more worthwhile of his notice, second only to the sudden movement on his right side as the adjacent seat was no longer subject to vacancy.

@helldwells: ❝ you look lonely. i can fix that. ❞ ( soooo thinking about silverhand during his prime time while ryker is still a corpo and keeping an eye on him heh )

     twitch of a smile denoted acknowledgement of the stranger ahead of a verbal reply, lidded gaze quick to steal a glance and investigate existing suppositions. the other patron's attire and comportment was of a  certain  caliber, an  eminence  that came married with corporate rancidity; its stench was as familiar as it was distinctively deplorable. despite lacking any tangible evidence or confirmation to his working theory, the once-over alone was decidedly enough to profile his counterpart and make an educated assessment.

     ❝  spoken like a true jig-jig street regular. not all that different from them, actually: corpses and joytoys. both are willin' to bend over and be  fucked raw  by their employer if the price is right.  ❞

     wraithlike whisper from  the hand  goaded him to  glass  the unexpected visitor, to accede and temporarily  tranquilize  the urge to maim. violent fantasy fogged over immediate thought for a moment before it was banished from mind, curbed for the time being as the bartender's attention was beckoned with a  knock  of chrome knuckles against the counter. a refill was sorely needed in addition to a suitable beverage for his  esteemed  company.

     ❝  another double whiskey neat here, and a  jersey turnpike  for this compassionate boy scout. my treat.  ❞

     the bartender's bout of hesitation upon hearing the order was expected but a pointed look subsequently resolved any  doubt  of its sincerity. the recipe was straightforward: all the bar mats' residual liquor collectively wrung into a single shot glass — a mixed shooter perfectly  curated  for any  bottom-feeder.

               ❝  take it, and fuck off.  ❞

BLADE RUNNER 2049 PROMPTS

[mail-me-a-snail]

explain your silvervance playlist

let's get to it! this got very. very long. tumblr only allows 30 images per post so expect a part two :3

⭐1.) twin skeleton's (hotel in nyc) - fall out boy

the silvervance playlist kicks off with vance's post act 1 theme--the song that follows him out of the grave and into the next life with johnny in his head.

johnny's engram saved vance; kept his head together even if chunks of the merc's brain matter were slipping through his chrome fingers, in a manner of speaking.

when the relic saved vance's life, it marked him for death, too. jackie might've taken the bullet for him, but death is gonna find vance one way or another.

⭐2.) hysteria - muse

johnny resides within a new, uncooperative body, hates every second of it, and decides to make it vance's problem.

johnny himself has come back to life after 54 years of not-so-eternal death; didn't even know he was dead until he was walking upright again, until he was shocked back to consciousness. but it's not a real life--it's not even his to begin with.

⭐3.) come a little closer - cage the elephant

vance runs through johnny's memories; he gets to see night city's infamous rockerboy for who he really is, who he always has been: a liar, a faker, someone who claims to hate control but wants it, anyway. seeing his memories is as invasive as johnny seeing vance's--but johnny, surprisingly, says come take a look. see who've you've got in your head.

they're in this together, now. there's no going back.

⭐4.) infidel zombie - the dickies

with the theft of the relic and the revival of arasaka's public enemy #1, the megacorp is sending its best out to hunt them down.

after having escaped arasaka thus far, vance is on high alert. it doesn't help, either, that takemura--one of their best guard dogs--will only vow his service to vance as as long as they rescue hanako--the very face of arasaka itself.

⭐5-7.)

meanwhile, johnny and vance are still fighting over ownership of the latter's body. johnny wants one thing, vance wants another, and both of them hate this sense of dual autonomy. but little by little, they're becoming more alike.

my body is a cage - arcade fire / this body means nothing to me - shrimp / mark on you - the mountain goats

⭐8.) psychotic opera - small leaks sink ships

hellman gives them the low-down: vance isn't gonna make it with johnny still in his head. the best he can do is die comfortably.

but alt offers them a possible solution--find her where she resides in mikoshi, deep in the heart of the very tower vance had sworn he would never go back to, and she just might still be able to separate them.

this is the point of the playlist where vance realizes separation may be more painful than what would inevitably happen otherwise. he doesn't understand yet why he feels this way. only that johnny has been with him for some time now, enough time that being without him would feel...odd.

⭐9-10.)

they both have their own regrets about their respective lives, conjoined as they are now. they mourn for what could've, should've been. they mourn for what'll never happen--for the world, maybe, or maybe what'll never happen between them.

what was it johnny said? this is why you don't bring back fallen warriors: sooner or later, they're gonna see everything they fought for's turned to shit.

wish i knew you - the revivalists / all these things that i've done - the killers

⭐11.) granite - sleep token

but things aren't all that bad. vance falling in love with johnny was as inevitable as it was wholly consuming; he had never realized how lonely he had been until the ghost had come along. johnny is one of the only people in the city who understands what it's like to pass through it daily, to never feel your feet on the pavement, to just keep going.

even if the alt cunningham (or an engram of her), has offered them a solution herself, a very small part of vance is afraid it won't work. this is arasaka they're talking about; they'd need a miracle to undo the damage the megacorp has done.

he is afraid of dying.

but if that is how he can be with johnny--

--then he'll take it, even if it's in death.

✨12.) ordinary love (extraordinary remix) - U2

THIS. THIS IS IT. this is THE silvervance theme song. you'll recognize these lyrics as being the title of their fic series. ordinary love is just. it's the song that illustrates how much love johnny and vance have for each other.

vance doesn't want johnny out. he wants both of them to get their lives back--to live the life that was taken from them, together.

⭐13-15.)

in my head, these songs are intercut with various missions. they take place, chronologically, after my fic poltergeist (ie, vance and johnny have established the rocky foundations for their relationship). i think the lyrics speak for themselves.

rain - sleep token / slowly spilling out - saint motel / chokehold - sleep token

part 2 here

[rockerb0y]

     SLY rejoinder's objective was to provoke, to engender a candid reaction from his more modest counterpart regardless of nature. Distance apart dwindled by her own inclination and the advance was audaciously matched. Ample opportunity was granted for her to withdraw, cognizant of impetuous intentions and their consequences if ill-conceived. Absent were any hints of discernible hesitation and thus, the proximity between them became scarce --- close enough to feel the other's exhaled breath, and to adhere to incipient  intimacy; nothing could have readied him for what followed instead.

     ❝ --- The fuck ?  Said ' lips ', not teeth. Who taught you to bite like that ? ❞   Mild pain was secondary to the mirth which split his features, bout of laughter harmonious with hers as chrome fingers abruptly shackled her wrist and tugged her closer to receive his reprisal. Reflexive struggle on her end was anticipated and accounted for but no longer was there a fertile foundation to voice a persuasive appeal.   ❝ C'mere, fair's fair. ❞

     With no further ceremony, mouth parted and found a suitable site on the side of her throat. Teeth remained a passive threat for only a moment before they nipped, hard enough to produce a small mark yet tamed in its brevity -- a selective mercy, rarely shown. She should've considered herself fortunate; she got off easy.

❛ a smile is the second best thing you can do with your lips. ❜ ｡° ⸻ @rockerb0y.

Her smile becomes more terse, eyes and nose equally scrunched in her expression as she turns a half-glare his way. There was a lot she could say in return, but instead, something else sparks itself in her eyes, brows lifted as she gives an airy little sigh of agreement. Lee even leans forward, gaze dragging down to Johnny's lips the way she dragged her fingers down from his shoulder along his arm. Drawing herself in closer. Drawing her lips to his -   and then closer, until she's opened her mouth around his

and bit.

It wasn't anything destructive! She'd never want to hurt Johnny, even playfully, but to prove a point? Well, maybe she could make a small exception if her teeth grazed his skin a little too harshly. Her smile spills through the open maw, having to control a fot of laughter as she chases into him.

He's right. Smiling was the second best thing her lips could do. Biting was a good first-place winner.

[aggravateddurian]

Durian has created yet another variation of V because I'm just messing around in-game and I had this cool idea...

I can feel the AU mania overtaking me! It is a GOOD pain!!!

I like to call this AU "The Quiet Life" and it's honestly my fave, because I get to write smaller, more intimate stories about an ex-merc just living life in NC and I can create some new OCs to be her friends :).

This one's a 'V never goes to Konpeki Plaza and someone else gets the brain parasite terrorist rockerboy instead' AU. Basically, Valerie took a bullet and fall from a bridge during a gig (James Bond Skyfall-style) sometime during Act 1, before the Heist. Her cyberware saved her life, but she suffered severe injuries.

The injury guaranteed that she would not be able to participate in the Konpeki Plaza Heist, and Dexter DeShawn filled V's spot on the crew with another rising star from the Afterlife almost the second he found out about her situation. It seemed that the city had decided V's lifepath, and it did not include becoming a legendary Solo. Valerie took the hint. She became a bartender and began working for Mama Welles.

That means that while V's met some of the characters she'd normally see, like Evelyn and Judy, she has nothing to do with them. It's kind of bittersweet, and reminiscent of The Tower. V gets to live, but she loses all her chrome (almost everything needed to be removed to save her life) and has to start basically from scratch (she could work as a merc again, but the injuries have had a permanent effect on her, and she can't really bring herself to kill for money again).

Except for some close friends and associates (like Padre, Pepe, Mama Welles, Vik and Misty), V's traditional associates are either dead (Jackie), never met (Panam, Kerry, River, or even Johnny), thought her either dead or left the city (Regina, Wakako) or forgot about her (Judy specifically, after all, V was just some merc she met for like ten minutes and promptly disappeared back out of her life).

[vince-linder]

Christmas/New Year Exchange 2024

Another year gone in the cyberpunk fandom, and its time again for this little gift bringing :D

Worte a little christmas story for @kharonion and I hope you like it choom <3

We Need A Little Christmas - Quenmon - Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

Full story also under the cut :D

It was already time again, for the annual christmas party hosted at the Afterlife. Invites going out to every more known Merc, to any good fixer, and may a few well known clients. Aside from of course bringing your +1, making it a really big, loud party usually. Sometimes even some rockerboys join in and gave them some nice live music. Emmerick, as he always did, stood in front of the big doors of the afterlife and was the bouncer. Controlling if anyone who wanted in, was allowed to go in, helping too drunk people getting a delamain to get home, and interfere whenever someone was fully acting up. But in the end, he was standing outside, and wasn't part of the party at all. He sighed silently, as he heard especially loud laughing and yelling, clearly the party was going very well. Emmerick had to take a step aside as one of the Merc stumbled outside through the door, drunk as shit, of course Emmerick guided him outside so he wouldn't barf right in front of him. But aside from little moments like this, he didn't have much to do with the party. Well a few way too drunk Mercs tried to flirt him up, but he politely declined it all, he wouldn't start rumors about him and any Merc. Slowly it was getting late, the party was going full force, and Emmerick was feeling more and more restless. It was boring, and it was leaving such a bleak feeling, that he never was fully part of the fun.

Until one guy appeared, who always had a feelingly better connection to him. As usual in a bit flashier clothes, his red and black hair styles in a wild manner, and the trademark more or less stoic expression on his face, as he came down the corridor to the doors of the afterlife. He was still on his phone, talking to someone and making plans for the next few days, so he stayed in the corridor for quite some while, finishing his smoke while he was wrapping up the call. Emmerick crossed his arms in front of his chest, a small smirk appearing on his lips. Usually that guy, called Vikt by most, was always up for a bit of smalltalk, but it seems he was still quite busy even on christmas eve. “Told you, you could have joined me, Kerry. Not a big thing, but at least I'm gonna be present for a bit. You know how Rogue can be.” A small pause, he was clearly listening to his partner, but that wasn’t audible for Emmerick, but it made him smile just even more. Vikt didn't even look annoyed, just like he had that talk already, several times. “Kerry- Yes I know. And I told you before that I would go, and you are free to come with me. Yeah, sure. I know, cya soon.” With that he ended the call, a small sigh left him, before he looked at Emmerick.

“Hey choom, why you standing outside like that, thought the party already started?” “Mhm, party started hours ago, but you know, my job is bouncing, not partying.” Emmerick looked at the Merc with a small smile, but he really couldn't hide his real emotions that easily, especially not because V knew him quite a bit by now. “Oh come now, you should be inside. You are part of the afterlife, aren't you?” “Sure am, but not part of the Merc biz, Vikt.” The Merc placed an arm around Emmericks shoulders, nudging him carefully in the side. “Bullshit. You know us all better than any fixer. Knows exactly how any of us ticks.” “Well, maybe, but-” “No buts, Emmerick. You are-”, he poked Emmerick soft against the chest “-part of us. If you like it or not. And now let's head inside. First round is on me.” Emmerick wanted to protest some more, but V just softly pushed him inside. And surprisingly people were cheering, not only to see V but also Emmerick joining the party. They headed towards the bar and got some drinks, clinking glasses with each other and with the other people around. Fastly Emmerick felt welcome and good between the Mercs and Fixers, had nice talks with everyone and for once really felt like he belonged in between them.

And hell, did Emmerick had fun, drinking young Mercs under the table, getting paid rounds one after another, but his tolerance was quite high so he just got a bit tipsy from it all, but not fully drunk in the end. Despite having fun, he kept watching the scene, aiding when people started a too serious fight, and just keeping an eye out for everyone. In the end that was his job, and by now almost also his profession. It was just what he enjoyed to do. Still it made him smile in pure content happiness, to just see everyone mingle and party like that. Rogue sitting together with the other Fixers, surely not only talking private shit but also biz, but still cracking jokes and just being in a good mood. The famous rockerboys being a bit too flirty for their own good, but also giving the audience more than preem live music whenever someone asks for it.

Hours went by, and slowly most people faded from the party, headed home or just fell asleep in one of the couches. Emmerick helped a few of them out, ordering AVs or delamain for whoever it needed. After a while he got out himself, just to witness a far too cute moment, fully involuntary. But he also didn't want to interrupt just to say goodbye.

“Told you it's gonna be nice, really glad you could make it, Kerry.” Vikt had his arm around Kerry's waist, leaning against the smaller rockerboy and taking a deep inhale of his cigarette right now, looking just in the distance. “Mmmh, was a preem party. But you know me, I like it far more to spend time one on one with you, my love.”, the voice of the rockerboy was slurry, but somehow still got a sultry touch to it. His hands wander over the chest of his partner, making his intentions far too clear. “Gonna head home soon, and continue with a private party, what do you say?” “Sounds like a good idea. But bet you are far too drunk to not fall into bed once we are home.”, a small laugh left Vikt, amused by how much his partner wanted to still get some action despite being already fully drunk. “I am not that drunk!” Kerry protested, placing his arm around his partner's waist now and softly pulling him closer. He let himself be pulled in by the smaller man, looking down at him with a small smile. “And what's that supposed to prove? Just shows how drunk you are, when you wanna make out in public that badly. Or you trying to hide that you cannot stand straight anymore.” Kerry was dumbfounded for a moment, just looking up at his partner, before he leaned his head against his chest and let out a deep laugh “Yeah, maybe you are right, babe. Am maybe a little bit drunk.” “Oh yeah, I know.” Vikt placed a hand on Kerry's head and just caressed his hair softly, a small smile still on his lips.

In the end, Emmerick just decided to leave through the backdoor, he didn't want to interrupt such a cute moment between Vikt and his partner. Though he was very thankful that Vikt talked him into joining the party and got him out of his dark thoughts. This was for once really a nice Christmas evening.

[nercyar-ika]

Bad Habits: Chapter 01

Fandom: Cyberpunk 2077 Pairing: Johnny Silverhand/Fem!V Synopsis: What if Johnny and V got a 2nd chance at things? Both are sent back and only Johnny is able to remember parts of their first run but how much will he remember? Maybe this time they both will get a happy ending. Maybe these two gonks will finally express their feelings for eachother Author Note: I didn't have it beta read and I'm dyslexic. I'm sorry for any spelling and grammar problems but I hope you all will still enjoy this. Originally was posted on Ao3 and will now be updated here and ao3 Read on Ao3 - Master List Next Chapter

To Johnny, time seemed to have stopped completely. For ten years he had thought up every "what if" scenario of how he would tell Alt he was sorry, but that was 50-plus years ago. He had never thought his foolish mistakes would get him to the place he was right now. Let alone being able to talk to Alt again even with her contacting him back in 2023. She wasn't the Alt he had known before the accident, this one was made up of computer noise and numbers. This form was still the shape of his Alt but deep down she wasn't there anymore. Closing his eyes Johnny let out a loud sigh showing he had stopped understanding what was being said to him. His mind had been wandering while Alt was explaining how she was working currently to fix V's brain. "You had stated that you wanted V to keep the body, but your mind clearly saying otherwise," Alt paused to collect her thoughts. "There is a 3rd option for you both. One that will be even more of a challenge than V or yourself staying." Opening his eyes Johnny looked up at the red figure floating in front of him. "... Explain" he groaned knowing she wasn't about to start making things easier for him to understand. "I may have found a way for you both to start things over again. V having only 6 months to live will not be the only catch --" "I should have known there would be a fuckin’ catch," Johnny stopped wanting to hear anymore already starting to assume this mysterious new option wouldn’t work. "What next you'll say we won't remember anything but, get a do-over." Alt ignored Johnny's interruptions as she continued to explain things. "-- You would both go back but things will start again. You will have to stay on the chip until better options arise. V will also have to forget everything. Memories may come back to her or may not... That being said you should remember most if not everything. As time passes things will slowly come back to you that were originally lost. V might not remember anything at all. She can not know about this. Atleast not right now. All she can know is that there is a 3rd option. You both have to go back together. If you do not go together then..." Alt paused hearing someone call for Johnny. The voice was far away but Johnny knew it was his V.

Somehow that merc of his managed to fight her way through Arasaka tower while dying and won. He couldn't believe it but knew her luck was always so much higher than others. Things like this made the Rockerboy even more thankful that his engram was placed into her head. If it was anyone else he'd be trying to find a way to kick them out of their own body just like he had wanted to in the beginning. Johnny knew better now and knew he never wanted to leave her side. Maybe a redo would make things better. He thought to himself before snapping out of his thoughts when he started to hear footsteps get closer.

Alt had disappeared right before Johnny felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he could see his V standing proud of the mess she just got out of. She had the biggest grin on her face one he wished he could put on her face every day. "It worked!," V finally told him pulling her hand away, acting like she was debating on hugging him. This was the only place where they could touch each other more normally. Back in Night City, it was just the chip messing with her body to make it feel like Johnny was able to touch her or him taking over partially to help take on the burden of V dying. She moved closer to him before continuing her thought "Johnny we did it..." This time her voice was softer, and some pain came as well. Something had happened but Johnny was unsure if he should even ask. They had already been split apart by the time V came back but Johnny could still read her like a book. With all this time they had been together, he knew he needed to hug her. Without hesitating Johnny wrapped his arms around her pulling V as close to his chest as he could. The bulk of his vest was getting in the way of how close Johnny wished he could hold her. Wishing he could make this embrace last forever but Johnny knew they were running on little time. Alts words kept floating around in his head trying to figure out how to tell V she needs to keep her body. With the new option maybe they’d be able to find his body and it wasn’t back in the oilfields.

Johnny’s grip then loosened, letting go of V slightly to get a better look at her. "Gotta admit, you cobbled together a good plan," A grin came over his face everything felt too good to be true but this could be the last time they see each other. If somehow the change of plans didn’t work Johnny hoped everything would turn out well for V. The new plan seemed like it would be best if they could find his body but he still worried. All his life things always seemed to go wrong and for once he wanted it to go right. The two of them had made it this far so maybe they really could do it again. ".... Valerie I have one last favour to ask of you," Johnny moved his hands to her cupping her face. V's face slowly turned from a large smile to being very puzzled about what she just heard him say. "Do you still trust me enough for one last thing?" His tone was soft and caring trying to hide the fear starting to form in the bottom of his gut. "Do you really have to ask that? Johnny, I already told you that I would take a bullet for you," V then grabbed the dog tags from around her neck to show them to Johnny hoping he'd remember that day back at the motel. "Doesn't that already say I trust you? I'm giving you my body to keep..." "No, you are not." Johnny snapped not fully understanding Alt’s new plan but knowing it was what felt right the more he processed it. Closing his eyes Johnny kissed V on the forehead. Silverhand wished he could tell her all about his feelings for her. She was his V after all. They both had started to catch feelings but no one would admit to it. Somehow they both knew how to hide it from the other. V wasn't the best at it which Johnny found endearing. If only fate had brought them together at different times. She was nothing like Rogue or even Alt when things were seemingly okay in both relationships. "Johnny you're starting to scare me," V whispered hoping he would explain himself more. Instead, he released her face, then grabbed her hand to lead her over to what looked like the diner table from Tom’s Diner. She followed him closely even though it felt more like she was being pulled along. "We need to talk to Alt then I'm sending you home but you have to trust me," Johnny's voice had changed back to low and soft. "Understood?" V nodded before sitting down. Silverhand sat himself down across from V setting his foot up on the table just like when they first started to work together. The memories of that chat came back into Johnny’s mind but this time they both wanted the same for the other one. To live. “Then where is she?” “You haven’t caught on yet have ya,” Johnny paused to look at V. She seemed confused again about what was going on. "Wha? Whadda mean?" “Alt’s already split us. Once you jacked into Mikoshi, she lit you up with Soulkiller.” “Your output don’t fuck around.” V teased but Johnny could tell there was a bit of hurt behind it. He knew he’d be making things right for V. One day she’d understand he had feelings for her. Maybe then he wouldn’t mess up a relationship for once

“I am not his girlfriend,” Alt stated making herself know. "Have you decided on what you will be doing?" "Yeah, we'll go with your new plan. I don’t fully trust it but it’ll be best. Probably even a better option for V if things don’t go as planned," "What new plan? Is this why you asked me to trust you, Johnny? What are you keeping from me? Look this will be the last time we see each other I don't want to lose you," Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes as more fear started to hit V. "I'll go with Alt just please don't forget me okay?" Johnny reached over the table to grab V’s hand and squeezed it trying his best to comfort her without getting emotional himself. They both needed each other desperately. "What do we need to do?" Johnny looked at Alt for answers. She gave him no answers but made it clear they needed to pick the options they felt were right... Go to the Blackwall or get in the Well. One would give them a new start the other seemed like a mystery to everyone. Taking the lead Johnny looked to V and gave her one of his famous smiles followed by a wink. "Come on Princess we got to get you home. I’m sure Nibbles is wanting her dinner by now anyways," With one more hand squeeze he then stood up and started to pull V so she would follow him to the Well.

"I promise I will never forget you V." He stated sitting on the side of the Well. V sat down next to him not wanting to let go of his hand. "It will be extremely hard for me to forget everything you have done for me even after how much of an asshole I was to you from the start. Now I need you to get in the tub no questions asked. Got it?" "But Johnny..." "Valerie please," there he goes again using her name. "What if the damage is too far done?" "You'll be sent back to your body." "What will happen to you, Johnny?" V closed her eyes. "I'm not sure…. But I'll be okay. It’ll be like I never even left your side don’t worry." Johnny then felt V's arms pull around him into a tight hug. He knew this would be the best way to make sure things went as planned. His grip tightened around V even after she had loosened her grip from the hug. Taking in a deep breath and moving with all his strength Silverhand moved so his body weight would push them both into the tube and under the water. He had heard a scream from V but couldn't fully understand anything she yelled after the water consumed them both. He held onto her as long as he could. Everything turned to numbers and colours then darkness. At that moment time had stopped for Johnny but he felt at peace. He prayed V felt the same way knowing what mess he just sent them back to.

[jaymber]

Second Conflict

Timeline 20151 - Protagonist : V Temarii

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V managed to pull Nancy out of the Maelstrom nest without much issue. If Johnny was delighted to see her again, V kept quiet. He felt still resentful at the way he had been treated before going to Kerry's mansion. A weird bitter knot was building in his stomach. He had been Johnny's only friend and confident for weeks now, suffering or enjoying the engram's company. Suddenly, old friends were showing up left and right, putting Johnny in a better mood than V ever could. It pissed him off, even more so when Johnny seemed completely clueless to the way he felt.

"Shame Henry blew it," the dead rockerboy kept rambling, "But man, this is preem. Samurai: back for one night, and one night only! Can't remember the last time I felt that excited. Eh, think I do, actually. 2007. One hell of a gig, and an even better afterparty, if you know what I mean." "Johnny, c'mon." "Man, you really are getting jealous," he teased, reappearing before his host, "You're lucky I find it cute. You're like a desperate little groupie. I missed this. Hey, V, wanna feel the real Samurai experience? I have the perfect idea on how to unwind until Nance-"

"I'm good, Johnny," V grumbled as he pushed him away, "Lil' groupie's done for the day."

V laid down in bed in silence after lighting a cigarette. It softened his mood a little, but Johnny didn't take kindly to being ignored.

"Fuck, what got your panties in a twist this time?" he mocked, "Gave me the green light on this idea, want to back off now? Or is this about Kerry? Mad I'm having fun with someone that isn't you, or disappointed I won't give him the Rogue treatment? Huh? Ignoring me, now? Fuck, V, we really back to that?" He simply wouldn't shut up, and V snapped.

"You're a fucking asshole, know that?" he yelled, "Still only fucking care about yourself. Rogue lead you on, and that sucks, but why you gotta make it my fault?" "V, what-" "You acted like I wasn't ever there! I tried talking to you, but you just ignored me! Closest friend? My ass! Only had Kerry on your mind!" "That has nothing to do with Rogue. Sreamsheets said-"

"What fucking screamsheets?" "Right, you weren't there." "Mean when you betrayed my trust?! So why did you wait to get into Rogue's panties first, if checking on your best friend was so important?! That's just another fucking excuse! You just wanted a distraction, and apparently, I wasn't enough." His voice suddenly broke as he swallowed back treacherous tears. He tried to hide his next words, but their minds was one, and they echoed in the tensed silence of the room. I'm nothing compared to them, am I? You're gonna leave me behind now that they're back in your life. "We both know that's not something I can do, V," Johnny said, and, feeling the wave of worry from his host, added, "And I wouldn't. Even if I could."

"Bullshit." "V, it's just old habits. Went to Rogue when I fucked up with Alt, went to Kerry when I fucked up with Rogue. Not used to putting you into that equation just yet. Was in my own head - forgot you were here." "But, I called you. Reach out for you." "Gonna have to listen harder, I guess. And you need to speak louder," he added, "Still need some getting used to - our situation. Usually, I’d just fuck off. Find a quiet place. Cenzon in one hand, Black Lace in the other. Get skizzed out of my mind, and find some easy groupie to bring home.” “Lucky for you: easy groupie's right here.” “You? With your constant whining and ball-busting? You make me work hard to get to you, V.” “And I should apologize for that?” he retorted, still feeling hurt.

“Nah. Thing is: I can’t do that anymore. Can’t wallow on my own. That, I’m still getting used to.” “Do you miss it? That method of yours?” “Why? Up to give me the reins once more?” he hoped. “Nah, but you got the company already. I can provide the buzz. Interested?” he proposed, clinging to the idea he could cheer Johnny up despite his doubts. He needed to feel useful. “See, V?" Johnny said, too distracted by his promise to worry about the knot in their stomach, "Thinking like a real rockerboy.”

[rockerb0y]

     RARELY  did he feel impelled to make an appearance at sound check but after minimal sleep and a  miscellany  of narcotics in active effect, the passing impulsion to govern the quality of sound became acute enough to warrant action. the performance was intended to commence close to midnight but its delay was  preordained  from the precise moment that he walked in. stringent schedules weren't particularly compatible with the nuances of his hedonistic lifestyle and there were still criticisms  aplenty  yet to be rectified. at the current rate of discussion, his staunch faith in sound technicians was liable to wane and mold him into a  heretic  who relied solely on their own technical expertise — an overly ambitious venture that would assuredly be bedded after the encore's echoes  withered  away to stark silence.

     forthright grievances aside, contrary to their imputations of unprofessionalism, the lead singer's motivation to play hadn't quite  calcified  into indurate indisposition.

     ❝  dunno, something's off. it still sounds like freshly packaged shit. actually tempted to just move the whole thing to the street and make it public. with these sort'a  piss-poor  acoustics, wouldn't make a lick of difference one way or the other.  ❞ 

     cynical stance fermented new  chaos  in the ongoing dialogue between the venue's staff and bandmates, almost incoherent due to enflamed tempers and a  destitute  of collaboration. amidst the strife did pocketed phone's vibration beckon immediate interest and mercifully offer a sorely needed distraction, removing the device to glance at the notification and gauge its potential for further investigation; all it took was one look at the sender to  pique  his curiosity and after an extended evaluation of the message's contents, in no respect could he confess himself to be  disappointed.

@asteritm:  sends  an  unexpected  'spicy' image  to  johnny .

     although the picture wasn't excessively explicit, the seductive pose and the allure reflected in her lidded eyes proved to be more than enough to evoke a  physical  reaction — bare skin that was woefully left untouched,  unmarked.  it didn't matter whether its receipt was accidental or not; sight alone was well-worth any amount of  light  bruising to his ego if the former was revealed to be that of reality.

     surrounding discord became  secondary  in priority and with a deft touch was a text response crafted in the image's aftermath, appetite newly  whetted  with room to swell. the finalized ask from her carried a great deal of risk — even thinking about it for too long was liable to go straight under the belt — yet she knew better than most just how  incorrigible  he was.

     [  𝚜𝚖𝚜 ; 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 (𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚕𝚜)  ]    𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚙𝚒𝚌

     [  𝚜𝚖𝚜 ; 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 (𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚕𝚜)  ]    𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑

     [  𝚜𝚖𝚜 ; 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 (𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚕𝚜)  ] 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘

NONVERBAL PROMPTS

[rockerb0y]

        ❝ Why ?  Fishin’ for a statement about the fight ?  Don’t have one. Didn’t see anything. ❞

     OBSTREPEROUS  scrimmages weren't uncommon for his typical audience and although his brusque reply was tactlessly voiced, its purpose was to also ensure that their conversation remained untainted by professional interests. Envenomed opinion of her career was eminently known and simply wasn't conducive to his cooperation,  nostalgic  lens notwithstanding. Despite his current misgivings, however, Johnny's stance remained static for a few moments longer to mull over the request and its  demure  messenger while a flick of his chrome thumb suppressed the cigarette's budding ash. Refusal to entertain the discussion beyond a passing acknowledgement would have been an apt conclusion to their encounter yet their existing history lent itself to a more meaningful dialogue. More intimate connections had been  severed  on far less cogent grounds but for Lee, some of his time could be  spared  until he was given cause to withdraw.

     Judgement materialized in the form of a terse nod, gesturing her towards the venue’s green room before following suit and shutting the door behind them. The nearest bar was undoubtedly nearing  capacity  with the newest slew of thirsty patrons from the concert and the  boisterous  atmosphere would've suited her ill. Until the stragglers outside dissipated and the evening crowds thinned out, the current space would have to suffice.

     ❝ Catch much of the set ?  Couldn’t tell if you were already in the crowd or if you were just lucky enough to be in the neighborhood when the call came in. Figurin' it's the latter. Don't know if my kind'a noise would be up your alley. Least it  wouldn't  have been, back in the day. ❞

     Half-empty glass of tequila from earlier was seized and sipped on his way towards the back, liquor's  smoke-kissed  taste greeting him as an old friend before comfortably settling into the grungy couch and eyeing her  disordered  condition from the earlier conflict. Although he couldn't claim with certitude whether she still abstained from alcohol, an  educated  guess was made nonetheless and an invitation to jointly partake was withheld.

     ❝ Managed to hold your own against that leadhead, though. Suppose that counts for something, even if you  are  lookin' a little worse for wear because of it. ❞

As much as it stung, it was the honesty she'd missed, and no part of her was going to become rueful of her genuine warmth to seeing him again. Well and well kept. Alive, and not torn apart like she'd woken up sweating from countless nightmares about in her youth. After all this time, he could put a scalpel to her and flay her open with his scrutiny and she'd accept it. If only so far, anyway.

Her movies. A nerve is struck like a match, but she doesn't quite catch fire yet. It's something that brings Momma's echoes to the back of her head, letting them ripple until it settles on that reflection of what she's become, standing in front of him.  Not the same.   Still Lee Harker.    A twitch at her jaw and she breathes, blowing it out before it burns. She's already stopped one fight tonight. She didn't want to be the start to another. She shifts, one foot to the other, before cantering her head aside and answering his jab.

       ❝ Weren't time for movies, Johnny. I'll jog you up to speed, though, if you'll let me. ❞   Her eyes don't leave his. Never had trouble anchoring his gaze, even when it burned. His eyes were probably the only ones she ever could comfortably hold onto, and now was no different, even if they made her feel small and tore at her chest. A part of her believed she deserved a little bit of it. A larger part knew she deserved to be understood, too, though.   ❝ You got time? ❞