#mega yuppie

[pepipejuan]

i never draw woman so i try

[croc-pop]

If you're still taking suggestions, I'd love to see Splat!Ashley having a joy overload from Suffer No Fools (I can imagine canon Ashley being a major Deep Cut fan)

my girl is EXCITED for this diss

also bonus Bert

[manicpunk98]

This is so niche and very specific to my experience in the south but the Duck Dynasty crew having the gall to call anyone a "yuppie" is laughable.

They treat being redneck like a costume. Catching and eatin your own frog legs don't count when you're trapping them from your own creek on your 50 acre piece of land. Deer hunting isn't impressive when your deer are specifically bred and tailored by humans for hunting on your own private grounds.

Rednecks aren't corporate shills or mega church cock suckers. Rednecks know scraping up roadkill for dinner isn't a cute little haha, it's a struggle meal. You don't eat that for the shits and giggles.

Rednecks are anti establishment, rednecks began as white, black, brown and indigenous coal miners that protested arm in arm against the business owners that abused them. Being a redneck means being pro union.

Being a redneck is a protest against people like them, those who believe like them.

Duck dynasty is to redneck what the Kardashians are to black culture.

[yuppie-psycho-fanpage]

I wanted to do like a little mega info sheet for everyone about yuppie psycho and its characters but im just so lazy rn, you guys WILL get it, I just dont know when💔

[chimerabytes]

i think having all my sonas being able to shift between a more human form and a more anthro form BNA style is kind of cool so heres a brief list of some of my sonas and what they can turn into (minus my actual main sona, Jasper, whos a bunny):

- Yarrow Ursu Grimsley: Giant Panda

- Inari the Necromancer: Silver nine-tailed Kitsune

- Judas Dunn: Wolf (He's a werewolf technically)

- Harley Hawthorne: Were-Mega Canid

- Harlene Howls: Cryo Stalker

Uhh I cant think of anything else for now but. Yeagh. Yuppie

[oh-for-fic-sake-library]

Sys remedy for Equinophobia

Masterlist

Summary: when sy and his wife finally settle on the syverson family ranch there was one hiccup sy didnt account for.

Warnings: fluff, porbably incorrect horse info

A/N: i wanted to make some fluff, and whats better then fluffy cute supportive sy?

"Okay here we go bug, right through here. Dont you worry sugar i got ya" sy spoke from behinde you holdingnboth of your hands as he lead you into the stables of your texan ranch.

To say he was nervous was an understatement . Sy was bricking it. He had done something a bit rash, and hadnt really thought about the consequences if everything went south. But on the other hand he was also confident in his genius.

When sy had met you, you were a proper city 'yuppy' been brough up in the steel jungle of high-rises and the fast paced modern life. After making an honest woman out of you and marrying you whilst he was in the forces he had managed to pull you around to the idea of a simpler life. Years of you living on a quiet suburban barracks had helped him ease you into his way of thinking.

And when he finally took early retirement you had both agreed to move out to texas and take over sy's family ranch, buying out his ageing uncle and taking over the homestead.

Life on the ranch was strange, a mix of super fast paced calving season and then seeing to the crop of hay for the winter, and keepjng ontop of the heard kf cattle whislt also maintaining all the fences, feeding and up keep of the place. But then at the same time it was also quiet. No sirens or people rushing around, just peace and quiet with sy racing across the dirt road in his betsy, the syverson family heirloom tractor that always sound like she was about to konk out but never did.

It was busy, but a peacfull busy. Sy was home each and every night, and youd share a bottle of wine on the porch swing, or stargaze on the lawn. And on the few days where there was nothing to do you would go into town, or be naughty and skinny dip in the lake.

Well you used to skinny dip, but sy hooked a fish. Now swim trunks were a must. Though a few weeks later he did teach you how to fish this time with a rod and reel.

Youd fallen inlove with the syverson homestead the second you set foot on its wide open space. But the one thing you still hadnt gotten used to were the horses. My god! No one told you they were so fucking big!

I mean yeah they were meant to be big because people rode then. But jesus christ! Cheif was a beast. An 17 hand high mega horse that had a habit of eating hair. Your hair specifically. Honestly it was a fear you hadnt known you had untill ckmin to live on the ranch but horses? They just werent your thing. Sy had tried a few times to help you face your fear with a few of the other smaller gentle horses but no. You were nervous of them and it always ended in in tears as you spooked a nervous horse and they bolted making you all but piss yourself.

He felt for you, he truly did. You liked the horses and wanted to ride, brush and help care for them. You were just scared of their size and power. And sy did understand that, yoh were a tiny thing yourself, so the stallions he thought were a tad big, were huge to you. But then sy had a thought, a last ditch attempt to help you get over your fear and give you the gift of a horses gentle companionship. To sy there was nothing compared to being a horses favourite person. The trusting bound was just indescribable, and he so desperately wanted you to experience it yourself.

"Sy? Sy where are we?... are we in the stables?" Sy bit his lip hearing the panic seepjng into your voice and your hands darted to the blindfold. God knows he wouldnt uave got you in here without it.

"Yeah;" he stared speaking but didnt get more then a single word out before you squeaked and jolted back trying to revers out of the stables.

"Sy no, no dont you put me in with him! Please dont make me touch him! I cant, i cant please please dont" you begged trying to cut and run, terror taking over you at the thought of being ushered into the huge freisians stall.

"Whoa now, calm yourself im not making you touch chief...i wouldnt do that to you" sy soothed somehow manageing to press you farward kissing your hair lghtly humming to you softly as he passed his own steed who had come to the door as if smelling you fear. Honestly Chief would never hurt a fl, he was just a little shit that seemed to enjoy messing with you.

You ducked slitly as if feeling the stallions eyes watching you as you walked further into the long line of stalls. And funally sy stopped and turned you.

"Here. A little closer. There ya go, just hold the stall door" he coaxed slowly, inching you forward to the stall. You shivered ducking further almost anticipating a horses head to suddenly pop up infront of you.

"Sy?" You questioned, moving your hands infront of you searching for the door. Yoh yeled when you touched it and pulled back li,e it has scalded you. But sy was insistent and held your hands lifting them to hold the top of the stalls door.

"There we go, your alright love. I promise your fine okay? Do you trust me?" Sy hummed quietly, careful not to spook your little gift. Who was now looking up at the both of you curiously. God he hopes he hadnt fucked up.

"Yeah i do,im just... scared" you whimpered almost breathless in your anxiety. Sy took one last glance to the stalls residant before drawing hos onw nervous breath. Here goes nothing.

"Well you can take off your blind fold now" he uttered thightly, praying to god you didnt rip him a new one for his last mineut decision at the market. He went there to pick up a few more chickens for the garden. And well. Yeah he might have bit off a bit more then he can handle.

You quickly took the blindfold off, tugging it down as if your life depended on it and glanced up around the stall, expectingnto be face to nose with a stallion who was all saddled up for you to try again. There was nothing here; oh my god.

You froze as your gaze dropped and your eyes landed on possibly the most adorable thing you had ever seen in your entire life. There in amongst the hay was a tiny brown horse.Holy shit.

"Sy whats tha; oh god. Oh god thats a? Sy?" You squeeked eyes widening as the tiny horse stood up slowly and eyed you curiously, making a tiny high pitched whinny.

Sy smiled. Gotcha. He felt pride wash over him as you turned to mush over the foal. His great plan seemed off to a cracking start. Women like baby things, so how better to help his wife over her fear of horses then to buy her, her very own foal to help hand rear. He moved next to you a d leant on the top of the door peaking in at the small draft foal.

"Yep poor little thing was just being brought into the farmers market. I couldnt just leave him there. He was scared stiff" he said casually, and lowered a hand into the stall and clicked his tongue a few times lureing to fola over. Luckily it was well socialised because it had been fed by hand since day one.

Sy noticed you didnt jerk away as the tiny thing wobbled over to you both, still half asleep. And quickly began pretting him. Youtr fingers twitched, the need to pet the baby was almost to much.

"Oh my god sy hes so tiny; is he a baby? Why do we have a baby horse? how old is he?" You gushed, voiced growing higher as you eyed the foal with huge eyes cooing over him. Sy scoffed trying not to chuckle as you didnt know what to call him. But then again youd never seen a horse in real life untill moving here. So how would you remeber baby horses were foals?

"Yeah he is a young'un. And they are called foals. He's about a week old. He's an orphan. His mama didnt survive the birth and he needed to much care so they were selling him" sy explained whislt giving the foal some much needed nose pets and neck sdcratches.

"And well he was a sweet lil' thing nickering and stuff. Little bugger came right up to me when i called and nuzzled. So he has a good temperament" sy carried on and sgrinned as your hand moved slowly, reaching out to pet the side of his tiny head. Sys heart almost burst when you beamed down at the foal. When he pressed his cheek into your hand.

"What are you nameing him?" Yoh said quietly desperate not to spook the small horse letting you pet him.

"Im not. Hes yours" sy shrugged pulling his hand away letting you bond with the foal alone.

At his declaration you frowned and napped your head to sy, shaking your head a little. Lost for words. But sy noted even in your shock you hadn't stop petting the foal.

"What? Sy i dont think i can;" sy held up a hand silencing you quickly before you talked yourself into a tizzy.

"Are you about to tell me your fear of horses will stop you from goin' in there and cuddling up with that tiny foal?" He quizzed critically. A smug knowing smirk crossing his face as he flicked his gaze down to the foal again. Somehow your othernhand has slipped over the door and you were smoothering him with soft pets and scratches.

"I... well he does look like he needs a snuggle" you acquiesced looking back down to the gentle baby.

"He needs a mama bear and you are just the woman. His formula is in the feed room, he needs it every hour or two for a week or so. But dont worry, im not expecting you to do all the work,ive already told the guys and made a feeding chart" he explained and tapped the small chart you hadnt noticed was pinned bedise the stall. A grid with times and dates on it and a few already ticked off.

"He is about ready now for a feed, luckily for you iv prepared some for you to give him" sy anounced and picked up the premade bottle that was on the floor. And then handed it to you.

"O-okay do i err call him or?" You uttered nervously. Youd never done anything like this before and wanst entirely sure what to do.

"I dont think you need to look at him, sees the food and bam wide awake. Here just tip it up a little. There we go, see such a happy little fella" sy instructed but the foal was already latching one and drinking happily, wagging is tail like a pup.

You cooed at him, baby talk slipping out as you praised the foal for drinking. Encouraging him to grow big and strong. Sy grinned as you seemed to forget he was even there. Yeah this was definitely going to be a success story.

"We should keep him on the bottle for a few days then try to bucket feed him, bottles not really good for 'em honestly the stables he was from didnt seem to know what to do with him" he added watching with a huge grin as the foal melted your heart just li,e he had intended.

"Hes so soft and gentle" you said tipping the bottle higher making sure there were no air bubbles near the nipple. You ran your hand through the foals short mane with a smile.

"Most horses are love, but they are mischievous to. Well chief is. He senses your fear thats why he plays up for you" he offered glancing the the huge black stallion who chose that moment to snort loudly. It would appear he had heard sy.

"He is just so tiny~ arent you? Such a sweet little boy hmm? Yes you are~ so skinny to, we need to get you all filled out" you ccoed, falling i to the voice all women used when interacting with babies.

"So your not mad i got you the very thing your terrified of?" Sy asked slightly sheepish. He still felt a tad guilty, he didnt want to force you. Just help, he knew deep down you wanted to get along with the horses and was disappointed when you let your fe ar get the better of you.

"I dont think so no. I mean maybe Tuppence here can help me over my fear? You know just untill he gets bigger" and there it was. The official acceptance. Youd named him and he was now a permanent fixture on the ranch.

"Tuppence?" Sy tested the name on his tongue tippingnhis head to the side. It was a good name, different. He liked it, maybe he should let you name all of the new arrivals.

"Yeah he has a... old soul feel to him, so Tuppence. Dont you like it? Its not a very horsey name" you hummed eyeing the foal sweetly. Before frowning second guessing your new babies name.

"Tuppence is perfect for him, Im relieved you didnt name him star light rainbow moon beam." He quipped and curled himself around you nuzzling your hair before ducking down kissing your neck lightly.

"Aww look he likes me~" you exclaimed softly as Tuppence tilted his head to your hand, following it begging for ear rubs as he nursed.

"He does, he knows he found his new mama" sy hummed relishing in the fact that he had managed to find a way to help you. Not onpy that it was darn chte watching you go all gaga over a foal.

"Thank you sy, this was a wonderful gift... im still not going near chief though. Not yet anyway" you thanked him with a big kiss to his cheek making him glow with pride. Sy was incredibly pleased with himself.

"Of course sugar, wouldnt dream of putting you two together yet" he promised. Though thats not to say he can wait untill you were confident with Tuppence and finally stood uo to chief and showed him you wont put up with his nonsense anymore. He was excited, hed make a proper rancher out of you yet.

[nectar-cellar]

Shirt & Tie with Suspenders

I frankenmeshed some 3D suspenders onto this shirt and tie top.

Recolorable areas: the shirt, tie, suspenders, and the collar and cuffs. I made the contrasting collar and cuffs so you can create a 1980s yuppie kind of look if you want. The suspenders look nice with most geometric patterns and you can make them more colorful to suit your sim’s personality, or to match a wedding/bridal party color palette. Shown with a pair of pants from the base game. (Floral patterns in pic 1 are by @simlicious and @deniisu-sims )

I included the plain version of the shirt and tie as well. I originally posted it in my Menswear Pack here, but this new one has an updated fit. If you have the old one, you can replace it with this file instead. The old one works perfectly fine, the only difference is the fit. They will conflict/overwrite each other so only 1 will show up in CAS. The old post has been reblogged and updated a bunch of times so I figured it would be easier to upload it here in a new post. 

Credits:

Spladoum, for the shirt and tie. I just edited the fit of the mesh and the color channels.

Shokoninio, for creating the top that I separated the suspenders from.

Problems:

The suspenders will clip with some poses and animations, especially those involving strong movements of the shoulder area. I tried my best to figure out the bone assignments but I couldn’t get it perfect :(

There is also some slight distortion of patterns on the suspenders, but it’s not too bad unless you zoom in up close. Those more skilled than me, feel free to improve the bone assignments and uv-mapping, but in the meantime I think it is good enough for most gameplay and photoshoot scenarios.

Download: simfileshare / mega

[bonecage]

Have pictures from their new house gone public yet, or was that anon just speculating that the house is an aesthetic disaster? I’m honestly surprised Jensen was able to keep Danneel out of Austin for as long as he did, she loves pushing the narrative that she’s this quirky, artistic maximalist and yuppie hippie subculture in Austin lets her do just that. Maybe he got tired of her trying to take over his condo/showing up unannounced and figured it was easier to just buy another mega mansion where he can conveniently find an excuse to sleep in the guest bedroom on the other side of the house every night. I’m convinced he banished her to NOLA after their Colorado mountain marriage rehab, and she’s been spending the past year going back and forth between there and Austin.

“Colorado mountain marriage rehab” lmao

I honestly think the anon was just speculating, idk how ppl find those kind of things out honestly.

[terrence-silver]

"You're insane Terry, but I like it..*giggles*" beloved said..Terry's reaction in different eras?

― Twig undoubtedly relayed some war story to beloved that was particularly off the rails and outlandish, not realizing how it comes off to a civilian lacking context. Furthermore, a civilian he loves. A civilian that cares for him back by their own admission, just now. Sure, there's a moment of recognition and relief when beloved isn't weirded out, haunted or estranged by what they're hearing of his life in the military, in fact, they're even charmed by it, and Twig eases up, feeling he can trust them to be open and honest, but there's also a clench in his gut being called insane. He's certain beloved doesn't mean it that way because they cannot possibly know his mental state and the absolutely raw, bleeding psychological fallout he's brought back home, but he also wishes, deep down, he wasn't deemed that, as he hides his slight discontent, down-casting his gaze with a quivering lip, feeling an odd sense of shame and embarrassment on the spot all while yearning to be so sensitive about it.. His father did tell him to get over it and Twig's been trying. Maybe one day, someone will call him something so bad with beloved on his arm and beloved won't be quite so endeared by it then, he figures? He wishes...he could leave all of that behind or at least not be so affected by it.

― Terry in the 80's could give beloved a frenzied, unblinking look and chuckle at them with a smile that's a bit too wide for comfort. Insane? They like it? Is this a backhanded complement he's entertained by or is beloved simply being naively sweet and lacking a filter? Ironically, Terry has been called many things. A tycoon. A shrewd industrialist. The downfall of the American legal system. A man of lose morals. A philanthropist. A playboy. A benefactor with a heart of gold --- which is a riot. He relished in all of these in equal measure for different reasons. But the epithet of 'insanity' often flies over people's head despite the dark state of his own mind, because Terry in effect charms whoever he wants to charm and his own shortcomings are mostly never seen through all the razzle-dazzle he puts up (And it is the 80's, after all. A Yuppie by default has to be a little unhinged), but beloved perceives something and they enjoy it. Terry's reaction is a mixture of amusement, arousal and blankness on the verge of dissociation, just concealing whatever confusion he has with a shark-like rictus grin. He hasn't perceived himself as insane in years. He's left behind all such labels in the past. He was always just Terry Silver with a mind of a diamond --- Advanced Terry. Mega-success Terry to himself, but if beloved likes 'insanity' he'll show them the type of 'insanity' they won't believe.

― Say, old man Terry's been to therapy and how much it failed or succeeded or how much he pushed himself into deliberately repressive boxes in order to ''fix'' everything he felt rendered him volatile and out of control is a complicated topic, but long story short, something about the blatant label of insanity hits him, even if it is just a joke. Not that he isn't self-aware of his state or what it used to be (or what it is now). Heck, he's even oddly casual about it at times around this era (except when he ain't). But thing is, called insane, regardless if it is followed by an adoring giggle internally triggers him and he retreats into his own mind, calculating how he should approach this. Not that he hides his state from beloved. In fact, beloved knows everything, too much even, of his disposition, and if he could go into outright telling them all the nitty-gritties about himself to purposefully shock them and test their undying loyalty in still loving him regardless, he will, so there's this conflict where he's accepted and even loved for everything he is, but labeled as someone unhealthy is still a sign of his own inherent weakness and limitation and he's taken aback for a moment. Is he being insulted or is he being flattered? He wants to get inside of beloved's head and understand how he's perceived by them. Down to the smallest details. He also wants to grab them by the jaw.

[icegoddessrukia]

Vauseman + 6

6. “are you making breakfast omg you are, WHY IS THIS BURNING WHAT ARE YOU-”

After sleeping on prison issue mattresses for so many years with the constant background noise of the prison at all hours of the day, the softness of silk sheets against her skin as sunlight gently filtered into her quiet room felt heavenly. 

An entire year had passed since Alex Vause had finally been released after serving her time. Maybe karma was a mega bitch but somehow some force out there in the universe must have been looking out for manipulative ex-cons after all because everything was finally working out. 

Alex was as cynical as they come but even she had to admit that things were looking up for the poverty stricken tween girl who was once embarrassed by her Walmart clothes and the woman who had spent each day depressed in a cell.

Being a former drug smuggler had its perks - Alex had her small fortune stored up in offshore accounts so she would never be completely broke even if the post-incarceration phase didn’t translate into her having a full time job. Luckily thanks to the Chapman family’s WASPy connections (Carol Chapman had shockingly developed a soft spot for her daughter’s tattoo-covered spouse and it was sort of cute how accepting she was in her awkward, yuppie in her late sixties way) pulling a few strings, working her way into the corporate world hadn’t been as impossible as she thought it would be. So now the Vause-Chapmans had jobs and a fancy house to call home. 

Even better, she could finally be with the love of her life. 

She smiled softly at the simple wedding band that was now on her finger because she was officially married. Not just prison married but actually legally married with a ceremony that their friends and family could all attend - even many of their prison friends like Cindy and the newly released Nicky had danced at the reception while Piper’s stuffiest relatives watched in horror and the couple just laughed because they could no longer find it within themselves to care. 

Speaking of that ridiculous but loveable human... Alex realized that was alone and Piper’s side of the bed was empty. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of chaos her wife could be getting into at such an early hour on the weekend. Piper had settled down a lot post-prison but there was no doubt that her wife would always be involved in some kind of drama. Just drama of a much smaller, less dangerous kind. 

Unable to resist the curiosity, Alex slipped on her glasses and crept into the kitchen. 

“Babe, you making breakfast?” Alex smiled, sending her a confused glance as she wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. Seeing Piper acting all domestic was always adorable but it was shocking to actually see her attempting to cook something as it was an unspoken rule that the WASP wasn’t allowed within five feet of any cooking appliance. 

“Hi, Al” Piper’s eyes lit up as she saw Alex, momentarily distracted from her task as she turned to give her a small kiss. “I wanted to surprise you.”

The moment was interrupted when the raven-haired woman began to smell smoke and jumped back in a panic. A fire had started and their alarm went off with a series of ear-splitting screeches. 

“Piper, what the actual fuck?!” Alex searched frantically for the fire extinguisher as the blonde began to freak out. Of all of the things she could do, somehow her wife’s first instinct was to throw water and create an even bigger fire.

“Sorry! I panicked!” Piper yelped. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Alex cursed under her breath as she tried to get everything under control. This was exactly why Piper and cooking should never be a thing. “What the hell are you doing?”

Later, when the fire had been successfully outed and the eggs that had been burned to a horrendous black crisp were thrown out, they both burst into giggles at the whole ordeal because what else could they do. Alex sighed, calmer now and shaking her head in amazement at Piper who pouted at her. Still, she couldn’t find it in herself to be irritated with Piper for long when she was looking at her with that sheepish expression and somehow, she noticed for the first time, with amusement, covered from head to toe in flour. 

“Okay, you really need a shower, Martha Stewart.”

“Join me?” Piper pulled her apron off her head, balled it up and threw it at Alex with a laugh as she sprinted upstairs before the taller of the two could figure out what she was up to. Alex just chuckled and chased after her, breakfast be damned. 

_____ 

[clearwillow]

Yes, let's do a time jump. That's worked out so well for other shows.

Bobby's going to have a kid who won't know who he is cause he's locked in an interdimensional Mega-Lo Mart that Hank blew up. All the adults will either be dead/have no connection to the Hills. And all of the grandkids of the OG cast will have to harness the power of propane and propane accessories to save Heimlic County from total destruction of yuppies.

Plus you will have to decide what you're going to do about Lucky's fate, since Tom Petty passed away.

[pepipejuan]

HE IS BACK ❗❗❗

[livlovlun]

알아두면 잘난 척 하기 딱 좋은 영어 잡학사전 김대웅

CHAPTER01 자연환경과 민족 우주의 지붕 Heaven｜밤하늘에 빛나는 촛불 Star｜한 달을 측정하는 잣대 Moon｜태양이 떠오르는 곳 Orient｜형님 바다와 아우 바다 Ocean & Sea｜세 개의 육지가 이어지는 곳 Continent｜땅이 불거져 나온 곳 Mountain｜땅을 재는 기술 Geography｜천 조각에 그린 지도 Map｜해가 길어지는 계절 Spring｜열 받는 계절 Summer｜수확의 계절 Autumn｜시련의 계절 Winter｜동이 트는 곳 East｜해가 지는 곳 West｜태양이 있는 곳 South｜태양이 떠오르는 곳의 왼쪽 North｜뒤에 있어야 숨는다 Hinder｜공기처럼 중요한 것 Water｜강을 사이에 두고 벌인 다툼 Rival｜흐름의 이미지 Flow｜모든 길은 로마로 통한다 Street｜유대인의 강제 거주지역 Ghetto｜같은 말을 하는 민족들 Slave｜에우로페가 남긴 이름 Europe｜진실을 나타내는 색깔 White｜젊음의 색깔 Green CHAPTER02 인간관계와 사회생활 남자만 인간인가 Man｜로마의 시민 People｜남녀평등으로 사라질지도 모르는 단어 Woman｜아이들의 본보기 Father｜말을 아직 못하는 자 Child��Girl은 원래 소년이었다? Girl｜아버지의 누이, 어머니의 오빠 Aunt, Uncle｜화장실의 남자 Gentleman｜원래는 애인 Friend｜우리에게 널리 알려진 사람 Noble｜이발사와 의사는 동급 Barber｜만물의 척도 Foot｜행동의 거울 Manner｜왼손잡이는 불길하다? Left｜인간의 정교한 능력을 계발시킨 Number｜원래는 오후 3시 Noon｜잘게 나누어진 시간 Minute｜술이 전혀 없는 곳 Bar｜제2의 천성 Habit｜바람의 눈이자 눈의 구멍 Window｜조그만 천 조각 Toilet｜죽는 것도 가지가지 Die｜고통스러운 것 Pressure｜항상 돈을 조심하라 Money｜밀을 빻으면 하얗다 Wheat & White｜소금은 로마시대의 봉급 Salt｜미국의 386세대 Yuppie｜팬티가 아닌 바지 Pants｜접시는 원래 평평한 것 Plate｜산책길에서 쇼핑센터로 Mall｜죄인에게 찍는 낙인 Brand｜월초의 포고령 Calendar｜욕망의 화신 Love｜명세일람표에서 시간표로 Schedule｜꼬리를 내리는 사람 Coward｜‘어리석은’에서 ‘멋진’으로 변신한 Nice｜‘세우다’에서 ‘뒤집다’로 뒤집힌 Upset｜조용히 그만두어야 완전하다 Quiet｜나그네들의 쉼터 Station CHAPTER03 정치ㆍ경제와 군사ㆍ외교 맨 앞에 앉는 사람 President｜하급 각료 Minister｜정의의 상징, 저울 Balance｜입후보자의 첫째 조건은 청렴결백 Candidate｜결투 신청용 장갑이었던 Gauntlet｜억제하고 완화하는 힘 Detente｜개혁과 정보 공개 Perestroika & Glasnost｜죄인을 다루던 도끼 Fascism｜집회·회의에서 사물로 Thing｜내부의 적 제5열 Fifth Column｜사라센 제국의 사령관 Admiral｜돌아다니며 하는 선거 유세 Ambition｜마구간 담당에서 원수로의 신분 상승 Marshal｜프랑스 대혁명을 가리켰던 말 Terrorism｜범인을 증명하려면 3명의 증언자가 필요 Testimony｜프랑스 대혁명 당시의 좌석 배치도 Left, Right & Center｜책상이 지배하는 정치 Bureaucracy｜벌금은 골치 아픈 것 Pain｜놓인 상태 그대로 Law｜대화로 정치하는 곳 Parliament｜���민이 주인인 Democracy｜거꾸로 돌리는 정치 행위 Revolution｜어떤 이유에서든 전쟁은 나쁜 것 War｜투표는 총알보다 강하다 Ballot｜워싱턴의 하얀 집 White House｜성문의 통행증 Passport｜파피루스 두루마리의 겉장 Protocol｜세계 어디서나 통하는 말 OK｜바다의 관문 Port｜40일간의 검역 Quarantine｜가장 오래된 직업 Merchant｜벤치에서 일했던 Bank｜동업자에서 동료로 Fellow｜와인 중개인에서 증권 중개인으로 Broker｜곰 발바닥으로 내리치면 약세, 황소 뿔로 떠받으면 강세 Bear & Bull｜만인에게 공개된 것 Patent｜옷을 겹겹이 입는 것처럼 늘어나는 이익 Invest｜의무와 채무는 동격 Duty｜세금 징수인에서 넝마주이로 Scavenger｜광고는 자본주의의 꽃 Advertising｜등록상표가 된 창업자 Adidas CHAPTER04 문화ㆍ예술과 종교 ‘밭갈이’에서 ‘마음갈이’로 Culture｜건물의 층계 Story｜종이를 쓰기까지 1천 년 걸린 유럽 Paper｜‘교과서’가 아니라 ‘직물’ Text｜배 속에 매달려 있는 장식물, 충수 Appendix｜바뀐 단락 앞의 짧은 가로줄 Paragraph｜무모하게 제출하는 나의 하루 보고서 Diary｜발행인에서 편집자로 Editor｜이끌어주는 사람 Producer｜인생에서 가장 한가한 학창시절 School｜매력적인 글래머와 딱딱한 문법은 한식구 Grammar｜현명하지도 우둔하지도 않은 대학 2학년 Sophomore｜펜과 연필은 사촌간? Pen & Pencil｜초콜릿과 전혀 관계없는 날 St. Valentine’s Day｜자나 깨나 조심, 조심 Ware｜침대 둘레에 드리운 천 Curtain｜자기는 돼지야? Porcelain｜알약이 신문으로 Tabloid｜박수로 배우를 몰아내는 행위 Explode｜순대 속을 채우는 것 Farce｜‘솜씨’가 곧 ‘예술’ Art｜함께 소리 지르기 Symphony｜지르박은 춤에 미친 벌레 Jitterbug｜재즈는 원래 춤의 이름 Jazz｜발이 엮어내는 예술들 Samba & etc.｜우연과 해프닝과 행복, 위험 Haphazard｜고통에서 즐거움으로 변한 Sports｜열정은 괴로움 속에서 나온다 Passion｜협회가 축구로 변하다 Soccer｜잘 받아넘기는 것이 테니스 Tennis｜징크스는 운동선수들의 전유물인가 Jinx｜뱃사람들의 연판장 Round Robin｜멋쟁이들이 먹는 요리 Macaroni｜생명의 물, 위스키 Whisky｜암브로시아와 나무아미타불 Ambrosia & Mortal｜한국인의 양념, 고추 Hot(Red) Pepper｜손으로 일구어내다 Manure｜집 떠나면 고생 Travel｜원래는 가방을 나르는 사람 Portmanteau｜1가제트짜리 선물 Gazette｜소치기에서 학사로 Bachelor｜하늘이 내려준 재능 Talent｜반드시 읽어야 하는 이야기 Legend｜비밀스러운 의식 Mystery｜벽으로 둘러싸인 정원 Paradise｜사제가 입던 외투 Domino｜조물주를 부르고 신주를 따르는 것 God｜죽은 자가 사는 황천 Hell｜탈곡장의 황소가 그려낸 둥근 원 Halo｜건강과 공휴일은 같은 말 Holiday｜골프장의 유령 Bogey｜정말로 그 의미를 알고 있는지 Very｜전혀 무섭지 않았던 존재 Ghost｜원래는 성에 포위되는 것 Obsession｜카리브 해의 용감한 사나이들 Cannibal CHAPTER05 과학 기술과 산업 생명을 다루는 학문 Biology｜세포는 원래 작은 방 Cell｜옆에서 밥 먹으면 기생충 Parasite｜섬에서 유래된 당뇨병 특효약의 이름 Insulin｜체액의 균형 상태 Temper｜신체의 균형을 유지하는 4가지 체액 Humour｜원래는 자궁의 질환 Hysteria｜성병 예방의 방패 Condome｜4의 배수 8 더하기 1 Nine｜10을 빼고 남은 하나 Eleven｜최고 또 최고 Hyper & Mega｜혼돈에서 가스로 Gas｜공기와 태도는 어원이 다르다 Air｜산소(酸素)는 신맛이 난다(?) Oxygen｜안티몬 가루로 만든 아이섀도 Alcohol｜강제노동하는 인조인간 Robot｜행성의 주위를 맴도는 위성 Satellite｜반짝거리는 호박(琥珀) Electric｜성스러운 금속 Iron｜다이아몬드는 영원하다 Diamond｜인간의 욕망을 재는 잣대 Gold｜달의 여신 루나의 얼굴색 Silver｜키프로스의 금속 Copper｜빛나는 것이라고 모두 금은 아니다 Glitter｜움직이는 사다리와 계단 Escalator & Elevator｜로보캅의 주인공들 Cyborg｜긴급조난 구조신호 SOS & May Day｜힘 그 자체 Dynamite｜멀리 있어도 가깝게 들리는 소리 Telephone｜현대인의 애마 Car｜하층민도 탈 수 있는 마차 Bus｜대공사격에서 비난의 화���로 Flak｜이메일 주소로 들어간 골뱅이 @｜컴퓨터에 쓰이는 용어들 Browser etc. CHAPTER06 동물왕국의 영어 동물도 영혼을 지니고 있다｜인간의 친구, 개｜성경과 명작 속에 나타난 개의 이미지｜개와 고양이 사이는 견원지간｜사람 있는 곳에 쥐가 있다｜겁 많은 설치류, 토끼｜일 잘하고 충직한 소｜자동차의 힘은 곧 말의 힘｜말에서 나온 관용구들｜고집이 센 나귀｜임금님 귀는 당나귀 귀｜원래는 깨끗한 습성을 지닌 돼지｜선한 이미지의 양과 악한 이미지의 염소｜가금의 대표적인 동물, 닭｜프랑스의 상징, 수탉｜암탉이 울면 집안이 망한다?｜달걀 값은 에그머니?｜황금 알을 낳는 거위｜미운 오리새끼｜사슴과 노루는 사촌간｜고슴도치는 방어구를 등에 지고 다니는 돼지｜굴속에 연기 피워 오소리 잡기｜다람쥐는 정신과 의사｜지하세계의 무법자, 두더지｜교활함의 이미지, 여우｜남자는 늑대, 여자는 여우｜여우 못지않게 약삭빠른 족제비｜스컹크는 방귀가 최대의 무기｜프랑스인은 개구리｜두꺼비는 황소개구리의 천적?｜다양한 곰의 이미지｜테디 베어와 시어도어 루스벨트｜미국 공화당의 상징, 코끼리｜Lions Club은 사자 클럽?｜골프 천재 타이거 우즈｜킬리만자로의 표범｜아프리카 초원의 청소부, 하이에나｜사막의 배, 낙타｜원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다｜악어 구별하기｜냉혈동물, 뱀｜상상 속의 동물, 용｜더 높이 나는 새가 더 멀리 본다｜하늘을 나는 가장 큰 새, 앨버트로스｜눈이 매서운 매｜평화의 상징, 비둘기｜화려함의 상징, 공작｜칠면조는 얼굴이 일곱 개가 아니다｜까마귀 고기를 먹으면 기억이 없어질까?｜조잘거리는 사람의 이미지, 까치｜한 마리의 제비가 여름을 만들지는 않는다｜뻐꾸기 둥지 위로 날아간 새｜‘앵무새 죽이기’가 아니라 ‘입내새 죽이기’｜카나리아는 원래 새가 아니라 개｜미네르바의 부엉이는 황혼녘에 난다｜대식가의 이미지, 펠리컨｜장수와 고고함의 상징, 학｜동창이 밝았느냐, 노고지리 우지진다｜눈 가리고 아웅 하는 타조｜물에 사는 척추동물의 총칭, Fish｜지구상에서 가장 큰 동물, 고래｜바다의 난폭자, 상어｜바다의 보리로 불리는 등푸른 생선들｜송어와 숭어는 전혀 다른 물고기｜광어와 도다리의 구별법｜해장국으로 좋은 생선들｜뺀질이의 상징 미꾸라지와 뱀장어｜세계적인 석유 메이커 ‘쉘’의 마크, 조가비｜느리지만 끈질긴 ���북｜가재는 게 편｜조개의 사촌, 굴｜게르만 민족이 먹지 않는 낙지｜메두사의 머리채, 해파리｜“곤충을 삼등분하면?”→죽는다｜근면과 떼거리의 상징, 꿀벌｜영혼의 상징, 나비｜송충이는 솔잎을 먹어야 한다｜개미는 좀벌레?｜개미와 반대되는 이미지, 베짱이｜탐식자 메뚜기｜파리는 나는 벌레｜하찮은 것의 상징, 각다귀｜시속 0.018킬로미터의 달팽이｜딱정벌레를 닮은 폭스바겐｜집착과 기생의 대명사, 거머리｜중세 유럽을 공포로 몰아넣었던 높이뛰기 선수, 벼룩｜가장 작은 세균, 바이러스 CHAPTER07 식물나라의 영어 식물은 한 곳에 고정시켜놓은 것｜만물의 최고봉, 꽃｜우리나라의 국화(國花)는 무궁화｜영국의 국화(國花)는 장미｜순결의 상징, 백합｜아침의 영광, 나팔꽃｜톡 하고 건드리면 터질 것만 같은 그대, 봉숭아｜제비꽃을 왜 오랑캐꽃이라 부를까｜난초꽃 모양과 같은 고환｜행운의 상징, 네잎클로버｜모양이 비슷한 바닐라와 바기나｜목재에서 나무로｜승리의 상징, 월계수｜평화와 화해의 상징, 올리브｜천안의 명물, 수양버들｜인간은 생각하는 갈대｜담쟁이 연맹, Ivy League｜동양의 주식, 쌀｜베갯속의 왕겨｜원래 허수아비의 재료는 짚｜서양인의 주식, 밀｜정력에 좋은 귀리｜활기를 불어넣는 채소｜당근은 말밥｜호박은 축구공｜구황작물의 대명사, 감자｜‘슈퍼 땅콩’ 김미현｜향신료의 대표 주자, 후추｜손바닥 크기의 종려｜땅에서 나는 단백질, 콩｜양파는 껍질 연합체｜라틴아메리카의 문명을 지탱한 옥수수｜소금과 쌍벽을 이루는 조미료, 설탕｜Apple 대신 과일이 된 fruit｜역사를 바꾼 4개의 사과｜사과 성분이 들어 있는 포마드｜포도는 예수 그리스도의 피｜건강한 사람의 혈색은 복숭아 빛｜오렌지 군단으로 불리는 네덜란드 축구팀｜졸음을 쫓는 약, 커피｜옷이 된 무화과 나뭇잎｜흑인들의 한이 서린 목화밭｜구르는 돌에는 이끼가 끼지 않는다｜옛날에 금잔디 동산에… CHAPTER08 신화 속으로 떠나는 영어 여행 혼돈과 질서｜카오스에서 탄생한 가이아와 우라노스｜외눈박이 거인족, 키클롭스｜불길한 이름, 타이타닉｜아버지를 죽인 농경의 신, 크로노스｜대양의 신, 오케아노스｜피곤에 지친 거인, 아틀라스｜바다의 요정, 아틀란티스｜태양의 신, 헬리오스｜달의 여신 셀레네와 새벽의 ���신 에오스｜로마의 솔, 루나, 오로라｜복수의 여신, 에리니에스｜운명을 관장하는 세 여신들｜포르투나｜죽음의 신과 잠의 신은 형제간｜자식들을 잡아먹은 크로노스｜티탄족과 싸워 이긴 제우스와 형제들｜행복이 가득한 곳 샹젤리제｜별자리가 된 제우스의 연인들｜12궁도를 메운 ‘상상의 동물들’｜제우스의 누이들｜불과 화로의 여신, 헤스티아｜아프로디테의 허리띠｜아도니스 콤플렉스｜지혜의 여신, 아테나｜신들의 전령, 헤르메스｜쌍둥이 남매 아폴론과 아르테미스｜용감한 자가 미인을 얻는다｜에로티시즘｜버림받은 재주꾼, 헤파이스토스｜어머니에게 버림받은 기형아, 프리아포스｜일 월 화 수 목 금 토｜자연과 관계있는 반신들｜9명의 예술의 여신들｜건강을 묻는 게 인사｜1월이 된 두 얼굴의 신, 야누스｜반란의 태풍, 티폰｜개죽음으로 끝난 오리온｜경멸과 두려움의 대상, 여자 괴물 고르곤｜반인반마 켄타우로스족과 유혹의 요정 세이렌｜인간 편에 섰던 프로메테우스｜제우스의 복수와 ‘판도라’라는 선물｜인간의 오만과 신들의 복수｜거미가 된 처녀 아라크네｜영원히 목이 마른 탄탈로스｜똑같은 운명을 타고난 탄탈로스의 딸｜고르디우스의 매듭과 미다스의 손｜다이달로스의 미궁｜애틋한 사랑에 얽힌 이야기들｜나르시시즘｜큐피드와 프시케의 러브 스토리｜피그말리온 효과｜메두사의 머리를 벤 페르세우스｜아리아드네의 실꾸리｜프로크루스테스의 침대｜오이디푸스 콤플렉스｜콜키스의 황금양털｜헤라클레스의 12가지 과업｜『일리아스』와 『오디세이』｜이타케 섬 출신의 유일한 귀환자, 오디세우스｜트로이 전쟁의 최고 영웅, 아킬레우스｜아킬레우스와 헥토르의 대결｜트로이의 목마｜엘렉트라 콤플렉스｜영어에 이름을 남긴 트로이 전쟁의 조연들｜오디세우스의 파란만장한 귀향｜페넬로페와의 재회 CHAPTER09 영국ㆍ미국 사람들의 이름 짓는 법 지명에 따른 성｜별명에서 비롯된 성- 신체와 외모의 특징에 따른 별명_ 성격과 행동의 특징에서 비롯된 별명_ 사회적 지위와 직업에서 비롯된 별명｜동물에서 비롯된 성｜미국의 전형적인 유대인 성 CHAPTER10 미국과 영국의 도시 이름은 어떻게 붙여졌을까? 미국의 50개 주 지명의 유래｜영국의 10대 도시 지명의 유래- 켈트계의 도시 이름_ 앵글로색슨어계의 도시 이름 ㆍ부록 Ⅰ몸으로 영어를 말한다- 머리카��에서 발끝까지 Ⅱ 우리가 자주 쓰는 라틴어 관용구

[leam1983]

Cyberpunk 2077 Thoughts

Having perused Dark Horse Books’ The World of Cyberpunk 2077 over the past few days, I’ve gotten a better feel for the various basic hooks that structure V’s inception as a protagonist. The short of it is the Polish wizards are on the right path to nailing Pondsmith’s treatment the same way they nailed Sapkowski’s works.

Consider the following as half a brain dump, half a series of prospective spoilers, and also half projection, so either skip this, find some other entry to read, or come back to this come late November.

I know I mentioned three halves, but it’s late and I don’t give a shit.

I’m serious - DO NOT PRESS ON IF YOU’RE THE TYPE TO BLOW A GASKET IF YOU’RE INADVERTANTLY SPOILED. 

The latest Night City Wire as of August exposed three incipient “life paths”, or starting branches of V’s path. I’ll tackle my personal narrative approaches to them in the order of my choosing.

Nomads: CP2077 is set in a world where much of what we understand to define a family has been blown up, tossed around by climate change and nuclear fire and then stitched back together using grit, resourcefulness and the last dying embers of human decency. Nomads are less a group of people defined by blood relations and more a cadre of individuals that share something more significant than mere genes. It might be a common history, a set of shared hardships, a yen for similar automotive and engineering-related projects - whatever it is, that something pulls people together in ways Corpo rats and street kids will never experience.

This seems to define even the average Nomad’s degree of education. Surprisingly, Nomads are the most well-read group in Coronado Bay’s greater area, some caravans reportedly including entire RVs packed with books. Nomads generationally elect teachers and record-keepers and seem to care for those cultural remnants of the old world, before Pondsmith’s paranoid alternate sixties kicked off more than a century’s worth of technological progression and rampant dehumanization. To a Night City native, a Nomad’s speech patterns appear precious and uselessly florid, while they might appear almost normal to us - maybe slightly touched by the fact that Grandpa Joe or whatever really wanted you to have your Greek classics down before you were old enough to repair your first CH00H2 carburetor on your own.

That new, mega-clustered version of family matters immensely to the Nomads. You identify to yours the same way Orcs in Shadow of War might refer to their clan, or the same way a Scottish clan might design specific visual cues identifying its members. In normal circumstances, Nomads live, thrive and die in service to the clan - and the opening segment for V’s Nomad origins suggests that something happened to his clan. They’re gone, or so the narration says, without going into further detail. Is V responsible? We don’t currently know. As it stands, however, he is a lone Nomad in a clan of one, and soon finds himself pushed out of the Californian wastes and into Night City’s neon-drenched streets.

Seeing this, I considered the narration as an admission of guilt on V’s part. He feels responsible, and hopes that grinding his way to success will in some way atone for what he’s done. Consequently, my Nomad V would be as gruff as could be, but as moral and upstanding as the setting allows. He considers himself as having been invested with an example to set, and would intend to set his sights on more than just filthy lucre. Honest filthy lucre is what matters to him, if that concept even is possible: he might deal in unsavory types and illicit activities, but he always does so with a certain moral rectitude - as a tough and gruff, lean and stringy type you can occasionally catch in his battered Thornton pick-up truck with his feet up on the dashboard and a dog-eared copy of Plato’s Republic in hand. Jackie honestly wonders how he can put up with that Greek pendejo’s endless words and the lack of scrolling animations, while V keeps his Kiroshi optics’ News ticker locked onto grassroots Leftist RSS feeds that stoke a bit of an ignored Rockerboy ethos in him. Quoting Marx in Night City might feel like trying to teach lab rats in the finer points of string theory, but it at least feels genuine to him, compared to the predigested sociopolitical pap Militech, Arasaka and their ilk are more than happy to spew on the airwaves. 

There’s a lot to be pissed off about in Richard Night’s failed utopia, a lot of fat cats to gut and buildings to burn. Still, he leaves the glowering act and the churning rage to Johnny Silverhand’s imprinted ghost. Being more of a down-low, gun-toting choomba than a classic Street Samurai, Vincent “V” Carson thinks first and strikes second.

Vinnie isn’t much for electric guitars and anarchy in the UK, much less in the Free State of Southern California; but he does love the occasional Leonard Cohen ballad or the occasional shot of Johnny Cash’s melancholy. Having picked up something of a Northern Texas drawl while cruising, he might feel like Harry Dresden’s Good Ol’ Boy cousin, magic tricks here pushed aside in favor of a measure of dermal plating and a good ol’ fashioned twelve-gauge and revolver combo. Not being much of a techno-fetishist, he considers his optics and his skull jack as being begrudging concessions to an era that looks down on fully “ganic” types. Having grown up with TV serials and the occasional visor-based Braindance all depicting cyberpsychosis as something vile that utterly dehumanizes its sufferers, he’s naturally wary around anyone who seems a little too giddy with the prospect of taking a few scalpels to perfectly decent muscles and bones.

His Thornton is where most of his Eddies go, and yes, he’s named his truck Suzie. Suzie’s done right by him, and he’ll do right by her - unless someone else with a pretty smile and a working moral compass makes him swoon.

Street Kids: if you weren’t taught on the highways or in corporate arcologies, odds are you became a positive blip in an otherwise grim statistic, one of the myriad fucked-up kids raised by other fucked-up kids with more seniority than you. With no roads and paid-for nannies, you survived off of grifts, grit, violence, deceit, smarts and gumption - and that, in its own screwball way, creates its own blood ties. You’re wise by Heywood’s standards - streetwise, that is - and you speak the back-alleys’ lingua franca of threats, insinuation and casual intimidation like no other.

If only Jackie hadn’t fingered that Rayfield, huh? This beaut could’ve been paydirt! Well, at least for a week or so, judging by the fact that hundreds of car thefts are reported across Night City on a daily basis. At least, Dean - who also goes as “V” - got to make a new friend while out in the pokey, and managed to shake a few proverbial trees... They’ve got a short-lease in with Trauma Team’s frequency and could maybe hook themselves up with a sweet finder’s fee for anyone who’s on the verge of death at the hands of the city’s Scavengers...

Little does V know, that’s selling Trauma Team as well as their clients painfully short. Shows of gratitude don’t mean anything if you’re not packing the right social status. He barely remembers his birth parents as it is, and grew up the fifth grubby prospect of one of the Valentinos’ “school clubs” (hence the nickname) - where the points of study refer to the proper observances to be held in Jesus Malaverde’s presence, intensive Chicano and Spanish immersion, as well as the handling of common types of weaponry.

Vincent and Dean would be likely to shoot one another, if placed in the same room. One clings onto nearly-lost value systems, while the other commodifies what can be discarded like so much flesh - only inasmuch as his efforts to pacify his unofficial five or six abuelas force him to forego extensive modifications. His knives and wrist-mounted data port are his main tools of the trade, although Dean keeps his hacking creds along the bare minimum. Why bother, when melting an ATM’s ICE wall and whacking the cops with a baseball bat is all you need? There’s a type of gun for nearly anything else, if someone knows where to look...

Dean has no last name, and is consequently registered as “Dean Smith” in the city’s Census records. That doesn’t suggest, however, that he wouldn’t want to make one for himself. As he’s less focused on the city’s legends than on its kingmakers and pawn-movers, Dexter DeShawn strikes him as someone to emulate, watch and learn from - all with a decent degree of caution.

Being on top matters a little less to him than eventually pulling Heywood’s stings. With a little fear and a lot of persistence, Dean “V.” Smith knows that one day, he won’t go hungry on a weeknight. To that end, he’s certainly a hearty eater, here paired with extensive free-weight training regimens and the use of anabolic stimulants. Oh, sure, he’ll speak of family and blood like the best soldier festooned in Santa Muerte visual codices, but his friend Jackie’s got a mind like a slow and steady steel trap.

Either Dean blows his new fellow Street Samurai out of the pond, or he does. Unlike Jackie, however, Dean isn’t realistic about it. Friendships are a rare gift in Heywood, if not the rest of Night City, and Dean’s convinced that Jackie could conceivably look past his final betrayal.

Corpo: nowadays, we’re mostly familiar with the idea of one-percenters creating a bubble of affluence for themselves. Boarding schools, private villas, prebooked vacations across the globe’s priciest spots, access to the hottest trends on the minute of their inception - what this tends to forego is the level of social disconnect that’s required in order to stay relevant. We’re only just waking up to the consequences of letting an aging, crusty first-generation Yuppie be crowned the ruler of the free world, and even someone who’s behind on their Bret Easton Ellis could tell you that Donald J. Trump is a sociopath and a narcissist.

Take that mindset, and cultivate it into an ethos that’s taught to children from a very early age - children who live, eat, shit and breathe in accordance with their parent corporation’s tenets. The more placid, mid-tier lifers in the genre are called sararimen, in reference to William Gibson’s use of the term to designate low-level company workers in Chiba City. A bit like Shenzhen’s factory workers and execs, everything in a corpo’s life is in service to the corporation.

In Night City, as of 2077, two major players have installed this culture of total obedience in their roster. Their names are Militech and Arasaka. One is a juggernaut in the field of military-grade personal defence, the other has a wider grasp and reach, but is more fragile. Arasaka owes that fragility to the last fifty years having involved its re-establishment and reconstruction. Fifty years ago, Night City’s Corpo Plaza was blasted open by a thermonuclear discharge that sent the Japanese giant packing. The charges had been set by three Edgerunners: Rogue, Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand - accessorily a well-respected Rockerboy and front-line member of the band SAMURAI. Only Rogue survived that fateful night, or so the street lingo goes, having gone on to start a legitimate consultation business as well as a fruitful career in the hospitality business. Her bar, the Afterlife, is Night City’s hotspot for every techie, script kiddie and accomplished cyber-spelunker.

Our gal Vivian knows this. She knows this, because Vivian “V.” Banks lives two lives.

In one of them, she’s a lean and hungry Junior Executive in Arasaka’s Counter-Intel division. In that line of work, you either fuck someone’s prospects or protect your own, or ensure that no up-and-comer just out of the company’s Law School program manages to push you off the board. She knows full well that in centuries past, corpo-speak was made up of mild euphemisms that at best referred to destroying a rival’s prospects or lifelihood. Taking a life was something that required careful deliberation, especially when tossing a fat severance bonus into an aging CFO’s three-piece pockets and letting your erstwhile rival snort cocaine off of the rolling hips of Tahitian dancers was so much cheaper...

Nowadays, zeroing someone is commonplace.

You’re born for Arasaka, and chances are you’ll die for Arasaka just the same. Viv’s killed, lied, cheated and even stole her way to her position, remorse being this vaguely churning sense of coldness in her gut that keeps one-night stands coming in and out of her bedroom. She only remembers her parents as being credit-chip enablers and personal enhancement drug addicts, cutting ties with them so completely on the day of her official hiring that it felt more like a tacit understanding.

On most days, sex and booze keep the cold at bay. On most days, Vivian Banks is a class-act of a sociopath. The stronger she gets, however, and the more paranoid her targets become - which reinforces her own paranoia. Before long, playing the part of one of Arasaka’s several poisonous flowers won’t work anymore.

Unfortunately, she trusts no-one. No Fixer could put her in contact with any hacker she’d trust, no rando fresh off the street with a retro-tinted National Arms plinker would satisfy her. To climb up the ranks and maybe share tea with Old Man Saburo himself, she needs a spotless performance record. She needs skills.

More importantly, she needs a reputation. That means leaving Arasaka Tower and mingling with the experts in their own field - and it means filling out her back book of successful hits. The drinks at the Afterlife are decent enough, but what she’s after is an official in.

If she can get to Rogue, or maybe even hook up with a ripperdoc not bought and paid for by the company, she might be able to score both new skills and increased performance...

If it were as simple as slitting Janet’s throat in HR and diving her way to an orgiastic performance review quite innocently left on the department’s server, she would’ve done that already. Viv is my obvious Pure Stealth build candidate, my main-line hacker and would-be engineer with a thing for black power skirts and designer offensive augments.

With that said, we’re months ahead of schedule, all the good shit’s already come out, so we’re stuck playing the waiting game...

What are your own character or build ideas for Cyberpunk 2077?

[brokerrandz]

Inviting our investors , yuppies and those who are looking for a half way home to grab the opportunity to own a home at the middle of Metro Manila.

#THEPADDINGTONPLACE CONDOMINIUM

Location : 632 Shaw Blvd. #Mandaluyong City near EDSA (in between World Corporate Centre and Lancaster Hotel)

Why choose THE PADDINGTON PLACE your new pad in the city???

➡️ Low density condo

➡️ Within 500-meters radius are Metro Manila’s Biggest Shopping Malls (SM Megamall , Shangri-La Plaza, The Podium, Robinson’s Galleria, Vista Mall Shaw)

➡️ Within 3KM radius from International Schools and Universities

➡️ Within 5KM radius from major Central Business and Financial Districts

➡️ Near MRT-3 Shaw Station, MRT-4 Station and Mega Manila Subway

OFFERS :

➡️ Spacious and Functional Unit Designs :

☑️ Executive Studio starts at 16,000 / mo.

☑️ 1 Bedroom starts at 23,000 / mo.

☑️ 2 Bedrooms starts at 33,000 / mo.

➡️ 0% Downpayment

➡️ 0% Interest in 5 years

➡️ Flexible and friendly payment terms

➡️ Get big discounts

Call or Message now to INQUIRE

RANDZ VALIENTE-SALAYA

Licensed & Registered Broker

MOBILE : (+63) 917-5195044

LINE : (+63) 917-5195044

VIBER : (+63) 917-5195044

WHATSAPP : (+63) 917-5195044

[soulvomit]

Weirdly enough, I feel like the environment I grew up in - because there was at least some degree diversity in the middle class relative to other environments I've lived in - is what produced so many libertarians and centrist liberals among my old friends, who ended up with no race analysis at all because they assumed the people in their more diverse neighborhoods must have all had the same advantages that they had and had the same experiences they did.

And another issue is that LA had and has so much first generation wealth, so there wasn't necessarily a lot of visible "old money culture" to compare the faking-it people to. Meanwhile there was a culture around not admitting how much you actually have if you *were* rich. Just like you didn't admit that everything was on credit if you were a yuppie.

None of us were ever going to be super mega rich, but i feel like there was a lot more cultural adjacence and interchange between middle class and wealth than there is now.