#pride gonks

[shiftythrifting]

[itsmrkittys]

JUST ARRIVED TODAY: Here's the new Pride pins we cooked up this year! We have:  Some trans wizards  a gay little worm  and a bisexual gonk droid

STORE: www.etsy.com/shop/itsMRKITTYS

[swearingcactus]

pain receptors and frayed nerves

“I hate you.”

V doesn’t really mean it. His head’s too fucked right now, the pain from the relic just pushing and pushing, clawing its way on a spot behind his eye. He’s just sick. He’s just trying to say things to alleviate the pain. He doesn’t really mean it.

Johnny knows this, could practically taste the fog in V’s brain firsthand. “Come on, kid. Get up.” He coaxes, he wants to put his hands out, push and pull V up from his curled up position on the dirty concrete. He holds out on it. Might make the episode worse. “At least try to stand, get some fresh air.”

“No.”

“Gonk next to you’s gonna piss on you if you stay here a second longer,” Johnny tries making light. It doesn’t work. V just sniffles, curls into himself even worse.

“V, come on.” Johnny prompts again, his tone’s not as snappy as he wants, worry starting to lace the words. When V doesn’t move, he goes to put a hand on V, who jerks away sharply. Blue pixels scramble and Johnny glitches away, sighs as he comes back into focus.

“V–”

“Stop it. Just stop.”

“We need to move.”

“Just leave me alone.”

All this bitching isn’t cute. Johnny has half a mind to start his own bitching, knock it off. Get your ass up. We don’t have time for this. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we figure out a plan to get to Mikoshi, the sooner you feel better.

“Come on, V. Let’s go.”

V’s all pain-receptors and frayed nerves. No coherent answer comes out and Johnny starts to think about the pseudo in his pocket.

“I hate you so much.” V says, unprompted, and Johnny stops all thought of the pseudo, like a knee-jerk reaction.

“Haven’t you ruined my life enough already?” V asks miserably, and Johnny looks up to see he’s opened his eyes to make contact.

He doesn’t really mean it. Right? Johnny thinks he doesn’t really mean it.

“V.” Johnny says again, and it feels less of a name and more of a plea. V scrunches his face hard. Then coughs, spits out some more blood. Goes to push himself up, staggering and balancing himself next to the wall.

Johnny’s heart flutters with some sort of relief, maybe pride, a sense of fuckin’ finally combined with thank fuck.

“I wish you were dead.”

This one’s easier to stomach. But Johnny grimaces and tenses at what he knows will come next.

“I wish I was dead.”

Johnny needs to believe V doesn’t really mean it. That it’s just the pain talking. That he’s not all there.

“Come on, V.” Johnny coaxes again, nods his head to the open space. “Come on.”

V sniffles and rubs his eyes blearily with both hands. Then sighs and starts walking gingerly away. A few steps and breaths later, with fresh air, V opens his mouth, “When I said I–”

“I know, V.”

He doesn’t, actually. But it’s easier for both of them if Johnny does the thinking and convincing the both of them that he doesn’t mean it. A broken mind’s enough trouble for V, no need to add heart into the mix.

also posted on ao3

[wanderingaldecaldo]

@marine-123 asked in a comment ages ago how Val's friends react when they find out about her dating the President, and what a great question!! I hadn't thought that far ahead lmao so this is great opportunity to flesh out their story, as well as the dynamics with her friends in this universe.

Val is cautious about telling people once she and Rosalind start dating. They are trying to keep things under wraps—even if they know it's ultimately futile and the media will find out—and she doesn't want to mess things up with Rosalind. She's always been a fuck-up and a flake in relationships, but she's taking this one seriously. (And for good reason! Who wants to fuck over the most powerful woman in the world?)

Misty is the only one she trusts enough initially to talk to about Rosalind, and she's known about her from the moment Val got back from Dogtown. Misty believes her about the “fling”, even if she doesn't quite get it. Later when Rosalind and V start texting regularly, Misty hears about it all the time. Sometimes she even shuts V down because all she wants to do is discuss the nuances Rosalind's word choice from the same text message for the hundredth time, and sometimes that's just one time too many for Misty.

Misty is Val's BFF in this universe, and best girl in all universes

Once they start dating, Misty remains supportive of V's happiness. Eventually V tells Vik and he is... not pleased. He has no love for the NUS and has no problem telling V that she's a gonk for getting involved with Myers for a whole host of reasons. V isn't naive though—she knows what Rosalind has done, and she knows it's much worse than anything Vik knows. She has her own reservations but she isn't going to share them with him—national security, of course, but also her own pride—and eventually Vik gives up. He doesn't like it, and V avoids talking about Rosalind whenever she pops by the office, but it strains the relationship and her visits occur with less frequency.

At some point she also tells Mamá Welles, who is suspicious but ultimately wants V to be happy. Lupe wants to feed Rosalind, of course. “She's too skinny, mija. Bring her for dinner, I'll cook my pozole.”

The only other person V trusts is Claire. They grew close during the races, and that friendship continued to develop after V took over the Afterlife. Claire isn't a fan of the NUS but she can understand the attraction, and doesn't begrudge V the relationship. (Nix also knows because he's good at his job, but V and Nix both pretend he doesn't.)

When the screamsheets start publishing rumors of the relationship but before the campaign manager's idea to hire her as Rosalind's bodyguard, V dodges as many calls as she can, and plays things off whenever she does have to talk to anyone—that's some gonk shit, we just text once in awhile, you know how the media lies . After she takes a position with the FSS and moves to DC, she can hide behind "national security" and say she can't talk about the President. 🤷😌

Panam doesn't believe it at first, and calls V the second she hears about it from Mitch. When he read about the rumors, he discounted them, but then the media start reporting on it. He's shocked, though he did notice the way V talked about the President whenever she shared the story around the campfire the night before they stole the Basilisk. He's disappointed, of course, even though he never believed that he had a chance with her.

On the surface, Panam is upset that V didn't tell her about something as big as dating the President, but V would have trusted Gary the Prophet before Panam. Because of so many details CDPR gave her, I HC Panam as a latent bisexual. Looking at you in particular, eyebrow “scar”. After her flirting and eventual rejection of V, Panam grows jealous when she starts dating Judy, not that V noticed or Panam understood the source of her feelings. Fast forward to V dating Rosalind and Panam is upset again, and this time blaming it on V not sharing the details, but once again it's simple jealousy. Maybe one day she'll figure it out. 🤷

As for Judy, in this universe they date casually, but V is still enamored with Rosalind, and that makes Judy's red flags (and youth) a little... easier to notice. She's wary because of everything that happened with Evelyn, and how quickly Judy shifted that affection to V. At the same time she does care for Judy and happiness is fleeting in Night City, so why not spend time the cute and sweet techie?

I bet Judy gives the best hugs.

After the events of Mikoshi, Judy leaves town but they remain friends. When she hears the rumors about her relationship with Rosalind she calls V up on the holo and interrogates her. She remembers that V was evasive when answering questions about the gig, to the point that she didn't really believe it happened, and with the latest news she started putting everything together and wants to know all the detes.

[elvenbeard]

🏳️‍🌈 Vince & Kerry at Night City Pride (10/10) 🏳️‍⚧️

Kerry originally wasn't too enthusiastic about accompanying Vince to pride... Solely because he feared the medias would follow them around and overshadow the day too much for them to be able to enjoy it. Knowing, that it was important to Vince. He insisted though that even if the journalists would stalk them all day, he'd still rather have gone with Kerry than without him. In the end, Kerry was glad he obliged, and they're looking forward to the next year and many more happy memories to make xD

Thanks for following along this little series, I put a ton of work into it but really really enjoyed seeing it all come together in the end :D I've never been to Pride irl, but with these two it felt a little bit like I'd been given the chance to go after all, so this turned out to be a very emotional and personal project really.

I hope you all also had fun following along, and a big thank you for all the nice words left in the tags!! I'm so happy I could touch some of you with my posts and these two gonks.

Vince's colorful tank top in the final photoset and Slices of Life template by @pinkyjulien 💛

[trashcatsnark]

Wip Christmas Eve

Hewwo~ I was tagged by @nightcxty to share some WIPs a while back, I have finally done some writing I feel good about sharing so- have words~ TW: mentions of gore and blood

First WIP: Can You Feel The Sun- Chapter 85

“There is no Samurai without Silverhand,” Nancy says, V feeling a cocktail of melancholy and pride stirring in Johnny’s chest. His eyes staring at the back of Nancy’s seat. V’s hand finding his leg where his feet are propped up, squeezing the muscles there to provide a modicum of comfort or something.  “Well, on the technical level- I’d be filling in for him.”  “Hahaha... You?”  “Kerry vetted me himself,” V assures her, “Know I don’t exactly seem to the type, but different person on stage- trust me. And sides, way I see it, concert would be Silverhand’s honor.”  “That so, what's got into Kerry all of a sudden? Thought he got over this ages ago…” Nancy muses more to herself than to V. “I mean, maybe just the timing,” V suggests, shrugging her shoulders and trying to feign ignorance as she delicate tries to steer the conversation,”I mean, fuck- Silverhand’s birthday is right around the corner. Another life, another timeline- be turning 89 in just a few days.” “Swear to fuck, only number that sticks in your head is how old I’d be..”  “Doubt it,” Nancy whispers, but there’s almost a breath of a laugh around her words, “Don’t think there’s anything that could have stopped that gonk from putting himself in an early grave. Hate to say it, but people like Johnny die young and they die violently, way of the world.”  “What do you mean, people like Johnny?”  “Should know, you’re one of ‘em after all,” Nancy mutters, eyes lingering  where V bleeds against the leather.  V swallows a lump in her throat that tastes like blood. She wonders how she must look to someone like Nancy. Dex’s old question, to burn out young and die without seeing thirty or to have a long quiet life. She said back then, all that time ago, that the world doesn’t give a choice. That she wasn’t meant to choose, that sometimes those on a long quiet like find their plans cut short by a single stray bullet. But she can’t deny that people like her, like Johnny, like Jackie, like Bug- they rarely get to see their hair turn gray.  Nancy sits here, deep into her eighties with gray curls and soft wrinkles lining her face. She’s got her quiet life, she’s lived long enough to see her later years, made enough of a name and enough money to stay looking relatively young while doing it. And here’s V, freshly twenty-one, riddled with bullet holes and face a mess of bruises and blood. She’s lived on the brink of death since she was born, even if not for the relic- she’d probably find her end young. At the hands of a gang member, at the hands of her father, her sister, or any of the dangers that lurk in this city.  She wonders how Nancy feels- knowing she’ll likely outlive V.  V can’t imagine, can’t imagine seeing someone so much younger- a child to her and just knowing their story will end before her own.  The merc sucks in a lungful of smoke, lets it settle into her blood before blowing it out the window; “Point is, Ker wants to put on a show.”  She tries not to linger too much on wondering how long Johnny will live this time, beneath her skin once she’s gone. He’s not a man meant for a long life, it crushes her heart but she knows Nancy is right. Even with his edges softening, he’s not the kind of man to seek peace and quiet. But that doesn’t mean he’s any less deserving of more time, of a longer story- once more chapter, one more paragraph, one more line, one more word- he deserves that much. 

Second WIP- been writing a bit from my durge's POV, early game stuff~

No name. No home. No connections. No idea where he is.  But he knows he’s fucked.  So, there’s certainly that- he heaves a heavy sigh, scratching black claws over his short dark horns. He’ll have to figure out how to pluck the tadpole from his head and make sense of the abyss sitting inside of it, but perhaps the first step should be just figuring out where the hells he is.  His boots crush through sand, the leather thuds softly against a limp corpse. One of many that decorate the beach, crimson streaked rags cover the body. Hair matted to their greying forehead with a mix of blood and sand. The heavy gash across their skull giving away the cause of their death, the smell of drying blood burns at his nose stirring something inside of him. An ache settling within his bones, fingers twitching as thoughts of sinking his fingers through the soft meat flitter in his mind. How easily he could crack the already fractured skull, feel it break within his fingers, play in the viscera he finds inside. Only a pity they're already dead, that he'd never get to hear them scream.  What the fuck,no, no- he shakes his head like a dog throwing off water. That's, no, no, he blinks through a haze he can't name. Nudges the body again with his boot, seeing where half their body is turning purple where the blood settles. And as his heel hovers above the corpses head, impulse strikes it down, hard and swift as he crushes their skull- a smile pulls at his lips when he hears the crack of the bones and the squelch of viscera beneath his weight. Then he jolts back, as if struck, smearing blood through sand- why did he do that?  Is that the tadpole, making him violent- monstrous?  Despite the gnawing gap where a memory should lay, he can't shake the idea this isn't the first corpse he's stood over. Not the first time he’s heard the crunch of bone, watched crimson seep into the edges of his boots, nor smiled at the sight. He shakes his head, pushes through again and leaves the crushed corpse behind as he begins his march across the sand.

[amberskyyking]

Implications Of Being Alive

Chapter 3: When A Supply Run Goes Horribly Wrong (or Right?)

Or, I have exactly 1 problem with the ending of BB, and I’ve loopholed my way into a maliciously canon-compliant fix-it that I EXPECT to see in a new rebel show, please and thank you J Corbs and Hat Man 🫠

—-SPOILERS FOR BB S3 BELOW—-

“That’s the last of ‘em, kid!” Cy declared with gusto, melodramatically dusting off his hands in the narrow hall of Omega’s ship. “Lil surprised you got it all to fit in this tiny hold of yours!”

Omega shot a sparkling smirk at a broadly grinning old clone and crossed her arms. “You’re just disappointed you didn’t get to claim more than your own share!”

“Well can ‘ya blame me?” He chuckled, gesturing at the supply boxes packed tight enough Omega had to override the object sensors to convince the outer hatch to close on them. “We havent seen Varos flavored rations since… Well, since the Clone Wars! All our brothers loved them, they’re completely lost on the nat-borns.”

“You know you don’t have to live on rations, don’t you?” Omega raised an amused eyebrow.

“Well. Yeah, we eat other things! But, nostalgia’s sake. You know.”

Omega grinned and shook her head. “I know. I always liked them best, too.”

“No kidding!” Cy teased, patting the nearest box, and Omega gave him a good natured punch on the shoulder. “Hey!”

“Wait until I tell Echo you’re trying to poach his-“ But Omega cut herself off as Hera’s head popped into the hold with a worrying frown, Chopper on her heels, grumbling up a storm.

“Hey Hera!” Omega said cautiously, righting herself and giving Hera a friendly salute. Cy did the same. “Is… Something wrong?”

“It’s Chop,” She said in an undertone, cutting straight to the point. “He just came back from the edge of base with his communicator shot clean off.”

All the color drained from Omega’s face, and Cy let out a displeased grunt of his own. “Poor Chop!” Omega said sympathetically, glancing down at the agitated astromec. “Are you alright other than that?”

Bhr BHR! B B B B Baaaaaaah.

“Oh he’s fine. The imperial spy he found, not so much,” Hera said with an exasperated smirk. “It explains why our systems registered a small explosion nearby, the attacker had detonators and Chop took advantage,” She gestured at him with a hint of pride. “That’ll teach them to mess with my droid. But it’s not safe to stay. You both have your supplies, are you ready to move out?”

“Yes sir!” Omega piped up.

“I can be,” Cy said lazily.

“Good. Lyssa and Domri are just waiting my signal. We need them out first, their refugees need this more than our -“

Br BR! Br BR! BHRRRRRR!

“What is it Chop?”

Ba brbrbr BAA-

Chopper gestured back out the doorway towards Cy’s ship, the Cyclone 4, and for the briefest second Omega spotted a glimpse of a figure in black bolting from it before -

BOOM.

The force of the explosion sent them all reeling back! Omega hit the wall and tiny lights popped behind her eyes. Her ears rang, but she heard coughing, scoffing, offended Chopper noises and confused Gonk! Gonk!’s coming from the back of her ship.

She pulled herself upright with a white knuckle grip on the edge of the console and heard Cy let out a deeply disgruntled sound.

“Aaaagh! Not again!” He groaned.

Omega offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. The Cyclone 4 had been reduced to slag.

“Karabast! They lived?!” Hera shouted. “Alright, new plan.”

Be bv br BHR?

“Too risky Chop, they’re already here. Omega, get us airborne, NOW.”

“On it,” Omega said, hopping into the pilots seat and firing up the controls. Her thrusters engaged, the ship lifted off, and Hera took charge.

“Chopper, remotely activate the Ghost’s top hatch!” Hera ordered. “Cy, with me, on my signal! Omega, bring us in low over the Ghost and give us ground cover to get her flying, we need to get Lyssa and Domri out of here before we make our own jumps! Is that clear!”

“Yes sir!” Omega called back, pushing the ship forward with a determined grimace and her heart racing. The Ghost wasn’t far but their saboteur could be anywhere, and even as she thought it more shots fired off towards two other rising Rebel ships.

“No!” Omega gasped as Lyssa’s stabilizer was hit. The ship shuttered dangerously in the air and began to plummet. Omega gritted her teeth.

“Draw their fire and stay on target!” Hera cried, and Omega nodded, gritting her teeth and swallowing hard. Hera was right. They needed the Ghost, it was a risky plan but she was accustomed to risky plans by now and Hera’s skills were needed now more than ever to help the others escape.

She banked sideways towards their attacker first, laid down some fire as ground cover, and juked away towards the Ghost again. In the distance Lyssa fought for control of the careening ship, Domri rose higher, but the infiltrator, whoever they were, changed targets, forcing Omega to twist and dodge to avoid a serious hit. Omega leveled out low to the ground and pulled up on the accelerator seconds before they passed over the Ghost.

“Now!” She heard Hera shout, and her three passengers dropped out the door onto the Ghost below. Omega looked back with her heart in her throat but they had made it. Hera vanished into the hatch and Cy gave Omega a quick salute before pulling it closed over them all. Omega let out a breath, but it wasn’t over. She pulled up again, cut the thrusters and made a perfect Tech Turn to round back on the shooter.

In the few seconds that move took, the rain of blasterfire had seemed to stop, but Omega realized with dread it was only because they were aiming for the Ghost!

Omega returned fire back in an instant, bringing her ship around for another pass and peppering the area the enemy was hiding in blue plasma. For a second the attacker, wherever they were, let up on their assault, but as Omegas ship sped past their barrage returned. She gasped as one shot just barely missed a sublight engine, and only because the Ghost just lifted off the ground in time to make it a miss!

Mayhem 5! Keep them pinned down! Hera’s voice crackled over the comm.

As if she even needed to be told, after that close call. She snarled as she threw the ship into a second Tech Turn to double back again and give this imperial scumbag some hell. “On it!”

The Ghost careened in a huge arc and unleashed its own fire power on the shooters hiding spot, and finally, the dark figure was flushed out, running with an obvious limp and suited in black. How they were even still moving Omega didn’t know, but she had them now. She accelerated forward again, took aim, fired-

But her enemy also fired, whipping towards her with inhuman speed and popping off a single shot that sank straight through her sublight engine!

A distress call from Lyssa blared from her console, Omega felt her own engine splutter and die, the figure vanished below, and her ship veered sideways. There was hardly any time to prepare to crash. Omega wrenched the steering, slamming at the controls and overriding several errors to force the ship to stay level for just a few seconds.

“Brace for impact Gonky!” She shouted back, and the ship crashed down, skidding and spinning across the dirt. Omega was thrown forward, letting out an involuntary cry that was lost on the sound of metallic screeching and rumbling dirt that pierced the air until they came to a stop.

She could smell smoke, systems warnings were blaring, but she took stock of herself and… She was okay. A little sore, but nothing broken or bleeding.

Mayhem 5! What’s your status?! Hera’s voice rang out from the sparking console, and even through distortion, Omega could hear the fear in her voice. She scrambled for the receiver.

“Specter 2, I’m… I’m fine,” She breathed, looking around with eyes wide. “Ships down. No major injuries!”

The viewport was thick with dust, but the ship had spun as it crashed so she sat facing the gouge marks in the soft earth, and something was moving up ahead. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and the adrenaline that was just coming down from the crash rocketed all over again.

Ruby 3 is unresponsive, Hera said frantically. Did you make your shot?

She peered with dread through the pane, but it wasn’t a trick. There wasn’t enough cover to stay hidden for long and soon she saw it again - That same lone, limping figure, one hand cradling their side, injured and blow up but still unrelenting in their pursuit as they ducked behind a small cluster of gnarled plants.

Something about their armor was horribly familiar.

Mayhem 5?

“No,” Omega said bitterly. “I didn’t, but I will.”

Taking them out from here would be best, but the gunnery was karked, jammed in a completely unusable position. She kept her eyes on the imperial’s cover as she drew the custom precision blaster Crosshair had finally deemed good enough for her after several modifications and patted down her belt to ensure Hunter’s old vibro-knife was still there.

I don’t like the sound of that-

Something moved, and if only for a second, Omega saw them clearly, and her heart leapt into her throat. That… That wasn’t just any Imperial, that was like seeing a ghost! She would never forget that helmet, that mask, those glowing aqua cybernetics.

It was him.

The soldier who had hunted her family a decade ago, who killed so many of Rex’s men, who nearly drowned Crosshair and later cut off his hand. The one who had blown up the Marauder and dragged her off to Tantiss, who she thought Hunter had finally killed during their escape.

But if that was really him… Then he was a clone, too.

“Get to Ruby 3. She needs you,” Omega pleaded in a tone that was determined as it was solemn, setting her blaster to stun. “This is personal.”

And it had almost been too close already. They never wanted to kill clones who were on the Empires side, but sometimes it was impossible to avoid. They couldn’t avoid it on Tantiss, but this was different. She was different. This was a one-on-one fight, it wasn’t impossible, and if she had a chance, she would take it. She was ready.

That still wouldn’t make it easy, based on her still very vivid memories of what the CX troopers were capable of. Omega took a deep breath to center herself… And an idea came into her head.

“Gonky,” Omega whispered, and got a feeble little goooonk in response. “Be ready for Plan 38, okay? I need a backup just in case. Prep the hold latch and unleash it on my signal.”

He reluctantly gonked in agreement, and Omega nodded back, moving carefully to slip out of the hold. He was nearby, she knew it. She watched for signs of him. If she could just stun him, if she could just get him back to Echo-

Only the barest flash of movement warned Omega to duck before a blaster bolt hit the wall above her! She sprung off it and charged, firing back blue rings at the clone, knowing full well how much more difficult it would be to take him down that way, but she could do it! She just had to hit him enough times, she just had to survive -

He took the bait and slammed into her full force, knocking her back, and she twisted to avoid getting slashed with a knife. Omega fired and missed. The clones hand swiped the blade again at her neck but she caught it on her vambrace and shoved him back, barely, trading and blocking blows in close quarters. Her gut twisted. He was skilled, but injured, which should make him easier to take down, but he was fighting with lethal force, and Omega… Omega couldn’t do that!

She couldn’t beat him that way, he was never going to stop, it was all she could do to keep herself in the fight with a person who would hurt himself to keep going, who would fight through so much pain. She tried to fall back, plan 38 would be better for them both, but the retreat left her vulnerable for a split second and he grabbed her arm. Omega gasped as he yanked her towards a tree and kneed her in the gut.

“They’ll come back for you, dead or alive,” He said, his voice toneless and modulated. “They don’t leave their own behind.”

Omega preferred the gut pain to those words. It hurt less. They couldn’t help what happened on Tantiss, she tried so hard to remind herself of that, but it still always tugged at her heart, knowing how many clones still died there before they made it out. But she couldn’t go there now. He lifted his blaster and she grabbed his arm, twisting it up so it fired into the trees, and he let out a sharp yelp of pain. She couldn’t pity him yet, though, not while he was fighting without mercy, not if she wanted to help him! He wouldn’t be left behind, not again! Omega took advantage of his weakness, jamming her own blaster directly against his chest plate and firing off one stunner, then two, but he threw himself back and head butted her clean in the nose before she could finish the job with a third.

Stars swarmed her vision again, she let out a small cry and tasted blood. The clone staggered backward and Omega stumbled sideways, fighting to keep her own consciousness.

But he was doing the same. Omega raised her blaster again but between the two of them he was quicker, and she was forced to dodge more fire, retreating towards the trap Gonky was ready to pull. She didn’t have to beat him out here. He was almost down already. She just had to get him on the ship.

One of the shots singed her leg as she ran but she didn’t dare stop, not even for the sharp pain that radiated up it almost right away. She’d fought through worse. Omega managed to leap into the hold off her good leg but collapsed in the entry, only feet from the cockpit.

“Karabast!” She swore, desperately starting to crawl forward.

Gonky gonked his concern from the back.

“Not yet!” Omega whimpered. “I have to get him to the-“

There was a clanging of metal on metal as heavy footfalls rang through the ship. Omega flipped herself around and tried to stand, but the clone in imperial black stood looming over her and cocked his blaster at her head.

“Running is futile,” He said in that same Imperial monotone.

“It’s worked before!” Omega tried to stall, pushing herself backwards with her one good leg. He had her trapped, he wasn’t in position yet, Gonky couldn’t spring the trap, but they were so close. Omega held her breath, heart racing, this wasn’t how she wanted to go out, she could help him…

But several seconds passed, and he wasn’t pulling the trigger.

The clone seemed frozen, his head cocked ever so slightly, not so much looking at her as past her at something else, as if transfixed. The end of his blaster dipped towards the floor in his distraction.

Omega narrowed her eyes, subtly aiming her own blaster at her hip without a sound, and fired two shots in rapid succession. The last shot did what the first three couldn’t. The clone collapsed on the ground.

Gonk gonk? Gooonk?

Omega let herself fall backwards on the ground, too. It was over… She had done it.

“No Gonky… We don’t need Plan 38 after all.”

Which was probably good. Wasting all those Varos flavored rations just to bury the clone really would be a shame. Omega’s leg was throbbing painfully, her head was still aching and her face splattered with blood, but she couldn’t wait too long to catch her breath either. After only a minute or so, she dragged herself upright again and crawled towards the clone.

“I’m sorry, vod,” She breathed, pulling his hands behind his back and encasing them in binders as gently as she could before heaving him upright. “I’ll get you some help, yeah? You probably never wanted this, and…”

But her words dropped off as she gingerly removed his helmet and her world came to a screeching halt.

This wasn’t a reg.

This wasn’t a reg but it WAS a clone. She had screamed his name, lunged forward in desperation as he shot the cable that connected them, plummeting into the clouds below as their rail car caught the track and ripped them away and it all went dark-

“TECH???!!” Omega shrieked, the name torn from her chest in agony like the day they had lost him, reverberating against the walls of the ship so she heard it a hundred more times as she cupped his face and stared in disbelief. He was older now, like the others, his auburn hair cut short and speckled with shades of gray. Wrinkles lined his cheeks and jaw and the outsides of his eyes, he had some nasty new scars, but it was him, undoubtedly him.

In that moment, it didn’t matter if he was dangerous, it didn’t matter what he had done, what kind of conditioning the Empire must have put him through over all this time, or that he had just tried to kill her. Omega threw her arms around his shoulders and broke down into his neck with bloody, hiccuping, ugly sobs, carding her fingers into the back of his close-shaven hair.

All this time. All those battles a decade ago, everything that happened since then. How could they not have known? How come they never looked?

Guilt tore open her chest worse than his knife would have. He had been trapped like this, while the rest of them retired on Pabu, while Omega grew up surrounded by sunshine and laughter and beaches and family… And somehow, all this time later, he had hesitated to make the kill. Something had stopped him long enough for her to get the final shot.

She did her best to still herself, just for a few seconds, blinking away her tears to follow his gaze from a few minutes before…

To where his own cracked and broken goggles sat prominently on top of the cockpit console.

Omega’s ragged cries started all over again. Tech was alive, he was still in there, he had to be.

And he was coming home.

ITS KRIFFING POSSIBLE DAMMIT I DIDN’T EVEN BREAK CANON NOW FIX IT IN CANON OR SO HELP ME!!!!!! ❤️‍🩹

-ahem- Anyways. I’m mostly on AO3 so, links to all chapters below. Please scream in my comments and shit, it is pure writing fuel to get those ❤️

Chapter 1: Existing Isn’t Living (But It’s Better Than Being Dead… Right?)

Chapter 2: Serving Purpose (This Might Be Banthashit)

Chapter 3: When A Supply Run Goes Horribly Wrong (Or Right?)

[unispiredunicorn2]

A THING OF BEAUTY

Pairing: V/River Ward

Rating: Explicit

Summary: V and Johnny have an interesting time in the records store before they head to the hospital to pick up Randy. The situation gets slightly tense, and both V and River realize something. Their wait turns mildly smutty.

Read on AO3

BAD THINGS

V had finally managed to shake off River by suggesting they divide their errands — she’d get the album while he took care of the groceries, conveniently masking her ulterior motives. As River melted into the crowd, oblivious to her plans, V felt the crackle of anticipation igniting her veins before pressing forward through the bustling market, her steps echoing determination.

Little did River know that V had gone to extraordinary lengths to acquire the special edition of the new Tainted Overlord album, signed by all members. She had tapped into her web of contacts, traded favors, and paid a substantial sum of eddies to secure this gift, which awaited her at the store.

V knew River well enough to realize that he wouldn’t have spent the scratch on what was deemed a luxury, especially now, when money was tight, and all of it went into necessities. She couldn’t deny the extravagance of this gift. It indeed, was a luxury, especially for someone in River’s situation, but not for her.

She had enough eddies to share and help ease his financial burdens. She had tried, oh how she had tried. But his stubborn pride was a formidable barrier, determined in its refusal to accept her help. V couldn’t fathom it fully; she couldn’t wrap her mind around the complexities of his adamant pride. She remembered all too well the days spent on the streets, her stomach gnawing with hunger and her body shivering with cold. If someone had approached her then, offering help, she would have snatched it in a heartbeat.

River and his family weren’t hungry, lacking in clothing or a roof over their heads; however, they were teetering on the edge of financial stability. The small income they scraped together barely covered the essentials, leaving little room for anything beyond mere survival. So V couldn’t understand, not entirely. But she knew enough to recognize that same pride, the same fierce stubbornness that made him refuse her help, would also make him hesitant to accept this gesture. Thus the secrecy, the careful planning, and the question that gnawed at the corners of her mind — the one she failed to find the answer to.

“So, what will you tell the boyfriend when he starts asking questions?” Johnny materialized by the stairs that led into the basement, accompanied by a swirling haze of smoke, a twinkle of amusement glinting in his eyes.

“That I know some people?” V flashed a hesitant smile. “That some gonk owed me a favor? I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

“Thin lies for something like this.” Johnny tsked, shaking his head. “Come on, V. Boyfriend’s not an idiot. He’ll see right through you,” Johnny reluctantly admitted, a flash of discomfort distorting his features. “You couldn’t pick some dumb gonk to fuck. You had to pick a detective,” he added mockingly. “Now you’re in trouble.”

V sighed, massaging her forehead. “Are you here just to fuck with me, or do you actually have a solution?”

[johndhu]

Poor River doesn't get it...

River is a really cool character and of course he's got it bad for my V...

V: Look, River I don't know where you think this is going but...

River: Ah. I uh...I get it.

V: No uh, I don't think you do.

River: Huh?

V: Look it's ah...you're just...not really my type?

River: A badge?

V: No! Well yeah, but you left the PD. And even before that you're pretty much the only badge I ever met I liked.

River: Ooookay? But you just said I'm not your type...?

V: *trying very hard not to facepalm* Male, ya gonk.

River: Oh!

V: *pats his back.* Yeah. Sorry I didn't make that more obvious.

River: Ah well. *smirks* Wounds my pride a little less.

V: *drinks* River, whoever finds you's gonna be the luckiest girl in NC.

River: Pretty sure that's gonna be whoever finds you.

V: Found, actually.

River: Damn. Gay and taken. I sure can pick 'em.

V: *Laughs* C'mon. I'm takin' you to the Coyote. We're findin' you some company and there ain't no better wingman than yours truly.

[shiftythrifting]

Pansexual gnome :]

[enkisstories]

And so Lt. Agnon found the map Gavin had given It-08. Tina and the two droids followed it to the marked spot. They looked around a little further...

...and found a light pylon, a radar dish and a cannon. A Gonk droid gave a shriek, when the strangers appeared out of the forest!

Tina: "Alright, time to don the disguise."

The First Order had no shortage of rebel uniforms. The white one had come from the saboteur Tina had arrested in space, and the cap had belonged to one of those they had fed to Godmother.

IT-08: "This isn't going to work! Your face is still the same, Tina."

Tina: "The idea is for them to not look into my face at all, because they think I'm one of theirs."

IT-08: "People look each other into the eyes all the time! Don't tell me you never noticed that!"

Tina: "Of course I noticed! I even trained myself to do the same. But that's because we're the First Order, and very keen on authority. The rebels pride themselves in being free. Free people certainly wouldn't put up with that eyes-locking nonsense."

IT-08: "I... have no words. Just a question: Would you prefer to be free? If the rebels captured you and offered you to join their ranks..."

Tina: "No. I don’t make friends easily, I don’t want to have to start over.”

[bread-elf]

Where is Jiroki's raptor tattoo from?

"This was my first tattoo actually. Minus the markings on my face." Jiroki runs a hand over her raptor tattoo, it residing on her forearm. "Truth be told, this is actually a dedication to the Loa Gonk. During the final invasion of the Burning Legion, I met a Darkspear troll who bested me in a spat we had on Argus, but he also saved my life. After the Legion's fall it felt like Azeroth as a whole finally had a chance of peace, and so I swallowed my pride and sought him out to learn more from him. One thing led to another, in more ways than one, and he ended up teaching me his ways of worship for Gonk. Though I do not get blessings from Gonk like some trolls devout to him, I hunt in his name at times." (( Thanks @trixcuomo !))

[wanderingaldecaldo]

Some time ago, @marine-123 asked for cuddling in bed after a tiring day from the Soft OTP prompts, and who am I to deny them some cuddling in bed?

V finds Rosalind in one of the overstuffed armchairs in the residential study, head down with the latest FIA report, but she glances up with a smile at V’s approach. When V takes position behind the chair, her hands seeking the usual knots, Rosalind sighs and leans into the touch, and the tablet slips from her fingers and drops to her lap.

“Gotta be done by now. Can’t much happened since this afternoon.”

Snorting, Rosalind pulls one of V’s hands to her mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Darling, things can change before I finish reading a report. But you’re right, these are low priority items.”

“If they’re low priority, means they can wait, right? Think you could use a break.”

Rosalind scoffs as V resumes her work. “Keep that up and I’ll have no choice.”

“Might as well give up now,” V says with a grin. “’Sides, can do a better job in bed.”

Rosalind’s rich laugh fills the study, and she shakes her head as she smirks up at V. “Should have known you had an ulterior motive.”

V stills her hands and screws up her face in wounded affectation. “So I can continue in a comfier spot, plus we can watch your housewives shit.”

“And drink a bottle of wine?”

V leans down to kiss her cheek. “Of course. Red or white?”

Rosalind stretches in her chair then stands. “Do we still have that chardonnay in the fridge?”

They stop by the small kitchen to grab the bottle of wine. When she picks out the proper glasses on the first try, Rosalind’s lips curl in approval and her cheeks flush. When she manages to open the bottle without looking like a gonk, she can hardly breathe from the pride radiating from Rosalind’s face, eyes sparkling and smile wide.

The screen lights up the bedroom room in a blue glow as it powers on and V leans back against the plush fabric of the headboard as she finds the channel. After changing into a tee and shorts made of real cotton, Rosalind climbs into bed and settles in her lap. She grabs her glass and relaxes into V’s embrace.

V tucks her head into Rosalind’s neck, eyes squeezing shut, chest tightening as unnamed emotions bubble up. She doesn’t want to face them so she turns, opens her eyes and focuses on the screen. While they still don’t have any labels for what this is between them, Ros cares about her and that’s enough. More than enough.

The President's Merc AU

Soft OTP Prompts

Still have a few prompts in the inbox but always happy for more!

[lifesupreme-if]

Lmao at the ‘wdym, weren't we already together’ ask 😂 if you feel like it, how do you think the other ladies would react to something like that? Would it work with them, in either role? (Lowkey could see the same with Locked or Steph but change out shy for tsundere lol)

ask referenced here

stéphanie: why do you never listen to her? she only wants you to come home safe because she loves you! and then, she sees it. the gears are turning, your expression is sent reeling. "yeah? what do you mean, aren't we already together?"

you are infuriating. honestly, takes a moment, because she's kind of surging with a sort of pride—what was she so insecure about? all this time, you've been thinking of her. but actually, the situation at hand is still worrisome. so she lets loose. "we... we are?! so why do you never listen to me, you don't listen to the woman you love? actually, no. i change my mind! you're going to go back outside, come back inside, and ask me to be with you properly!"

so..... it is an impromptu lesson in chivalry. definitely gets the point across, and god help you if you call her tsun. would not recommend.

dorothea: she's exhausted, but you're both together. and she loves you, she can't hold that in any longer. you need to know.

only, you did know, apparently. and you thought she was just being shy. honestly pretty embarrassed, kind of scrunching up her nose. "uh, i hope not? i'm not a gonk, i think i would have known if we were already together." leaning in with a quiet anticipation, definitely ready to kiss you over it. "but if you want, we can definitely make that happen."

you made the social interaction awkward there for a moment. she's excited, which is a good way to save it, but that was a weird way to approach it. would not recommend.

[locked]: honestly, holding out on confessing feelings, because doesn't she deserve to be told that she's adored? (among other reasons.)

but when you tell her you love her, she is, without a doubt, smug. "i know. it's not like you stood a chance with me here." making moves to pull you in, to keep you close, to hold you snug. "you were already mine before you said anything."

[c8cyber]

Neo City Chapter 3

As they approach the central chamber, they can hear voices and the sound of metal clanging against metal. They take cover behind some crates and peek around the corner, trying to get a better look.

Inside the chamber, they see the cyberpsycho they've been hired to retrieve, a hulking figure covered in metal implants and wielding a massive club. At first C8 wonders if this is the legendary Adam Smasher from Night City, but what would he be doing here? Using a quick visual scan she exhales. It's not him. This psycho, he's surrounded by a group of armed goons, and they're in the process of dismantling and selling off pieces of a stolen military-grade drone.

C8's heart races as she tries to formulate a plan. Taking down a cyberpsycho is no easy feat, especially with a group of armed thugs around him. But she knows they can't leave without him. They'll lose the contract, and worse, their reputation.

Pris takes out her trusty stun submachine gun and hands one to C8. "On my signal," she whispers. "We take out the guards first, then we focus on the psycho."

"Guns blazing really the way we want to go?" C8 asks. "Let me at least shut down the thugs, I'm not seeing anything that will prevent them from a little cyberware short."

C8 nods, her palms sweaty. This is it. The moment she's been training for her entire life. She has to be quick, hack and deploy in rapid succession so that as soon as the first gonk falls the others do in immediate order.

"Malware uploaded, and 3...2..1! There falling lets focus on the psycho Pris." C8 yells.

They move out from behind the crates and there were some extra guards they hadn't spotted and are seen.

"So much for your quiet but deadly approach love." Pris teases.

They start firing, but C8 and Pris are quick on their feet, ducking and weaving as they fire their guns. The guards fall one by one, but the cyberpsycho is unaffected, charging at them with his electroclub.

C8 manages to dodge his initial swing, but she knows she can't keep this up for long. She needs a plan, and fast.

As the cyberpsycho swings his club again, C8 dives to the side and throws a smoke grenade at his feet. The room fills with a thick fog, obscuring their vision. C8 and Priss retreat to the shadows, waiting for their opportunity.

The cyberpsycho swings blindly, his club connecting with nothing but air. C8 sees her chance and takes it, sprinting towards him with all her might. She leaps onto his back, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling with all her might.

The cyberpsycho thrashes and tries to shake her off, but C8 holds on tight. Pris moves in with a taser, stunning him repeatedly until he finally goes down.

C8 collapses on the ground, gasping for air. Pris looks at her, impressed. "You're a damn good mercenary, Caity," she says, offering her a hand up.

C8 grins. "Thanks, Pris. That means a lot coming from you."

They retrieve the cyberpsycho and make their way back to their client, collecting their hefty payout. As they make their way through the deserted streets of Neo City, C8 can't help but feel a sense of pride. She may be a mercenary, but she's also a damn good one.

As they approach their hideout, C8's comlink buzzes. It's a message from a potential client, offering a job that could pay even more than their last one.

C8 grins and looks at Priss. "You ready for another job, partner?"

Priss grins back. "Hell yeah, I'm ready. Let's go get paid."

C8 nods, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. This is what she was meant to do. To survive in a world where only the strongest and most cunning can make it.

She's a mercenary, and she's going to be a legend.

[chevvy-yates]

See you again in the Afterlife – Part III

“Ah, look who is back from playing ‘hook me up some rando’? Guy said you weren’t his type, huh?” Ryder hollers, as their ginger runner arrives back at their table. “You really think you’re funny, Ry, do you?” V counters. “I think I’m adorable! And you know that.” “Yeah sure—” Vijay adds, while placing one hand onto his hip. His thoughts are still stuck in the conversation he had with Arki just a minute ago and suddenly, he has to smirk. “Actually, one of the first things ‘hook-me-up-rando’ said to me was ‘cutie’, so— who’s the adorable now?”” Vijay tells with such pride in his voice and giving a taunt look from above, Ryder almost spills his beer. Their German dude didn’t reckon with that. “You’re kidding me, right?” “Nah, he really said that. Surprised me as well at first, I gotta admit. — Felt flattered.” V let out an earnest laugh.

“V-san, you know him from somewhere?” Hizumi asks because they were curious as well. Meanwhile V is sitting back down onto his bar stool across Ryder. “That ‘hook-up rando’ is a merc. Name’s Arki — ring anythin’?” He gets two shaking heads for an answer. “Well, I’ve come across him before.” “Oh, you two chooms already?” “Wouldn’t say ‘choom’ is exactly the word for this.” “C’mon, spit it out!” the dark-haired man demands impatiently. “He’s the demon.” “Demon?” Ryder repeats. “Of Kabuki?” Hizumi asks further. “Yup.”

A mere second of no one talking passed until both, Chigasaki-san and Ryder start laughing. “Oh, come on V — not that demon stuff again. You see demons everywhere now since that encounter.” Vijay can hear in Scharfenberg’s voice, that once again he didn’t take him seriously. “Alright, I get it that you two still ain’t believin’ me — but it is him!” All he receives is some more banter. “Yeah right. And I am Sant Nikolaus!” Ryder exclaims, back sipping his beer after he recovered from his laugh. “For fucks sake, Ryder! I fuckin’ asked him!” Their runner almost shouts now making Ryder nearly spit his beer once again. “You did what!?” “You heard right!” “V, do I have to worry about you? You going to randos now — asking them if they are the Kabuki demon just because they got some red optics installed?” “What did he answer?” Hizumi quickly interferes, wanting to know. “Just asked him. He remembered me. Of course, he officially denied it but then added so only I could hear it, sometimes he lets people know who can handle it.”

“He tells you the truth because he thinks you can handle it!?” Ryder seems to be losing it a little now. “Herrgott, Vijay! Didn’t expect you to be that naïve — Everyone can claim that!” Vijay sighs, because it seems useless to get his friends to believe him. Nonetheless, he sets for a counter. “Dude, you really wanna keep playing this for fun, don’t you? You know I never lied to you. So why don’t you just believe me?” “Because there is no such thing as the Demon of Kabuki. Look around. People dress up like demons all the time! That stupid legend lives mainly from it. So, it was just some gonk, alright? And that guy you just talked to? — Guess he thought it was funny to give you what you wanted to hear. Ever thought of that?” Vijay glares at him. If there was one thing about Ryder that could make him angry it was his stubbornness. “Yeah, whatever …”

Then he turns to address Chigasaki again. “Say Hizu-chan, you saw him some years ago, right?” Chigasaki steadies onto their seat replying with a short “Hai.” “Did you look into his eyes?” “Sure. I wasn’t near him, but I zoomed in and he happened to look right back at me, knowing I was watching him. They are damn scary!” “What did it feel like havin’ those eyes lookin’ at ya? You remember?” Vijay wants to know next. “Oh, I remember like it was yesterday. It’s like they pierced right through me. Felt like I got hacked though I didn’t. But there was a superior feeling when someone hacked into my nervous system as if they wanted to read my mind. A-and I felt something that was like an overall adrenaline rush flowing thr—” “THAT!” Vijay cuts in. “That’s what happened to me, too. I got this rush as well. Felt like the air was full of electricity.” “I didn’t feel any electricity though, V,” Hizumi states, looking a bit confused but Vijay doesn’t seem to bother about that because he continues on. “Back then and just now when I was talking to him.”

Ryder aligned his beer bottle along with his cigarette pack and his lighter, now answering in a more earnest voice, “So, you are really serious about it, hmm?” “Told you, I am!” The black-haired man decides to pick up his lighter, so he could play around with it, seeming to think for a moment. “Well, if Hizumi-san will have that feeling again, given the chance we ever get to meet this guy, then I’m going to believe you.” Vijay lit himself a cigarette asking back, “Okay. What’s the stake?” “If you win I’ll buy you every drink you want on and off the menu for a month. If I win, you’ll buy me all the beer I can manage to drink — also a month.” “Deal!” Vijay bends over the table, a bright smirk on his lips holding out his hand for Ryder to shake in. Ryder would not win this one.

_

After they ended their discussion about the next gig they wanted to proceed, everyone seemed to be hanging in his own thoughts for a while. Scharfenberg just arrives back at the table with another fresh beer when he hears V cursing a little, seeming to search something via his mobile. “Yo, something wrong with your phone?” Vijay doesn’t look up but mumbles something to him instead. “Just tryin’ to see if he’s somewhere on the net.” “Who? That Arni guy? “Arki!” Vijay corrects Ryder fast, making him glare back but no use since his ginger friend doesn’t look up. “Arni, Arki, Archy. What’s the difference?” he exclaims a bit sorely. A mere second later V looks up to Ryder who is still giving him a glare. “Hey, doesn’t it sound similar to the word ‘Anarchy’?” “What do you mean?” “Arki – it’s pronounced like ‘anarchy’ — maybe I just need to write it with a ‘k’?” V mumbles already retyping, ready to hit the search once again. Ryder makes a face. Why is he so obsessed with this guy now? He rolls his eyes and decides to sit back down at the table trying to get Chigasaki back into talking since Vijay seems to only have eyes for his phone now.

About half an hour later and after many attempts to find out more about Arki, Vijay is ready to give up. He tried almost everything he could think of on every platform he knew and registered, too. The only one that was left taking a look into now was cybergram. He almost lost hope to find something when he reads the fourth result. A(na)rki. His thump already moves to click onto it without thinking further, opening a user profile that definitely shows pictures of the man he was searching for. The posts were very good, almost artsy. He decides to read the profile description after looking at a few posted pics. It says ‘Booba man’ and right underneath stands ‘merc’ and ‘fashion, photography, fire’. Booba ma— WHAT? V is already about to scream in his head, as he clicks onto one of the archived stories that is named with ‘Looks’ just to find super neat and also hot pics of the man, he was just talking to earlier, packed in nice tight-fitting clothes and showing his well-trained body in general that V almost thinks he’s looking at some hot gay magazine.

“Dude? You alright?” Ryder asks, as he casually side-glances at his friend again, who seemed to just stare at his phone with a wide-eyed look on his face and mouth slightly open. “V, you just lost half of your skin color! Either it is some new chrome I don’t know of, you didn’t tell me about or it is just your blood flow getting disrupted?” The ginger runner doesn’t look up, just continues to stare at the story pictures and muted videos. “Ya, all blood went south,” he manages to mumble, still hearable for Ryder. It took a second for Scharfenberg to realize and his eyes widened a little. “Wait— you watching porn now?” “N-no– I mean, sorta, yeah?” “If it’s a hot dude, show me!” Ryder says with joy in his voice that finally manages to get Vijay away from looking at the screen. “No!” “Why not? As far as I remember, we used to watch porn together.” “That was a long time ago. Watch your own, Ry!” Vijay replies a bit gruffly now. He would never dare to share with Ryder what he just found out about Arki. Scharfenberg pouts at that harsh answer. “Dann eben nicht! Just don’t start beating your meat here now!” he reminds him with a slight giggle at the end. Somehow, Ryder didn’t seem to connect one plus one that what Vijay was looking at has to do with Arki. He already forgot that guy exists.

“Anyway, we should go home, get some sleep,” Chigasaki mentions with a yawn and Ryder nods. “Yeah, Hizu is right. We’ve got a job that requires us to be done during the day. Better be well rested.” Vijay finally manages to turn off the display screen and comes back to his senses. He welcomes the sudden topic change and therefore doesn’t bother to answer Ryder’s stupid commentary from before. “Right, let’s call it a day.”

Once they were outside in the parking lot of the Afterlife the team’s ways parted into different directions. None of them left without giving the other a hug, though, before each of them is heading to their apartments. Vijay’s thoughts, however, were still all about Arki on his entire way and even when he fell into his cozy bed after arriving home, they didn’t stop for a while until he eventually managed to fall asleep.

_________________

-> PART I <- -> PART II <-

Setting: Cyperpunk 2077 Arki belongs to @nervouswizardcycle. Vijay, Ryder and Hizumi belong to me.

Text is a result of rp snippets we did together and will be doing onwards.