#cyberpunk77

I don't think he had great social skills, I don't think he was as charming as he'd like to make himself out to be. Ever met someone deep in addiction, or a traumatized veteran, or both? They can be some testy motherfuckers. I see a guy like Johnny, the total disaster he is at maintaining not only good relationships, but fair ones, miserable with a temper, the unbridled egotism, and think this guy isn't any people's person.

Like with the way he treated Alt and Kerry? There was even a point where I was asking myself if he even liked other people. At least not ones that didn't align to the idealized version of what he wanted them to be; yes-mans, unobstructive, pliable. Yes, he's manipulative, not cuz he's just that great at swooning people, playing them by charming the fuck out of them, but because he's all desperate emotional warfare.

It's agreed that the way he plays himself up in his memories for V is not congruent to the reality of who he was. He's an unreliable narrator of his own story way before the relic did any damage to his story. And I just think, honestly, that reality for him was a lot more plaintive and real.

Like, promise, I'm sure he partied and went to clubs, but I don't think he was the life of them. I think he was the guy who tucked himself down by the bar, danced for an hour, or maybe a couple minutes, till he convinced some chick back or decided he'd rather be scoring and getting loaded up right now. I think he was more of the guy who disappeared at his own afterparty and you didn't need to guess where he flaked off to.

He's the guy who sleeps on a sweat stained mattress thrown in the corner, no sheets, maybe a pillowcase. Who punches holes in his walls when he gets too angry at himself, and throws dishes and fists when he's angry at others. He's the guy who spills the bong water he hasn't cleaned out in months on his bed and doesn't care, just sleeps on top of it. He's the guy who goes on week long benders and comes home unshowered and greasy. He's the guy who doesn't take quite enough care of himself, through and through. Not only by putting himself in passively suicidal situations, but not taking care of his arm. Who treats his body like a shitty tool to push through, who shows up so high to gigs he's in a downright non-functional state, who doesn't care if he lives or dies or how he does it.

He's the guy who's a lot more lonely than he wants to admit, who deals with shit like isolation and suicidal ideation.

I'm talking about Johnny in all the in-between moments, the unseen moments between the chapters of his own story. Johnny and who he is when he's himself in the dark quiet of his place. The same guy who spent weeks in isolation staring at ceiling fans and hiding out from the world. Johnny when he thinks no one can see him, who’s not performing an act of someone with a bloated sense of self who's semi got his shit together. Johnny when he has to actually sit with himself for once.

Please ignore the hands I ran out of time 😭

Rookfest Day 4 - Alternate Universe @rookfest

Dividers by @curiouswisp - thank you so much for sharing them!

SO UHHH I TOTALLY FORGOT TO POST THIS YESTERDAY. PLEASE FORGIVE ME LOL. (I honestly probably should have queued it but oh well 😔)

For the life of me I could not figure out what to do for this prompt. I had way too many ideas so decided on a Cyberpunk 2077 AU. Although I like the idea of her being a merc - I really do think she fits better as a fixer, so that’s what I’ve done for her :D

As always - extra info and more art below :)

[ID: Digital art of V from Cyberpunk 2077 crouching down and holding his cat Nibbles out in front of him. END ID.]