#nc-legend

Thanks so much for the ask @nc-legend! I haven't posted a lot about Nomad!Val so this will be fun.

From @/gonksinlove's great list of questions:

4 - How often does your V/OC switch up their hair color/style? Do their chooms worry if they show up with a drastic new look, or is changing things up just something they do on the regular?

Ahaha if you look back over the past year or so, you'll find that SK!Val's hair and color have changed quite a bit — I was making a mod of all the short hair that is available for the female body type, and also streetkid was releasing a bunch of different hair color packs so I was playing with all the different shades of red. Before that, SK!Val's hair was pretty much always the fauxhawk, with occasional forays into vanilla hair until Julia released the curly hair mod. For C!Val, it's pretty much whatever long hair I'm feeling for the outfit, though she rarely sports bangs. 😅

For other parts of Val's appearance, I think she stays pretty consistent between colors and style. It would be noticed if she changed her hair color from some hue of red or orange, or her piercings/cyberware from gold.

Wardrobe changes would depend on lifepath.

SK - if she started dressing like a corpo, people would be concerned; people wouldn't notice nomad attire so much, because it would likely look similar, just more leather and straps, or they would think it's a phase

Corpo - her old colleagues would be surprised if she started dressing like a nomad or streetkid, even though she does incorporate some streetkid flair into her corpo wardrobe. When she "leaves" Arasaka, she can't shake the 'former corpo' vibe, nor does she try to but she does relax into more 'corpo casual' with, again, some streetkid flair

Nomad - she already incorporates some streetkid attire in her wardrobe because of her background, so if she went full SK most people would think it's a phase, but corpo would be concerning

7 - Who is your V/OC's best choom and how did they meet?

Misty is pretty much best choom in every universe, except Nomad probably. I like to think C!Val met her before the game starts due to her longer relationship with Jack, and Misty is one of the only people to call her on her bullshit, especially important later when things spiral out of control with Mitch.

For Nomad!Val, that's a great question! It's gotta be Hilary. They became fast friends in Val's canon story, and she's part of the reason N!Val became a Nomad to begin with. In fact, why don't we talk more on that below. 😄

10 - What's your V/OC's origin story? We all know in-game V can choose one of three lifepaths and The Heist is where everything changes for them, but why'd they end up in the lifepath you selected for them?

Pop already asked me about Corpo!Val, so check it out here.

As I said in the linked post, all three of her lifepaths start the same: she's orphaned at seven (I'm sure it's seven!) then put into custody of her indifferent cousin Mark, until the age of 13 when things split. In the nomad path, she takes a gig to decrypt a shard on an anonymous BBS, a site where she regularly booked small jobs that didn't require her to reveal her extreme youth. She met the group of nomads, the youngest of whom was Hilary, a talented netrunner who was only a few years older than V herself.

Hilary had been unable to crack the final layer of ICE on the shard, even though she'd promised she could break into anything, and was about to proceed with accessing the data when V caught that it was wired to self-destruct if accessed directly, so she manages to crack the shard and save the data, too.

Hilary lobbies the other nomads to offer the orphan a spot in their small family that's been trying to bolster their dwindling numbers. They agree. V doesn't go back to Mark's tiny apartment since she has everything of importance on her — her mom's necklace, her multitool, and her cyberdeck (external until she's much older) — and she doesn't even text Mark to say where she's going. He texts the next morning and she tells him she joined these nomads, Bakkers, and he text back a thumbs up. That's the last she hears of him until she finds out later that he died because she's listed as his next of kin. Turns out he never reported that she left, and NC Social Services doesn't have the resources to check up on all kids, especially the ones that 'behave'.

You're welcome but I should be thanking you for the time you spend on things to share your pics, stories and ideas.

Ship ask game questions from here!

2. Favorite thing about this ship?

My favourite thing about them is the way they’re each other’s “soft place to land”, so to speak. I love how these two fucked up, lonely people find something good and real - someone they can trust and be vulnerable with - together in Night City. There’s something really beautiful about that to me.

Vesper feels safe with River, not just in a physical sense, but also emotionally. Despite his awkwardness when it comes to matters of the heart, there’s a maturity to him that she finds reassuring (and attractive). He’s honest about his feelings and he doesn’t play games, two things she admires. With River, she feels like she can let her guard down, stop playing the role of the badass merc and just be Vesper again, at least for a while.

It’s the same for River. He trusts Vesper and isn’t afraid to let her see all of him, including the parts he normally tries to hide. He doesn’t have to be the stoic NC detective when he’s with her, he can be open and vulnerable without fear of shame. She understands and accepts him for who he is, just as he understands and accepts her.

It definitely wasn’t in Vesper’s plans to fall for a cop and I don’t think River expected to fall in love with a nomad outlaw either. But somehow the two of them just work, in spite of their differences (and I’m obviously biased, but I think Nomad V and River are a lovely, natural fit for each other).

My other favourite thing about them is how horny they are for each other, lol.

3. Least favorite thing about this ship?

The way they both talk like there’s no chance of a happy ending or a future for them! Maybe it’s a form of self-preservation, a way of trying to protect themselves from future heartache by preparing for the worst. And yeah yeah, there are no happy endings in Night City blah blah blah (unless you romanced Judy or Panam in the Star ending, I guess 🙄) but I wish the game didn’t act like their relationship was doomed from the start. I understand why River chose to stay in NC in the Star ending, but I hate that the writers made him tell V she doesn’t really need him without giving V a chance to respond (and then to add insult to injury, V’s auto-dialogue with Panam in the Basilisk afterwards makes it sound like she’s glad to be leaving River behind, as if he was one of the things holding her back). Again, I understand why he chose to stay and I think it was completely in-character for him, but I wish there’d been an option to tell him “You’re my family too, River” when he says you don’t need him because you have a new family now. At least we have V calling him her anchor in the Sun ending, I guess? 😅

19. An ideal free day for them would look like? What are they doing on that day?

With their jobs and Vesper’s need to focus on finding a cure for the relic, it’s rare for them to get the chance to spend a whole day together (usually they have to settle for snatching moments here and there when they can). Their lives are so busy, if they did make plans to spend the day together (and assuming something urgent didn’t come up to derail their plans, haha) I think they’d both prefer to just relax and do something low-key. They’d probably start the day by sleeping in late, then wake up to make lazy, sleepy love. After that, they’d fool around a bit more in the shower. Vesper normally skips breakfast and River’s always trying to get her to eat properly, so he’d probably make something for them both or take her out somewhere for breakfast/brunch (and coffee, of course). Then they’d either spend the rest of day hanging out with Joss and the kids or explore Night City.

With Vesper not being an NC native, I imagine River enjoys showing her all his favourite spots. He knows all the best places to eat and where to go for the best views of the city, for example.

7- how much time did it take each of them to notice their feelings for the other and how long did it take for them to act on those feelings i answered this one here!

30- in what ways do they inspire one another hmm... idk about inspiration tbh. maybe in some ways they each inspire each other to be the kind of partner the other needs. like i dont think nikolai has no relationship experience at all but i maybe its not a lot. so he's had to learn some things about her and about relationship stuff in general. there's not a lot of stuff that comes naturally to him like others when you're dating someone. and on the other hand jori has to learn things about nikolai as well. jori can be a clingy person and loves holding hands and having her arm around her partner, or leaning on them, and also her partner showing the same physical affection. nikolai isnt really a physically affectionate person, especially in front of other people, so she has to remind herself to respect his boundaries. when they're alone though he doesnt mind being her type of affection at all.

Cyberpunk OC questions from @gonksinlove's excellent list here!

5 - Does your V/OC have a favorite weapon? Bonus: do they have a name for said weapon?

Vesper typically favours big guns: revolvers, double-barreled shotguns and sniper rifles. She can be stealthy when she needs to, but prefers having a powerful weapon ready as backup for if (when) things go sideways and the shit hits the fan; sometimes you have no choice but to dispense with stealth and blast your way out.

After River gives her his revolver, she carries it all the time. Crash isn’t a subtle weapon: it’s big, bold, brash and direct, which suits her fine. Vesper’s a person that prefers to confront situations head-on (at least professional ones…emotional ones are a whole nother story) and River’s piece is well-suited for that. Just the sight of it held casually at her side is enough to make some of the more cowardly gonks and gangers start reconsidering their life choices.

Also, she’d never say it, but carrying River’s gun is comforting somehow, like he’s with her even when he’s not. She feels safer with Crash in her hands.

8 - N54 Weather is forecasting acid rain in Night City for the next several days... what's your V/OC do to pass the time indoors/under cover? Or do they leave NC until the storm passes - where do they go & how do they get there?

Acid rain is definitely less annoying to deal with in Night City than stuck out in the open in the middle of the Badlands, so Vesper would probably hunker down somewhere in NC for the duration. She’d go crazy stuck in her apartment with only Johnny and Nibbles for company, so she’d probably stay at River’s place and hang out with him and his family. She’d play games and draw pictures with Dorian and Monique, help River bounce ideas around for his cases and try to take some of the load off Joss however she can. Vesper’s built to be a part of a family unit and while River’s is a bit smaller than the one she grew up in, she fits in with them like she's always belonged there. She’d welcome the excuse to spend a couple of days with them, getting to feel like a part of a family again.

10 - What's your V/OC's origin story? We all know in-game V can choose one of three lifepaths and The Heist is where everything changes for them, but why'd they end up in the lifepath you selected for them?

Thank you! 🥰😭🧡 That's super sweet and kind of you to say, and I appreciate you sharing how you feel and the headache process you're going through for your own story!

I blame my logistical and problem solving skills. I also blame my desire to try and include everything as to why my long fic is 490k+. (I'm not at 500K yet, but I'm willing to bet that I'll hit that mark once I finish these final edits lmao.)

It's funny you mention this though, because I often feel like my outlining is mostly serendipitous as opposed to actual meticulous planning on my part. I typically have the rough frame work for what happens, but the details always fall in my lap either by chance or after I just taking time to think about it. More often than not it's just me seeing something and going "oh, wait a minute, this fits here" or realizing that I can connect what's happening now to something that happened previously. Like Grandpa being a practitioner of aikido was convenient because I practice aikido and, for writing purposes, it's what I'm familiar with, plus the philosophical aspects of the martial art are a cute tie-in to the central theme of the story but… there's a facet of her aikido and martial arts skills that I've been foreshadowing since the beginning, and the only reason it got included was because I randomly stumbled upon a very niche piece of Cyberpunk lore. If I've done my job right no one will see it coming. (Which, I don't think anyone's figured it out yet. But I've been sitting on this tidbit for the past four years, and at this rate it's going to be another four, and it's slowly eating me from the inside out from excitement.)

What's a piece of advice you've received that you find so helpful you'd wish to spread to everyone you care about? (Can also be advice you read somewhere or something you invented yourself :))

Thank you! I'm starting to get excited for it 😁🌱

I've never been all that good and remembering advice that people give me, at least not in like a format I can quote lol. Mantras or general sayings are easier for me to remember.

I have to go with: "you never know until you try" & "honor the seasons"

Talking about poems, i may have written one for Grandpa V. Surprise! I sent you as a gift on AO3 because you're awesome and because I really appreciate all the things you did for the fandom/community.

Also because, as you probably know Grandpa V is just special to me. Something about her really hits me. She (I mean you) inspired me a lot and you should know that i am super grateful!!

This poem has actually been sitting on my laptop for 2 weeks (low key because i was worried that it wasn't good enough as a gift so I reviewed it a couple times. I know i know, silly me.) I tried to write it as a gift from Vivianne to Grandpa V, but of course it doesn't have to be. Treat it however you see fits best.

Enough of rambling. Have a good day/evening! 🖤🖤🖤

Happy Friday Legend! 🧡

EXCUSE ME, WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? I already said it, but it's worth saying again I feel so honored that you wrote this and I appreciate you so much for sharing! I freaking love it and I'm grateful that you did not let it sit on your laptop indefinitely. I feel like I've acquired the sweetest loot drop (a poetry shard) at the bottom of one of Night City's numerous canals. It means so much to hear you say how much inspiration you get from Grandpa V. She's not the shiniest, fanciest, nor the most personable OC around, so the fact that you, and so many other folks around here adore her so much is pretty mind boggling to me.

I know Tumblr is confusing, but thanks for chilling and chatting with me here. Thank you for all your encouragement and support on So It Goes, and right back at you! I know you're just dipping your toes on here at the moment and diving into the pool is scary (that's how I felt at first), but I'm here for you too, and I will be a notorious cheerleader if you let me be lol! Honestly, I think it being a gift from Vivianne to V makes perfect sense, and now I'm making it an official headcannon!

Have a wonderful weekend, and blessings on your journey, friend! Wherever the road leads you!

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧀🦨 XOXO - Ghost & Grandpa