βItβs snowing.β Grinning your eyes peered out the window. It never snowed in Night City, so Goro took it upon himself to bring you to a place where it did, his home.
It was honestly an adorable reaction, to see your eyes light up and your smile, he couldnβt even describe how it made him feel. Stand up, Goro held out his hand for you to take. βWould you like to go for a walk then?β
Quickly turning to face the man, you gave him a bright smile grasping his hand tightly. βYes please!β
Chuckling, he gave your hand a gently squeeze. Once you were both dressed for the weather you two were out the door. Closing the eyes you smiled looking up at the sky feeling the snow hit your face. βIt tickles.β
Shaking his head for a moment he then pulled you to his chest. βWould you like to dance?β
Grinning, you wrapped your arms around his neck nuzzling against his cheek. Despite how cold it was, despite it snowing you werenβt about to turn this chance down. βOf course.β You smiled feeling him giving you a little twirl your laugh, his laugh echoing around you both.
It was a perfect way to end the day, you just couldnβt wait for the chance to warm up with the man you love.
These alternate universes/timelines explore the outcomes if Valerie chooses to not follow Jenkins' order to assassinate Susan Abernathy. There is still a heist and patricide at Konpeki, but without Valerie present, this also means the events following Saburo's death play out a little differently for Goro. (Spoiler alert: they still manage to find each other in these timelines, too.)
π΄ Corporate Loyalty
Valerie is forced to make a life-altering decision: assassinate the director of Arasaka counter-intel or betray her supervisor. She chooses betrayal.
[Corporate Loyalty on Tumblr] [Corporate Loyalty on Pinterest]
ποΈ The Open Road
When the demands of corporate life become too much to bear, Valerie deserts Arasaka and finds refuge amongst the Aldecaldos. It turns out life on the road is far from paradise.
[The Open Road on Tumblr] [The Open Road on Pinterest]
π Series Crossovers
These alternate universes either put Goro and Valerie into a whole new setting or combine elements of Cyberpunk with another series. These currently aren't nearly as fleshed out as the alternate timelines, and they're usually just a very way for me to continue exploring new ideas for Valerie and Goro if I need a break from Night City.
πΉ Thedas Adventures [Tumblr Tag]
I'm going back to my roots and getting in trouble in Thedas. While I'm technically exploring this through a replay of Inquisition with Valerie in the Inquisitor role, I want to craft a totally different life for her there. She and Goro might even find their way into my mostly canon-compliant Dragon Age worldstate come Dreadwolf, especially since I see Goro fitting into Tevinter pretty well.
πΊ Cyber Witchers [Tumblr Tag]
This crossover was mostly an adventure in modding. I wanted to see what clothing items I could put on Goro without having to learn Blender, and it turns out the Witcher Samurai jacket fits. Likelihood of revisiting this AU is low, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
π Coming Soon?
While I don't want to spread myself too thin, I've also thought about dropping them into Fallout and The Outer Worlds. One (or... four) thing(s) at a time, though.
π Story Sets + Lore Post Links
The tags linked above of course have all the posts pertaining to each AU, but I have compiled some of my favorite story sets and bits of lore that you can find organized and linked below.
Last updated: 8 March 2023
ποΈ Legend
πΈ - Photo story/photo-heavy post
π - Fic/text-heavy post
π΄ Corporate Loyalty Posts
Story Sets (Chronological Order)
Prologue πΈ
One-Shots (No Order)
Secret Date at Embers πΈ
Role Reversal πΈ
Lore + Concepts
Goro Protecting Valerie from Militech + Creation Notes πΈπ
Wakamizu - In Japanese mythology it is a gift for humanity from the moon god, Tsukuyomi. It can be a reward for good deeds a human performs, or simply as the god's benevolence/pity for the suffering of mortals.
Waka-mizu is more aptly translated as the water of youth (where waka - youth and mizu - water). It seems to refer to the same thing as ochi-mizu (rejuvenating, reanimating water).
This was a long time coming. It was for the Hanami event, but as always, I take more time than should be legal to finish my ideas. The associated one shot fic that will make things clearer and (hopefully) better.
Huge thanks to @breezypunk for Goroβs netrunner suit & to @nananarc for the βon locationβ research upon Japanese myths and beliefs. Two essential things that helped me tremendously.β₯οΈ
Waters Above, Waters Below (1700 words) by ZianaV
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Goro Takemura/V, Goro Takemura & V, goro - Relationship
Characters: V (Cyberpunk 2077), Goro Takemura, Hanako Arasaka
Additional Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, POV Goro Takemura, all the saddo things, Post Game Events, V in Mikoshi
Summary:
Arasaka under Hanako's lead, works on a secret program that would turn Mikoshi into a cyber-afterlife. A place where the constructs can experience some form of pleasure, leisure and even normality. A place where the surroundings are a little more than just black ether and neon green materializations of code.
The technology is still in its infancy, still unstable and minimally explored. The weaknesses of this underdeveloped technology leave Mikoshi as a whole at risk, opening it to outer and even inner threats. V, as a prime test subject and candidate for cloning, is in the midst of this new program and just as weak to said threats.
I'm a very long-winded person and when I like doing something, I like doing A LOT of it. I recently moved to Tumblr full-time after being stuck with 200-symbol posts on Twitter (ugh), so I'm using the full power of this blogging platform. I'm concerned about the AI, so it's all switched off on all my blogs. I hope Tumblr will wise up and survive, because I love it here so far π
I have a lot of fandoms, I like pretty art, I write and muse about stuff - it's all a huge mess if I put it one place. So that's why I decided to split my obsessions into several neat piles, so people could have an easier time decining whether to follow, ignore or block my stuff according to their preferences.
Here are my blogs which you're free to explore and follow as you like:
Β» ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian
The main blog where I shout into nothingness. But where I also post lots of Star Trek, mainly about Cardassians (bc I love them). I do not do Garashir, tho, look for that particular bit elsewhere (not bc I don't ship them, but bc I'm severely overfed to the point of having an allergic rection). My focus Cardassian is Damar, followed by Dukat. I'm super open to reblogging your OCs, though.
My other favorite fandoms you might come across on this blog (which I don't post enough about to make a separate blog): Mass Effect, Discworld, Tolkien, Detroit: Become Human, Apex Legends, Marvel/DC, Hunger Games.
I also ramble, post about writing in general, reblog some fitting memes and pets/animals, share my own photography, reblog art etc.
Β» pixie-in-a-moonlantern
The initiated already know: Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot blog. I post my OC screenshots, maybe some stories, perhaps one day I will even finish a fic (started one, didn't finish). My all-time favorites are: Halsin, Gale, Rolan, Emperor. I do not have any VP tools, so my screens are only lightly edited to be prettier, and that's it. I do not draw or paint (tho I so want to). It's mainly reblogs and discussions so far, with my screenshots sprinkled in between.
As the name suggests, this is my Cyberpunk 2077 blog. I used to do a lot of virtual photography in that one - and yes, this time I mean real VP, though still no paid tools, just vanilla and free mods. I love Goro Takemura and ship my fem V with him heavily - wrote a dope fanfiction about them, too. I reblog other cp77 vp (especially of Goro) and fanart. I don't currently play the game or shoot photos, but I have a large collection I plan to drizzle over the next few months, until I maybe decide to go back to cp77 for a while again and finally play Phantom Liberty that's been waiting for me for a long time now xD.
Β» goodness-all-around
My "assorted dopeness" reblogs. I love pretty pictures and I love supporting artists in my own small way, so it'll be reblogs of general beautiful things I can't stuff into my other blogs, and reblogs of commission offers. Perhaps even some theory and discussion if I happen to like any.
I will update the list if I happen to change things or add/remove blogs. Thanks for your attention and see you in the activity notifs! π
Bits of trivia:
I'm Czech, cis woman (bi & poly and, frankly, hyper), 32, in a relationship, mom to a 5yo boy, a writer struggling to finish and publish her first original novel, drowning her sorrows in fanfic instead :).
I got to most of my fandoms quite late in life, because where I live this info only started to properly flow in with the coming of the internet. I'm usually a casual fan, though when I hit a gold vein I can get a bit obsessed. I love writing fanfiction, which is mostly why I'm here on this site.
I self-insert a lot (therapy writing) and usually ship us, with the rare occasion of finding a couple where I can identify with one of them (or mold them to my image because I like or even fancy them). I've spent my life believing I was hetero and discovered I'm not only once I (finally) was in a hetero relationship and had a kid, so... my ships are also hetero. It's a habit, not hating, I don't discredit any gay ships (maybe quietly to myself when they don't make any sense to me character-wise, lol).
My AO3 account: XindiChick
I usually try to write even the most niche of my ships in a way that doesn't require much knowledge of the original, so you're welcome to browse and read to your heart's content if you happen to like my style. I welcome any interactions, especially comments, because I don't get many.
I think it's something everyone should always be aware of, but I've also seen many people ignoring this unsaid rule:
HATERS NEED NOT INTERACT
- lest they get blocked. I'm not here to argue with you about why I like certain characters and why you think I shouldn't. Go simp for your own top picks on your own blogs and leave me alone. Same goes for any of my personal trivia I shared.
Also:
DISCLAIMER: My blogs are a safe space for everyone who doesn't go around hating on everyone else. I will block assholes of every shape, color, faith, gender, orientation etc. indiscriminantly, just as I will happily interact with good people of any kind. Idc what your deal is, I just wanna enjoy being on this platform, so if you plan to rain on it, don't expect me to indulge you.
Icons by: @rpschtuff
By the way, a fun fact known only to people aware of my main fanfic novel, The Casualty, the Cardassian in my username was actually born Bajoran, but raised Cardassian, which is why she's a Cardassian in heart and spirit. She's your friendly reminder that not all Cardies are the same and as a nation have the capacity to be much better than how they were presented in the DS9, which is what she's trying to achieve.
the most recent mw our members have said are:Β denise, michonne grimes, maggie rhee, rosita espinosa, tara chambler, or wolf oc (the w ppl) - the walking dead.Β neteyam, tuk, spider, norm, tom sully, tonowari, tsu'tey - avatar/way of water. panam palmer, judy alvarez, johnny silverhand, misty olszewski, jackie welles, goro takemura - cyber punk 2077. jordan baker - the great gatsby. catelyn, ned, sansa, bran and rickon stark, harwin strong, margaery tyrell, jaime, tyrion and cersei lannister - game of thrones/house of the dragon.Β chloe price, steph gingrich, nathan prescott, max caulfield - life is strange !!
VΓ’n x Goro being bound by The Devil - Arasaka. Mind you, the lover in the devil card is willingly giving up their freedom to the devil though.
I'm so proud of myself tbh. I wasn't able to do something like this a month ago, but then I got possessed by a demon of arts I guess. They have been kind to me, unlike another demon. Yeah, I'm talking about you, fucking depresion. Oh and an incubus too lol.
ΰͺββ΄ββΉ This is a refresh of my previous master post for Valerie (available here).
β§ BASICS β§
Full Name: Valerie Irene Powell
Pronouns: She/her
Date of Birth: 12 Oct 2041
Place of Birth: Charter Hill, Night City
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Weight: ~150 lbs
Body Type: Athletic, curvy
Eye Color: Dark blue-gray
Hair Color: Blue (cerulean or sapphire) (brown-black naturally)
β§ PERSONALITY & SKILLS β§
MBTI: ISFJ
Lifepath: Corpo-rat
Combat Style: Pistols, long-range rifles, tech attacks/hacking
Languages:
- English (native)
- Japanese (full professional proficiency)
- Spanish (elementary proficiency)
β§ NOTES β§
- Although in-game she has the corpo lifepath, Valerie's career history is pretty varied before she joins counter-intel: Biotechnica data analyst, a slew of random service jobs, hostess (with a side hustle helping Jackie con some of her more notorious clients), and Arasaka security (which is how she met Jenkins).
- Valerie doesn't dye her hair blue--She did when she first made the change, but she uses a cosmetic nanotech implant to alter the color of the strands at the root.
- She had a very non-traditional education: Valerie was in the Night City public school system for elementary school, but she was pulled out when her maternal grandparents insisted on funding extensive private tutoring until she was 18. Learning Japanese was a part of that curriculum.
- Her father was also very steadfast about the right to bear arms, and she was just 7 years old when she first learned how to handle firearms.
- Valerie doesn't drink alcohol or do drugs. Addiction runs in both sides of her family, and she made the choice to go sober when she was about 27 years old. (Caffeine is the one exception--She needs several strong cups of coffee to get through the day.)
- She doesn't have any tattoos, but she does have multiple piercings in both ears and a naval piercing.
Tags and relevant links updated under the cut:
Last updated: 10 Jan 24
β§ VALERIE'S TAGS β§
π oc: valerie v powell
π fave: valerie v powell
πΌοΈ art: valerie v powell
π fic: valerie v powell
β¨ oc inspo: valerie v powell
π ship: goro x valerie
π fave: goro x valerie
πΌοΈ art: goro x valerie
π fic: goro x valerie
π¬ outtakes: goro x valerie
πͺ muse fuel: goro x valerie
πΊ au: cyber witchers
π au: corpo naiad
π‘οΈ au: corporate loyalty
ποΈ au: the open road
π§ au: i only play for sport
β§ CHARACTER SHEETS & MEMES β§
Valerie Character Sheet
Valerie and Goro Ship Sheet
Valerie's Style Evolution (2060-2079)
Valerie's Corpo Lookbook
Valerie's Speech Mannerisms
Valerie's Character Influences
Valerie OC Profile
Valerie Aesthetics I
Valerie Aesthetics II
OC Tarot Card
OC Tag: Song Challenge
Unusual Muse Associations
Valerie's Affiliations
Valerie + Goro Relationship Card
Valerie's Name Meanings
Late Summer Aesthetics
Valerie's Rage Language
β§ META & PERSONAL REFLECTIONS β§
Valerie and validating my sobriety
Valerie if she was a canon character
Valerie as an ISFJ and how she expresses love/sexuality
Valerie and being "Goro's thief"
Valerie and marriage
Valerie and not trusting Johnny
Gushing about Valerie!
Valerie on Evelyn and "straddling worlds"
On sex in the corpo world
Valerie and Jenkins' relationship
Valerie and being sensitive & honest in a cruel world
She's Valerie, not V (also BTS lore about her surname)
No love at first sight here
Musing on Valerie's background in Arasaka security
Summary of counter-intel events and Valerie's career history
Valerie's ability to read people
No one is ever free in Night City
Wanting to play more "pro-corpo" as a corpo
Valerie does think being with a corp is her best choice
Thoughts on my first experience with the Devil ending
Giving Goro and Valerie a happy ending
Early musing on the endgame options and being an engram
A little thirsty preview of a longer photostory I'm working on. I hope it won't take me forever to finish the whole thing, but until then, here's a tiny taste. xD
I'm in the middle of my second playthrough and I had to repeat the whole Gimme Danger because, unfortunately, Polish dubbing spoiled it (and also because I forgot about the instructions for getting "obligations in Japan" message - but the second time I got it!). Don't get me wrong - Polish dubbing is pretty good (especially Johnny) but Goro loses half of his charm without his accent, Japanese swear words and that strange English that sounds like an official speach translated by google translator. I mean, his manner of speaking reflects so perfectly his alienation and mismatch with Night City that I just want my V to hug him, stroke his head and say she will take care of him.